The Heir of The Eternal Eclipse

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I do not own FF15/ VS13 or RWBY

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"thoughts"

"Speech"

'words with implied meaning.'

Regular text

"Disembodied voice."

"disembodied thoughts /Memories."

~ Ch 3 ~

~ Connections ~

The sky was an ominous overcast of black clouds that spanned as far as the eye could see. The storm came out of nowhere and grew into a squall faster than it appeared. Rain poured down, and thunder rolled, the ground becoming fuzzy with the charge of plasma as a bolt of lightning arced and shot up into the sky before returning with an earsplitting down-crack creating a crater in the soft mud in front of a young man who was making his way through the forever fall forest.

"Ahhhhh!" He let out a shrill feminine scream that was so loud the birds in the trees around him flew away despite the rain pouring down. His chest was heaving as he hyperventilated after pushing himself back against a tree. "Oh, Oum, this was not a good idea. I shouldn't have tried to get to Vale on foot and just waited a couple of days for the next transport from that town. It's a miracle that I didn't get electrocuted just now. He looked down at his canvas, and rubber sneakers thankful for his taste in clothes."

He took a deep breath trying to calm down, but he almost choked on air as his breath caught in his throat nearly pissing himself when a loud growl resounded from one of the bushes across the road from him. His eyes widened. "Oh, no." He used the tree behind him for support to get his feet under him when another growl came from the bushes.

His legs shook, and he almost screamed again when he saw the long black limb stretch out from beneath an old blueberry bush. His hands quickly slapped over his mouth to muffle any cries he might let out. The storm was loud, and the squall would make it impossible for the beast to detect him through conventional means, but not all of their abilities were conventional. It crawled the rest of the way out of the bush raising it's snout skyward and sniffed. The Grimm's black fur stood on end, and it let out a low steady growl as it turned to face him.

"Oh, boy." The young man's legs felt shaky as he scrambled backward while trying to pull his sword out, but his foot hit something smooth and round, making him slip and fall. He fell back to the ground with a loud splash sending water everywhere. The Grimm jumped and spun midair facing the boy in the mud with burning crimson eyes as it let out a loud guttural roar before charging him. The boy's eyes widened in fear. He flinched, closing his eyes as he pulled up his sword as the beowolf's jaws closed around his head. He expected to feel, and incredibly painful crunch on his head like a vice crushing an egg but all he felt was hot breath and a weight press against him while something scratched his temple.

He opened his eyes to see the inside of the grimm's maw. Row after row of sharp teeth and that deep blood red color of its insides met him. Its tongue was stretching out trying to reach him but just coming short of licking his nose. He felt himself get raised up off the ground as it let out a roar and slam him against a tree knocking the air out of him, but he held on tight to the sword still lodged in its maw. Somehow the blade had wedged between a few fangs while the pommel and crossguard had gotten stuck in its upper jaw at a weird angle.

He felt like he was gonna throw up and his head was spinning. The only thing he knew was that he had to hold on to the sword or it was all over. He took in a deep breath as the beowolf dug it's paws into the ground trying to push it's head forward to bite him despite it being stuck open. He took a deep breath and screamed out as loud as he could. "Heeeeelp! Someone! Anyonwoughck."

His screams were cut off due to something stuck in his throat. He coughed and felt like being sick. An uncomfortable burning sensation followed by an extreme pressure welled up in his sides, making it really hard to breathe. He felt funny. The pressure and burning sensation in his sides turned into a very intrusive feeling like there was something under his skin quickly followed by the most intense sensation of something like a jagged splinter being pulled out. He let out a choked gasp as something warm hit his chest. He was lifted off the ground yet again, but this time he was flung across the road. His head hit a tree, and everything went fuzzy.

He blinked groggily and felt around for his weapon but couldn't find it and turned his gaze to the muddy road around him tiredly panning from one side to the other before landing on a white object. He reached out, wrapping his hand around it, pulling it close to himself. He saw the grimm across the wide road shaking its head while bucking like a wild horse before it brought it's bloody claws to its head and let out an angry roar as something shiny was dislodged from its mouth.

The boy felt the cold grip of fear clutch his heart as he watched the beast. Suddenly the grimm froze before spinning around fixing him with its glowing blood red eyes. He pulled the sheath close against himself as it expanded into a heater shield and he tried to raise it in defense as the beowolf lunged at him once again.

This was it. His cries for help earlier had been in desperation, he knew that. There wouldn't be anyone out here close enough to hear him. The nearest bit of human civilization was Vale, about thirty miles southwest down this road and 50 miles down the road in the opposite direction lay the town he'd left from early in the morning.

Not only that but the storm had definitely drowned out any noise he made. "Is this it? Am I gonna die here? Just like this? To a single grimm on some muddy road in the middle of nowhere?" His eyes widened as the grimm landed right in front of him, rearing up on its hind legs. He felt the urge to move; he just couldn't get his limbs to react the way he wanted them to, and he couldn't breathe right.

He just sat there pulling his shield to his chest as the monster bore down on him.

Suddenly the beowolf stopped moving. He blinked up at it through the rain as Its arms fell to its sides, the beast starting to disintegrate right before his eyes. While watching it, he saw some kind of blade pierced through the back of its head all the way through its open maw. He blinked and flinched back as lightning lit up the sky. The sword that had run through it was a long and curved looking to be of eastern Mistral design. It had been almost impossible to see in his addled state of mind, but with the added light, he saw that the blade had actually stopped only millimeters away from his nose.

To his shock, the beast's remains were suddenly thrown back as a storm of blades tore it to pieces in midair before it could disintegrate completely. He let out a relieved sigh before coughing up something hot that tasted like copper as he slumped against the tree behind him. He blinked, his vision blurring as he tried to get a clear picture of what was going on.

A pair of black leather boots slowly walked into his field of vision just as a multitude of roars and howls pierce the air. He blinked in confusion, unable to string together any coherent thoughts, his sight getting blurrier by the second. He blinked and tried to sit up but slipped and fell landing on his front, feeling the wet splat as his cheek hit the mud. He let out a pained groan and winced trying to hold himself tight, but his arms barely moved. When he opened his eyes, they widened in fear. All around him, despite the heavy rain, was a growing puddle of blood.

"Is that… my blood?" He felt himself getting colder a strange desperation took hold of him. "I… I don't wanna die. I didn't even get to Beacon yet."

He tried to get up again, but he could barely move anymore, yet he still tried to push off the ground. Despite his efforts, all he managed was to turn just enough to see who saved him. He flinched and almost choked on what he now suspected to be his own blood.

The person who'd saved him was a man. What made him recoil was his resemblance to the grimm now circling them. He was clothed in all black from head to toe and had wild, spiky black hair black as pitch with a pair of blood red eyes that glowed in the dark just like the grimm. He stood tall with a dispassionate expression as he held out his left hand. There was a flash of blue light, and to Jaune's amazement, a greatsword appeared out of nowhere and slammed into what looked like a giant bear grimm covered in that white bone plate.

The greatsword was buried into the beast down to the hilt when two spears lanced out at it. One tore the Grimm's right leg off while the other took its head.

Jaune's eyes widened in fear at the brutality. He whimpered but tried to call out to the man when he saw several beowolves flanking him. They all jumped at the man, but to the boy's amazement, the grim stopped midair as a wall of weapons appeared under them. The grimm growled and lashed at the black haired man only for the variety of weapons to fan out and tear them to pieces like they were nothing.

"How?" Jaune felt his eyelids get heavy and blinked. When he opened his eyes again, the forest in front of him was a mess. There were fires and scorch marks everywhere with grimm disintegrating all over the place. He felt something patting his cheek and looked up. He saw a girl leaning over him. His vision kept messing up, so it was hard to make out exact detail, but she had silver eyes and was wrapped in a flawless white hooded cloak despite the rain and mud.

If he was being honest, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. "Are you an angel?" She opened her mouth, but he couldn't hear anything. "What?" She repeated what she said, but he still couldn't make out what it was. He just smiled and blinked again feeling something move him, but he was too far gone.

~ 0 ~

"Noctis!" Summer shouted from her position on the floor next to the boy.

Said man reached out and grabbed the throat of a beowolf as it jumped at him. It tried to swipe at him, but a sword came out of nowhere and blocked it just as a pair of daggers stabbed the other keeping it in the air away from him. He looked deep into the Grimm's eyes, feeling like someone was watching him. He gave the beowolf a disapproving sneer and tightened his grip breaking its neck before letting it fall to the floor as it dissipated. He turned to look at Summer and grimaced as a tall tower shield slammed into the ground between him and an Ursa major stopping its charge dead in its tracks. "What?"

Summer looked over at him with tear filled eyes. "Noctis, he's dying you have to help him!"

Noctis looked down at the boy and grimaced. "I already am." Several weapons of more exotic origins appeared out of nowhere and speared a grimm each before fading away. "These things, they just keep coming."

Summer pulled the boy against her chest, his blood getting her cloak dirty. "It's because he's afraid. They feed off of negative emotions. Help him. It'll stop them from coming!" She gasped as a spear launched at them. She turned her head seeing it buried in the skull of a grimm that had just peaked around the tree she and the boy were by. Then several weapons stabbed into the ground around them, creating a barrier of sorts.

She blinked and gasped as Noctis began to glow a pale silvery color, crystals starting to form in the air around him. His eyes began to shine even brighter as a violet light began to emanate from behind the edges of his irises. The rain froze in the air around them, a nearly transparent flame beginning to burn around Noctis' body, causing any grimm that drew close to burst into violet and blue flames instantly. She looked up to see thirteen weapons that seemed to be made of the same crystal in the air shoot across the clearing tearing into grimm leaving nothing behind.

Noctis walked up to the two of them and took a knee. "Put him down and watch my back." She nodded and set the boy against the tree before getting up and stepping back a few paces. The light around Noctis began to fade as several more weapons stabbed into the ground around the two, cutting her off from them. She had to trust Noctis right now. She didn't know what he'd done for her, but if he could do whatever he did to bring her back, he could save the kid.

She spun around and pulled out her weapon spinning the spear around her body. Several grimm jumped at her, but just as they reached her, she was gone. A cloud of white rose petals flew through the air, and she reappeared behind them slashing her spear across their backs before twirling it behind her and stabbing them each in the head in quick succession while they were on the ground as if making several trick shots in a billiards game.

She leaped back up on to a tree branch just as an Ursa slammed the ground where she'd been standing. A grim smile fell across her features as she stepped off the tree branch and fell on the ursa's shoulders, stabbing her spear through the bone plating on its head. The ursa major toppled to the ground, and Summer gracefully rolled off. She frowned at her five kills and then over at the wall of weapons Noctis sat behind. "He makes taking them on look so effortless. Even less so than Raven or I ever did. Magical swords. It's almost like Ozpin… but better. I swear that has to be cheating."

~ 0 ~

Noctis looked down at the boy slumped up against the tree and frowned. Honestly, the kid was in critical condition, and that was putting it lightly. He pulled out a phoenix down and placed it in the boy's hand at the center of his palm. He closed the boy's fingers around it and lifted it to the sky. A shower of gold and red light swirled around the boy for a few seconds which had some effect but not what Noctis had been hoping for. The boy's bleeding slowed, and he took a sharp breath, but he coughed up a large mouthful of blood shortly after.

"Damn it." Noctis grit out through clenched teeth. "If that didn't work on you, then you're too far gone for me. I never was one for white magic. The best I can do for you at this point is lessen the pain."

He took a knee and looked into the boys dim blue eyes. "You're actually gonna die here, kid. There isn't much point in trying to help you now. Call me cold, but I know when to let things go. My apologies." He made to stand when a hand reached out and grabbed his leather coat. He looked down and grimaced.

"I… I don't… wanna die." The boy slumped against the tree, rasped out as blood dripped past his lips.

Noctis let out a deep breath kneeling back down as he grabbed the boys collar and pulled him up before shoving him against the tree. The boy coughed up some blood spattering Noctis' collar. He frowned and moved his hand from the boy's hoodie to his head, grabbing a fist full of the boy's hair. "Tell me something I don't know."

The boy looked at him with those hazy unseeing cobalt eyes. His mouth hung open, and he coughed between ragged breaths. "Please."

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Funny enough that's actually new. No ones ever said please before. Sadly I'm not well versed enough in the healing arts to save you. Maybe if it had just been a few minor organs, but I can't even tell where to start with this. I think your armors the only thing holding you together right now. Noctis looked into the boy's eyes, seeing the fear grip him. The boy started to cry, and he reached up, pulling weakly at Noctis' coat. He choked a bit as blood bubbled across his lips. Noctis took a tired breath and held his right hand in front of the boy. There was a flash of light, and a sword appeared. "Listen to me, kid. If you wanna live, you have to fight for it."

He grabbed the boys hand from his coat and put the sword in his palm, holding the boy's hand closed around it. "I can't help you with this part, you have to hold it on your own." The boy's grip tightened, and he nodded. "Life isn't my domain, but death. I can work with death. If you want to live, kill me."

Jaune could barely hear what the man was saying, but he was sure he heard the words death and kill. He tried his hardest to focus on the man, but he couldn't everything was going dark, and he felt so weak. His head started to pound. "I… Cant…pleas…"

~ 0 ~

Noctis undid his coat top and pulled up his shirt as he brought the sword to his chest right where his heart was. The boy shook his head, but Noctis ignored him and grabbed his elbow, jerking it forward. He convulsed and gritted his teeth as he felt something inside break as blood bubbled up past his lips.

Noctis looked into the boy's eyes seeing the light fade slowly from them as his pupils dilated. "Etro, you said I'd have your blessing wheresoever I find myself. I hope you kept your word because dying by my own hand would really suck if I didn't get anything out of it." He reached out and grabbed the boys chest as his eyes began to glow a deep violet. "I don't do this freely. If you really want to live, then you will do so as my vassal. You will be my second. If I fall, your life is forfeit to me, and I will reclaim that which I have bestowed upon you. Now rise a Knight of the round."

~ 0 ~

There was an explosion of light, and Summer was blown away into a tree before tumbling to the ground. She covered her face from the bright blast and rose to her feet feeling disoriented like she'd just been spun around several times with a blindfold on. She blinked as she took in the surrounding forest. All of the grimm in the area had simply disappeared. She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears as she looked towards Noctis. "Noctis! Noctis, what happened!"

She stumbled over to the spot where she'd left the two using her spear for support. When she moved closer to the place where the two sat, she froze and gasped.

"Noctis what the hell happened!"

~ 0 ~

"Stop your shouting," Noctis grumbled while wiping some blood from his mouth as he gathered his feet under him. He fixed his shirt and redid his coat before patting the torn up grass and what little mud he could get off from his clothes before looking over at Summer as she slowly moved over to the boy by the tree. "What's wrong?"

She dropped her spear and gasped while covering her mouth. She turned slowly to look at back at Noctis. "What did you do?"

"Huh?" Noctis looked over at the boy. He was breathing, which meant he was alive, which said it had worked. He'd turned him into an anchor for his soul. Just like Umbra had been for Bahamut and Gentiana had been for Shiva. That shouldn't have left any visible marks though.

She was looking at him in awe. "His wounds. They're completely gone. Not even scars. How?"

Noctis rubbed his neck, feeling a little tired. "I did what you asked. I saved him."

Summer shook her head. "You did more than that. He looks amazing, and I can feel… well." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I can feel something different about him. It's the same feeling I get when I'm around you. When your eyes glow really bright."

Noctis rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed breath while putting a hand on his waist as he turned to face the boy. "Look, I did what I had to. I didn't have a lot of options."

He glanced over at Summer who crouched down next to the boy and caressed his cheek gently while brushing his hair out of his face. "You don't have to get defensive; I trust you." "Do i trust him?" She rubbed some mud off of the boy's face and blinked in confusion. There was no blood on his face like before. Looking around, she noticed there was no blood mixed in with the rain or mud around him either. "What?"

The boy groaned, grabbing her attention as he opened his eyes. He smiled at her weakly. "Thanks." and then he passed out.

Summer looked up to her right to see Noctis staring down at her with those cold crimson eyes. That coupled with his pale skin and the way his wild spiky black hair blew in the wind from the storm reminded her of her old teammate. Her sister in all but blood. "He okay?"

A faint smile came to her face at his words. He may look like her, but he was warmer than Raven for sure. She took a deep breath and let it out, allowing her shoulders to fall as she nodded. "He's fine." She said in relief.

Noctis nodded in return and moved around to the boy's other side. He looked around at the destroyed area of the forest they were in and then up at the sky. He blinked, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the rain as he frowned before looking down at the boy. "Well, right now, we need to get out of this storm, and him to a town." He looked around again. "Wherever that is."

Summer just sat there quietly looking up at him. Things were happening so fast, and she's been witness to quite a few unexplainable things already. "I have no idea what's going on. I'm so out of my depth right now." she sniffed a little and wiped the rain from her face as well as the tears of frustration that trickled down her cheeks. "I wish Qrow and Tai were here." She said quietly.

Noctis heard her say something but didn't catch her exact words. He opened his mouth to ask her to repeat herself when the rumble of a car engine reached their ears. Summer and Noctis both looked up and turned to face the muddy road when a horn honked, the bright light of a car's headlights coming around a bend. A fancy black car with silver trim came in to view, but with the rain and the windshield wipers neither of them could make out who was in the car. Whoever was inside decided to step out, though.

They were holding a large black umbrella that almost masked them like a curtain as rain fell off the edges around them. An orange light appeared from the dark recess of the umbrella, and a large cloud of smoke blew out into the cold air before quickly being carried away. Whoever it was they were dressed in a white trench coat with black pants, and that was all they could tell. The person started to make their way over, and when he was just a few yards away, he spoke. "Well, can't say I envy you. Come on. I've got a schedule to keep."

Summer's ears perked up at the familiar voice. She felt her bottom lip tremble, and she cautiously got to her feet while picking up her spear. "Torch?"

The man went rigid as he drooped his cigar, the stogie going out with a hiss as it hit the rain pooled on the muddy road. "Summer?"

~ 0 ~

The black car drove down a more populated street in the upper end of Vale where the expensive stores and clubs were. Noctis' head was resting on the back of his hand, his elbow propped on the door armrest when the car hit a speed bump a little too fast, causing his arm to slip off. His head dropped and hit the window drawing a wince from him as he woke up from his nap.

He let out a yawn and grimaced while shifting on the leather seat in the back of the car they'd been picked up in. He licked his lips and looked to the front seat where Summer was still talking to the man she'd called Torch. They obviously knew each other and were catching up because they hadn't shut up since the trip began. He would admit that their voices had been good background noise to fall asleep to though.

He glanced to his left to see the girl with the multicolored hair that had been forced to the backseat with him and the blond boy by Summer and Torch. The girl glanced over at him and then turned to face him, giving him an unimpressed look. He really didn't give a shit what she thought or felt so long as she wasn't disturbing his nap or attacking him. The fact she was mute had been a plus in his eyes. He just smiled to himself at having won the metaphorical lottery with this situation. The annoyed look she shot him made his smile grow. She huffed silently at him to which he just shrugged as he found a comfortable spot on the seat again.

He decided to ignore the girl and repositioned his elbow as he rested his head on his knuckles. He swallowed the saliva he'd built up to moisten his dry throat as he looked out the tinted window to his right and took in the city passing by. It looked alright but not what he was used to. It reminded him of a meld of the architecture in Altissia and Lestallum. It was mostly stone with some modern building designs here and there, but it was all simple for the most part. He let out a sigh as the girl next to him poked his shoulder, but he just continued ignoring her, the city had his attention right now. Granted it was nothing like Lucis had been, but regardless he couldn't stop the warm smile that came to rest on his lips. It reminded him of the first time he left Lucis with the guys.

While he was looking out the window, he saw a shock of blond hair that stood out against all the darker hair colors walking along the street. It drew his eyes and would have done nothing but that except he felt his heart skip a beat and the all to familiar power of the goddess of death tickled his senses.

His head lifted off his hand as he made a fist the lights in the car flickering as he sat up straight. They came to a slow stop at a stoplight, and he felt the resonance with Etro again only stronger as he kept his eyes on the back of the blond girl. His intense staring was drawing the attention over almost everyone else in the car. Summer turned around in her seat and looked at him curiously. "What's wrong, Noctis?"

He ignored her as the feeling became so consuming he felt his blood pumping through his veins and heard the thumping of his heart in his ears. The blond girl turned to look at her companion, her face coming into full view. His eyes widened as he stiffened. "Etro?"

"Huh?" Summer turned to see where he was looking when an eighteen wheeler pulled up right next to them. Summer frowned and turned back to Noctis looking confused. "What were you looking at?" Summer asked him as she turned to look back out the window while trying to see under the large vehicle.

Noctis blinked a couple of times and then relaxed into his seat again while letting out a deep breath. "No. There's no way it was her." He closed his eyes and shrugged. "Nothing."

Summer shot him a wary look and then sighed as she turned around in her seat. "If you say so."

Noctis just remained quiet and tried to fall asleep. "It couldn't be. Could it?"

~ 0 ~

The light turned green, and the car started moving again. Summer looked in the rear-view mirror and glanced at Noctis, seeing him settle in for another nap. She gave an unsteady smile before looking over at their driver. When they'd first gotten picked up, it had been a shock to find out the man was one of her old Beacon classmates. Specifically Roman Torchwick. She had no idea what he'd been doing that far outside the city walls so late at night during a storm no less, but she wasn't about to lie, it had been a godsend. She wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially with the blond kid they picked up.

That thought drew her attention to the boy in the backseat. Seeing the peaceful expression on his face made her smiled softly. Whatever Noctis had done to him didn't leave any permanent changes, at least none that were visible. She'd taken his armor off and checked him with Torch before they'd gotten him into the car and he'd seemed flawless. Either he'd never gotten hurt in his life, or Noctis had gone above and beyond. She just hoped that whatever Noctis did wouldn't have any detrimental psychological effects.

As those worries passed, her gaze panned over to the girl sitting between the boy and Noctis. She was short but had a body in spades. A small frown made its way to her lips as her eyes scanned down the girl. It just wasn't fair.

She looked down at her own breasts and squeezed them then lifting them a bit before letting them drop. They had a healthy bounce, and she was proud at how perky they were, but she had to remember that she stopped aging for the ten years she was in whatever that place was. The girl in the back seat, however, might have been diminutive in height but had to be a size no a couple sizes larger than her's and they looked firmer too. The girl couldn't have been more than 5 maybe 6 years younger than her at 27.

She looked back up to see the girl smirking at her. Something about that smirk was familiar. She stared at the girl, looking into her eyes while focusing more on the pink one. A warm smile and a head of pink hair flashed through her mind. "Ichigo?" Summer wondered out loud. The girl looked at her confused, making Summer shake her head. "No, it couldn't be Ichigo, she'd be ten years older, just like Roman. That would mean."

"Neopolitan?" She asked, feeling more confident in having gotten it right. The multi hair colored girl looked at her shocked and then folded her arms looking away.

Summer was about to ask the girl something when Roman spoke up and broke her train of thought. "So, Summer." She turned around in her seat to look at her old friend. He had this weird look on his face, and he was tapping the steering wheel the same way he tapped his baton back in the day when he was nervous.

"What's up?" She asked in her chipper tone with a curious tilt of her head.

He took a deep breath and reached for the cigar in the ashtray but stopped at the glare Summer shot his way. He just took a deep breath and let it out as he brought his hand back to the steering wheel. "What. How. Hmm…" he got quiet trying to word his question right. He finally let out a breath and glanced at her before returning his gaze to the road. "Where have you been the last ten years?"

The question caught her off guard. Granted it was one everyone would be asking her which meant she was gonna have to come up with an explanation sooner or later. Sadly she was just too confused to do so right now. She opened her mouth to respond but closed it and looked into the backseat at Noctis, who was snoring quietly. She turned back to roman with a confused look and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I was stuck in some place. Don't ask where because I don't know." She jabbed a thumb back at Noctis. "I don't really know who Noctis is either, but he got me out somehow, and well here we are." She motioned around while slumping into her seat with a sigh.

Roman hummed and brought the car to a stop at the next red light before he looked at her. He examined her from the top of her head to the bottom of her combat boots, lingering on her hips and her breasts as well as her mouth and the corner of her eyes. His gaze made her feel uncomfortable, even though it wasn't sexual in the slightest. He was scrutinizing her. "You haven't aged a day since I last saw you. That day you left Patch to go on that mission." He pointed at his left eye. "Wasn't your eye missing as well?"

Summer reached up and touched around her left eye and blinked a couple of times before looking back at Noctis again. "He did that too." Her gaze fell to her lap as she twiddled her fingers. "As for the age thing. Please don't ask me any questions about it because I honestly don't have any answers. I'm just as confused as you are. Probably even more so." She finished with a hollow laugh.

Roman gave her a worried look and then settled in his seat, pressing the gas as the light turned green.

~ 0 ~

"Well, here we are," Roman said with a clipped tone while looking at Noctis in the rear-view mirror. He flinched when those glowing crimson eyes glanced at him.

"Where are we?" Summer asked curiously while looking up out the window at the massive high rise they stopped outside of. It was huge and reminded her of the city her and Noctis had walked through. It had to be relatively new because she didn't remember it ever being here.

Roman let out a breath and pulled his bowler hat down as a squad car drove by. His action drawing a raised eyebrow from Summer but she filed the question she had away for later. "This is where I was told to drop him off." Roman gestured at Noctis.

Noctis finally spoke for the first time since he woke up from his second nap. "Who told you to drop me off?"

Roman gripped the steering wheel and swallowed. "She said you won't recognize her, but you should remember her name. Gentiana."

The air in the car suddenly got colder making Summer, Roman and Neo gasp. Jaune groaned in his sleep and moved closer to Neo who put a finger against his head to push him the other way while scooting away from the man on her other side. Summer looked at Noctis in fear seeing his hair floating a bit. What scared her though was the look in his eyes. It screamed recognition of the name and mirrored the same expression he'd had in that underground city when he killed those daemons. He wanted this Gentiana woman dead.

"Noctis." She said, reaching out to him but he quickly opened the door to the car and stepped out shutting it with a slam.

She quickly tried to unbuckle herself, but Roman grabbed her seat belt keeping her locked in. He looked dead into her eyes and shook his head a fraction of an inch. "Don't."

She was about to yell at him to let her go when Noctis spoke again. "Thank you."

Before she could do anything else, Roman hit the gas and sped off. Summer opened her window and looked back at Noctis as he made his way up to the building. She pulled her head back inside the car and turned to Roman with a glare. The look she gave him brought him back to the good old days, but it made him lowered his head and tried to pretend she wasn't there. "Why." She said in a strict tone reminding him of their old combat instructor.

He just looked forward at the road and ignored her. Neo was in the back seat, just looking back and forth between the two. Something about this woman was familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. What was really getting her though was the way Roman was acting. She folded her arms and huffed while sitting back in her seat. "Mmm. Muha, wha? What's… going on?"

Neo looked to her side to see the blond boy they'd picked up along with the other two waking up. He had deep blue eyes, and this stupid look on his face. He looked at her and smiled. "Oh, hey. Are you with that pretty girl with the white cloak?"

Neo really didn't wanna deal with this kid right now and rolled her eyes, ignoring him. To her dismay, he turned to face her and smiled. "Nice to meet you, name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Neo just looked back at the boy with a look of disbelief mixed with exasperation. Then out of nowhere, she gave him a kiss with her fist clocking him on the jaw. His head snapped back and just like that he was out again. "Neopolitan, What did you do!"

Neo flinched at the woman's tone of voice. It reminded her of the scary lady's associate the Baroness. It made her shiver, and she folded her arms, looking away from Summer. Said woman was glaring at her with a reproachful expression, making her feel how Roman looked. After about a minute, the woman looked away, and Neo relaxed a bit.

"It's alright. It's actually better Neo did that." Summer returned her attention to Roman at his words and grimaced.

She looked at the tinted windows on the car, and she remembered it not being very descript on the outside apart from looking expensive. She felt her stomach drop as she turned to face her old friend. The way he'd hidden his face when the cops drove by. The way he showed up out of nowhere and dropped Noctis off somewhere to a person he seemed to be afraid of. "Roman. What did you do? What have you been doing!?" The sigh that left him didn't fill her with confidence.

"I'll explain everything when we get to a more private location." She gave him a distrusting look, but the next thing he said actually had the strange effect of making her feel better and worse at the same time. "We're going to Junior's club. Easier to talk and not be overheard."

She slumped in her seat, her head falling into her hands as she let out a frustrated groan. "Roooomaaan."

~ 0 ~

Noctis heard Torch hit the gas and speed off as soon as he was out and away from the car. He glanced at the vehicle seeing Summer sticking her head out of the window at the watching him for a few seconds before pulling her head back inside the car. "Well, there goes the first person I met since waking up." He closed his eyes, hand on his hip while the other rubbed the back of his head. "Argh, whatever." His hand dropped from his head, and he looked up at the building with a frown. It looked just like the 'Family' building in Lucis. It had the same monolithic build with the royal architecture on the palace with a familiar silver symbol fitted into the black marble above the two large ornate revolving doors.

He looked up at the Liber Regalia. The crest was just as he remembered, with a sword pointed down along with two daggers angled towards the blade forming an upside down arrow at the top. "It's definitely Shiva." His gaze traveled across the building, noting the attention to detail in its design and how it matched point for point the one in Lucis. His stomach rolled.

"But she hates humans. Stella and Luna weren't in this timeline either, and I killed Gentiana with my own hands." He said, looking down at his gloved hands flashing back to a past memory for a second. The blood that had covered them after he ran her through. He'd lied to her to get her to put her guard down and then struck. He finally understood what Ardyn meant all those cycles ago about her wearing the same face as that day. Whenever she died, her expression stayed frozen as if to remind her killer of their deed.

He clenched his hands into fists and let them drop to his sides. "Then, how? You had no, anchors left." He took a deep breath and stepped towards the revolving door on the right putting his left hand on the transparent polished crystal pushing as he made his way inside. Upon exiting the door, he stepped into the foyer of the building and looked around. The dark gold trim and black everywhere matched the color scheme and everything down to the flowers in the vases resting in the alcoves on the walls every few feet were just as he remembered. It was like stepping into the past.

He saw men and women wearing the same regulated uniform suits in solid black or pinstripe that his great great great grandfather had dictated so long ago. They walked silently across the foyer and into elevators or down halls to their appointments or meetings. A few looked his way and nodded while lifting their right hand to their chest, mouthing "For hearth and home."

He found himself raising his own hand to his chest and speaking those very words quietly. "For hearth and home." He took a breath and looked down at the floor seeing a large circle cut out of the carpet that highlighted a mural at the center of the foyer. It was a picture of the royal crest with his father's favorite quote etched in gold around it. "In this world, there is neither good nor evil."

"But thinking makes it so."

Noctis looked up at who spoke, and he felt his legs get weak. "Cor?"

The man standing there had him fixed with a familiar stern look. He was tall with a solid build and a strong jaw. He had short gray hair along with light crystal blue eyes, and he wore a slim pinstripe suit. He bowed to Noctis. "Your Highness. My apologies. I am not Cor Leonis. My name is Lupin Leonis. Cor… is an ancestor."

"Uh, I…" Noctis opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just stood there with a confused look on his face and then shook his head. The man looked just like his dead friend. "What the hell is going on? What is this place?"

The man named Lupin nodded at him. "Fair questions, but I highly doubt I'm the best suited to answer them." Noctis took a step forward a scowl appearing on his face, but Lupin held a hand up making him pause. "I assure you they will be answered, I only meant that She would be better able to do so."

Noctis glared at the man but calmed down and fixed his posture. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Who's She?"

Just then, the gentle click of high heels echoed through the foyer voice spoke from above them. "Sir Lupin would be referring to myself, Your Highness."

Noctis looked up to see a woman making her way down the spiral staircase on the left of the receptionists' desk. She had long wavy white hair and bright crystal blue eyes that complimented by her pale skin. She wore a fancy white dress and had her hands folded in front of her. The part that stood out to him; however was the dog ears poking out of her hair. "Hello, Noctis. It's been far too long."

Noctis' eyes widened, and he stumbled back a step. "Pryna?" He looked at her in confusion as he made his way over to her once she reached the foyer. He reached out to her, and she smiled as she closed the distance between them. "How? Are you here!" He finished with a roar, the engine blade appearing in his right hand, tip pointed to her throat as all the men in the room pulled guns on him while Lupin held a familiar looking katana at the ready.

He didn't care. They could attack, and it would hurt, but nothing they could manage would really damage him. It would only be surface level, and bullet wounds could heal. That was assuming they were skilled enough to hit him. He pressed the blade against Pryna's neck with a scowl. "How are you here? As your king, I order an explanation from you, Pryna. If you are still Pryna."

She smiled at him sadly and looked away with a sigh. "Very well, Highness. Shortly before you felled the great Shiva, she came to me and offered me a deal I could not refuse. It was for you that I submitted my life to her, though she forbid me from telling you."

He watched her look down at her feet, he could feel the shame radiating from her. She knew that in doing what she had, she forsook Etro. The god of her homeland. The turmoil it brought her was evident.

She took a deep breath but did not move away from the blade at her neck, nor did she look up to meet his gaze as she continued. "I am not a Shiva faithful, but I did pledge my soul to be bound to her's. I am her anchor. Though my life is forfeit if she so chooses to return, I follow no one's commands but yours. I hunted her other anchors and those faithful to her until not a soul was left, save for me."

Noctis summoned a weapon for every person in the foyer and those up on higher floors, the blades moving quickly to disarm those present of their guns. They all cried out and then grew silent as the steel was placed to their necks as he stepped closer to Pryna, moving his blade so that it pressed along her throat, drawing blood. "I should kill you and be rid of her."

Pryna finally looked up at him, and she smiled. "Please do it, so that I may finally see Ignis again."

He pauses at that feeling anger bubbling up. "What are you talking about."

She reached up, grabbing his blade and pulled it closer against her throat, causing the blood to flow more freely. "Please act on that anger and strike me down. Grant your faithful retainer this one request. Relinquish me of my station allow me to follow my love into the afterlife."

Several of the surrounding people shouted out. "Miss Gentiana! Lady Lancaster, No!"

Lupin held out his hand with wide eyes. "Miss. Pryna!"

Noctis blinked and stepped back as if struck, his engine blade along with all the others he'd just summoned disappearing in flashes of light. "Ignis and Pryna? Together?" He looked at her as he fought the frown on his face. The skeleton in the buried city of Lucis flashed through his mind, followed by a slew of memories of Ignis each one of him smiling. There was no way he would stay with a traitor. "You and him. Together?"

Pryna looked at Noctis as a smile mixed with pain came to her. She sniffed and nodded. He looked down, and Pryna felt heartache as she saw his tears fall to the black carpet. "Was. Was my brother happy?"

Pryna walked up to Noctis and hugged him tightly while whispering her response. "Yes, we were happy."

He wrapped his arms around her and felt the tears he'd been holding in for his brother in all but blood come pouring out. "Thank you for watching him. I'm, I'm sorry I wasn't there." He said quietly.

Pryna rubbed his back and buried her face against the crook of his neck, shaking her head. "Don't blame yourself. Everyone knew what you had to do. No one held it against you. Least of all him. He loved you, you know that."

Noctis took in a sharp breath and gently pushed Pryna away with a weak smile on his face. "Well. You have to tell me how things went then. Like how you two worked past the part that you're a shapeshifter that can only turn into a dog or a human."

Pryna looked at him and blinked a couple of times as a flush came to her face as she looked away. "You would be surprised how compatible we were Your Highness." He blinked at her in curiosity as he wiped a few stray tears away. She took a calming breath and cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and realizing that they had a rather big audience. "Well, perhaps we should finish this in private, we have much to talk about."

He looked around at the men and women watching them. He'd never been one for public talking, and he'd just cried in front of all of them. He decided that he'd just done something very unbecoming of a king. He cleared his throat and looked at Pryna, giving her a short nod before following her as she turned and made her way back up the stairs.

~ 0 ~

A couple of hours later Noctis found himself walking out of what he learned was called Liber Regalia building, so named after the symbol resting above its main entrance. He rubbed his temples, feeling his headache getting worse. He had been talking with or more so been told about Eos', now Remnant's, history. It had been a lot to take in, and he was still prepossessing. Not that anything was overly complicated it was just so much in so little time without preamble. Just one fact after the next. He looked up at the dark night sky sighing tiredly while running a hand through his hair.

The Gods. They'd returned while he was asleep. For a time anyway.

Pryna had told him how Lucis had actually been inhabited by the remaining King's Glaive, all those faithful to the crown and their descendants as well as a few who came and went over the centuries acting as the beginning of the worlds attempts to rebuild. Somehow he, despite being unconscious, had brought up the wall to defend the entire city and those within, and protect the city it did. From beasts, from the elements and anything else that came to threaten those within its walls.

The gods were gone now but not before they left they'd wiped out every living person on the planet. Well, almost everyone. Whatever magic that had threatened to wipe out humanity had been repulsed by The Wall.

If not for Noctis, then there would be no Lucians nor a Lucis. With his protection, they had managed to survive and even thrive, that is until the grimm came. The silver eyed woman he'd turned into an archmage, and her descendants had been more than enough to hold the daemons at bay with the training and help of the King's Glaive. After the new gods had left however and after millennia of thinking they were alone on the world, they'd run into other people and the grimm.

The grimm changed everything. The beasts weren't as smart as daemons, not by a long shot. They were, however, and by far, more vicious, brutal, and unrelenting. The daemons, though demonic and dark in nature were alive and thus felt pain, fear and could be hunted like animals. The grimm, however, were not living things. They paid a heavy price to find out old tactics didn't work on them. Small weapons didn't affect them much either. Life-threatening situations and being outnumbered didn't matter. They just kept coming.

Something he took solace in and found pretty funny was one of the last bits of information Pryna had given him while blushing like a schoolgirl instead of being calm like the several millennia years old shapeshifter she was. Through many stammers and hiding her face, she'd told him how she and Ignis had gotten along well, especially after he disappeared.

Both of them being his retainers and no longer having a charge to serve found themselves with lots of free time outside of keeping the kingdom running. The two had ended up starting a family, and quite a big one if the tale of over 15 kids and an ever-expanding family tree were real.

He looked up and saw a woman walk by with a tail that reminded him of Pryna's when she was in her dog form. He let out an amused sigh. Apparently Good old Ignis and Pryna were the propagators of a new species, the Faunus. Their population made up a good third of the worlds entire populous now according to Pryna. "Way to go Ignis." He said under his breath.

Just then a group of people walked by and in that group was a man with raccoon ears on his head. Pryna had explained the many different 'species' of faunus was due to her being a shapeshifter, not a dog. Traits depended on genetic predisposition to a particular personality, which meant that the causality for things was reversed in a lot of cases. For example, he would have been a cat faunus due to his love of meat, his general distaste for veggies or anything that wasn't meat, as well as his pension for naps.

"Wow, I can't believe Igi actually did that." He laughed out loud. The idea was surreal and brought a big smile to his face that fell but not into a frown. She'd told him how he'd been the last one to set foot in the royal throne room. That she and Ignis had gone there in what Ignis had felt were his last days so he could be close to Noctis one final time, even if only in spirit.

She'd helped him carve the message in the mural after watching him paint the addition himself before she kissed him goodnight for the last time as he sat on the ground with a smile on his face while he spoke his final words.

"Dearest Pryna, Though I love you more than life itself, please forgive a selfish old man his final words not being words of love for his faithful wife. My final words are this. Walk tall, my brother."

"Walk tall, my brother." Noctis felt a tear roll down his cheek as he repeated those words remembering how Pryna started to cry and hugged him. She'd sobbed the last few words onto his shoulder and held him tight as she relayed his final actions to him. As she'd left the throne room, Ignis had been humming the song Stand By Me to himself.

He wiped his face and then smiled up at the night sky. "Sorry, Ignis, but I need Pryna for just a little longer. You'll be able to see her soon. I promise." Just then he felt a pull, and his eyes widened. His body went still, and a breeze blew by him carrying several leaves with it. Just as the leave passed him, he disappeared in a flash of neon blue light.

~ 0 ~

"So this is what you were talking about Lucis?"

"Yes. That is what I was referring to when I said I felt something familiar in the area."

"So why did you tell me to come here and get it. It's not something I could use, and you can't exactly use it either."

A dark chuckle emanated from the surrounding forest. "Oh dear Raven, did you already forget what I said about Odin and the true king returning tonight."

Raven looked down at the sword in her hand while frowning at it. "No, I didn't, but what does this have to do with that?"

The voice gave a light, airy laugh this time. "Well, you see that is the Sword of The Mystic. My old sword. As well as… hmm well, I rather not mention Him, but I will say this. The current owner of that sword doesn't take too kindly to those who take his things." The voice grumbled. "I would know."

Raven lifted an eyebrow at that and looked around while trying to shake the feeling that something was off. "What did you do?" She shouted out to the darkness around her. That dark and annoyingly charming chuckle sounded through the air again before cutting off suddenly when a flash of blue light filled the area. She let go of the sword with one hand to cover her eyes. The sword she held was already heavy and was even more so with only one arm, and suddenly weight nearly doubled.

Her eyes widened behind her mask at the sight of the man now crouching on the flat of the blade she was holding. His blood-red eyes and wild spiky black hair seem so familiar, but the sword that appeared in his hand and shot for her throat made her forget that train of thought as she let the sword go and jumped back into the canopy landing on a large branch. "Where the hell did he come from?!"

"Ooh, well this is nice. It seems you've met the king."

She scowled at the voice while keeping her eyes fixed on the man as he slowly walked over to the tree she was perched in. He wasn't being cautious, nor did he look afraid. The man was slowly walking as if he hadn't a care in the world and could catch her without even trying.

Raven grit her teeth and gripped her katana hilt, ready for the man to rush her. She blinked, and the man was gone. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she whirled around. "Where did he go?

"Look uuup little Raven."

Rave's eyes shot open. She drew he katana raising it above her head and held it in one hand while supporting the end of the blade with the other as she flared her aura fortifying herself as greatsword came crashing down on her. Her left knee gave out instantly, her boots breaking into the branch as it gave a mighty crack and the limb bent. "Fuck." She swore in a strained voice as she looked up past the massive greatsword at those glowing red eyes so much like her own it pissed her off.

She tried to push up and throw the man off, to her surprise, he narrowed his eyes and pushed back from thin air. Somehow he was forcing her further down, making her wince in pain. Her right knee was threatening to give out as well. She flared her aura, even more, focusing on her legs and her right arm and she started pushing back against him.

To her horror, the greatsword gave a whine and a loud rumble before it revved to life. She winced, squinting her eyes as sparks flew from the great-swords teeth tearing into the forged dust blade. She grinned under her mask and let her leg slip on purpose when she saw one of the sparks ignite. She pulled the trigger on the hilt, and the blade dislodged while she rolled to the side and off the branch kicking off of it towards the ground to escape the explosion about to occur.

The teeth of the blade the man was using bit into the tree branch and cut halfway through before the momentum stopped followed by an explosion. "Hah!" Just then a dagger came flying at her, and she threw her head to the side while activating her aura as the blade cut through the air burying itself in the dirt. "He survived that? He must be good."

"Far better than you could imagine."

"What?" She didn't get a response but brought her hilt to the scabbard and activated it, letting it rotate until it stopped on another red blade. She kept her eyes on the tree as the smoke cleared. She was just about to touch the ground when Lucis spoke again.

"Behind yoooou."

She spun around midair and pulled her katana out just in time to block another dagger that came flying at her. She blocked small blade, causing it to ping off her katana and spin in the air. She glared down at the man who'd somehow gotten behind her when he disappeared again in a flash of blue light reappearing inside her guard, dagger in hand. Her eyes were wide as her head snapped back from the follow-up kick to her chin.

She opened up a portal above her as she was kicked back up and fell through it then out another laying on the ground. She came out the same way she went in and flew backward a few feet before awkwardly landing as gravity took effect. She quickly rolled onto her shoulders and pushed off the ground with her hands doing a somersault before landing again and prancing backward as a spear and several more swords stabbed the ground where she'd been.

She was about to turn to look at the man when she caught it. A light trill as the faintest of blue particles flew through the air and coalesced above the pommel of the spear before the man who attacked her appeared. He stood still while he looked down at her with a cold expression. "What were you doing with my sword?"

She scowled at him from behind her mask as she gave a shrug. "Someone told me it was here and that I had to come to get it." She glanced around, hoping Lucis would jump in and fill her in on what to say or do like during that quick little scuffle. He'd been speaking a lot over the last few hours, but he was being rather quiet all of a sudden.

Her gaze was pulled back to the man standing on the spear when she noticed him move. He folded his arms and scowled down at her disapprovingly before looking off to the side and letting out a sigh. "God damn it Pryna. Unless." he trailed off.

Raven quirked a brow at that. "He knows Pryna?" He suddenly disappeared as did all the weapons scattered around before he re-materialized in front of her and grabbed her throat. His grip was firm and unforgiving as it tightened. She used both of her hands to try and get him off even kicking his chest, but he didn't let go. He just lifted her off her feet and tore her mask off, allowing them to look at each other with no obstructions.

She felt her windpipe getting smothered and felt that familiar knot form in her throat as she tried to swallow while being choked. "I'll ask you this once. Who said to get the sword?"

She gripped his wrists tightly and pulled herself up to get some air and eked out one word. "Lucis."

At the mention of that name, he dropped her. She hit the ground falling into a heap while spluttering and coughing. She rolled onto her hands and knees gasping for air and retched spitting up stomach acid while trying to get as much air in her lungs as possible. She dry wretched a couple of times before managing to level her oxygen levels out then fell back onto her butt, letting her arms rest as she held her chest out, allowing her lungs to expand easier.

"Calm down. It wasn't that bad." The man reprimanded her. She turned to glare at him when a cold feeling ran through her. Her head started to pound, and her eyes stung fiercely like opening them in salt water. Her stomach hurt worse than ever, and she fell forward, gripping her stomach as she actually threw up this time, her vision blurring.

A dark laugh rang through the air, followed by the darkly charming voice of Lucis echoing through the dark forest. "I did always wonder what I looked like when I attacked Lucis all those years ago. Be a good boy and entertain me for a bit longer, eh Noct."

Noctis' eyes widened. There was no way he should have been able to return. Not after what he did to him, but there was no mistaking that voice. He bared his teeth and spun around, looking for what he knew should be there.

"Is that you Ardyn!"

The voice echoed around the two again. "Ahh. You remember me. I feel so loved, family bonds are important after all. Isn't that right Raven?"

Noctis leveled his gaze at the woman on the floor as she stood up shakily while rubbing her eyes before she glared at the world around her. Noctis watched her eyes the entire time. They were glowing like his own but with the same violet tinge that he had when he was summoning or channeling the power of chaos. "Fuck you Lucis. Stop playing with me!"

"Oh, it hurts to hear you say such things to me. I thought we were close. Very well." The voice became severe and uncaring. "Raven, attack him."

The woman named Raven crouched a bit, her hand moving towards her katana's hilt. "What?"

The voice hummed darkly. "You might stand a chance if you used the maidens powers, also I just finished giving you the gift I let you sample earlier. However, if you do not want to, then I guess it's alright. That just means our deal is over then. I do wonder how dear little Yang is doing?"

Raven's eyes widened, and she looked around frantically. "No! You can't go back on their deal."

"Oh but I'm not. You'll be calling it off by refusing to do as I asked. So this is goodbye. Unless you attack Noctis… now."

Raven gripped the hilt of her sword tightly and turned to face Noctis as he watched her warily. "Hey, hold up a minute." He raised a hand out to her in a placating manner. Whatever he's told you I'm sure I can help you out you just need to…" He trailed off, seeing her hair start to float in the air as flames appear around her eyes now glowing brightly as that violet color peaked out from behind her pupils. She drew her katana and slashed the air, disappearing in a flash of crimson light exactly like Ardyn had done so many times in their fights. "Fuck."

Noctis turned a translucent blue and dodged to the side flipping through the air as the ground under where he'd stood exploded as a beam of energy collided with the ground sending dirt and mud everywhere. When he landed, he pulled a tall tower shield out, blocking the debris. "Damn it. What the hell!"

Before he even took a stance behind his barrier a hand gripped the edge of the shield pulling it back and the woman swung around his defense. Her boot shot out at him faster than a daemon swordmaster could attack, her foot connecting with his jaw snapping his head back while sending him flying. "That's for earlier."

"Damn it. She hits as hard as a fucking behemoth. Ow, I think my lips busted." His face felt hot, and he saw flecks of blood in the air above him as he crashed to the ground. As soon as he hit the floor, a neon blue light shone around him, and he flipped up into the air feeling his face cool, the throbbing in his lip going away.

Aero

He narrowed his eyes held his hand out, sending a gust of wind at Raven, keeping her back before he threw a sword at her. He twisted while upside down in the air slashing his arms out in front of him as several weapons shimmered into existence and shot at her as they weaved through the air.

Bio

Raven's eyes widened when she saw him throw his hand out, followed by a gust of wind strong enough to throw her off balance. She'd thought his semblance was that teleporting thing he was doing. She blocked the sword he threw at her effortlessly though, but when she saw him weaving his hands through the air followed by a multitude of weapons appearing, she knew this man was different. She bared her teeth at him, letting out a growl. He was using real magic. She glared at him feeling like she was staring at another Ozpin.

She slashed at the first sword he threw at her, shattering it while stepping back followed up by a few deft deflects knocking a spear and a couple daggers away. This time she flicked them away from her as they pinged off her blade so he couldn't teleport inside her guard again. Sadly a greatsword slammed into her clashing against her katana pushing her back as several more weapons grazed her only he didn't attempt to get any closer.

She threw the greatsword off and jumped back as several daggers came flying at her. Just in case she brought her aura up around her chest where any knife thrower worth their salt would be aiming as she blocked two and deflecting one but the last changed trajectory and scratched her thigh. She growled and fixed her stance, but suddenly she felt faint. Her right knee gave out, and she fell to the ground using her sword as support. "What? What's happening?" She gasped out, nearly falling on her face as she lost her breath. She tried to breathe but it was difficult, it was like something was pressing on her chest. She looked down at herself, her eyes widening as she noticed a strange black sludge bubbling from the cut on her thigh.

"Are you done now?" Noctis asked her while she was checking herself. He'd poisoned her with a weak bio to sap her stamina because he didn't wanna kill her. With Pryna and the Liber Regalia building around, he didn't need to keep the sword there to find Lucis, but he couldn't risk someone unrelated finding the old city. He needed to dissuade her from snooping around without drawing attention to the area. "Well?"

She looked up at the man Lucis had called Noctis and sneered at him. "Done, are you tired or something?" She struggled to get a breath in feeling light headed. "That was a dirty trick using poison."

Noctis looked at her and shrugged. "Not my fault that you're weak. The strong win because they do what they have to in order to survive. Besides, if something as simple as poison can take you out of commission, then why should I work harder than I have to?" He finished in a genuinely curious tone. He put a hand on his hip, relaxing. "The way I see it, I just cut my workload."

Raven opened her mouth to retort, but oddly enough she found herself fighting down a smirk. He was right. The strong would win while the weak lose. Being smart and using poison wasn't a weakness in the slightest unless it was to make up for a deficiency. One he obviously didn't have.

She chuckled and then took a deep breath as she flared her aura closing up the small wound as she stood back up. The weight on her chest faded quickly, and the fatigue from the poison vanish. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not weak." The ground under her cracked as the flames around her eyes grew brighter and more abundant, starting to go out of control. "Let's see how strong you really are."

Noctis' eyes narrowed as he straightened up."We don't have to fight. All I needed was my sword. We can go our separate ways now." He said threateningly. "But if you insist." He raised his left hand by his right ear and then slashed down, a long straight sword bursting into existence. "I will tear you apart."

Granted she hated Lucis, but this man was good at fighting. He'd kept her on her toes that's for sure. She smiled and lifted her katana, taking a high stance as the wind picked up, blowing her raven tresses around her as the sky rumbled followed by the light patter of rain. "I doubt that."

She disappeared in a flash of crimson light reappearing right behind him, slashing her sword across his back. There was a shower of sparks as her sword ran across his. He'd simply put his sword behind his back held it there. She narrowed her eyes as her crimson orbs met his. "He's fast."

She teleported a few meters away and jumped back, raising her blade as a greatsword sank into the ground in front of her. "Damn it! How is he throwing these so quickly?" Noctis warped to the greatsword and gripped the hilt as he swung around it slashing at her knocking her blade to the side before he spun and kicked her stomach.

His boot connected with her gut, sending her sailing back into the treeline. She flipped midair, her boots landing on the trunk of a tree and she looked forward just in time to see Noctis pulling the greatsword out of the ground and throw it at her. Her eyes widened, and she kicked off to the side, hitting the soil lightly before jumping back as she held out her left hand. Flames burst into life, turning any debris coming at her to ash as the tree exploded in a shower of splinters, but she left herself open.

"ERRAAAHHHH!" Raven's head turned so fast her neck cracked, and she just managed to bring her katana up as Noctis met her with a vicious looking blade that looked like two pipes attached to a wicked sharp hunk of metal all in a pinkish red color similar to her brother's eyes.

She grunted as her boots slid across the mud. She tried to push back, but the man's force was like a locomotive. He pushed her up against a tree their faces centimeters apart as they growled at each other, sparks flying as their swords ran along one another. Noctis' blade ran up along hers reaching up to her cheek, nicking her just a bit. Her aura stopped it from breaking the skin, but she felt strange, and her heart skipped a beat.

It was hard to explain, but it felt like when she used her semblance too much or when she'd had her blood drawn when she was building a blood bank in case of emergencies. With a grunt, she kicked Noctis' knee, making it buckle, and she headbutted him, causing him to fall back with a grunt as he grabbed his face.

She took a deep breath while gripping her chest and flared her aura. The feeling dissipated, but as Noctis steadied himself. She saw a light green shimmer in the air around him. The blood on his face that dripped from his nose seemed to reverse back up not leaving a trace. Her gaze shot down to the sword he held, and her eyes widened at the glow it gave off. She felt a pull on her cheek from where the blade had tried to cut her and shivered.

"Blood sword."

She couldn't pull her eyes away from the weapon and responded distractedly. "What?"

The blade disappeared, and her gaze lifted to meet his. He was watching her with a placid expression. "The name of the blade, it's blood sword. It steals vitality from whatever it strikes and heals the wielder. It can even pull people the wielder from the brink of death."

Raven quirked a brow as she took a low stance. Why was he explaining that to her? What did it matter? It wasn't like it had anything to do with their fight. "So what?"

He shrugged and closed his eyes, his posture going slack as he rested a hand on his hip. "You aren't strong enough for me to get anything out of this fight, figured I'd talk a bit."

Raven Scowled at him feeling slighted by his disregard for her. She'd been able to keep up and even score a few blows where he'd gotten what? One scratch and used a weapon to drain some aura. She felt her anger bubble up. "I could end you. No human can withstand the power I have."

"Too bad, I'm not."

His quick response caught her off guard. The fire around her eyes dying a bit. "What?"

He tilted his head and let his hand drop as he opened his eyes, the air around him, filling rapidly with crystals as he held out his left hand, summoning his engine blade. There was a bright flash of silvery light that forced her to cover her eyes, and when she looked up, she saw thirteen weapons made out of a brilliant translucent crystal floating around.

He took a deep breath, and they each turned into glowing wisps of light. He was like Ozpin. He could use real magic. And efficiently. She tightened her grip on her blade, reaching deep inside herself to pull out the full power of the maiden. The clouds in the sky shifted and started revolving around their clearing as the wind picked up while thunder rumbled. She glared at him.

Noctis suddenly disappeared in a silver flash, making Raven's eyes widen. He hadn't thrown any weapons, and there was no indication of where he'd gone to. She took a step back and cursed when he appeared right in front of her punching her in the face with his left hand quickly followed by an overhead slash that snapped her head forward. She grunted and tried to slash at him, but he phased through her blade and cut her across the gut followed by another overhead slash that she managed to block.

Each hit was harder than the last and the attack she blocked made her knee buckle again, dropping her to her hands. She winced and looked up to see Noctis jump in the air and flip forward, slamming his blade down at her. She lifted her katana and braced herself, but the blow sent her skidding through the mud and into a boulder. Her head snapped back, cracking against the stone, and her vision went blurry. She winced as she tried to focus while her head swam.

Noctis warped a couple of meters in front of her, and her eyes widened. She disappeared in a flash of crimson as he summoned the Blade of The Mystic. He narrowed his eyes and spun around, slashing it upwards in two successive strikes. The first cut through the red particles in the air and Raven dropped out of her warp. The second caught Raven as she appeared, the force throwing her forward.

She writhed on the ground while gripping her back and she cursed, glared at Noctis over her shoulder, her eyes blazing as several spikes of ice shot up out of the ground at him. He let go of the greatsword and summoned the Trident of The Oracle. A bright light coalesced around the prongs as he swung it around several times while spinning, his body doubling over while the weapon twirled over him as he stepped back. "Get away!" Raven shouted as she sat up stumbling to her feet, more spike shooting out towards Noctis.

"Damn." He cursed as he let the trident fade and back flipped several times before spinning around. He gripped the air in front of his face as all the wisps of light flew at Raven. Her eyes widened, and she tried to open a portal or use the ability Lucis gave her, but neither was working. The wisps of light swirled around her shooting past and occasionally hitting her.

"Fuck. He's playing with me. Just how strong is he?" She glared at him and let out a roar as a sphere of ice formed around her. She fell to her knees inside the temporary barrier and gasped for breath as she used the maidens power and her aura to heal the trauma from his attacks. Despite not breaking the skin, he was definitely breaking something. She winced, letting out a sharp breath as she touched her ribs around her back.

Noctis glared at the barrier and held up his left hand, causing all of the crystal weapons to appear and halt in their attack of her barrier. They all flew through the air, coming to float behind him, spinning in place while pointing at the sphere of ice. They all shot out at her barrier with the force of their actual mass held now striking the barrier repeatedly as cracks formed across it. "This is it."

He warped high into the air summoning his engine blade. A beam of light surrounded it and he fell hard and fast shooting towards Raven's defense as he slashed the sword down shattering the barrier.

"RHAAAAA!" Raven shot out of the broken remains and slashed at him. He disappeared in a flash of light, but she was waiting for it. She turned to where the light appeared again, but her eyes widened when she was met with a silvery copy of Noctis slashing her across her chest sending her back only to be hit by another with a spear.

She tried to see where he was at, but he kept warping faster than she could keep up leaving behind afterimages while scoring in shots every time. "Stop it! Fight me!" She was shut up as a boot hit her jaw snapping it shut sending her sprawling. She winced and looked up to see Noctis flying in the air, pointing his engine blade down at her while all of his other weapons flew beside him. Then they came raining down on her, exploding in showers of light and crystal fragments.

Noctis floated down to the ground watching as the smoke cleared. The woman didn't stand a chance against him. Just as he touched the ground, he heard a branch snap, and he turned around to see a pair of crimson eyes. Raven's blade was covered in ice as it flashed through him. She frowned and closed her eyes.

"Too slow." She opened her eyes again to see Noctis in the air coming down at her with his blade emitting a pillar of silver light. She didn't even try to move; she wouldn't make it in time. The ground around her cracked and collapsed as light emitted from it and then everything when white.

~ 0 ~

Raven blinked a few times trying to get the afterimage and glare out of her eyes. "What? How am I."

"You did well. Better than most." She whirled around and winced at the twinge in her back. There standing with a hand on his hip and a lazy expression was Noctis. He rubbed the back of his head and let out a long yawn. "Color me surprised."

"Oh did you hear that Raven, praise. You did well. I am impressed, though you could use some training."

Raven gritted her teeth at the last remark Lucis made and made to retort, but he continued. "Ah well, I've seen enough to know where we all stand. I'll be taking this back for now. Until later, Raven, Noctis. Do mind yourselves. Wouldn't want to spill our precious blood now, would we? Ta ta."

Raven suddenly collapsed to her hands and knees gasping for breath as her head throbbed. She felt like her insides were on fire, and her body ached all over. "Ungh. Damn it."

The soft squelch of mud and the sound of clothes whipping in the wind brought her attention to the pair of boots making their way over to her. She looked up to see her opponent, not even short of breath. He just stood there looking down at her with a tired expression. It pissed her off. She took a deep breath and sat up on her legs still out of breath. "What?" She asked out of breath.

He tossed something to her, and she caught it looking down at her hand to inspect it. It was a light blue glass bottle with silver trim. It looked expensive. The shape was slightly unorthodox in that the bottom was pointed so you couldn't set it down and looking at it closer she saw the words engraved on what must be the front. "Potion energy drink." She frowned. How could something this expensive looking be an energy drink? And on that subject. "What's this for?" She asked in a monotone voice.

He Looked up at the sky, watching the clouds as they dispersed after his attack. "Dunno. Maybe I just feel like being nice. You didn't stand a chance against me, but Ardyn still forced you to fight, so maybe I feel bad for you."

She frowned at him as she got up and scoffed. "I don't need your pity."

"Alright, forget I said it then." He said as he looked back down at her. "You really should use that though."

She looked at the bottle in her hand, cautiously. He'd used poison on her earlier so this very well could be poisoned as well. "Sorry but I don't drink energy drinks."

He chuckled at her response. "funny thing is neither do I."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you have it then?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Look just take it. Hold it out, and then crush it. Is that so hard to do?"

She gave him a look that was obviously asking if he was stupid. That obviously wasn't how a person used an energy drink.

He groaned in annoyance. "Look I really don't care that you attacked me. For starters, I was the aggressor and then Ardyn force you to fight by hanging whatever it is your deal is over your head. I caught the bit about someone named Yang. I'm no stranger to being threatened by him. I don't have a problem with you so just use the damn potion already. I'm trying to help."

She glared at him, obviously not trusting him. He rolled his eyes. "Look if I wanted you hurt or dead, I would have done it, as I just proved I easily can."

Raven paused at that. He wasn't wrong, but it did piss her off. Most of the people she came across who were extremely powerful seemed not to care much and had strange personalities instead of what she felt was appropriate. With a resigned sigh, she nodded while holding the bottle out and crushed it. To her surprise, the thing didn't crack, and the silver didn't bend. The entire bottle shattered into particles of light, and no liquid came out. Instead, there was a bluish green light falling around her. She felt a shiver run up her spine as all her fatigue washed away, and she felt her aura fill back up to 100%. Hell, she was glowing a bit.

She looked up at Noctis with wide eyes and saw the contemplative look on his face. She couldn't care less what he was thinking about, she had to know what that was and where she could get more. "What the hell that was?"

Noctis blinked and looked over at her again. "Just an energy drink."

"Bullshit! You're a liar." She shouted, looking directly into his eyes.

He fixed her with a severe expression, the same one her grandfather always gave her when she insulted him. He looks directly into her eyes. "That was all you."

"What?"

"Raven is your name, right? That's what Ardyn called you. Is there a last name that goes with that?"

She blinked at him in confusion. Where the hell was he going with this? And what did it matter? He'd just fought her, and she was wearing her tribe's garb. That along with her name, should have been enough to be recognized. Then again she'd caught his name and hadn't been able to recognize him despite his insane power. With a sigh, she told him. "Branwen. Raven Branwen."

Her answer was quickly followed by his. "Raven Branwen Lucis Caelum. Oh, boy."

"What?" She asked wondering why he'd added that last bit.

He held her gaze while responding. "That's your full name. Raven Branwen, which is your birth name and someone else's family name. Then there's Lucis Caelum." He pointed at her then himself. "Our family name. So Raven Branwen Lucis Caelum roughly translated to Beautiful Raven of the Light Sky." He looked at her, I'd say it fits." He took the time right now to actually study her face considering he'd been too focused on beating her down without killing her and he finally noticed the similarities to the blond girl he'd seen in town as well as. He took a deep breath. "Anyways." He held out a hand. "It's good to see the royal family is still around.

Raven blinked. "Royal family?"

~ 0 ~

Authors Notes

~ 0 ~

And that's a wrap. I hope the editing was good. My friend just finished working on this one too so that's this story up to date. I'm gonna have to thank her. Till next time.