#me posting unedited unrevised gibberish at the last second lol

[summonernoctis]

Day 10: Episode Ignis

He holds his arm to his stomach and bows, perfectly proper, as he’s trained since childhood to do. When the dutiful seconds are up, he lifts his eyes to the throne. To his king, long may he reign. Each time he looks upon that face, it’s like seeing it for the first time in ten years all over again; he takes his time recommitting each smile line to memory.

For royalty, Noctis’s expression is casual. Relaxed, as if this is the same routine they’ve followed each morning for years and will continue to follow for as long as they live. And they will live. He’s made sure of it. Ignis’s arm falls to his side, and he stands tall.

“Your Majesty,” he addresses, and revels in the way it brings a spark to Noct’s eyes. Exasperated by the formal address, but fondly. He knows. Not just what the mere freedom of sitting in a room cost, but the depth of all that Ignis is imploring him to receive. 

Noctis opens his mouth to speak just as Ignis’s one good eye opens to darkness. It’s as though the power went out unexpectedly–and in a way it did. Whatever magic allowed him to glimpse this possibility has run its course. So has the possibility itself. If Ignis had only made the right choices, gauged the situation more wisely. If he hadn’t let his fear get the best of him, then…

The Carbuncle statue is cold in his hand. Well, then that might have happened. A miraculous win at the Crystal, a fruitful decade of research, and all of them at their king’s side in the end. It would have all led to that moment: Noctis on the throne, a kind and benevolent king.

Noctis is dead. Ignis had clenched his bloody shirt with dirty fingers, searching hopelessly for a pulse, a breath, a sign of any sort. Instead, he was forced to relinquish his hold for good.

It’s foolish to believe otherwise. Ignis has placed his whole life firmly on the foundation of science and reason. A person dies, and they never come back. Even with all the wonders of magic and the Crystal, wishing cannot reverse this fate. This death in particular had been fated long ago by the most powerful of wills. And yet…

He thinks of the spark in Noctis’s eyes. The Noctis that he just looked upon, confident and regal and heart pumping with a magic embedded beyond any gift of his family. He thinks of the soft edges of Noctis’s smile.

“A power greater than that of the six.” The astrals were not the most powerful beings in the cosmos. If the vision that the messenger gifted him were any indication, Noctis could defy their wills. He’d have the strength to carry on after the battle, to thrive despite the crushing weight of his heritage and enemies. 

And maybe if the vision were the least bit plausible–just maybe–Ignis could be stronger, too.

If I believe in wishes, if I can find the key, Perhaps it’s not too late to change the course of fate – Cause after all, I must be pretty great if you believed in me. (”If I Believed,” Music by AJ Holmes, lyrics by Kaley McMahon) @ignoct-week