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darkspellmaster · 6 years ago

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Final Fantasy XV theories: Connections to the world of Final Fantasy VI –Part 1: The Astrals and the Espers..

An early warning to readers, this is all theories and only hypothesizes based on strong guesses and a lot of research. I cannot at this time confirm that any of this is cannon and until we have all of the game including the four new episodes, not everything is cut and dry. I’m going to date this though so that I have a time line of information and I will be using information dug up by others who I will list in the credits. Please note, again this is just my theories, and I’m hoping for it all to make sense.

7/18/2018

Introduction:

So let me begin this by putting out that I’ve been a fan of the idea of FF XV way back when it was first brought to light as Verses. What’s interesting is that the new episodes are having those aspects coming into play here as well but we’ll get into that later on. So naturally, I wanted to dive into this world, and the lore of it. However, something kept nagging at me, like I’ve been to a place before but it’s been drastically changed. With that in mind, allow me to walk you through my thoughts and reasons as to why I honestly think that XV is the world of Gaia from VI, only more modern and changed over the centuries that happened between the fall of God Kefka and the rise of the Starscourge.

I know it sounds crazy, VI related to XV, how, given that there’s so many allusions to the others games, why would VI be the one that is the direct connection to XV? What reason would there be? Well from what I can gather there’s a few. First off, there’s the fact that both of the Directors for XV are fans of VI, and Tabata himself said that it is his favorite game. (We’ve seen him include illusions to VI in Type 0 even). Second is the fact that Nomura not only worked on the game, he directly affected several key characters and story elements in the creation of vi and it was his first major work for the company following some of his lesser work for V. Lastly, and I think this is sort of the most important factor. Final Fantasy XV’s finale (all episodes, etc. in regard to the game) will be out in the year that Final Fantasy VI celebrates it’s 25th anniversary. Final Fantasy VI came out in April of 1994, and in 2019, during the spring season, it will be 25 years old. The fact is, Square is not going to just ignore this, given it’s considered one of the best of the series, and outside of seven, has become a fan favorite and is now getting to be played more by people due to the SNES remake as the game is on that system.

With that said, I’d also like to add that there’s a similar theme between the two games. There is no lead in VI and while XV may have Noctis, as with Terra in VI, as the main over all character, the story, as with VI, follows the pattern of having all characters play a larger role and the band of Brothers each has a significant arc told through both the main story and their own episodes. On top of that you have the idea of love, duty, devotion and other themes connecting the two.

But what about a more physical and realistic connections? Well that’s what I want to explore in these different parts of this over all larger theory. I hope all of it makes sense as you read it and I hope I offer up enough explanation and details to show the reasoning behind each of my conclusions.

So without further adieu…let’s begin.

The Astrals and the Espers…

The reason I started this thought process was actually way back when I first got a glimpse of the Prophecy painting, and the image of the supposed Eos reminded me a lot of Terra from VI. This I believed was just an allusion, like the name Niflheim was to VII. However, after seeing the female statue in the Pitioss dungeon, I began to suspect something different. You see the more I played the game the more I started to notice things that just didn’t sit right with me. For example the world map, and certain characters and locations that seemed very off in regard to the story that they were telling.

So what are the Astrals?

According to the lore of XV, they are gods that were created by the Goddess Eos to protect the Star.

“The Astrals are said to be physical manifestations of the star's power——in other words manifestations of the planet Eos itself. They were each "ordered" to protect Eos in their own way. Due to their immense power, they are worshiped by the people as deities. According to Shiva, mortals were created in the Astrals' image. They are intelligent immortal creatures who have their own agendas, speak a unique language only understood by those touched by their power,[1] and play an integral role in the Final Fantasy XV Universe. Usually indifferent to human affairs, Astrals' behavior cannot be interpreted because their thought patterns transcend the comprehension of mankind.[2] Some of the lore concerning the Astrals is written into the Cosmogony books found around the world.”

This is really important here because of where I’m going with this.

In addition to this we know that:

The Astrals are depicted as Humanoid in the prophecy painting.

We also know that they do appear in human form, as we see with Shiva.

According to the Cosmogony book, all the Astrals save Bahamut are sleeping... now isn’t that convent.

Further more we know that the Astrals tend to stay out of the lives of human affairs.

They also seem to exist in two places the mortal realm and the Astral Realm.

They can forge covenants with humans to support them, as seen with Noct during the game.

And they put people through trials before they give their powers away, depending on the Astral involved.

They will come to the aid of the King if they want to.

Soul crystals appear around them when they are summoned and the summoning takes a lot out of the King.

Even if they are defeated in the mortal realm it doesn’t kill them.

So why did I list all this…Well if you look at the Espers from VI…there are way too many similarities.

“Espers were created as a result of humans coming into contact with magic and the Warring Triad during their war for dominance. The gods realized what they were doing was wrong and sealed themselves away in the forms of statues. They returned the espers their free will, and asked to be protected by them. A second war began between espers and humans seeking to use their powers, beginning the War of the Magi. At the height of the war the espers created a new realm where they escaped with the Warring Triad's statues.”

Again keep this in mind those two bolded areas. Sound familiar? Well they should because they are quiet similar in tone. Eos created the Astrals, the Espers were created by the Waring Triad, and it’s an interesting thing because, Eos’s design is connected to the Goddess of the Waring Triad. (We will be getting into that.)

So why were the Esper’s created in the first place for Final Fantasy VI. Well according to the Lore, the three deities (Goddess, the Fiend and the Demon ) all came down to Gaia and were having a big old battle (more on that later). This battle raged over the world of Gaia, and during this time, rather than fight themselves, they created Espers, beings of great powers that were gifted to them by the Gods. (Again…sound Familiar? It should.)

These Espers could do a number of things:

They can make themselves look human or inhuman

They can grow to huge sizes

They lived in their own world, one that they made called the Esper World which is a Realm of it’s own.

Espers have tremendous powers and abilities, enough to wreck a whole party of enemies if called upon.

They are summoned via crystals that contain their soul called Magicite

In order to receive said Magicite from the non-dead Espers one needs to be tested in some way.

An Esper can form a crystal like cocoon around it’s body for protection prior to becoming magicite.

Normally Espers want nothing to do with humans as they are not to be trusted.

They even sealed off their realm at one point to keep humans from attacking them.

When you summon them what appears to be crystal like balls appear around the summoner and they also take a lot out of your MP in game. (Again Sounds familiar doesn’t it.)

Espers can live in the mortal realm, and, more importantly, Espers can have children with humans.

Espers can live a very long time and are practically immortal, as far as we know.

There’s a lot more there, but I’ll point out the bigger ones here. The reason why I made these to list is to show the connections here and there’s a hell of a lot.

Both the Astrals and the Espers have their own worlds that they can go between. Both have powers greater than that of a normal human. Both were worshiped as divine beings until things got screwed up (more on that in a minute), and both can be summoned via the draining of magic (and causing the summoner to feel like they just got hit by a truck in the process). On top of that, both would rather not deal with humans, both were tasked with protecting their gods.

Then there’s the fact that when both rampage it’s a mess for the humans. During VI at one point the Espers are freed from their seal and take off to destroy this one location where they believe the Emperor is…he’s not there…but they wreck the city anyway. Leviathan doesn’t care about harming others and wrecks half of Altissia because she’s a brat. Both cases show that the Astrals and Espers have huge amounts of power that can level cities if they want to.

So how does this connect VI and XV? Well, what if we’ve been looking at the Astrals wrong all this time. We’re assuming that they’re gods, that they’re being’s of power, and yet according to the book they were “ordered” to protect the Star. Again that sounds familiar, and it should, because that’s the same story that we’re told in VI about the Espers.

When the Espers were created they were to act as a force for the Gods, when the Triad put themselves to sleep, they specifically left the Espers around to protect the statues. This unfortunately after a long time lead to a situation where the humans became jealous of the Espers and their powers and lead to the War of the Magi (again coming to that). You see the Magi were people that could use magic that they learned from the Espers. (Again sounding familiar? You know kind of Like Solhiem.) This war lasted about a 1,000 years leaving devastation on Gaia, and causing the world to regress and the Espers to place the Triad high on a floating island (this will become important later!) and hide themselves away in their own realm. Meanwhile the Magi were attacked and killed by non-magic users and hid on a small island called Crescent Island. Thus the Espers protected the Triad and the humans went on to live normally in a world that had fallen into the dark ages for another 1,000 years.

By the end of Final Fantasy VI we see the Espers leave and return to their sealed world, locked off from humanity and once more causing magic to vanish from the world. The thing about the Espers is that we don’t know what happened to them after. Given that they could be summoned and that they were not dead when a majority of them were turned to Magicite (save for Muduin and we will get to him later), we can assume –given their powers et all, that they could reform themselves and rest.

Now how does this connect to XV?

The Astrals were supposed to have come from another realm, in this case coming from what the people in XV think of as the Afterlife. And yet, we only see images of Bahamut in that existence, floating there for Noctis when he’s in their world when he went into the crystal (again we’ll be touching on this). Given the fact that this place looks more like an in between or a connection between worlds, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t what we think it is.

During another part of Final Fantasy VI, we see the character of Madeline fall into the Esper world. The weird thing is that she’s exhausted from this, and needs to rest up and be healed before she can even move again. She’s gifted a pendent (more on that later) which is there for protecting the Esper world, and keeps her safe. It could very well be, since we didn’t get to see how she fell into the realm, that she, like Noctis, had to travers through a very weird place that looked much like the water world we see. So if this is a gateway, much like the gateway in VI (again more on that later), it’s not hard to see the Espers, now called Astrals, traveling between the realms through that gated seal which was made to keep out the humans in the mortal realm. (We also see water play a part in the Phantom Train area of the VI story.)

So if we make the leap that the Astals are actually Espers, what is the connection there?

Well in XV we are introduced to 6 main Astrals:

Titan, the Archaean, steadfast as stone.

Ramuh, the Fulgurian, sharp as lightning.

Shiva, the Glacian, gentle as snow.

Leviathan, the Hydraean, relentless as tides.

Bahamut, the Draconian, unbending as iron.

Ifrit, the Infernian, fickle as fire.

Since time immemorial, they have watched over Eos.

—Cosmogony

Now these characters are actually important in VI because of the role that they play…

You see Ramuh was the character that actually helped Terra out of her Esper state (again more on that in another post) after she had entered it connecting with another crystallized Esper. Being a halfbreed –her father was an Esper –means that she can switch between human and Esper forms at will. Problem was that due to the schemes of the Empire she was unable to control her powers, and thus Ramuh sent out the Returners (her friends) to gather up the Espers and find her father to help her remember the truth about her life.

Ramuh, as with XV, shows kindness towards humans and even lives as one in a town of thieves called ZoZo.

Both Shiva and Ifrit are found together and actually fight you together in VI, and Ramuh knows Ifrit and is the reason he calms down and agrees to work with you.

Leviathan is also a Esper that you have to fight near a city on the water in VI.

And then there’s Titan, who, for better or worse, has the same sort of attacks that Golem, and every other version of him (save for a handful including vi that has him as a more robotic machine) has him looking like Titan.

But then there’s the painting that depicts more than the six we’re told about.

(I outlined the various characters in stone and the ones in the painting)

In the painting showing the war of the Astrals, we see an image of Ifrit, but he’s not alone, and there’s more than just the six main Astrals there.

So in regard to the painting From the top Right we have:

A Strange set of hands on top hear the top of the tower that looks a lot like the arms of the Esper Phantom.

A wolf or dog like face that has an area for a stone and markings on it’s face. This dog looks a lot like the Wolf like Esper in VI, as well as Fenrir the Esper from VI and very well could be connected to Umber and Pyrna.

Then you have a man that I’m still trying to find but his one eye seems to have a set of make-up that shows it running down his cheek.

Beside him is a creature’s face that has no nose but looks to be a bit designed after Zona Seeker the Esper, as you can see the ribcage below and the face looks very much like Zona Seeker from VI.

Midgardsormr is right below them very similar to the design done by Nomura for VI,

Next you have what looks like Ramuh with his robes, but the colors are not green, they look more purple in nature.

Continuing down you see a red wing next to Shiva, that looks very much like a birds.

Next to the red wing is Shiva.

Before Shiva is a woman with a winged head dress that is sitting on something, with her hand up under her chin. The design is a lot like Nomura’s version of Siren from FFVII, and her updated form. Siren was one of the Espers as well.

Next to the woman in the headdress, is another woman who is looking away from the group facing Ifrit. She has her hair up and some sort of item cuffed around her ear, as well as a wing behind her. She looks a lot like the updated form of Seraph.

Beside the woman is Ifrit, holding a sword very different than what we see him with later (we will get back to that…)

Beside Ifrit there looks to be a Unicorn, with wings, which I want to talk about in more detail in the Ifrit section.

Then you have below Unicorn, what could either be two or one creatures. The head looks more like that of a rabbit, but with a weird jawline. So either that’s some weird version of Carbuncle, or it’s Carbuncle and some other esper.

Below the weird head is Probably Lakshmi who is off to the side looking down, as the headdress matches the updated form of Lakshmi.

Go down and past the body of Midgarsormr and you’ll see the form of a man with weird horns coming from what looks like smoke.

And Below this man is possibly Phoenix , or one of the other bird Espers, but it’s hard to tell if it’s one or two bodies due to the way the rocks are shaded.

Next to the weird smoke guy you have three strange insect looking creatures, that seem to have human and bug like designs.

Then you see Titan

Below him you have Bahamut

And below Bahamut you have what looks like a woman with four wings. In VI there is a Pixie like Esper that has a similar shape but no name.

Beside her and by Shiva’s knee, we clearly see a man in a winged suit brandishing a sword and he looks a bit like an Odin except more bug like. Amano’s painting shows at least two forms of Odin like creatures and one guy that seems to have the same look as the man in the painting that’s floating on the bottom.

The only one I don’t see is Leviathan.

Also by the man that may or may not be Odin there is a weird looking shell like shape that’s clearly round with a hole like design in it indicating a body…could that be Bismarck?

What’s bugging me about this situation is that the Cosmogony book said that there are 24 messengers, and only six Astrals.

So I counted the number of beings on the stone tower, that totals to 11, and the beings that are around the painting, that’s 12, totaling in 23 beings shown in the Astral war painting. Just shy of the 24 messengers that you would need to have for a set. My only thought is that maybe the dog being is two, so you would count that twice, thus making 12 and 12, and so 24.

If that’s the case…well…seems like the story that the humans are being told isn’t exactly the truth.

So Let’s jump over to the Messengers, and I want to bring them up because of how they’re presented. We’re told in the story that there are a total of 24 messengers, and it’s a static number meaning that they never change, and, given what Ardyn said, he’s met Shiva’s messenger before in the same face, meaning that Gentiana probably is the human form of Shiva. If this is the case then each of those 24 messengers are the human form of twenty four espers.

Which, if you count the number of Espers in Final Fantasy VI, and take out four specific ones: (Ragnarok can become a sword, Maduin is Terra’s father and unable to come back, Raiden is Odin’s upgrade, and Crusader is the “Esper” manifestation of the Warring Triad-which really doesn’t fit into the story proper and is a rare esper to collect in the game after defeating eight legendary dragons –kind of a side quest thing). That gives you a total of 24 Espers that you can collect in Final Fantasy VI. Which is the exact number of Messengers in Final Fantasy XV.

Keep in mind that every Esper was once human and can retain their human form due to what the Triad did to them, so they can weave in and out of the form if they so choose to. Astrals can show up as human’s via Messengers, which seems a bit of a sketchy since we know that, thanks to Ardyn’s one line, the Messengers don’t age. So why would the “Gods” need 24 of them, if there’s only six? It would make more sense if there were 24 Astrals and each was its own Messenger.

There’s more to this to in regard to the situation in game.

So when you go running around the world of XV, you’ll notice that there are a lot of monsters out there with names that seem weird, and to me they caught my attention since a good deal of them, especially the bosses, seem to be named after Espers of VI.

Phalaris looks exactly like Kirin from VI,

down to it’s horns. While it has a different name, there’s no mistaking these two.

Bismarck, the whale god (and I have more to say about him) is also an Esper from VI.

Unicorn is on the painting (and more about that one too)

Catoblepas is one of the monster bosses in XV is also an Esper in VI.

Lakshmi is the painting that’s possessed that you fight. Is also an Esper in VI.

(Also more on this in another theory)

Quetzalli is a monster boss that you again fight and looks a lot like his previous design, and is only in here and

Esper in VI.

Ragnarok is a sword, though another sword with a different name bears striking resemblance to the original one.

Midgardsomr is a monster and on the tower it looks like

Nomura’s concept for the Esper.

Cactaur and Gigantur, both added

Espers in the GBA version of VI are in here as bosses.

Bahamut, Levaithan, Carbuncle, Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh, Gilgamesh, are all in the game in forms similar to the VI counterparts.

It seems to me, if I was Bahamut, and a good portion of the group sided with Ifrit over this war, I would find a way to either imprison them, or take them out of the equation, and making them into monsters would make the most sense as a means of hiding them from the humans as an option.

There’s more to this too and one weird thing that stood out to me that would make sense for the characters to be former Espers is the markings on Titan and Bismarck.

Let me explain, during the story of Final Fantasy VI, the Returners (our heroes) go around collecting Magicite –the remains of the Espers. During this game you get Golem via an auction house, and Bismarck from the MT Facility. This is important because Both Titan and Bismarck share the same markings that the other Astrals do not have. I looked, and double checked over all their bodies (the only one that I couldn’t really check was Shiva as it’s hard to find a picture where I can clearly see her skin), and Bismarck and Titan are the only two that have this.

So what does that mean?

Well in VI, you Get Bahamut by saving him from Doom Seeker (a kind of demonic being), Shiva and Ifrit, willingly give their Summons to you, Leviathan you fight and when you beat it you get them, Ramuh gives himself to you. None of these characters were held by anyone save Bahamut, and were only used by the heroic Returners. On the other hand Golem and Bismarck were both held by other groups, and it would make sense that they were then marked to show who they were owned by.

I do think there’s a connection between them, seeing as Bismarck is known as the Sea god. But more on him later.

I wanted to also talk about the fact that the Astrals and Messengers seem to have things in common with their Esper counterparts.

Let’s start with Ramuh.

Ramuh in Final Fantasy VI is human looking, with a long beard, green robes, and a staff with a red orb on it. After the War of the Magi (which seems to be a lot like the War of the Astrals) Ramuh decided to live in the human world (as did other Espers) and was eventually captured and taken to the MT Facilty where he escaped with three others. He later helped out Terra’s friends when they found her in Zozo where he was taking care of her. The Returners were given a trial by him, get into the MT Facility and free the other Espers, and then Terra could be helped by him.

Ramuh can speak through dreams, and he’s seen as very sage, empathic and wise. He feels the most for the humans and is willing to help them fight against the Gestahl empire. Oh and he throws out lighting and so forth.

Meanwhile you have Ramuh of the Astrals, who acts as a judge on Angelguard Island while it was a prison. He passes Judgement on those who have not repented for their crimes and will smite them for the more malicious actions. After the battle with the other Astrals at an unknown time he fell to sleep there and was woken by Luna. He tests Noct and co. by having them run a mission to find ruins and that are guarded by Griffians. He’s seen to be understanding of the plight of the prince.

One of the key factors in VI and may be the case in XV is that Ramuh knows Ifrit and Ifrit actually describes them as brothers from different elements. The one reason why the Returners are able to obtain Ifrit in the first place is that he and Shiva feel Ramuh residing with the Returners and halt their battle with them.

If this is the same Ramuh from VI, (and part of my theory regarding Nocts’ line is right), then it’s not hard to see why Ramuh probably gave him an easier task. Also it again shows that Ramuh is one of the kinder summons and points to the fact that, given Zozo was a hive of thieves and the like, Ramuh would have a keen sense of person knowledge about those that are being honest about repenting and those that would not. It would take someone who had lived among those that were seen as the lowest of the low to know if a person was indeed being honest about changing their ways and was sorry for their actions.

Titan is a weird one. So Titan in XV is this giant Rock person who has brown skin and white patterns on it’s body. He’s shown to be very loyal to Noctis, and can create tremors when he sleeps. When he calls to Noct he gives him headaches, and in order to beat him, you have to freeze him. Also there’s the crystals that are growing on his body.

Then you have Golem from VI. Now this is the interesting thing. Golem is a brown robot looking Esper in a human form. He will block any physical attack, the same way Titan came to block the attacks of the rampaging Leviathan, till his Hp is depleted equal to that of the person casting him. Normally Golem is shown to be made of Rocks and Titan to be made of Flesh, but here Titan is Rock in human form.

Now one may say, “But Titan isn’t Golem.” Well no and yes. See there’s one big thing that I have to point to. On top of Titan bearing a lot of resemble to Golem from other versions of FF, in Tabata’s own Type 0 you have Golem and Titan as one being. A rock machine that has Titan as one of it’s forms and Golem as another. This mean that the two are equated to one another within at least one other version of the Directors games and in his mind.

Also Titan’s actions in the game are a lot like Golem’s in VI. Titan is protecting people and taking the hit with the Meteorite. Meaning that like Golem’s Earth Wall and his block ability, Titan is losing HP and keeping the area of Lestallum safe. The same as Golem does in VI to it’s Summoner.

Leviathan is a special case…So in XV we meet Levithan when Luna wakes her from her slumber in the sea. She’s called the Tide mother and there are angel like depictions of her, which contradict her actual behavior. She’s looked upon with fear and respect by the people and shows up as a blue Sea Serpent with multi-appendages. She can appear as a liquid form and come out of any pool of water, and manifest as such. However she’s shown as a mermaid in the Prophecy painting, and she seems to think Humans should worship her. She’s also doesn’t think much of humans and wrecks the city, as I noted above during her trial with Noctis. However she seems to respect resolve, is seen as wise and knowledgeable and close to God.

Leviathan in Vi is said to be male, but “he” never says as much to the Returners. Rather the Returners are sent out on a quest in South Figaro after learning about Leviathan from another person in the city. They travel via boat to find it, and here as they are traveling to the location where Leviathan slumbers in an underwater cave, it attacks and you have to fight “him”.

Now two important things about Leviathan, first is the fact that as with it’s form in VI, this sea serepent lives under the water and is hidden. Another thing is the naming of this one as a She vs. the male he in VI, and that can be explained, given Levi’s personality, that most thought of it as male, and well who’s really going to look to see what gender a giant sea serpent is in the first place.

The second important thing is, I think Leviathan may have taken over the role of an Astral at the Behest of Bahamut.

We know that there is a Monument to Leviathan, but there is a small problem with it. The monument is that of Bismarck, and we know that Bismarck exists in XV and is said to be a sea god that Noct has never heard of. Isn’t it sort of odd that both Bismarck and Titan bear the same markings, and that there’s a monument to Leviathan there but with a Bismarck Statue, and Bismarck has shown to be kinder towards humans. To me it seems like someone was trying to replace the whale with the Sea Serpent, and, if I may so humbly point out, that’s kind of what happened in VI where Bismarck was the main water Esper until Advance gave us Leviathan.

So small theory here, Leviathan may have shared this duty at one point with Bismarck then, if Bismarck sided with Ifrit over things, it’s not that hard to see her taking over as the water person. This is also shown in the painting that Leviathan seems to be connected to Bahamut, and the other three are on the opposite side of them.

Shiva, the winter goddess, is seen as the most compassionate of the six Astrals, or at least as far as the stories go. She used to dislike humans due to how short their lives were and them clinging to dreams and hopes. Ifrit and the compassion and benevolence warmed her to them. She’s seen as the smallest of the Astrals, and has a human sized form. She has pale blue skin, elf ears, icicle horns, purple eyes. Her Messenger “Gentiana” stays by Luna through her journey, and she seems to coexist in more than one body. (Again, as I stated above with the Espers, they can take on human or nonhuman forms and can move about via magic in general.

So she fell in love with Ifrit, and then lost faith in humanity after the Astral war, but Luna gets her to feel compassion again and she tends to refer to herself in the third person. She tends to like people who are modest and selfless and is willing to protect those she cares for even when she was “killed” by Niflheim. What’s interesting here is that she created a snowstorm with her body that screwed up part of the desert area of Niff.

Shiva in Final Fantasy VI seems to be very similar to this version of Shiva. She shares the same color palette and is seen as human size to the Returners. Her clothing is similar to the one Shiva wears in XV, except that it’s pink rather than blue or white. When the Returners find her she is with Ifrit as the two were captured together, and sent down below the facility to die in a hole by Kefka. What’s important here is that she’s the one that calms Ifrit down, again, and basically tells him to listen when she and he both sense Ramuh.

Shiva is the most like her Esper form in VI. It would make sense that she may be distrusting of humans after the situation with the Empire, but if Ifrit was willing to trust them, then she would have been too as they were close even in VI. And the same sort of thing happened in VI as XV in regard to Shiva trusting Ifrit and making the call to allow the Returners to use their powers to save the other Espers. The fact that they used these two in this way calling back to VI is just a bit more than coincidental.

Bahamut is considered the leader of the Astrals, and said to have given powers to the Oracle, and also is the one that gave the crystal to Somnus and mankind. (Although personally I think there’s more to it than what the book says.) He physically looks like a dragoon and also, more importantly, looks like the design that Nomura created for the Fiend from FFVI. Importantly enough he is large enough that Noctis can fit in the palm of his hand in the Astral world, and his armor very much resembles the winged Dragon form he has in various other titles (but the design seems to have been heavily inspired by VI’s design for him). He is supposed to be the holder of light and energy. During the war Bahumt killed Ifrit during their battle.

Here's the funny thing, he supposedly picked the King and the Oracle to stop the scourge. He also resides in the crystal, and was shown giving a crystal to Somnus (more on that later in another theory). He also supposedly gave the Ring of Lucii to Somnus as well. In his “messenger” form he looks like a man with black hair, wearing armor and dragon wings. Apparently, Bahamut resides inside the crystal, which really gives me pause, but more on that later. I should note he’s the only one that calls Ardyn a Usurper and even the voice that talks to Iggy doesn’t call Ardyn that at all. (So what is up with Bahamut and Ardyn then?)

Bahamut in VI plays an interesting role there. His armor in XV does call to mind his dragon form here, seeing as he’s a steal gray dragon, with a bronze chest, red eyes and blueish wings. He’s held onto by a being called the Death Gaze and the Returners have to fight it to free him. In VI he’s kind of chill save for when you use him and he devastates the field.

The weird thing about XV Bahamut is that a lot of his looks seem to call back to his VI design. The painting does especially when it comes to the dragon form. What’s also weird is that he clearly clawed the hell out of Ifrit, meaning that he fought him in his Dragon form, but why? Something about his story doesn’t add up. What’s interesting is that if this is the same Bahamut as VI, it would make some sense for him to be very much the heavy hitter against anyone that was causing issues due to what happened to him and being trapped by a monster.

Ifrit is another hard one to talk about. He’s smaller than several of the other Astrals, and very Human looking in XV. He still has his horns and can hold a person in his hand. He has long brown hair, orange eyes, and no eyebrows. Consequently, in the form that he does take, and the one that we fight against, he’s way more gaudy looking than what he appears in the illustrated art. He has a crown of red and white stones on his head, some sort of bangles attaching his two horns, bangles on his wrists and ankles. His demonic form has a vastly different sword than the one we see in the pictures as well.

The one he’s fighting with us against is one blade, with yellow and purple scarves wrapped around the hilt and a green and blue necklace with what looks like square jade pieces or stones. That sword has some sort of engraved etching on it, and a vastly different hilt and pummel than the one we see him with in early depictions of his life.

The one that is earlier is a three bladed deal, with a simple grip and a big red jewel on the top of it. XV says that Ifrit gave mankind fire, and it’s implied that this is knowledge. He may have become king of Solheim but then something happened and he became angry and felt betrayed and said he was going to destroy all of Eos along with Solheim. The other astrals came and fought him, and Bahamut killed him an labeled him a betrayer. It’s believed that Ardyn woke him, but when you look at the depiction of him waking up, it’s clearly coming from the ground below him. It’s also believed that Ardyn corrupted him, and apparently in the Japanese version of the text his people didn’t rebel against him. What’s also interesting is that in a lot of ways he resembles Nomura’s design for the demon from VI.

For Ifrit in VI he looks like a green human with two large horns and purple hair. Again as noted with Shiva both were nearly killed and dumped down a hole, then fought the Returners who were trying to help them. During this time he senses Ramuh and stops, noting that he and Shiva were both taken as prisoners, drained and then dumped by the Empire. After hearing the Returners story, he agrees to help out, since Ramuh trusts them. He sees them as compassionate beings wanting to help others, which matches how XV’s Ifrit sees things.

That being said, I’d like to draw attention to Ifrit right now and his story…

Okay so, according to the lore, Ifrit was an Astral that loved humans, and he brought Fire down to the humans and became their King in Solheim. Shiva fell in love with him, but something happened and Ifrit felt betrayed by the humans and started a war:

“The war was started by the Astral of fire, Ifrit, who ruled over Solheim but was betrayed by his once-loyal subjects who began to spurn their benefactor and sought new heights of power. Ifrit sought to destroy Solheim as punishment for their betrayal and hubris, but as the Six are sworn to protect Eos from all harm, even from each other, the other five turned on Ifrit. In the German localization [1] and in Final Fantasy XV: Official Works [2], Ifrit is said to have wanted to destroy Eos itself along with humanity.”

So according to the book, Ifrit got mad because his subjects sought new heights of power. (Again sounds a lot like the Geshalt Empire in VI) but that’s not all. Se the thing is here, we’re not given a reason why they supposedly betrayed him or how. And again the war picture got me thinking.

Given what we know about Astrals right now, that they would rather not deal with humans, why would Ifrit, even with all his love for humanity, want to rule as a king? He’s a god, it doesn’t quiet fit into this story if you take a moment and think about it. Unless we don’t have the whole picture here.

So that really got me thinking. What would piss someone off so much as to feel betrayed by his own people? There are only a hand full of things that I can think of…

Either they were screwing around with him somehow…or…this maybe a case of a father going on a rampage.

Here me out…and I’ll get more into this in the Eos section.

During Final Fantasy VI there is a point where you go underground with Figaro Castle, during this moving around you’ll discover an Ancient Castle where the people are frozen and the King there is petrified along with his Queen.

This King…is the Esper Odin. As you search out the castle you learn that a wizard came to the castle during the Magi war, and turned Odin and his bride to stone.

At one point Celes Chere, one of VI’s main characters, discovers that the Queen was in love with Odin and this was taboo. Espers and humans are not supposed to mix, and certainly were not during the war. Once you fight Odin, you can turn him into Magicite and bring him to the Queen who will cry on him to upgrade him to Raiden.

Also in Final Fantasy VI you learn of Maduin, Terra’s father, who tried to save his daughter but was captured and later sacrificed himself to become magicite to help her out, after her mother was murdered by the Emperor.

Why did I bring up both stories? Because I have a theory on why that Unicorn is beside Ifirit in the painting.

So to explain this we have to get to know what Unicorn is in the game and the best place to start is to understand a bit of the legend about them. A Unicorn is “a symbol of purity and grace”, and would only go to those that shared the same values or ideals. So why would it go to someone like Ifrit? Well we know that he loved Humanity and that he willingly gave Solhiem fire and knowledge, so assuming that that’s true, then if the Unicorn here is a lot like the one in legend, that means that it saw someone with the same ideas. In addition in the world of Final Fantasy, Unicorn is considered a light-element in other games, and in VI it has the distinction of being the healing Esper in the group, as all it teaches is White Magic.

Unlike Ifrit and Shiva in VI, Unicorn has no sex mentioned, so it could be either female or male. (Keep this in mind.)

What’s weird about the comment from Ifrit is that he, according to the German version, wants to destroy Eos along with humanity. But if Eos is the heart of the world, as per Bahamut and the others insisting, why would he want to do that? Why kill the planet? And why would someone like Unicorn ally themselves with Ifrit if that was how he felt?

There’s also one other thing about the image that’s bothering me and we have to look to the Rock of Ravatogh there is clearly the remains of Ifrit there, as per the lore of XV. There’s also a ridge sticking up, which a lot of people thought was Eos’s body. But that was shown to be not true, so far. So what’s the additional wing like structure…well, that could be the remains of Unicorn’s wing.

Hear me out, Unicorn has the same wings as the shape of the jutting out rock so this could be where they perished along with Ifrit rather than submit to the will of Bahamut.

There are three options here that keep fighting in my mind, and hopefully we will get more details in regard to the back story more of Ifrit and the War, but for now I only have what I have to go on.

See, we know the Shiva loved Ifrit, but we never got a confirmation that he loved her back. We saw the picture, but that was it. So that leaves us with a huge question of was the feelings she was giving him mutual? If not…well there adds a new layer to the story of Ifirt.

As I said above there are two stories that could be the case here for Ifrit’s feelings of betrayal by the humans.

Option 1: As with Odin Ifrit fell in love with a human and decided to rule Solheim in that form.

Option 2: Ifrit was in love with Unicorn, another Astral, and the two ruled as King and queen.

Option 3: Ifrit is just a jackass and his ego got inflated and he took over as king.

Honestly I’m thinking one or two is the real situation with this story. And both actually fit the situation with the story that we have seen thus far.

Option A: Unicorn is a loyal friend of Ifirt’s. As such they became rightly furious when they saw their friend betrayed and felt that they had to help him in his quest. This would mean that Unicorn was just a partner with Ifirt and had no connections to the situation with Eos. The thing is…I don’t think that’s the case here.

Option B: Ifrit fell in love with a Human woman, as with Maduin and Odin in the past. As such he took her as his queen in Solheim and the two spawned an heir. During this time it was discovered that the Astrals were not gods, and as such, due to Solheim unearthing possible records of the Gesthal Empire (more on that soon with Solheim) and learning how the Espers powers worked, their scientists either killed or wounded the Queen and captured Ifrit and his child. More than likely they began to experiment upon her to use the powers and Ifrit broke free to tear apart the labs, only to find his child either was dead or near death and thus, put her soul in the crystal or had her become a crystal like stone (More on that in the Eos Section). Thus he was aided by his friend Unicorn to wreck Solhiem and the others came to stop them, both being killed by Bahamut.

Option C: Same story as above with B only in this case Unicorn is the child’s mother and was willing to war against her own to punish those that killed her child. It would explain the female voice in the crystal that we hear with Ignis…

Option D: Unicorn is the Child, rather than the mother and was willing to fight with their father against Bahamut and the others for the people that may have killed it’s mother. Again if this is a female then it would explain the voice.

Oh but there’s more in Regard to Unicorn. In the main games Unicorn is a strong healer and uses it’s magic to teach various skills to cure and heal the party members, as well as having the Healing Horn option in VI. And Healing Horn, cures everything! It’s a get out of jail free sort of ticket if you’re screwed over in VI. To add to that, Unicorns are known for being able to cure plagues and other illnesses with it’s magic.

On top of all of that, because it also resembles a Pegasus, there’s more to the story. See Pegasus is known for being the horse in Greek myths that helped Perseus. But it’s also known for being the horse of Eos as well, and is connected to the stars as it’s part of the heavens. Yeah you heard right Pegasus is connected to Eos, the dawn.

So if Ifrit had a connection to Unicorn that could be the connection to Eos that we’ve been looking for.

So we have a unicorn pegasus…who is either connected to Eos, could be Eos, or there’s more to that story…but moving on…

Four other important characters that are not Astrals but are key to this story.

Umbra and Pyrna. Both of these dogs are messengers. We’ve seen them in the book with wings, they can be wherever they need to be, and something that connects them to being Espers themselves, in the original concept these two were ninjas that could shape shift into their messenger dog form. We’ve seen art depicting Umbra with Noctis. These two are brother and sister and the idea of a dog connected to a ninja goes all the way back to VI and Shadow with his dog Interceptor. Both don’t age, both seem to have greater understanding of what’s going on, and I think that Pryna was trying to warn Iggy.

Bismarck. So we have a monument that is supposed to be dedicated to Leviathan, and yet it’s designed to look like Bismarck. Seems a bit odd that people are not equating the more gentle whale to Leviathan, rather than the angry sea serpent in this case. On top of that the monument allows you to make a wish by flying a piece of paper into it’s mouth. Given that the main attack of Bismarck is Sea Song and it has the ability to help your party by pretty much teaching them raise, it would make sense that the wishing aspect is connected to it.

But it does bring up the question of why Bismarck is there, given that Leviathan is supposed to be the ruler of the seas. Again, I suspect that, Bismarck may have been the patron before the war of the Astrals and Leviathan took over his job, removing him, much like Ardyn being removed, from most of history save for those in Accordo who recalled him and keep him in their memories there. It would explain why Noct wouldn’t know of him, and also may explain why there are these other creatures with the Esper names running around. Given Leviathan’s personality it’s not a stretch to see her doing this to a weaker Esper (or Astral). Prior to Leviathan showing up in VI, Bismarck was the ultimate water element, which again, it seems like the developers are hinting at the idea that Bismarck came first. There’s also the fact that both Bismarck and Titan have markings that the others do not, which is also something that stands out in this case.

Carbuncle. Now this one is very interesting. Carbuncle shows up as a totem that is next to Noctis’s bed when he was in a Coma. During the prelude story demo we got to see the creature in action, and he seems to be a healing and protecting creature, much like his VI counterpart. The fact is both version of Carbuncle have the same color hair, eyes and the red gem on it’s head. It can strangely appear in Battle or in photos in XV, and seems to be Noct’s guardian. In VI after Carbuncle is saved in the lab, when you use him, he uses a lot of protect and reflect spells. The fact that the creature look the same, down to the blue fire is an odd choice if they weren’t going to connect VI to XV.

Again this is all Hypnotical, but if I could hazard a guess here about what is up with the Astrals and Espers…

I would think that there’s a large possibility that the Astrals are restored Espers who returned to Eos from their realm to help out. Hear me out, I’m going to include some info that I’m going to cover in a later part, it might seem weird but it fits within the story that we got. (Warning spoilers for a 25 year old game and some spoilers for XV.)

So here’s the way my thoughts go. After the Returners and Terra defeated Kefka and turned the World of Ruin back to the light (more on that in another theory) the Espers (in their Magicite forms) returned to the world of the Espers, save for Maduin who used up the last of his magic to protect his daughter so he’s gone for good. The Esper Realm, sealed again, was cut off from the human world. Over time new Kingdoms sprung to life, and Ifrit and the others watched this happen through their own magic. Feeling that things had changed, Ifrit convinced several of the other Espers to return to the Human world and help them out, seeing as the world was now trying to rebuild after the hell that had happened in VI. Ifrit’s reasoning for breaking the seal and coming back was because of the fact that A. he saw how the humans were behaving and realized that there were good people out there like the Returners, and B. he recognized why Maduin, his friend, and Ramuh, his brother, saw humans as good.

The Espers came back but by this point in time they had become whispers and no one knew exactly what they were. Bahamut, being as he was, sort of took command, while Ifrit went and helped out a smaller growing kingdom named Solhiem, and gave them magic knowledge. Something happened during this time and that caused the Astral War to happen. (My own guess is that those in a position of some form of power or wanting power of their own realized that the Astrals were not gods but Espers and did something to someone that Ifrit cared about causing him to attack them, as the memory of the Gestahlian Empire probably was something that stuck with him.)

Bahamut killed him and possibly Unicorn (Either Eos or that Unicorn goes by another name) and the others fell to sleep, or were put to sleep, and the ones that sided with Ifrit may have been punished in some way, possibly becoming the boss creatures that we have to hunt down during the game. This of course is all speculation until we have more info on the Lore of the world.

But there’s more for the connections in this world…and next I want to talk about the Waring Triad, Eos, and the world of Gaia…

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insomniasix · 7 years ago

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Chapter V -Dark Clouds -Part II

“First Titan, now Ramuh.” Gladio said once the company started for the first Runestone “Chasing down deities is hard work.”

“Think how Lady Lunafreya must feel.” Prompto thought out loud in answer to his friend.

“If the strain of the rites is as Gentiana suggested, I fear she’s far worse off than we are.” Ignis said, looking back at Six, making sure her sickness was not holding her back.

She nodded her head at him, readjusting her hood and blessing him with a smile.

Walking a little further down the road, the company was startled by one of Gladio’s infamous sneezes. Six, being the one to stand closer to him was the first one to turn towards him “We should get outta the rain.” She laughed at how he startled her, ruffling his hair as he scrunched his nose.

“We should be getting close.” Noctis said, looking back at them.

“We should have gotten a chocobo ride.” Prompto thought out loud, moving to walk closer to them.

“With this kind of rain?” Six smiled back at him.

“The little cuties would probably feel sick.” Prompto pouted at the idea.

“Talking of sick,” Gladio wondered, turning his attention to his lady and wrapping a hand around her waist “Are you feeling any better?”

“I’m fine, love. Don’t worry about me.” She gave him a warm smile as he kissed her forehead.

“You don’t have a fever, so that’s a good sign.”

“We should hurry up and get out of this blasted weather anyway.” Ignis instructed.

“Over there.” Noctis said, pointing at a path behind a couple of Niflheim drop-ships.

“What do we do about the MTs?” Prompto asked, summoning his gun.

“We could go around them.” Noctis suggested.

“Or we could take them down. It’s not that many of them.” Six argued, not liking the fact that Noctis would prefer to go around than hone his skills.

“Six,” Noctis sighed “you’re sick. We’re going around before we get hurt.”

“Noct…” Six was about to scold him for using her sickness as a means to flee the fight but sighed as she was sure there was going to be another chance soon “Fine.”

The company sneaked away from the unaware MTs, getting closer to what seemed like a tree trunk –or a frozen lightning, Prompto and Noctis kept bickering about what each of them saw.

“You’re supposed to touch it,” Six said with a sigh, eyes darting between the boys “not guess what it is. It’s a rune stone.”

“Right.” Noctis laughed at how annoyed she seemed to be. It reminded him of all the times she would say something similar when he and Prompto would get into a fight like this one. Each of them not changing their mind as to what was happening; and Six getting in the middle of it like a referee –or a mother. Someone they could both use.

Noctis moved closer to the rune stone and extended his hand towards it. Sparks of lighting filled the space between them, making their way to the tips of his fingers while a sense of energy run though his body.

Suddenly, Noctis was back in Tenebrae again. He had fallen asleep, looking at the pictures of Luna’s book.

Six was there, as always. She was talking with another woman. Noctis thought she was really pretty. Her long black hair, just a little shorter than Six’s, pale skin and rose cheeks. Her eyes were closed. Why were her eyes closed when she spoke with someone?

“I know what I must do, Gentiana.” Noctis heard Six say to the lady. Gentiana. Beautiful name. “I just wish he will be ready as well, when time comes. And that I will be able to let him go.”

Six’s voice got lower as Noctis opened up his eyes. Looking at the two women and gasping as Gentiana turned her attention to him.

“Ah, the young prince is recovering well.” She told him, eyes still closed, making Noctis turn to Six with a questioning look.

She just nodded at him and his attention was back to the impressive lady as she got up from her seat “Who…?”

“Gentiana, a Messenger.” She answered before the question left his lips “The prince has read of our kind?”

Blue eyes back at his friend while she pointed at the Cosmogony book in his hands “Oh,” he said once he understood “I tried to, but I only know what Luna and Six told me.”

“Hm, Lady Lunafreya.” Gentiana said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, Lunarffr…” Noctis stuttered, trying to pronounce the name just as Gentiana had just done and failing, making both the older ladies huff a smile at his try “Luna.”

“It is heartening to see the future King and the Oracle enjoy such familiarity.” The Messenger said, slightly turning her head towards Six, as she slowly rolled her eyes at her with a smirk “The fate of our world may depend on it.” Noctis remembered her say, before she opened her dark emerald eyes to take a look at him.

“I remember…” Noctis said, getting his bearings back “Back in Tenebrae with Gentiana…” he turned his attention to Six, he wanted to ask what she was talking with the Messenger about; her choice of words capturing his attention. He stopped when his eyes met hers. A certain look of wonder painted in her tired silver eyes.

“The revelation of the Stormsender awaits the King…” Gentiana’s voice was heard inside Noctis’ mind. “Hurry hence to the eye of the Storm. Foreign hordes fear the True King’s ascension. The fearful seek to seal the path of what must come.”

Six flinched in pain as Gentiana spoke to the dark haired Prince, “What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, catching her reaction.

“Slight pain.” She turned her attention at Noctis, who seemed to be experiencing the same thing “Noct? Another headache?”

“I hear her,” he said, making his way to her “Gentiana. Did you-”

“No,” Six answered, slightly offended that she only got to experience the aftermath of the Messenger’s voice but not her words “I can’t hear her. She must be speaking directly to you.”

“Divine voices in your heads again?” Gladio asked, worry embedded in his voice.

“Hopefully it won’t amount to the same headache it did with the Archean.” Ignis thought out loud, measuring his friends’ feelings.

As the company started for the second Runestone, Gentiana’s voice was heard once again, sending chills down the Prince’s spine, as well as his Glaive’s “The Oracle’s call awakens the gods… that their blessings find the King.”

“You alright?” Six asked Noctis, sharing his pain “What did she say?”

“That Luna’s awakening the Six.” He answered, looking back at her, trying to understand why she felt the pain but had no idea what Gentiana said to him.

“Hey, how come that lady’s helping you out anyway?” Prompto asked after a few minutes of walking in the rain.

“Gentiana?” Noctis wondered.

“Yeah. Is she like your fairy godmother or something?”

“I think she’s more a Messenger of the gods.” Noctis answered his friend’s curiosity “Whoa! So she’s human?” the blond turned his attention to the hooded Glaive, wishing she knew more.

“Don’t know.” She huffed a laugh “Ramuh was the one to explain it to me, once, but he’s not much of a talker.”

“You can speak with the Gods?” Ignis asked in awe.

“I did, once.” She smiled at how much of a child he seemed to be. His advisor’s certainty fading for a few seconds.

“The hell?” Gladio grunted as he moved his phone to his ear again, waiting for his sister to answer one more time “I can’t get a hold of her.”

“Iris?” his girlfriend asked, wonder in her voice.

“She call you?”

Six checked her phone to make sure “No messages.”

Gladio let out a sigh, pushing the end-call button and placing his phone in his back pocket, he was starting to worry.

“Hey,” Six touched his bicep, drawing his attention away from his thoughts, “She probably has it on silent.”

“Yeah.” The Shield agreed, intertwining his fingers with hers as they all made their way to the second Runestone.

As they reached it, Noctis heard the messenger’s words in his head “The covenant is forged, but the revelation awaits. Make now for the Stormsender and let judgment be passed.”

“Noct! You okay?” Gladio asked, feeling the light squeeze Six gave his hand as she had yet another headache.

“Yeah.” The Prince answered casually “Another reminder to receive the blessing.”

“That divine power’s just waiting for you.”

“Almost like Ramuh’s not feeling up to a good fight.” Six mocked the easiness of the trials.

“Do you really wish to mock the gods?” Ignis raised his eyebrows at her.

Six didn’t answer; just shrugged her shoulders with a playful smirk on her lips.

Noctis grew silent as he moved closer to the second Runestone, letting his eyes stay on Six’s face for a few clicks; when she nodded, he arched his hand, letting the power it held fly within him; Gentiana's voice filling his thoughts again once all power from the Runestone was his.

“O King. Journey to Fociaugh, the eastern hollow. The seal has been lifted. Deep within the heart of the rock lies the rune stone, the portal to power. No other can be allowed to find it.”

“Last one’s in the cave.” Noctis grunted, rubbing the exact same spot on his forehead as his Glaive was.

“Let’s hurry up and get this over with.” Gladio proposed, his worried eyes darting between the Glaive and the Price.

“Finally!” Prompto breathed in awe “Time to meet with the Stormsender!”

…

“Amazing.” Gladio thought out loud when the company finally seemed to be close enough to the cave they were looking for “The power of the gods in the palm of your hands.”

“Never dreamed I’d see lore come to life before my very eyes.” Ignis agreed.

“Leaving Insomnia was eye-opening, but this is mind-blowing.” Prompto joined in the conversation.

“You still have more to see, Prom.” Six smiled at the boy, her words painting a smile on his face at the possibilities of upcoming sceneries and adventures they promised.

Before Noctis managed to open up his mouth to join them, a lightning strike came down, connecting sky and earth just a few feet away from them, where the cave was supposed to be.

“That one was pretty close.” Gladio commented, placing his hand on Prompto’s shoulder to calm him down as the sound the lightning caused made him jump up in fear.

“Which means we must be as well.” Six continued his thought, looking as Noctis made his way forward.

“Look,” Gladio pointed at the rubbled entrance “over there. I bet that’s the spot the lightning struck.”

“And we’re supposed to go inside?” Prompto stuttered a bit before he swallowed his fear away.

“Fociaugh Hollow.” Six whispered as she reminisced the last time she was there. Back then, there was no opening in front of the cave.

Ramuh was watching! She could feel it.

“No telling what waits inside.” Ignis said, fixing his hair now that the heavy rain didn’t weight it down.

“No.” Six agreed, taking her hood off and using her fire magic to help all four of them with their wet clothes “So keep your eyes open.”

“Stay sharp.” Gladio instructed Noctis as he moved on ahead.

“Always.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this place.” Prompto moved faster to stand next to the Glaive and the Advisor as the Shield and the Prince moved forward.

“As if danger lurks ‘round every corner.” Ignis agreed, making sure he’s checked all around them for possible movement.

“Avoid all corners! Got it!”

“I’m not sure that’s what he meant, sunshine.” Six laughed at the kid’s answer.

“Over here,” Noctis called back at the rest as he felt around the rock walls “there’s an opening in the walls.”

“Should be able to slip through.” Gladio commented when everyone was in place.

“Let’s see.”

Noctis went first, followed by Prompto as Six instructed before slipping through behind them. In order of height and size, they all moved through the cracks, leaving the Shield to pass through last.

“Tight squeeze.” Gladio grunted when he felt the cold rock against his buffed chest.

“Maybe for you, pretty easy for me, though.” Prompto answered, proud for his torso’s size; until he felt the walls around him tighten “On second thought…” he grunted as well “maybe not!”

“Stop whining you two. If my chest can fit, so can yours.” Six said, earning a low growl from the Shield and making Ignis scold them both.

“Not the time, children.”

“Sorry, Iggy.” The couple laughed.

“Shh. Keep quiet.” Ignis instructed once they were all out in open space. His eyes darting around the seemingly empty halls in front of them.

“It never ends!” Prompto comment on their surroundings and walking around dramatically, moving ahead to stand on the end of an opening that seemed deeper than it should be “Guys… wait! What was that sound?”

“My baby…” everyone was a little off after hearing that bone chilling whisper. The voice sounded to be coming from everywhere at once, given that it echoed around the empty chambers and openings of the cave.

And then, Prompto’s terrified scream and Six calling out to him while running off is all Noctis managed to comprehend before he found himself running right behind her.

The rooms and the halls were now filled with daemons. It was a trap. One they never saw coming.

The remaining four all run toward the sound of Prompto’s voice as they kept on killing anything that stood in their way.

“Prompto?” the dark haired prince called out to his friend.

“Prompto!” Gladio decided to test his own roaring voice “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!” Prompto yelled back at them “This place is literally the worst! And why did it have to be a snake!? That thing dragged me all the way over here!”

“Prom, just stay away from it! We’re on our way!” Six ordered him, summoning her sword and piercing it right between a Midlayer’s eyes.

Prompto’s scream was her answer as the daemon disappeared into a purple smoke.

“Prompto!”

“They just keep coming!” Noctis warped next to her, saving her from a Hobgoblin’s punch.

“Then we keep sending them back!” Gladio answered, taking it down once and for all.

After a while of fighting, it was Prompto, who’d found them first, shooting down all four remaining Imps with his gun, before reloading.

The company just stood there, looking at him out of breath. He took them down with a smile on his face after getting away from whatever was holding him.

“I’ve seen worse.” Six smiled up at him, letting her sword dematerialize as she caught her breath and moved closer to him.

“Do you mean it?” Prompto’s eyes widened as she checked him from cuts or bruises “I mean, do you? Mean it?” he cleared his throat, eyes still wide, awaiting her response.

“I’m glad you’re alright, kiddo.” Six chuckled, ruffling his hair before turning back to the others.

“She’s here.” Prompto felt a chill down his spine “I just know it. Show yourself already!”

“Cool it!” Gladio gave him a light shove, before turning around at the unsettling sound.

That when the Snake daemon appeared. Naga! She appeared as if from the water of the cave, placing herself between everyone and Gladio. Cornering him against a wall and breathing green smoke down on him.

“See! I told you! There she is! That’s her!”

“Gladio!” Six run to her boyfriend’s side, only to find a small green frog in his place “What?”

Her eyes turned red instantly, Naga grabbing all her attention as she stood there, asking for… her baby?

“Baby?” she thought out loud, eyes turning silver again as Ignis took Gladio’s frog body and placed it in his pocket “We don’t know where your baby is.” She answered the daemon “Turn him back and we can help!”

Naga’s features turned darker once the words left Six’s lips “LIAR!” the snake roared “YOU took him!”

And just like that, she attacked! Using her lower body to send everyone flying.

Gladio fell from Ignis’ pocket and right on Six’s feet. She picked him up and brought her closer to her face “Just hang on.” She whispered to him.

“You could kiss him and bring him back.” Prompto threw an idea toward the Glaive as he shot Naga in the face.

“I’m not gonna do than in the middle of a battle, TAKE HER DOWN!” Six ordered, placing Gladio down and charging toward the snake “Avoid the green smoke!”

Naga might have seemed strong, but the fight was over pretty quick, all it took was a blizzard spell from Ignis and Noctis’ sword to bring her down, but even then, she kept on asking for her baby.

What on earth could she mean?

The thought left all their minds once Gladio hopped back into his original body, standing on his own two feet again.

“See, he’s alright.” Six huffed a laugh as a shiver run down Gladio’s spine.

“That…” he said “Was horrific!”

“Yes, let’s not let anything similar happen again.” Ignis agreed, dematerializing his daggers and fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Noct, another one out!” Prompto cheered proudly.

“Yeah, nice one, Prince.” Six agreed as the dark haired boy tried to hide his blushing cheeks with a casual “Thanks.”

“Let’s go find that final Runestone, yeah?” she asked and they all agreed. Moving towards the entrance of the chamber Naga was standing in front of; coming across the Stone right away.

Just like the other two, the company could see and feel the energy emerging from inside it. Calling the Chosen toward it.

“That’s the last Runestone.” Ignis said in awe once they moved close enough to it.

“Finally.” Prompto and Six shared the same thought.

When Noctis touched the last stone, he saw her. Luna, forging the covenant with the Astral, Ramuh.

Once his hand touched the stone, Six’s eyes turned a bright red, taking everyone by surprise as she seemingly didn’t know. She kept staring at Prince Noctis, and soon, the red started fading away. When the blessing was received, they understood. As the Chosen opened up his eyes the power flying within him could be shown, his eyes had changed.

The Trial of Ramuh had been finished.

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culinarystrategist · 7 years ago

Note

☪(bonus for ot3 nonsense, maybe? 8])

Symbol Meme (Closed)

@antimundi & @reiivusu

☪ five times our muses almost hold hands, and the one time they do.

Will there ever come a time, Ignis wonders, when he’ll feel as though he isn’t intruding whenever he walks into a room and Noctis and Ravus are already there? He hopes so, but this transition from never having had a lover to suddenly having two is taking some getting used to, and there may well forever be a part of him which suspects he’s only there due to his closeness to Noctis. A package deal, as it were. But that’s not to say he’s made to feel unwelcome. On the contrary, both Noctis and Ravus beckon him over, placing dual kisses on his cheeks and making all the right noises to suggest that they’re pleased to see him.

Yet he still cannot bring himself to initiate anything. Perhaps it’s his lack of sight that makes Ignis so sensitive to the atmosphere. Even Ravus is taking bigger steps these days, openly voicing his affection for his lovers. Noctis is typically Noctis; what he wants, he gets, even if it means pushing one or other of them onto the couch to straddle them and pin them into submission. How Ignis wishes he had that sort of freedom with his wants and desires.

All he really wants is to act upon his needs but whenever he imagines himself walking up to Noctis and Ravus, taking one each of their hands in his and leading them towards the bedroom, it feels so beyond his capabilities that he doesn’t even bother to try out of fear of failure.

Or rejection.

ii.

As much as Ignis enjoys time spent with both of his lovers, there’s still something very special about having a one-on-one moment with Noctis. They reminisce about the old days, about their teenage years and how much of a brat Noctis was. Everything’s so different now; with all their experiences behind them it feels very much like they’re discussing another world altogether. Although confident in his strides, Ignis walks close to Noctis, almost shoulder to shoulder, just in case there are any pitfalls in the path ahead, and as they walk, Noctis describes the scenery as best he can. He puts so much effort into painting a verbal picture of the sights around them that it’s almost as if Noctis recites poetry.

The backs of their hands brush together, and Ignis can feel the twitch of Noctis’ fingers, as if they’re crying out to be held. But Noctis hangs back and allows Ignis the opportunity to make the decision of whether to expand upon that contact or not. The compulsion is strong, but what if someone sees them? Public displays of affection are contrary to Ignis’ sensibilities and he talks himself out of it before he really has the chance to consider it. Noctis’ disappointment is almost palpable, even though he does his best to keep it out of his voice.

The walk home is much quieter than Ignis would like.

iii.

It’s long overdue, but since they’re in Tenebrae, Ignis finally decides it’s time to show Noctis the home in which he spent many happy childhood days. His grandmother’s estate is still in good shape. Although, technically, Ignis owns the land and buildings upon it, he donated it to the staff his grandmother had, allowing them, and their descendants, to reside rent-free within their homes in perpetuity, with only one condition - that he be allowed to visit on occasion, to take in the ambiance of her vast library or to walk in the gardens of which she was so proud.

This is the first time he’s done so. Until now, it’s never felt right, but with Noctis at his side, Ignis feels able to walk those familiar halls once more. He might not be able to see, but in his mind, he can visualise the layout and he gives Noctis a tour, never once faltering nor misremembering a detail. There’s the kitchen, where he learned to bake under his grandmother’s expert tutelage. The study, where he learned about the history of his Tenebraen family. The lounge, where his grandmother would read to him extracts from the Cosmogony.

Finally, he takes Noctis to the room where he slept and while Ignis sits on the bed, Noctis pokes around, apparently enjoying this insight into his lifelong friend’s unknown early years.

“I never knew you collected these,” Noctis says, pressing a small wooden cactuar into Ignis’ hand. As his fingers close around it, Ignis smiles both at the feeling of the toy and the sensation of Noctis’ fingers skimming his palm. He hesitates, and by the time he closes his hand, Noctis’ is gone.

iv.

Lazy mornings are something Ignis has come to enjoy, much to his surprise. He’s always been an early riser, and it used to be that he’d get everything he needed done for himself completed before turning to his official duties. Nowadays, there are fewer duties to take care of, but he still likes to get up and get busy. But lately, he’s been persuaded by his lovers to tarry awhile, and languish in the comfort of a large, soft bed, with legs tangled around his and two sets of soft lips to kiss.

As pleasurable as their intimacy is, Ignis does feel a pang of guilt. He could be preparing breakfast, or at the very least, making coffee and cleaning any dishes from the night before. Could be, but isn’t. Instead, he trails fingertips over taut muscles and tilts his head back as teeth graze his throat. Noctis croons into his ear, vocalising what they should be doing and it’s nothing close to brewing coffee or frying bacon. To demonstrate his agreement with Noctis’ suggestions, Ravus pulls Ignis closer, the sharp tips of his metallic fingers digging into soft flesh.

Ignis gasps, and Ravus withdraws immediately; the magic of the moment disappears in an instant. Shaking his head, Ignis tries to reassure Ravus that it wasn’t a gasp of pain, but of something akin to pleasure. It didn’t feel bad in the last. But they each have their own insecurities. Noctis worries that he’s clingy sometimes and Ignis worries that he’s too reserved. What Ravus worries about is that he’ll somehow hurt one or other of his lovers. Each must work through their fears so that they may come out the other side, stronger, but reassurance helps. Tenderly, Ignis reaches for Ravus’ prosthetic but stops short, lifting his hand to cup his lover’s cheek instead.

“Please,” he murmurs, head bowing slightly. “Continue with what you were doing…”

Having known Noctis for practically their entire lives, Ignis knows the signs and he can tell when Noctis is up to something. What that something is, Ignis doesn’t yet know, but he will find out. He has to, because if it’s something terrible, like Noctis having second thoughts about their unconventional relationship, he wants the opportunity to put things right. Somehow.

Despite all the signs, Ravus claims to not have noticed anything amiss, which Ignis finds hard to believe. He tells Ignis not to worry and that maybe Noctis is having an off day, which is feasible, Ignis supposes, but still sounds unlikely. There’s something far deeper going on and it preys on his mind until he finally cracks. Cornering Noctis, much to Ravus’ background amusement, Ignis demands the truth; if Noctis wishes to break up their little group then he should say so. It might hurt, but in the long run, it’s better to be honest than to string someone along.

Whatever Ignis expects, it’s not laughter, but that’s exactly what he gets. Even Ravus joins in and as much as that should be a good thing, Ignis feels the heat of humiliation creeping over his face.

“It’s not what you think!” Noctis says quickly, subduing his mirth the best he can. “It was meant to be a surprise, but… Come on. Come with me.”

Unconvinced and sullenly following the sound of Noctis’ footsteps, with Ravus trailing along behind, Ignis is led to the lounge and told to sit down with his hands held out. He’s obedient, if sceptical, and obliges, only to feel a sudden weight in his grasp.

“My guitar!” How Noctis even managed to find it is beyond Ignis’ comprehension but he recognises it as his own, right down to the minute scratches on the fretboard which he carved to help learn chords. Setting the guitar to one side, Ignis grabs hold of Noctis, getting him around the wrist to tug him forwards into a very grateful, very relieved kiss.

vi.

Noctis and Ravus have been withdrawn for days, and Ignis knows why: the date of Lady Lunafreya’s birthday approaches, bringing with it melancholy for both. No matter what Ignis says or does, he cannot seem to cut through the fog which envelops them, but that doesn’t stop him trying. He cooks their favourite dishes, which they obediently eat but without their usual enthusiasm, and he recites poetry, which they receive with politeness, but he knows that there aren’t really any words which can truly salve their feelings.

Actions do speak louder than words, and Ignis has one final gambit. He finds his two lovers sitting together in mournful silence, each feeding off the other’s woe. The aura surrounding them is thick and oppressive and while Ignis fully comprehends the reason for it, he’s absolutely positive that this isn’t what Lunafreya would want for either of them. They deserve to be happy, and it’s up to Ignis to remind them of that fact.

Ignis isn’t subtle about it. He marches straight over to where they sit and, with dazzling accuracy, squeezes himself in between the two men, wiggling his backside to force them to move over and let him in. The fact that he imposes his presence upon them is a testament to how far he’s come in his confidence. Not so long ago, he’d have taken a vacant seat instead. But his position is important. He needs to be precisely where he is so he can take Noctis’ hand in his left, and Ravus’ hand in his right to give them a comforting squeeze.

“I hope you know that I love you both very much,” he says. “And although I cannot and would not tell either of you to snap out of it, but will remind you that you have each other and you have me. Perhaps rather than making this a solemn time, we ought to celebrate life. Ours and Lunafreya’s.”

#antimundi #reiivusu

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lucianprincess · 6 years ago

Text

Chapitre 28: La signature du traité de paix

E. M. 756 (16 mai)

La mort. La fumée. L’obscurité. Encore un cauchemar. Encore une vision. L’un ou l’autre, c’était du pareil au même. A cause de cela, Aurora s’était réveillée en sursaut au beau milieu de la nuit et n’avait pas réussi à se rendormir.

Comme le lui avait demandé son père la veille, Aurora était retournée dans ses quartiers après le petit déjeuner, escortée par deux Lames Royales. Elle aurait cent fois préféré que cela soit Nyx ou Pelna. Elle les connaissait bien, avait une certaine confiance en eux et se serait senti davantage rassurée. Mais ils étaient affectés à d’autres postes pour cette journée un peu particulière et elle devait malheureusement faire avec.

A présent seule dans la pièce, la Princesse se changea. Elle retira sa robe cigarette et ses escarpins, qui étaient là juste pour faire bonne impression si elle croisait les membres de la délégation de Niflheim, et enfila son uniforme et ses bottes de Lames Royales. Se préparer à fuir. C’est ce qu'elle s’apprêtait à faire. Plus les minutes passaient, plus son anxiété montait. Elle faisait les cent pas, allant à la porte pour écouter les gardes, essayant de capter des bribes de leur conversation, puis en allant vers les grandes fenêtres et regardait la foule massée au pied de la Citadelle. En tournant la tête, ses yeux se posèrent sur sa robe de mariée. Elle s’approcha du mannequin sur lequel elle était posée et passa ses doigts lentement sur le tissu tout en murmurant à elle-même.

— Finalement, je ne te porterai peut-être jamais…

Soudain, une explosion, des cris de panique à l’extérieur puis une forte vibration. Surprise, Aurora reporta son attention vers la fenêtre et vit le Mur que maintenait son père grâce à l’Anneau des Lucii tomber. Puis un violent mal de tête lui prit. Elle porta sa main à sa tempe, se retenant de hurler. Une vision. Celle du Cristal Divin en train d’être dérobé. C’était comme un appel à l’aide, et elle ne pouvait pas l’ignorer. Alors qu’elle reprenait ses esprits, la porte de sa chambre s’ouvrit en fracas.

— Votre Altesse, la Citadelle est attaquée! Venez avec nous! Nous allons vous menez en lieu sûr!

La Lame Royale qui venait de s’adresser à elle se figea avec une expression d’effroi sur son visage, baissa la tête et porta la main à son abdomen. Il regarda alors sa main couverte de sang un bref instant avant de s’effondrer sur le sol. Sous le choc, la Princesse leva les yeux vers la deuxième Lame qui montait la garde et qui venait d’abattre son frère d’armes sans le moindre scrupule.

— Vous allez gentiment me suivre, Princesse. Les Nif seront ravis de vous accueillir chez eux.

Aurora fronça les sourcils.

— Plutôt mourir que de tomber entre leurs mains.

— Si vous ne me laissez pas le choix…

L’homme se précipita sur elle pour l’attaquer, mais la jeune femme, ayant acquis d’excellents réflexes grâce à ses nombreux entraînements, n’eut aucun mal à esquiver son coup. Alors qu’il se préparait à contre attaquer, elle se téléporta derrière lui, lui faucha les jambes pour le faire poser genou à terre, et vient passer ses bras autour de son cou pour l’étouffer.

— S’il y a bien une chose que je ne supporte pas, ce sont les traitres…

Il posa ses mains sur son avant-bras et se pencha pour la faire basculer en avant. Mais au moment où il pensait pouvoir la mettre hors d’état de nuir en assommant avec le pommeau de sa dague, il écarquilla les yeux, sentant la lame que venait d’invoquer Aurora se planter à son tour dans son ventre. Il glissa sur le côté, agonisant, tandis qu’elle se redressa et regarda tour à tour sa dague ensanglantée et les corps des Lames Royales gisant sur le sol de sa chambre. Elle venait de tuer quelqu’un pour la première fois. Mais le temps étant compté, elle quitta la pièce non sans un dernier regard et partit en direction des ascenseurs pour se rendre auprès du Cristal. Mais en passant devant l’une des fenêtres, quelque chose attira son attention à l’extérieur et lui fit stopper nette sa course. Elle vit alors la cage en adamante qui se trouvait dans la chambre forte suspendue à un vaisseau de Niflheim en train de quitter la cité. Il était trop tard à présent. Soudain, ses pensées se tournèrent alors vers son père. Etait-il en sécurité? Ou était-il encore là-bas? Prise d’inquiétude et d’incertitude, elle fit demi tour et emprunta un autre couloir pour se rendre dans la salle où devait se dérouler la signature du traité de paix. Mais alors qu’elle allait tourner à un embranchement, elle entendit des bruits de pas et des voix.

— Allez chercher la Princesse! Le Haut Commandant la veut vivante!

Aurora murmura un juron, serrant les mâchoires et fronçant les sourcils. D’un mouvement de dague, elle utilisa la magie royale pour se rendre invisible juste à temps pour ne pas se faire repérer. Une fois que le groupe d’hommes s’était éloigné, la jeune femme continua son chemin jusqu’à la salle du conseil.

En arrivant sur place, elle se figea un bref instant. Tant de cadavres gisaient sur le sol. Elle aperçut Clarus au loin, empalé par sa propre épée, Ravus hurlant de douleur à cause de son bras en train de brûler, Lunafreya qui soutenait le Roi du Lucis visiblement blessé se dirigeant vers un des murs de la pièce et Nyx qui affrontait le Général Glauca. Aurora lança sa dague en direction de son père pour se téléporter rapidement auprès de lui et aida l’Oracle à le faire marcher. Regis tourna la tête vers sa fille, à la fois soulagé de la voir en vie, mais inquiet de la voir encore présente ici.

— Mais que fais-tu encore ici? Tu devais rejoindre les Amicitia...

— Certaines Lames Royales ont retourné leur veste et j’ai dû improviser.

Il plissa brièvement les yeux en la regardant et hocha de la tête. Il ouvrit la porte grâce à la magie royale, révélant ainsi un ascenseur dissimulé. Tous trois entrèrent à l’intérieur et Nyx se téléporta juste à temps avant que les portes ne se referment.

Durant la descente, alors que Lunafreya bandait sa main avec un morceau de sa robe qu’elle venait de déchirer, Regis s’adressa à eux.

— Ce couloir conduit à un passage secret. Suivez le. Une fois à l’extérieur, partez pour Altissia où Noctis vous attend là bas.

— Votre Majesté.

Aurora détourna le regard alors que Nyx la regarda, réalisant qu’elle était en tenue de combat et visiblement prête à fuir, puis reporta son attention sur son Roi.

— Vous savez que tout cela allait arriver...

— Oui. Mais c’était la seule façon de détourner leur colère de Noctis.

— Alors c’est ça votre stratégie? Choisir de sacrifier les enfants du Lucis pour sauver le vôtre?

— Pour sauver le monde.

— Faites qu’Aurora et Luna arrivent à rejoindre Altissia. Ce n’est pas un ordre d’un Roi à son Glaive, mais la requête d’un homme à un autre homme. S’il vous plait, Nyx Ulric, protégez-les. Pour le futur de tous.

— Le futur?

La cage d’ascenseur bougea et tous levèrent les yeux vers le plafond, se doutant que la porte dérobée était en train d’être forcée un peu plus haut. Regis se tourna vers sa fille avec un air grave et lui tendit l’Anneau des Lucii.

— Tiens. Prends ça. Il est temps d’en changer le gardien.

Aurora plissa imperceptiblement les yeux, prenant le bijou divin que lui tendait son père à contre coeur. Elle n’aimait pas le ton de sa voix ni même le regard lourd de sens qu’il avait. Elle se souvint de leur discussion de la veille… que certains risquaient de perdre leur vie… et comprit qu’il faisait probablement parti de ceux là. Elle le regarda tristement, ferma les yeux douloureusement et hocha de la tête en guise de réponse.

Une fois l’ascenseur arrivé dans les sous sols de la Citadelle, ils découvrirent une salle magnifiquement décorée avec de nombreuses inscriptions relatives à la Cosmogonie et à l’Histoire de la lignée des Lucii ainsi que le passage secret menant vers les garages. Mais alors qu’ils s’avançaient vers la sortie, Regis s’arrêta, regardant Aurora et Lunafreya avec un brin de tristesse. Il leva sa main et fit apparaître un mur cristallin afin que les trois jeunes gens ne puissent pas revenir en arrière.

— Papa, non! Ne fait pas ça!

— S’il vous plaît, ne nous abandonnez pas!

Regis prit une inspiration et s’adressa à Lunafreya.

— Je sais que votre mère aurait souhaité la même chose que moi. Que vous et Noctis viviez heureux. Toutes ces années de captivité à cause de mon échec. Jamais plus. Les portes closes ne devront plus entraver votre destinée.

Puis il tourna son regard vers Aurora.

— Continue de veiller sur ton frère comme tu l’as toujours fait.

Il jetta un oeil en arrière vers l’ascenseur qui commençait sérieusement à trembler, avant de reporter son attention sur Nyx.

— Tous nos espoirs repose sur vous à présent, Nyx Ulric. Bonne chance.

Mais alors que ce dernier essayait d’entraîner les deux femmes vers la porte derrière eux, le Général Glauca finit par les rejoindre en sautant dans la gaine de l'ascenseur. Après une brève révérence comme pour marquer la fin de leur duel, il attaqua Regis qui le repoussa d’un éclair, le projetant contre l’un des piliers de la salle circulaire. Loin d’être affaibli, il se releva, lutta et avança lentement vers lui. D’un geste, il vint le faire pivoter pour qu’il puisse regarder une dernière fois ceux qu’il chérissait avant de venir porter le coup fatal au Roi du Lucis.

— PAPA!

Aurora se précipita vers le mur cristallin en hurlant, le frappant du poing alors que les larmes lui montait aux yeux. Lunafreya la suivit de près mais Nyx chercha à leur en faire détourner le regard du meurtre qui se déroulait devant eux, impuissants. La Princesse Lucisienne était figée par l’effroi, ses yeux ne pouvant quitter ceux de son père. Glauca poussa le corps de Regis sans le moindre ménagement, le laissant tomber au sol et gisant dans son propre sang. Mais alors que la rage montait, l’Oracle retint la jeune femme d’invoquer une de ses armes et la Lame Royale qui était prêt à fondre sur le Général Impérial.

— Non. Nous devons partir d’ici. C’est ce que voulez votre Roi… C’est ce que voulait ton père…

Nyx se résigna, serrant les mâchoires et se retourna pour emboîter le pas de Lunafreya vers la sortie. Mais Aurora ne bougea pas, les mains toujours sur le mur cristallin. Elle ne voulait pas abandonner son père. Elle ne le pouvait pas. Remarquant qu’elle ne les suivait pas, la Lame fit demi tour en prenant une grosse inspiration, attrapa le poignet de la Princesse et l'entraîna de force avec lui.

— Lachez-moi!

— Hors de question. J’ai juré à votre père de vous faire sortir en vie d’ici. Je compte bien tenir ma parole.

Elle se débattit légèrement, ses larmes de peine mêlée de rage roulant sur ses joues, mais se résigna rapidement, n’arrivant pas lutter contre la force de son ami. Elle jeta un dernier regard à son père, avant de se mettre à courir en direction du garage. Ce dernier, situé sous les fondations de la Citadelle, était d’une hauteur assez vertigineuse. On pouvait même apercevoir une imposante statue d’un des anciens Rois du Lucis agenouillé. Tous trois montèrent dans unes des voitures, Nyx au volant, et quittèrent les lieux à toute allure. Sur le chemin, il tenta de prendre contact avec le commandement, sans succès. Mais alors qu’ils roulaient sur l’une des voies rapides désertes, ils essuyèrent quelques tirs provenant d’un vaisseau de Niflheim.

Assise sur le siège passager à l’avant de la voiture, Aurora aperçut Luche et Tredd sur le pont et fronça les sourcils.

— Je m’en charge. Je vous retrouverai plus tard.

La Princesse se retourna, attrapa la main de l’Oracle pour lui donner l’Anneau des Lucii. Mais au moment où elle ouvrit la portière, Nyx l’interpella, la retenant par l’avant bras.

— Votre Altesse, non! Prenez-le volant. Je m’en occupe.

— Et vous comptez faire quoi? Vous téléporter pour les atteindre? Je vous rappelle de qui les Lames Royales tirent leur magie?

Nyx dodelina de la tête en grimaçant. Elle marquait un point. Elle tira un coup sec sur son bras pour le faire lâcher prise quand soudain une voix résonna derrière le véhicule, celle de Petra Fortis, le chef de la sécurité de la ville, venu les couvrir pour qu’ils puissent continuer leur chemin. Mais une machine magitek sauta d’un autre vaisseau impérial, leur barrant la route, et les firent sortir de la voie rapide, brisant la rambarde de sécurité.

Après avoir réussi à échapper à une chute mortelle de plusieurs mètres et s’être réfugiés un instant dans un immeuble pour échapper à leurs poursuivants, Nyx reçut un appel du Capitaine Drautos dans son oreillette lui demandant de le rejoindre à la Section D. Mais quelques daemons avaient suivi leurs traces grâce à la barrette à cheveux de Lunafreya qui était équipé d’un émetteur. Après s’être débarrassé de ces créatures, Aurora aida Nyx blessé à la jambe se rendre jusqu’au point de rencontre.

Une fois sur place, la Lame Royale demanda aux deux femmes de rester cachés, le temps qu’il s’assure de la sécurité des lieux. Mais un coup de feu se fit entendre, puis un autre. L’Oracle se précipita et la Princesse Lucisienne essaya de la retenir. Voyant que leur agresseur, qui n’était autre que Luche, s’approchait d’elles, elles tentèrent de s’échapper mais elles se retrouvèrent rapidement coincé dans une voie sans issue. Alors qu’Aurora allait invoquer une de ses armes pour venir attaquer son ancien camarade, un nouveau mal de tête s’empara d’elle, l’empêchant complètement de réagir. Lunafreya tenta de sauter par dessus la rambarde et l’homme profita de l’incapacité de la Princesse pour l’en empêcher et la plaqua contre la grille derrière elle. Grâce à une bonne maîtrise du langage, la jeune femme blonde joua sur les mots et incita subtilement le traître a glissé l’Anneau des Lucii à son doigt, ce qu’il fit. Mais étant loin d’être digne de son pouvoir, celui-ci le consuma. Sentant une main sur son épaule, Aurora retrouva lentement ses esprits. Les visions avaient toujours tendance à venir au pire moment.

Puis des crissements de pneus se firent entendre et les deux femmes se ruèrent vers le point de rencontre où elles avaient laissé Nyx. Le Général Glauca se tenait devant eux, épée en main, réclamant l’Anneau. En désespoir de cause, Lunafreya s’apprêta à enfiler la bague mais l’homme à terre l’en empêcha.

— Vous ne songeriez pas à leur laisser une partie de votre âme, Princesse? Votre destinée est de veiller sur cette ville. Ne l’oubliez pas. Et puis personne ne vous l’a dit? Ici c’est moi le Héros.

Aurora écarquilla les yeux quand elle vit Nyx prendre l’Anneau des Lucii des mains de Lunafreya, prêt à le mettre à son doigt.

— Nyx, non!

Elle allait pour l’arrêter, connaissant pertinemment le prix à payer pour utiliser les pouvoirs des Anciens Rois lorsque quelque chose attira son attention dans sa vision périphérique. Elle détourna son regard et aperçut juste à temps Drautos prêt à abattre sa lourde épée sur eux. Dans un réflexe défensif, la Princesse Lucisienne s’interposa pour protéger la Lame à terre et l’Oracle, mettant les mains devant elle et faisant apparaître un bouclier de protection grâce à sa magie royale. Elle bloqua son coup, non sans difficultés, et le regardait fixement, ses traits déformés par la colère. Comment avait-il pu trahir son père après toutes ces années à le servir et à se battre pour le Lucis…

— A quoi bon résister, Princesse. Votre destin sera le même que celui de votre père. Vous ne pouvez rien contre moi.

— Mais moi, oui.

Soudain un éclair surgit de derrière Aurora venant frapper de plein fouet l’ancien Capitaine, le projetant à plusieurs mètres de là. Elle ferma les yeux tristement et douloureusement, comprenant très bien ce que cela signifiait.

— Mais… Qu’avez-vous fait…

— Ce que devait faire un héros pour vous permettre de sauver le monde.

Nyx était bien conscient qu’il venait d’échanger sa vie pour qu’elles puissent fuir la cité et qu’il ne pourrait honorer la promesse faite au défunt Roi un peu plus tôt. Et Aurora aussi. Il posa sa main sur l’épaule de la Princesse, la regardant droit dans les yeux. Par ce simple geste, elle comprit le message qu’il cherchait à lui faire passer, sans prononcer le moindre mot. Il lui passait le flambeau, lui demandant implicitement de faire en sorte de les conduire à Altissia, saines et sauves et qu’il avait pleinement confiance en elle pour y arriver. Elle baissa la tête en soupirant, une larme roulant sur sa joue, et posa sa main sur la sienne en opinant doucement. Il la gratifia d’un petit sourire quand elle redressa la tête et se tourna vers les autres personnes présentes.

— Libertus, je te présente Lunafreya nox Fleuret, la future épouse de notre Prince. Elle tient l’avenir du monde entre ses mains. Protège-la, tout comme notre princesse, et conduit-les en dehors d’Insomnia.

Nyx remit l’Anneau des Lucii à l’Oracle, laissa Libertus garder sa dague tandis qu’il décrocha une petite chainette de sa ceinture qu’il donna à Aurora.

— Prenez-la. Ma soeur me l’avait offert. Il m’a toujours porté chance. Vous me la rendrez quand nous nous reverrons.

Elle prit le présent, le serra fort entre ses mains, sachant pertinemment que c’était un adieu et non un au revoir, tandis qu’il lui adressa un sourire fraternel.

— Allez-y à present.

Libertus invita les deux jeunes femmes à montrer dans la voiture et ils prirent le chemin vers la sortie de la cité tandis que Nyx couvrait leur fuite grâce à l’aide des Lucii. De sa fenêtre, Aurora regardait les Anciens Rois se battre avec une certaine fascination lorsque Glauca essaya de stopper le véhicule en marche. Mais d’un coup d’épée, Somnus, le Fondateur de sa lignée, vint libérer le passage et leur permis de rejoindre la porte menant à la région de Leide aux premières lueurs du jour. L’Oracle et la Princesse Lucisienne se mêlèrent à la foule des Insomniens qui avaient réussi à s’échapper de cette enfer et prirent la direction de Lestallum avec le reste des réfugiés.

Une fois à l’extérieur des murs d’Insomnia, Lunafreya et Aurora aperçurent Umbra qui se dirigeait vers elles, son carnet entre les crocs. L’Oracle le récupéra, l’ouvrit, regardant le message que lui avait laissé Noctis. Au moins, il était sain et sauf. Mais alors qu’elle allait lui répondre, la Princesse Lucisienne prit la parole.

— Luna… S’il te plait, ne dit rien à Noct à mon sujet.

La Tenebraenne penchant la tête, surprise d’une telle demande.

— Pourquoi donc? Cela le rassurai pourtant de te savoir en vie.

Aurora détourna le regard vers la cité de laquelle s’échappaient de sombres fumées, fronçant imperceptiblement les sourcils, soupirant doucement.

— Je le sais… Mais je connais mon frère. S’il venait à l’apprendre, il fera tout pour me retrouver et risque de se détourner de ses nouvelles priorités de Roi. Comme le disait mon père… Un mensonge vaut parfois mieux que la vérité…

#FFXV Fanfiction | Version française #kingsglaive #aurora lucis caelum #regis lucis caelum #nyx ulric #libertus ostium #lunafreya nox fleuret #titus drautos #general glauca #ffxv oc

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