#the one where Nyx finds out what it feels like to get yeeted back in time

[carminite-wyrm]

Running Onwards, To the Hope of a New Day (Part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

(Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic of mine so far! I've really appreciated all your comments! Also, this will eventually be up on AO3, just not yet because I haven't been able to get an account just yet.)

In which Nyx tries his best, realises a few things, learns a new skill, and commits a minor case of arson.

All in all, Nyx was feeling pretty good about his chances, on his ninth run. He’d learnt from his eighth run that, no, setting the black-market dealer’s place on fire, stealing both the explosives and the phoenix down, and quietly dumping the explosives into one of the rivers that ran through Insomnia wasn’t enough to stop the rebels from bombing the signing ceremony. Considering there was more than one cell, he was sadly unsurprised by this. He’d also figured out that whatever was attracting the daemons was attached to the tracker in the hairpin in a way that he couldn’t just remove, which was a shame.

He learned that he needed to give Crowe a phone in some sort of blast-proof container or casing, because while he’d managed to give Crowe the means to contact him and Libertus sooner, the phone would be severely damaged without one. And, because the phone would be broken, Crowe wouldn’t be able to get in contact with them soon enough to stop Libertus from joining the rebels and giving them the vital information that they needed to launch their attack on the Citadel.

He had also found out that if he told King Regis about the traitorous Glaives he knew would survive the Princess’ extraction, that the King would be able to sever their connection to his magic before they encountered them on either the bridge or the overpass.

Unfortunately, its effectiveness was limited by the fact that there were still Glaives that he hadn’t known were traitors, and so they still had ended up rocketing off the overpass when another Glaive, who Nyx belated recognised as Isra Solis (and Crowe had cursed her out even more viciously than Nyx had, because Isra was as talented with frost magic as Crowe was with fire, and the two had been close, before everything went down).

At this point, Nyx was pretty sure that as soon as they got to that first attempt to escape the city, it was almost guaranteed that they’d be crashing the car sooner or later.

At the very least, Nyx thought to himself, as he finally found an old camera case which he hoped would be enough to hide the phone, this should help with stopping Libertus from leaving. Hopefully.

A day later, he awkwardly held the box of Crowe’s things, waiting for Drautos to move out of earshot. As Libertus raged at Crowe’s apparent death, Nyx took a deep breath, and quickly grabbed Libertus, warping them into one of the nearby alcoves (why there were so many alcoves by the morgue, Nyx had no idea, but he’d take it).

“Nyx, what the hell?!” Libertus gasped, nearly losing his balance at the sudden movement if not for Nyx’s steady grip on his arm.

“Lib…I don’t think Crowe is dead,” Nyx said, mustering the most serious voice he could, which was actually pretty serious considering how much potentially hinged on him getting Libertus to listen. “Look, you know how I gave her some of my curatives, right? Well, I also gave her a phoenix down and an extra phone.”

“…Why? What has that got to do with any of this?”

Nyx rummaged through the box in his hands, searching through for any of the items in question. Thankfully (for the point he was making, at any rate), he could not find any of the things that he had given Crowe.

“They said they recovered everything, right?”

Libertus nodded slowly.

“The phone isn’t here. Not even parts of it.”

Nyx was gratified to see the dawning realisation on Libertus’ face, and silently congratulated himself for finally convincing him of Crowe’s continued survival. And hopefully now, Libertus wouldn’t have too many reasons to leave, or at the very least, no reason to give information to that rebel cell.

“So, what you’re saying,” Libertus said, slowly, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. “Is that Crowe could still be alive.”

“Yes, exactly!” Nyx internally was jumping up and down with joy, this was exactly the reaction he wanted.

“We need to go find her.”

Wait, shit. Celebrated too early.

Nyx wasn’t even certain that Libertus would be able to find Crowe, if he went haring off now. And if he lost track of Libertus, then he wouldn’t to be able to assure himself of Libertus or Crowe’s safety. And if Libertus went running off, then that would alert the traitors that their plan hadn’t gone exactly to plan, and Nyx…couldn’t risk them changing the script that drastically.

“With what resources, Lib?” Nyx hissed, holding back Libertus with a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t even know where she is! She still has the phone, presumedly. We should wait for her call.”

“But what if she can’t call? What if she’s been captured by the Niffs, or- or.”

“…Give it a day, Lib. 24 hours, and if we don’t hear anything, we’ll go find her. But don’t you dare leave without me.” Nyx scowled, hoping that his mild concession wouldn’t be necessary. He didn’t exactly want to show off the fact that he knew the approximate area that Crowe would end up in, two days from this point, but 24 hours would give him time to come up with a reasonable excuse. He hoped, at any rate.

“Fine,” Libertus nodded. “24 hours’ll give us time to prepare, either way.”

“And don’t you dare try and resign, we’re going to need the King’s magic for this. Probably.”

“Alright, alright, hero.” Libertus shook his head, patting Nyx on the shoulder. “Worry about Crowe, not me.”

“I am not going to risk losing you as well, Lib.” Nyx scowled.

Libertus’ expression softened, then, and he drew Nyx into a hug.

“You won’t, Nyx.”

But I have. So many times, Nyx didn’t say, basking in the warmth of his best friend’s embrace. So many times, Libertus. I wish I could tell you.

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When Nyx’s phone rang early the next day, showing the contact for the phone that he had given Crowe, Nyx was unashamed to admit that he broke down sobbing. Frantically hitting the answer button, he listened to Crowe tell him that Luche had nearly killed her, that she’d been rescued in the nick of time by the combined efforts of the phoenix down and a pair of hunters, and that (this time), for some reason, she was actually all the way at Hammerhead.

Why she was all the way there, Nyx wasn’t quite certain, but Crowe had explained that the phone had actually been slightly damaged after the fight with Luche, but when Crowe had been trying to get it to actually make a call, one of the hunters had said that there was a mechanic over at Hammerhead, who could repair it.

Nyx wondered why Crowe hadn’t gone to the outpost last time, surely an outpost as well-established as Hammerhead would have been the ideal place to take an injured Glaive to contact her allies. Then he realised that in the last run, the phone had been completely toasted, and perhaps the hunters had not realised that Crowe was a member of the Kingsglaive, until they had spotted the Imperial dropships and Crowe had gone racing off after them.

Still, he did have some other questions to ask her.

“Wait, hold up, why couldn’t the hunters call us for you? Don’t they have phones of their own?”

“Batteries died.”

Are you fucking kidding me?! Nyx thought. What were the bloody chances of that happening?!

“What.” He said instead.

“Yeah, apparently they were going to head to one of the smaller, nearer outposts because there’s some spares there, but when I told them I needed to get in touch with a member of the Kingsglaive fast, I think they broke like four or five road rules to get me here as fast as they could.”

Nyx couldn’t help but laugh at the image, before slowly managing to calm himself down.

“Can you hold for a moment? I need to get Libertus here before he does something stupid and tries to rush after you.”

“Sure, Nyx. Get him in here, I bet the big guy’s worrying his ass off about me. I sure won’t be going anywhere, the hunters said it was risky enough bringing me all the way over here in the first place.”

Nyx sped down the hallway, and raced for the stairs, almost knocking Luche down the stairs (if only) in his haste to reach Libertus. He slammed open the door, having only wasted a few seconds fumbling with his own set of keys beforehand.

“LIB!” He yelled, as he shut the door behind him.

“What?!” Libertus yelled back, from inside the bathroom, where Nyx could hear the sounds of the shower running. “It better be important, I only just got the hot water running!”

Oh, whoops.

Three minutes later, Nyx was awkwardly sitting on Libertus’ couch whilst Libertus talked with Crowe, the other man significantly less irritated at Nyx’s interruption when Nyx had told him he had Crowe on the other end of his phone. He didn’t mention to Libertus later, when the man had finally re-entered the main area of his flat and put the phone on speaker, that he had definitely heard the sound of Libertus sobbing even with the continued sound of running water. Nyx was honestly just happy that Libertus was still here, still with him, and that Crowe was still alive.

“Shit, Nyx.” Libertus finally said, after Crowe had fully retold her story. “Luche’s a fucking traitor. We should…we should tell the Captain.”

Nyx froze, from where he was preparing to head off to be part of the Princess’ escort into Insomnia.

“I…I’m not sure we should.” Nyx admitted, trying not to make it apparent that he absolutely distrusted anything and everything Drautos said or did. “The details of Crowe’s mission should have been confidential, as soon as she left the city. But despite the precautions that were taken, Luche was still able to find her, and nearly kill her. If Luche’s a traitor, what’s to say there aren’t any other traitors in the Kingsglaive? What’s to say that the Captain’s office hasn’t already been compromised?”

“Shit, is there anywhere else we can take this?”

“What about the Crownsguard Marshal? The Crownsguard deal with internal affairs, right?” Crowe chipped in.

“We could…but I’m due in for Citadel duty in ten minutes, and we can’t afford any possible traitors knowing something’s up just yet.” Nyx scowled, frustrated at how things had lined up. “Lib, can you see if you can talk to the Marshal?”

“Nyx, you know how I feel about the Crownsguard,” Libertus shook his head. “With my luck, I’d end up just pissing them off, and that’s the opposite of getting them to listen. Chances are, I’m not even going to make it anywhere close to the Marshal’s office.”

“Damn it.” Nyx sighed. “I’ll see if I can find him, when it gets to my lunch break.”

“I’ll see if I can think of any way to get Crowe back here soon, I’m certain Crowe showing up alive will lend support to our whole ‘Luche is a filthy traitor’ argument.” Libertus nodded. “Best of luck, hero.”

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If one were to inquire as to why Nyx Ulric of the Kingsglaive was currently sitting with his head in his hands, barely an hour after his shift had ended, on the steps just outside the Kingsglaive barracks, he would tell them to politely ‘fuck off’.

It was, perhaps, not the most diplomatic of responses, but Nyx felt it easily summed up how he was presently feeling, after the utter shitshow that was his attempt to find the Marshal of the Crownsguard.

The actual searching and inquiry itself was quite fast. He’d only had to step into the Crownsguard building asking to see the Marshal, only to find out one little thing. One key thing he honestly wished he’d known far sooner, because it explained so many things.

The Marshal was not in the damn city.

Apparently, the man was off on some sort of confidential mission, due to return the bloody day before the signing ceremony for some Astrals-damned reason.

That was too late for any of Nyx’s current (and possibly future) plans.

And there was no way he, a single Kingsglaive, could even get the Marshal to return sooner, it simply wasn’t within the bounds of his current abilities.

So that avenue was closed to him, for the time being. Perhaps there were other people in the Marshal’s office he could approach, but Nyx simply did not know who would be a trustworthy, reliable person he could talk to in that branch of the military.

He briefly considered Fortis, before shaking his head. That man could be relied upon in a crisis, he had to admit, but…to most people, the only crisis happening at the moment was the political nightmare of the ceasefire. To most, it was a matter for diplomats and Kings, not foot soldiers and guardsmen.

Scowling off into the distance, he wondered whether it might have just been best to get Crowe back into the city, so that he could at least go to the King with direct evidence of Luche’s treachery. With any luck, Luche would have spilled everything, and then they could have killed Glauca when he inevitably fought back.

It seemed a bit late to try that this time around, though. Tomorrow, Insomnia would be invaded, after all.

Nyx sighed, before readying himself for his night shift guard duty, and the Princess’ inevitable kidnapping. Time to see if he could, at the very least, keep all his friends alive for longer this time around.

The next morning, he let himself back into Libertus’ room, to kick his plan of ‘Keep The King and My Friends Alive At Least’ into motion.

“Lib, I’m…I’m going to go talk to the King,” He said, and had a moment of amusement at Libertus nearly dropping his bowl of oatmeal in shock. “Crowe’s still at Hammerhead, yeah? Presumably heavily injured, but not injured enough to be unable to hold a call, right?”

“I would assume so,” Libertus nodded, after regaining his composure. “You sure you can get the King himself to listen? He’s a Lucian, and a noble to boot. You know how the combination of the two tend to treat folks like us.”

“…I think he’d listen. We have proof, now, and the next highest-ranked person isn’t even going to be here yet.”

“I still think we should tell the Captain-“

“No!”

Nyx winced as Libertus levelled a critical eye at him, the force of his disagreement clearly a bit…too much.

“Nyx.”

“Yes, Libertus?” Please don’t ask what I think you’re about to.

“Why are you so adamant about not telling the Captain?” Libertus put down his bowl, and crossed his arms, a pose familiar enough to Nyx that he knew Libertus wouldn’t take a vague answer. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I- I think the Captain is also a traitor.” There. He said it.

Nyx waited, as the seconds ticked by, as Libertus seemed to turn the thought over in his head. He waited, for the inevitable doubt, the claims of paranoia gone too far in the wake of Luche’s betrayal.

“I’m guessing you don’t have any evidence, do you.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t a complete expression of doubt, even if Libertus did still seem highly sceptical of his not-theory.

“No. It’s just,” Nyx fished around for the right word that wouldn’t cause more suspicion, considering he still wasn’t sure he could just outright say ‘yeah I’ve watched Drautos murder King Regis like three times by now’. “A gut feeling. An instinct.”

“Well, your gut instinct hasn’t led us astray much at all, has it,” Libertus sighed, his stance loosening dramatically as he sat down heavily. “Astrals damn it. And considering Drautos is actually respected by the Lucians, they won’t be likely to take your word without actual evidence to back it up.”

“And obviously, I couldn’t exactly break into his house or office to look for evidence.”

“Well, you could, it’d just be difficult.”

“What.”

Libertus shrugged, before gesturing at himself and Nyx.

“We’ve both got magic, idiot.”

“Yes, and? It’s not exactly conducive to breaking and entering, you know. Security cameras exist, and I can’t exactly fireball my way into his office.”

Libertus blinked up at Nyx, before vanishing in the slightest glow of crystal-blue.

“Oh.”

Nyx sat down, on the floor of Libertus’ shoebox of a flat, and laughed into the palm of his hand. He laughed, until he registered Libertus (now visible again), shaking his shoulder.

“You good?”

“I. Yeah,” Nyx wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. “I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me. Six, it was so obvious all along!”

He looked up at Libertus, and grinned. “Can you teach me?”

“What, now?!” Libertus looked around, before sighing once again. “You want to go searching whilst the Signing Ceremony happens, don’t you? Fuck, of course you are, you reckless piece of shit.”

“Well-“ Actually, I was more thinking it’d be good for a future loop.

“Fine. You’ve got forty minutes before your next citadel guard shift, you better be listening closely, hero. The others in my squad took at minimum three days to hold this for longer than a few seconds. You might be a warp-spammer, but this shit takes more focus than a shield, for all that it drains your magic slower.”

“I’m listening, Lib.”

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By the time Nyx had to leave for the citadel, he could hold the invisibility for all of two seconds, a feat that Libertus had briefly praised, before going right back to fondly complaining about Nyx’s aptitude with all things magical. It wasn’t enough to be truly practical, but Nyx figured he’d have time to practice it more, next loop.

“You’ll call me, yeah, if anything goes south?” Libertus had asked, grabbing hold of Nyx before he could leave.

“Yeah,” Nyx nodded. “I will.”

An hour later, he was hastily calling Crowe with the coordinates he had by now memorised, as he made his way to the rest of the Kingsglaive with their orders to mobilise. As for Libertus, he’d updated him as to the situation, tasking Libertus with keeping an eye on the situation within the city, and calling him if anything happened.

Obviously, Nyx knew that things were definitely going to happen, but the point was that he wanted Libertus to not run off and potentially get himself killed. Nyx had a plan, this time around, or at least the makings of one, and he was fairly certain he’d be able to keep his friends, the Princess, and the King alive this time around.

First off though, he had to survive the Princess’ extraction.

With a deep breath, he launched himself up onto the Niflheim ship, experience allowing him to stick the landing instead of the awkward crash his first time around. With expert motions, he directed the Glaives through the ship, right up to the point where Pelna found the Princess.

“Pelna, get out of there, now. Don’t go down that corridor, I spotted a really nasty daemon that way.” Nyx said, hurriedly, as he sprinted down the hallway to meet them. He easily ducked under a traitor’s attack, ripping off their mask just before he slit their throat.

He’d forgotten to check their identities the first few times around, too busy with trying to survive and keeping his friends alive, and while he knew he wouldn’t be able to get all of them in one run, he sure could at least find out who a few of them were.

Distantly, as he expertly tripped another traitor and killed them before they could even try and attack Pelna from behind, he wondered how much he had changed, already, with how many times he’d already replayed the past five days. Before this hell week, before the ceasefire, before the time loops, these Glaives had been his fellow comrades-in-arms. He’d saved them, and been saved in turn, on countless missions, in countless fights. And yet here he was, barely batting an eye as sisters and brothers turned on them all, as he cut them down within seconds of them raising their blades and spells against their former friends and allies. Their movements were so familiar, so scripted, he knew exactly how to move to counter their attacks, how to slip under their guard and slice them apart. The only true dangers, it seemed, would be the daemons, Luche and his posse, and General Glauca.

He shoved Pelna back with one hand as they rounded the corner, tanking a fireball from Tredd with his own shield, before retaliating with his own rapid blasts of lightning. He could hear Tredd curse, ducking around his own corner just as a tentacle from the octopus daemon began to tear the ship they were on in two.

He quickly directed Pelna and Lunafreya onto the ship they would escape in, nodding to himself as Crowe suddenly warped onto the open deck with a gasp, mirroring the events of Loop 7. He quickly shoved a couple of hi-elixirs into her hand, before turning around and seeing if he could spot Luche’s escape ship. Sadly, he couldn’t, and resigned himself to seeing those assholes again later, during the overpass chase.

“Shit, Crowe!” Pelna called out. “You’re alive?!”

“Yeah, no thanks to fucking Luche.” Crowe spat, and Nyx mentally noted down that two hi-elixirs were so much better than just one single elixir. “Nyx, you need to call Libertus, let him know what a shitshow this has all turned out to be.”

“And it’s gotten worse.” Pelna agreed, pointing out the falling Wall.

“We need to return to the Citadel-“

“Yeah, I know. The King and the Ring, right?” Nyx sighed, already calling Libertus.

“Yes, exactly- Wait, how did you know that?” Lunafreya suddenly appeared in Nyx’s field of view, eyes bright with concern, just as Nyx had finished talking to Libertus.

“You’re talking to the Glaive who’s pulled the most Citadel duty out of everyone, I picked up a few things,” Nyx said, suddenly aware of the fact that the importance of the Ring was…probably not the most common of information around. He hastily changed the subject. “I let Lib know we were coming back, he’s going to be waiting for us in the Citadel garage.”

“You sure he’ll be alright? What with that leg of his?” Pelna inquired.

“He might not look like it, but Lib is a very good driver.” Nyx thought back to the past loops. In every single one where he’d actually made it to that plaza, Libertus had, without fail, successfully crashed a car into Glauca. And on top of that, he’d also successfully navigated his way through a city in the midst of getting razed, whilst Nyx and the Old Wall had been tearing up the city in their respective fights. Libertus was the best damn driver Nyx knew, broken leg or not.

The four of them made it to the Citadel in what felt like record time, running into the signing room just in time to once again see Ravus’ arm on fire. Pelna and Lunafreya quickly hustled the King out of the room, whilst Crowe and Nyx did their best to harry Glauca with alternating blasts of fire and lightning. As they ran out of the secret tunnel and into the garage, Nyx grinned as he Libertus waved at them all. As Crowe rushed to give Libertus a one-armed hug, Nyx quietly relayed the identities of the rest of the traitorous Glaives he could be certain of, as well as his suspicions about Captain Drautos, to the King, who nodded even as he paled considerably at Nyx’s revelations.

“Astrals, but am I glad to see you, Crowe!” Libertus called out.

“You too, Libertus! Better not have done anything stupid whilst I was out.”

“Cool catch-up, but we’ve got General Glauca right on our heels,” Nyx said, slamming down another shield over the tunnel that they had just left. “We’ll take two cars. Pelna, you’re driving that car over there. Crowe, you and King Regis can get into Lib’s car. Me and the Princess will be with Pelna. We’ll exit together, and Pelna will take the lead. Lib, I want you to stay as close as possible to us, me and Crowe will be taking charge of killing anything that gets in our way, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to clear a path, so stay vigilant. Make sure your comms stay open.”

“Got it.” They all nodded, Crowe even giving him a thumbs up as she slid into Libertus’ car.

The drive out of the Citadel went exactly as Nyx had expected, and he quietly cackled to himself even as he leaned out of the window to throw a handful of lightning at one of the MT Armours chasing them. As he spotted the ship carrying Luche, Tredd, and the rest of their group slowly coming into view, he threw a fireball at them, before ducking back down into the car. Hastily, he grabbed the Princess’ hairpin from her, the woman too shocked by the suddenness of his action to protest.

“Pelna, hand me the wheel.”

“Nyx what-“

“You’re still good at warping, yeah? I need you to warp the Princess to Lib’s car,” Nyx sighed as Lib predictably began to also protest. “Lib, get someone to hold that door open.”

“Nyx, you fucking-“

“Pelna, now!”

To his credit, the man didn’t hesitate even with his protests, throwing his dagger in a shower of blue as he tugged the Princess along, leaving Nyx alone in his car.

Not for much longer, of course, because just as Luche and Tredd leaned out of their ship to try and shoot at them all, and just as Petra Fortis in his armoured van appeared in Nyx’s rearview mirror, Nyx turned his car to face Luche and Tredd.

The look on their faces as he drove the car straight at them would be one Nyx would savour for a long, long time. Luche’s string of curses as Nyx warped out of the car just before impact, would also be on the list of things that gave Nyx so much joy.

He landed on the side of Fortis’ van with a quiet oomph, clinging onto the kukri now lodged into the metal. A few moments later, he’d managed to swing himself into the front seat, after Fortis had rolled down the window for him.

“You’re insane, Ulric. Actually insane.” Fortis said, staring at him with wide eyes even as they caught up with Libertus and the others.

“Best warper in the Kingsglaive.” Nyx replied smugly, and winced as the yelling over his comm reached an even louder level.

After that, they somehow made it all the way to within view of the West Gate, even with the occasional daemon or magitek soldier that they ran into. It seemed Nyx’s gambit with the crashed car and the hairpin had paid off, for now, and he quietly let himself relax a little, though he kept an eye out for anything else that might stop their escape.

It was that caution that had him spotting the glimmer of silver and purple before it hit the ground in front of Libertus’ car, his yell of alarm all that they needed to grind to a halt just in time to avoid General Glauca slicing their car in two.

“Shit, Fortis, you and Lib are gonna have to guard the King and Princess, we’ll try and hold him off. If you see an opening, get out of here.” Nyx said, as he chucked a kukri out of the window, and began doing his level best to once again kill Glauca.

As Crowe covered the King and Princess’ retreat to Fortis’ van, followed by a very worried Libertus, Nyx threw himself headlong into the fight, Pelna darting in and out where he could, the two of them trying to keep Glauca’s attention long enough for Crowe to be able to join in.

“Why do you fight, for a King who would abandon us all to save his throne and his son?” Glauca roared, as Nyx warped out of the way of his sword, flinging a blast of flame to hide Pelna’s approach. “Walk away, Glaives, and you will see another day in peace, the Empire has promised it!”

“The way I see it, whatever Niflheim promised you isn’t enough to justify the utter destruction laid in its wake, Drautos.”

Glauca actually froze, momentarily, as Nyx called him by his actual name. And then cursed, because Crowe had apparently figured out how to properly stash the King and the Princess away, and had now joined the fight as well with a blast of flame that Nyx could see had melted part of his helmet.

“So, you know, then.”

“Yeah, I do, you traitorous bastard.”

The three Glaives did their best to fight Glauca, a blast of lightning from Nyx actually causing the armoured man to stumble backwards a little. This…wasn’t going terribly, Nyx thought, warping past Glauca’s shoulder and swinging back down, Pelna trying to go for Glauca’s knees at the same time. They were both flung backwards for their efforts, but Crowe had used that opportunity to slam another two fireballs at Glauca, only one of which the man was able to deflect.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a daemon making its way to them, ambling towards Fortis’ van. Nyx cursed, and launched himself at Glauca, trying to herd him out of the way so that Fortis could make a break for it, before the daemon got to them.

“Crowe, Pelna, we need to get Glauca out of the way!”

Pelna nodded, grunting as he parried a punch, before warping away from Crowe’s attack. Nyx dove forward immediately after, hissing as Glauca’s sword drew a sharp cut across his cheek, but it was worth it as he managed to get close enough to unleash a pulse of lightning strong enough to send Glauca back a few vital steps. He warped out of the way of his retaliation, letting Pelna take over briefly as he cracked an elixir onto himself.

They just needed to get Glauca a little further away, and then Fortis could, hopefully, get out of the city.

But Pelna was tiring, and so was Nyx, the fighting from earlier having already taken its toll even though they had come out of that mess mostly unharmed.

Glauca, on the other hand, seemed to be fuelled by whatever cursed shit made up that armour of his, and probably a few other things as well.

At this rate, Nyx had the feeling he’d be needing to put that damn Ring back on his finger. Again.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Pelna yelled as he dodged several swings of the sword, managing to avoid getting skewered only for Glauca to catch him around the waist and fling him across the road.

“Pelna!” Nyx yelled, unable to check on his friend as Glauca was now attacking him, and thank the Astrals that Nyx had already seen some of these moves and knew how to counter them, because it should be illegal how fast Glauca could move, in armour like that.

Nyx managed to blast Glauca in the way of one of Crowe’s fire blasts, just as he heard the screeching of tires. He grinned, even as Glauca doubled his attacks at him, Nyx holding up a shield just as he felt the van fly past him, the vehicle close enough to almost him.

“You do realise that you will die here, that nothing will stop me from killing that coward King.” Glauca growled, as he batted Nyx away.

“Your armour’s looking real bad, you know that?” Nyx quipped back, nodding to Pelna as the two of the charged at Glauca, Nyx aiming a blast of frost at Glauca’s feet whilst Pelna tried for a headshot.

They both missed, Glauca almost managing to get a kick out at Nyx, but they both managed to distract him enough to take yet another gout of fire to the head.

“You. I knew I should’ve had you killed when I had the chance!” Glauca roared, charging suddenly at Crowe, a sliver of skin visible along his collarbone.

“No!” Nyx yelled, warping after him, only to get a fist straight to his chest, winding him as he crumpled to the ground.

He could see Crowe warping out of the way, but she’d never fought Glauca in melee combat before, and melee wasn’t even her specialty-

The axe that lodged itself in Glauca’s collarbone surprised them all.

Glauca’s yell of surprise and pain was nearly drowned out by Libertus’ warcry, as the man suddenly appeared, his axe in both hands as he braced himself and completed his swing, turning that sliver of collarbone into a bloody gash, although Nyx could see the silver of the armour already trying to repair itself.

“That’s my sister you nearly killed, you bastard.” Libertus spat, and ducked as Crowe tossed fireball after fireball at Glauca, before she turned and set the approaching daemon alight as well.

“How-“

Nyx didn’t give him time to finish, letting Pelna use him as a springboard to launch right at Glauca, the man plunging a dagger right into that open wound before he landed in front of Libertus and Crowe, ready to help defend them.

“Damn, he’s still going?” Pelna shook his head, flinging up a shield to briefly deflect Glauca’s next attack. “That should’ve at least slowed him down significantly.”

Nyx warped back into the fight, giving the three time to reposition themselves as he tried his best to carve out more of Glauca. This fight was just as frustrating as it had been all the times before, as even though he had his friends with him, it was balanced out by the fact he didn’t have the extra power from the Ring. For all of his experience, Glauca was the worst enemy he had to fight, and it showed.

Drautos had been their commander, their beloved Captain. He knewall of their moves, or at least most of them, their fighting styles, their habits and their weaknesses. And that meant that he could counteract them with more ease than he should have.

Which meant that Nyx had to do something unpredictable, something so utterly insane not even Drautos could predict it.

His gaze skittered over the road, looking for something he could maybe use to his advantage. He couldn’t see anything, just broken concrete and asphalt, Libertus’ by-now trashed car, the corpse of a daemon smouldering behind them-

He looked back at the car, where there was a puddle of fuel slowly leaking from its side.

His first thought was that it was a wonder it hadn’t caught alight, what with Crowe’s flames. His second thought was that surely Glauca wasn’t completely explosion-proof, even with that armour of his.

“Guys!” He yelled, sprinting back into the fight. “I’m going to try something, I need you to herd him backwards, to the car!”

“What are you going to do, trip me?” Glauca actually sounded a bit amused, even though he was, in fact, getting slowly pushed backwards by their combined assault.

“No, even better,” Nyx watched as Glauca was finally backed up to the car, and probably as far as he’d get before he’d clue into the petrol leaking from Libertus’ car. “Everyone, get back!”

Pelna’s eyes widened in understanding, as he warped away and grabbed Libertus with him, and Nyx tossed as large a fireball as he could at Glauca and the car.

The resulting inferno wasn’t quite as impressive as the explosion Nyx had been hoping for, but the screaming from within was.

“Do you…think that’d kill him?” Pelna asked, as they all stared at the flaming wreck, from a safe distance away.

“I’m…not actually sure,” Nyx admitted. “Actually, are cars supposed to catch on fire like that?”

“If they’re a good quality car, no.” Libertus growled. “Cheap piece of shit.”

“Eh, better safe than sorry.”

The three men looked at Crowe as she began to hurl more fireballs at the car (and presumably Glauca), her barrage only pausing when she had to crack an elixir, before continuing on. Nyx shrugged, and joined in, except with lightning bolts. Her logic was sound, in his opinion, even if Pelna and Libertus were staring at them with increasing amounts of fear.

There was one slightly harrowing moment as they watched Glauca actually stumble forwards a few moments later, but Nyx and Crowe’s panicked blasts of lightning and fire respectively quickly had him crumpling to the ground. They stayed where they were, for a few moments longer, to see if he would get back up, before Nyx sprayed the flaming wreck with a light blizzard, and they moved closer to see whether Glauca truly was dead.

“Oh, yikes.” Crowe muttered, staring at the body on the road.

“That’s a lot of- I don’t think a burned body is supposed to smell like that.” Pelna commented, holding a hand up to his nose.

“Must be the armour, that shit was magitek. Must’ve had a bad reaction to all that fire we were hurling at him at the end.” Libertus reasoned.

Nyx simply marched up to the body, and stabbed what he assumed was the head. Twice.

“Alright, he’s definitely dead.” Nyx concluded. “If he wasn’t before, by some miracle, he is now.”

Crowe cackled, a little hysterically.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little later, Nyx trudged behind his three friends as they headed for the nearest haven, presumably to rest and recover before they tried to meet up with any other survivors of the Invasion.

Dawn was breaking on the horizon, and he was simultaneously relieved by the sight, and dreading its arrival.

On one hand, as far as he was aware, he’d managed to keep all of his friends, and the King and the Princess, alive. Even Fortis was alive, and that was something Nyx hadn’t expected. But on the other hand, Insomnia was still a smouldering ruin, the Empire had gotten away with that Crystal, and Nyx was pretty certain the fatality count was up in the hundreds of thousands.

Up until now, he hadn’t managed to live past the dawn, had always died as soon as the sun had fully risen above the horizon. What if his survival now meant that the loops were finished? The thought scared him, somehow. He’d gotten used to slowly inching his way to figuring out the multitude of things that had led up to the city’s fall, and the destruction that came with it. What if he could’ve had more chances to try and stop everything from happening in the first place, if only he figured out a way to die before the dawn? What if there were parts to this puzzle he didn’t yet know about, vital pieces that could ensure everyone’s survival without the destruction of the city?

But, if he looped back now, then wouldn’t all the fighting he had just done be for naught? He looked at his friends, at their tired, but cheerful, expressions. To them, they’d just survived one of the greatest tragedies since the Fall of Galahd, and had even managed to kill the legendary General Glauca, the man responsible for the destruction of not only Galahd, but also Tenebrae, and now Insomnia.

He couldn’t- He couldn’t take that away from them.

And so, Nyx Ulric watched as the sun rose above the horizon, Pelna cheering as one of the imps that had been about to approach them almost instantly melted away into daemonic miasma.

And stopped.

He shuddered, clutching his head as a sudden spell of dizziness overtook him. He vaguely heard Libertus’ cry of alarm, as he stumbled backwards, something tugging on his chest even as the world around him seemed to flicker in and out like a bad television signal. Nyx had the abrupt sensation of the ground beneath him giving way, before his vision fragmented, like a broken mosaic almost, and he fell, dragged along by an unseen force. The swirl of colours that his vision had devolved into was nauseating, and Nyx shut his eyes, the sensation of freefalling continuing until-

He sat upright with a shout, as the world snapped back into place, and he was greeted by the familiar sight of his dimly lit apartment, sunlight streaming through the cheap curtains.

[secret-engima]

Okay, but anon and I are like on the same wavelength because I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT!! So now I’m like, where would the hidden enclave be, and when did they form? THEN I had the idea - what if they are descendants of THE original bastard LC? Because Ardyn was 33 when he first ‘died’, and if all LCs are as... /irresistible/ as we have Regis portrayed, then he could have sired a bastard before meeting and falling for Aera. Only Aera helped hide said bastard from Somnus before (cont in next)

a-world-in-grey said: Everything went to hell in a handbasket, and said descendants wouldn’t take the LC name because they view Somnus’s betrayal as him disowning them, so instead they take the name Vitae as kind of a ‘fuck you’ to the LC line and don’t regard LCs or their ‘Kingsworn’ very highly at all. And I could see them having Leviathan as their patron, the Tidemother, which is also their way of saying ‘fuck you’ to Bahamut. Leviathan is very pleased. And being sea farers makes it easier to up and vanish. (Cont)

a-world-in-grey said: But then the Great War happens and the Vitae do NOT appreciate shit happening in Altissa(?)/Accordo(?)/ THEIR TURF, which kick starts shit and brings Mors attention down on them maybe. Idk. But this would definitely be a Yeet the Prophecy AU because the Vitae aren’t gonna stand for Bahamut’s bs.

Me:

Ooooh oh I like this too but what if it’s BOTH. What if it STARTED with the hidden child and then they heard of the Legend of Adagium’s Curse and so they started just- TAKING the kids from Somnus’s line before they could be killed and adding them to the blood line?

And as for where it would be- um. Like-.

You’ve seen my AUs. Where do you THINK I’m going to put it? You get three guesses and the first two don’t count.

On a more serious note though, Galahd (seriously where else did you expect me to put them this is ME you sent the ask to) is A JUNGLE. A VERY SECRETIVE JUNGLE FULL OF SECRETIVE PEOPLE. No one’s going to bat an eyelid at another Clan forming and then mixing/marrying with the neighboring Clans (LIKE THE ULRIC AND THE ALTIUS HAHAHAHAHA) or just straight up folding into one of the pre-existing clans that happens to look similar enough to pass physical inspection (LIKE THE ULRICS. WHO’S UP FOR LC-NYX). No one is going to question the disdain/hate for mainlanders and their politics or their nomadic habits as some of them regularly slip off to the mainland to keep an eye on things/sail the world to explore things in total disregard for modern borders and political situations. No one is even going to QUESTION when every once in a few centuries one of the wanderers comes in potato-sacking a traumatized, nearly-executed-for-their-magic child and claims the child as part of their Clan and raises them to be just as secretive and feral as the rest.

Seriously, Accordo/Altissia is a major trade hub, nowhere on Lucis main is safe, Niflheim is NIFLHEIM and Tenebrae are allies to the Lucis Line who might … forget eventually … just why they gave sanctuary in the first place (or get drawn into a war if their hiding of these people got out). Galahd is already hinted at/HCed to be private and mostly unknown to the rest of the world and any wild stories of magic and healing spells and the calling down of the Storm would be passed off as strange jungle myths and legends. And Galahd would grow very quickly PROTECTIVE of these magic users who are just and strong, who freely wander the isles blessing them with their magic, healing the sick and defending the needy and singing the Storm into existence when danger tried to sail in from the mainland. They would be protective of their Peacekeepers and Healers and Storms and TideSingers and would have LITERALLY NO REASON to ever tell outsiders about them, especially not when it becomes clear that they have Issues with Somnus’s line. So Galahd keeps it to itself, the Clans all coming to know the Vitae(Ulric? I am so tempted to make this an Ulric Clan AU ngl this is probably going to become an Ulric Clan are the LC offshoots AU) as Theirs and Trusted and Secret no matter what bad blood rises between the rest of the Clans.

Until Mors pulls back the Wall and Niflheim tries to invade and for the first time in centuries Galahd’s greatest secret has to not just fight, but WAGE WAR.

There are a LOT more of them living in Galahd then there ever were LCs on the mainland.

Niflheim doesn’t stand a chance.

The news gets out and people lose their MINDS at the word of a SECOND WALL rising to protect Galahd, a Wall not commanded or created by their King or Prince. And of course Mors HAS to know, he HAS to know how this happened and who is holding that Wall and he’s already shown no hesitation in flinging his son off to Accordo in the middle of a war so he-

Orders Regis and his group to go investigate, find a way past the Wall, make contact (bring this rogue LC to heel, because of course they assume its just a lone illegitimate but powerful child) and somehow they find a way in and-

All of Bahamut’s Prophecies.

U n r a v e l

(Basically I want to make an AU where Regis and Co get YOTE straight and hard into culture shock shenanigans and intrigue and have to deal with both Galahd culture but also FERAL MAGIC USERS who look at LCs and see Betrayers and Kinslayers but will not (cannot) raise a hand against him physically because that would make them Kinslayers too. But they CAN confuse him and run rings around him, try to scare him off with their ways and magic. They don’t expect him to stay. They don’t expect him to learn.

They don’t expect him to look at their Immortal Healer King who they have been slowly, painstakingly healing over the centuries and cry on his behalf, they don’t expect Regis to look at their King’s one hundred and thirteenth-great granddaughter Aulea and fall head over heels in love.)

Aiiiiii this is not going to be a one-shot collection I can feel it.

Somebody give me a name for this thing. If you’re all going to be horrible (wonderful) enablers give me a name for this monstrosity.

[paopukairi]

Birthday Special: Noctis’s Birthday fanfic

A special birthday special for the sweet Prince of Lucis! This fic is set in an AU where there’s no war and no daemons! Also expect heavy NoctxLuna, RavusxOC and IgnisxOC. Anyway I worked hard on this so I hope you enjoy! 

Noctis’s Special Day

It was odd to say the least when the Prince wasn’t awoken by Ignis or Gladio or even his little sister for the matter. Noct opened his eyes and could see the bright sun shining through the dark green tent he slept in. He lifted his head whilst yawning and was surprised to not see anyone else in the tent; it was just him on his sleeping bag. He slowly crawled out of the tent and covered his vision from the bright sun. Again, no one was outside. This was all so weird. He grabbed his phone and texted his sister Bella and got no answer. He then texted Ignis with the same result. The Prince tried calling up the others but it kept ringing until it went to voicemail.

“Where in the Six are they?” He asked himself but then he noticed something beside his sleeping bag; it was a note from Ignis.

You must be hungry, I’ve prepared a hearty lunch for you at the Old House in Cape Caem, and it’s in the oven.

Ignis

“Lunch?” He turned his phone to check the time and pouted; 1pm. His advisor knew what time he would wake up by himself. “They’re probably there, trying to trick me or something.”

The Prince got changed into his usual attire of clothes and left camp, just like that. If Gladio was there, he would have definitely nagged him to pack everything away. ‘Gladio’s not here though.’ He smirked to himself. The haven he had awoken from was Spelcray Haven which was near Cape Caem anyway. He walked up the stairs and his eyes widened when he saw the Regalia wasn’t there. Instead there was only his sister’s best friend, Wren’s motorbike.

“They took the Regalia but left me this, huh?” He asked as he walked up to the motorbike to find a note on it from the owner obviously.

You better be careful with my baby, or else I’ll give you food poisoning!

He got onto the motorbike and switched the engine on. The Prince headed East to Cape Caem and in through a tunnel. He felt the refreshing cool breeze from the ocean hit his body as his hair danced in the breeze. Driving it would be no problem, he used to drive motorbikes around when he was in his teenage days and got a license for it when he was just 15. Ah, he remembered the days when he used to ride his sister around Insomnia. At times they would sneak out in the middle of the night to get desserts from the nearest bakeries and return without anyone catching them, well until Cor caught them and they were both grounded for a week.

His snapped out of daze when he had arrived at Cape Caem. Noct switched off the motorbike’s engine and hopped off then kept it against a random pole so it doesn’t fall over. He walked up the hill and finally got to the house.

“Alright guys very fu-” He froze mid-sentence when he opened the door and there were was no one there. He walked in and closed the door behind him. “This is really weird.” He placed his hands on his hips then shrugged when his stomach rumbled. The Prince walked into the kitchen and found his lunch in the oven. He found 2 thick slices of Garulessandwiches and smiled; one of his favourites! The young man began eating by himself and finished by drinking his water.

“Meow~” He turned to see that grey cat he fed in Galdin Quay and it had a note in his mouth.

“Hey there little guy. What you got there?” The feline jumped onto the table which Cor always hated. Noct took the note from the cat and in return gave him whatever leftover he had, including the lettuce which was in the sandwich. This note was from Gladio.

You gave your lettuce to the cat didn’t you? You never change. Anyway, go to the Vesperpool Fishing Spot to find your next note. And DON’T forget to freshen up.

“What kind of game is this?” He asked and sighed. “Fine, if that’s their game I’ll play along.” He left the plates and glass in the sink and went upstairs to freshen up. When he had dried his face he looked at the mirror. He was 21 and looked more like his father with each passing day. He no longer had that spikey hair and it fell to his chin. His baby face wasn’t apparent with his jawline more chiselled. Now that he looked more handsome than he was before, he was getting more attention from girls, which would leave him flustered. The Prince looked down with pink cheeks and a soft; the only girl who mattered to him was far away.

The young man ran downstairs and left the house. He ran towards the motorbike and carried on with their little game. On the way to the Vesperpool, he noticed the roads were emptier which made him wonder; where would everyone else be? But that didn’t stop him from speeding on the road with his friend’s motorbike.

It took him only 25 minutes to get to the Vesperpool and he walked north from the Parking Station. Being alone was nice, but he missed his friend’s and sister’s company. They had been together for the past year or so and he’s grown so used to them. When he got to the Fishing Spot, he found a note on the fishing shack which was again, weirdly empty. This note was from his best friend the Chocobo lover.

Must be feeling lonely huh? Get to Burbost Souvenir Emporium for your next and final hint buddy!

“I can’t remember where that is!” He exclaimed and picked up the note to find another message behind.

The caravan where we stopped to go to Greyshire Glacial Grotto btw

Okay now the Prince remembered where it was. He headed back to the Parking Spot and got back onto the motorbike then continued on. Noctis was so glad this was almost over, it’s been just over an hour without seeing them and it’s felt like a week. ‘Damn, I need them that much’ He smiled to himself.

Of course he did; he treasured them truly. Even though Gladio was hard on him at times, he was protective and loyal to the Prince as both Shield and friend. Ignis, well he depended so much on him but he truly was the greatest for always being there for him no matter what. Prompto always shined the way he was, he would make any activity, no matter how boring, entertaining and was truly his bestest friend. Wren, was someone he had known the shortest, she got along really well with everyone. She was the first person to not treat him any differently to how she would treat just anyone. He was so grateful to her for always staying by his sister’s side too and protecting her as her bodyguard. And finally his baby sister who was only younger than him by 2 years. Her smile was like the dawn and her personality was even brighter and more cheerful than that of Prompto’s. Bella loved him more than she loved anyone and was so protective of him even though she was the youngest. And Noctis, well he loved her more than anyone could love her. Not to mention he was protective over her whenever she was around her boyfriend Ravus, who he still didn’t really get along with.

Before he knew it, he was already at the Burbost Souvenir Emporium and found a key in the door of the caravan. He got off the bike and opened the caravan which was, as you guess it; empty!

“I’m about to say yeet any minute now.” He mumbled and found something on the bed. There was a note on top of folded clothing and he picked it up. A small smile graced his lips; it was from Bella.

Bet you’re getting pretty tired of this, Sleeping Beauty. Almost done! Wear these clothes and head to Galdin Quay to seek what your heart truly desires.

The dark haired Prince picked up the clothes; it was a black suit consisting of a black blazer, waistcoat, trousers, shoes, white shirt and a golden metallic tie. He put the clothes on and it fit snuggly around his body. Thankfully the tie was a clip on tie, because he couldn’t tie one to save his life. It was most likely that both Ignis and Bella had picked out this outfit. The reason being was that his advisor knew his size and his sister admired their family’s colour of black and gold.

As he rode the motorbike in the direction of Galdin Quay his mind began to wonder. ‘What my heart truly desires?’ The only thing he could think of was to see them as well as his father, Lunafreya, her mother, Cor, Clarus, Iris, Nyx, Libertus, Holly, Umbra and Pryna, Talcott, Monica, Dustin, Cid and Cindy. He wanted to see them all together but he knew it would difficult to get everyone in one place.

As he drove through the roads, he started to think of his mother too which made his heart squeeze with pain. It had been years since he died and he was only 2 when it happened. Queen Aulea passed in childbirth when she gave birth to Bella. He felt his blue eyes sting with tears, what he would give to see her again…

It had taken him just about an hour to get there and when he finally did Noct’s eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped his lips. The beach was decorated with balloons, signs with his name on it and Sylleblossoms everywhere. There was a table full of gifts on beach as well as people dressed in costumes of Moogles, Chocobos and even Kenny Crowe just to mess with Noct, for the kid’s entertainment. He stopped the motorbike and saw a group of people.

Everyone from nearby outposts and everyone he wanted to see, including Ravus, was there! Everyone pulled their confetti cannons as golden strings and confetti exploded everywhere.

“Happy Birthday, Noctis!” They all cheered and he got off the bike as a goofy smile lit up his face. His heart was beating so fast; what a surprise! Even he forgot it was his birthday today.

Bella who was standing in front of the crowd wearing a black top with spaghetti straps with a v-neckline, tucked into a high waisted golden glitter sequin short skirt, nude glitter tights and black and gold ankle strap pump shoes. Her long black hip length hair was styled in wavy locks and she wore mascara and some dark red lipstick to bring out her green eyes. She also wore golden hoop earring, a gold choker and her mother’s ring on her right ring finger and promise ring from Ravus on her left ring finger. Everyone else, but the Fleurets wore black and gold too with the Prompto, Ignis and Gladio wearing the same outfit as Noctis. Wren wore a simple black long sleeved top with a midi skirt with a golden floral design on it as well as black heels with her collarbone length hair pinned back. She also wore simple makeup, some mascara and rosy red lipstick to bring out her bright green eyes.

“Thank you…” Noctis smiled warmly with a tear falling down his cheeks. Bella and Regis walked towards them and they both hugged him tightly. He still wasn’t a fan of hugs, but today was an exception as he wrapped his arms around them both.

“Happy Birthday, son.” The King stated.

“Happy Birthday, Noct!” The Princess giggled.

“I love you both, with all my heart.” They both smiled at this knowing he really meant it.

“We love you too.” They said and pulled away.

“Hey squirt, did you like that little game?” Wren asked with a wink as she led the boys towards the Prince.

“It got really annoying. I thought you guys were trying to play a prank on me.” He pouted with crossed arms. “Whose idea was it to leave notes around?”

“Guilty.” Prompto grinned cheekily.

“And who planned this whole birthday party then?” Noct asked with a raised eyebrow. “I bet it was you, dad.”

“Your sister did.” Regis answered and he did a double take on his sister.

“R-really?” He stuttered and she nodded with a grin. “All of it?”

“Uh-huh. I planned it 2 weeks ago. Looks like I got a talent for party planning. Everyone else helped organise it. Ignis 12 hours making all the food, Wren and I baked your cake, Prompto and Gladio as well as the others decorated and Ravus got all the Sylleblossoms together.” Bella explained.

“Did he do it voluntarily?” He squinted his eyes and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, duh.” The boys, Wren and Noct glared at her and she sweated nervously whilst lifting her hands in defeat. “Okay, I asked him to.”

“I bet you did a little bit more than ask.” Wren snickered as her boyfriend Ignis shook his head, Gladio smirked and Prompto giggled with Regis not understanding what she meant.

“Wren!” She elbowed her with a pout.

“Ramuh, strike me where I stand.” Noct murmured whilst glancing up at the sky. They heard soft barks and Umbra ran towards Noctis who knelt to the ground whilst rubbing his head. “Umbra, you came to my birthday party huh? Glad you can make it buddy.” He did that cute baby talk with Umbra who licked his face.

“Prince Noctis…” The man heard a voice and stood up to see Queen Sylva who smiled gently at him. The Queen of Tenebrae wore a white and silver long sleeved a line dress which reached the floor and a simple silver tiara on top of her head.

“Your Highness.” He bowed his head respectfully.  

“Oh how you’ve grown into a fine young man.” She stated whilst hugging him. His eyes widened with surprised when she did this and he froze not knowing if he should return it or just stand there. He could hear Gladio, Prompto, Regis, Bella and Wren snickering at his reaction. She pulled away from him and he cleared his throat.

“I’m glad you could make it.” Noctis said.

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She replied.

“My Prince.” He heard a familiar voice.

When his eyes fell on Lunafreya, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his cheeks turn hot. His once pale cheeks reddened as he blinked several times. He gulped and felt hot all of a sudden. It was as if he had seen a beautiful divine goddess. The Princess wore a white lace off the shoulder dress which fell to her knees. She also wore a silver crystal choker with matching earrings and her hair was left out. Luna stood there with her usual kind smile which made the Prince weak in his knees. By her side was Ravus who wore a white blazer, waistcoat and trousers, brown shoes, purple shirt and a silver metallic tie. His heterochromia eyes peered into Noctis who was just staring at his baby sister as he grew more impatient with his lack of words. The Prince of Lucis’s friends and sister noticed his dazed reaction and still couldn’t help but giggle.

“It’s as if Shiva froze him, Lunafreya.” Ravus stated and that was enough to snap Noct out of daze.

“Luna…you…you made it. I’m happy, uh, glad you’re here.” He stammered nervously and she nodded whilst blushing.

“Anyway, let’s get the presents inside. I bet Noct must be really hungry!” Bella stated and led the others inside whilst the youngsters carried the gifts.

When Noct and Luna had headed inside, they saw that the restaurant’s layout looked completely different. Instead of individual tables serving from 2 to 6, there were rectangular tables for everyone to sit together. Clarus, Cor, Sylva and Regis all sat together and were talking about how everything looked wonderful for the Prince’s Birthday. Whilst the rest were too busy teasing Noct for forgetting his own birthday. Bella, Gladio and Nyx had a fun time talking about Noct’s most embarrassing moments of his childhood, including the story when an 8 year old Noct confessed at a ball that he would marry Lady Lunafreya and that they would live happily ever after with 10 children whilst caring for Umbra and Pryna. They all laughed at this whilst Luna and Noct were both incredibly flustered and Ravus just glared at the Prince whilst wrapping his arm around his sister.

They were all served dinner before sunset with the King, Prince and Princess sitting at a table at the back. For dinner, there was a buffet consisting of all of the birthday boy’s favourite dishes which he was ecstatic about. Then it was time for Bella’s speech to Noctis on his birthday.

She stood up from her seat and cleared her throat. Everyone’s voices became silent into a mutter until there was complete silence.

“I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone for coming today. I am extremely grateful that you could make it for Noct’s birthday. Ignis, thank you so much for preparing such amazing food.” Both siblings smiled whilst lowering their heads respectfully at him. “Today is of course a really special and unforgettable day. Well almost for all.” She winked at her brother. “The day my lovely brother was born as my father would say the day he received a blessing from the Six. Although lazy most of the time and moody sometimes, my brother is truly a treasure to Eos. His kindness compares to only my father, his heart golden like our colour, words soft like a cloud and his strength great like Bahamut’s. I would like to raise a toast.” Bella raised her glass of champagne and so did everyone else. “To wish a happy birthday to a wonderful son, a kind Prince, a sweet lover, a dear friend and a perfect brother. May all your wishes come true and that your life is filled only with happiness and love. Happy Birthday, Sleeping Beauty.”

Everyone began clapping whilst Wren, Iris, Prompto and Cindy cheered. Noct smiled at this with a tear falling down his cheek as he wrapped his arms around his sister and pressed his lips against her forehead. She hugged him back which earned some aww’s from the crowd. The Prince of Lucis stood up too whilst holding her hand and looked at everyone.

“Thank you everyone for planning and organising this amazing party. Words can’t describe how happy I am but just know that I’m grateful for everyone has done today. Before coming here, Bella had left a note for me. To go to Galdin Quay to seek what my heart truly desires and this…this was what my heart truly desired. To see all the people special to me here and that’s what I got. And I thank the Six every day that I know there are people who really love me and care for me. It’s the best blessing I could ever have to be honest.” That special really moved both his sister and father who wiped their tears. They were so glad that he was happy today and that was all that mattered; Noct’s happiness.

When he was done with his speech, both Bella and Wren pushed a trolley table with a humungous 6 tier cake that was even taller than Bella who was 5ft 3in. The cake was decorated with figurines of all of Noct’s friends and family with the Prince on top holding a fishing rod. Noct’s eyes sparkled with amazement and everyone else was in awe as they praised the cake. Ignis helped both girls serve up the cake for each guest and they all enjoyed the delicious dessert the two best friends had prepared for them all.

The sun had begun to set in the horizon, many of the kids and guests were on the beach enjoying themselves whilst the elders had tea and coffee together. Bella grabbed both her brother and friend’s hands and led them to the dock where there was a boat for two that waited for them two/

“Quick before Ravus catches you both.” She said with a wink and Noct helped Luna get into the boat. And she pushed him after her. “Go get her tiger.” She mumbled loud enough for only him to hear. He blushed at this and glared at her.

“What if he sees us?” He asked curiously.

“Don’t worry, I got him under control now enjoy!” She pushed the back of the boat with her foot and nodded. Noct who quickly took the oars began rowing out, but not too far ahead and not too close to land.

Bella had sat down on the edge of the dock with her feet in the water. She heard footsteps as Ravus sat next to her with Ignis and Wren joining them.

“My love, where is…is that Noctis with my sister?” The Prince of Tenebrae asked with anger in his voice.

“Oh come now, let them be.” Ignis advised.

“Yeah you gotta be like Shiva and just chill.” Her best friend and boyfriend furrowed their eyebrows at her pun and she shrugged.

“But she’s my sister.” The silver haired man said.

“And he’s my brother. Don’t worry, my grey light flower. You can trust him.” Bella reassured him and when he heard his nickname he couldn’t help but blush and stay quiet. “Anyway Wren, did you bring the binoculars?”

“Yep!” The dark haired woman gave the Princess a pair of binoculars and Ignis sighed whilst pushing his glasses up.

“Shame on you both for being absolutely nosey.” He nagged.

“I’m just…keeping an eye in case he falls and drowns.” Wren snorted at Bella’s reasoning and the advisor just rolled his eyes with another deep sigh.

“I hope he does.” The older man mumbled earning him a nudge from his girlfriend.

“Ooooh, look he gave her his waistcoat, how cute!” The Princess’s bodyguard exclaimed.

“What?” Ravus hissed.

“Calm down, it is harmless. Only a token of kindness.” Ignis stated.

When the fireworks began to go off, Ignis couldn’t help but jump a little at it. Wren who noticed this, placed her hand on his and smiled gently at him with her eyes sparkling. She knew he was afraid of fireworks and promised him that she would be by his side through everything. He turned to him and there was that smile as warm as his heart and as beautiful as his existence to her. He leaned closer to her and pressed a sweet gentle kiss on her lips and she kissed him back. The kiss was heartfelt, light yet so tender, it made butterflies in their stomachs flutter. After just a minute they both pulled away and stared at the fireworks.

Ravus’s muscles relaxed and he sighed, maybe it was time he did trust the wayward Prince more around his sister. He knew Lunafreya had loved him dearly, surely if Noctis accepted him to date his sister then he could do the same. He turned to the girl who sat beside him and a smile graced his face; how luck was he to be in love with a girl like her, who heart was as bright as the sun. He wrapped his arm around her and she smiled, placing the binoculars down and resting her head against his arm. He placed his hand on her face, lifting it up to look into his mismatched eyes as he leaned in, capturing her red lips in a sweet, loving and powerful kiss. She kissed him back whilst holding his hand tight, never ever wanting to let go. He pulled away after a moment, his lips still on hers murmuring oh so quietly how much he loved her. When they had shared their beautiful and passionate moment, they both turned to the fireworks and admired it together.

In the distance, both Noctis and Lunafreya were staring up at the sky as it was lit with many colours. It was at this moment he knew that he could no longer hide his feelings for her anymore. He pulled away from her, holding her hands gently in his and she looked up at him.

“Luna, there’s something I have to tell you.” Her crystal blue eyes sparkled from the reflection of the fireworks and she nodded as her heart escalated with anxiety.

“What is it, Noctis?” She asked and he gulped. Beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck and his face was hotter than Ifrit’s fire.

“For a long time, we have always been together. Since I was 6 and you were 10, I knew that you were like no one else. Whenever my dad would take us to Tenebrae, I would always get excited not for the love of your birthplace, but to see you.” She smiled at him. “As I grew up, my feelings for you changed and I knew that I didn’t want you just as my friend. But as someone more special.” He held her hands to his heart. “When I think of you, my heart goes crazy, when I see you, my brain is like fried eggs, when I hear your voice, and it’s most beautiful sound I could ever hear. Luna, it’s been you, it’s always been you. I love you, with all my heart and all my soul and I only want to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

“Oh Noctis…” She smiled with a tear falling down her cheek. “You just made me the happiest woman in the world. Because I love you too.” His eyes widened and he gulped.

“Y-you do?” Luna nodded. “Really?” She nodded again. “This isn’t a dream right?”

“No, this isn’t a dream.” She held his hands back showing him it wasn’t. “And even if it is, I never want to wake up from it.”

“Luna…” Suddenly he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and so did she. “Luna, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, my Prince.” She whispered and they pulled away just a little.

He stared at those eyes, the ones he had always been in love and smiled whilst sighing with relief. She stared up at him with the widest smile on her face, as he wiped her tears and he leaned closer. And finally he had pressed his lips against hers, kissing her so carefully and lovingly. It took her a few seconds to process everything and treasure each millisecond until she kissed him back. She placed her soft warm hands onto his face as he wrapped his strong arms around neck. This moment, felt like an eternal blessing for them both. It was both their first kisses and they were both thankful that it was with each other.

After a minute or two they pulled away and were staring into each other eyes. “This has to be the best birthday I could ever have, all thanks for my family, to you and to my friends.” Lunafreya rested her head against his shoulder and they looked up at the stars forming in the sky as it lit with one final bright blue firework. “To everyone…thank you.”

[gingersmiith]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless 

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. 

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant to the main story?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant to the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO.

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?

I like to explore where Tredd went from wanting to fight for the crown to ultimately siding with the Niffs, but since he’s a tertiary character at best I’ve got a loooot of wiggle-room.

Of course, we get to the point where he dies in canon and just yeet that out the window because it does not spark joy. So I follow canon to the point where he dies.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutual.

Listen. This man is a ginger jackass who specialises in finding the shiny red buttons that piss you off, and poking them if he’s angry/bored/making a point. Canon sources say he’s a mercenary but there’s like... literally nothing that even indicates he is so -fwip- out the window it goes. 

He’s also one of two canon redheads, the other being Ardyn, and that will never not be amusing to me, you know?

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  

I mean. He’s a ginger jackass, and he’s one of the traitors in the Kingsglaive. His personality in the film is “doesn’t like nyx”. His most interesting visual features are his red hair and the distinctive scar on his cheek.

What inspired you to rp your muse?  

I was already RPing one of his buddies, Sonitus, and then started handling Tredd in private RPs as well, so one day on my way into work I said “fuck it” and I made him a blog.

What keeps your inspiration going?  

My inspiration fluctuates, honestly. Some days I have a really strong muse for him, other days he’s just. Drifting in the back of my mind. Lately I’ve been doing a lot in FFVII fandom, thus the recent hiatus.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO. / I do my best!

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO.

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO.  

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO.

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?

I couldn’t tell you tbh! I don’t seem to get any criticism on my portrayal of him, which.... I mean, I kinda want to know if I’m doing too poorly with him? Especially the post-canon stuff, when he’s trying to... not even redeem himself, just survive and help other survive in the 10 long years of darkness.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  

I love them, tbh! I love figuring out what makes this asshole tick, how to flesh him out but still keep him everyone’s favourite ginger jackass.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  

Nope! They’re free to have their own headcanons, even if I go ????? at the concept of, say, gym rat Tredd.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?

I’d take it just fine.  Like I said, his personality in the film is “doesn’t like Nyx”. He’s tertiary at best, nearly a blank slate. One of my favourite writers tends to portray him as a Fuckup Doing His Best, and I love that take on him! It’s just not my take, and that’s fine.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  

He’s a villain and a traitor responsible, both directly and indirectly, for countless deaths. If people don’t hate him I’ll be surprised.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  

Okay, y’all need to understand something here. I’ve been reading so much for so long that I have absorbed how the rules of grammar work. I do not know what they are, just that something is right or wrong. My peers have never been able to find my mistakes; I have to go to a teacher for that. So please, please, if you find a mistake, feel free to point it out! I can’t fix what I don’t know about.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?

I do my best!

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

Tagged by: @gyahahahaha​ (not who you expected but I’m doing one for an FFVII character too!) Tagging: Steal it if you wanna do it!