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moquall · 2 years

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Dissidia Opera Omnia : Force Weapon partner connection (PART 3/?)

PART 3 compiled the FRs released in January 2022's banners. The one with bold purple is FR user and the black one is the partner.

Just click on "fr partner" tags if you want to see the full list.

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Lunafreya - Rydia (Furious Spray) : Their relation with Leviathan. Both mother were killed during invasion on their hometown.

Luna's mother, Sylva Via Fleuret was killed in Niflheim attack on Tenebrae. Luna awakens Leviathan so Noctis can forge a convenant with the Hydraean. Leviathan attacks her but repeled by Trident of Oracle. Respecting her resolve, the Hydraean agree to test Noctis.

Rydia's mother was killed by Cecil and Kain who slayed the Mist Dragon, unknowingly it kills the summoner as well. Rydia falls into the ocean after Leviathan attacked their ship on their way to Baron. Leviathan took Rydia to Feymarch and help her hones her skills as summoner.

Terra - Kuja (Ring of Rose and Crimson) : Interaction in Dissidia Duodecim and Dissidia NT. Both were raised or created as a tool of war. They are also skilled in magic and have Trance form.

Terra being half-esper was raised as living weapon and experiment of Magitek by Gestahlian Empire. Kefka placed the Slave Crown on her so he can control her. Kuja is Genome created by Garland, the ruler of Terra to incite a war in Gaia.

in Duodecim when Terra was in Chaos's side, Kuja symphatizing with her being used as Kefka's puppet and freed her from mind control spell. in Dissidia NT, He once again saved Terra (and Zidane) from Emperor and Sephiroth and Terra thanked him for saving her both in past and current cycle.)

Iroha - Noel (Arrow of Prayers) : Interaction in Arc 3 Chapter 3. Both are the pupil of 'main character' and came from the ruined world in the future to the past to change the destiny.

Iroha is the pupil of adventurer and was born at the time when almost all of Vana'diel was consumed by Cloud of Darkness. Tenzen, her father transferred the Phoenix's blessing to save her daughter's life and was sent to the past. She later met the past version of her master and work together to save the future Vana'diel.

Noel is Caius's pupil and the last human alive from the ruined Gran Pulse 700 years in the future. As he is close to his death, the Goddess Etro open the gate to Valhalla where he met Lightning. She asked him to go to the past to bring Serah to her and work together to change the future.

Sabin - Eight (Twin Phantom Rush) : The MONK of their group with completely opposite personality and have PHANTOM RUSH as one of their ability.

Sabin and Eight are the only Final Fantasy characters (excluding FFXIV Warrior of Light as Monk) who have Phantom Rush as one of their available skill. It's originally Sabin's Blitz skill and return as one of Eight's abilities in Type-0 and both have this as their EX ability in Opera Omnia.

Talking about their personality, Sabin is brash and impatient tends to act without thinking while Eight holds a calm, rational demeanor and somewhat aloof.

Yuri - Palom (Slowga Bomb) : Interaction in Yuri's Intertwining Wills. Twin little brother who love doing pranks to their twin older sister.

Vayne - Ardyn (Godslaying Power) : Interaction in Vayne's Intersecting Wills. Failed to become a King. The older brother and high ranking officer of Empire who hate Gods but has a companion from their enemy side.

Vayne is the consul for Dalmasca, desires to became Dynast King to put the reigns of history back in the hands of Man from Occuria. He worked together with Dr.Cid and the rogue Occuria called Venat. Despite him having a ruthless and manipulative side, he has soft spot with his younger brother, Larsa.

Ardyn is the chancellor of Niflheim Empire, was supposed to be the chosen king of Lucis but betrayed by Somnus, his younger brother who envy his popularity. Ardyn was tainted by Starscourge, rejected by the crystal and it made him realize the gods had forsaken him. He subjugated and daemonified Ifrit who was captured by Niflheim to get his revenge against Lucis and the Astrals.

Cor - Gilgamesh (Strange Coincidence) : The right hand man of their lord and referenced the flashback story in Episode Gladiolus.

Cor is the right hand man of King Regis and the Marshall of Crownsguard. Gilgamesh is Exdeath's right hand man.

In Episode Gladiolus, Cor told Gladio about the day he partake Gilgamesh's trial though Gilgamesh from XV and Gilgamesh from V are different person.

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secret-engima · 3 years

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I was thinking about what might lead to LC Birbs Ozpin to finally go 'Enough Is Enough' and break out his (hideously OP) magic, and - well. It's suitably ironic. (brace for long set of asks)

hamelin-born

said:

So - on the Roadtrip? The twins are collecting a new Royal Arm to drop at Ozpin's feet, as they do (Ozpin has long since resigned himself to this, even though he doesn't really *need* an Armiger). And everything is proceeding as 'normal' - except for one thing. It's the Blade of the Mystic. ghost!Somnus takes /one look/ at Ozpin, and reacts - poorly. Namely, he manifests himself in full-on ghost form and - not even /Somnus/ knows what he's going to do, but his initial reactions (cont)

hamelin-born

said:

(cont) are *very* threatening. Leading Qrow and Raven to pretty much *throw* themselves at the ancient ghost who is also-sort-of their many-times great grandfather - only to get faced with the wrath of a full-on Lucii, who, depending on how you like to characterize Somnus, is *not* taking it easy on them - and who is absolutely determined to go *through* them if needed to reach Ozpin. Faced with the specter of - well, a specter willing to strike at his own kin (cont)

hamelin-born

said:

(cont) Ozpin proceeds to lose his temper. Just a little. And unleashes Lucis Caelum Magic, Oracle Magic, and Ozma magic on the ancient ghost who *scorns* all concepts of friends and family. (The only thing that would make it better would be Ardyn *somehow* seeing video footage of *his son* blasting Somnus's ghost within an inch of his un-life. It's one of the most transcendent moments of his EXISTENCE).

Me: My word this would be AMAZING.

And yes, YES to the twins finding the Mystic blade and not realizing who’s it is. They just bring Ozpin new sword. Except when Ozpin touches the hilt to assimilate it into armiger, instead there’s a flash of magic and light and horror-outrage-disbelief-guilt-horror and a GHOST with a ghost armiger that nonetheless cuts is suddenly standing there, bellowing at Ozpin with his own ghostly blades spinning around, once clenched in his hand.

The twins naturally Throw Hands without thinking, and Somnus turns on them too. And who knows what Somnus thinks is happening, but we are never given evidence in canon that he reacts reasonably to stressful situations. Whether he thinks they are traitors to the line, or stains upon it as “illegitimate children bending the knee to a monster’s spawn” or what have you, he fights and he does not play nice.

Idk where Gilgamesh is in this, probably scouting a Nif base with Summer and Tai, but either way they aren’t here for the initial response-confrontation-battle. Their attention is definitely caught by the resulting magic pulses though.

And then Ozpin, who sees his Swords in danger from a ghost, a relative who spits venomous words and who Ozpin might already know a bit about? Depending on if he’s learned about Ardyn’s story and had it confirmed by a reliable (non-Ardyn) source. He hears all this verbal venom and sees the danger and just-

Lets go.

Lucii magic rises first, the newest of the lifetimes, then Oracle magic layers into it, healing any wounds before they can finish forming as he throws himself at the ghost with his own armiger and a shout. Then, as ghost blades clash and struggle with ghostly blades, Ozpin’s eyes burn eerie green and he orders Qrow and Raven to get down.

The following shockwave of green magic (his oldest, his STRONGEST, the one he knows most intimately how to use) can be felt for literal miles.

And you know what? For the Drama™, let’s say Gilgamesh, Summer, and Tai were scouting a Nif base and encountered ARDYN, who may or may not be stalking his son and his son’s Retinue from a safe distance out of a desperate desire to get to know Ozpin (without scaring him off, they are probably still on majorly thin ice because of all the Salem flashbacks he triggers). But Ardyn planned this confrontation because HOW DARE Gilgamesh go near his son, his CHILD. What is Gilgamesh planning hmmm? To stab Ozpin in the back like he did Ardyn?

And then in the middle of THAT whole drama, they feel first one spike of LC magic, then two, then SOMNUS’S magic roars and they are already whirling back in that direction in alarm.

Then Ozpin’s triple-layered magic howls and they are all running back toward it’s source, Ardyn outstripping them all in raw terror because his-son-his-son-Somnus-is-near-is-fightingHISSONNONONO.

But when he arrives on the fringes of the scene, it is to find Ozpin needs no one’s help. Ozpin looms over Somnus, magic of three colors swirling around him in a storm, eyes glowing green and cane sparking like lightning. He is forcing Somnus, The Mystic, The First King, Ardyn’s brother and betrayer-

to kneel.

#SE asks #hamelin-born asks #Secret Engima Rambles #LC Birds verse #Shadowed Wings verse #Ozpin vs Somnus #not even a contest #long post

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sparklecryptid · 3 years

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Even Ardyn has to choke a bit at the knowledge that Somnus had the temerity to *propose* to Lupine after killing his twin sister and his best friend(/secret crush) in front of him.

*slides ficbit toward you* >.> - It happens quickly, too quickly for Lupine to pay attention to anything other than the Planet ringing a warning in his ears that drowns out the sound of blades clashing and Somnus' laughter.

"No!"

Lupine's scream falls on deaf ears and his sister falls from Somnus' blade, as his sister falls to protect the man they both loved albeit in different ways.

Lupine doesn't remember how he came to his sisters side. He doesn't remember how he reached the body before Ardyn did all he knows is that there is too much blood that shouldn't be there and that he can't let his sister die.

(Lupine tries, tries to call upon the Planet's blessing and heal his sister. But no matter how the wound closes and her body heals she remains still.

She remains dead even as flowers bloom around them and anger, a familiar friend rises up in Lupine's chest.

He looks up to see Ardyn fall and all Lupine can do is hold the corpse of his sister closer.)

(Somnus comes to him after, crowned in light and glory while Lupine is covered in blood.

There are still tear tracks that trace their way down his face. Somnus looks unrepentant as he grins at Lupine.

"Come now, lover," he says to Lupine, "We can be better than they ever were."

"No," Lupine says and thinks of the ground beneath him, as he thinks of his people leaderless and without an Oracle.

As he thinks of the dagger in his hand.

"We won't be.")

In Tenebrae there is a garden. A garden where those who seek healing and solace may walk. A garden full of violet and white flowers.

In that garden there is a statue made of crystal of a kneel man with a dagger in his hand.

No one knows who he is.

#as flowers wither and grow verse #and then everyone gets a Shock tm as that statue breaks and a bloodied man falls to the ground #the first thing lupine sees is noctis and luna and lupine is very much 'ok tell me where somnus is i need to kill him'#before he realizes that the song of the planet has changed #and that it sings of the two in front of him #and lupine is like 'i am now going to be a weird uncle and kill some gods brb'

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milktoast-mcgee · 3 years

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is it graverobbing if you’ve hated your family for 2000 years? ardyn and the royal arms

While Ardyn claims himself "a man of no consequence," he's anything but. Ardyn is the central antagonist of Final Fantasy XV, and he has a damn fun time while he's at it. The truth slowly unravels that he's at the root of nearly everything, playing Noctis, his friends, and even the Empire as his pawns to fulfill the ends he needs.

He's revealed to be the original king chosen by the Crystal two thousand years before the game's events, but was cast aside due to harboring the Starscourge, corrupting him from within. Subsequently imprisoned, Ardyn is erased from history, stripped of his lineage, and left to be consumed by unyielding, undying rage.

Even when the divine rejects him, though, he still has access to the unique powers of the Lucis Caelum bloodline: the Armiger and the Royal Arms. When he is released from Angelgard, he wields immense power, dwarfing even Regis in his prime.

It's peculiar he has these weapons, though. The game makes quests of Noctis tracking down the Kings' tombs and their glaives. How Noctis and friends encounter the Blade of the Mystic, though, reveals something sinister about Ardyn and his relationship to the Royal Arms.

It's entirely likely he's done the same to other tombs, but he makes a special scene of his brother's tomb, the blade of his legacy. Ardyn's led Noctis to the Disc of Cauthess to specifically find this weapon and commune with the Archaean. The altar, visibly similar to those of other tombs, is found propped up at an angle in open ruins. Once Noctis takes the Blade of the Mystic, the ruins collapse, throwing him and his companions into peril.

At the beginning of their quest to find the Royal Arms, Cor informs the boys many of the Kings' tombs haven't survived to the present day. Of the 113 previous Kings, Noctis can find thirteen total. Many of them are found in special tombs*, well-hidden, protected, locked up and revered. They are holy places, and look like such.

* The Sword of the Tall has been stolen from its royal tomb and is instead found in Costlemark Tower. It’s implied iirc to have been stolen by the Jabberwock within the Tower, or daemons... but thinking about the rest of this discussion here, it may have been Ardyn’s doing. y’know. just for a giggle.

Where are the other weapons?

It's possible Ardyn is responsible for defacing many of the other royal tombs, stealing their glaives and destroying the hallowed resting places of Lucian kings. He plucks their divine weapons from their altars, adding them to his collection like prizes, and tears them down. He tries to wipe them from existence, stealing from them just as his legacy was torn from him.

The weapons in his Armiger are many. Many of them may be the stolen glaives of Kings, snatched up how he likes. It's all in the family, anyway. As he's been cast away from that family, he might as well take back what pieces he wants and destroy the rest.

But Somnus -- Somnus deserves a different fate.

Somnus does not deserve to join his collection, his legacy of revenge. Somnus is poison to his blood that's been boiling for two thousand years.

Ardyn's own weapon is a counterpart to Somnus's, a twin. They were meant to rule together as brother kings, and their blades symbolize this union. Ardyn's sword is the Rakshasa Blade, while Somnus's is known as the Blade of the Mystic in the present day -- or, the Yaksha Blade. They represent the union of two incredible forces, of good and evil, hand in hand. The two are opposites, meant to come together and rule as one.

But Ardyn is well past that. He doesn't want anything to do with Somnus. He doesn't want his forgiveness, his acknowledgement, none of it.

Instead, Somnus deserves to be used. Ardyn wants to use him as a lowly pawn, to subjugate him and make him a tool for his revenge. His weapon is a prize in a game Ardyn's carefully crafted for the so-called True King, and nothing more. In order to do this, Ardyn has likely destroyed Somnus's final resting place and stolen the altar and his weapon to position it so precariously, so intentionally.

**Somnus is further debased in the Royal Edition. His armored Lucii form is daemonized alongside the Fierce and the Rogue and thrown to Noctis and his retinue as another mindless obstacle. Somnus begs for the True King to free Ardyn from his madness -- he knows full well the weight of his brother's rage, and there is nothing he can do to assuage it. It's up to Noctis, wielding the Kings' combined power and Providence, to finally put Ardyn to rest.

Ardyn's reclaiming his legacy, and he'll do it however he likes. He deserves to have a little fun, doesn't he?

I mean, look at him! He’s having so much fun!

***Images taken from the following channels’ videos of the game -- if you’d like me to for whatever reason remove these caps from your videos, please let me know!

Boss Fight Database Zanar Aesthetics Omegaevolution Gamersprey As well as the official FFXV youtube channel

#ffxv #ardyn #ffxv spoilers #gasp #the meta #analysis #what else do I tag this with #episode ardyn #somnus #final fantasy xv #consider this an appetizer for a full analysis of the armiger and or the royal arms when I feel sexy enough to properly outline it #this one's quick and dirty how ardy would probably like it #words words words #royal arms

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sirladysketch · 3 years

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WIP game. I get to ask about two because you have two lists. That's the new rule. I was Born for This and Cringe Crossover Fic.

For the WIP list game

Thank you! T^T

I Was Born for This is an alternate origin story for Ardyn Izunia (FFXV), based on a lot of the lore (and lore theories) built into the game that-- probably for budget reasons-- were never really explored. His DLC content and subsequent reasons for villainy fell a bit flat for me, so I figured I would give him a truly tragic backstory to better fit with the operatic structure of Nomura’s original vision. The story’s basis is from a fan theory video/reddit post about Ardyn and Somnus’ parents. In the story, the twins spent the first few years of their life as shepherds unaware of their birthright before they’re discovered by a celestial retainer and taken back to the palace to be raised as proper princes. Fast-forward a few years and they’re tasked with completing a task for the gods, which in turn will determine who becomes king.

I don’t wanna give up the full plot since I am actively writing this one, but ultimately the story is meant to further explain Ifrit’s willingness to work with Arydn, how it was Ardyn knew so much about Solheim technology, why the Caelums are the only ones able to directly source magic from the Crystal, what the Crystal is, and how the Oracle line was able to survive after Aera’s death.

It’s fully outlined and should run about 30-50kish by the time I’m done. I’m trying for a more poetic voice for this one, though, so it’s taking forever to write. T_T

Cringe Crossover Fic is pure self-indulgence for my inner teen weab, combining the universes of Petshop of Horrors, Descendants of Darkness, Death Note, and a smattering of MONSTER in there, too.

It’s a case fic about a series of gruesome murders happening across the US, but there’s been a significant rise in the cases in LA specifically, so L and Raito (currently not KIRA) are called in to help local officer Leon Orcot investigate. Leon is positive that Count D has something to do with it since it reeks of “weird shit that’s probably drugs or something.”

It is weird shit but of the supernatural kind, which is why Tsuzuki and Hisoka are also on the case. They’re there at the bequest of Byakko, who thinks one of his retainers is in danger since he hasn’t been able to make contact with them and the murders are occult-based. Of course, since they’re snooping around and there’s something off about them, they quickly become prime suspects in the murders for the detectives and Raito. In the meantime, D is very much up to weird shit since he’s been harboring Byakko’s retainer and the secret she’s been keeping safe. He’s 100% behind not letting the humans (alive or otherwise) in on it, because there is, after all, a murderer on the loose.

This fic is about 75% outlined, but requires *such* a niche background knowledge of the different series, I wouldn’t be able to repurpose it as an original, so consequently it would purely be a fic for me and me alone. I don’t have the brainpower/time to write a full 200k self indulgent fic, so it lives on in my heart, never to be typed. Thank you! <3

#asks #snowflake-of-destruction #WIP game #ffxv #Petshop of Horrors #Death Note #Yami no Matsuei #Descendants of Darkness #fics #fic wips #crossover fics

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followthestars · 3 years

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(A fun drabble of Solis’ meeting with Ardyn.)

Solis was tailing Ardyn, following him through the back alleys. He’s had to warp out of the sight of a few MTs, not wanting them to alert his brother to his presence before he can talk to him. He followed him for ages until finally the old male stops in a deserted alleyway out of earshot of everyone. “What’s the young chosen king’s twin doing following me?”

The prince takes a deep breath. “I wanted to talk brother… to apologize for being an idiot, for letting jealousy, anger, and greed cloud my judgement…”

He sees Ardyn’s expressions go from shock, to realization, and then rage. “Somnus. You were reborn.”

“I was… and I plan to be the one to die for the sins I committed. Every king that ended up in the ring, I showed the truth to, let them judge me as guilty. I am the most hated among the kings within the Ring, Mors coming up second with turning a child into a weapon of war.” Solis doesn’t look away, even as the tears fall. “I’ll take the chosen king’s place because my sins are my own, I won’t let anyone suffer for what my greed and jealousy caused, not even you.”

“What even is the point of talking to me?” There’s a darkness from the scourge in those hissed words.

“When I was eight, I stole a lifeboat on the way to Tenebrae… and rowed all the way to Angelgard to free you, only to see you gone. I was terrified you did die in there, alone… but there weren’t any bones.”

“Why?”

“Because… I was gonna bring you back, let you experience comfort and happiness until Bahamut tries to force the prophecy.” Solis rubs his eyes, the tears won’t stop. Curse teenage hormones. “Puberty was hell the first time, second time is just as bad.”

“Lighting trees on fire by mistake this time around too?”

“Yes…” He sees it, the slight fondness in Ardyn’s eyes. “Even before I remembered, I was the same idiot little brother you knew back then… before things changed and I started becoming a monster. You never became one, I did.”

The elder of the two takes a deep breath. “I’m currently Chancellor of Niflheim.”

“You’re still family, and I have learned my lesson, family is important. Also Gilgamesh might be stuck in some cave.”

“Oh? You want your shield back?”

“I figured you’d like the chance to get some payback on him in his part in the horrors I put you through.”

“I might be feeling the tiniest bit less hostile for that suggestion.”

“I know how to make glitter bombs.”

“Tell me more, Somnus.”

#somnus lucis caelum #ardyn izunia #ffxv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #Solis AU #starry thoughts #Ardyn is mad but also just very tired #Making MTs is actually stressing him out cause he likes kids and it hurts to see babies being infected by the Scourge #And he can't say no to trolling Gilgamesh with Somnus' blessing #He might also find a way to break him out just to troll his little brother #Cor will be nearly foaming at the mouth at seeing Gilgamesh trying to be Solis' shield when he has one already #Iris corrupted Solis to the wonders of pranks #Taught him to make glitter bombs

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shadowlink06 · 4 years

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Idea Stub~FFXV Fanfic - Canon Compliment Origins of the Previous Rulers Story

While I’ve been outlining some events for The Two Brothers and another Halloween themed fanfic I want to tackle, I thought it would be a nice writing exercise to do some short stories about the previous Lucian Kings/Queens based on their basic summary from the FFXV Wiki page. All of these will have OCs but this is something that would be nice see how I can stretch a paragraph into a full blown story to give more insight as to who these people were. In my defense, I was interested in Crepera Lucis Caelum since she was the first queen and has a cameo appearance in The Two Brothers. The ones that I won’t bother with are Ardyn, Somnus, Regis, or Noctis since I feel that they have enough screen time as it were. Mors I don’t even have any idea what type of person he is even from checking around so he’ll have to unfortunately be left out of this exercise.

Credit from Wiki Pages

The Wise.

Believed to be the first king who raised the Wall of the Lucian Kingdom, he is known to have wielded a simple sword. His statue and spirit in the Ring of the Lucii are thinly armored with multiple wings.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Wise's Sigil: Dragoon Drain, allows the bearer to perform a leap jump attack, its animation being similar to Aranea's Dragoon Dive. The Sigil also allows the bearer to replace their curative spells with HP and MP lancet-draining attacks, making the Wise a Dragoon archetype despite his royal arm not being a spear.

The Royal and Windows Editions have monuments dedicated to a some of the rulers of yore, which are signed by "Optimus Lucis Caelum," the 108th Lucian king. Noctis being the 114th king by the typical lengths of a generation would suggest that this king may have been the Wise.

The Conqueror.

A king said to have lived in times of chaos, who rose as a champion that united the Lucian continent and fought for his peoples, allowing them to usher in a great age of prosperity. He is known to have wielded a halberd. The Conqueror's statue and Lucii form has thin armor, with a waist cape, and long, thin capes hanging from his elbows, with his helmet having a long, hair-like tassel on the top.

In Final Fantasy XV Comrades, the Conqueror's Sigil: Elemancy, allows the bearer to temporarily imbue the surrounding area with elemental properties with an elementally-aligned weapon.

The Clever.

A king said to be well versed in the arts, be it the physical, the intellectual, martial, or that of skill. He is known to have wielded a crossbow. His statue and Lucii form has thin armor with several lengths of a segmented cape draped over his back, and antler-like extensions on his helmet.

In Final Fantasy XV Comrades, the Clever's Sigil: Spectral Arms, allows the bearer to conjure an arsenal of eight special armaments and wield them while replacing their offensive spells.

The Wanderer.

A king who found no boundary to the land and wandered the world, going where no man had gone before. He is known to have wielded twin swords that could combine into an enormous besieging weapon. The Wanderer's statue and Lucii form depict him with bulky, segmented suit of armor, a monocle-like object on his left eye, and, curiously, four arms with circular joints, suggesting the statue can rotate his arms at these points.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Wanderer's Sigil: Cheer, enables the bearer to empower their comrades with five status enhancements.

The Oracle.

Though the Oracles are known as the royalty of Tenebrae, one of the royal arms is the Trident of the Oracle, and one of the twelve statues of the Old Wall in Insomnia is the Oracle King who wields a giant version of the trident in the battle against the Diamond Weapons. As told in the monoliths in Steyliff Grove Menace, this king likely watched the Oracle of his time perish before his eyes, and thus took up her trident. Due to her not having a successor yet, the Oracle King held a temporary status as both a king of Lucis and Oracle of Eos. In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Nyx and Glauca end up fighting on the Oracle's shoulder, but the statue tosses the trident and warps away and Nyx and Glauca fall. The horn at the front of his helmet resembles a bird. The statue has a broad chest, long cape and heavier body compared to the others.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Oracle's Sigil: Healing Light, enhances the bearer's curative spells.

The Rogue. Main article: Crepera Lucis Caelum

Believed to be the first queen, the Rogue disliked the watch of the public eye and took to the shadows to enact her rule. She is known to have wielded a shuriken. Her statue and Lucii form has a thin suit of armor, a narrow waist cape, heels on her armored shoes, a horned crown covering her eyes, and a extensions on her shoulders adorned with four long ribbons.

In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, she jumps at the arriving Diamond Weapon and threatens it enough it uses its main attack. Her statue holds up a collapsing cliff after Niflheim's first attack.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Rogue's Sigil: Aerial Ace, enables the bearer to perform a mid-air step after attacking.

She has an extended role in the Windows and Royal Editions of Final Fantasy XV, where she is fought as a boss in the final dungeon. Living guardian statues fashioned after her Lucii form also appear as bosses in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn.

Extra Stub:

Crepera's human visage is unknown even to most of her contemporaries due to her hiding her face. As a Lucii, she uniquely does not conceal her entire face by a helmet, her elaborate horned headgear covering the eyes and the nose. The headgear somewhat resembles a dragon, which might be in homage of Bahamut, as most Lucii seem to have elements resembling the Astral as part of their attires. Her white porcelain-like face mask has cracks on the surface and black lips. Though the mask has realistic nose and lips, where her eyes should be the mask is covered in black leather-like designs.

She wears an intricate full body suit of armor with a half-skirt and high heels. Her shoulder blades have ornaments that each have four long strips of fabric attached that invoke the image of wings, or Bahamut's red capes. PersonalityNot much is known about Crepera's personality, making her among the most mysterious of the rulers of yore. In addition to valuing privacy and hating the public's eye, she focused on leading Lucis through crisis and succeeded magnificently, making her famous for years to come.

The Tall.

He is a king known by his girth and strength, alluded to like that of a mountain. The Tall is known to have wielded a chainsaw-like greatsword. His statue and Lucii form have broad, bulky armor, with a broad chest, and a comparatively narrow, but long cape.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Tall's Sigil: Aura, enhances the bearer's attack power, but prevents them from casting curative spells.

The Just.

A queen who devoted all efforts to uphold peace and was beloved in turn by her peoples for her serenity. She is known to have wielded a tall shield. Her statue and Lucii form has incredibly large and heavy armoring, with large shoulders that have a three round holes, and thick, forward-facing horns on her helmet.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Just's Sigil: Omniguard, enhances one to conjure a 360-degree protective barrier around the bearer and their allies. Tonitrus, the Fierce

The Fierce. Main article: Tonitrus Lucis Caelum

A king famous for his personality; to his people, a kind, loving, and just king; to his enemies, a veritable demon of merciless brutality. He is known to have wielded a great mace. As a statue and Lucii spirit, Tonitrus had bulky, segmented armor, and a tattered cape on his left shoulder. His most prominent feature is the disc on his head.

In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the Fierce wreaks perhaps the most damage, destroying buildings and imperial airships as he goes. Even after losing his arms the statue still continues but is the only statue who is defeated.

In Final Fantasy XV Comrades, the Fierce's Sigil: Rampage, allows the bearer to use powerful martial arts; when stringed together, the combos can unleash a powerful special beam of energy attack.

The Fierce is fought as a boss in the final dungeon in the Windows and Royal Editions of Final Fantasy XV. Living guardian statues fashioned after his Lucii form also appear as bosses in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn.

Extra Stub:

Appearance

His human visage unknown, as a Lucii the Fierce wears an elaborate suit of armor that resembles samurai gear. His most prominent feature is the disc on his head, which has chains attached to its underside with what look like small dogtags hanging from them. His helmet covers his entire head with four narrow slits for eyes.

PersonalityTonitrus is known for his merciless brutality, having wielded a great mace with such ferocity and relentlessness that he was feared as a veritable demon. He appears the most aggressive of the statues in

Insomnia

However, Tonitrus was a kind, loving and just king who cared deeply for his subjects.

The Pious

A king known for his eponymous piety, leading Lucis with a rule guided by divine principles and worked closely with the Oracle of his era. He is known to have wielded a scepter that smote with a blade of light. His statue and Lucii form has light armor, with a thick cape draped over his shoulders, and a bishop-chess-piece-like helmet with a tall crown similar to that of a pope.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Pious's Sigil: Multicast, enables the bearer to cast two offensive spells in a row. The Warrior

The Warrior

A king whose life was forever changed when his beloved queen was killed by assailants. He is believed to have wandered the world and waged an era of global war fueled by a vendetta of bereavement and is speculated to be the king whose worship inspired the Safety Bit accessory. The Warrior is known to have wielded a katana, a weapon not of the lands of Lucis, and is the only king laid to rest outside of his home nation. His statue and Lucii form depicts him with somewhat thick armor, a tattered cape, and a large volumed feathered tassel on the top of his spiky helmet.

In Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the Warrior's Sigil: Untouchable, enables the bearer to provoke enemies and dodge their attacks. The bearer does a vacuum wave when dodging.

#idea stub #character ideas #wip #fanfic ideas #ffxv

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gwiiyeoweo · 5 years

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Somnus draped one end across Ardyn’s shoulder and fell back onto his stomach, shuffling close to his brother’s side and draping the other end across his back. It was barely large enough to cover both of them, but with Somnus snug against Ardyn, they managed to fit themselves underneath the comforting weight.

“Good?” Ardyn asked, lightly bumping his shoulder against his little brother.

“Good.”

Somnus rested his head against Ardyn’s arm, eyes following the text on the page and ears listening intently to his older brother’s voice, finding solace in the warmth of each other’s presence.

He remembers simple times filled with simple joys.

Somnus used to pick out his weekly book from the family library. Ardyn used to pitch a blanket fort and read stories to his little brother, picking out the black text by the light of their glowing magic.

Pairing: Somnus & Ardyn Rating: G

The wheels rattled and creaked along the floor as Somnus struggled to tug the ladder across, dragging it over to the towering shelf of mismatched books and spine colors. It's rather late at night, and he hoped he didn't make too much noise. If his keepers found out he's out of bed at this hour, he's likely to get an earful, and he'd rather not listen to Madame Celine's raspy voice, which could only be a punishment in itself. So despite the light burn in his arms, from manhandling the uncooperative ladder around, Somnus quickly climbed up the bars, only stopping at the tenth row to pluck out a sizable book set in a deep red binding.

He's had his eye on this one for a while, ever since the servants hauled in the cart full of texts his father had bought from a caravan of traveling merchants. He flipped the book over in one hand, admiring the leaves of gold embedded into the worn cover. If he had the time, he'd love to savor the texture of the smooth leather underneath his fingertips, but he needed to get out of the danger zone. If someone caught him now, all his efforts would be for naught. He hadn't memorized the shift changes and patrol schedules of their watchmen, their regular routes and lazy shortcuts, only to be thwarted now of all nights.

With the book clutched to his chest, Somnus carefully climbed down the ladder, minding his feet in the dim light of their perpetually lit torches, a Caelum innovation fueled by oil and family magic.

He rounded a corner, expertly navigating his way through their maze of a library, took several turns here and there, and cut through the one row of shelves with the splintered side. He paused at the grand entrance, an open archway that reached the ceiling, and sidled along the wall until he could peek his head out into the hallway. He waited, straining his ears for the telltale sound of footsteps and the iron scabbard striking against metal buckles, until the faint echoes grew close — dangerously close — before fading away into the distance once more.

Somnus darted out, bare feet quietly padding across their marble floors, both arms clutching the book to his chest and cradling it like a precious egg. He weaved through the labyrinthine halls and corridors, took each twist and turn as if they were straight and narrow paths, pausing and ducking away to avoid the patrolling nightguards.

It always came with a sense of thrill, that risk of getting caught sending a little bit of adrenaline to his tiny boy heart. Sometimes, he added a bit of flair and imagination, pretended to be a valiant spy stealing a kingdom's secrets or a dastardly villain escaping his prison cell. The scenarios changed, depending on his mood or latest inspiration, but the end destination was always the same.

Somnus slowed as he reached the twin doors, one set slightly ajar in invitation. To keep everything hushed and silent, no knock or whispered request to be allowed inside. There was only the quiet creak of the hinges, as he pushed the door and let himself in, and the click of the lock when he closed the door behind him.

“Ardyn?” he quietly called out, as if the very walls could hear him.

Somnus squinted his eyes, trying to see through the thick of darkness that settled in the room, with nothing but the light of the stars and the waning moon outside the tall windows. “Brother?” he tried once again, wondering if Ardyn fell asleep on him.

A soft pink lit from the corner of the room, and Somnus could make out the blurred outline of the thick veil that muted the light and within it, the vague shape of someone curled up. Just as the light that sweetly glowed, he felt his own mood brighten with the relieved smile that crept onto his lips, and he quickly fumbled through the furniture to join Ardyn. He didn’t even complain about stubbing his toe on Ardyn’s favorite armchair.

Closer now, Somnus could make out the wooden chairs and the short table propping up the blankets draped over them, even recognizing the quilt their late mother made for each of them. It was dark, with nothing but Ardyn’s pale magic to guide him by, but he could recognize the pattern and her handiwork anywhere. He briefly ran his fingertips across the worn fabric, before reaching a corner and lifting it up to slip himself inside the blanket fort.

He’s always amazed by how spacious it was inside. Perhaps it was the illusion of the darkness outside that kept him from seeing just how large it was, or perhaps it was the extra touch of magic that Ardyn had a knack for but Somnus had yet to master. But it’s cozy, and he couldn’t remember a time it never was, with all their finest pillows and extra bedding padding the floor and sides.

In the middle, Ardyn sat with his legs crossed underneath his nightgown, his hands nurturing a loose orb of glowing magics that tinted the space with a gentle scarlet. He looked up from his hands to shift his gaze toward Somnus, a teasing smile on his lips. “I thought you got caught, since it was taking you so long.”

“Hey, I wasn’t that slow,” Somnus retorted, watching the light flicker and float to the ceiling of their blankets. He fell to his knees and ducked beneath the quilt, crawling into the space of their little haven. He handed the book to Ardyn and made himself comfortable, grabbing an extra plush pillow and propping it underneath him as he flopped onto his stomach.

While Somnus busied himself with getting settled, Ardyn ran a hand over the unfamiliar book’s cover. “Oh, this one’s from those merchants?” he asked. He untangled his legs and took on his little brother’s same position, laying on his stomach and snuggling up to Somnus’ side. He propped the book up for both of them to admire — but now under a different light, he noticed. Somnus had conjured up his own little blue light, adding it to Ardyn’s above, turning the light red hue into something more purple.

“Yeah, I think it’s an anthology?” Somnus said, running a finger along the golden script of the cover.

“I guess we’ll find out.” Ardyn opened the book, flipping past the first few pages until he found the table of contents. It looked that Somnus was right, considering nature of the list and its titles. They both quietly read down the list, Ardyn silently memorizing the ones he’d like to read later, because he always let Somnus do the picking.

It’s just how they fell into step, no delegating tasks or arguing for the position. Somnus was responsible for choosing the book or story, since he had a knack for picking out the interesting ones; and Ardyn was the grand storyteller, due to his penchant for theatre and the dramatics — and because Somnus, on one particular night, said he liked his older brother’s reading voice.

“That one,” Somnus said, pointing a small finger at Chapter Six: Ten Years and One Night. “Page eighty-four.”

Ardyn obeyed, turning through the pages to the mentioned chapter. He kept quiet, not reading out just yet, as he waited for Somnus to finish up his final touches, who suddenly sat back up on his knees and spread his hands before him. In a quick fizzle of sparks, Somnus pulled out a blanket from the aether, a thick quilt embroidered with soft patterns and blue and white fabric. A memento from their mother, just as the one atop their blanket fort.

“Good?” Ardyn asked, lightly bumping his shoulder against his little brother.

“Good.”

Somnus rested his head against Ardyn’s arm, eyes following the text on the page and ears listening intently to his older brother’s voice, finding solace in the warmth of each other’s presence.

Somnus would probably fall asleep halfway through the story, remember even less of it come the morning; Ardyn would probably fall out of character and fail to stifle a yawn, but he’d never fall asleep before his brother did. Either they would fall asleep here, in their nest of pillows and blankets, or Ardyn would find it in himself to haul his brother out and into his bed. But no doubt the servants would be wondering where Somnus had run off to, only to realize he slept through the night in Ardyn’s room, meaning the young boy must have snuck out past his bedtime. There may be a couple lectures, from Madame Celine and her ear-grating voice, one for Somnus and his bad bed habits and one for Ardyn and the mess of his blanket fort.

But they’d continue this, their little escapade from reality and into their world crafted for just the two of them, for stolen hours and old books and mother’s quilts.

Or so their naive hearts had believed, Ardyn thought.

He kicked at the rubble and splintered wood at his feet, shuffling the fallen stone and broken metal around. It's old, dusty, and all terribly broken. Ever since the fall ten years ago, he didn't really think to visit Insomnia again, didn't care to see the broken skeleton of the once grand city. Watching it burn and collapse was all the delight he had ever wanted, and seeing the old ruins were like scavenging the old ashen remnants of those mesmerizing fireworks on that fateful night.

Maybe it's some subconscious pull or a last ill-made joke from Fate, but he found himself wandering through the broken remains and into a small library. Whatever guided him here, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. Despite all the destruction, the Citadel and her towers were quite intact, aside from the gaping holes, cave-in's, and fallen floors here and there. This little reading haven had certainly seen better days, with her shattered shelves and burnt remains; but hidden among the rubble, Ardyn could spot some salvageable books.

It's small, compared to his old family library, but he's sure there's a larger, main library hidden away somewhere in the Citadel. Still, nostalgia and childhood memories ebbed through him, sweeter times of simplicity and innocent shenanigans rousing the bit of humanity he had left. He must be getting old, to be thinking back on distant childhood days with such fondness and melancholy — two thousand years and a few decades would probably do that.

Maybe he'd go treasure hunting later, search for the main library hidden hidden among all these layers.

For now, though, he's content with picking up the survivors and brushing the concrete and ashes off them, stashing them away in the aether should they be in decent condition. The less fortunate, the ones torn or burnt beyond recognition, he left behind.

Ardyn kept a book in his hands, flipping through the charred pages as he walked along. He wrinkled his nose at the contents, some scholarly study or textbook about cryptic sciences, and tossed it to the wayside. Academia made for poor bedtime stories.

He left something of a trail of books on the way to the throne room, picking through his small collection and weeding out the less interesting texts. By the time he finally ascended the dais, he had less than half of what he had picked up. Ardyn reached into his infinite magic pocket and plucked out a sizable cushion to toss onto the throne. For whatever reason, the ancient kings had decided to keep the seat as hard and flat as possible; even more mysterious was how they had all managed to sit upon it for hours and still keep something of a rump at the end of the day.

He opened the gates of his arsenal, let his little collection of pilfered books fall and clatter around his feet and the throne, before settling himself in his seat and making himself at home.

Ardyn picked up a tattered book at random, testing the weight and feel of it in his hands. Worn and gritty but still legible. There's a golden script on this one, that he hadn't noticed before, so faded as it was.

Somnus had quite fancied the ones with pretty covers and ornate lettering.

Ardyn liked to think his brother's influence still held here, that Somnus somehow had a hand in guiding the book to him. It's sobering, almost. Through all the years imprisoned at Angelgard, Ardyn had thought nothing but rage and pain and betrayal. And even after his release, he did nothing but plot and scheme, feeding his desires for vengeance and substituting his agony with a certain mania.

In all the time he had, he never truly let himself ponder about Somnus, too engrossed with bitterness and spite to think of his brother as anyone other than a vile traitor. Out of fear, maybe. Because, underneath it all, no matter how much he had wished otherwise, he still held a love for his little brother. He knew Somnus held the same, but Ardyn had refused to acknowledge it. It had been by accident, when he had been toying around in Niflheim’s archives and playing with Verstael’s computers, when he found the data cataloguing old Lucian artifacts, found the translated texts of an old king’s remorse and regrets for a forgotten brother. Ardyn had nearly blown up the entire research facility, with the surge of confused anger and no proper outlet to direct it upon.

Now, with nothing but his thoughts and the cold silence, he had plenty of time and space to do just that — to ponder. He wondered when they had stopped reading together, when Somnus grew more lively and bold while Ardyn turned more quiet and reserved. He wondered how he had never seen that rift between them, why he never stopped to mend that first tear in their bond. He wondered how they were each so blind to their own ambitions and methods, combined with pride and some extreme morph of sibling rivalry, that they never stopped to see and consider the other's reasoning.

Somnus had been strict and utilitarian, sought to burn the entire garden to rid its disease. Ardyn had wanted to pick through each petal and leaflet, scrutinize every wound and rot in excruciating detail. Somnus would kill it all, blooms and weeds; Ardyn would die before he even got through half of it.

Ardyn hadn't wanted to admit it, but it had been his own folly that led to his demise. He had been a fool, to think he could heal the entirety of Eos. He was but one man, and not even the gods could stop the Scourge. Somnus, of course, had his own failings and faults, but both of them were to blame.

And with his impending death looming over him, he just simply did not find it in himself to hang onto the dredges any longer. The resentment was gone, the fury snuffed into dying embers. He was weary and exhausted, and all he wanted was to rest. With nothing but past memories and the promise of oblivion.

He thought of the possibilities, of his end. Nothing was ever clear cut with the gods, and he was never told of the specifics. Would he simply cease to be? His soul, having become one and the same with the Scourge, may as well just be cleanly wiped out of existence. Or perhaps, there was true salvation at the end, and he would be shown grace and allowed to pass on. Whichever the case, Ardyn wouldn't argue for one over the other. He just wanted it all to end.

Though, if he would be allowed a last request, he wouldn't argue against that either. And with how sentimental he's feeling, he'd be quite fine with a simple one. It would be pleasant if he could briefly relive those small joys, those precious hours spent reading under the light of their magic and the protection of cozy blankets.

But if he couldn't have it, Ardyn would just have to make do. Because he was here, in the throne room and with the dying Crystal chained above. Here, where the Kings of Yore would most certainly gather, within the Old Wall that held splinters of their sleeping souls. He couldn't call upon them, not without the Ring and certainly not with his qualifications, but there was a tether here that tied them from the Beyond to the living. And if nothing else, Ardyn had an imagination and a tiny hope in his heart.

He popped open the book, foregoing the introductory pages and skipping straight to the first chapter. He imagined his little brother at his side, sitting on the arm of the throne and peering over his shoulder to read along. He imagined the heavy quilt on his shoulders, sharing their mother’s gift between them and wrapping it around themselves. He imagined they were children again, little boys with too much time on their hands and not a care in the world.

“Wait just a while longer, brother dear. And perhaps I'll read you one last story?” He spoke to no one but himself, yet he liked to think Somnus was here, waiting and watching from the other plane.

He read out the first lines, his voice carrying across the empty space and echoing off the grand walls and tiles. If he felt the brush of a hand across his shoulder, he didn't pull away or lean into it but kept his hands settled beneath the book. If he saw a flicker of blue light from the corner of his vision, he didn't look but only kept his eyes on the pages, reading aloud as he once did in what seemed like lifetimes ago.

He had waited two millenniums, so what’s a few more days? They’d see each other again soon enough. So here, now, he let himself drift into their little world again, filled with crafted visions and wondrous tales of fantastical creatures and heroes, with Somnus ever at his side.

#ardyn izunia #somnus lucis caelum #ff15 #final fantasy xv #i can type

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sephirotha · 5 years

Text

Eclipsed Star Part One

Ardyn saw her by the ill-fated lovers. She was crying over the Oracle’s lifeless body, shaking and pleading for her to wake up.

After five, futile minutes, she turned to her brother and tried to rouse him.

The pitiful princess gave up after a while, grabbing him and struggling to hoist him up.

Ardyn made his presence known whilst walking over.

“Oh, my poor star!” he cried, and Stella turned to look at him. “Such a hostile world we live in to lose a precious, pure soul.”

Stella laid Noctis down and got to her feet. Her eyes were wide with recognition.

“You…it was you…” she murmured as he stopped about three feet away from her. “You killed…”

Ardyn tutted, wagging his finger at her.

“Such a cruel accusation,” he said. “Lady Lunafreya was on her deathbed because of her duties. I merely relieved her from her pain.”

“That doesn’t give you the right!” Stella yelled.

Her voice, oh her voice, rang out through the mist. Her blue eyes filled with tears as her fists shook.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

Ardyn placed a hand on his heart.

“After our meeting, you do not remember my name? Oh, Stells, I am hurt.”

“A name is just a name,” Stella spat. “Who are you, Ardyn? Why did you really approach me that day?”

She looked so much like Noctis. Her stance, the way her lips curled to sneer at him, the fire in her eyes… Yet, she did it with a more regal air about her.

She was Noctis, she was Somnus and…that woman…all combined. A wonderful melody of determination, naivety and passion.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I was your number one fan, Stells. I do admire your work.”

He looked at Noctis, curled up beside her feet.

“And admittedly, disappointed that you’re not the heir to the throne.”

“Oh, how dreadful.”

Ardyn laughed at Stella’s heavy sarcasm.

“Are you not upset, Stells? You are the older twin. Shouldn’t it be you instead of Noct who ought to take the throne next?”

He moved a step closer.

“I know how it feels to be passed over in favour of a younger sibling.”

He watched as Stella stepped slightly to make sure she was in between him and Noctis. He sighed.

“Your loyalty is admirable.”

He held his hand out to her.

“But my dear, around you this world is falling apart. You can float away with the flotsam and jetsam whilst your dear brother will be saved. Or, I can take you away from here safely.”

He smirked.

“I will even be courteous enough to answer any questions you have.”

Stella narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Ardyn’s shoulders dropped as he sighed in disappointment.

“Oh, Stells,” he said. “I’m not keen on the idea of leaving you alone here.”

As he spoke, an airship descended behind him and MTs ran out, surrounding her and Noctis. She didn’t react quick enough to them as one hit her behind her head, stunning her.

As she was dragged away from Noctis, struggling to keep her eyes open, Ardyn took his hat off and placed it on a nearby MT. He pulled his dagger out as he dragged Noctis out from where he was curled up by the hair. Stella was pushed to her knees, arms held back and head forced up so she could see Noctis laid out before him.

He twirled the dagger thoughtfully, brushing Noctis’s coat aside so he could dangle the blade above his heart.

“It would be easy to snuff out this light,” he said as Stella struggled with the MTs holding her back. “And you’d replace it. Perhaps you’d be better received.”

“Don’t…”

Her voice trembled with fear and it sounded sublime.

She strained against the MTs. She even began to thrash a little.

Cute.

“I want the Lucis line dead.”

Stella froze in her movements. Her breath grew heavy as he gently pressed the tip of the blade to Noctis’s breast.

“With him gone, you’d take the sacrifice instead, wouldn’t you?”

Stella looked confused and upset. He tilted his head at her, recalling that very expression in his youth.

“Would you like to know my full name, Stells? It’ll give you an idea on who I really am.”

He grabbed her chin and brought her closer, the MTs accommodating.

“Ardyn Lucis Caelum,” he whispered, like a child telling their best friend a secret.

Even more confusion flashed across Stella’s eyes as he leaned in closer. His nose brushed against hers.

Ah, soft. She was shivering from her swim to the altar and it was starting to rain. But there was something akin to a comforting warmth emanating from her.

He wanted to consume and cherish it.

“Ah, Stells…” he chuckled dryly. “It feels good to finally say it out loud.”

His gaze flickered back to Noctis.

“Will you bring me rest, Stells?” he asked. “It would be much more pleasurable if it was by your hands.”

He raised the dagger.

“No, Noct!” Stella screamed, and light exploded from behind her.

The light, much to Ardyn’s agony, was the light of the crystal.

MTs fell away as he retreated, rubbing his eyes. Stella cried out in pain.

When Ardyn recovered, he saw the princess stumbling onto her feet. She cradled her left hand, which sported the Ring of Lucii.

When did she get that?

Stella held her throat for a moment and glared at him. The light of the crystal surrounded her as she charged at him.

The fight with his princess was brief. She expended all her energy and efforts into driving him back. She didn’t really go further than three, four feet from Noctis.

Ardyn finally conceded when he saw Ignis and Ravus approach the altar on a boat. As he began disappearing, he saw the ring fall from Stella’s hand and she collapsed to her knees. Her mouth was open in agony but there was no scream. She held her throat and her left eye which was scarring.

So, in the end, she paid a price to use the power of kings just to protect her brother. Even though she was born into the Lucis line.

He wanted to laugh and scream at the Crystal’s decision.

And here he was, a few days later, at Cartanica. He stood to her left side, deliberately in her new blind spot.

Stella stood in the epicentre of children laughing, clapping and dancing. Her smile was bright and wide as she played her violin.

Parents looked on with wistful smiles as the princess with the eyepatch danced with the children, as best as she could whilst playing her instrument.

She lost her voice and half her sight. Yet she still shines her light, a beacon in times of uncertainty.

Around her, Gladiolus attacks Noctis for pushing the princess to lose the most precious thing she possessed, Ignis looms over her like an overprotective mother hen and Prompto persistently asks to help her with the most menial of tasks.

Her willing sacrifice has torn her friends apart and, in their conflict, they neglect to pay attention to the very man they should direct their anger to.

Time slows to a halt. Gladiolus and Noctis are frozen, locked in their heated argument. Prompto is stopped in his futile attempt to break it up. Ignis lingers closer to the princess, more concerned for her than the discord.

Ardyn steps around the children to stand directly in front of Stella. She was frozen in her passionate beauty, serene smile and all. Her eye was closed which disappointed the Accursed.

He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He pulled away and time resumed for her. Her violin continued playing as she spun in her dance, her braid chasing in her movements.

She frowned when she didn’t hear the children’s laughter and her eye opened. She saw him and gasped, dropping her violin. She grasped her bandaged neck in pain and Ardyn disappeared.

He reappeared in the train carriage behind him, watching as time continued around her and everyone stopped when the violin clattered onto the platform.

In the lull of silent panic, Ignis is by her side, asking about her injuries, Noctis, Gladiolus and Prompto stop to watch her look at the train with a disdainful eye.

Ardyn smiled sadly.

It was a shame he’d never hear her voice again. If he’d known, he would have spent more time with her.

The train began moving away and he pressed a hand to the glass as he was whisked away.

“My poor star,” he said softly.

#fanfiction #final fantasy xv #ardyn izunia #ardyn x oc #original female character #gladiolus amicitia #ignis scientia #Noctis Lucis Caelum #prompto argentum #lunafreya nox fleuret #eclipsed star #part one

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chocobostrinket · 6 years

Text

Another AU I was thinking about to music.

What if Ardyn and Somnus were twins? Like, fraternal twins. Ardyn was older by only a few minutes, but didn’t want the throne. Just like my last AU, they have magic without the crystal, but this time around Ardyn kind of gives into the temptation of running off for a year when they turn 20 and exploring the world before he has to come back and step in as his father’s heir. Somnus encourages this, and in the dead of night he takes off.

Problem is that the gods, like in the last AU, were planning on gifting them the crystal and putting the same plan in action. Ardyn is the only one who can heal people, because that’s what he wanted to study with his magic. Somnus learned how to wield the elements instead. And as Ardyn runs around and see sick people, healing them without the tie to the crystal enabling the scourge to seep into his soul, it just starts floating around and binding to the gods instead of him.

So they’re a little cross with Ardyn for ruining their plans already. (Except Ifrit, who is not at all on board with sacrificing his favorite humans.)((The god of light was his favorite fellow god, until he decided to become mortal, after all.)) So they issue Somnus an ultimatum, to save their own hides; Find your brother so he can begin his work for the gods and heal the scourge away.

He’s like, bummer, Ardyn just wanted a year of freedom, but okay. So he starts trailing after his brother with Gilgamesh, (slowly mind you) and starts learning that, hey, Ardyn can already heal the scourge, and two, he knows that I’m looking for him the little shit. Because Ardyn doesn’t know about the god’s proclamation, and is just like, whoops, dad must be super cross with me for taking off if he’s sending my brother and Gil after me, and leaves little clues around spots he’s been indicating where he’s going next. Very obvious clues. Like, literally, he draws on a map at one point that says ‘X marks the spot’ with a huge X on it and a silly looking drawing of Gil and Somnus following a trail to the X.

Occasionally, they spend nights in the same town and never even realize it. Or at least Ardyn doesn’t. The more Somnus learns about his brother, the more he realizes the gods are kind of full of shit. And when he does catch sight of him, he distracts Gil and they go a different direction so they don’t ‘catch’ him. (Gil legit does the same thing though, and knows that Somnus does it too, but he’s amused, so he keeps quiet.)

Eventually Ifrit, seeing that Somnus is now doubting Bahamut, sees his chance. Even though he’s getting sick from the scourge as well, he’s willing to step down as a god to save humanity, and has almost convinced Shiva as well. (He’s been secretly trying to make his fellow gods see Humanity’s worth and how they barely need to watch over them.) Ramuh is already on his side, because he delights in humanity more than he lets on. Leviathan is up in the air constantly changing her mind, but he can’t fault her, its her nature. Titan is behind Bahamut, and set in his way.

Anyways, he appears to Somnus and reveals the false prophecy that Bahamut intends to enact on humanity. Which causes him and Gil to freak out, and honestly try to find Ardyn to warn him away from going home. At the same time, the Draconian grows impatient, and honestly a little corrupted from the scourge that’s been binding to him for months now, and sets literal demons after Ardyn to drag him back to what will be Insomnia, and chain his magic to the scourge by force if he has to.

So eventually, it’d turn into a race against time, with Somnus and Gilgamesh trying to catch up to Ardyn, who is seeing more and more of the infected daily and feels obligated to help. And it turns into him actually being on the run from his brother, because it’s not just fun and games anymore, people are dying and will die if he doesn’t help them. Eventually, though an odd parallel, it would turn into Somnus trying to save his brother, like how Noctis tried to save Luna.

...But I’d want it to have a happier end I think. (Heck, might as well go completely self indulgent and have weird time shenanigans happen because of Somnus’s desperation and magic, and he accidentally yanks Noctis and co into the past to help.)

*edit: Also since one of my head canons is the Noctis looks exactly like Somnus, hilarity ensues once Ardyn sees them together. “Uh....are we triplets or was I adopted?!”

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the-truth-will-light-the-sky · 5 years

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Part Two A: The Culture of The Citadel and other city states and settlements across Ancient Eos

Facts about Ancient Eos during Ardyn and Somnus’ time based on my fanfic series titled ‘Bound by Blood’

Culture as a Society

The Citadel

The Citadel is very strict, and the society is very much tight-lipped, almost bordering on prudent.

Rules are strictly implemented and those who do not follow know well enough to bow down to the punishment or face being banished out of the Citadel.

Despite the immovable stoicism of the rules, the people of the Citadel are an amiable lot. They welcome travellers and new-comers with hospitality and curiosity — it is a given that whenever something new arrives in the walls of the Citadel, the citizens are already clamouring for new things to learn.

They are a loyal bunch; once friendship is made, it is unbreakable. Hence, those who turn their backs against their friends, allies and families are considered ruthless.

Higher Learning is a prize in this society. They value teachings of philosophy, Higher Sciences such as Astronomy and Evolution, Literature and Poetry, Music and above all, Military Tactics.

Military might is important for this society because of their constant battles with invaders some decades ago. They became a city state that boasts of safety and sanctuary because of their military prowess and they intend to keep it that way.

However, the only ones who are able to enlist themselves under military training are those of noble birth. Others can be conscripted as soldiers with a certain limited knowledge while their upper brethren are able to learn tactics and weaponry.

Fathers and mothers both play an active role in raising their children. There is no hierarchy between the spouses; whoever is able to uphold a certain role can do so. However, the father is almost always the one who has the last say in things, but not without consulting his wife beforehand.

When it comes to their children’s relationship with their siblings, there is reverence of the elder children by the younger ones, always respecting their decisions and their contribution to the family household. The youngest are expected to learn from their elder siblings.

The Citadel is able to accept the settlers from various clans. As a state who is innately curious and has a fondness for learning new things, the novelty that the settlers brought with them became irresistible. In time, most of the learnings brought about by those people were incorporated into their society such as herb lore and the charting of the stars, of weaving and metal gilding, to name a few.

In return, the Citadel taught these people about a systematic set of rules and innovations to housing and techniques in building things of higher quality with stronger materials and metals such as ore and iron.

Some of those settlers were able to marry into the native household, though this is not a common occurrence.

The Citadel values the contributions of these settlers and the immigrants were able to live in peace.

However, this amiable and harmonious relationship with the settlers or immigrants had changed ever since the attack of one of the army skirmishes against Tonitrus Izunia’s travelling caravan. This travelling caravan was carrying the Lord Protector himself and his family, along with some of his trusted retainers when they tried to form a diplomatic relationship with those of the Vannath Coast.

The army from the west hailing from the state of the Disc of Cauthess was able to penetrate the defences of clans surrounding Leide and was slowly moving towards the Weaverwilds.

Tonitrus’ caravan was caught in the crossfire and his youngest son, Somnus, was taken hostage.

One of the leaders of the clan of Cauthess has physically abused the young boy and demanded that Tonitrus surrender the Citadel to them or he will kill the child. Tonitrus was able to annihilate the man and held his child in his arms before decimating the second regiment of the Cauthess Army. But Somnus Izunia was traumatised by this event and carried hatred in his heart even until his adulthood.

Somnus Izunia began calling those who lived outside the Citadel as ‘Outsiders’, a term of intense hate and disgust. Others followed suit in the name-calling.

This sets the events of ‘Bound by Blood’ into motion alongside the outbreak of the Scourge.

The rest of the clans

The Deserts of the Weaverwilds and Longwythe Peak

The clans from the deserts of Leide are what one would call free-spirited, but they most certainly are fearsome warriors as they are a hunter-gatherer kind of clan.

They are a sturdy bunch, withstanding desert storms and cold airy winters in their tents and makeshift stone houses.

They thrive on their terrain for food and clothing. Their clothing cover most of their bodies such as robes and headgears to protect them from the sand. Veils are an important garb for both men and women to show a certain anonymity. In summer time however, their clothing will shift to a more lighter fabric but the way they dress it upon themselves are similar to what was mentioned earlier.

These people are artisans of weaponry. They are believed to be the ones who invented the crossbows which they used for hunting.

They value medicine and Star-reading (which is the art of knowing what can happen in the skies next, from storms to eclipses among other such things).

People from these clans are considered grumpy upon first meeting, as they carry themselves with an air of caution and curt tactfulness. But once one has shown no signs of enmity, these people are considered one of the most hospitable clans in the continent. Tea is served almost immediately upon entering their homes and sweets were given to revitalise the visitor’s energy.

The Coasts of Vannath, Caem, Cygillan, Cape Shawe, Upper Styrian Swells, Allural Deep and Lucinia Sound

Vannath Coast

The coast of Vannath are home to friendly tribes of fishermen.

But most of all, this tribe is known for their wisdom on ship building and thus were able to travel from one continent to the next.

Their territory stretches to the coasts that face the ocean on the eastern side below the Citadel. It is a fact that they are also related to those who lived by the Shore of Caem.

Those from the Vannath Coast are adventurous and often times stubborn to a fault.

They face many storms in one year, thus making them a resilient bunch.

They wear clothes that are mainly light as they never encounter winters.

They are almost always barefoot and could never stay at one place at a time.

Their family system is similar to that of the Citadel, but children have equal statuses amongst each other and are free to live independently if they are able to do so.

The Shore of Caem

Those who were from Caem were famous for their herbs, embroidery and their salted fish.

They are known to use shells in their clothing as well as with their way of relaying messages to their brethren at Vannath Coast without being intercepted.

Families from the clan living by the Shore of Caem are solitary people. They keep to themselves most of the time, tending to their herbs and healing crafts as well as to their embroidery and rarely go to other tribes in the continent.

Despite their solitary nature, they are well-known for their hospitality. Expect a warm meal and a place to rest even if their household is small if one ever comes to visit.

Their family system is matriarchal; the women will tend to most things related in the household even the income. The father is expected to provide protection to his family as well as offering advice to his children should they wish to ask for it. Learning is provided by both the parents as well as the grandparents.

Their clothing is considered to be ‘loose’ in terms of style, as they do not have a distinct way of clothing themselves.

Instead, the prominent feature of their clothing style is their pattern of embroidery which is very distinct to their clan, as well as their incorporation of shells in their adornment.

Lucinia Sound

There are little known facts about those who live near the Lucinia Sound.

The settlements along the coast are not permanent and barely a decade would pass before the clan will leave the place in search for another stead.

The climate and the harsh seas are thought to be hindrances for any sort of settlements to take place in this area.

There are traces of settlements from clans coming from Galadh, Cavaugh and the Weaverwilds staying at one point along the coast, but there are not a lot of evidences to dictate that people stayed here for a long time.

Shores of the Cygillan Ocean, Cape Shawe, Upper Styrian Swells, Allural Deep

The shores of the Cygillan Ocean house mostly the scattered settlers from both Vannath and Caem. These people have settled in the shores only for some time and such residencies only last a couple of months due to severe weather conditions in the areas.

The same could be said of both Cape Shawe and the Upper Styrian Swells. These two shores are the nearest to the Rock of Ravatogh and most of the ash that fell during one of its eruptions some centuries ago had produced shorelines that prove to be uninhabitable due to the toxicity of the chemicals that came from the volcano. However, these sites today have been a focus of biologists due to the rare specimens of fish and crustaceans, as well as new types of Marlboros and Sahagins.

Allural Deep, being situated beyond the highest mountains of Leide, prove to be one of the hardest of shorelines to visit in the continent. The turquoise waters are home to the rarest of fish species ever to be found in Eos. Seafarers from Vannath and even from different continents dared to sail their ships here, only to find themselves scurrying back home. Legend has it that the twin of the Adamantoise turtle still lives beneath the waves, and its cries could be heard, although some argue that it is actually a giant serpent, the so-called Father of Midgarsommrs, dwell in beneath the ocean floor. These two, if awakened, would cause havoc that even the Astrals would have a hard time fighting. So, such legends also prevent any sort of settlements in these areas, though there are some brave souls who dare venture out into these beautiful but dangerous waters to show their might...and to catch the biggest prize of all, the Allural Carp. Unusual home for a carp, yes. But one of the rarest species of carp in Eos, even until today’s standards.

Duscae

The City State of Cauthess

The city state of Cauthess is a smaller state compared to the Citadel, but these people are considered to be one of the biggest in terms of territories.

Its territories include the Mencemoor, Kelbass Grasslands and Rydielle Ley.

Their strategy of claiming lands from all across the continent proved efficient and beneficial to their conquest of taking the whole of the land mass for themselves.

People from this state are considered proud and quick-witted.

The heat of the meteor allowed them to craft weaponry that would give them more advantage in the battlefield against the other clans.

Their clothing consists of long flowing robes made of fine silk; do not be fooled as these materials are light on the body and their ingenuity in crafts enabled them to create a fabric that seals in both the cold and heat.

The family system is patriarchal; the father is in charge of all things but the mother is required to provide the education of their children.

Food consists mostly of meat as the abundance of beasts in the area made this possible. However, lack of a sea water fish diet caused a certain anomaly in their eyes — their eyes would have bright blue specks around the irises, a distinctive feature of those coming from this clan.

This state is known to be involved in slave trade, taking people from lands they have invaded and sells them off to other city states who would engage in such an illicit activity.

Alstor Slough Settlement

Clans around Alstor Slough are considered to be the most vibrant of all the settlers around the continent.

They are always up for a smile or a laugh, even if life in the area can be tough due to storms and draught, as well as harsh winters and even wars.

Their resilience and hardships under such circumstances make them a compassionate and sympathetic bunch.

Their hospitality is among the ones revered in the continent. They allow other clans to living amongst them, asking nothing in return but the assurance of peace.

Food is plentiful in this area and so a huge array of cuisine is available, though their main dish will always be vegetables and fish is their main source of meat.

These clans live harmoniously with one another. Their dialect is harder to understand, however. Nevertheless, language has never been a hindrance to them creating alliances with other settlers and nomadic tribes.

Education is given by mentors in the settlement and parents are required to send their children to classes in order to learn how to read and write in their language as well as other practical skills.

Clans and settlements that did not retain any traces of their residencies

Kettier Highlands

Those who live in the Kettier Highlands are artisans and builders.

Most of their houses have been destroyed because of wars, but their legacy of architecture and village mapping can still be seen all throughout Duscae.

Not much is known about these settlers since records of their residence in the highlands had been destroyed when the city state of Cauthess has invaded the settlement.

The settlers from this area had moved to the Citadel for sanctuary however, and some of their cultural contributions exist even today in the Citadel.

Causcherry Plains

Living near the city state of Cauthess, these people suffered the most of this state’s attacks thus leaving them with no trace to leave behind as war ravaged their homes.

In the time of the Scourge, Causcherry Plains was home to gentle folk who valued farming about all. The Saxham Outpost became one of the modern places that featured independent farming families thriving in the area. This is partly due to the efforts of the settlers here two millennia ago who tilled the soil and nourished it with tireless dedication.

The abundance of lush greeneries and forests provided the settlers with as much food as they could gather.

They are known for their fondness of preserving their fruit with sugar (presently known as jam), as well as salting their meat for future use.

Settlers from this area are also known to be one of the friendliest people in the continent, always offering shelter to those who need it as well as giving a basket full of Duscaen oranges for their visitors.

However, this clan were never able to have education and never had any sort of written documents, nor were there any traces that could prove that they had an education system.

Despite this, the oral tradition of this clan survives until this day. Their songs are famous all across the continent, being sung as people worked hard in their labors.

Risorath Basin

The clan that settled within the swampy area of the Vesperpool are considered the most mysterious of settlers in the continent.

These people are isolated from the rest of the continent and not all of them are used to seeing people of diversity.

The only connection they have with the rest of the world is Lestallum where they would buy ingredients and medicine that are not readily available in their terrain.

The thunderstorms that ravage the area had pushed them to create houses that are made of stones, rivalling the building techniques of those in the Kettier Highlands.

However, it is a mystery as to why these people suddenly disappeared from history. The near proximity of their settlements near the ancient ruin of Solheim pushes historians to come up with connections between the two.

What was known of this ancient people, thankfully from sources in Lestallum, is that they are the best when it comes to herb lore.

They do not heal however. What they do with herbs have got to do with magic. The people of Lestallum once feared this people’s herb that restored vitality to those who lost them, something that they call an herb that is surrounded by flames, only, it looks more like a feather. This so-called herb is in fact a feather and it is presently known as the rather expensive but life-saving ‘Phoenix Feathers’.

Their language is also very much unknown. It is said that they speak almost as if in a haze or akin to a whisper, and that one has to strain his or her ears just to hear them.

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #ffxv ancient eos #ardyn lucis caelum #somnus lucis caelum #tonitrus izunia #ff15 #bound by blood #ancient eos #the truth will light the sky #msy the truth will light the sky #veritas lux seculum

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secret-engima · 3 years

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LC Birds: Meeting Child and Accursed

(I have gotten a several asks about Ardyn and Ozpin and such and them meeting and Ardyn wigging out, but I wanted to do a nice ramble on it in a separate post just Because™ so here goes)

...

-Ardyn does not know much about the cloning process. Just that Besithia is able to take blood of himself or even of animals, sometimes long DEAD animals, and grow them into new beings in tubes. He’s never cared. The clones that become MT units are essentially tiny Besithias in his mind, and if the man wants to turn himself into a daemon a thousand times over then let him. Ardyn doesn’t care.

-What he does care about, if only distantly, is the word that comes of King Regis having another child. His two illegitimate children, found at age thirteen a few years ago, have already been the fuel of much gossip in the Niflheim courts. Ardyn had found it amusing that Somnus’s descendant could not keep his lineage in one place. But this child ... this child is his heir.

-This child will be the Chosen King. He can *feel it*.

-And he is curious, in a dark and bitter way, over what this new, “better” Chosen King will look like. So perhaps a year after the “happy” news that the child has been born and his mother recovered from her post-pregnancy complications, Ardyn decides to pay a visit.

-Slipping past the guards is child’s play. They either see one of their own, or a servant, or nothing at all depending on his desire. He steals a keycard from some fool that he allows to remain alive and makes his way up to the royal suites. It doesn’t take him any time at all to find the royal Heir. The twins are in another part of the Citadel, and the young prince’s magic is fresh and new and vulnerable. Easy to track down to a sprawling playroom where Ardyn hears miserable crying through the door.

-”Shh,” someone says as he slips inside, “It’s alright, I can make it better, it’s alright.” Ardyn stills when he sees the Chosen King, at first completely ignoring the young teen rocking him back and forth. The child looks spoiled rotten, chubby with baby fat and red from his tantrum, the source of which Ardyn can see on the chubby cheek. A tiny cut with just the faintest beads of blood. How the child managed to do that is a mystery, but Ardyn feels nothing but scorn. The sheer amount of growing this child will have to do to be anything *interesting* will take more years than Ardyn anticipated. Not that he can’t be patient-.

-Magic.

-Not his, not the child’s. It caresses the Chosen King and NOW Ardyn looks at the teen holding the young prince. The boy is dressed in comfortable finery, with an ornate cane beside him that indicates he himself is not of the best health, but none of that matters because Ardyn is too distracted trying to figure out why the boy’s magic exists. Another wayward elder spawn of the current king perhaps?

-The teen gently touches a finger to the cut, a serene smile on his face as he hums and green magic flickers to life, “There, there, it barely even stings, see?”

-The Chosen King stops crying and coos as the cut heals over-

-And reopens on the teen’s dark skinned one.

-Ardyn forgets everything, forgets stealth, forgets the Chosen King, forgets even to be angry. All he feels is something cold and ugly and fearful in his chest, all pointed at someone other than himself. The teenager is on his feet less than a moment later, the cane in his hand and pointed at Ardyn’s chest like a sword as he backs away, something fearful in his gold eyes and Astrals above.

-Those are Aera’s eyes. Not her color, this boy’s eyes are gold, but the shape, the shape he memorized so long ago, the long, thick lashes, the silver-white hair so common for the males of the Nox Fleuret line. His skin is dark and his eyes are gold but his eye-shape is Aera’s. His wispy, wavy hair is Aera’s. His cheekbones and the way his nostril flare with his fear are all Aera’s even though the magic surging out in alarm-warning-fear-battle is more Lucis Caelum than Oracle and his jawline is just a touch too broad for Aera’s even though it is achingly familiar, as if from a mirror.

-A mirror.

-Aera.

-Him.

-The magic only he had ever possessed, mixed with the warning snaps of Oracle gold that bite at him and make his human guise fall away as the Scourge rises up to snarl back. The boy looks horrified, he looks angry and ready to fight Ardyn to the death even though he has a heavy limp as he backs away with the child king and it hurts Ardyn, on a level he didn’t think he had anymore, because that is Aera’s child. Somehow, some way even though she has been dead and gone for so long. It is like looking at a dark skinned dream, a wish he’d once had that was never meant to be, but that makes no SENSE. Aera is DEAD and Ardyn has never lain with anyone. Ardyn never even laid with Aera, so he cannot be a descendant. And there is no other way for a child to come into being.

-Except there is.

-“Where did you come from,” Ardyn rasps, stalking closer even as the boy’s eyes flash emerald in warning and the cane hums with magic, “Who’s child are you?” The boy stares, and Ardyn roars over the crying child in the teen’s arms, “ANSWER ME.”

-“My name is Ozpin,” the boy manages past the terror Ardyn can see coating his every breath, past the tremble in his hands, “And I never knew the parents who gave me their blood. I woke up on the shores of an island with no memory of how I came to be there.”

-“You have Oracle and Lucis Caelum magic both,” Ardyn growls, “Is not the KING your father?”

-“No.” The teen chokes out as the magic of the twins and the king burns closer-closer-closer to his rescue, “They ran tests. The nearest blood connection I have to the current Lucis Caelum line is two thousand years old-.” He ducks, using his body to shield the child as a green shield flares and guards his back against the glass windows that just shattered. Pieces slam into place and for once even the screaming of the Scourge has no hold on his mind over the chant of Aera-Aera-Aera-Aera’s-child-MY-CHILD-AERA’S-CHILD-. Ardyn’s mind clears. For one moment he feels like himself again. Like the Ardyn he was before the sickness, before Somnus’s betrayal, before he was dragged out of his tomb by Besithia.

-The boy with Aera’s face and hair and Ardyn’s gold-tainted eyes and their magic mixed together in perfect harmony stands up again, and in his face is the sudden calm of someone who has stopped being scared because they are certain that they are going to die protecting another.

-He did that.

-He’s ... frightened the boy.

-He’s frightened Aera’s son.

-The royal twins, the king, and a host of guards burst in moments later, but Ardyn is already gone, flung himself out the shattered window and down into the city to escape, to grieve, to RAGE because he has frightened Aera’s son. A son that shouldn’t exist but DOES and-

-And he knows exactly who is at fault.

-Who should have told him.

-Perhaps it is time to sit down and have that conversation Besithia is always needling for. And when he is done, perhaps it is time for the Empire to find a new head scientist. Because he knows little about cloning, but he knows it can create life from dead bones, and anyone who desecrated Aera’s rest deserved what nightmares the Scourge screaming inside him wanted to unleash.

-(And if he is running from the guilt of frightening the child he never thought he would have, if he is running from the realization that he and Aera had a child only for that child to see him as a MONSTER for the scourge under his veins and the way he found the boy- well. That is his crisis to deal with another time)

-(Meanwhile Ozpin sags into the hold of his Shield and Sword, shaking and bordering on a panic attack as his mind replays the sudden appearance of a man who felt- who lOOKED- like SALEM. Corrupted and sick and not right in the head, and in that moment Ozpin had been so sure the cycle was going to start again, that the man would smile and somehow know to call him Ozma even though the man cannot be Salem and Ozpin knows it-.)

-(He hides his face in the crook of Raven’s neck and tries not to wonder about the way gold eyes had briefly, gut-wrenchingly cleared and become sane again. Become afraid and heartbroken again.)

-(The man had asked about who his parent’s were.)

-(Ozpin refuses to think about how in that moment of sanity, the man’s shade of gold had been exactly Ozpin’s own)

#Secret Engima Rambles #LC Birds verse #long post #RAMBLE #shoot I might fic this verse at this rate

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rebelichor · 2 years

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The twins were slowly growing into young adults - and thus young heirs. No doubt their family had already started subtle teachings about the ropes of their family business. Somnus knew that all too well - the good and the bad.

It was too late for him to escape these claws, he had only realized that when a certain someone had entered his life, though.

For Ariadne and Vergil… there still was time.

Finding the young girl in the gardens of her home, away from the conversations and ‚connection building‘ of those attending the party, Somnus handed her one of the too-sweet drinks with a weary smile.

The silence stretched a little between them, before he sighed and spoke his next words far more quiet.

„You still have time to escape this all, you know that, right?“

There was a time that Ariadne once enjoyed her family hosting such parties. Her childhood was coloured vibrantly by them, so many pleasant memories of familiar faces and new ones too coming to celebrate in her home.

Though there had always been 'adult talk'. Sometimes she hadn't noticed it. Except when she wanted to desperately talk to one of her parents or to the fun-loving Lucis Caelum, and found herself locked out of a room 'while the adults talked'. She hated those times the most.

But that was the past. With age, Ariadne decided she'd rather hide away. If she could get away with it, she'd remain in her room until the party was over. Now, though, she was expected to be present. An heiress of a crime family could scarcely hope to build connections from the confines of her room...

Then Somnus approached, a reminder of one important connection she'd rely on for life. It was him who always remembered what her and Vergil liked and made a point to greet them directly. Not everyone did that. It was easy to overlook a couple of kids.

Her own smile was a painted one. There was no crease in her eyes with the expression. She wasn't happy here, and neither was he given his tired smile. The silence was an amicable one as she sipped the pink-tinged fruit punch. At least until he broke the silence.

"What?" Ariadne reflexively questioned. Concern quickly etched upon her face. "Has something happened?" Looking over her shoulder, she saw... well, nothing out of the ordinary. What had he meant? "I.. no I can't." she answered after a beat. She realised then what 'this all' truly meant and it extended far beyond the party.

"That would make me Vergil's Ardyn." she added quietly. Somnus didn't much care to dwell on his brother's name, but it had to be said. "There's no one else, Som. There's no leaving." Not without shattering their family.

#somnus-lucis-caelum #verse; crime family #🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺#wehh

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chalabrun · 6 years

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the epic of gilgamesh, ch. 1

Chapter Title: In the Beginning Word Count: 3,190 Pairing: Gilgamesh/Ardyn, Somnus/Gentiana Rating: G Warnings: Character death Event/theme: Day 6 of @ardynyesconweek’s 6th prompt: “Unexpected,”, Breaking down walls, fateful night, divine favors Summary: Before he was expunged from all of history, Ardyn Izunia had a beginning. He had friends, triumphs and trials, and a life so little today know about. Once, there was a man before he became a monster.

( READ ON AO3 )

This had been his capital city once, over a thousand years ago when the sun of Old Solheim wasn’t always the one that danced across the Cosmos. A beautiful place, situated on its own island and framed by the sea. Solheimian influence was pronounced, as it was across the old empire. Spires climbed into the very skies, with only Costlemark on its coast otherwise dominating what had been the varied and beautiful landscapes of his old kingdom. When Solheim hadn’t been old but boastful of a thousand years of legacy. He was old as the coasts that washed into the sea, Cavaugh sands and verdant shorelines changeless as the sun.

Yet, even as he awoke that morning, the name Izdubar tasted like dying words on his tongue. The sunlight filtered through the filmy linen curtains lining the periphery of his bed, Izdubar rising from the long cot that was longer and wider than any mortal man. Eight feet. For he was not solely a son of humanity.

Before an ivory basin did the man wash his dark, coppery skin and square face, over high cheekbones, cleansing all of his bare torso as best he could—for a trip to the hammam would come much later. Silvery locks were combed through, then braided in a queue that touched his back. It was always his eyes that seemed the most fell of luck, some thinking as though a daemon possessed them. Scarlet, refulgent red. Always glowing, no matter what.

Alone did he change into a fresh cobalt kaftan, trousers, and a wide belt to girdle his waist. Boots so his feet would not become dirty, even on spotless marble floors. The servants were paid well to ensure the Lord of the Skies’ son slept in immaculate quarters.

Izdubar found a delicate oil lamp that he lit, banishing away the darkness in the long corridors that spanned the sprawl of Cavaugh’s princely palace estate. There were, surprisingly, no servants milling about as the man trekked the halls alone. Typically, the early hours of the morning preceding and after the dawn were the busiest as they prepared the royal household for the day ahead.

It hardly came as a shock. No royal family had occupied these halls for generations. Solheim’s decline hadn’t only been in the form of its territories receding, after all. Old kingdoms that had made the empire beat with hearts throughout the world grew dim in their pulse. Even now, Izdubar could sense atrophy in these halls. Crumbling paint once vivid, ensconced torches not burning as brightly as they once did, and the power of Magitechnology almost dimming entirely. The world in the city of Eunoch was fast falling into a hibernation he doubted could be salvaged from.

The way before the throne room only grew dark before a pair of masked ushers clad all in decorous black gestured towards him in strange tandem, then taking the enormous knobs of the polished black door of its ingress and drew it open with a long, cavernous creaking that echoed throughout the throne room and corridor alike.

Throne rooms were larger in those days, seating one and two others. Two thrones for the king and queen, and one enormous one that overshadowed them meant for their patron god.

In luxuriantly carved black onyx, made by Ifrit’s fire, shaped like a tempestuous tsunami flooded from behind, was seated the impossibly tall form of Bahamut. Stories tall, his black and blue armor seemed absorbed into the throne like a monument, only the gold accents reflecting the firelight set within blazing braziers. Enormous claws curled around the armrests, dusky blue eyes alone the defining, almost human trait.

His father had told him long ago: he was not born from love, but foresight and necessity. Demigods were known only in his line, and that of Ifrit’s successor and their son’s sons. No more.

Bahamut gazed upon his son, and it was quiet for the longest of moments. That was, until his thunderous, resonant voice chased away the silence.

“You know why I have summoned you here, blood of my blood. The Plague of the Stars that fell upon the Star has run rampant, slaughtering the peoples of Solheim in multitudes. You know this. In the time of its succor, the Crystal has stirred and the Soul of the Star has decided: there is to be a Chosen to whom this threat will be felled. And you will serve him as his protector.”

Izdubar was tempted to wrinkle his brow, to frown, to show some sign of processing what he has been told. A thousand years ago, Ca-dimirra had flourished. Considered one of the wealthiest and most innovative kingdoms of its time, his and his people’s advances in Magitek had catapulted them and Solheimian cultures light years ahead of what it would’ve otherwise been. And he had been its longest reigning king. But as all things do, it sank into decline as the house of his founding, House Amicitia, floundered. Though not dead, they were far from the ideal he had wished for them.

Though, much of Ca-dimirra had become subjected to rot.

“Where might I find this Chosen, Lord Bahamut? I will prepare to find him at once.”

The Draconian shifted upon the throne, though he was otherwise statuesque, not even his jaw moving as he spoke. “You will find them in the Vesperpool on the borders of Steyliff. Go forth, flesh of my flesh, and upon your return, Nadir will inform you and them of the mission ahead.”

No more was to be said as Izdubar bowed low and reverently, genuflecting once before taking his leave. The doors whined shut as they closed, obstructing any further view of the Draconian. Not that he cared to look over his back.

Regardless, it felt as though a gust of wind was gradually dispelling away the eons-old stagnancy. That the wheel of fate, struck in a rut and filtered by cobwebs, had finally been loosed and was soon to be freed.

For fate was always fast on the heel of prophecy.

It was by mid-morning that Izdubar set out from Eunoch, traveling another means as no chocobo could bear the weight of his burden. Almost fully-armored, it was only a hood and lower facial covering that remain undisguised, concealing him otherwise. Though, even then, he was hardly disguised. It was astride an enormous spiracorn known as Kaya did his retinue upon black chocobos trot closely behind, knowing their lord was deep in thought.

As had been relayed to him by Nadir, Bahamut’s messenger, at the last minute did he hear tale of House Izunia. A lesser noble house of Ca-dimirra, he had neglected to even have heard of them before. The least of which he knew was that Anna Izunia of Tenebrae, the lady of the house, and Germane Izunia of Galahd, its patriarch, had fallen upon hard times and that they bore two sons, Somnus and Ardyn. Both of which were in their late twenties, as they were twins. Not identical, but twins all the same.

They rode for hours through the dust bowl of Leide, past the sloping grasslands and forests of Duscae and Cleigne and the enormous sundial and mythril wing that rose distinctly on the outskirts of Lestallum that were famed for being of Titan’s creation. Their usage had been lost to time, even if Izdubar possessed the knowledge, it had been an evil thing—one meant to siphon the light of the sun that had once threatened to cast them into darkness. Now, it stood as a monument to the worst of Solheim’s decadence.

By early evening, they had dinner at the small fishing hamlet of Galdin before leaving the day after. The sun was already high and pressing hotly upon their backs, their shadows becoming shorter until they finally came upon the dusty paved highway that would lead them to the Vesperpool, to Steyliff, and to his new charge.

Spurring his spiracorn into a canter, Izdubar became thoughtful. Before he’d left, Nadir had told him something pressing: that when Ardyn and Somnus were found and brought back to Eunoch, there would be much change. From names, to duties, to the beginning of a new era. It weighed upon the Blademaster ominously, settling like bile in his throat. Though already a thousand years old, drastic change brought a feeling of apprehension in him—even if not immediately felt.

The late evening the next day, heavy and brooding clouds sculled from the west, his closest friend Enkidu almost glaring at the sky. Consternation marred the dark ochre of his face, winds ruffling through his jet black mane and thick beard. Compared to Izdubar’s complete lack of one.

“I doubt this storm, Lord Izdubar. Something foul roosts in the air. Something evil,” the man said, his chocobo stirring uneasily.

Izdubar smiled tensely, lips thinning. “We cannot let ominous feelings bar our path, my friend. Pray to Lord Ramuh that we may prevail through this storm.”

They spurred their mounts on despite their skittishness, Izdubar’s spiracorn, Kaya, being the only one who seemed unmoved by the winds that galloped through the wide palm fronds in the forest of palm trees. From where they could see, a small encampment of modest homes lined a dust-lain street, a bitter light from the overcast sky ghoulishly silhouetting the clay brick houses.

Izdubar slowed until they came to a halt, surprised to see a familiar silhouette emerge from an alleyway and into the main, unnervingly quiet thoroughfare. Nadir. It was obvious by his maroon hair shaped like spikes, of the enormous draconian wings sprouted from his back. Clad in his elaborate rust and gold armor he appeared too rich amid this provincial town.

“Lord Nadir. We weren’t expecting you,” Izdubar greeted in some surprise after tethering their mounts to a rail by the Izunia’s home, but nevertheless, he shook hands with a man who might as well be a brother. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Have you met with the Izunias?”

Nadir’s summery gold features wore a severe expression at the mention of that, lowering his hand after they shook one another’s. “Germane Izunia is no longer among the living. Passed from the Starscourge, I’m afraid, my brother.” He sighed, but met Izdubar’s gaze with his rosy gold own. “Come, we must meet them nonetheless. These brothers will take solace knowing the gods mourn with them.”

The Shield-to-be become solemn, knowing acutely the pain of losing one’s mother, even a wife. The latter having perished for the same reasons. Izdubar said nothing more as they stepped within the single-story domicile, the primary room of it occupied by a table upon which lay the patriarch’s dutifully preserved body that would likely be subject to mummification within the coming days. It was the funerary rights that need be performed by the family, first. The viewing, and the service in the name of whatever deity was the family patron god.

Flower petals and gold flickering candles encompassed the man’s head and along his flanks, gold coins upon his eyes while a large tarp covered the rest of his body. His face was painted, likely to mask the way the Starscourge had made his skin ashen. It was inside that a stout blonde woman with brown eyes met them, her pale face streaked ruddy by tears.

“Thank you for being here, my lords,” she sniffed through fresh tears, ashamed of her grief even if she had no reason to be. Anna dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, smiling thinly. “You seek my sons, don’t you? They were just in their room. Allow me to summon them.”

Anna shuffled down a narrow corridor lit by crystals, knocking on a door to the right before she stepped aside and saw both men shuffle out. They appeared to be twenty-five years of age or older, one with a maroon mane and the other with black hair swept back. Ardyn, as he knew, was the more distinguishable of the two with brown eyes bordering on gold, taller and more built, while Somnus was composed more like his mother. Both would be eye-catching to any woman, but the grimness that hung over them didn’t invite frivolous thoughts.

“Mother, who are these people?” Somnus asked first, glancing skeptically at the shorter woman. “Why are they here?”

“Hush, Somnus; they’re messengers,” Ardyn answered in awe, bowing from the waist to Nadir and Izdubar. “I remember you from the services, Lord Nadir. Truly, you do honor us, indeed.” After bowing to Nadir, he repeated the motion to Izdubar, but his eyes lingered far longer, seemingly entranced by what he saw. Izdubar was unusually tall, after all. That...among other things. If anything, his bronzed gaze was piercing, like whittling wood down to the quick.

Izdubar quailed imperceptibly from Ardyn’s sight, focusing instead upon Somnus and Anna. Not enough to entirely ignore the auburn-haired man. “Peace be upon you, Lady Izunia, Somnus and Ardyn. We brimg our condolences and a message from the Lord of the Skies,” he stated officiously, a hand placed in sincerity upon his chest. The blonde woman looked intrigued, but held her tongue for fear of interrupting.

It was Nadir who spoke next. “Ardyn and Somnus Izunia.” Both men stood up ramrod straight. “The Lord Bahamut demands your presence at the princely capital of Eunoch, to which you will attend after your father’s funeral. Great news awaits you, of which your lady mother will also accompany us to attend. It will be life-changing, but until then, we shall remain here in Steyliff to ensure all is conducted with honor.”

Nadir bowed his head and exited the domicile to join Enkidu and the others, leaving Izdubar behind. Just as he motioned to do the same, with Somnus and Anna returning to the tending of Germane’s body, he was suddenly stopped by a hand on his sleeve. “Lord Ardyn…?”

“Not here. Please, follow me,” Ardyn whispered within earshot, nodding to a side door beside the kitchen. Mystified but still curious, Izdubar followed without complaint outside where a narrow seam of an alleyway ran between their home and another’s, sloping down into the wilderness where fenced peripheries kept livestock corralled inside. Though night was fast approaching, he supposed it was better to be outside with Ardyn than not. The last few rays of sunlight touched them rosily, but a nocturnal sky was cresting higher, stars peeking through receding clouds.

Ardyn perched himself on a fence post where a black Chocobo warked and trotted over, fluttering her stumpy wings while the red-head caressed along her beak affectionately. “Forgive the suddenness of this. I suppose I merely wished to converse of the future without the others listening.” Izdubar remained quiet, canting his head curiously. This only prompted Ardyn to keep speaking, the man appearing thoughtful.

“Last night I believe I had a dream like this. The streets of Eunoch were crowded with adoring people, myself astride Artemis,” the Chocobo in questioned trilled in response, “whilst confetti and streamers rained from the sky. It was so very curious, Lord Izdubar. Forgive my staring earlier, but you were at my side. As was Somnus, but we were both older, but you...you were as unchanged as you are now. And there was a woman, with very long black hair...”

“Gentiana Lux Fleuret. That is who you dreamt of. Is there anything else notable?” Izdubar prompted insistently, Ardyn gazing at him curiously before regaining his train of thought.

“Yes. The people—they were calling me “your highness,” as they also did my brother. As if we were royalty. And…this dream. It did not feel like my own. As though it came from someplace else.” Ardyn’s voice drifted, and he knew why. It wasn’t entirely from this new revelation, but from a vision, he was certain of it.

“The place it came was not from yourself, true. And it wasn’t a dream. What else?”

Ardyn’s golden gaze shot up at Izdubar, his brows furrowed in bemusement together. “In it, I called you Gilgamesh. I know the city, the kingdom—they were not as they are. Even my brother and I’s surnames were different. The same, but not Izunia.”

Gilgamesh. Bahamut had told him the one he sought would call him this name, would know it. When the great changes came. When a new era began, it would not be as they were before. This epiphany brought a wan smile to the future Shield’s face beneath the face wrappings. Perhaps he was glad that such a fateful night would reveal to him the beginning of something new. Change was coming, and it didn’t feel so alone.

“You’re smiling. I can tell,” Ardyn stated smugly as he avoided Izdubar’s gaze coyly, continuing to lavish attentions upon Artemis.

“Does such a thing bother you, my lord?” Izdubar queried, genuinely perplexed. This caused Ardyn to bark a laugh that Artemis reared her head back from, blinking in confusion. Wiping a tear from his eye, the chocobo nudged her master.

“Of course not, my dear man! Pardon me, it seems King Laugh has a strange way of manifesting in times of grief,” Ardyn said dismissively, sobering, gaze soft yet sad. He missed his father. He just wanted the future to help him forget, if only for a little.

King Laugh? Izdubar fell silent for a long moment, folding his arms and leaning against the fence railings close to where Ardyn was. This seemed to heighten whatever sentiments Izdubar was absolutely oblivious to. “...Your father. As I’ve heard, he was a good man.”

“Recklessly good, foolishly good. He thought little of himself and never rose beyond his station; he was so bloody humble. The town loved him, true, but when the Starscourge took him…what little they could do. As though it were some…damn funny form of repayment, I suppose.” Ardyn ceased in his affections, hands dropping while Artemis plodded away on the turf. “I was powerless to stop it.”

Izdubar uncrossed his arms, gazing at Ardyn earnestly, causing the man to lock gazes with him like a deer dazzled by bright headlights of the airships. “My lord, give it but a few days. Then, you shall learn of what you were ordained of and then, only then, will you finally be able to change all that ills our Star.”

This caused Ardyn to smile hopefully, gazing towards the brightening stars, wishing for something. “Thank you, Gilgamesh, truly. I only hope you will remain at my side throughout it all. Come what may.”

Izdubar heard the name, in truth, liking the way Ardyn said it. Gilgamesh. He supposed he could grow into it.

“But of course, my lord. I will remain at your side. This, I promise you.”

#ardyn izunia #gilgamesh ffxv #somnus lucis caelum #gilgardyn #ardynyesconweek #my writing

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secret-engima · 5 years

Text

Snippet of Deleantur (pt2)

(continuation from later on in this one-shot that continues to spiral out of control. Friendly summary is that Deleantur is a time-traveling Noctis who went back way further than he intended, but that’s okay since it just meant he saved the world in time to save Ardyn too. Of course, he’s the only one who knows about that time-travel bit, so other people are Very Confused at times)

Somnus was genuinely overjoyed when Deleantur finally expressed interest in fishing at a large pool they stumbled across. Because as boring as it was to wait around while Deleantur tirelessly hunted down fish with his rod and line, it was a sign of the young man he, Ardyn, and Aera had been coming to know —a sign of the brother Somnus and Ardyn were coming to love as fiercely as they ever had each other—.

Somnus even made an effort to demonstrate as much by sitting next to Deleantur on his chosen rock, watching the ripples in the water as Deleantur patiently reeled in his line again and recast in hopes of a bite, “You have a lot of patience for this.”

Deleantur hummed, “I like it.”

Somnus huffed, “Yes, but-. You aren’t this patient with other activities. It’s …” unusual, strange, interesting, “different.”

“That’s because it doesn’t hurt.”

Somnus stilled and behind him, Ardyn and Aera did too, “…Hurt?”

Deleantur gave a low noise as he adjusted his grip on his fishing pole, “Yeah.” Deleantur paused, like he was considering something, then continued, “When I was a kid, about … eight years old. I … couldn’t do a lot of stuff. It hurt too much and I was already constantly tired from the medication and the physical therapy. I didn’t want to go outside, even though they said sunshine and fresh air would help me. I didn’t want to … play or run or jump, but books were boring and heavy. So Dad took me out one day and … taught me to fish. He showed me his fishing rod and his line and his lures, taught me how to hold the rod and throw a line, then we sat there together and waited for a fish.”

Deleantur’s tone was nostalgic and Somnus didn’t dare speak, because this was the first time Deleantur had ever truly talked about his father or his childhood. Deleantur fidgeted with his reel, “I think if I’d been any other kid, it would have been boring. But it was outdoors, and I had a perfect excuse to sit still in the sunshine for hours, and … and Dad was there. Dad was teaching me. So I practiced, and I begged to go fishing whenever I could because I knew he’d come with me to show me how it was done and eventually I … loved it. It reminds me of those days. Before…” Deleantur’s voice trailed off, and breath hitched with sadness.

Ardyn, who had settled silently on Deleantur’s other side at some point in the story, asked, “Why was it so painful for you to move? Did your father not know the recipes for your powerful healing draughts?” Because potions and elixirs did not require the magic of the Crystal they’d learned, just careful selection of ingredients and even more careful preparation.

Deleantur did that gesture with his shoulders that he used so often, “Potions and elixirs only work so well. Especially when it’s … serious. If I’d gotten one as soon as it happened, maybe it would have worked, but I didn’t, so I had to recover the slow way.”

“Recover from what?”

Deleantur looked up from his fishing, considered the two of them, then reached back with one hand to tug his tunic hem up just enough to show the small of his back and a bit of his spine. Ardyn sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the old scars stretching along the small of Noctis’s back, each at least as wide as two of Somnus’s fingers. The scars disappeared under his clothes in both directions, hinting at a size and damage larger than they could see and Somnus winced, because even he could tell that whatever had left those was … bad. They also looked distinctly like blade scars. Or possibly claws.

Ardyn reached out with a shaking hand and it was a testament to how far they’d come in earning his trust that Deleantur didn’t flinch away from the gentle touch, just went back to his fishing with a quiet, “A daemon attack. Ripped open the car. Killed the bodyguards, then took out the woman trying to get me to safety. I’m not sure if it was aiming for me that time, or if my getting caught in it was just an … accident. It was going to finish me off when my dad and his guards showed up and drove it off, but by that point the damage was done.”

Ardyn was still tracing the scars with a reverent touch, “It’s a miracle you survived this. It’s a miracle you can walk. I can only imagine-.” Ardyn stopped and went very quiet. So quiet Deleantur lowered his rod and twisted around to look at Ardyn in concern. Ardyn looked over his shoulder at Aera who was watching from a polite distance with a vaguely horrified expression, then looked back, “You are in pain, aren’t you? All the time. That’s why you limp, why you sleep so often and yet you-. All of this travel, and battle, and hard labor. Why?” Why would you do that to yourself?

Deleantur sighed and slipped his fishing rod back into armiger with a flick of his wrist, shifted to face them, “It’s my duty.”

Aera finally joined the conversation, settling down on the grass just behind their rock as she whispered, “You’ve mentioned duty before. What duty drives you to such lengths? No one knew you were of royal blood until a few months ago. Have you not already done enough?”

Deleantur shook his head, “No. No it’s-. It’s not over,” his expression folded briefly, weary and old again before it smoothed out, “it’s never going to be over. I made a promise. I’m going to fulfill it.” He shook his head again, like a man trying to clear away an inner fog, “Besides, it’s not so bad. I’m … used to it. And it’s better now,” blue eyes glanced at them through thick lashes, “I’m not alone anymore.”

Aera didn’t smile like she usually would have, just reached out her hands like Ardyn was already doing, “Can we-? May we try? To ease your pain?”

Deleantur waved their hands away, “Don’t waste your time. The scars are … old, and I’m used to them.” He blinked at their expressions and insisted, “Seriously, I’m fine. I’m used to it, and if Sy- if the healers couldn’t fix it when it was fresh, you aren’t going to be able to fix it now.”

Somnus watched the two healers of the group fuss and pout, Ardyn going so far as to wax on in a poetic way that was supposed to make Deleantur guilty enough to let him have his way, and tried to fit the newest puzzle pieces of Deleantur into place. Deleantur’s … father —not sire, because that would be Ardyn’s and Somnus’s father— must have been nobility. Deleantur had mentioned servants and guards and what must be one of his strange words for a carriage —Car? Car sounded like it was short for carriage, and Deleantur had a lot of strange words and even stranger ways of using existing words to mean things Somnus would never have associated with them—. Probably the noble of another kingdom, one of the neutral or far away ones, which would explain why Somnus’s father had never caught wind of Deleantur before now.

But that didn’t explain some of the other things he’d said previously. Or how Deleantur’s mother had met Somnus’s father if her native kingdom did not interact much with Somnus’s. That wouldn’t explain why Deleantur was traveling around here instead of his home country —and Somnus would have heard if an entire kingdom fell in the months leading up to the Wave wouldn’t he?— or who Noctis was, the mysterious King of the Crystal Deleantur had only ever mentioned once. Ardyn had brought up the possibility of Noctis being Deleantur’s elder twin brother, which might explain that part, but that still didn’t explain how they’d learned to purify the starscourge or why Deleantur hadn’t returned to his home kingdom to help out the peasants there rather than the ones here.

Not that Somnus wanted Deleantur to leave. He’d gotten attached to his mad, unexpected sibling.

Somnus’s thoughts were interrupted by a startled yelp from Ardyn and a sudden splash of water rippling up onto the rock. Somnus looked up in mild alarm. Ardyn was missing from the rock, Aera was smothering laughter into her hands and Deleantur was grinning, honest to Astrals grinning, like a child who had successfully stolen something from under the cooks’ noses, and Ardyn was-.

Resurfacing from the pond water, sputtering and sulking, violet red hair hanging in front of his face like a soaking curtain and his precious embroidered white tunic —the only royal garb Ardyn had refused to part with— already turning see-through from all the liquid it was absorbing. Somnus took several long seconds to process that Deleantur, mad, broken, usually too-serious Deleantur had just pushed Ardyn into the pond just to make him be quiet.

If it had been Somnus that had suffered such a fate, Ardyn would have immediately moved to help him out like a dutiful older brother should, checking for injuries and fussing about possible illnesses brought about by the cold water and the diseases of the pond weeds or some such nonsense. Ardyn would have smiled like a lunatic, but politely refrained from outright laughter until after Somnus was safely ensconced on dry land and dressed in fresh, dry clothes with a possibly a cup of comforting wine in hand.

Somnus, being the shamelessly cruel little brother that he was, sat there for a good two minutes pointing at Ardyn’s misery and laughing until his sides hurt.

Ardyn, who could have swum to the sloping, pebbled section of the bank and climbed out on his own at any time, chose instead to tread water and pout at them the entire time, whining melodramatically about cruel siblings and horrible fates and all the things he could fall ill of here in the water —the silly grin on his face gave it all away for the show it was—.

Ardyn eventually splashed water at the rock and Deleantur scooted to his feet to escape the assault. Somnus just snickered and leaned away from the stray droplets before finally crouching at the edge of the rock and holding out a hand for his brother, “Come on then, Brother, can’t have you suffering a watery demise just yet.” Ardyn reached out a hand and took Somnus’s and then-.

Water.

Somnus resurfaced with a spluttering squawk, flailing against Ardyn’s chest as his brother tried not to be shoved under by Somnus’s sudden submersion, “De- Deleantur!” Somnus had done nothing —much— to deserve being pushed in like that-.

There was a watery, coughing laugh just to his side and Somnus blinked past the wet hair in his eyes at … Deleantur. Treading water next to them and looking just as surprised as they were.

All three Lucis Caelums looked up to the rock … at Aera, who stood on the rock with a serene smile worthy of temple statues on her face as she fluttered her eyelashes and asked if the three of them were alright. A picture of holy innocence and decorum and kindness the filthy little liar. As if her shoulders weren’t shaking with suppressed laughter and her hands weren’t still outstretched from pushing Deleantur into Somnus in such a way as to make them both topple into the pond at the same time.

Deleantur broke the brothers’ stunned silence first, laughing so hard Ardyn and Somnus had to hold him up for fear he’d stop treading water and sink right to the bottom. They dragged each other out of the water, Deleantur still giggling helplessly like a child, and though Somnus scowled and swore revenge against Aera for her treachery, they all knew there was no real bite to his words, not when Deleantur was laughing louder and freer than they’d thought possible.

#Melodies and Manuscripts #ffxv #ffxv au fic #ardyn #somnus #noctis #aera #good guy ardyn #good guy somnus #brother feels #background ardyn x aera #these are my lovable morons now #and they will have a happy ending so help me #ffxv noctis

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