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itsgeecheebitch · 6 months

Text

Until Darkness descends

CHAPTER: 33

FANDOM: Final Fantasy XV

RATING: Explicit

MAIN PAIR: Ardyn Izunia x Reader

SEC PAIR: Gladiolus Amicitia x Reader

Ardyn looked through the binoculars, at the blue flames that lashed at the skies like a mad beast clawing at its confines. It was coming from the disk of Cauthess, a destination he knew you and your group would be interested in right about now.

With the titan now awake, thanks to the Oracle, the god no doubt plagued his chosen king with visions, drawing him to the area like a moth to a flame. Like the mysterious benefactor Ardyn paraded himself to be, he will be the one to escort the prince and his entourage to the Archaen’s door.

The pieces of his plan were falling into place one by one. Before long, all of Eos would crumble under the weight of his wrath. He could almost taste it, envision the destruction that would be his macabre playground till the end of time.

Yes, that plan was coming along, but you on the other hand was proving to be a more challenging task. Ardyn was there when your group ventured into the cave, wanting to watch the events unfold with his own eyes instead of from a distance. Disappointment curled his mouth into a scowl.

He was also there to watch you fall to your death. Like a fool in love he watched as your body fell apart with a fist in his stomach. Ardyn gritted his teeth, his blood turning into a simmering vat of hot oil, causing his hand to shake when he balled it into a fist.

The sight of your body bloody and broken shouldn’t have vexed him, shouldn’t have caused him to come out of the shadows to hold you in his arms. But the fear was a noose around his lungs at that moment, and if he didn’t gather you in his arms quick enough, he was sure he would’ve choked on that rope. It was irrational. He intended to do much worse to you in the coming months, and he knew you wouldn’t remain dead for long.

But that didn’t stop him from cradling your mangled body close to his chest, willing you to come back to him, to open your eyes. Ardyn hissed at the memory. How was he supposed to destroy you if he was this weak? Anger at himself, at you, at the gods, raced through him like black ink, spilling out of its cartridge and onto his lungs and gut until he was drowning in it.

He moved on instinct in that moment, an instinct that refused to be purged. No matter how many times Ardyn reminded himself that you really weren’t her, that you were a mere puppet fashioned to mirror her likeness, he couldn’t stop himself from seeing his wife lying broken and lifeless on the ground. Covered in so much red it was like Ardyn was reliving the day his brother betrayed him all over again.

The sounds of multiple footsteps thundered in his ears and he banished the thoughts to the back of his mind. Now wasn’t the time to languish in his woes. He had a job to do and you will not get in the way of it.

Squaring his shoulders, he plastered a relaxed smile on his face before welcoming your friends. “What a coincidence.” He said as he turned to greet them.

Gladiolus, your boyfriend, sneered at him. “I’m not sure if it is.” He said. Ardyn’s lips twisted into a mocking smirk until he fixed it just as fast. Once he made quick work of Noctis he would be sure to visit the Amicitia next. He could already feel his hand warm with the weight of Gladiolus’ entrails, envision his heart splattering on the ground like a fallen tomato, and his eyes bulge out of his skull like two ripe grapes. They would make the perfect ornaments for a fallen Eos, but only after he drew out the man’s death for as long as he could, afterall, it was what he deserved for touching what was not his.

Ardyn replied. “Aren’t nursery rhymes curious things?” He took languid steps towards the wary crew. “Like this one, from the deep the Archean calls, yet on deaf ears the god’s tongue falls. The king made to kneel in pain he crawls.”

“So how do we keep him on his feet?” The blond one asked. Ardyn stared into his wide innocent eyes, far too bright for a man with as many secrets as him. And what great joy Ardyn would find in exposing all of them.

“You need only heed the call, visit the Archean and hear his plea. I can take you.”

A pensive sort of air swallowed the five of them. They huddled around each other to debate amongst themselves. It didn’t matter. Ardyn knew they would accept his aid, after all what other choice did they have?

Just as he expected, they agreed. He led them to the parking lot while giving them his first name. A strategic decision, give them just enough information to lower their guard and build familiarity. They will continue to distrust him, but not enough to not accept his aid. Soon, he will have all of them right where he wants them, including you.

Once in the parking lot, Ardyn turned to face them. “Allow me to do the honor of assigning your driver.” He said. “I choose you.”

The prince folded his arms in front of his chest and glowered at the regalia as though it offended him. “What if I ride with you?”

“I’m afraid you would find the fee to be more than you bargained for.”

“What if I did?” Ardyn turned his head to you. Looked like you finally decided to step out of your boyfriend’s shadow. He arched his brow. This was an interesting turn of events, the girl who was skittish and distant towards him as of late was volunteering to spend time alone with him.

You didn’t willingly seek his presence anymore, not since he sowed seeds of distrust in your mind years ago. A mistake he intended to correct. What he has intended for you requires your unwavering trust and open heart. How gracious of you to give him an opportunity to rectify it.

But your boyfriend had a different thought. “Why would you wanna ride with him?”

“More leg room, and besides that would mean more room for you and Noct in the back.” You said.

“No way I’m gonna let you ride in some weirdos’ car on your own.”

“Come on, babe.” You said, placing your hand on his chest. “It’s only for this drive, and besides, nothing's going to happen. And if anything, I’m more than capable of handling it on my own.”

A beat past while Gladiolus stewed in his thoughts. Sighing, his shoulders relaxed but he still sported a dissatisfied frown on his face. “Fine, but if he does anything slick you let me know.”

Ardyn had to fight the rumble of miasma that threatened to spew out of his pours at the sight of you kissing the other man. He looked away, willing the scourge to settle. He’s definitely going to enjoy tearing Gladiolus limb from limb.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he opened the passenger door for you before settling in the driver’s seat. After instructing Noctis to follow him without fail, he took off. The three story buildings of Lestallum’s architecture melted into acrid dirt and unobstructed skies.

You sat silently in your seat, questions racing through your mind so loudly it was causing Ardyn’s own head to spin. He had a feeling you had your reasons for driving with him. Perhaps you wanted to revisit the question you had for him two nights ago, one he prepared for a long time ago. Or maybe it had to do with your visit to the cave. Ardyn left soon after you revived, so if there was anything you found of interest while you were there he wouldn’t know about it.

But after visiting that place a thousand times, Ardyn knew there was nothing of significance, besides the tomb, to be found behind those frigid walls. Whatever you had to say wouldn’t have anything to do with that cave. Five minutes passed when you were finally ready to air your thoughts.

“I thought about what you said.” You started. “The thing about the gods trying to speak to Noctis. Do you think they’re trying to do the same to me? Maybe that’s why I get migraines.”

Now that he wasn’t expecting. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. Ardyn didn’t mean to reveal a piece of the puzzle to you, place the answers in your head that would surely lead you to the truth of your destiny. Of your purpose. In hindsight, he had no choice. It was the only way to bait Noctis into accepting his assistance. But now Ardyn was left with a mess on his hands, one that could turn into a big, big problem if he left it unaddressed.

“There are a myriad of reasons that could be behind your affliction, my dear. Just because the cause remains unknown does not mean it is the work of the gods.” Ardyn said.

“But what about my visions? What could possibly be the cause of that?”

“I reckon it derives from the same source. You will discover the cause soon, my dear. But there is no point in trying to find answers in things that have nothing to do with you.”

You become quiet for a moment, but Ardyn isn't foolish enough to believe that was the end of your musings. That was when a warm fuzzy glow enveloped your hand, morphing into the shape of a book. He stared at it curiously before returning his eyes to the road. A nagging sense of dread bludgeoned the back of his skull. This couldn’t be good. "I found this recently while I was away with the boys." You said while holding up the book so he could see it. "It's about a disease, I think, that fell out of the sky along with a star. And something called Adagium, but I'm still not sure what that is. But here's the weird part, it's written in an ancient language but I was able to read it. I think the gods wanted me to find this."

Ardyn turned away to hide the grimace on his face. He could feel the tendrils of the scourge wrap around his organs like a sea monster pulling him down into its murky depths. For as long as he knew you, the gods only supplied you with brief flashes of the past, nothing too detailed to suffice as even a crumb of the truth, but this? This wasn't just a crumb, but a full meal waiting for you to gorge on.

His anger heated his blood to a boil but you didn't seem to notice. Just like he didn't notice that book was in the cave all along, just waiting for you to find it. The slick games the gods played, but fortunately for him he knew how to play dirty as well. "I believe I'm familiar with what you are describing. It's the black star tale, I assume? It's nothing but an ancient myth to explain away the existence of daemons in our world. It has nothing to do with the gods, my dear."

You shook your head, "no, it's more than that. It has to be…"

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's not."

Turning in your seat you threw your hands in the air, your frustration evident in the way your eyes sparked. "Then why tuck it away in a secret room? Why give me the sudden ability to read a foreign language if it's not important?"

Ardyn mentally chastised himself for not looking for that secret room you spoke of. If he conducted a better search he wouldn't be having this discussion with you. He wondered where that room was located in the cave. How many times did he walk past it without realizing it was there? Ardyn wasn't a careless man, he wouldn't have raised through the Niflheim ranks and played both nations like a fiddle if he was. There was only one answer, the gods made sure he would never stumble across it.

Surely if he did he would've burned the place to ash. Ardyn sighed heavily through his nose before stopping the car. The gods thought they could be a thorn in his side and thwart his plans. While it may be too late to destroy the book before you could find it, it was never too late to distort the truth to his liking.

Extending his hand, Ardyn said, "allow me to have a look at it." You handed it over and he breezed through the pages. Most of the words were smudged, if not completely faded due to age and lack of care. But he saw why it was so critical to the gods for you to find this chronicle. The two most important passages were left unblemished and mostly intact, enough so for you to glean a morsel of the truth from them.

But if Ardyn was any good at his job, which he was, you wouldn’t glean anything but a fictitious story trapped inside a leather book. "Hmm, this is Proto-Lucian, so not necessarily a foreign language. Its written form is close enough to our modern tongue to decipher some of the text." He looked up at you and delighted in the disappointment that slashed through you. Closing the book, he handed it back to you before delivering the final blow. "And it appears that some of the text remains intact, enough for you to decipher it using our modern alphabet. Nothing divine is happening, my dear, at least not to you."

Restarting the car, he barreled down the empty street before the boys could catch up and make a fuss. All the while you were as silent as a mouse, his words taking effect in the frown on your face and the droop of your shoulders.

But of course, knowing you, you are never at a loss for words for too long. "But-". He stopped the car before you could finish what you were going to say. The wheels screeched against the hot pavement as the jolt of the car forced stray hairs into your face.

Climbing out of the car, he circled around to the passenger side and opened your door. "We will be staying here for the night." He said, as was his plan from the start. It would take another night for the MT forces to reach the disk. He couldn’t have the five of you barreling through the Achean’s door before the stage was set.

The frown deepened on your face as you stared at his hand. "But it's only 3 p.m"

Before he could retort, the regalia’s soft purr greeted his ears. Ardyn looked up to find more angry faces glowering at him.

"What's the hold up?" Gladiolus was the first to ask.

"Ardyn wants us to stop for the night." You replied.

"Why? we still got plenty of daylight, this is a waste of time."

"There's no need to fret, the Achean's not going anywhere!"

"And neither are we under your stewardship." Ignis grimaced.

"So we make camp…with Ardyn." Came Prompto as he, and the rest of his crew, climbed out of the car. A symphony of protests followed his statement.

"Oh, I'm afraid I've never been one for the outdoors. I will foot the bill, so let us stay at the caravan over yonder?"

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