"Alright, this is it Bahamut."

"The time has come to reclaim your throne, King of Light. Are you ready to fulfill your destiny?"

"Course I am" Noctis answered with a cocky smile, his time trainings with the kings and Queens of old increased his confidence. He was certain that he could defeat Ardyn but what he planned to do afterwards got him a bit nervous. "You ready to help me fix all this after I kill Ardyn?"

"I will do everything in power to assist you."

"Thanks, what's the status on the other Astrals?"

"Ramuh and Shiva jumped at a chance to atone for their sins and once I convinced titan that that our goal was to silence Princeps for good he joined our mission. Leviathan is too wild to trust and so I omitted her from our plan."

"Yeah...not telling Leviathan seems like a good idea. I can't believe it's almost time for me to come back to the land of the living. I hope my friends aren't too hung up about my disappearance…"

"I assure you that you will receive a warm welcome, Noctis. Now go forth and free Eos from darkness!"

0000

Ten years had passed since the sun set for the last time in Eos. when the world is devoid of light for that long, people get used to it. There were actually children who never had the blessing of experiencing the gaze of sunbeams upon their body. To them, the sun was simply a legend that their parents and older sibling told them about. The bright anti-daemon lights were the only lights that people could rely on now. The Hunters and the remaining members of the Crownsguard were similarly hailed as the "light in the darkness". Their unwavering devotion to saving refugees and combating daemons led to them being seen as heroes and in the case of the Crownsguard, celebrities."

It wasn't uncommon for the King's former entourage to receive letters and autograph from fans. Women were disappointed that Gladio, the one member of the King's entourage who for the longest time was still single convinced Gentiana to actually be his girlfriend. Gladio hoped that his union with a Goddess would make his fangirls stop harassing him, a notion that was laughed at from Ignis and Prompto.

"You really think having an Astral as a girlfriend is going to stop obsessive fans? Oh, you sweet summer child…"

"The hell are you talking about, Prompto?"

"I'm saying that even Gentiana is now going to get harassed by your fans. Let's hope she doesn't have any social media accounts. Crazy stalkers are known to send death threats to any significant other you have."

"Prompto is correct, I've had Cindy tell me she got some rather peculiar writings in her mailbox accusing her of being a witch that used her wiles to steal me from them. You would think that they would be more grateful to the woman who gave humanity a chance to survive in this world of darkness…"

"You gotta be kidding me…but I'm sure Gen isn't the one to have any social media profiles

"And that doesn't even account for the weird fanfiction they write about us. You don't how many times I saved people and in return they gave me some really detailed stuff they wrote about me and Noctis. There's a lot of crazy stuff involving you too big guy, mostly with Ignis."

"How the hell do you guys know this stuff?!"

"There is quite a bit of...graphic artwork centered about Aranea and I. According to May, some of the art demonstrate amazing skill and she's baffled why such talent is wasted on drawing such odd smut. Though I suppose the lack of sun made recreating the gorgeous landscapes of Eos a tad bit harder…"

"Yeesh, you think my little sis gets it as bad as we do?"

"Let's all hope not…"

"I feel super bummed out that we're on a mission during her birthday. I mean, it's good that Cor gave her a day off but the only other person who doesn't have a mission today is Aranea."

"Man, Aranea and Iris are pretty good friends. I bet that they are having a good time drinking in Lestallum right now! Let's just transport this stuff to Altissia and then meet up with them!"

"Prompto is correct, the faster we reach our objective the faster we get to go and celebrate with Iris"

0000

The birthday girl and the Dragoon were busy "celebrating" Iris' 29th birthday, and by "celebrate" they mean "get super drunk". The bar they were in, the "Roaring behemoth" was a relatively new bar that Aranea had a majority stake in. It was a pretty classy, located in the formerly rich part of Lestallum before the Starscourge became bad. Aranea wanted to treat one of her friends and "mission buddies" to a good time. She also secretly wanted to know more about Gladio's little sister. All the Dragoon knew is that Iris and Noctis were pretty serious about their relationship and that they knew each other since they were kids. It must have been hard to see Noctis disappear into the crystal. Her thoughts were interrupted by the bartender asking for their drinks.

"I'll have the usual, Kurt. Ask what the birthday girl wants."

"Of course. Whatever drink ya want, I could make it for ya!"

"I'll just have a beer please, thanks you." Kurt almost seemed disappointed by the simple request as he left to make their drinks.

"Wow, going with a regular beer? You really are Gladio sister."

"Oh ha-ha, I'm just not into those fancy drinks"

"Whatever you say. Anyway, how's it feel being almost thirty?"

"Well, it feels a little easier celebrating happy events now that the world is settled."

"Mm-hm, must suck that you couldn't have more peaceful birthday parties when your were in your early to mid twenties because once you hit thirty you start dreading birthdays."

"Why would you care? You still look gorgeous!"

"You tend to age gracefully when you naturally have grey hair!" both women burst out laughing.

"Look at us, didn't even have a drink yet and we're already yucking it up!"

"Speak of the devil, looks like Kurt is here"

"A beer for the birthday girl and a Malboro Martini for owner of this establishment." Kurt handed them their drinks and quickly left to clean glasses, stating that cleaning glassware "Calmed his nerves" the way smoking does for other people. Aranea never questioned his quirks since he was a good worker.

Iris wolfed down her drink easily enough but grimaced when she saw the malboro tentacle inside Aranea's drink. Aranea laughed at her reaction to her drink "You know a malboro root actually adds a nice "unique" flavor in a drink, right?"

"I don't know if I'm hardcore enough to eat or drink anything that has to do with malboros…"

"I thought you'd be more open to the idea, seeing as how you have a pretty nice malboro tattoo going down you're right arm." Aranea pointed at the detailed painting of the poisonous plant beast that was on her skin.

"The Amicitia family were the King's shields for generations Aranea. When we are deemed worthy by a superior, we would get a tattoo that represents something about ourselves. Gladdy got a tattoo of an eagle when he turned eighteen and beat dad in a swordfight, he chose his eagle because it represented "valor and strength". I got the malboro tattoo during my first solo mission. I had to rescue a group of hunters from a malboro in the Cleigne swamp. It took me three hours to kill that thing while the injured hunters escaped and I almost died a couple times. After I got back to the hunter HQ, Gladdy told me that if I wanted, I earned my "Shield tattoo"

"And you chose the malboro you killed."

"That was my hardest battle I fought up until that point, it was at that moment where I realized that the world had gone to hell and only we could make it safe for all the people who can't fight back. And I sorta felt that I had a connection with malboro…"

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm serious! After I killed that thing, researchers discovered it had a nest nearby in the swamp. They concluded that the malboro thought the hunters were a threat to her unborn children and attacked them. That thing fought me four hours to save her eggs and it died protecting her family. I felt for the thing and so I decided to etch it's image on my arm, as a reminder of what I fight for."

"...That's really cheesy. But, it's also really sweet. Fighting for the people you love sounds better than fighting for a paycheck, like I did back then."

"But ever since Niflheim fell, you've been fighting for Eos like everyone else! Plus, ten years ago you were robbing Niflheim of their money!"

"True. Speaking of love, it looks like those guys at that table are eyeing you pretty hard…"

"What! I think they're most interested in you. "

"Nah, they all want to get to know the famed Daemon Slayer. You look good, girl! Didn't Vyv complain that after your brother and Ignis did a photoshoot to attract more female readers to his magazine that a lot of men were clamoring for you to do a photoshoot…"

"I don't think I know any sexy poses like my brother does. And how the hell did Vyv convince Ignis of all people to pose shirtless?!"

"Apparently, Ignis combines the "mysterious coolness" of having scars and "the refined and dignified looks of a gentleman" that drives the girls wild, according to Vyv. Plus, Cindy convinced him to do it as a birthday gift for her."

"Oh, God. I can't imagine having my pictures gawked at by guys who buy Vyv's magazine like how girls stare at my Gladdy and Ignis."

"I don't think not having pictures of you in a swimsuit is stopping them from staring at you. I don't know if you're willing to admit it but you're pretty damn gorgeous!"

Aranea was right, of course. It took longer than she hoped but Iris grew out of her "girly" look that made her look younger than she really was. She was happy that she put on an impressive amount of muscles that accentuated her more than ample bust. Cor taught her that lower body strength was more important than a lot of people would like to think and she took his words to heart. At this point in her life, Iris was used to squatting into the triple digits. She wasn't to humble to admit that her legs and ass looked amazing. And to top it all off, her chestnut hair that she used to have frame her face was now long enough to reach her back, she had to put into a rather long ponytail to get it under control.

"While those guys do look decent, I'm still technically in a relationship…"

"Still waiting for Prince charming? You're as stubborn as your brother."

"We Amicitias pride ourselves on our stubborn fortitude! And besides, the wait for Noct coming back has been much easier with Gentiana giving us updates for his return."

The buzzing of Aranea's phone took her out of the conversation. "Excuse me iris, this is a call from Cor. Gotta take it!" Iris watched as Aranea's jaw drop in shock. She was terrified at what could make a seasoned Like Aranea so shook; did daemons overrun one of the cities that were under hunter protection? Did any of their friends die in battle? Her fears were cut short when she saw Aranea's face morph into a triumphant smile. The Dragoon put the phone down and could barely contain the joy in her words.

"Noctis is back, and he's arriving in Lestallum soon."

0000

Iris pushed through the huge crowd that was gathered around the returning King. She thought about how stupid Noct was that he was found wandering a random road when Talcott found him. "Uh, if he would have died right after he came back…" she heard some people complain that she butting in line to see Noctis but why the fuck would she care? She hadn't seen her boyfriend in ten years, she should take priority over everyone else! She saw the King surrounded by Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis. It was just like the old days, of traveling the land in the regalia with all of them.

When she saw Noct, she couldn't help but tear up. He looked rugged and mature, a far cry from the pretty-boy prince that she knew and loved. He actually had a beard! And not like the dinky beard Prompto grew in an attempt to look cool, but a full, honest to Gods, Regal looking beard! Then Noctis caught her in his line of vision. The battle-ready King briefly took a rest and his face for a short moment returned to that of the awkward prince. Similarly, for a moment Iris went back in time ten years and became the lovestruck teen that somehow caught the eye of the prince. It was like some sort of bad romance novel. For what seemed like an eternity, the two just stared at each other while the rest of the world grew silent. Aranea pushing iris out of the crowd and into Noctis' arms forced the two to do something other than stare at each other. Namely, giving each other long overdue "welcome back" hugs.

"Noctis! It's been ten years! I...actually don't know what to say now that you're back…"

"Well you can start by acknowledging how strong I've gotten. Look, I'm actually lifting you up in this hug!" Iris looked down and noticed that her feet were actually off the ground. This shocked her because A. She was used to being the strong friend who lifted other people up during hugs (being the Shield's sister means you have to stay strong) and B. Noctis was the opposite of strong back then.

"Wow...training with your ancestors really paid off…"

"Thanks. I gotta say, long hair suits you. Leave it to you to somehow get hotter fighting daemons for a decade…"

"You don't look too bad yourself. I really like the beard, makes you look king-ly."

"King-ly? Is that an actual term?"

"Well it should be!"

The lovers' reunion was cut short by Ignis "I'd hate to interrupt you two but we need to discuss how Noctis intends to defeat Ardyn and I would like it if we did that sooner than later. I have a child to tuck into bed."

Noctis' eyes widened in shock and confusion. "Since when did you have a kid specs?"

"I don't really recall, but if I were to guess I'd say it happened between today and ten years ago, your Majesty."

"Okay, I walked into that one. Alright, let's go to the hunters' HQ so I could tell you all that I've learned in my ten years trapped in the crystal. You're all going to have a seat as I tell you what I know…

0000

"What the actual fuck."

Gladiolus' reaction summed up what everyone was thinking after Noct told them his tale. Even the usually unflappable Cor was aghast at what he just heard. The entire Lucis line of Kings started because a jealous reject stole the throne from it's true heir- Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Not only did the great Princeps Lucis Caelum stole his name from Ardyn but he effectively erased any records of Ardyn from the history books. The Astrals neglected to help the one that they screwed over and now need Noctis to help them. Noct was supposed to defeat Ardyn and restore light upon this world.

Of course Noct made a different plan with the Astrals. Most of the Astrals, led by Bahamut felt that they needed atonement for the grievous sins they committed eons ago. He couldn't reveal what his plan was at the moment but he felt pretty confident.

"So what's the plan to invade Insomnia? Ardyn's holed up in the throne waiting for you…" Gladio asked Noct

"I think a team of Me, Cor, Aranea, Prompto, Ignis, Iris, ten of Dave's elite hunters and you should be able to breach the throne room. Monica, Talcott, Weskham, Cid and the rest of the hunters will be needed to defend Lestallum, Tenebrae, and Altissia. We're gonna storm Insomnia tomorrow at 1900 hours"

"It took you ten years to come up with that plan?"

"I was training to defeat Ardyn for ten years, Cor. Besides, my real plan starts after Ardyn is dead."

"So we should all just get some rest now? Where are you going to stay Noct?"

"To be honest Prompto, didn't really think about where I'd stay…"

"Why not stay with me?" Noctis missed hearing the sweet tones of iris' voice. "I have a place in Lestallum that you could crash in…"

"I'm gonna have to take you up on that offer Iris…"

0000

Fuck, he missed this. Here they were, naked and sprawled on her bed. Only this time, they never had to worry about waking up any of their companions since she lived here alone. After ten years of training with his ancestors to prepare him for his destiny, Noctis felt like thanking whatever deity that made it so he could have a brief respite with the woman he loved.

"C'mon Noctis, Harder!"

Iris was lying on the bed, the ponytail she usually had hair in was undone and her chestnut locks were splayed across the bed. She was the picture of reckless abandon and right now she demanded his attention. He listened of course, after all, what kind of king doesn't listen to his people?

The king took a moment to steady himself and plunged into her. The resulting groan from Iris was like music to his ears. His girlfriend was always more...ahem, *experienced* then he was. (He had to devote his time to learning how to be a good ruler) and he felt a swell of prides when he realized he could get her to react like that. His pride was what kept him from climaxing then and there as well. Sliding into her velveteen walls almost drove him completely crazy and the breathy moans escaping her mouth weren't helping things for him. Thankfully, all the meditating he did while training with his ancestors kept him as cool as a cucumber. He just had to keep up the pressure until she couldn't tak-

"OH FUCK, NOCTIAUUGH!"

Well, there it was. The king held up for a couple more moments before climaxing just as his consort did. He collapsed on the bed next to her and let out a sigh of satisfaction as Iris rolled on top of him to nuzzle her head on his chest.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this…" Iris said between pants

"I think if anyone knew how you felt it would be me. I'm actually kinda shocked that you didn't move on. Ten years is a lot of time to wait for a guy…"

Iris lifted her head from his to chest to look the king in his eyes "You'd think I would just settle for someone else while you were doing everything you can to help humanity from the other side? Do you think I'm that heartless? And besides, dating royalty kinda spoils you!"

"Thanks for alleviating some of my fears. But I don't think anything is gonna stop me from being afraid of what's gonna happen tomorrow…"

"I think that all of us could beat Ardyn. I mean you do have the full power of the Crystal and all your ancestors, well except the shitty one that made Ardyn the dick he is today."

"It's not defeating Ardyn I'm afraid of...It's what I'm gonna do afterwards..."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"I'm gonna destroy the Crystal in the Astral Plane. With the Crystal dead, the line of Lucis Kings and Queens will be severed from the world of the living. Ardyn will be able to die since his life is tied to the crystal and so will the other Rulers of Lucis."

"Wait...but that means…"

"I'm probably going to die too...And not just me...the Astrals will also die since they tied the Crystal to their power too. The Astrals besides Leviathan are in on my plan...they told me they want to atone for Ardyn's downfall…"

"Is there any other way?"

"I was supposed to kill Ardyn and sacrifice myself to end his life for good. So either way I'm dead. I'd rather pick the option that makes up for the mistakes of my family."

"I see…" Noctis could tell that Iris was attempting to hide the tears streaming down her face. He gently wiped them away from her face before giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you so soon."

"It was worth it."

"What?"

"This relationship was worth it. All the waiting and heartache that's going to happen soon...If I could do all this again...I would."

"Do...do you really mean that?"

"Course I do! I mean, we weren't even supposed to be together considering you were supposed to be married to Lady Lunafreya…"

"She's actually pretty happy with Nyx in the Afterlife."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I feel like we need to get back on topic. I'd say it was worth it too."

"I'm glad we're on the same page here, Noct."

"Before everything goes down tomorrow, I just to tell you that...seeing you here now...after all this time...It's...more than I could take…" It was Noctis' turn to shed tears."

"Yeah...It's hard for me too…."

"I love you, Iris. I was too afraid to say before we went to Gralea but I'm not gonna chicken out now! I love you Iris Amicitia."

"I love you too, Noctis Lucis Caelum."

0000

Ignis was having a nice meal with his family. He felt that this was the thing he needed to do to calm his nerves. The spectacled man looked across the table at his now four year daughter. She was a spitting image of Cindy but had long hair that was unmistakably his colour. She was a precocious little rascal, always asking her mother and great-grandfather questions about their life's work. Cindy always had time to indulge her daughter with tales of her line of work but he was surprised when even the usually cranky Cid readily listened to her questions and spent time with her.

"Mommy, is daddy going on a super-secret mission to fight daemons again?"

"Even better sweetheart, your father is goin' to help bring the sun back!"

"Whoa, Really daddy!"

Ignis sometimes forgot that Aulena never saw the sun in her life. To be honest, he was afraid that she would develop vision problems due to the abscenes of the sun in the sky but to his luck, her and the bevy of children who were born during the age of darkness had normal eyesight. No doubt due to the bright UV lights his wife made.

"Yes...We're going to defeat the vile villain who caused all the trouble in the world!" Ignis deliberately made his words sound more dramatic to appease his daughter.

"Wow! Who else is going to go?"

"Well Uncle Gladio and Prompto are going to join me. Aunt Iris and General Cor and Commodore Aranea are going to be joining me as well."

"What about your friend? The one mommy said came back yesterday?"

"King Noctis? He is going to help us fight too! Together, there is nothing that can stop us!"

"That confident, eh?" Cindy side-eyed her husband with a smirk.

"Well, Gladio informed me that Gentiana and the rest of the Astrals, save Leviathan were in on Noctis' plan to defeat Ardyn. I trust all of the people involved to make this right…"

"Aren't you worried that you'll get hurt, daddy?"

"With all of us together, I know we can succeed! I promise you, Aulena. You shall see the sun rise when we come back!"

"Never thought you were one for pep talks, honey…"

"I can't be the stoic adviser all of the time…" Ignis and Cindy burst in a fit of laughter. Aulena imitated her parents and let out a soft giggle as well. She was so excited to see the sun for the first time in her life.

0000

The journey getting into Insomnia was easier than Noct thought. Apparently, Cor found an underground passage that led towards the city that was free from the larger and more intimidating daemons. The only things that could fit in there were low level goblin family daemons. They arrived not far from the Citadel, Ardyn was no doubt lounging on the throne waiting for the saviors of Lucis to arrive at his feet. The six "generals" turned towards King Noctis for a battle plan.

"We gonna find the shortest way towards the Citadel, no unnecessary daemon fights. Ardyn would want us to waste our energy taking out the elite daemons that roam the streets." Noctis took a moment to look at the city's infrastructure before returning his focus on his allies.

"Alright, despite the fact that the city looks like shit, it looks like the general layout of the place wasn't messed up during the attack. I spent a lot off time navigating the city streets to get away from Ignis and my duties as a prince."

"Those were the good old days, Noct…"

"Yeah it was awesome, wasn't it Iggy? But anyway, if we stick in the alleys and rooftops then we could stay away from the majority of the daemons. It will easier now that we can all warp up places. Seriously, once you get used to it you'll wonder how you lived life without it!"

"Nice pep-talk Noctis…"

"Don't mention it, Iris! Now I hope none of you are afraid of heights!"

The ragtag platoon prowled the rooftops in an effort to get as close as possible to the center of the city without wasting time fighting any monsters. While they were safer up there then in the streets, powerful daemons still spawned on the rooftops.

An intimidating samurai looking creature appeared right in front of the group, it's glare begging for a fight. Even though the creature appeared to have one of its arms in a sling that didn't stop it from being scary as hell. Cor and Iris stepped up to take of the beast.

"that daemon is as noble as they come. All they desire is a duel with others who wield a katana like it does. It should be content with Iris and I." Iris gave a nod in agreement.

Knowing better than to question the two veterans, the king let them past but not without observing something odd about the daemon.

"Hey Gladio."

"Yeah?"

"with the way that thing has one good arm and the patterns and colors of the kimono it's wearing doesn't he remind you of that game we used to play?"

"Which one?"

"The RPG with the awkward voice acting and funny outfits."

"Oh, you mean Last Myth EX?"

"Yeah!"

"We should make Ignis name it after one of the character in that game! You know, when he adds it to the bestiary?"

"That's an excellent idea Prompto! I shall dub it "Yojimbo" I will write it down immediately!"

"While you dorks were talking about videogames, me and Cor killed that thing."

"Weren't you into sappy romance novels when you were younger, lil' sis?"

"touche"

"Guys, we're at the Citadel!" Prompto pointed at the gate that led to the courtyard. It would have been a straightforward walk to the throne room if it weren't for the gigantic Behemoth King block their way.

"Who the hell decided that putting wings on a Behemoth fair?! Noctis was prepared to lead the charge to kill the beast among daemons when Aranea stepped up and gave a request.

"I'll handle the Behemoth with the hunters, you guys just head to the throne room and kill Ardyn."

"You sure 'bout that Aranea?"

"Of course I am! Hell, I trained some of these guys on how to use a spear. You guys have more of a beef with Ardyn than I do. The dude always paid me on time back when I worked with Niflheim so I'm good with you guys getting your shit in."

"Thanks Aranea…"

"No problem!" The Dragoon turned towards the hunters and gave them a pep talk "Alright you losers, you call yourselves hunters? Well this Behemoth is the most dangerous game! Let's show him just outclassed he really is!" the hunters cheered in agreement and followed Aranea down to the streets to fight.

While the beast was distracted the rest of the group entered from the front gates. Ardyn was ascending the stairs when he stopped and looked at the team. "You are so close to your goal, King Noctis! What's one more obstacle to overcome? This fiery fellow is like a blast from the past. Well, not from your past of course, unless you're over a millenia in age but...Oh forget it! Let me introduce you to the Infernian! He doesn't share Shiva's fondness for humanity and he hates a certain human in particular for stealing his lover away."

Noctis steeled himself for the fight but was surprised when Gladio roughly grabbed his shoulder.

"Go kill Ardyn! We got this guy!"

"What? I can't abandon you all!"

"Noctis, it is your destiny to defeat him, you spent ten years building up your strength it would be a shame to waste it on this creature." Ignis' statement came with a nod from Prompto, Iris, and Cor. They agreed with the adviser.

"Alright...I better not come back and see you losing against this guy!"

"Well if we beat this God of fire before you kill an old man I might just break up with you!" Iris stuck her tongue out in a mocking fashion with her taunt to show that they weren't worried about the fight.

Noctis ran past the Infernian as the grimacing God laid his eyes on Gladio. After a short run inside the familiar building he saw Ardyn lounging on the throne.

"Ah, how poetic! The Astrals' latest puppet is going to battle with the Astrals' first puppet!"

"Just hear me out, Ardyn! I know what happened in your past and I know that I'm supposed to kill you and sacrifice myself to make sure you don't regenerate."

Ardyn's curiosity was piqued when he heard that Noct understood what was supposed to happen. It seemed that the Astrals didn't lie to their new chosen this time. But it seemed that Noctis had his own plan and he wanted him to cooperate? Ardyn was so intrigued that he couldn't help but listen.

"I wanna end my family line! It's all a lie and I want to atone for that lie! I know what Princeps and the Astrals did to you! How they abandoned you after all you had done for the world! I'm gonna end my line and let humanity start anew and destroy the crystal!'

"This gambit you are proposing is a risky venture indeed...You do know that you shall most likely die if you destroy the crystal than you will have a good chance of perishing as well…."

"I'm gonna die either way so i might as well die getting rid of Princeps!"

"Very well...I shall do what anything I can to help you in your ploy."

"I'm gonna have to...kill you."

"I was already planning to die in our final bout but in the interest of getting revenge I shall let you strike me down. I should warn you that I may take more than any man you ever fought against…"

With a smirk, Noctis summoned one his blades. "Oh, I'm cool with that! I still hate your guts but I thought you would agree with any plan to get back at your old friend. I'm gonna enjoy beating the shit of you!"

Ardyn chuckled in amusement and actually was a bit flattered. "Well after everything I've done to you and your friends, I do deserve everything you throw at me. Besides, it would cruel of me to deny you any satisfaction before your death…"

Noctis summoned the most brutal weapon he had, the chainsaw blade wielded by his ancestor and took his sweet time slicing Ardyn into ribbons.

"THIS IS FOR DAD!" there goes an arm…

"THIS FOR NYX!" Ardyn's guts were now spilling onto the expensive carpet...

"THIS IS FOR LUNA" a leg was lopped off this time…

Noctis continued his assault on Ardyn for quite some time. It might been the last time he'd get some joy in his life so he basked in it. It wasn't as fulfilling as his night with Iris but he couldn't exactly be picky. After Ardyn became an unrecognizable pulp, he put the ring on and awaited his fate.

"Here we go…"

0000

"I think we should let Ifrit fight Gladio fair and square. I mean the big guy did kinda steal his girlfriend…"

"Prompto! I am not letting you abandon my brother!"

In contrast to Noctis' "fight" with the chancellor, the rest of the new Kingsglaive were fighting for their lives. They were warping in and out of the battlefield, staying away from each other to keep the infernian distracted. The fiery fiend seemed to be impervious to all damage as he shrugged off attacks from even Gladio, Iris and Cor's legendary weapons.

"Shouldn't your katana do something against him Cor?! I mean, Shiva gave it to you, it should have some ice enchantments!"

"The only enhancement my Katana has is its durability and sharpness. Aside from that, It's pretty standard."

Prompto's ice magic grenades were the only things that seemed to slow down the fallen Astral, but even then they wouldn't last forever. The gunman was down to his last rounds and Ifrit was still going strong.

A frigid chill filled the air and Ifrit stopped to look around for the source. Gladio thought it was Ignis' powerful spells and thanks his spectacled friend only to have Ignis deny any involvement. It was only when Shiva herself appeared to aid the group did Ifrit seem scared.

"I apologise for my tardiness, I don't expect you all to defeat an Astral all by your lonesome." Shiva duplicated her multiple times before unleashing several blizzards towards the infernian's directions. The fire God forze and shattered. Gladio walked up to Shiva to try and comfort her.

"I'm sorry you had to do this...I know what he meant to you an-"

"This infernal being was merely a corpsed erected by Ardyn. I felt nothing but anger slaying that creature. Mostly because it was attacking the man who currently has my heart."

"That...uh...I mean….Thanks?"

"Smooth, Gladdy."

Gentiana chuckled at Iris' sarcasm before grabbing Gladio hands with her own. "I believe that this may be the last time we meet. How ironic that you were worried that this would not work out since you will die before me…"

"Wait, what does that me-" Gentiana cut him off with a brief kiss before fading away into the Astral Plane.

0000

Noctis stood in the endless void. The crystal was right in front of him, as were the kings of yore with Princeps being in the forefront. The Astrals were behind him waiting for the opportunity to strike. Unexpectedly, Nyx and Luna were there as well, no doubt to give Noct their moral support.

"Congratulations, O Chosen King. Your destiny awaits, you have slayed the darkness and all you need to do is touch the crystal to end the False king for good." Princeps spoke without a hint of remorse for his role in Ardyn's downfall.

"How about I kill the man who stole the throne from Ardyn Lucis Caelum and stole his name? The one who betrayed him and left him to rot? Princeps, you're a false king and I'm here to end this charade!"

The other kings were concerned about what Noct was saying but Princeps remained calm. "So you know the truth, it's too bad. I actually thought you were a decent ruler." before the other kings could react, Princeps took control of their bodies and ripped the Royal Arms from Noctis' very being.

"I figured that you would try to destroy the Crystal. But seeing that the Royal Arms were the only weapons you have in this undying plane of existence, it looks like you have no means of fulfilling your goal.

Noctis smirked "Well, it's a good thing I decided to bring my own Royal Arm!" He pulled out his fully upgraded Engine Blade, dubbed the Ultima blade and started hitting the crystal. The gem started shattering as Princeps panicked and ordered the other rulers to stop Noct. The Astrals stepped in to stop them from touching Noct. Even leviathan was on Noct's side! Apparently, she hated the one arrogant human more than the rest of his species.

"Please, you don't understand what you're doing! If you destroy the Crystal, you destroy the entire Lucis line of kings!" Princeps was desperate to preserve his legacy of lies

"Well it's a good thing I never gave a shit about being a prince!" Noctis let out one last fit of mocking laughter at Princep's face before shattering the Crystal.

"What the fuck?!" Noctis found himself sitting on the throne, in the world of the living! Did...did he live? He felt his powers that were there since he was slowly fade away from his body. He tried summoning a sword but failed.

"You don't have your powers anymore, King Noctis…"

Gentiana was right next to him!

"Gentiana?! How the hell...what happened?" The Astral chuckled before explaining to Noct what had transpired after he destroyed his Crystal.

"After you destroyed the Crystal, All the former Kings and Queens vanished from the Astral Plane. The Astrals also died for good in the ensuing cosmic pulse the shattered Crystal emitted. Their magic was and by extension, lives were tied to to Crystal."

"But why…?"

"I am here because the New Goddess felt like she owed me."

"New Goddess?"

"Lady Lunafreya absorbed the magic energy that was released and became all powerful. She now has the magic of all the astrals and is the sole Goddess of Eos. Rechristening herself as "Etro" she vowed to make Eos a world of peace and hope. She let me live as a regular, mortal human in my Gentiana form. I have no more magic at all, I am simply human."

"Am I normal too?"

"Not exactly…" Gentiana handed Noct a tiny sliver of Crystal "You must now start from square one like Princeps did. You are officially the first New "Redeemed King of Lucis" and your powers shall grow for every generation of offspring you have."

"What about the Starscourge?"

"The Starscourge was tied to the magical energy of the old crystal as well. Now there are no more daemons in the world and the sun should be coming up soon."

"So...the plan worked?"

"Better than we could have hoped. I shall miss my old brethren though…"

"How are we going to explain this to everyone else?"

"That Nyx fellow is now Etro's Oracle and shall spread the world throughout Eos' various Priests and Priestesses. Soon, everyone shall worship the new True Goddess."

"Leave it Luna to come up with a perfect plan in ten minutes…"

"Indeed, she now has an eternity to spend with Nyx and doing what she loves- making the world better for humanity."

"We should tell the others."

"They are waiting for you outside.

0000

"Iris, will you marry me?"

"Noct you dropped a bombshell about Luna becoming the one true God and now you're asking me about marriage?!"

"I just came back from almost dying! I want to do this before anything else happens to me! Besides, the media won't stop harassing me until I get a wife."

"How romantic...Well, it's been a long day and I'm glad you're alive. I can't believe I'm going to be a queen!"

"That's a yes, then?"

"Of course it is, you dummy!"

Gladio glanced at the two before laughing. Somehow, it all worked out and his annoying little sister got married to her childhood sweetheart. Just like somehow Gentiana escaped the death of the Astrals and was now fully human. He'd have to thank Luna and Nyx for this solid when he dies.

"Speaking of weddings, Gentiana…"

"Oh you cad!"

0000

"Prince Solanaceous, please be careful!"

"Just call me Sol, Aulena. Just because you're my adviser doesn't mean you have to use my super long full name! And quit worryin' about me, I'll be just fine."

"If you get hurt climbing these rocks, it'll be my parents chewing me out for being a terrible Shield!" Armium inherited his dad's hot temper and was sick and tired of the pale prince being so reckless.

"Guys, hold still. I'm trying to paint you all on the mountain!" a slender blonde teen chirped out her request

"Wouldn't it be easier if you took a simple photo of his highness instead of opting for an elaborate painting, Zoe?" Aulena knew that one day she will die from the stress the Prince or Zoe put on her daily. "Well, father did say that being an adviser would be hard work…"

"Yo Sol, get the hell off those rocks! You're gonna slip and break your neck!"

"I'm old enough to know what I'm doing!"

Aulena decided to reprimand Sol for his impudent behavior. "You're only nine years old Sol! You are in no way "old enough to know what you are doing!"

"Yeah? And you're fourteen, Aulena! You have no room to talk about being too young to do anything!"

Across the park, the group's parents were having a chuckle at the kids' expense. It was as if they were having a flashback to their younger years.

"It appears that Sol is the opposite of you in your younger years, Noct. you were lazy to a fault while he wants to do everything by himself."

"That's because he has Amicitia DNA in him. You're lucky Iris is a good mother, Noct."

"Hey, hey, don't I get credit for being the king who recovered humanity from the darkness and having time to spend with his kid?"

"No, because you have the best Adviser in the history of the world at yer' side" Cindy beamed proudly at her husband.

"How'd you let Ignis raise your kid to be such a worrywart, Cindy?"

"As opposed to your child who shirks off her school duties to paint and take pictures of everything around her?" Ignis fired back at Prompto.

"Guys, shouldn't we be celebrating Gentiana's ten year anniversary as a human instead of arguing?" Iris gave her sister in law a meaningful glance."

"Yeah, how's it feel actually aging?"

"While I am now terrified of wrinkles, I think that being able to raise a kid who I won't outlive is worth any price. It helps that my husband is still impeccably handsome…"

"You're damn right!"

They all laughed at Gladio declaration of pride. It had been ten years since the light returned and peace was restored in Eos. Cor was now in charge of ruling Niflheim with Verstael aiding him in creating more robots to help with reconstruction. Noctis had his hands full in Lucis and Altissia while Aranea and Loqi made sure Tenebrae was getting back on track. Although a lot of work still needed to be done, they revelled in what they accomplished.

Somehow, things turned out alright.

*Here's the anticlimactic end to a rushed, mediocre fanfic! Luna becoming Etro is a nod to Etro being the Goddess of the Versus13 version of FFXV.

Armium- combination of "armum" (latin for armor) and "Lilium" (Lily)

Solanaceous- it's latin for nightshade (a flower) and has the world sol (latin for sun)

Prompto is too dumb to think of a fancy latin name for his daughter

EDIT: I just realized that I finished this on Christmas! I don't celebrate it, but I wish everyone here a nice Christmas. Spend it with the people you love.

Thanks again for reading.*