All the author's notes after this paragraph pertain to AO3, because I'm too lazy to change them. Also, I mention a sequel at the end, but there's a good chance I'll only be posting it on AO3. It's time-consuming to post in both places, and AO3 is way more active for this fandom. I haven't quite decided for sure though.

Final chapter! One last time, a huge thank you to everyone that's left me kudos and comments, to everyone that's bookmarked, to everyone that's subscribed, even to those of you who may have done none of those things, but are still silently reading. I initially never expected this fic to get much attention, so what I've gotten has been amazing and made me so happy :3 Thank you to all of you that have stuck with me this far, even when I disappeared for half a year.

The Shadows Growing Tall
chapter fourteen

Noct comes to a halt as he at last stands in front of his goal: the Crystal. Over the speaker comes Ardyn's voice, saying, "Your journey is over, Noct," but he pays it no mind, gazing at the source of all his pain and suffering. It seems crazy that one magical rock is responsible for so much death and despair. So much has happened in such a short time since he and his friends had boarded the boat to Altissia. He'd thought then that things were finally looking up, that he'd have hope for a future, but instead they took a darker turn than he ever could have imagined. Now Luna's dead and gone, Ignis is blind, Prompto's been tortured... and he doesn't even know if all three of them are currently okay.

But now, he's finally here, reunited with the Crystal he's been seeking, the Ring of the Lucii at last on his finger, and he just might have a fighting chance after all. He reaches out to it, just as he hears footsteps behind him. Pain overtakes him the second his hand makes contact with the Crystal's force, wrenching hard at his core. Noct can't help it; he screams.

"Interesting," comes Ardyn's drawl behind him, and Noct manages to twist his body enough to bring the chancellor into his view, even as he can feel himself being slowly lifted by the Crystal's power. "Unharmed by the light. The Chosen King, indeed."

Noct glares at him, wanting to speak and refute his statement, but unable to for the pain. He's awash in hatred for the man though—so much of this has been Ardyn's fault, and he still can't fathom why, or reconcile it with Ardyn's earlier help back in Lucis. He listens unwillingly as Ardyn tells his short tale, struggling against the Crystal's power all the while. When Ardyn says his true name, Noct's eyes widen in shock. He wants to not believe it, but it makes sickening sense. Ardyn being a Lucis Caelum—and the first, at that—of course he'd understand the Crystal and the ring better than anyone.

The last thing Noct sees before he disappears completely into the Crystal is Ardyn's face, a smug smile of satisfaction upon it.

He zones out for a time, and when awareness comes back, the pain is gone, and he finds himself held in the gigantic palm of the Astral that only can be Bahamut.

"The Chosen King," Bahamut rumbles. "This is not how things were meant to be."

Noct blinks, staring up at him. Given his situation, he feels strangely calm, and it makes it easier to address the Astral before him. "What do you mean?"

"The fate of this world falls to the King of Kings," Bahamut says. "His Providence consecrated in the divine Light of the Crystal."

"Is that where we are?" Noct asks, looking around briefly. "In the light of the Crystal?"

"The heart of the Crystal," Bahamut corrects. "It is in this place that the King is meant to gain the power to fulfill his calling."

"My calling?"

"The King was meant to have the ring from the beginning, so that the Crystal could shed the entirety of its Light unto the ring. Only then could the immortal Accursed be banished and Light restored to this world, for a price. But it has gone wrong."

"I didn't have the ring," Noct says. He thinks about Bahamut's words, and back to everything he'd learned over the course of his journey. Shed the entirety of its Light... "The blessings from the Astrals, the covenants... the power was meant to go in the ring. Wasn't it?"

"Yes," Bahamut says. "As were the kings of old. However, it could not go to that which was not there."

By the kings of old, Noct can only assume he means the power of the Royal Arms that he'd hunted down all over Eos—in the end, he'd wound up with thirteen. "It all went to me," he says with wonder. "To my core."

"Yes," Bahamut says again. "The Astrals have now joined a part of themselves with the True King. Their power is his power."

Noct's not entirely sure, given Bahamut's odd way of speaking, but it sounds as if he's saying he literally has pieces of the Astrals' souls joined to his, through his core... which is an incredibly dizzying thought. Possibly it's why the Crystal never actually managed to kill him, despite how much he was directly powering it with his life to use his magic. And it also seems that he was meant to use the ring to purge the world of the Starscourge, only now he's mucked it up by not providing the proper power to the ring. "If I can't use the ring to kill Ardyn and get rid of the Starscourge, what am I meant to do?" he asks.

"By the blessing of the Astrals, their power will strengthen the King's power, and grant him the use of Providence by his own means. Only then will the Chosen One be able to fulfill his destiny. Without such strength, the immortal Accursed will strike down the Chosen King, and continue to bring darkness down upon our world."

Noct stares into Bahamut's unblinking face, trying to make sense of all that he's being told. He can't tell if the Astral's being deliberately cryptic or simply knows no other way of speaking. "Providence?"

"A power greater than even that of the Six, purifying all by the Light of the Crystal and the glaives of rulers past. Only at the throne can the Chosen receive it."

The power to actually destroy the Starscourge then. Which the Astrals are apparently going to somehow give him directly, rather than have him use it through the ring. Because he's apparently the Chosen King. He can remember Luna asking him once about being Chosen, but he hadn't understood what she had meant. He'd agreed and forgotten about it. He had no idea this had been what she meant...

Noct shakes his head. He's beginning to find this overwhelming. He also can't help but wonder about the 'price' that was meant to be paid. He can't imagine it would be light. But the potential thoughts that come to mind don't bear thinking about.

"Go now, Chosen, into Reflection," Bahamut says, and Noct soon finds himself once again losing all awareness around him as he floats within the Crystal's heart. He has no idea how much time passes, or what's happening outside of the Crystal—all he knows is the throbbing pulse of agony in his core, and the eternal scream locked within his throat as he's engulfed with the pain of feeling his core expanding little by little, growing stronger with the Astrals' help. He senses when Bahamut eventually joins with the others, his blessing wrapping around Noct's core, tangling with it and the Crystal, and knows he won't have to suffer much longer.

When he wakes, it's dark out, and he doesn't recognise his surroundings, but he knows enough to realise he's no longer in Gralea, in the depths of Zegnautus Keep. There's a lingering ache in his core, but it's fast fading. He wonders where his friends are, how long it's been. Has it been days, or maybe weeks? Possibly months... They're probably worried sick about him. He needs to find them.

He gets up, making his way outside of the stone building he's in to find Umbra waiting for him, a note held in his mouth. Be waiting... in Hammerhead. The note is in Prompto's handwriting.

He pats Umbra on the head and then stands, looking around. There's a boat at the shore of the land he's on, which he dimly recognises as the island of Angelgard now. When he gets close enough, he realises it's his dad's old boat. Noct's not sure how it's here, when he last saw it in Altissia, but he's not going to question it. He manages to get it going, and begins heading in the direction of Galdin Quay, which he can see in the distance. The ride's eerily quiet. There's an unnatural stillness to the world that makes his skin crawl. And it's concerning that Galdin Quay appears dark... the resort's always stayed pretty active at night. It should be lit up, and he can't think of any good reason why it's not.

When he pulls up to the dock, he quickly realises why the place is dark—it's completely abandoned. More than that, it's falling apart, and he spots daemons in the distance, running in his direction. "What the hell happened?" he mutters to himself, pulling his sword from his Armiger. He barely has time to marvel at the complete lack of pain before they're upon him. He strikes out, catching one across the stomach, opening up a deep gash in it. Another goblin chitters behind him, and he whirls around, stabbing deep into its gut before it can claw him. The third one gets a sword to the skull, and he returns his weapon to the Armiger, looking down at Umbra who's waiting patiently by his side.

"What's going on?" he asks, but of course Umbra has no answer for him, merely cocking his head as he looks at Noct curiously.

Noct doesn't have time to contemplate anything, however, because there are already more daemons spawning up from the darkness, ready to attack. Noct shakes his head and pulls his sword back out, slowly fighting his way through the wreckage of the once beautiful resort until he makes it to the main road. He doesn't have any idea what's going on, and he needs to get to Hammerhead so he can reunite with his friends and maybe get some answers. He stays alert as he starts heading down the road, knowing it's going to be a long and dangerous walk, but he has little other choice at the moment.

He's only walked for a couple of minutes when he hears the rumble of a truck behind him—someone's apparently braving the daemons to drive at night. Relieved, he turns around, putting himself in the glare of the headlights and raising a hand to flag it down. It pulls over, and he rushes over to it thankfully, opening the door and climbing in.

x x x

All three of his friends are leaving Takka's diner when Talcott pulls into Hammerhead. The sight of them brings a lump to Noct's throat. For him, it doesn't feel that long since he's last seen them, back in Gralea, but at the time he hadn't been sure he would ever see them again. And it's clear they've aged—their older appearances really help drive home the fact that it's been ten years. It's so hard to wrap his head around that. It's felt like only an hour or two at most since he's gone in the Crystal and come back out.

"Noct!" Prompto cries as Noct steps down from Talcott's truck. He excitedly taps at Ignis' arm before rushing up to Noct and throwing his arms around him. "It's really you!"

Noct sways, caught off guard by his best friend's enthusiastic hug. "Hey," he says, awkwardly bringing his arms up to hug Prompto back briefly, before stepping away.

"Hey? That's all you've got to say?" Gladio asks teasingly with a gentle punch to his shoulder. Noct smiles and shrugs. He's finding this whole thing very surreal, and he's not sure how to react. There's a strange sort of disconnect between him and reality.

"Noct. It's good to see you again," Ignis says quietly. "In a manner of speaking, of course."

Noct winces. For him, it still hasn't been all that long since Ignis was blinded, and he can't help the guilt that slams into him at the reminder. "Yeah, you too," he says. He studies his friends, taking in all their differences. There's more lines in their faces—from what, Noct's not sure. Stress, worry, simply growing older? Prompto's got a ridiculous looking goatee that Noct plans to tease him about at the first appropriate opportunity. Gladio's grown his hair out more, pulling it back into a ponytail that somehow makes him look even older. The wounds on Ignis' face have completely healed up into scars, and he's replaced his old glasses for a pair of dark visors. His hair's also grown out more, although unlike Gladio he's kept it in more or less the same style.

"I believe we have a lot of catching up to do," Ignis says.

Noct nods. "Yeah."

They head over to the old caravan, which has apparently become Prompto's home in the last ten years. The others let him take a shower first, while Ignis gets some food started. It feels just like it did before Altissia, before everything had gone so terribly wrong, and it throws Noct off. The disconnect widens.

In the small bathroom, Noct finally gets the first glimpse of himself in the mirror. Anxiety twists in his gut at the sight. In a way, he doesn't recognise himself—he feels like a stranger. He's changed too—he's got a smattering of facial hair, and his face has finally lost some of the softness it still had at twenty. It makes his skin crawl to see it, and he turns away before he can dissolve into a panic over it, deciding there will be time enough to think about it after all this is over.

He strips off for the shower, climbing into the small tub and soon enjoying the warmth of the water running over him, rinsing away the dirt and grime coating his body in an uncomfortable layer. His thoughts wander to his friends, and to the ruin that the world's apparently been for the past ten years. He can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to live in darkness for ten years, constantly having to fight daemons and struggling to survive, all the while having to hope that he would come back some day and save them... Noct swallows, because it seems truly terrible, and he doesn't know how any of his friends haven't fallen apart by now. He'd always known they were strong, but he's learning now exactly how strong they really are.

It seems crazy to think that he'd somehow been in the Crystal for ten years... He hopes it'll be worth it, that he'll at least have gained the power he needs to fix the world, and perhaps even survive it. He still can't believe that he has parts of the Astrals inside of his core, or that they were even willing to forge pacts with him despite him not having the ring. It also makes him wonder if there's any point to having the ring now. Despite knowing he'd needed to, he couldn't bring himself to wear it after Luna's death, not until he'd needed its unique powers while alone in Gralea. While he'd definitely felt the difference in having the Crystal pull from the ring instead of his core, it hadn't been as strong as he'd been expecting—probably because he hadn't powered it the way he'd been meant to. It still had its own powers, of course, but they'd felt very lacking. And now, given what the Astrals have done to his core, he suspects using the ring might actually kill him faster, because the Crystal would have to pull bigger pieces from him to power it properly—he's pretty sure he's stronger than the ring, now.

When he gets out of the shower, he finds Prompto and Gladio sitting together on one of the beds in the caravan while Ignis continues to prepare their dinner in the small kitchenette. Noct takes a seat on the bed opposite them, which gives him a good view of Ignis. He watches his friend cook for a while, silently marvelling over how at ease Ignis seems in the kitchen, despite not having his vision now. It's such a difference from the first weeks after he'd been injured, when he'd been hesitant to even walk at times. It had broken Noct's heart, to see his normally put-together and independent friend struggling so much. He's glad that Ignis has learned to compensate and regain a new sense of normality for himself, but he can't help but wonder at what cost it had come.

The three of them update Noct over dinner outside at the small table by the caravan, giving him a brief run-down of everything's that gone on in the past ten years during his absence. He's not at all surprised to learn that Niflheim's once mighty empire has fallen apart into nothing, but it does surprise him that Ardyn's taken up residence in the now otherwise abandoned Insomnia. It makes his blood boil—Lucis Caelum or not, the man has no business being there. Still, there will be time to deal with Ardyn later, so he puts the anger aside for now and continues to listen to his friends. He's startled to learn they'd separated a year or two after his disappearance, and says so.

Prompto looks at him then, sorrow briefly crossing his face. "It was hard to be together, with you gone," he says. "We're supposed to be a group of four, not three. It didn't feel right."

Noct glances between the three of them, his chest tight. He remembers those days at Cape Caem when Gladio had left, and he hadn't been sure he'd return. They'd been some of the hardest days of his life, and they hadn't even gone on for a full week. To feel something like that for ten years... he can't really blame them for not staying together. To have been only three instead of four—it must have been a constant reminder that he was gone, and that they didn't know if he'd ever come back, or what had truly happened to him. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "I had no way of knowing how much time had passed."

"Were you really in the Crystal this whole time?" Gladio asks.

Noct sighs, shoving his plate away. His appetite's gone now, Gladio's words bringing to mind all the pain he'd experienced in the Crystal, and all that Bahamut had told him. "Yeah," he says. "Bahamut was waiting for me in there."

"The Astral?" Prompto exclaims, shock threading through his tone as he drops his fork. It bangs against the side of his plate with a clatter, then falls to the floor. Prompto makes a face, bending down to retrieve it, sulking at the dirt that's now stuck to the tines.

Noct nods at him. "Yeah," he says again. "He had a funny way of speaking..."

"And what did he have to say?" Ignis asks.

"That I have to kill Ardyn and cleanse Eos of the Starscourge, because I'm the Chosen King."

There's silence for a moment as Noct's words sink in.

"If this were a video game, I'm not sure I'd like the sound of that, buddy," Prompto finally says with a nervous laugh.

Noct gives him a rueful look. "Trust me, I didn't either. Bahamut mentioned that there was a price that was meant to be paid, only I screwed it up by getting the Royal Arms and the blessing of the Astrals without the ring."

"A price? What kind?"

"He didn't say," Noct says, shrugging at Gladio. "I can take a guess though." He's a little astonished at how calmly he's managing to talk about all of this, but honestly he thinks it just hasn't become real for him yet. It's disconcerting as hell to look at his friends and see how much they've changed when it feels like only yesterday they were all still in their early twenties, but it also lends a sense of unreality to everything that he knows will make him panic if he stops and thinks about it, so it's easier to shove it all to the side and focus on what needs to come next. Later, when all is said and done, that's when he'll allow himself to face the truth of everything and break down. Assuming he even survives. He's not sure if he's meant to or not. It's something else he refuses to let himself dwell on for the time being.

"How is it you're meant to defeat Ardyn and the Starscourge, then?"

"It was supposed to be the ring," Noct explains, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "You were right, Specs, about me needing to have it for it to be active. If I'd had it, the power from the old kings and the Astrals would have gone to the ring, and I would have used it against the Starscourge. Instead, it went to my core. From what Bahamut said, I have pieces of the Astrals' souls inside my core."

Prompto's eyes widen. "So you're part god now?"

"Uh, I guess, technically?" Noct says, rubbing self-consciously at the back of his neck. "I don't think I get immortal life or any other special powers though... They did expand my core though, strengthening its powers..." He shudders, once more recalling the terrible agony of it.

"Pardon, expand?"

"I don't really know how to explain it... That's just what it felt like. But I think they meant for it to make me strong enough to use the power for Ardyn and the Starscourge through my core, rather than the ring."

Gladio frowns. "That seems sketchy as hell."

Noct laughs, the sound coming out hollow. "Believe me, I don't like it either. But I don't think have a choice. At least this way I probably have a better chance," he admits quietly, picking up his fork and toying with the food left on his plate as he avoids looking at his friends.

"A better chance for what?" Prompto asks, confusion evident in his voice.

"To survive, I would imagine," Ignis says, his voice as quiet as Noct's had been, and the words make Noct wince.

"...Oh," Prompto says, a stricken expression crossing his face. "Well, if the Astrals are a part of you now, maybe they won't let you die. Because they'd be killing a part of themselves too, right? They'll probably want you to live as long as possible." Prompto's voice is desperate. It makes Noct's heart ache, and for his sake, he hopes his best friend is right. Noct's not any more ready to die than he was before he got the ring.

"Maybe," he says, setting his fork back down again as he looks back up at them. "Either way, I need to go back to Insomnia and confront Ardyn. The time for me to take back the throne is long overdue. And I'll understand, if you guys don't want to be a part of this—"

"We're with you every step of the way, Noct," Ignis says, reaching his hand out until he finds Noct's, and places his own on top, fingers curling around Noct. Prompto and Gladio nod their agreement, reaching their hands out as well.

"Thank you," Noct says, forcing the words out of his suddenly closed up throat.

"We can set out as soon as you feel up to it," Gladio says. "Though we'll need time to prepare, and you should probably get some rest first."

Though Noct's not tired, he can't argue with the logic of that. He needs some time to decompress from the events of the last several hours—or ten years, really—and sort through his thoughts. He's still not willing to face most of it yet, but he needs to at least mentally prepare himself to see Insomnia again, and confront Ardyn. "Sounds good," he says, pulling his hand away and standing, stretching briefly. The four of them head inside, Ignis taking their plates to wash up, and Noct settles himself into one of the small beds, sprawling out as much as the tiny mattress will allow. He doesn't intend to sleep, but everything quickly catches up with him, and five minutes later he's out.

x x x

Fighting feels different now. Noct had noticed it briefly in the ruins of Galdin Quay, fighting against the myriads of goblins that had attacked him, but he hadn't really been able to stop and assess the differences, too overwhelmed with confusion at what was going on. Here in Insomnia, he's able to pick up on it easier. The most obvious difference is the lack of pain—though he can still feel the Crystal inside him, shifting restlessly and snatching at his core, drawing bits of his life away, it doesn't hurt at all anymore. He can also feel the power of the Astrals bolstering him, which is unnerving, but not unwelcome. And though he's still got the ring, it feels fairly useless now, given that most of the power is inside of him rather than the ring. He's also thankfully no longer getting easily tired out, and without the distraction of pain, he's able to fight with the ease and grace he once displayed back in training with Gladio.

Seeing Ignis in action is also impressive—he's obviously adapted his fighting style to account for his lack of vision, but he's no less deadly for it. In fact, Noct's pretty sure his skill now surpasses what he'd possessed when he could still see. Of course, he's had ten years of endlessly fighting daemons to adjust and improve, but Noct feels a swelling sense of pride for him nonetheless. Everything had seemed so bleak and hopeless in the days following Luna's death—it had felt like nothing was going to be okay ever again. Ignis' new blindness and inability to fight had been one of those things. It's a relief to see that's turned out to not be the case, though it brings a new knot of guilt that he wasn't actually around to witness it. Like all the rest of it, he pushes it away to the back of his mind. He's not going to let himself lose focus, not now, when he's finally so close to his goals.

The four of them move through the shambles of the city smoothly, making their way steadily to the Citadel, or what's left of it. Seeing his once beautiful and majestic city reduced to crumbling buildings and abandoned vehicles, with daemons crawling everywhere, hurts him deeply, and fills him with a powerful wave of grief. Whatever else happens, he's going to make Ardyn pay for all the destruction and despair he's wrought.

He's not surprised when they reach the plaza outside of the Citadel and end up facing off against Ifrit, the last of the Six. He's also not surprised when Shiva lends her help to defeating him, though Noct's pleased to discover there's no pain from accessing her power. When he'd made use of Leviathan's power on the train just before they'd reached Tenebrae, the resulting strain on his core had brought him close to passing out, and he'd definitely thrown up blood again. Now, with Shiva, all he feels is a sense of strength and energy flowing through him, swirling coolly around his core like it belongs there.

Noct pauses just outside the entrance to the Citadel, looking back at his friends. "This is it," he says. "No going back after this." He'd expected to feel nervous, or afraid, or worried, but instead he's still strangely calm. He hasn't quite escaped the sensation that all of this is just some weird, detailed dream he's having inside the Crystal.

Gladio reaches out, clapping his hand to Noct's shoulder. "We've got your back."

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Prompto chimes in, pumping a fist in the air.

"Indeed," Ignis says, and Noct doesn't miss the hint of steel in his tone. "It's time for Ardyn to face the repercussions for all that he's brought upon this world."

Noct nods at them, and pushes open the door. "Yeah. Let's make him pay."

x x x

Noct stands before the throne, one hand on the arm as he stares down at it. Ardyn's dead, and his friends are outside, keeping the daemons at bay for him. They've all said their goodbyes, just in case... Noct hopes it doesn't come down to that, hopes that he'll still be here when all is said and done. It's been a long journey to get here, so much pain and suffering and despair... times when everything seemed hopeless, times when he'd never thought he'd reach this point, when he just wanted to give up and let Niflheim win. But he's here at last, walking tall as his dad had wanted. Noct can only hope he's made his dad proud.

"I'm home," he says quietly. "I walked tall... And though it took me awhile, I'm ready now." He moves in front of the throne, settling himself down into it. Growing up, he'd always had so much ambivalence about this moment, dreading the day he'd take the throne, hating the fact that becoming king would mean his dad would be gone, but now... It feels right. It feels like coming home. He belongs here, sitting tall in the throne.

Inside his core, he feels the Crystal shifting eagerly, sensing what's about to come. Noct takes a deep, praying to the Six that they'll let him live, and that he'll be strong enough to purge the Starscourge from Eos. "Kings of Lucis," he calls, pulling his sword from the Armiger one last time and slamming it down into the ground in front of him, "come to me!"

Pain rips into him immediately as power pulses through him. He can feel the souls of the kings of old flowing around his core, lending him their strength before they materialise in front of him, shining bright with the blue of the Crystal. One by one, they fly through him, stabbing their weapons directly into his core, the agony of it piercing deeply. It's worse than anything he's ever felt, worse than Titan, or the Niflheim base where he'd passed or, or when he'd summoned Leviathan—and yet, he refuses to scream, gritting his teeth and letting out only the occasional grunt. His grip on his sword slips as the torment intensifies, so he thinks of his friends, and of Luna, of all their love and support for him, and it's enough to keep him going through the pain, until at last only his dad is left standing there, hesitating.

"Dad," he says through ragged breaths as he draws his sword back up, "trust in me."

For a moment, he's not sure his dad will be able to bring himself to do it—and then his dad's flying at him, driving his sword deep into his core. For a moment, Noct's whole world narrows to nothing but blinding, white-hot agony, so intense he doesn't even have the breath to scream. It's gone in an instant, and then his whole body's going limp as everything goes black.

He opens his eyes only moments later to find himself in what looks like the heart of the Crystal again, Ardyn facing opposite him. Power bursts forth from Noct's core, rushing out of his body in a bright beam of light as the Royal Arms tear themselves forcefully from his Armiger and drive themselves into Ardyn's body, ripping him apart until there's nothing left, his body shattering into a million tiny pieces.

Noct collapses to his knees, breathing heavily as he stares at the spot where Ardyn was. It's finally over. Everything's done. Niflheim's gone, Ardyn's gone, the Starscourge is gone. Eos can finally have peace. He laughs in sheer disbelief, shaking his head. A wave of vertigo runs through him at the motion, making him sway dangerously, and then he feels himself fading away as unconscious rapidly overtakes him.

x x x

"Noct," Luna says.

Noct groans, his eyes fluttering open slowly as consciousness returns gradually. "Am I dead?" he asks as he realises he's still in the other realm, rather than in Insomnia as he'd hoped. And since Luna's here, he can't see how he wouldn't be dead, given that she is definitely not alive.

But to his surprise, Luna shakes her head, smiling a little. "No," she says. "You are very much alive."

"How...?" he wonders. "I was hoping, but I didn't really think... Bahamut mentioned a price. I thought it was my life."

"It should have been," Luna agrees. "But the Astrals managed to strengthen your core enough to withstand the power of Providence, since the ring was no longer an option. You would have died before ever defeating Ardyn without their doing so."

He thinks about that for a while. "Doesn't seem like them, to do something so selfless," Noct finally mutters as he gets to his feet.

"Oh, I believe their motivations were still very much selfish," Luna says. "They simply work in your favour, now, rather than against it."

"Wait, I'm not immortal now, am I?" Noct asks fearfully, as the possibility of it hits him. He doesn't want to end up like Ardyn—nor does he want to outlive all his friends.

Luna laughs—it's a lovely, melodic sound that sends a wave of sorrow crashing over him. If only he'd been able to hear that laugh while she was still alive. Hatred for Ardyn flickers through him. The man's dead now, but it doesn't make Noct feel as better as he'd thought it would. "No," she says. "There isn't enough of the Astrals in you for that, nor do they possess the power to grant you that. Though you'll no longer have to worry about dying before your time, Noctis. You're strong enough to live the long life you deserve, and I guarantee the Astrals won't want to give up pieces of themselves before they have to." She winks at him.

Noct stares at her, trying to take it all in. "What about the ring?" he eventually asks.

She shrugs. "It is yours to do with as you wish. You may no longer need it, but any of your heirs would probably find it helpful, if you intend to continue using the Crystal's magic."

Noct nods absently. "If I have a strong enough core that kept me alive through purging the Starscourge, why did I wake up here, instead of the Citadel?"

Luna smiles at him, a sheepish look of guilt on her face. "I'm afraid that was my doing," she says. "I wanted a chance to say goodbye."

"Luna..." His chest feels tight, his heart aching as guilt and grief swell through him, rising up and choking him. He can't help but feel responsible for her death, though it was Ardyn's hand that killed her. And the feeling's even worse, knowing that he didn't even need the ring she'd worked so hard to keep safe for him. "I'm so sorry, about everything..."

She shakes her head, reaching out a hand to place it gently against his cheek, her thumb softly moving back and forth across it, caressing him. "Hush," she says quietly. "I do not blame you. Had Ardyn not killed me, my continued communing with the Gods would have done so. I was already dying when you reached Altissia, Noct."

A few tears slide down his cheeks as he hears the truth of her words. "You wouldn't have been communing with them if it weren't for me."

"It was my destiny to do so, to help save Eos," she murmurs. "I do not regret it. Knowing that you were able to escape your fate and survive is relief enough." She leans in, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. "I don't want you to grieve for me. I want you to live on, to at last take back your city and become the great king I always knew you were meant to be, with your friends standing strong by your side. Promise me that, Noctis."

He lets out a shuddering breath, briefly squeezing his eyes shut before he looks at her, meeting her steady gaze. "I promise," he says hoarsely. "I'll make you and my dad proud, Luna."

She smiles once more at him, and it's the last thing he sees before the world fades away again.

x x x

When Noct comes to, it's to find himself lying on his back on the floor of the throne room in the Citadel. He's sore all over, and completely exhausted, but as Luna had said, he's definitely very much alive. For a moment, he doesn't react—and then he laughs and laughs, the sound echoing all around the large room, and then suddenly he's sobbing, huge gasping breaths bursting violently out of him as tears stream down his face, the reality of everything finally hitting him.

He doesn't know how long he stays there crying, but by the time his tears dry up, he feels emotionally drained. He drags himself to his feet painfully, and makes his way out of the Citadel slowly. His friends are standing in the middle of the plaza, their backs to him, watching the dawning of the first sunrise for them in ten years.

"Hey," he says as he approaches them.

Prompto whirls around, his eyes widening when he sees Noct standing there. "Noct!" he cries, tackling him in a tight hug as he begins to cry. "You're alive... Oh Gods you're alive..." Noct hadn't thought he'd have any tears left to cry, but he feels fresh ones begin to spill over at the desperate relief in Prompto's voice.

"Knew you'd pull through," Gladio says gruffly, clapping a hand to his shoulder. Ignis comes to his other side, resting a gentle hand on his back. It's over the old scars from the Marilith, but for once Noct doesn't mind. He's just glad that Ignis is even able to touch him, that he's still here to be touched.

"I'm proud of you, Noct," Ignis says quietly.

"Thanks, guys," Noct says. Prompto lets go of him then, and they fall quiet, watching as the sun rises over Insomnia, its warm light spreading throughout the city and chasing away the shadows from even the darkest of corners. It's a truly majestic sight, and Noct's not surprised to see Gladio and Ignis start to cry as well, silent tears snaking down their faces. It gives him a pang of sorrow, that Ignis isn't actually able to see it properly—but he knows Ignis can at least sense the change in light, and that will have to be good enough.

"What now?" Prompto asks some time later, after the sun's risen high, the sky now a brilliant blue blanketing the city.

Noct shrugs. "Now we rebuild Insomnia, and make it the great city it once was before."

"That's gonna be a lot of work," Gladio cautions him.

"Yeah," Noct agrees. He glances around the city, a fond smile crossing his lips as his eyes alight on all the old, familiar places, memories of better times playing out in his mind. "But it'll be worth it. We're finally home. That's all we really need."

"Indeed," Ignis says, his voice soft. "We'll be with you every step of the way... Your Majesty."

Noct's smile widens at the title. Growing up, and after the fall of Insomnia, he couldn't imagine ever liking the sound of that particular title—it was his dad's title, plain and simple. But here, in this moment, from Ignis... it feels right. It was a difficult journey, long and painful, but he fought through it all to the end. He's kept his promise and reclaimed his rightful throne. At last, he's truly the king.

Sappy endings ftw? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hope no one's too upset with the timeskip. There were a few more things I could have done during the time I skipped, such as all the stuff between Gladio and Noct in (game) chapter 10, but the majority of it was meant to stay canon, which would have meant rehashing it for the fic, and that would have definitely been boring for me to write and you to read, so skipping to where I did felt like the best option. I waffled over the decision for quite awhile though. I also had to rewatch most parts of the last game chapters in order to write this chapter... I bawled like a baby. Multiple times. I still can't even with this game. Too many feels, it hurts me.

Also, you may or may not have noticed the last couple of chapters that this fic now says "Part 1 of the Here's to the Fall series" at the end of it... And yes, this means what you think it means. I am currently 17K words into a sequel. I'm not sure when I'll start posting it, because I haven't edited any of those 17K words yet, nor have I fully finished the outline. I know it won't be at least until after American Thanksgiving, since I am American and I will be out of town most of the coming week. It may not be until early December, I'd like to have the outline done before I start posting, plus I've got nanowrimo to finish and the end of my college semester coming up (totally in order of priority, there).

At any rate... just know that the sequel will be possibly the most self-indulgent angst fest ever as Noct copes badly with the aftermath of everything, and somehow falls into a relationship with Ignis along the way. Because none of you saw that coming ;D It'll be titled Under Grey Skies, if anyone actually wants to read it XD

Thank you all for reading! Comments are always appreciated and adored! Even if you're reading this five years into the future, or something. I am probably still around and will reply, unless I'm dead (but since I'm currently only 31, I hope not). And even if I am dead, there's a good chance my ghost will be haunting AO3.