[Despite the fact that the power the Kings of Old lent him has long vanished, Ignis is only now starting to feel the fire fade from his body. It draws back slowly, lingering the longest behind his eyes and along his left arm. Rain drops that should bring a blessed coolness instead strike his face and send ripples of pain out across far too sensitive skin. Once he's managed to ask about Noctis, and Ravus had seen fit to answer before walking away. He wants to ask again for confirmation, but it's so hard just to keep breathing let alone get words out.
If he passes out, will he wake again? It's not fear of looming death that keeps him awake, though, but worry for Noctis. He's come this far. He just has to push on a little longer. Someone must stand guard until the others arrive even if that someone can't actually stand at the moment.
Unconsciousness has a way of overwhelming those fighting so hard against it. One moment, Ignis is focusing himself on the feel of Gladio's hand resting gently on his chest. The next?
Well, it's not silent and dark, surprisingly, but at least the pain has lessened. Ignis' eyes blink rapidly as he tries to puzzle out where he is and more importantly, why he can see. It doesn't take a long for the feeling of being watched to wash over him, and he has to fight back a shiver, the feeling of the Kings of Old judging him still fresh in his mind.]
Who's there?
an ignis is never late, he arrives exactly when he intends to
[The idea of the Kings judging him isn't entirely wrong, except that it's just one king, now -
A tall, thin, painfully familiar figure of a king, except that Izunia has opted to dress as himself instead of Ardyn for the first time in...
Well, a ridiculously long time. So, while the hair is similar and the posture is the same, the man in front of Ignis is outfitted significantly less like a walking charity donation box and instead in well-fitting - if archaic as hell - dress coat and tall boots.
Ardyn had played his hand, just a little, just enough - even if it was a different color than he was used to, Ignis would have recognized the warp for what it was. If not then, then eventually, replaying events in his mind.]
One whose power you borrowed quite recently, to admirable effect. I don't think I've ever quite seen that look on his face.
You're quite welcome? [Ignis hates the fact that his response comes out just slightly more on the question than statement side of things, but he's too busy trying to keep his tired body from immediately going back into fight mode to completely control his tone. The man is dressed differently than Ardyn and his manner is different as well, but the face and the voice have enough of the Chancellor in it that Ignis' mind and heart both scream for him to attack.
He's tired though and while his pain may have faded, memory of it still causes him to shake more than he would like. He wraps his arms loosely around himself and takes a deep, calming breath, squaring his shoulders as much as he can.
The man-whose-not-Ardyn said Ignis borrowed his power which means there is only one person he can be, and Ignis won't deny that the thought makes it hard to hold back a shiver.]
Have the Kings of Old decided they wish to claim more than originally agreed upon? [Not that he won't give it, but he can't help but think of how much harder it will be on Prompto and Gladio to have him slip away after finding him still breathing.]
[Honestly, he expected no less. To think that their similarities would ever work against him like this.
At the question, Izunia shakes his head.]
Your bargain is done. This is more of a... personal visit.
[Not that he really gets any less formal - in fact, he doesn't really seem to know how to. Where 'Chancellor Izunia' is almost always so smooth that he seems to have rehearsed his lines a thousand times over - probably has - this man is just a man. A very tired one.]
I come before you not as a king... but as someone else with a brother.
[Which should provide all the answer Ignis needs as to what exactly is going on, if he hasn't already figured it out. He really is too smart for his own good.]
[The repeated words are both a statement and a question, since Ignis can't decide if hearing them makes him feel better or worse than before when he feared that the Old Kings had changed their minds.
Despite the urge to not make eye contact with the man who can be no other than Ardyn's brother and betrayer if the stories are to be believed, Ignis can't help but focus on the man, taking in as many details as he can.
That tiredness in his expression. Oh, by the Six, he knows that tiredness well.]
Then I listen as one who has a brother he loves more than life itself. What is it you wish to say to me?
[There are a lot of details to take in, some of which only seem to be firming themselves up as Ignis looks. Is it simply that Izunia hasn't appeared in anything like flesh for so long, or...?
It's a moment, while the old king chooses his words. They can take the time; Ignis isn't going to wake up any time soon. Use of the ring is exhausting for even the kings, even the ones who haven't bonded to it losing power to their bloodline's gifts - exhaustion such as what Noctis grew up with isn't terribly uncommon.
Finally, he says - ]
You've seen by now what Ardyn is. The Accursed, the God-Scorned, the vessel of the Starscourge -
[The elegant black gloves covering his hands become more real, suddenly, the leather almost creaking as Izunia's hands ball into fists.]
- the brother I loved more than any other. The brother I destroyed with my own hands, like a fool, because the gods told me he was already gone, and all that was left was a daemon in his flesh. Because the Draconian is a god of war, and for war you need an enemy.
[There is indisputably a daemon in his flesh - but that daemon is Ardyn, and so in spite of everything, Izunia loves him yet. He always will.
In this space made of will, both the love and the anger are almost physical things. Ignis will be able to feel them as surely as though they were his own.]
I cannot undo the deal that has been done, but if you still desire power - power to protect Noctis, power to end my brother's suffering - then I want to make a deal with you.
[Not as 'Ardyn Lucis Caelum,' the Founder King - but as Izunia, the brother who can do nothing else for the one he loves, the one he damned.]
[Because the Draconian is a god of war, and for war you need an enemy.
It's such a simple statement, but it cuts through everything else that has happened and is happening around Ignis like a blade. Of course. Of course! How could he have been so blind as to not see it before? How could so many people over so many years miss the obvious answer that screamed in front of them?
The realization is such a blow that Ignis finds himself struggling just as hard to breathe as he had when he was laying back on the alter, pain shooting through his nerves and fire burning through his blood. His fingertips dig into his arms, but he doesn't even feel it as he starts speaking in a voice that is both strangely calm and strangely distant.]
First it was Shiva, who turned her chill rejection upon humanity in all its forms. Ifrit's flames warmed her heart, but soon his fires turned upon humanity when it turned away from him. [He's struck with the need to move as he speaks and so he does, fingers unclenching from his arms as he carefully places one tired foot in front of the other.]
He fell to the combined forces of the other Astrals and humanity, but not before he released the Starscourge upon the land. It is not easy to fight a war against an invisible enemy, though. Men need a monster to focus on; a daemon to chase in the dark, so Bahamut made one knowing that none would question he who had seen them through so many previous battles. [His gaze raises from the floor then, meeting Izunia's for the first time. There is part of Ignis that wonders if he should dare make a deal with another King. He serves Noctis. He belongs to Noctis. Already he has pushed the boundaries of what is allowed and his vision was the cost. What did that trade gain them? A little time. A precious little time. Is it really enough to change anything even with him now knowing what he does?]
I desire whatever will allow me to save Noctis. Power. Time. Knowledge. [Ignis doesn't regret the trade, even if it only gained them a little. It's more than they had before. A little time. A little hope.]
I will give all I have left for this purpose, and if that is enough to pay the price of your deal, then consider it accepted.
Edited (*throws up hands* I'm done now. I SWEAR! *headdesk*) 2018-01-03 09:40 (UTC)
[He can feel it, too, that instant willingness - isn't that what attracted him to Ignis in the first place? That made him the ideal candidate for this deal?
He could move in to seal it now and leave Ignis to learn the consequences of agreeing to magical contracts the hard way, but he doesn't. This is, inevitably, going to be a close partnership - ]
At least find out what you're signing up for, first.
[ - smashing through each other's boundaries is not going to make for a comfortable living situation in the morning.]
My power - warping, Armiger, the lot - and in exchange, I get to come along.
[He glances Ignis up and down.]
...And possibly borrow you on occasion, if there's something you still can't handle even with that.
[He can't influence anything from the ring - certainly not when Noctis has yet to put it on, but even then, his voice would just be one among over a hundred, easy to tune out.
With Ignis, on the other hand, it's a very different scenario. Give him one person, just one person, willing to listen - ]
I can't guarantee that we can change anything. But I know that I'm not going to have a chance to change things from the ring, and you seem like you need all the help you can get.
[He offers a hand. What do you say, Ignis, shake on it?]
[Ignis almost accepts without listening to the information that Izunia gives. After all, has he not just shown he is literally willing to give anything to help Noctis? He doesn't really care about the details of this offering as long as it helps his prince.
Or, he almost doesn't care. The part about borrowing him on occasion stops his words cold and the look that accompanies those words doesn't help. Indeed, Ignis finds himself fighting down another shiver, the king's gaze far too reminiscent of Ardyn's even if that is surely not his intention. Despite that knowledge, Ignis can't shake the feeling of being a bug pinned to a board, a tool pinned to the street.
He swallows hard, eyes closing for a moment. From Izunia's perspective, he probably seems like he's actually giving this the serious thought it deserves. Instead, he's already decided what he has to do. He just has to make himself move forward to accept that outstretched hand.
It's just like all those years before when he met Noctis. A shaken hand. A sealed fate.
Eventually, his fingers, still shaking slightly, wrap around those of the king in front of him, but he doesn't just shake Izunia's hand. He also leans forward, voice a low whisper for the king and the king alone.]
I accept your deal, but know this. If you ever use me or this deal to hurt Noctis in the slightest, I don't care what power you have over me or my abilities. I will make you wish that the price I paid earlier was my life instead of just my vision, because I will not rest until I find a way to tear you limb from limb.
[From their joined hands, a growing light - an Armiger springing into being around them. The selection is thinner than Noctis', for obvious reasons - later kings had quite a few more ancestors to choose from - but the color is the same clear blue.
In fact, there's only two weapons - a familiar greatsword that Noctis shares, and a rapier and dagger pair, crossed just below the guard.
The spinning slows as Ignis speaks. And, slowly, Izunia smiles, in a way that truly drives home just how alike he and Ardyn are.]
I would accept no less.
[No less than the tenacity to put on the ring in the first place. No less than the fierce devotion that demanded to be recognized by the Kings of Old. And oh, how it has been recognized.
The blades orbiting them slow to a stop, perpendicular to the joining of their hands - ]
I look forward to working with you.
[ - and in a flash of blue, both weapons tilt and shoot for Ignis' heart, in the same way they might to Noctis or another true member of the royal line. There is a distinct moment, where the impact is felt but not painful, just a catching of breath as the glitter of crystalline light seems to freeze -
And then nothing more, save the humming of power, warm where the ring burned everything away, until morning.]
[It's probably the Armiger that should have Ignis' attention due to the power it possesses even in this limited state, yet it's not that but that eerily familiar smile that catches it instead. As much as he may want to look away, he can't, his breath catching in his chest.
How far would you go for your darling prince?
Though the words are not the Chancellor's, Ignis hears them in his voice.
Would you sell your soul to the devil himself?
The small smile that suddenly crosses Ignis' lips probably seems strange to Izunia, and the soft answer lost in the jerking of his body as the phantom weapons drive themselves into his chest and then drive him out of consciousness is likely just as strange.]
Yes.
[When consciousness returns, all is dark, but the rain-drenched chill has been replaced with dry warmth. Ignis' fingers curl in the sheets under them for a moment, unconsciously trying to anchor his mind back in reality. Snippets of thought and memory dart through his mind, blue crystals that catch light and the-]
Noct! [Fully memory washes over Ignis in a painful, panicked rush, but that doesn't stop him from pulling himself upright in bed with every intention of dragging himself to his feet to find Noctis. What does stop him is the wave of dizziness that makes the blackness swim around him, rendering himself unable to place where he is in the space surrounding him. With a soft cry, he lists to the side until he manages to find the pillows again, hand coming up to rest over his left eye as if that somehow will allow him to take hold of the clarity he needs right now.
It's only once the dizziness lessons that he can attempt to catch his breath again. Even so, when he speaks--and he's not even sure who he is speaking to--his voice is so weak it can barely be heard.]
[Waking up in a body - truly in it, not just vaguely attached by the conduit of the ring - for the first time in two thousand years is a weird experience.
Hell, waking up for the first time in two thousand years, from true unconsciousness rather than the haze of half-existing, is weird. Left to his own devices, Izunia would probably have proved as groggy as his descendant, but -
oh thank you for that instant adrenaline rush Ignis that's exactly what he needed today.
Ignis will feel a bolt of alarm that echoes his own, and then a brush over his thoughts - and then another, more solid touch, something not quite like fingers in his hair, intended to comfort.]
Ignis. Breathe.
[You do remember the deal you made last night, right Ignis?
Because even if the words aren't spoken aloud, they are still definitely there. Izunia is there, in every nerve of your body with you, and the magic of kings tingles at your flesh more strongly than it ever did with the bond to Noctis alone.]
Breathe and go slowly. You won't do yourself or him any good if you try to rush there and collapse before you even reach the door.
[Ignis may not be able to grab hold of that clarity himself, but that's fine. Izunia can help him find it again.
Someone else might have said 'stop, you're too injured,' or 'you need to rest first,' but Izunia knows better. Even if it were possible to stop Ignis, he wouldn't try. Instead, as promised, he'll aid as best he can.]
[At first the panic and the need roaring in Ignis' mind keep him from being able to really hear Izunia's words. They are just more sounds that are buffeted around in the whirlwind of noise in his head, but eventually the phantom touch running through his hair breaks through the wall of sound, giving him something to focus on that isn't chaotic and frightening.
Slowly, his breathing evens out, the hand not pressed against his face clenching and releasing the sheet below it in time with his breaths to bring both his body and mind back into sync.
Last night...happened. Oh, it's not the fight with Leviathan or his sacrifice he questioned. Proof of that was there the moment he opened his eye and found nothing but darkness around him. Instead, it's what came after he doubted. Had that been some kind of fever dream or had he really met and made a deal with Ardyn's brother?
The gentle touch and voice, the magic tingling along every nerve and muscle in his body. The proof is there. No matter how crazy it all sounds.]
Izunia...
[Unconsciously, he presses against the touch. It's so soothing. Something he's not really allowed himself since he was a child.]
[There is not actually a touch to press against, which is perhaps a bit uncanny, but Izunia simply hums in the back of Ignis' mind and maintains the stable calm he's attempting to project.]
You needn't concern yourself for my sake. I'm hardier than most.
[No vision for him, either, but Izunia has always been the sort to find tactile sensations calming, which helps to work into a feedback as Ignis clenches and releases the hand in the sheets. He's still a step removed, and thus able to see a bit wider of the picture than Ignis can in this moment, when the desire to find Noctis overrides what of his senses remain.]
Though it would probably be to your advantage to direct your thoughts my way instead of speaking aloud, unless you wish your companions to think you've lost your reason along with your sight.
[It's uncanny and also a touch embarrassing when Ignis just finds himself pressing farther into the pillows behind him instead of an actual presence. For a moment his body tenses again, but he's too weary, too pained, to stay that way. Eventually, he relaxes again and turns his remaining senses outward. There is a faint breeze smelling of salt and the sea. One of the room's windows must be cracked. There are also voices. At first he thinks they are drifting in from the window, but as soon as a familiar low rumble catches his ear he realizes the voices he is hearing are outside the door to the room instead.
Well, as comforted as he is by the Shield's presence so near, Ignis also realizes he's not going anywhere as long as Gladio is there. It also means he should very quickly take Izunia's warning to heart.]
You can hear me like this then? [There is a bit of cautious disbelief in the thought's tone, not because he doesn't believe it will work, but just because this is all so new and strange to him. Belatedly, he realizes he is beginning to tense again and sighs as he shifts and methodically forces each muscle group to relax back into the comfort of the bed.]
That may be true, but that doesn't mean I can't still show concern for you. We are a team now, and while this may be new for you in a different way than it is for me, it is still new to you. [Besides, deflecting is his favorite way of not dealing with things, and boy, does he have a lot of things floating around his mind he does not want to deal with quite yet.]
[It's alright, Ignis, there's no one around to see except someone who kind of wishes he could give you actual physical comfort instead of a magically manipulated firing of sensory nerves.
Such is life, afterlife, whatever in-between thing his existence is now.]
Perfectly well.
[Really, he could go digging for other thoughts, if he had to, but that would probably be unpleasant for both of them. Keeping it at instead a level of sensing each others' moods is safer.]
And I rather like it better than being in the Ring, but I do have that experience to draw from. Riding in the back seat, so to speak, isn't that new to me.
[Ignis can't help but wonder, then, if that detachment--that feeling of not really being in control--is part of the reason the Kings of Old had been so distant and harsh even to one who was doing nothing more than asking--no begging--for the power to protect one of their own. Only Regis had not been so, but he was newly added to their number. Of course his presence would be different.
And then there is Izunia, but his whole situation is different now, isn't it?] So, where do we begin? As much as I wish to see Noctis right now, I have no doubt that Gladio will cart me back to bed the moment I open that door. Visiting will have to wait. [Awake for five minutes and already all business. Some things never change.]
[Izunia was never quite so detached in the first place. After all, unlike every other King of Old, he still has something attaching him to this world.
An obnoxious daemonic something, but look, he's willing to forgive a great deal, if it's Ardyn.]
Honestly, I could do with a situation report. Aside from the obvious - that which just transpired and the thoughts that were immediately on your mind at the time you put on the ring - my knowledge of events ends at the fall of Insomnia, and even then it is not precisely detailed.
[Regis bit it, Ravus did a stupid, Nyx did a heroic, that's really about all he knows.
Making any kind of plan is impossible, or at least very foolish, when you don't know what's going on. And perhaps more importantly, it's a way that Ignis can feel useful and gain back some of his confidence in the aftermath of his injury. As much as the obvious reassurances have no doubt helped his mental state for the moment, Izunia is aware enough that that won't be more than a temporary balm. For someone who needs to do, who needs to be useful, to build their confidence again - providing them with a way of doing that will do a great deal more good in the long run.
(A distant part of him, one that is aware of and disgusted at the way his political knowledge and ceaseless acting have left him unable to entirely stop the manipulations even upon this most intimate of allies, simply sighs at the thought. Manipulation or not, it is what Ignis needs, now.)]
The story you ask for is a long one. [So much has happened since the Fall that most of the time it feels as if years have passed instead of months. The covenants, the hunts, the battles, Ardyn. Even if he just hits the highlights, Ignis half suspects he will find himself dozing off before he is anywhere near done, his aching body dragging him down into unconsciousness whether he wills it or not.
Perhaps there is an easier way?] Instead of having me dictate to you what's happened, if I think of a specific event--as I think words toward you now--are you able to see the images I'm thinking of?
[As odd as all this is, Ignis is relieved to realize that Izunia doesn't plan on digging around where he's not wanted. Of course, he's certain there will be accidents at some point, but with them being so close that is only to be expected. Not looked forward to, but expected.]
Digging might be useful right now. We may have time, but my energy is limited. Shall we run a little test to see how things work and so we both can find our comfort zones?
[Ignis takes a deep breath and, as difficult as it is to think about, draws forward the memories of the four of them standing on the overlook and confirming what the newspapers had told them.
Insomnia had fallen. The King was dead and...
No, he stops himself from thinking too much of the emotions from that time. Images for now. Handing Prompto back his phone. Sounds. The Marshal calling to find out where they were. Facts.
[Facts may be easier than emotions, but the two of them will link up anyway. Ignis will likely be able to feel Izunia's gentle touch on the memories, but he doesn't dig in, doesn't risk causing any pain by following the thoughts down to their conclusions.
And when Ignis is done, Izunia offers him fair trade - and it's almost too powerful a contrast, because so much of Izunia's memory is in emotions. The facts are there, sticking out like jagged edges -
Ardyn, climbing the steps to the throne
Regis, releasing the Armiger upon the Niflheim delegation in the treaty hall
Ravus, proud, unbowed, demanding, unworthy but sympathetic, wanting only to save that which he loved
Lunafreya, devilishly clever, using the ring as a weapon against her enemies without ever needing don it
Nyx, his defiance, his choice, the power coursing through him and the seal on the Old Wall lifting
- Izunia's memories are as much emotion as fact and he loves them all, from Ardyn's sweeping gestures to the last moments of Nyx's dawn when everything stops, goes blank because the ring is bound to no one, now.
As though realizing exactly how much he's poured out, then, Izunia's presence pulls away slightly.]
[At first, a long shuddering breath is the only answer Izunia gets. It is a lot, even when Ignis focuses on certain things more than others. Regis so proud and brave even though he knows how this will end. A true king whose strength knows no bounds. There are other things going on around him, of course, but Ignis doesn't allow his eyes to stray from the form of the king. Will he see his uncle die if he does? That familiar form still in the death Ignis knows must have come? His uncle would have been no different than so many that day, fighting to his dying breath even as he knew it would come to nothing.
And Nyx. Ignis had know--had suspected--the Glaive who had worn the ring was him. Who else could it have been? Seeing it, though, drives a sad laugh from Ignis' mouth.] I cannot decide if he would scold me or congratulate me for following in his footsteps like this.
[His mentor was at peace in the end. That is the only thing that lightens the weight in Ignis' heart even as a tear makes its way down his right cheek. Finally, he feels as if he can mourn at least one loss. There is closure to the Hero's story and there will be no body to retrieve. It's how the ring works.]
It's all right. I just need a moment. Please, don't pull away.
[He doesn't want to be alone right now, even if there is no way he can truly be so now that they share a body.]
Yes, though I suspect he would have had more to say to all of you if he'd known what the future held in store for Noctis.
[Nyx wanted Noctis to rule well, and if things aren't changed, he will never get to rule at all. Instead, he will die as another sacrifice to fix the mess the Astrals made long before he was even born. It's another reason to see things changed. There is no changing Nyx's fate, but he can see the last wish of the man who he respected so much fulfilled.
To that end, Ignis takes a deep breath and once more begins showing Izunia memories of what happened after the Fall. The first memory is the four of them reuniting with Cor, followed shortly by Noctis gaining his first Royal Arm. There are no few images of hunts as well, though Ignis never focuses on any of them long. Soon enough, they arrive in Lestallum to met up with Iris, Jared and Talcott. There is both joy and sorrow in that reunion, but only a moment to rest before they are off to the Greyshire Glacial Grotto in search of another Royal Arm. They emerge victorious only to find they have lost on another front as Imperial forces move into Lestallum and killed Jared while they were away.
There is little time to mourn, though, because ever since they came close to the Disc of Cauthess, Noctis has had terrible headaches. It's clear how much these headaches worry Ignis, especially since they keep getting worse. When they seem to be at the end of their ropes, who appears to 'save' them but Ardyn.
At this point, though not part of the memory, Ignis can almost be heard growling, If I knew then what I know now! and then the memories continue.
A car ride. A stay in a caravan. Ardyn 'miraculously' getting them passed the Imperials guarding the Disc. Surprise at finding another Royal Arm and then terror when the ground gives way beneath Noctis. Relief and adrenaline rush through Ignis' veins as Gladio and Noctis are confirmed okay and he and Prompto move to find a way to meet up with them.
How often does one fight an Astral? Ignis is quite certain this is one fight he could have done without, but in the end they manage to come out on top until the very ground beneath them becomes their enemy and Ardyn once more sweeps in like a protective angel to save them.]
The Chancellor of Bloody Niflheim. More like the Bloody Showman of Niflheim. He can't help the drama, can he?
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Stumbles in here a millions years late
If he passes out, will he wake again? It's not fear of looming death that keeps him awake, though, but worry for Noctis. He's come this far. He just has to push on a little longer. Someone must stand guard until the others arrive even if that someone can't actually stand at the moment.
Unconsciousness has a way of overwhelming those fighting so hard against it. One moment, Ignis is focusing himself on the feel of Gladio's hand resting gently on his chest. The next?
Well, it's not silent and dark, surprisingly, but at least the pain has lessened. Ignis' eyes blink rapidly as he tries to puzzle out where he is and more importantly, why he can see. It doesn't take a long for the feeling of being watched to wash over him, and he has to fight back a shiver, the feeling of the Kings of Old judging him still fresh in his mind.]
Who's there?
an ignis is never late, he arrives exactly when he intends to
A tall, thin, painfully familiar figure of a king, except that Izunia has opted to dress as himself instead of Ardyn for the first time in...
Well, a ridiculously long time. So, while the hair is similar and the posture is the same, the man in front of Ignis is outfitted significantly less like a walking charity donation box and instead in well-fitting - if archaic as hell - dress coat and tall boots.
Ardyn had played his hand, just a little, just enough - even if it was a different color than he was used to, Ignis would have recognized the warp for what it was. If not then, then eventually, replaying events in his mind.]
One whose power you borrowed quite recently, to admirable effect. I don't think I've ever quite seen that look on his face.
[Where to begin? Let Ignis lead, then.]
Too true, too true.
[Ignis hates the fact that his response comes out just slightly more on the question than statement side of things, but he's too busy trying to keep his tired body from immediately going back into fight mode to completely control his tone. The man is dressed differently than Ardyn and his manner is different as well, but the face and the voice have enough of the Chancellor in it that Ignis' mind and heart both scream for him to attack.
He's tired though and while his pain may have faded, memory of it still causes him to shake more than he would like. He wraps his arms loosely around himself and takes a deep, calming breath, squaring his shoulders as much as he can.
The man-whose-not-Ardyn said Ignis borrowed his power which means there is only one person he can be, and Ignis won't deny that the thought makes it hard to hold back a shiver.]
Have the Kings of Old decided they wish to claim more than originally agreed upon?
[Not that he won't give it, but he can't help but think of how much harder it will be on Prompto and Gladio to have him slip away after finding him still breathing.]
no subject
At the question, Izunia shakes his head.]
Your bargain is done. This is more of a... personal visit.
[Not that he really gets any less formal - in fact, he doesn't really seem to know how to. Where 'Chancellor Izunia' is almost always so smooth that he seems to have rehearsed his lines a thousand times over - probably has - this man is just a man. A very tired one.]
I come before you not as a king... but as someone else with a brother.
[Which should provide all the answer Ignis needs as to what exactly is going on, if he hasn't already figured it out. He really is too smart for his own good.]
no subject
[The repeated words are both a statement and a question, since Ignis can't decide if hearing them makes him feel better or worse than before when he feared that the Old Kings had changed their minds.
Despite the urge to not make eye contact with the man who can be no other than Ardyn's brother and betrayer if the stories are to be believed, Ignis can't help but focus on the man, taking in as many details as he can.
That tiredness in his expression. Oh, by the Six, he knows that tiredness well.]
Then I listen as one who has a brother he loves more than life itself. What is it you wish to say to me?
no subject
It's a moment, while the old king chooses his words. They can take the time; Ignis isn't going to wake up any time soon. Use of the ring is exhausting for even the kings, even the ones who haven't bonded to it losing power to their bloodline's gifts - exhaustion such as what Noctis grew up with isn't terribly uncommon.
Finally, he says - ]
You've seen by now what Ardyn is. The Accursed, the God-Scorned, the vessel of the Starscourge -
[The elegant black gloves covering his hands become more real, suddenly, the leather almost creaking as Izunia's hands ball into fists.]
- the brother I loved more than any other. The brother I destroyed with my own hands, like a fool, because the gods told me he was already gone, and all that was left was a daemon in his flesh. Because the Draconian is a god of war, and for war you need an enemy.
[There is indisputably a daemon in his flesh - but that daemon is Ardyn, and so in spite of everything, Izunia loves him yet. He always will.
In this space made of will, both the love and the anger are almost physical things. Ignis will be able to feel them as surely as though they were his own.]
I cannot undo the deal that has been done, but if you still desire power - power to protect Noctis, power to end my brother's suffering - then I want to make a deal with you.
[Not as 'Ardyn Lucis Caelum,' the Founder King - but as Izunia, the brother who can do nothing else for the one he loves, the one he damned.]
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It's such a simple statement, but it cuts through everything else that has happened and is happening around Ignis like a blade. Of course. Of course! How could he have been so blind as to not see it before? How could so many people over so many years miss the obvious answer that screamed in front of them?
The realization is such a blow that Ignis finds himself struggling just as hard to breathe as he had when he was laying back on the alter, pain shooting through his nerves and fire burning through his blood. His fingertips dig into his arms, but he doesn't even feel it as he starts speaking in a voice that is both strangely calm and strangely distant.]
First it was Shiva, who turned her chill rejection upon humanity in all its forms. Ifrit's flames warmed her heart, but soon his fires turned upon humanity when it turned away from him.
[He's struck with the need to move as he speaks and so he does, fingers unclenching from his arms as he carefully places one tired foot in front of the other.]
He fell to the combined forces of the other Astrals and humanity, but not before he released the Starscourge upon the land. It is not easy to fight a war against an invisible enemy, though. Men need a monster to focus on; a daemon to chase in the dark, so Bahamut made one knowing that none would question he who had seen them through so many previous battles.
[His gaze raises from the floor then, meeting Izunia's for the first time. There is part of Ignis that wonders if he should dare make a deal with another King. He serves Noctis. He belongs to Noctis. Already he has pushed the boundaries of what is allowed and his vision was the cost. What did that trade gain them? A little time. A precious little time. Is it really enough to change anything even with him now knowing what he does?]
I desire whatever will allow me to save Noctis. Power. Time. Knowledge.
[Ignis doesn't regret the trade, even if it only gained them a little. It's more than they had before. A little time. A little hope.]
I will give all I have left for this purpose, and if that is enough to pay the price of your deal, then consider it accepted.
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He could move in to seal it now and leave Ignis to learn the consequences of agreeing to magical contracts the hard way, but he doesn't. This is, inevitably, going to be a close partnership - ]
At least find out what you're signing up for, first.
[ - smashing through each other's boundaries is not going to make for a comfortable living situation in the morning.]
My power - warping, Armiger, the lot - and in exchange, I get to come along.
[He glances Ignis up and down.]
...And possibly borrow you on occasion, if there's something you still can't handle even with that.
[He can't influence anything from the ring - certainly not when Noctis has yet to put it on, but even then, his voice would just be one among over a hundred, easy to tune out.
With Ignis, on the other hand, it's a very different scenario. Give him one person, just one person, willing to listen - ]
I can't guarantee that we can change anything. But I know that I'm not going to have a chance to change things from the ring, and you seem like you need all the help you can get.
[He offers a hand. What do you say, Ignis, shake on it?]
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Or, he almost doesn't care. The part about borrowing him on occasion stops his words cold and the look that accompanies those words doesn't help. Indeed, Ignis finds himself fighting down another shiver, the king's gaze far too reminiscent of Ardyn's even if that is surely not his intention. Despite that knowledge, Ignis can't shake the feeling of being a bug pinned to a board, a tool pinned to the street.
He swallows hard, eyes closing for a moment. From Izunia's perspective, he probably seems like he's actually giving this the serious thought it deserves. Instead, he's already decided what he has to do. He just has to make himself move forward to accept that outstretched hand.
It's just like all those years before when he met Noctis. A shaken hand. A sealed fate.
Eventually, his fingers, still shaking slightly, wrap around those of the king in front of him, but he doesn't just shake Izunia's hand. He also leans forward, voice a low whisper for the king and the king alone.]
I accept your deal, but know this. If you ever use me or this deal to hurt Noctis in the slightest, I don't care what power you have over me or my abilities. I will make you wish that the price I paid earlier was my life instead of just my vision, because I will not rest until I find a way to tear you limb from limb.
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In fact, there's only two weapons - a familiar greatsword that Noctis shares, and a rapier and dagger pair, crossed just below the guard.
The spinning slows as Ignis speaks. And, slowly, Izunia smiles, in a way that truly drives home just how alike he and Ardyn are.]
I would accept no less.
[No less than the tenacity to put on the ring in the first place. No less than the fierce devotion that demanded to be recognized by the Kings of Old. And oh, how it has been recognized.
The blades orbiting them slow to a stop, perpendicular to the joining of their hands - ]
I look forward to working with you.
[ - and in a flash of blue, both weapons tilt and shoot for Ignis' heart, in the same way they might to Noctis or another true member of the royal line. There is a distinct moment, where the impact is felt but not painful, just a catching of breath as the glitter of crystalline light seems to freeze -
And then nothing more, save the humming of power, warm where the ring burned everything away, until morning.]
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How far would you go for your darling prince?
Though the words are not the Chancellor's, Ignis hears them in his voice.
Would you sell your soul to the devil himself?
The small smile that suddenly crosses Ignis' lips probably seems strange to Izunia, and the soft answer lost in the jerking of his body as the phantom weapons drive themselves into his chest and then drive him out of consciousness is likely just as strange.]
Yes.
[When consciousness returns, all is dark, but the rain-drenched chill has been replaced with dry warmth. Ignis' fingers curl in the sheets under them for a moment, unconsciously trying to anchor his mind back in reality. Snippets of thought and memory dart through his mind, blue crystals that catch light and the-]
Noct!
[Fully memory washes over Ignis in a painful, panicked rush, but that doesn't stop him from pulling himself upright in bed with every intention of dragging himself to his feet to find Noctis. What does stop him is the wave of dizziness that makes the blackness swim around him, rendering himself unable to place where he is in the space surrounding him. With a soft cry, he lists to the side until he manages to find the pillows again, hand coming up to rest over his left eye as if that somehow will allow him to take hold of the clarity he needs right now.
It's only once the dizziness lessons that he can attempt to catch his breath again. Even so, when he speaks--and he's not even sure who he is speaking to--his voice is so weak it can barely be heard.]
Please... I-I need to see him. Please...
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Hell, waking up for the first time in two thousand years, from true unconsciousness rather than the haze of half-existing, is weird. Left to his own devices, Izunia would probably have proved as groggy as his descendant, but -
oh thank you for that instant adrenaline rush Ignis that's exactly what he needed today.
Ignis will feel a bolt of alarm that echoes his own, and then a brush over his thoughts - and then another, more solid touch, something not quite like fingers in his hair, intended to comfort.]
Ignis. Breathe.
[You do remember the deal you made last night, right Ignis?
Because even if the words aren't spoken aloud, they are still definitely there. Izunia is there, in every nerve of your body with you, and the magic of kings tingles at your flesh more strongly than it ever did with the bond to Noctis alone.]
Breathe and go slowly. You won't do yourself or him any good if you try to rush there and collapse before you even reach the door.
[Ignis may not be able to grab hold of that clarity himself, but that's fine. Izunia can help him find it again.
Someone else might have said 'stop, you're too injured,' or 'you need to rest first,' but Izunia knows better. Even if it were possible to stop Ignis, he wouldn't try. Instead, as promised, he'll aid as best he can.]
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Slowly, his breathing evens out, the hand not pressed against his face clenching and releasing the sheet below it in time with his breaths to bring both his body and mind back into sync.
Last night...happened. Oh, it's not the fight with Leviathan or his sacrifice he questioned. Proof of that was there the moment he opened his eye and found nothing but darkness around him. Instead, it's what came after he doubted. Had that been some kind of fever dream or had he really met and made a deal with Ardyn's brother?
The gentle touch and voice, the magic tingling along every nerve and muscle in his body. The proof is there. No matter how crazy it all sounds.]
Izunia...
[Unconsciously, he presses against the touch. It's so soothing. Something he's not really allowed himself since he was a child.]
Apologies. Are you all right?
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You needn't concern yourself for my sake. I'm hardier than most.
[No vision for him, either, but Izunia has always been the sort to find tactile sensations calming, which helps to work into a feedback as Ignis clenches and releases the hand in the sheets. He's still a step removed, and thus able to see a bit wider of the picture than Ignis can in this moment, when the desire to find Noctis overrides what of his senses remain.]
Though it would probably be to your advantage to direct your thoughts my way instead of speaking aloud, unless you wish your companions to think you've lost your reason along with your sight.
[Just looking out for you, partner.]
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Well, as comforted as he is by the Shield's presence so near, Ignis also realizes he's not going anywhere as long as Gladio is there. It also means he should very quickly take Izunia's warning to heart.]
You can hear me like this then?
[There is a bit of cautious disbelief in the thought's tone, not because he doesn't believe it will work, but just because this is all so new and strange to him. Belatedly, he realizes he is beginning to tense again and sighs as he shifts and methodically forces each muscle group to relax back into the comfort of the bed.]
That may be true, but that doesn't mean I can't still show concern for you. We are a team now, and while this may be new for you in a different way than it is for me, it is still new to you.
[Besides, deflecting is his favorite way of not dealing with things, and boy, does he have a lot of things floating around his mind he does not want to deal with quite yet.]
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Such is life, afterlife, whatever in-between thing his existence is now.]
Perfectly well.
[Really, he could go digging for other thoughts, if he had to, but that would probably be unpleasant for both of them. Keeping it at instead a level of sensing each others' moods is safer.]
And I rather like it better than being in the Ring, but I do have that experience to draw from. Riding in the back seat, so to speak, isn't that new to me.
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[Ignis can't help but wonder, then, if that detachment--that feeling of not really being in control--is part of the reason the Kings of Old had been so distant and harsh even to one who was doing nothing more than asking--no begging--for the power to protect one of their own. Only Regis had not been so, but he was newly added to their number. Of course his presence would be different.
And then there is Izunia, but his whole situation is different now, isn't it?]
So, where do we begin? As much as I wish to see Noctis right now, I have no doubt that Gladio will cart me back to bed the moment I open that door. Visiting will have to wait.
[Awake for five minutes and already all business. Some things never change.]
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An obnoxious daemonic something, but look, he's willing to forgive a great deal, if it's Ardyn.]
Honestly, I could do with a situation report. Aside from the obvious - that which just transpired and the thoughts that were immediately on your mind at the time you put on the ring - my knowledge of events ends at the fall of Insomnia, and even then it is not precisely detailed.
[Regis bit it, Ravus did a stupid, Nyx did a heroic, that's really about all he knows.
Making any kind of plan is impossible, or at least very foolish, when you don't know what's going on. And perhaps more importantly, it's a way that Ignis can feel useful and gain back some of his confidence in the aftermath of his injury. As much as the obvious reassurances have no doubt helped his mental state for the moment, Izunia is aware enough that that won't be more than a temporary balm. For someone who needs to do, who needs to be useful, to build their confidence again - providing them with a way of doing that will do a great deal more good in the long run.
(A distant part of him, one that is aware of and disgusted at the way his political knowledge and ceaseless acting have left him unable to entirely stop the manipulations even upon this most intimate of allies, simply sighs at the thought. Manipulation or not, it is what Ignis needs, now.)]
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[So much has happened since the Fall that most of the time it feels as if years have passed instead of months. The covenants, the hunts, the battles, Ardyn. Even if he just hits the highlights, Ignis half suspects he will find himself dozing off before he is anywhere near done, his aching body dragging him down into unconsciousness whether he wills it or not.
Perhaps there is an easier way?]
Instead of having me dictate to you what's happened, if I think of a specific event--as I think words toward you now--are you able to see the images I'm thinking of?
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[But there's a feeling like assent, like the invisible person pressed against his back is nodding.]
And potentially more, but it's impolite to go digging.
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Digging might be useful right now. We may have time, but my energy is limited. Shall we run a little test to see how things work and so we both can find our comfort zones?
[Ignis takes a deep breath and, as difficult as it is to think about, draws forward the memories of the four of them standing on the overlook and confirming what the newspapers had told them.
Insomnia had fallen. The King was dead and...
No, he stops himself from thinking too much of the emotions from that time. Images for now. Handing Prompto back his phone. Sounds. The Marshal calling to find out where they were. Facts.
They are easier than emotions. So much easier.]
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And when Ignis is done, Izunia offers him fair trade - and it's almost too powerful a contrast, because so much of Izunia's memory is in emotions. The facts are there, sticking out like jagged edges -
Ardyn, climbing the steps to the throne
Regis, releasing the Armiger upon the Niflheim delegation in the treaty hall
Ravus, proud, unbowed, demanding, unworthy but sympathetic, wanting only to save that which he loved
Lunafreya, devilishly clever, using the ring as a weapon against her enemies without ever needing don it
Nyx, his defiance, his choice, the power coursing through him and the seal on the Old Wall lifting
- Izunia's memories are as much emotion as fact and he loves them all, from Ardyn's sweeping gestures to the last moments of Nyx's dawn when everything stops, goes blank because the ring is bound to no one, now.
As though realizing exactly how much he's poured out, then, Izunia's presence pulls away slightly.]
I'm sorry. That was probably a bit much.
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And Nyx. Ignis had know--had suspected--the Glaive who had worn the ring was him. Who else could it have been? Seeing it, though, drives a sad laugh from Ignis' mouth.]
I cannot decide if he would scold me or congratulate me for following in his footsteps like this.
[His mentor was at peace in the end. That is the only thing that lightens the weight in Ignis' heart even as a tear makes its way down his right cheek. Finally, he feels as if he can mourn at least one loss. There is closure to the Hero's story and there will be no body to retrieve. It's how the ring works.]
It's all right. I just need a moment. Please, don't pull away.
[He doesn't want to be alone right now, even if there is no way he can truly be so now that they share a body.]
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[...At the request, he stays, mentally pressed to Ignis' side. A phantom arm remains around the younger man's shoulders.
Insomnia, they can mourn together. Even if neither was born there - Ignis foreign, Izunia predating it - it is home to both of them.]
But I think more than that, he would be glad you survived.
[Such is the wish of those who offer their lives to protect others without hesitation - to see that everyone else gets home safe.]
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[Nyx wanted Noctis to rule well, and if things aren't changed, he will never get to rule at all. Instead, he will die as another sacrifice to fix the mess the Astrals made long before he was even born. It's another reason to see things changed. There is no changing Nyx's fate, but he can see the last wish of the man who he respected so much fulfilled.
To that end, Ignis takes a deep breath and once more begins showing Izunia memories of what happened after the Fall. The first memory is the four of them reuniting with Cor, followed shortly by Noctis gaining his first Royal Arm. There are no few images of hunts as well, though Ignis never focuses on any of them long. Soon enough, they arrive in Lestallum to met up with Iris, Jared and Talcott. There is both joy and sorrow in that reunion, but only a moment to rest before they are off to the Greyshire Glacial Grotto in search of another Royal Arm. They emerge victorious only to find they have lost on another front as Imperial forces move into Lestallum and killed Jared while they were away.
There is little time to mourn, though, because ever since they came close to the Disc of Cauthess, Noctis has had terrible headaches. It's clear how much these headaches worry Ignis, especially since they keep getting worse. When they seem to be at the end of their ropes, who appears to 'save' them but Ardyn.
At this point, though not part of the memory, Ignis can almost be heard growling, If I knew then what I know now! and then the memories continue.
A car ride. A stay in a caravan. Ardyn 'miraculously' getting them passed the Imperials guarding the Disc. Surprise at finding another Royal Arm and then terror when the ground gives way beneath Noctis. Relief and adrenaline rush through Ignis' veins as Gladio and Noctis are confirmed okay and he and Prompto move to find a way to meet up with them.
How often does one fight an Astral? Ignis is quite certain this is one fight he could have done without, but in the end they manage to come out on top until the very ground beneath them becomes their enemy and Ardyn once more sweeps in like a protective angel to save them.]
The Chancellor of Bloody Niflheim. More like the Bloody Showman of Niflheim. He can't help the drama, can he?
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