The Far Edge of Fate (Final Fantasy XV)

CHAPTER 28 - TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN

"It's Noctis's calling to sacrifice his life."

Ignis's revelation was quiet, barely audible over the whistle of wind in everyone's ears as they sped east, toward Lestallum. They all sat in the bed of the truck with the back window open so Cor could hear as they drove them from Caem. Ravus was sitting beside him, arms folded and eyes forward, scowling. Nyx was crammed between them, looking surly that he'd been relegated to the middle seat as he picked at lint from off his sling.

"Whoa, hold on, back up," Aaralyn said. "His calling is to do what?"

"Die," Ignis replied. His tone was grim. "For him to defeat Ardyn, he must absorb the power of Providence provided by the Crystal and summon his ancestors, and the price for such a ritual is his life."

"No," Aaralyn said. Her voice shook. "No. Absolutely fucking not."

"I agree," Ignis said. "That is why I put on the Ring—to see if I could defeat Ardyn in Noct's stead. It's only by his grace that I still live."

"You gave him hell from what I saw," remarked Gladiolus.

"Yes, but I doubt it was enough," Ignis murmured. "We know as well as anyone he's not dead. He'll likely bide his time until Noct returns. I only pray my efforts were enough to weaken him."

Aaralyn looked away, staring down at her hands. They trembled in her lap. Noctis willingly giving himself up to the Crystal still made her feel physically ill. She knew it had to happen—she knew that he had a Calling more important than anyone's and a role to play that had been foretold in the Cosmogony. It didn't make it hurt any less. She missed him, unbearably so. It had only been a day since he'd been swallowed by the Crystal, but she thought about him almost every second. Some desperate, childish hope of hers prayed that he wouldn't be gone long but she (just like everyone else) it would be a long, long time before they saw Noctis again.

But if he came back only to die for their sakes?

Regardless of the consequences, Aaralyn couldn't allow that to happen.

"That's not happening," she said firmly. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Okay, love the enthusiasm," said Cassielle. "But you can't exactly control the whole Fatewalker thing."

Aaralyn winced. "Okay, fair, but I can learn, can't I? I mastered the King's magic, there's no reason to believe I can't figure this out, too."

"You had us, though," Nyx pointed out through the window.

"Yeah, you had mentors, tutors, people who knew what they were doing," Cassielle agreed, drawing her knees to her chest. "As far as I know, 'Fatewalking' or whatever doesn't have that. The closest thing you'd have is Ardyn, which, eugh."

Aaralyn conceded defeat quietly. Cassielle was right. She'd been lucky enough to be gifted an innate magical ability and people who knew how to use it, and use it well. As far as they were concerned, she was the one and only person who could toe the line of fate so efficiently that she could snatch people out of theirs.

"Still," she said. "I have to try."

"Just where would you start would be the question," Prompto said, leaning back against the bed of the truck.

"I'd have to do research," Aaralyn says. "Practice. Do you think we can find any runestones I can channel through? Maybe I can learn to control it the same way I learned with the King's magic."

"Yeah, maybe," Nyx said. "One problem, the only runestones were in the Kingsglaive HQ back in the day and they're probably rubble by now."

"We can probably find something as a substitute if we go looking," Aaralyn insisted. "I want to learn to control this power. Especially if it means I can save Noctis."