Night Owl - Final Fantasy XV - NoctisxReader

Insomnia

Flashback

(Insomnia)

It had been three days, since the crystal was stolen by Niflheim, and the Citadel went up in a blast of smoke. The barrier that had protected the city of Insomnia, for years, had fallen... You could scarce believe your eyes. It faded away into shards of blue crystal, that fell like snow dissipating slowly, as they descended from the heavens. The sky was finally revealed for the color it truly was, a bright dazzling blue.

When the barrier was intact, the sky was stained a deeper darker less saturated hue. Streaks of orange, like small clouds, could have been seen above streaking through the atmosphere if one watched closely. Most people would have never noticed the subtle change, but to your keen eyes, it was like night and day.

On the first day of the invasion, there was a televised event of King Regis signing a peace treaty, with the mighty nation of Niflheim. You sat anxiously, in your small apartment, watching the historic event unfold, from a small TV. Sure what you had wasn't much, being a simple commoner, but you were proud of the meager living you'd made for yourself. And it was a cozy little space. The televised broadcast cut out once the explosions started. Then you heard the hum of ships flying overhead... Once night begun to fall most of the ships left. Much to your relief.

But that night was chaos. You lived far enough from the upper-class and main business district to survive, but it was still terrifying. Tremors shook the ground, and the rubble of collapsing buildings, could be heard for miles. Dust painted the night in a murky fog, it loomed eerily above for hours. Once you could have sworn you'd caught sight of a golem-like creature wrecking havoc. Winged monsters, and war air-ships also patrolled the night sky. You couldn't sleep at all.

It wasn't until the second morning, after the sleepless ordeal, that you'd heard a broadcast. It spoke of the explosion at the Citadel, the stolen crystal, and the mass shooting by Niflheim troops outside the palace square, along with a list of casualties and damage estimates. The next bit made your heart drop. King Regis was confirmed dead, along with the Crown Prince and the Oracle Lunafreya. While you didn't know any of them personally, it was painful to hear. You were a citizen of Insomnia born and raised this was your home!

You had however, seen Regis via electronic screens, a number of times, through the years. For some reason, you'd grown fond of him. He had a calm and gentle demeanor, with an irrefutable air of dignity. If you heard his voice, you'd wander over and sit down to watch drawn in by his warmth. It was calming, and in a strange way, you saw him as a kind grandfatherly figure.

Lady Luna was all the rage, for quite some time, she made papers across several nations for being the youngest Oracle in history. She'd even appeared on television a few times, though sparse and far between. Her beauty and grace had always struck you. It took your breath away! The Kingdom of Tenebrae, her home, was just as stunning. She had a confident and commanding stride, with a voice to match. A Princess in all regards.

The Prince was another story altogether. He never appeared on television, did interviews or the like. He was a ghost, an apparition, or even an urban legend. When you tried to conjure an image of him, it was dark and formless. Often, he would leave your conscience entirely, until someone brought the subject up. There was most likely a huge fuss, and media attention everywhere at the time of his birth, unfortunately, you had no memory of such things. Sometimes you wondered if he truly existed at all...

Shaking yourself out of your current musings, you got ready. Taking a deep breath, you opened the door to the outside world. Destruction and ruin, could be found in places even here. Whole road systems were completely crumbled to ash, scattering strangely across the city landscape. Odd pieces of structures were flung and twisted unnaturally, bent and forlorn on the horizon. A sense of foreboding built inside you as you walked through the almost unrecognizable city. You wanted out now! What was to become of the citizens left defenseless, with no one to rally behind. You knew that Niflheim's ruler was a cruel man...