Rayne Drops (FFXV)

L) Return to the Crystal

            I awake yet again with a sharp pain throbbing throughout my skull, my body aching more than it ever has previously. My knees sting from being pressed against the sharp edge of the cuffs for so long, my back aching horribly from the awkward position I've been strapped down in due to the absence of my right arm. How long has it been since we came here? As promised, Ardyn backs away having completed his goal of waking me up.

Before either of us can speak, I hear muffled voices through the wall that separates me from Prompto. Ardyn lunges forward, clapping a hand down over my mouth just as I take a deep breath to scream or shout or make any sort of noise to tell the others that I'm here and I need saving too. I bite down on his palm as hard as I can only to find the bitter flavor of his fingerless glove biting right back.

Gritting my teeth, I shake my head wildly, humming my pleas as loudly as I can. Ardyn huffs, slamming his other hand into my neck and pressing his fingers into my throat. Without a chance for a breath of air, I'm trapped listening to the hushed murmurs I'm positive belong to Noctis and Gladio. I can't make out their words, only the deeper notes of their voices. Once I hear the sound of an automatic door shutting, Ardyn lets go. I gasp for so much air at once that I find myself choking on my own greedy breaths. The chancellor rests his hands on his hips, watching me with a patient, mocking expression.

"We wouldn't want to ruin their fun, now would we?"

"What fun?" I rasp, glaring at him. If looks could kill, he'd be a pile of diced bits on the floor right now.

"I couldn't leave you in a cell with all doors unlocked without setting up some surveillance, could I?" He motions up to the series of obscured video cameras hanging from the ceiling. I hadn't even thought to look up. "All I had to do was pull the trigger and upload the footage to a surveillance room. Simple, yet effective." They... think I'm..? Then why did they sound so calm? I turn my glower to the floor, teeth gritted together tightly. I'm not falling for your mind games again.

Sensing my mood change, Ardyn steps closer, his face growing smug as he brings out his true daemonic features yet again. Those cursed black tendrils reach out toward me. No matter how much I struggle, I can't get away from them as they approach steadily, writhing and twisting around my skin. They trail up like vipers, and no matter how far I lift my chin, their cool darkness overcomes my face, washing down my throat like a rancid medication.

My head begins to swim, unconsciously surrendering to the thick haze that blocks out all protest. Suddenly, I understand. Ardyn was the savior. All the selfish wrongdoings of Eos's people and their gods destroyed him, stole his blessings, ruined his life. A life he cannot lose. A burden he cannot bear alone. I've only been brought to the edge of such suffering and yet... I feel all his pain when I look into his glowing, golden eyes.

"We have a party to host, now don't we Rayne?" He asks gently, stepping toward me and undoing my shackles. I make no reply, stepping free. My joints celebrate as they move freely, my muscles overjoyed at the feeling of a good stretch. He rests his hands on my shoulders, drawing me to look up at him. "Follow my lead. Stay close or you may become lost and fall into the wretched light once again. I'll do the talking; I ask only that you stop the senseless motives of Noctis's retainers."

"My life is yours," I reply, feeling the tangled mess of my hair brush roughly against my collar. Smiling, he reaches a hand down and presses something familiar into my hand. I smile back upon feeling the comfortable hilt of my gunblade, grasping the weapon and watching it dissipate into a blend of red and blue sparks as I let it go.

I understand now, why I was held against my will. My will was wrong. It brought me no benefit, only pain. Ardyn rescued both me and Prompto after seeing our true potential. Here we are; Prompto crawled back to his wretched friends and I won the battle for true power. For a true future. My mother's legacy and my father's supposed misdirection... Everything happens for a reason. The gods pointed me on my purposeful path, aligning it with the fabled Usurper. Here we are; we have arrived at the apex of truth, at which it crowns me its champion.