Chapter Text
Solara stared blankly. The world had descended into a place of nightmares, she knew this, but even her wildest ones she hadn’t imagined the Crystal everyone had pinned their hopes on eating Noctis, leaving her alone with Ardyn.
She tried to breath, but the awful grin on Ardyn’s face just made her want to close her eyes and cry. But, as she had reminded herself so often over the past few days, she was an Aldercapt, and that meant that if she had to die, if this was the end, then she was going to look her killer in the eye as he did killed her.
But all he did was smile, tip his hat, as if he was some sort of gentleman and say, “good day to you, Princess,” and turn away.
Footsteps thundered along the grated metal floor as Noct’s friends rushed into the room, moments too late.
Seeing her cowering behind the Crystal with Noct nowhere in sight they attacked immediately.
Gladio used his momentum to power his swing, cutting diagonally through Ardyn’s torso as he continued walking away. The daemon merely staggered as fine black mist poured from the wound and continued onwards.
Noct’s MT boyfriend’s response was three bullets in the back, which at least put Ardyn on the ground, but with the grim resignation so obviously set on Ignis’ face, Solara didn’t think it would be so simple.
She had been right, before his hat had stopped rolling, Ardyn was back on his feet and striding jauntily down the catwalk, only to vanish, as if he had never been there, just before he reached the end.
“Sol,” Ignis asked crisply, kneeling down to offer her a potion, “are you alright?”
“I don’t need it,” she said numbly, shaking her head, “I’m not hurt.”
“What happened to Noct?” Prompto asked, his voice verging on a whimper.
“The Crystal,” she choked out, “the Crystal ate him.”
Gladio stared at her, jaw lose in shock, “what?”
Ignis sighed, “then I suppose it’s a waiting game now.”
“For what?” Sol asked shrilly.
The blind man's expression was dark. “For Noct’s return.”