A Man Of No Consequence (Ardyn x Reader)

Callings

"No," you repeat, stepping away from him, giving him a confused smile. "I'm tired of being told what to do."

Leaving Ignis calling after you, you turn and run, as fast as you can towards the water. The earth shakes under your feet and a sleet of salty rain flies against your face, making you stop in your tracks. You look up, seeing a colossal entity emerge from the ocean, towering above all the buildings, with wings the size of the square itself.

"The Hydraean..." you whisper. Lifting your camera with trembling hands, you remove the lens cover and aim at the Astral. Without wasting any time, you shoot as many times as you can.

The serpent opens her mouth, an otherworldly noise of a thousand magitek engines shrieks across the seafront, and you fall on your knees, nearly dropping your camera. The voice is threatening and unbearably loud, but as it echoes through the empty square, you hear the words in your mind;

"This wretched pile of bone and flesh, ignorant of that which governs All, comes to requisition the might of the Goddess?"

Slowly, you lift back up to your feet, looking up at the Hydraean.

"What does a lowly, ephemeral speck know of All Creation?"

The Hydraean swings it's head at Lady Lunafreya on the ledge, crushing the arch, making the stone crumble to the sea. You gasp for air as you aim your camera again. I'm not ready for this, this can't be real.

You only manage to take one more picture, before a magitek engine flies directly into the shot. Running aside, you aim again, only to realize the vehicle is headed directly at you. Turning on your heels, you try to make a run for the opposite side of the square, but hearing the ship make a landing behind you, within seconds you're surrounded by Imperial gunmen. Freezing, you lift up your arms.

"I'm only taking pictures!" you yell out, cautiously turning around to face the ship.

One of the soldiers approaches you aggressively, shoving his shotgun against your back, nudging you to move along quicker. Biting your lower lip, you do as instructed, holding up your arms, trying your best to stay brave, consciously slowing down your breath to stop yourself from hyperventilating. Stepping on the ramp, you look up to see a pair of golden eyes looking at you sternly.

You instantly drop your arms. "What's the big idea, scaring me to death like this?!"

"Get in," Ardyn hisses, walking inside the ship. The gunmen hurry up with you as the ramp is lifted and the vehicle takes up to the sky, rising above the Hydraean.

You stand by the window, next to Ardyn, holding your hands on your temples as you see the Astral below you, making another attack at Lady Lunafreya.

"I don't believe I asked you to leave the residence," he says dryly, without looking at you.

"Did you expect me to just watch TV and eat breakfast all day?" you respond, turning to look at the soldiers who have orderly taken their seats.

"They can't understand you," he says, keeping his eyes on the Hydraean.

"Why?"

"They're MT's, my dear. Daemons in a metal suit."

You cover your eyes with your right hand, rubbing your forehead. "Deamons... "

The magitek engine shakes with the Hydraen's voice rocking the metallic hull.

"Heaven and Earth, High and Deep, Birth and Return..." A tide builds up behind the Astral, creating a gigantic vortex of a tidal wave around the Leviathan, enclosing the ship inside.