Crown King: Return of The Labyrinth | ✓

Chapter 24: Undermining Truth

     "Stop playing games with me," you spat, "I know you're the one controlling this damned Labyrinth. You can't make a fool out of me anymore."

     "Oh, can't I?" He laughed. "I'm afraid you've gotten ahead of yourself too much, dear Healer. As much as I wanted this to be part of my renovations for the sake of the Labyrinth, you are unfortunately back in reality with me."

     Your brows furrowed, sparing the one of the daemons a glance nervously before focusing on him again. "What the hell is it you want, Ardyn?"

     "Well, if you insist," he spread his arms wide open, "Nothing else but the favor from the Astrals."

     "What do you mean. . ." You trailed off, not knowing what to say. Shiva had already warned you that the other Astrals wanted to end your life, and that risk the goddess took was what caused her to die in the hands of other deities.

     Ardyn chuckled. "Humans and their infidelities. Such a shame, don't you think?" Around you, the daemons growled. "The Astrals have been planning to end humanity—first in Eos, then in Gaia—and, based on my interpretation, is the sole reason why the plague has spread all over the planet. Humans have turned away from the gods, especially Lucis, that is why Starscourge is the best solution: to make them into daemons." His eyes gleamed in delight. "I have done everything I can to make sure all of my plans work out. The Astrals want you dead, as much as I want the Crown King dead. Thus I can assure to myself that I would be able to rule the planet, which I deserve with absolute certainty."

     "No you don't!" Your voice shook out of anger when he mentioned Noctis. If Ardyn had brought you out from the Labyrinth, then where were Noctis, Cloud and Luna? Were they also brought out, or worse, were they still stuck in there?

     "The gods are all in favor of me now, Healer. You cannot defy their actions, so you must oblige to their will for you have become one of those humans who failed," he mused while walking towards you, kneeling down and lifting your chin, making you look at him in disgust. His voice lowered into a whisper, "If you had been careful enough, you could have sensed that I were to stab you. It was only a matter of fact that a friend of yours decided how worthy I am for her to do me a favor at the moment."

     Ardyn let go of you and moved to stand, your eyes widening in disbelief. Tifa. . . No way. She couldn't have. . . She's my friend.

     "And here she is!"

     You lifted your head, more like you did it against your will for you feared that what Ardyn said turned out to be true, which was right. There she stood; she was clearly avoiding your gaze as her head was turned away. You didn't know what to feel. You've seen her as your friend and what you were seeing made you clench your fists out of rage—no, disappointment. The feeling of being betrayed by someone you knew you trusted. . . it was far worse than the feeling of knowing you were to die in the hands of someone you knew were the enemy.

     "Tifa," you said with a stern voice, trying your best not to feel affected, not in front of Ardyn. "Why aren't you looking at me, Tifa?"

     Tifa was unable to speak nor move as if she could not hear you.

     Your jaws remained tight, waiting for her to respond, but to no avail. "Tifa, answer me. Look at me." You tried again, this time not allowing reluctance to keep you from playing it safe. "You're ashamed, aren't you?"

     You thought you saw her arms tremble but you ignored it.

     "You're ashamed of even looking at me in the eye. Why, Tifa? Because you can't help but think that luring me to Ardyn's trap would make you feel happy, is that it?" Irritation started to churn inside of you, gradually turning into something worse—anger. "What then drove you to do it so it makes you happy, I goddamn wonder—"

     Tifa screamed as she closed her eyes and turned her head to you, her face flushing out of anger as well. She snapped her eyes open that to your surprise, withheld so much resentment that you could feel it surging into you.

    "YOU!" She wended her way towards you and sent a punch to your jaw, causing you to land on your side against the floor, the impact on your jaw vibrating for a moment. As your eyes flicked up to her towering figure, you could taste your own blood, oozing out of the corner of your lips. "I shouldn't have taken you, you sickening, know-it-all!" Tears came streaming down her face, her fists clenched tight as she had the difficulty to take in breathes.

     "You—this is—all your fault—why Cloud died—why he doesn't love me—" Your eyes enlarged in shock "ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" She shrieked, lifting her foot and aiming it toward your face. "JUST DIE ALREADY!"

     Before she could ever smash your face, you immediately rolled over, her foot crashing against the cold, marbled floor.

     Even if you were trying not to be knocked out, you still couldn't believe it. That was why she hated you. She loves Cloud, and I have been oblivious to it, you thought, feeling a certain amount of guilt, and when he sacrificed himself, maybe that's why Tifa suddenly stopped talking to me after—why I haven't heard from her for years.

     You caught a glimpse of Ardyn ordering her to stop. But that doesn't mean what she did to endanger me, moreover side with Ardyn, is ought to be forgiven.

     "I see how much you want to kill her so badly, dear lady," Ardyn said, "but I'm afraid that is quite enough."

     Tifa backed away slowly, her eyes filled with pure hatred as she gave you one last stare, before she set off on her heels and disappeared within the crowd of daemons after they made way for her. Of course, the daemons were somehow under Ardyn's control, so that just meant he had ordered them not to inflict any harm on Tifa.

     "And now, for our beloved guest, before I bring you back to where you really belong." Ardyn formed a sly smile.

     Somewhere behind him, some daemons split apart to make way, and as the path was cleared, a certain person came out into view. Blond locks fell to the side of his face, his skin a sickening white, nearly translucent while transitioning every other second into the color of treesap. Black veins travelled from his left cheek, down to his left arm. One of his eyes seemed to bulge out, the iris fidgeting of pure crimson, while his other one looked normal which was still pale blue.

     You finally scrambled to your feet as you stared back at him in disbelief. It was true all along. . .

     "P-Prompto." Your voice suddenly became hoarse, yet it felt like he could not understand; he did not respond to his own name as he stared back at you blankly.

     "It is not his loss if doesn’t recognize himself anymore." Ardyn grinned. "He wasn't supposed to have a name. It is just that he managed to escape from Niflheim's forces. He should be one of those magiteks initially, but then I thought, it could have been better if he were to be a daemon instead!"

     You felt your knees shaking, eyes petrified of the terrifying sight. Although you wanted to curse at Ardyn so bad, you knew it would be useless. You felt so hopeless, knowing that you couldn't do anything, and when Prompto strided towards you, his face devoid of any emotion, you only wished you at least had a way to make him come back and recognize who you were.

     Prompto raised his hand high, and when you heard the eerie noises of the daemons erupting all throughout the cathedral, you had no choice but to shut your eyes close.