Noctis, Ignis, Gladio and Prompto follow after Vanitas as the child marches his way up the stairs and towards the throne with purpose.
‘There’s a hidden part. Here on the throne.’ Vanitas explains. His small hand searches for the button Regis had told him about, trying to remember exactly where it was on the polished black and gold marble. ‘I was sitting here, minding my own business, when Noct scared the shit outta me.’ He recounts. ‘But it wasn’t Noct. He said his name was Regis and that he just wanted to say hi. I told him he was full of it since you know, he’s supposed to be dead.’ Vanitas pauses, having found the button. ‘Then he said you guys were looking for Noct’s birth certificate, right?’
‘Well, yes. We’ve been looking for it for ages now.’ Ignis hums, putting a hand up to his chin in thought.
‘Here’s the thing,he showed me exactly where it was.’ The child hits the switch, causing the secret compartment to open. ‘Take a look.’ Vanitas says, pulling the hatch down to reveal the treasure trove of papers and boxes hidden inside.
Noctis doesn’t do so immediately, merely looking from Vanitas to the hidden compartment with a furrowed brow. When the King does reach for the documents, his expression is hard as he looks them over.
‘It’s here.’ He passes the papers to Ignis, before taking a peek at the boxes.
There’s a few of them that are simply full of various jewels or heirlooms, while others hold crumpled documents or scribbled notes. Ignis in particular seems quite pleased to have found a few of them, though Vanitas’s isn’t exactly sure what they are beyond probably just useful knowledge from the previous King.
When Noctis opens one of the two bigger boxes, however, he stops and takes in a breath.
‘This is…’ He whispers, pulling out a sparkling piece of jewelry. It’s a hair comb, made of what looks like the same branching silver material as Noctis’s crown.
‘Woah is that the…?’ Prompto asks, his eyes flickering from the comb to Noctis and back.
‘The late Queen Aulea’s crown.’ Ignis confirms with awe.
Vanitas looks at them all curiously.
‘Who?’ He asks with a tilt of his small head.
‘Noct’s mom.’ Gladio clarifies as Noctis sighs.
‘Kinda always wondered where he kept it.’ He says, turning the crown this way and that to examine it in the low light of the room.
‘Perhaps having the crown so close by was some sort of comfort.’ Ignis offers, causing Noctis to hum in agreement as he safely puts the comb away before taking out the other box.
The wood cracks apart with a small creak, and Noctis clicks his tongue in response.
‘Now that makes sense.’ He muses, showing the contents. It holds smaller pieces of jewelry. One is a hair clip that matches the hair comb from earlier, while the other is a headband adorned with a small antler matching Noctis’s current crown.
‘What are these?’ Vanitas asks with interest.
‘Crowns for the prince and princesses of Lucis.’ Ignis explains. ‘Noct wore this one when he was your age, Vanitas.’ He says, indicating towards the headband as Vanitas curiously picks it up out of the case. ‘They’re easier to wear so are meant for children.’
‘I wore it til I was about what? Ten or so?’ Noctis hums, watching with amusement as Vanitas examines the headband. ‘Then I graduated to an earcuff.’
‘The earcuffs are worn by King and Prince.’ Ignis nods. ‘With the King’s resting on the right and the Prince’s on the left respectively.’
‘I remember the King’s is bigger obviously.’ Prompto muses with pinched eyebrows as he tries to remember. ‘And they symbolize uh… unity? Something like that, right?’
‘You sound like you just made that up.’ Gladio snorts.
‘Gimme a break. They didn’t exactly teach this stuff in school, you know.’ Prompto protests.
‘Honestly he’s not that far off the mark.’ Noctis says, gently taking the crown from Vanitas to put it away. ‘Can save the actual details for some other time. It’s kind of a long and boring story.’
‘Hey, any excuse to skip a lecture, I’ll take it.’ Prompto says, ignoring Ignis’s pointed look in response. ‘Anyway, so where even is your Prince earcuff, Noct?’
‘You know,’ Noctis starts, putting his hand to his chin. ‘It was with the princess crown in a case just like this one last I saw it.’ Noctis taps on the box with his pointer finger as he thinks, head turned up to the ceiling with furrowed brows. ‘I had brought them both with us and wanted to give the comb to Luna when we got married. So, it’s probably…’ He suddenly grimaces. ‘In the Regalia.’
Ignis, Gladio and Prompto all instantly share the same expression.
‘The Regalia?’ Vanitas looks between them. ‘Didn’t you say it bit the dust in the Imperial Capital?’
‘Yup. Completely totaled.’ Prompto confirms. ‘So uh, no chance of getting that back any time soon.’
‘Probably broken to bits by now.’ Gladio agrees.
Ignis sighs heavily and removes his notebook from his jacket pocket.
‘Another thing to add to the list of replacements needed.’
‘Least you don’t need it for a while, right?’ Vanitas offers. ‘No prince or princess around to wear it.’
Ignis looks at Vanitas. There is something in his stare, something that Vanitas isn’t sure that he likes, before the advisor slowly nods.
‘Correct.’ He confirms.
‘Well, that’s good at least.’ Prompto nods. ‘So, anything else in there Vani?’
Vanitas turns to the hatch, sticking his small hand inside the hidden compartment.
‘Hm… Yea there is.’ He pulls out something that was stuck to the wall in the way back. It’s a photograph, and as he flips it over, the picture showcases King Regis standing in front of the Regalia. In his left hand he holds a sword, and in the other he has a sleeping child with dark hair.
Noctis takes the photo from Vanitas’s hands, a somber frown coming over his face.
‘Haven’t seen this one in years.’ He gazes over the picture as if it will be gone in the next moment if he doesn’t look at it hard enough.
‘Aw Noct you were so tiny.’ Prompto coos from over his shoulder. ‘Not as tiny as Vani though.’
‘I believe that must have been taken when Noct was seven years old.’ Ignis contemplates.
‘Kinda sweet the King kept it up close all this time.’ Gladio hums, crossing his arms.
Noctis lets out a long breath, flipping over the photo as if to decipher a secret. When he finds none, he returns the photo back to Vanitas.
‘Did he say anything else?’ He asks slowly, as if steeling himself for the answer.
‘Just that he was interested in why you and I got such a strong bond or whatever.’ Vanitas shrugs. ‘He literally just wanted to say hi. That’s it.’
Noctis hums at this, looking contemplative. It seems there is no doubt in his eyes anymore that Vanitas truly spoke with his father.
‘If you see him again, let me know.’ Noctis implores, something in his voice vulnerable.
‘Well duh.’ Vanitas says without a second thought. ‘I’ll do better than that. I’ll wake your lazy ass up so you can talk to him yourself.’
His words cause Noctis to chuckle, the tension in the room dissipating like fog.
‘It’s a promise.’
The next 24 hours after that were chaotic to say the least.
The uproar that Cor predicted had hit. It hit hard and then some.
First, Vanitas very rapidly grew quite fatigued after their talk in the throne room. So much so that he’d actually passed out in the hallway leading back to the royal suite. This wasn’t his normal brand of tiredness, either, nor was it the type that had come over him after healing Ignis’s eyes.
No. This brand of exhaustion hit Vanitas like a freight train, as if another keyblade wielder had cast Sleepga on him out of nowhere, and he had woken up dazed in the royal hospital wing the next day.
What’s worse, during the time that Vanitas was unconscious, word of the woman and her baby spread like wildfire. Within a few hours the entire population of the Citadel knew that the rumor circulating about a ‘miracle child oracle’ actually held some truth. It had leaked out into the public from there, and once the press had gotten word of it, all hell had broken loose.
Vanitas had woken up to the sight of lines forming outside the Citadel; some people genuinely asking for help while others simply wanted to gawk and praise the mysterious new ‘oracle’.
Noctis had promptly turned them all away, refusing to answer any questions.
Vanitas, for his part, was made to bear the brunt of this scandal by not being allowed to leave the royal suite until the ruckus died down. As a result, he felt horribly irritable and snippy with everything and everyone, a direct result of being protected like a child.
This was not something Noctis was willing to bend on, however.
‘Van, we all saw what happened after you cured that baby.’ Noctis had said a few days into Vanitas’s confinement. ‘You were like that too after you healed Iggy’s eyes, only this time it was way worse.’
‘So?’ Vanitas grumbled back. ‘The only reason it tired me out so much is because I’m stuck like this.’ He gestured to himself angrily. ‘If I was myself again, I could take the darkness out of everyone in the whole damn city without breaking a sweat.’
‘Exactly.’ Noctis had countered. ‘But you’re not a teenager anymore, Van.’
‘Don’t remind me.’ Vanitas glared. ‘I know that already without you guys babying me. ‘
‘Just, give us some time to figure this out.’ Noctis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘We’re all worried about you, you know.’
At this information, Vanitas also sighed, both of them at a crossroads as he was reminded of just how much he had worried them lately with his antics.
Yea, he didn’t want a repeat of that anytime soon.
‘Fine…’
And that was that.
Vanitas was left with nothing to do but complain and hide away in the royal suite for a few days. The guys had taken pity on him, however, and produced a plethora of activities to keep him busy; from coloring books, to movies, to visits with Poppy, to new hobbies or foods.
For some reason he gravitated towards the coloring books. They weren’t anything special, only simple pictures, but coloring them in, filling his world with color when all he had before was the brown sands of the Keyblade Graveyard, brought a lot of joy to him in ways that he never expected to find.
Today had been another one of those days. A day that should have been boring and long as hell was made much more bearable by coloring in a large poster of chocobos. Gladio had swiped it for him when out on a shopping trip with Poppy, and it was huge, even bigger than Vanitas himself. He’d been obsessed with it ever since, and Noctis had struggled to get Vanitas to put it down, but eventually sleep beckoned him as normal when the sun set into the horizon.
Late into the night, though, Vanitas is awoken by some strange feeling. He takes his time letting the world come back to him as his senses regain themselves. Noctis’s room is dark, no surprise there, but there is a peculiar, dimmed blue light coming from the direction of the kitchen.
Odd… it’s way too early for Ignis to be preparing breakfast.
Vanitas gets out of bed, heading out into the suite. There’s no one in the kitchen, but as he follows the strange, faint glow out into the living room, he is startled to find a woman standing there. She is wearing a white dress, with braided blonde locks tied up in a ponytail, and there is a warm smile on her face as she admires the pictures that Prompto had put up on the wall by the television.
Blue flower petals noticeably drift through the air as she notices him.
‘Oh! Hello Vanitas.’ She greets. ‘Apologies, did I wake you?’
‘No…’ Vanitas stares at her with a raised black eyebrow before glancing to the front door. The doorknob has a small red light on it, signaling that it hasn’t been opened recently. ‘Let me guess. You’re a ghost.’ He deadpans, forgoing any small talk.
She smiles at him and turns to regard him fully.
‘That’s right.’ She confirms, appearing unsurprised by his quick deduction.
‘Fine. So, who are you this time and what do you want?’ Vanitas asks unkindly with a yawn, not bothering to be polite. The last time he spoke with a ghost like this, he landed himself in an argument with Noctis and it had now snowballed into the whole world trying to get at him.
To say he wasn’t happy to be having this conversation would be an understatement.
The woman regards him for a moment, taking in his untrusting stance and gaze, before clasping her hands warmly in front of her, a sign of peace.
‘My name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.’ She introduces herself, unoffended by his brash nature. ‘In life, I was the last oracle. And Prince Noctis’s fiancé.’
‘Oh.’ Vanitas immediately straightens up, showing a little bit of respect to the woman that was supposed to be his friend’s bride. ‘Thought your name was just Luna?’
‘It’s a nickname that Noctis gave to me when we were children.’ Luna explains, her eyes lost in memories. ‘He could never pronounce my full name correctly.’
Vanitas snorts, finding the prospect of an incompetent child Noctis hilarious. Thoughts of the present Noctis fill his head, though, and he looks to the still darkened bedroom.
‘Anyway uh, so why are you here?’ He asks. ‘Just to say how do you do and shake hands?’
‘Well, yes, but there’s more than that.’ She approaches Vanitas and crouches down to his level. He backs up a step away from her, but she doesn’t seem to mind. ‘Vanitas, I came to speak to you specifically.’ She says, causing him to tilt his head in question. ‘I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘oracle’ by now, correct?’
‘Yea. The people outside won’t shut up about it.’ He waves a hand dismissively, clearly not a fan of their accusations. ‘Oracles are supposed to be ‘the bridge between the gods and the people’ or whatever. At least that’s what Ignis said.’
Luna nods.
‘That’s right.’ She hums. ‘Not only the bridge between the gods and people, though. In times of war, oracles are a connection between those of the living and those still wandering Eos as spirits.’ She explains, standing up. ‘Our star has been through much this past decade, and there are many souls that need shepherding to pass on.’
Vanitas opens his mouth to respond before shutting it abruptly, reading between the lines.
‘So, it’s not some hocus pocus or whatever?’ He asks in disbelief. ‘That’s the price I gotta pay? To be the new oracle?’
‘Yes.’ Lunafreya smiles at him. ‘With the bloodline of the previous oracles dearly departed, and the crystal and ring now gone, I believe you were brought back to ease the people’s pain. To be a chance for a new bloodline of oracles. In your own way.’
‘But you don’t know for sure?’ Vanitas makes a suspicious face.
‘I have communed with the gods in both life and death, but I do not claim to know their will.’ She shakes her head. ‘But still, I believe it so.’
‘Huh…’ Vanitas clicks his tongue, thinking it over.
Part of him deeply wants to protest all of this. He’s never been a hero, let alone a symbol of hope for anyone. Easing the pain of ghosts and living people alike sounds like a lot of work and trouble he didn’t want to be involved in either.
But then again… this is the price he paid to come back here. And while Vanitas may not truly understand the Astral’s reasons for choosing him for the job, he at least understands the concept of having a debt that needs to be repaid.
‘Fine. Ghost shepherding. Whatever.’ He shrugs, figuring that aspect will probably come later. ‘At least I get the ‘healing’ part, though that’s really my dark powers at work, you know? Nothing like the power of healing light or whatever those idiots out there are saying.’ He scoffs. ‘Anyway, what’s the deal with the itchy part of the job anyway? It’s annoying as hell.’
The current feeling in his chest is not nearly as strong as with that lady and her baby, but right now it was noticeable enough for him to recognize that some people out there in the streets weren’t bluffing about asking for help.
Luna chuckles at this, a nostalgic look on her face.
‘Yes, that will always be there I’m afraid. I was like that too when I was your age.’ She sympathizes. ‘It’s a natural way for the oracle to find those in need. Though, it does get easier to deal with in time.’
‘When I’m older you mean?’ He glares.
‘Yes.’ She says, not trying to deny it.
‘Any insight on that by the way? Cuz that’s also been ticking me off.’ He frowns, staring at his small hands with disdain.
‘You are as mirrored only by the years you have lived thus far.’ Luna repeats the sentiment of the God’s will. ‘Though, my guess also may be that you will not lose time to commune with the Astrals.’
‘What?’ Vanitas frowns.
‘When an oracle comes of age, they are to speak with the Astrals for the first time. It’s a right passed down through the ages, to make their voice heard by the Gods and be heard in return. To be acknowledged as Oracle.’ Lunafreya explains. ‘There are six we worship, so the commune happens when an oracle reaches six years old. When that time comes, I promise I will be there to guide you.’
Vanitas makes a face at that, her sentiment not exactly comforting in this moment.
He’s only four years old now.
So what? More waiting?
As Vanitas ponders, Lunafreya’s gaze strays to the star covered sky outside. There is no sign of sunrise just yet, but still, he gets the feeling that she may need to leave soon. He looks to the master bedroom, remembering his promise. Technically Luna is not Regis, but he knows that Noctis would not want to miss this opportunity either way.
‘Don’t leave yet.’ Vanitas rudely points a finger at her as he turns to Noctis’s door. ‘He’s gonna wanna talk to you.’
‘I…’ She hesitates, her gaze turned away. She takes a breath before looking at Vanitas. ‘I do not have much time. Only until sunrise.’
‘I’ll get his lazy ass up.’ He assures her. ‘Don’t move.’
‘I won’t.’ She smiles, returning to looking out at the sky.
Vanitas wastes no time going into Noctis’s room, flinging open the door and turning on the light. The body in bed barely moves as Vanitas pulls at the covers. Thankfully, Noctis is situated closer to one of the sides and not in the middle of the enormous bed so it’s easier to find his arm hidden in the covers and shake him awake.
‘Noct… Noct!’ Vanitas calls, shaking harder when all Noctis does is groan. ‘Wake up!’
With a startled gasp, Noctis opens his eyes and centers on Vanitas.
‘What?’ He asks hurriedly, sitting up in a daze. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing. Calm down.’ Vanitas assures him as the adrenaline wears off. He’s been there before, and it sucks being woken up out of a dead sleep. Granted, Vanitas is a much lighter sleeper than Noctis, but even so, dealing with the fight or flight instincts takes a moment or two to come back from. ‘Remember I promised to wake you up when I saw a ghost?’
At this, Noctis sits up straighter, looking around the room.
‘Is he…?’
‘Not him.’ Vanitas grimaces. ‘But uh, someone else I thought you might wanna talk to.’ Vanitas jerks his thumb to the door, where Luna’s glowing light is still trickling in from the direction of the living room as promised. ‘It’s uh… It’s Luna.’
Noctis’s eyes widen and he’s suddenly standing up without a second thought, following after Vanitas into the living room.
‘Told you I’d get him up.’ He says as he approaches her. ‘So uh… have a good reunion I guess? I don’t know.’
Luna looks at him, and then to Noctis. Her gaze is fond as she looks at him, but the King isn’t looking at her, instead gazing around the room before landing on Vanitas.
‘Am I missing something, Van?’ Noct asks, one dark eyebrow raised. ‘There’s no one here.’
‘What do you mean? She’s standing right there.’ He points to her, causing Luna to take in a breath of realization.
‘Oh Vanitas, he cannot see me.’ She says softly.
‘What do you mean he can’t see you?’ He turns to her, ignoring Noctis’s befuddled stare.
‘It seems this may be your first practice.’ She crouches to sit down on the floor, her legs neatly folded under her. ‘I will admit, no oracle from recent times has been able to commune with spirits. You are the first in over four generations to have the gift.’ She looks from him to Noctis, who is watching Vanitas like a confused hawk. ‘So, I am not familiar with the communing between humans and spirits, you will have to forgive me. But I think you may have to do something?’
‘Like what?’ He moves to sit next to her.
‘Search inside your soul.’ She instructs, placing a hand over her heart. ‘You should find the answers there.’
‘Oh sure, that’s helpful.’ He snorts.
‘You hold the heart of an oracle now, Vanitas.’ Luna hums. ‘You will know what to do.’
Vanitas huffs, looking skeptical, but closes his eyes, searching inward.
After a moment or two, vague images flash in front of his mind. Of a person dressed in white connecting the hands of a living person and a ghost. He searches deeper, looking for specifics, some magic words perhaps, or some direction, but that’s all that comes to mind.
‘Fine.’ He sighs and opens his eyes, grabbing Luna’s hand. Surprisingly, his fingers do not go right through her like he thought they would. ‘Gimme your hand Noct.’ He turns to the King next.
Noctis, who had been watching with crossed arms and a puzzled expression, sighs.
‘Van-‘ He starts.
‘Not a request.’ Vanitas says, making a grabby hand in the King’s direction.
Noctis lets out a breath before sitting next to Vanitas and offering up his hand. Vanitas wastes no time in holding Noctis’s hand to Luna’s and focusing on the connection he’s trying to make.
At first, nothing seems to happen, so he uses the only powers he knows, his darkness. He casts some of the shadows into their hands, before frowning as there is no effect.
With a puzzled brow, Vanitas releases them, only to be surprised as Noctis gasps.
‘Luna….’ He breathes, his eyes wide.
She only smiles, grasping onto his hand with her own.
‘Hello, dear Noctis.’
Vanitas inevitably ends up feeling like a third wheel as Noctis and Luna reunite. They talk about everything under the sun; their childhood, the prophecy, Luna’s death, Noctis’s death, Noctis’s ascension as King etc. To his credit, Vanitas doesn’t interfere, only watching on from the couch quietly should any more problems arise.
Eventually, though, Vanitas finds himself falling asleep at his post just as the first signs of sunrise peak over the distant horizon.
‘Guess we bored him to sleep.’ Noctis comments as he picks the child up into his arms.
Luna comes to stand at his shoulder, smiling down at Vanitas and gently moving stray pieces of dark hair away from his little face.
‘He’s so precious. Truly.’ She comments, causing Noctis eyes to grow sorrowful. He’d once thought that they’d be standing like this together, looking over a child of their own someday. He gazes at Luna, and by her expression he can tell that she is thinking the same thing.
Sadly, though, it’s simply not meant to be.
Noctis returns Vanitas to his room, and Luna tucks him in gently.
‘I will come to Vanitas the day he reaches six years old.’ She promises Noctis as the King quietly closes the child’s door and they head back into the living room. ‘He will need guidance communing with the Astrals for the first time.’ She explains. ‘But until then, he is much too young to be using his powers without care. You are doing well by protecting him until he comes of age.’
‘So Van really is the next oracle. I never woulda thought.’ He comments idly, still trying to puzzle the pieces together.
He’s not happy about this. Not at all. Not after everything the Gods put him through thus far.
Now they’re playing with Vanitas’s fate as well…
‘I believe it is the price he must pay for this second chance.’ Luna nods, looking up at Noctis. ‘And for his wish to be fully granted.’
‘Yea, for being with all of us again.’ Noctis sighs.
‘Not just that. But with you specifically Noctis.’ She says, causing him to look at her questioningly. ‘Vanitas wished to be with you all again, in times of peace.’ She explains, looking idly back towards the nursery. ‘But he could not do that if you were not also alive.’
Noctis blinks at this notion.
Could that really be true? There was no explanation for why he was suddenly let off the sacrificial hook so to speak. By all accounts, Noctis should have died on the throne, run through with his father’s sword.
But if Vanitas’s wish had spared him, then…
‘I’d better go.’ Luna says, snapping the King out of his thoughts. She is looking towards the window. ‘Dawn is near.’ She holds up a hand, her fingers slowly growing transparent.
‘Right.’ He sighs, feeling the air between them suddenly grow heavy. ‘Luna I… After everything, you know I still…’
‘I know.’ She stops him, walking forward to wrap her arms around him. He does the same to her, both of them clutching each other tightly. ‘Would that we could have been married in Altissia. I would have been the happiest bride. I don’t want you to doubt that.’
‘I know. And I wanted that so badly.’ He buries his face into her shoulder longingly. ‘A part of me still does, as if you never really died.’
She rubs his back soothingly.
‘I knew it was going to happen.’ She admits. ‘But I realize it was undoubtedly a shock for you.’ She pulls away to look up at him, tears in her eyes. ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you felt the same as I did.’
‘Of course I did.’ He assures her, cupping her cheek.
She smiles and places a hand over his.
‘Please know, whatever happened in the past, this is enough for me.’ She says as dawn grows ever closer. ‘I am not saddened by my fate, and I don’t wish you to be either, Noctis.’ She pleads. ‘I want you to live your life, and find happiness, and perhaps another someone to love. In your own time.’
‘But…’ Noctis tries to protest, holding her hand tightly as light begins to bleed through her form right before his eyes.
‘I love you, Noctis.’ She says, removing her hand from his to gently place it onto his face and pull him down towards her. ‘Come what may, I always will.’
She places her lips onto his, the smallest hint of a touch, the two of them sharing their first and last kiss as she slowly fades away.
…
‘… Luna. I love you too. Always.’
Weeks go by in the blink of an eye. Noctis and Ignis eventually take care of the hordes of people wanting to meet the rumored new ‘oracle’ by using the tried-and-true method of speaking a censored version of the truth.
‘This child is an exceedingly young minor, and should not be overexerting themselves by using their powers.’ Noctis said during a public address, retaining his poker face even in the face of a million camera flashes. ‘I humbly ask for your patience as we look into this further, and ask that those that seek healing refer to the dedicated hospital staff of Insomnia. As for the child, for their safety, I will not be divulging any further information about their identity at this time.’
The press, of course, were not pleased by this, but Noctis knows a guy on the inside. Vyv had branched out over the Endless Night as his magazines were the only means of communication between outposts. Thus, he had made a big name for himself and his company, Meteor Publishing. After the First Dawn his reputation only grew, and his company now covered everything from news to gossip, recipes, wildlife rehabilitation, relief statistics, you name it.
Vyv was more than happy to help Noctis persuade his fellow reporters to let this one go for now. That is, as long as he got first dibs on the scoop once it was ready to hit the printing press.
‘Same as always, you drive a hard bargain.’ Noctis commented.
‘What can I say, Your Majesty?’ Vyv chuckled. ‘Simply wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. No matter if you got a crown now or not.’
‘Well, I appreciate the honestly at least.’
With the media satisfied, that just left the guys themselves. To say that Gladio, Ignis and Prompto were shocked upon hearing of Vanitas’s calling would be an understatement to say the least.
‘Wait, like, it’s actually true?!’ Prompto exclaimed the morning after Luna’s ghostly visit.
‘Yup.’ Vanitas shrugged while absentmindedly toying with the omelet on this plate. ‘I’m the new oracle or whatever.’
The three guys went silent, digesting the revelation, before Gladio piped up.
‘So what happens now?’ He looked at the other adults at the table. ‘Don’t know about you, but I don’t know the first thing about oracles. Lucis never had one before.’
‘It is customary that oracles are part of the royal line of Tenebrae, so we would have limited knowledge of the nuances of the position.’ Ignis pondered, placing a hand to his chin as his brow furrowed. ‘Lady Lunafreya underwent the Right of Commune with the Astrals at age six, just as she described that Vanitas would upon reaching the same age.’ He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone to look something up. ‘Once anointed, usually be age 12, it is an oracles duty to travel the land and heed the call to cure those in need.’
‘Luna said that my calling is not so much the healing part.’ Vanitas waved his hand dismissively. ‘But more the ghost shepherding part.’
‘Ghost shepherd?’ Prompto repeated the words, confused.
‘Yea, like helping them to pass on or something.’ Vanitas explained. ‘Cuz you know, like, a lot of people died during the Endless Night.’
‘If I recall, there have been oracles more suited to helping lost spirits pass on.’ Ignis hummed. ‘Usually after times of war or famine, where there have been an immeasurable number of casualties.’ Ignis said and looked at the child. ‘Vanitas, you helped Noctis and Lady Lunafreya to connect. Did that cause you to tire as we’ve seen before?’
‘Nope.’ Vanitas shook his head.
‘He did fall asleep.’ Noctis commented. ‘But that was mostly because it was 4 in the morning.’
‘I see… it is interesting that conversing with ghosts does not exert yourself nearly as much as healing others.’ Ignis hummed and pondered some more before he sighed. ‘Well for now, I would have to advise we keep this information to ourselves, gentleman.’
It was business as usual after that. Vanitas was eventually allowed outside sometime later when the ruckus effectively died down, and though there were still whispers of a mysterious child living at the Citadel, the people reluctantly let the matter go and nothing came of it.
A few months after Vanitas has been reborn, the child wakes up to a new day. Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio are all awake and packing by the time he shuffles out of the nursery. Noctis is awake as well, marking the first time that he’s ever gotten up earlier than Vanitas.
Even so, Vanitas is unsurprised by this as he watches his friends scurry about the royal suite. The sun is just barely peaking over the horizon, and yet there’s still so much to do.
Today is an exciting day, after all. They’re going on a week-long trip around Lucis.
Since he became King, Noctis has made it a point to travel around his kingdom at least once a year. He does this for many reasons; to get a lay of the land, hear directly from the people, but most of all, to reconnect with the Noctis of ten years prior. The Noctis who grew to care about every person who passed him by, every person who had a story to tell, every person that needed help, or someone to listen.
It was very easy for Noctis to lose himself in his work in Insomnia nowadays, just as his father had, and his father had before him. Once a Lucian King’s initial journey to visit the royal tombs has ended, most of them stayed in their ivory towers until the day they departed this world. Noctis doesn’t want that. He wants to be a voice for his people, hear their struggles and their accomplishments. He wants to be a better King to them than his ancestors were, and that’s what he’s sought out to do on these trips.
This one will be no different, only that they will have a little extra tagalong to look after.
‘How long til we leave?’ Vanitas yawns, rubbing his eyes as he shuffles towards the bathroom.
‘Won’t be long now.’ Ignis calls, checking his watch. ‘Did you finish packing, Vanitas?’
The child only grunts and shuts the door in response.
‘He did.’ Noctis hums, drinking his coffee. ‘It looked just as bad as mine was back in the day, Iggy.’
‘Well, while I’m sure you corrected the situation, I would still like to check it just in case.’ Ignis says, adjusting his glasses as he heads off into Vanitas’s room. ‘Yours as well, Noct.’
‘Course you would.’ Noctis says, unsurprised and knowing that it’s only Ignis’s mother hen tendencies coming out to roost.
‘If you’re gonna check em, then I’d hurry it up.’ Gladio calls from the living room. He’s looking over their camping equipment one final time. ‘Cor should be up soon.’
‘I shan’t be but a moment.’ Ignis calls back.
Vanitas emerges from the bathroom a few minutes later, now properly dressed, just as there is a knock at the front door. The person on the other side doesn’t wait to be let in, instead punching in the code on the keypad and unlocking the door.
‘Hey Cor.’ Vanitas gives a sleepy, half-hearted wave as he goes to join Noctis at the table. There is already a child-sized plate of food waiting for him.
‘Good morning, Vanitas.’ Cor greets before walking further into the suite and surveying the area. ‘How are preparations coming along?’
‘Done over here!’ Prompto pipes up from his spot on the couch where he had been going over their supply of weapons and curatives, along with his camera equipment.
‘Everything is squared away.’ Ignis says, emerging from Noctis’s room. ‘We should be ready to leave momentarily.’
Cor nods, expression hard as always.
‘Security and personnel stationed here in the Citadel are ready for your departure. On your call, Your Majesty.’ He says, referring to the many individuals of the Crownsguard that will be holding down the fort while they’re gone. There are also a few trusted advisors handpicked by Ignis that will handle things from a paperwork perspective.
To date, none of the public is made aware whenever the King goes off on these road trips each year. In fact, quite a few of them never even know that it happens at all. It’s safer that way for everyone involved, and Noctis quite enjoys connecting with the few people far away from the city that do not know his true identity. He can be himself there so to speak, and the citizens of Insomnia can rest easy having no idea their King is away.
‘Right.’ Noctis nods and stands from the table to help the guys with final preparations.
Vanitas watches him lazily from his chair, not bothering to help as he plays with his food rather than eating it. This is the first road trip that they will be taking together in over a decade, and while he’s excited, it does bring up a lot of old memories.
The five of them traveling together had been the best time of his short life to be sure, and he would often think back to those days whenever he was in a bad way, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There were times when they had to fight for survival or fight each other in a different way when arguments would break out that shook the core of their group. The guys had just lost their home back then, after all, along with so many of the people they cared for. It was very common for tensions to be high sometimes, and Vanitas was certain on more than one occasion that they all would have been better off if he just left. But he was stubborn, maybe even more so back then than now, and he just couldn’t bear the thought of being alone again.
Eventually Vanitas has to push these thoughts aside and come down from his perch as everyone heads downstairs to the bowels of the Citadel. The Insignia, the successor to the Regalia, is already there waiting for their arrival. Monica and Dustin are there also, and they along with Cor talk with Noctis and Ignis for some last-minute instructions while Vanitas hefts his bag into the car. The lip of the trunk is just a bit too tall for him, though, and he huffs in annoyance as Prompto has to help him.
‘Could’ve gotten it.’ He grumbles.
‘Next time just shoot it in there like a basketball.’ Prompto teases, making the motion.
‘Yea, right onto your expensive camera.’ Vanitas teases right back, causing Prompto to gasp.
‘You would never!’
Vanitas laughs but doesn’t banter further as he leaves Prompto to finish packing up the trunk. He goes over to open the door to the backseat, opposite the one that Gladio is currently sticking out of. The Shield is fiddling with something, but Vanitas hasn’t bothered to care what it is until he opens the door and immediately grimaces.
‘Oh hell no.’ Vanitas says in disgust.
‘What?’ Gladio asks innocently while adjusting the booster seat. Once finished, he looks at Vanitas and pats it invitingly. ‘Your throne’s all set, shorty.’
Vanitas will not be coaxed, though.
‘You have got to be kidding me.’ He says, glaring at the offending seat for children.
Vanitas turns and moves to quickly walk away as Gladio laughs.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ He asks, clearly enjoying this bit of teasing. ‘Thought you were excited to go on this trip?’
Vanitas turns around and glares at him with a disdainful expression.
‘Well obviously not anymore.’ He huffs angrily, feeling insulted. ‘Still time to bow out and kick it with Cor for the week?’ He asks, looking for the Marshal, but finding that he, Monica and Dustin are nowhere to be seen.
Seems there will be no long farewells for their departure.
‘The seat is merely for your safety, Vanitas.’ Ignis says, having apparently known this would be an argument in the making. ‘It is not something we are willing to budge on this time, unfortunately.’
‘Describe “we”.’ Vanitas glares at him too, crossing his small arms.
‘All of us, Van.’ Noctis confirms, walking past Vanitas to give Prompto his bag. He tries to ruffle the child’s hair along the way, but Vanitas leans back stubbornly.
‘Yup.’ Prompto backs him up. ‘All in agreement.’
‘Seriously? What the hell?’ He groans. While he has hence gotten away with riding as normal during small trips around Insomnia, it seems there is no getting out of it this time.
‘Quit your whining.’ Gladio says lightly as he takes his designated seat in the back. ‘You’re gonna beat out Poppy for the most amount of car tantrums at this rate.’
Vanitas goes to protest further with a sneer. He wants to argue that Poppy isn’t a teenager stuck in a preschooler’s body like he is. That he’s got plenty to complain about and that this is embarrassing and demeaning as hell, but he knows the four of them very well.
When they’re all united like this, there is no fighting against it.
Vanitas grimaces, reminded of the guardians of light and their unbreakable connections. While others in the Organization might have been blind to that power, Vanitas knew all too well what it could do, and knows that there’s no way he’s going to win this argument.
Even so, Vanitas would not be himself if he didn’t push his luck.
‘But what if I say no?’ He prods anyway as he twists his little face in a disgruntled pout.
‘Vani.’ Prompto whines, instantly falling for it. ‘C’mon don’t make that face, you’re killing me.’
‘Don’t bend.’ Gladio gruffs. ‘He can’t always get his way.’
Vanitas sneers and goes to protest further when Noctis crouches down to speak with him.
‘Van…’ Noctis sighs. ‘That’s the way it’s gotta be for you to ride with us this time. You’ll see why later but we can’t really yield on this one.’
Vanitas grumbles under this breath, looking towards the offending booster seat.
‘And if I really say no?’ He asks again, his voice turning serious.
Would they really leave him behind over a damned booster seat?
Ignis comes over, his expression complicated.
‘I could call the Marshal back down to fetch you.’ Ignis says carefully. Both he and Noctis do not look very happy with this option at all. ‘Jaida had offered that you could stay with her and Poppy if you would prefer not to come along on the trip.’
Vanitas looks at Ignis as if the advisor had just slapped him across the face.
‘I don’t want that.’ Vanitas says instantly, shaking his head.
The prospect of them leaving him behind is painful, even more so than the shame he feels looking at that damned car seat.
Really, he’d… honestly do anything if it meant that they never left him alone again.
‘Then, come on.’ Noctis sighs, reaching out towards Vanitas. The child doesn’t protest as the King grabs his hand gently and steers him to the car. ‘Let’s get you set up.’
And so, with a bitter taste in his mouth, Vanitas pushes down his own boundaries and feelings and follows them into the car.
The drive is slow going at first as they leave the royal garage and head out into Insomnia. Noctis is sitting next to Vanitas in the back, with Prompto at the helm for now and Ignis riding shotgun. While Ignis technically can drive again, he’s slowly easing himself back into it and would much rather prefer to take the wheel once they’re out of the condensed city streets.
The Insignia, though, rides just like the Regalia. She’s a stunning black car that moves with a fluidity that is not found in any other car these days, and she purrs with a quiet hum as she weaves through traffic.
Seems Cid and Cindy really went all out making a brand new one for Noctis after the First Dawn.
‘Does they know we’re coming?’ Vanitas asks curiously while looking out the window as best he can. They’re currently crossing the long bridge from Insomnia towards the mainland.
In the booster seat, there’s not much room for Vanitas to shuffle around. The straps are thicker than the average seatbelt, locking him into place securely on either side of his neck and traveling down to the buckle in between his legs. There’s also a tray attached to it that he’s reluctantly taken to using as a table for coloring in his latest book, but even that isn’t holding his attention for long.
Really, they haven’t even been in the car for 15 minutes yet, and already he can’t stand it.
The feeling of being constricted and confined is nearly unbearable, reminding him of darker days under Master Xehanort’s control.
Still, he does not voice his frustrations.
No, he can put up with it. He has to.
‘Both Cid and Cindy are aware.’ Ignis says from the front passenger seat. He’s looking over something on his phone, once again still using his ears and hands moreso than his eyesight. Another thing he’s working on in his own time. ‘Cindy will more than likely incline to check over the Insignia before we truly take off.’
‘Think she’ll send us out to take care of some varmints while we wait?’ Prompto asks teasingly, causing Noctis to laugh and Gladio to snort.
‘More than likely not.’ Ignis says, though he is smiling a bit from some inside joke that Vanitas is not privy to. ‘Considering we have new precious cargo aboard.’
It takes Vanitas a second to realize that Ignis is referring to him and he kicks out towards the tactician in retaliation.
‘I’m not made of glass you know.’ He huffs, unimpressed.
He’s distracted, though, when Noctis places a hand atop his head. This time there is nowhere for Vanitas to go as the King ruffles his dark hair.
‘No use arguing with him on this.’ Noctis says with a chuckle. ‘Trust me, I know.’
‘You both are precious cargo. Though in different ways.’ Ignis hums, but doesn’t apologize.
The rest of the ride to Hammerhead lapses into silence after that, with the occasional observation out the window or casual conversation topic. It’s nearing noon when they finally pull up into the garage and Cindy greets them with her usual charm.
‘Howdy boys.’ She waves as she approaches them.
Vanitas is the last to get out of the Insignia, as he has a hard time unclipping himself from the stupid seat. He manages to practically rip himself out of it, though, before either Noctis or Gladio get the chance to help.
‘And hi there puddin’ pop!’ Cindy greets Vanitas as he quickly bolts out of the car as if to make some grand escape. ‘Good to see you again.’
‘Oh, hey Cindy.’ He responds, trying to keep his voice level and not at all like he just came out of a losing fight with seat straps.
‘Didn’t know you were comin’ along on the trip.’ She smiles and places her hands on her hips.
‘We wouldn’t leave him behind.’ Noctis says fondly as he makes himself busy by putting gas in the car.
Vanitas pauses at Noctis’s words, something in him easing greatly.
‘Aw that’s sweet.’ Cindy says and looks to Vanitas. ‘Glad you found your way in the big city. And with the King to boot.’
Vanitas looks up at Cindy with a raised eyebrow, before remembering that she has no recollection of him from 12 years ago. Right. In that context, he guesses it would sound kind of extraordinary for a seemingly normal kid to be picked up by the King’s entourage.
‘Just sorta happened.’ He shrugs and looks around the garage. There are quite a few people out and about in the warm rays of the sun fixing cars, eating outside the restaurant, or wandering in and out of the motel. But there is one person noticeably missing, and Vanitas eventually spots him sitting in his favorite seat outside the garage, beer in hand.
Back in the day, Vanitas had only interacted with Cid a handful of times, but even so, he managed to get on the old man’s good side pretty quickly. Cid likes people who tell it like it is, and Vanitas’s blunt nature never failed to impress the old geezer.
Would he recognize Vanitas? So far no one else has. Still… maybe?
‘Oh, well I should probably get the old girl into the garage now so I can have a looksee.’ Cindy says as she takes the set of keys from Prompto.
‘Say thanks Cindy.’ Prompto grins at her.
‘Aint no problem at all.’ She waves him off and sets about moving the car into the garage.
‘We should gather some materials from the store.’ Ignis says, pulling out his signature notebook. ‘Preferably some repair kits for the Insignia wouldn’t hurt, or perhaps some curatives and fresh ingredients from the newly opened market nearby.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Noctis says. ‘You makin’ lunch?’
‘There’s that public kitchen at the motel I heard.’ Gladio nods towards the building. ‘Could be worth checking out.’
‘I suppose it is preferrable to the Crow’s Nest cuisine.’ Ignis hums and adjusts his glasses. ‘Certainly healthier for Vanitas in particular.’
At the mention of their youngest member, all four adults turn to where they had last seen him, only to realize that Vanitas is no longer there.
Vanitas wanders over to Cid, sighing with relief as he’s saved from the blazing heat by the air conditioning wafting out of the garage. Cid still hasn’t noticed him yet, so Vanitas takes his time looking around, noting how Cindy gets to work on the Insignia.
Strange, considering that usually both her and Cid would look after cars together, but then again, that’s none of his business.
Vanitas instead casually greets Cid.
‘What’s up, gramps?’ He asks the question the same way as before, with an edge of spunk and familiarity that has Cid immediately looking up.
The old man raises both grey eyebrows as he takes in the child’s small form.
‘What in Astrals name happened to you, kid?’
Vanitas noticeably pauses before quickly brushing his surprise away.
‘What? Don’t like my new look?’ He asks with a snort as he gestures to himself. ‘I’m calling it ‘divine intervention’ or some shit.’
‘Is that right? Wouldn’t surprise me with all them meddlin they’ve been doing nowadays.’ Cid looks at Vanitas with a critical eye, his brow hard as if trying to decipher a puzzle. Vanitas sits on the lawn chair next to him, the shade from the table’s umbrella casting his small form into shadow.
‘Kind of surprised you recognized me.’ Vanitas starts, ‘Cindy didn’t. Neither did anyone else.’
‘I may be old, but my eyes aint gone yet.’ Cid merely says, taking a swig of his beer.
Vanitas snorts, wanting to make a quip, but deciding against it. It’s a huge comfort to have someone else remember him how he was back then. How he used to be.
‘So, why aren’t you up and complaining about kids these days in the garage?’ He asks.
‘Ah, leg’s been shot recently.’ Cid says, patting his left knee with a sour frown. ‘Parts just aint what they used to be.’
Vanitas can practically see Cid and Cindy having an argument about this, as he knows from experience just how stubborn Hammerhead’s leading mechanic can be.
Suddenly, though, that itchy feeling in his chest is back, and Vanitas is hopping out of his chair before he can truly think about it.
‘Let me see.’ The child says, pulling at the bottom of Cid’s pant leg.
‘What for?’ Cid grumbles.
‘Does it matter? Just let me see.’ Vanitas repeats himself.
The old man obliges and pulls the jean fabric up to his knee, revealing a nasty black and blue bruise that’s swollen and covering his calf and ankle.
Vanitas takes in a hissing breath, surprised by the damage.
‘Looks worse than it is. Blasted car got me the wrong way.’ Cid shrugs. ‘Doc said there aint no use in fixin’ it though. It’ll heal up but sure won’t be the same ever again. Getting too old he said. Feh, what does he know?’
Cid’s words go in one ear and out the other as the itchy feeling in Vanitas’s chest grows stronger than ever. He reaches out to poke at the injury but stops himself at the last moment.
Since the incident with that woman and her baby, there has been approximately one other time that Vanitas has used his dark powers to heal someone. While he was visiting the farmer’s market one day with Ignis, there had been a woman in an empty section of the store. She was in a wheelchair, and when Vanitas snuck away to find her, she explained that during the Endless Night, there had been an accident at the power plant in Lestallum, and she was paralyzed from the waist down. Vanitas impulsively healed her, not even thinking twice about it, and Ignis had rushed to him when the woman started making a commotion, screaming that she could walk again and praising Vanitas as a miracle child.
It had been a close call, but thankfully there was no one within range to see exactly what had happened, and Vanitas had passed out not long after. Ignis was very cross with Vanitas when he woke up, and the guys have since scolded him for jeopardizing his health again by using his dark powers.
Noctis has since put his foot down and made it perfectly clear that Vanitas was not to use his healing powers under any circumstances until he was older and could perform his right safely as oracle.
‘It’s not up for discussion, Van.’ Noctis had said sternly. ‘Stop using your powers. You’re gonna seriously hurt yourself.’
‘Yea? Then what am I supposed to do when that itchy feeling comes back? Isn’t exactly something I can ignore.’ Vanitas had said through gritted teeth.
‘Even Luna said you’re not old enough to use your powers yet.’ Noctis countered. ‘If she was able to ignore it when she was your age, then you can too.’
‘Or what?’ Vanitas sassed.
‘Don’t test me.’ Is all Noctis said back.
Vanitas would never admit it, but that look Noctis gave him had sent a shiver down his spine. This is the literal savior of Eos that he was talking to, and Vanitas wasn’t so stupid as to think he could take Noctis on himself, child sized now or no.
He could only imagine what punishment might lay in store should he dare to test the waters.
Even so, Vanitas has been beyond frustrated ever since. Realistically even if he knows he shouldn’t be using his dark powers yet, that itchy feeling in his chest still hasn’t gotten the memo. It’s annoying, and he’s wracked his brain thinking of ways he can sneak around Noctis’s rule, and he has had one idea so far, but hasn’t gotten a chance to try it out yet.
That is, until now.
‘Don’t freak.’ Vanitas says, allowing Cid only a few moments before he summons a Flood.
Thankfully, no one in Hammerhead is near their position, and the guys are suspiciously nowhere in sight as the dark being comes to life. To his credit, Cid doesn’t freak out, though he does raise a grey eyebrow in question as the Unversed gently taps at his leg.
The Unversed are a part of Vanitas. He can spread his emotions out amongst them, control them with a mere thought, and feel every ounce of pain that befalls them. But fatigue has never translated well between master and creatures. An Unversed could wear itself out running for days, but none of that exhaustion would return to Vanitas once it is reabsorbed into his heart. By this logic, Vanitas was hoping that if the Unversed extract injuries in his stead, maybe just maybe he won’t grow so fatigued, and both the Astrals and the guys could get off his damn back.
The Flood continues to tap on Cid’s leg gently, before pulling the darkness out of the injury in one slow, fluid motion. Cid does startle at the strange sensation, but the creature is undeterred. After a few seconds, the injury is completely gone, and the once purple and bruised limb is looking back to normal.
Both old man and child stare at each other for a few seconds, before Vanitas shrugs.
‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Vanitas grins mischievously, relieved that the itchy feeling has left his chest. He gestures to the open space in front of the garage. ‘Get up and try it out.’
Cid looks at Vanitas and then to the Flood, before begrudgingly standing up. He does so gingerly, as if expecting pain, but as he puts his whole weight onto his bad leg, he’s surprised to find it does not hurt anymore.
‘What in tarnation just happened, kid?’ Cid asks incredulously, stamping his healed foot onto the ground experimentally.
‘Our secret.’ Vanitas says, putting a finger up to his tiny lips.
‘Wait a minute, didn’t I hear bout some kid in the Citadel that could fix people up?’ Cid suddenly looks at Vanitas with suspicion. ‘Somethin’ bout an oracle?’
Vanitas only looks away, neither confirming nor denying the claim. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to get into it as Cindy chooses that moment to approach the two of them.
‘Paw Paw, I wanted to ask ya somethin’ bout- Heavens to Betsy, what is that!?’ She startles upon seeing the Flood.
The creature hasn’t moved from its spot beside Vanitas, merely idling next to the child and cleaning one of its antennae. The darkness from Cid’s injury has since dissolved away into the air, no trace of it left behind.
‘Cindy, you remember those kindsa monsters don’t ya?’ Cid asks, rudely pointing at Vanitas and the creature. ‘From that kid that was always with Prince all them years ago.’
Cindy looks at her grandfather with a raised brow.
‘Well sure. The kid’s name was…’ She suddenly pauses, recollection showing in her eyes.
Back then, Vanitas had blown into Hammerhead with the guys quite a few times. There was one problem she had in particular with a large and delicate car part that couldn’t be safely recovered from out in the countryside. Her surprise had been hysterical when Vanitas had summoned his Unversed and had them carry the part all the way into her garage. At first, both she and Cid had thought they were daemons, but with a little explanation, they posed no threat. In fact, Vanitas had used them quite a few times to do odd little jobs around the garage, and he had thought about leaving a few of them behind in Hammerhead to help full-time, but well…
‘Vanitas.’ Cindy suddenly looks at the child with eyes as wide as saucers. ‘Wait, puddin’ pop, you…’
‘Yea.’ Vanitas confirms, sticking his hands in his pockets. ‘Hey Cindy.’
‘What in the blazes happened to ya?’ Cindy gapes, at a loss for words.
‘Got a second chance more or less. Just like Noct.’ Vanitas shrugs.
Speaking of the King, it’s been a while since Vanitas has seen both him or his retinue, and when Vanitas turns back to where he last saw them, he’s shocked to see Noctis suddenly standing there. The King is leaning casually against a nearby truck with his arms crossed. From his hard expression, Vanitas can instantly tell that Noctis has noticed what he has done, and the child cringes and reabsorbs the Unversed.
Cindy notices Noctis as well and waves him over.
‘Say Prince, did you know about all this?’ Cindy asks Noctis incredulously. ‘That this Vanitas is the same one from way back when?’
‘Yup. Knew the whole time.’ Noctis nods. ‘Surprised you didn’t, but it has been a while.’
‘For sure, I’ll say.’ Cindy agrees then turns her attention back to Vanitas. ‘So, what exactly happened, puddin’ pop? You said somethin’ bout a second chance?’
Vanitas reluctantly regales her and Cid with the tale of his rebirth. By this point, he’s had to tell it so many times that he’s gotten it down to a refined story; how he heard a voice, woke up in Gauldin Quay, met Gentiana, reunited with Prompto, and the rest from there is history.
‘Well, I’ll be.’ Cindy hums once Vanitas is finished. ‘Guess you really did get a second chance.’
‘What’s finna to be your plan now, kid?’ Cid asks from where he has once again taken to sitting in the shade of his lawn chair. ‘Seems like ya got a whole new life ahead of ya. Besides that riff raff with the new oracle biz, you could start all over.’ Cid waves his hand, gesturing towards the vague direction of Insomnia. ‘Tons of people wantin to adopt kids your age nowadays. You said you never had a family of yer own, right?’
Vanitas follows Cid’s gesture toward the Crown City, and he pauses.
‘I… hadn’t thought about that.’
Vanitas has never had a family, the guys were always the closest thing, but if he wanted one for himself, now actually would be the best time.
Back during the Endless Night, adults couldn’t safely have children. Not when there were never-ending daemons at their door and all that mattered was surviving to the next day. When any of them did manage to give birth, it was rare, and the child would be sent to live in Lestallum or other safe outposts. Some families were able to stick together, but often times the parents would die out in the wilds. Now, after the First Dawn, there were plenty of adults that wanted children, but so few young ones had survived. As a result, now there are not enough children to go around for those wanting to adopt, and what’s worse, some adults now struggle with infertility because of the poor living conditions they endured during the 10 years of darkness. It wasn’t uncommon now for multiple couples to show interest in one child, and unfortunately some people would stop at nothing to have one of their own.
Kidnappings are sadly not an uncommon thing in certain areas of Lucis, particularly those that are crowded like Insomnia and Lestallum. Looking back, Vanitas could only guess that Talcott and Monica had thought that he was one of those children when they first met. It was very common for children to be saved from traffickers and brought to Insomnia, after all.
Either way, this is a problem that has been at the top of Noctis’s radar for a while, and both he and Ignis are working diligently to fix it.
In the meantime, though, the guys always make sure that Vanitas is never out of their sight for long, which he himself thought was ridiculous. He’s more than capable of defending himself.
Besides, who in their right mind would want him anyway?
Vanitas sighs, willing his swirling thoughts away.
‘Well, maybe something to think about in the future.’ Cindy says, noticing the sudden tension in the air. ‘Nothing to do with running yourself ragged about it now.’
‘Exactly.’ Noctis agrees, letting out a breath and reaching out to Vanitas. ‘Anyway, I came to get you. Ignis is making lunch.’
Vanitas looks up at him, the two of them sharing a look before he takes the King’s hand.
‘Right…’
Bonus Scene:
‘I still can’t believe it.’ Cindy says as she watches Vanitas and Noctis walk away. ‘Little puddin’ pop really is the same one from back then…’
‘What’s so surprising about it?’ Cid grumbles, standing up. ‘If you ask me, ya shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.’
‘What do ya mean a gift horse, Paw Paw?’ Cindy tilts her head and looks at her grandfather, having a delayed reaction as she sees him pick up his toolbox.
‘I’m gettin’ back to work.’ Cid says, tapping his wrench against his shoulder. ‘Fit as a fiddle now thanks to yer puddin’ pop.’
‘Oh!’ Cindy says with amazement, watching him walk up to the Insignia like he was ten years younger. She looks from her grandfather to where she last saw Vanitas, remembering back to that rumor going around about a new child oracle.
‘Well I’ll be…’
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
Leave a comment