Chapter Text
The Crystal had been granted to the Lucis Caelums by Bahamut many centuries ago. It was said to be a gift that granted the royal family power, and it did just that.
But, as time went on, the royal family soon learned the Crystal came with a price. A dark secret was soon kept, with the weight always falling on the current monarch.
The Crystal eventually was locked away, deep within the Citadel as a way to lessen the chances for its cruel fate to reach anyone.
But for a young mind like Noctis, knowing the mysterious Crystal was locked away made him want to find it all the more, even when his father forbade him from searching.
It wasn't easy to try finding. Only his dad knew where it was and knowing his ancestors they probably had a hidden passage as the only way to get to it without blowing up the walls.
If uncle Clarus knew anything, he wasn't talking.
He couldn't understand what made the Crystal so scary and bad. It gave his family magic! That didn't sound like something that needed to be feared.
The only things that let him "see" it was through old, old, older than the nasty Niflheim Emperor, paintings that some artists made before the crystal was locked away. Maybe it was supposed to be a glowing rock, but he wasn't sure, all he knew was that it should be dark and blue. And it looked pretty the way the painting depicted it.
Something pretty didn't sound scary, especially when he still didn't know why it was supposed to be something he had to be afraid of.
Didn't Bahamut give his ancestors the Crystal? To protect? Big tough Titan kept a space rock from hurting people so why hide the magic pretty?
That night, Noctis was going to ask his dad again. Maybe tonight he could get him to actually answer him.
If not, maybe he could get Iggy to help look.
But, for now, he waited for his dad to come to his bedroom. It was getting late and he waited eagerly for his dad to come and tuck him in.
His little mind raced, thinking to try asking dad for a story about the Crystal, maybe he'd slip up and leave a clue.
His dad soon entered the room, grinning as he walked over to the bed.
"Ah, ready to go to sleep so soon, Noct?"
"Story first?"
"But of course. What shall you hear tonight?"
Noctis pretended to think. "Hmmm, something about our family crystal?"
Regis's expression dropped. "Noctis... you know we don't talk about that."
"It's just a story, you can make something up!"
"Noct, it's not something you would want to do. The Crystal... I don't want to make you misunderstand. The Crystal is dangerous, and you shouldn't we curious."
"Why? How is the Crystal bad?"
Regis sighed. "If I tell you the truth, you must promise me you'll never ask again."
It wasn't what Noctis wanted but at least he'd get to hear more about his family's secret. "Kay."
Regis sat himself down in the chair next to Noctis's bed. He breathed in before he began the story. "The Crystal... what most don't know... is that it is alive."
"Like a person? Or a cat?" Noctis whispered. "Or a behemoth?"
"Not quite. It lives and has a consciousness. It knows and is aware of what is around it, but it does not breathe or talk like we would," Regis explained.
"...like a robot that has a brain?"
"No. Not like that either. It isn't... easy to explain. But as it lives, it gives us our magic, letting us have the abilities we have."
Regis closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "But then comes the problem... The Crystal supplies, but it also must take in order to keep its power sustained."
"Then it's a battery that needs recharging. What's so bad about that?"
"The Crystal... in order to 'recharge' as you say..." His father shuddered. "It must feed."
"Vampire crystal?" Noctis gasped.
"I suppose you could call it that. The Crystal feeds. It must feed in order to maintain its power. It will take a person and absorb them... and the person is dissolved into crystal essence."
"Does... do we have to feed it?"
"If we wish for its protection and magic... then yes."
"That's... awful."
The mere thought of a crystal eating him was scary enough. He shuddered before being pulled into a hug by his father.
"That is why you are never to ask about it or go near it."
"...okay."
"Promise me, Noct."
"Promise."
He held onto his father, starting to wish he had never asked. His mind kept racing with the scary thoughts of the Crystal and how it would “feed” on people.
Why would Bahamut curse his family like that? Why keep it here on Eos?
How many had the Crystal taken?
Noctis clung tightly to his father, hating how uneasy the thoughts made him feel.
"I'm sorry, Noct."
"'s not your fault I asked."
"Would you like me to stay with you tonight?" Regis offered.
Noctis nodded quietly.
"Then give me a moment to get into my sleepwear. Until then, in case you fall asleep before I return..."
Regis opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the little Carbuncle totem, placing it next to the lamp.
"Carby," he smiled.
"Yes. He will protect you. Now, get ready to sleep. I'll be back soon."
As his father left the room, Noctis fondly touched Carbuncle's charm before breathing and letting himself relax.
Maybe a good dream would get his mind off the haunting thoughts of the Crystal.
Though one thought did linger…that perhaps Bahamut wasn't that nice.
Years passed, and Noctis tried not to think about the Crystal. He tried to put the thoughts out of mind, but it was hard to do.
Couldn't there be some way to get it to stop being hungry?
Was magic even worth it with this cost of lives?
Just how many lives had been taken?
Insomnia, the crown city of Lucis, was established around two thousand years ago. Noctis shuddered thinking about how often it fed on others.
How did his father deal with it? Having to bring people to the Crystal as a sacrifice sounded like a horrific task. Young or old, it was something that should be in a horror film, not real life.
The worst part was eventually he would need to learn the secret... when he would be king one day. Every day he got older the more he understood why his father didn't want to tell him anything until it was time to pass on the throne. To think this was a tiny piece of the weight the king was under on top of making decisions for thousands of people.
"Noct? Eos to Noct?"
A blink and reality came flashing.
Of the muted sun through clouds and the windows, the yellows and greens of the desks and chalkboard.
Lavender blues of Prompto looking at him.
"Huh? What?"
"You totally zoned! Like completely out of it on another planet!"
"Right... sorry." Noctis sighed, trying to settle his mind with a deep breath. "Overthinking again."
"About what?"
"Er...."
Noctis didn't look Prompto in the eyes. "Something I can't talk about."
Prompto frowned. "Aw top secret royal things?"
"Exactly. It makes me feel like exploding sometimes, but what can you do?"
Prompto chuckled. "Well, we could explode something. We did buy those snap firework things. Not exactly explody but poppy?"
"...I'm kinda tempted to use them to scare squirrels."
"Oh the poor squirrels! Whatever did they do to you?" Prompto asked dramatically.
Noctis's eyes sparkled with malice. "Made a nest in my car and chewed up some wires."
"Dude, you make me so jealous you got a car at 16! You don't even have your license yet!"
Noctis shrugged off the comment, continuing with his story. "The squirrel nest was a fire hazard, it could have gone boom. You should have seen all the leaves that were pulled out."
"Ugh, sounds horrible. But, wouldn't Iggy get mad at you for chucking pop fireworks at squirrels? Isn't that like, bad for the princely reputation?" Prompto asked.
"...true. But anyone who tells me that squirrels are cute will get a reminder that they're rodents."
Prompto snickered. "You're terrible."
"Squirrels: biggest threat to royalty."
"So, seriously can't tell me what's going on? Even when I don't get all the royalty things, I wanna be there to lend an ear."
Noctis smiled, always appreciating Prompto for his kindness. He knew he couldn't have asked for a better friend than him. Even when it came to the crappy and not fun parts of royalty, Prompto's been fairly understanding of when Noctis could or couldn't hang out.
"I would but... pretty sure dad would get upset if I spilled anything."
Prompto sighed. "Dang, guess it must be really severe. Oh well, we can get your mind off it later!" Prompto jumped up to his feet. "Come on, bell's about to ring!"
And the rest of the day carried on.
After school, it was dinner with dad time.
And Regis could tell that Noctis had something on his mind.
"Tell me, Noct, how was your day?" his father asked.
"Fine. Same old, same old."
Noctis wasn't saying what was actually on his mind, still trying to find the words.
"Nothing interesting of late?"
There was a nervous tap tap tap of Noctis fiddling with his fork before putting it down.
"I would like to... talk to Prompto about... well, the weight on my mind: the crystal."
Regis placed his own fork down to the side. "Noct, we've talked about this... We aren't supposed to think about it."
"Gladio and Ignis already know about the drama, don't they?"
Regis shook his head. He looked to the side, eyes focusing on Clarus by the door. He gave a motion and Clarus nodded, stepping out of the room.
"They do not. They know the Crystal supplies power and is meant to be locked away, but they do not know its true intentions."
"Not even Uncle Clarus?"
"He knows, but I make sure to not remind him of it often. Curious minds on the subject make the Crystal hungrier."
Noctis frowned. "That's.... strange. Freaky."
"It is the curse that falls on us. And I don't want you to think about it. Not for any time soon," Regis replied.
"Be told to not think about a pink behemoth, and what happens? Can't think of anything else but the pink behemoth. I've tried but it always comes back to my mind."
"Do what you can to put it out of mind. I know how hard it is, but you can do it," Regis replied, picking his fork back up.
"But I can't!"
Regis slammed the fork back down. "I won't lose you to the Crystal too!"
Noctis blinked, not expecting the sudden intensity in his father's voice.
"...too?"
He watched his father lower his head. "I never wanted to tell you... But I fear it's impossible to avoid now. Your mother... She was taken by the Crystal."
"What!?"
"Not even a year after you were born, the Crystal grew hungry. Normally... I am supposed to find someone to..." he swallowed. "...offer up to the Crystal, but with you being born, I was preoccupied. The Crystal did not wait and sought out its own victim. And that victim... was your mother."
"But how could-? The Crystal is hidden away. She shouldn't have been able to-"
Yet somehow, she had.
“The Crystal has its ways... almost putting its victims in a trance. Your mother was under its influence. Lead right to it for... its 'feeding'."
Noctis cursed, holding his head in his hands.
He'd lost to his mom... to a stupid hungry rock!?
"I'm sorry, Noct. I never wanted you to find out this way."
"That thing really doesn't care about anyone does it?"
"It does not. Which is why I must be careful, keep you and everyone here protected."
"No shit," Noctis muttered.
At least now he had an explanation as to why his father never detailed over why queen Aulea died. Noctis had always assumed frail health or... anything but this.
"So please, never tell Prompto lest you wish to risk his safety," his father replied.
"...I get it. I won't."
Noctis didn't want to think about Prompto being lost to the crystal. He wished he could stop thinking about the Crystal, but now it was worse than ever.
After dinner was concluded, Noctis tried to kill his homework by glaring a hole in it, unable to think of anything but the metaphorical pink behemoth.
The Crystal that took his mother away.
Somehow, he doubted that he was the only royal in his bloodline that lost someone precious to that rock.
A stupid rock that could give something great at a terrible cost.
How often did it have to be fed? From how his father phrased it, it seemed to be more frequent than one would've thought.
Wonder what the stupid Emperor would think if he ever got the darn thing…
It was no secret that Aldercapt envied Lucian magic, yet would the cost give him, of all people, pause?
No, no it wouldn't.
Noctis shoved his homework away, too tired and stressed to bother with it anymore.
Childishly, he threw himself onto his bed, hoping for a nap to help calm his mind. Let Ignis get frustrated with him later, he couldn’t focus right now.
Closing his eyes, the only image that his mind conjured up was a painting of that Astral cursed source of royal magic.
Stupid magic.
Stupid Astarls.
And most of all, stupid Crystal.
He's not sure when he woke, staring blankly in the dim light of his room.
There's... something. Something he needed to do.
Not sure what it was, but it's not in here.
He pushed himself out of bed and headed into the hallway, walking down the long corridor to somewhere.
It's quiet. His mind was oddly quiet too, no words to echo what he's supposed to do. So he walked, trusting his feet to guide the way. He'd figure it out eventually.
Down one hallway, up the stairs to another.
He walked without any consideration of where he was going, or even how late it was. Didn't think why he saw no one on his almost aimless walk.
But it was okay, it was the Citadel, nothing was going to bother him here. He was safe in his home.
Before long, he came to a door that normally he thought was locked. But, upon pushing it, his hand swirled with magic and the door opened.
What he was looking for was near. He was getting closer.
It's a pull, a tug on his entire being... calling him. He never felt so pressed to do something before.
Blue light catches his eyes and his heart pounds with anticipation.
Down a long hallway, he could see wisps of blue.
It was pretty.
Much like his magic, but it floated in the air like smoke. The whole hallway was cast in shades of blue. Farther away at the end behind another door, the color was stronger, shining through the cracks.
He had to see it, had to find what glowed this strongly.
Opening this door, he was almost blinded by the intense blue.
It took him a few seconds to realize it, but this was the Crystal Chamber. The place he had heard about plenty of times, but never been allowed to visit.
This was where the Crystal resided, deep within the Citadel.
A big room with walls carved with fancy markings, symbols of olden times long since past. But, all of those markings told a story, a history most likely. This room was the hidden heart of the castle. Something reminded him that once upon a time, the Crystal used to be behind the throne.
How could something so pretty be hidden away?
Did it feel cold or warm?
Reaching a hand out as he walked, he moved towards it. Little did he know it was the flame and he was the moth.
How could something that shined and glowed like that actually be bad? It’s just so beautiful.
There were more hidden colors in the blue. A touch of purple. It made him think of a geode.
Shiny...
Before he thought twice about his desires, his fingers landed on the dark outer layer. It was warm and it pulsed. It was like a steady heartbeat.
So interesting...
Slowly, he moved his hand from the outer layer to the actual glowing crystals inside. He could feel the intense magic radiating from it, the smooth fractals of glassy stone.
Almost... alive.
His fingers ran over the colorful crystals, and then he noticed the Crystal began to glow brighter... the magic growing warmer.
Noctis's hand stops moving. And not because he wanted to.
Whatever possessed him to come here broke as he realized where he was and what was in front of him…
…and that he can't move away.
His hand had sunken into the crystals, as if it were made of water.
But unlike water, this felt thicker, almost like glue as he couldn't pull his hand out.
"Why!" he shouted at the Crystal. "Why me? Why now!?"
Noctis screamed, trying to use his other hand to pull his arm out -or yank his hand off its joint, too scared to think about blood loss. He was caught and couldn't move.
He didn't want to think about what's waiting for him on the other side.
"Dad! Help! I'm sorry! Please! Anyone!!"
He screamed even though he knew it was pointless.
No one was there. No one knew he would be here. He was completely alone, left to the Crystal's hunger as his hand continued to sink deeper.
Picking up a leg, he pressed his foot against the Crystal, hoping it would be enough to pry him out of the influence.
But shoes or not, his foot got stuck too, pulling him up towards its unseen maw.
His voice was turning raw from the screams and yells of, "please no!" as he tried to plead for his life.
What was worse, his dad wouldn't know until it was too late why he was gone. No one would know. Not Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, uncle Clarus, or Cor...
Noctis sobbed, wishing he could have at least said goodbye.
As he sunk deeper, he still wondered why. Why did he have to get so curious about the Crystal? Why did it have to take him? How was the Lucis Caelum bloodline supposed to carry on if the Crystal ate the only heir?
Laughing from hysteria as more of him vanished under the Crystal's maw, he whispered to the cursed thing.
"You really are greedy. Damn Bahamut forever cursing the world with you."
He couldn't even feel his body anymore as almost all of it was completely sunken into whatever magical void the stomach of the Crystal was.
He glanced around the chamber one last time, knowing this was the last time he would see it... or the last time he would see anything.
"Forgive me dad. I shouldn't have ever asked."
Tears falling, he closes his eyes against the burning light, feeling his face be pulled in, sealing his fate.