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Nyx grimaced as he dodged the fleeing civilians, heading for the docks and the last place he’d seen Luna. Ifrit’s flame, why did he give in and promise Luna he’d stay out of it? He should have at least been nearby instead of waiting at the First Secretary’s manor like an idiot.
It reminded him far too much of that night in Insomnia for his comfort, only it was two Astrals destroying everything instead the Old Wall he called. Astrals or not, destruction put civilians in danger all the same.
He couldn’t worry about that now. He’d sworn to protect Luna, and he’d stupidly, stupidly let her talk him out of being with her like he should have been. He’d seen her wake Titan, and he knew she was far from helpless, but he still should have been there. What would Regis say?
He finally got close enough to the water to see two figures laying on the ground. Luna and his nephew laying next to each other, neither moving.
Oh fuck no.
That was not happening.
He didn’t even slow down as he adjusted his trajectory, and threw his kukri, coming out in a warp to fall down to his knees next to them.
Prince Noctis was breathing but unconscious. Luna was not.
Nyx growled and pulled a phoenix down out of his armiger, slamming it down on Luna’s chest.
Not on his watch! He’d made a promise, and he intended to keep it.
He watched as the phoenix down dissolved and the color came back to Luna’s face.
Thank the Six.
More like, thank Regis for teaching him how to create potions and items. He hadn’t realized Regis could still communicate with him even with Luna carrying the ring, but he was ridiculously grateful for that now. Even with how damn awkward it had been at first, getting to know Regis as his brother by talking to his ghost.
The sound of footsteps broke through his thoughts and he stood. already calling lightning to his hand. The prince's advisor and Luna's older brother ran up, and Nyx wondered if he was ever going to be done with the increasingly awkward conversations.
Luna would be glad to know her brother had found an arm somewhere, at least.
He ignored Ravus and sketched a bow to Ignis. "They're not in great shape, but they'll live. We should get them somewhere safe."
Ignis frowned at him. "Glaive Ulric, yes? How are you here?"
Nyx quirked a grin. "You wanna have that conversation now?"
"I recognize you." Ravus scowled at him. "You were with Luna in Insomnia."
"And you were working with the people imprisoning your sister instead of helping her," Nyx shot back.
Ignis stepped between them. "Glaive Ulric has a point. This is not the time for conversation. Let us get Noct and Lady Lunafreya somewhere safe."
Gladio ran towards them at the same time that Luna made a noise and started to shift.
Nyx's hand tightened around his kukri and he narrowed his eyes. Something didn't feel right. Gladio slowed, and in between one blink and the next, Gladio was replaced with a stranger in an absolutely ridiculous outfit.
"Well, isn't this interesting!" The man took off his stupid hat and waved it in their direction. "One of the Kingsglaive, and still in possession of Lucian magic, as well. How could that be, I wonder."
Nyx bared his teeth, stepping between the strange man and the others.
"Back the fuck off," he growled as he moved his kukri into a defensive position.
He probably shouldn't be so aggressive immediately in case the stranger was someone important, but something about this man made his hackles rise.
Something was wrong with the man, something even more than the odd shape-shifting abilities.
Nyx had been a soldier long enough to know better than to ignore when his instincts were screaming at him like this.
The man smirked, still waving that stupid hat. "No need to be so rude, now. I was merely coming to check on the prince and his lovely bride."
Nyx snorted. He'd heard better lies from recruits caught red-handed in the officer's mess. "Then you can kindly fuck off to wherever you came from. They're not your concern."
A shift in the man's eyes was all the warning Nyx needed to throw up a shield, a true shield like Regis used, not the small spheres he'd used as a glaive.
"Get them out of here!" He snapped back at Ignis.
Ravus would help, if he had any sense.
That was the last spare thought he had time for as the flood of MTs in front of him focused his attention.
The strange man glowed with a smoky purple magic that felt slimy as it hit Nyx's shields. Nyx hadn't known magic could feel like that, and he didn't like it one bit.
He wasn't letting that man go one step closer to his nephew or Luna.
Nyx used an old glaive trick to slip through a temporary opening in his shield and take down the first wave of MTs with a combination of fire and lightning.
He ducked and rolled to avoid the purple magic, and shot lightning back at the man, not really surprised when he waved Nyx's lightning away.
Nyx hadn't expected things to be that easy.
He warped behind the man, coming out shooting lightning, but the man - Stupid Hat - had anticipated his move and stepped aside.
Rude.
Nyx slashed out with his kukris but Stupid Hat phased out in cloud of oily smoke.
It felt a little like fighting a daemon, but Stupid Hat was like no daemon Nyx had ever encountered.
Stupid Hat's magic also had a tang, a faint aftertaste that reminded him of Regis.
"Why does a Kingsglaive have Lucian magic of their own?" Stupid Hat said from behind Nyx.
Nyx whirled, kukri slashing, but Stupid Hat was already out of reach.
"Why do you?" Nyx shot back.
Stupid Hat looked behind Nyx to the others and Nyx tensed.
Stupid Hat just sketched an exaggerated bow with that stupid hat. "Do try and stay alive until we meet again." Then he put on his stupid hat and walked away, through yet another wave of MTs.
Part of Nyx wanted to try and follow him. That man was a dangerous kind of trouble, one that would come back to bite him, he knew it. But his priority was Noctis and Luna's safety.
He danced through the MTs, kukri and magic weaving together to deal with the enemy. It was a dance familiar from a thousand other battlefields, but using his own magic made a difference he was still getting used to.
How many other people was he going to meet with strange kinds of Lucian magic?
And why was this one working with the Niffs?
The MTs didn't provide any answers, and didn't do much for his frustration at the whole fucking mess, either.
Nyx pulled his kukri out of the last MT, and turned to see Ravus had managed to focus enough to help Ignis, and now Gladio pull Noctis and Luna to safety.
Good.
He wasn't looking forward to the many awkward conversations in his near future, but things could be worse.