It was a sickening feeling that coursed through his body during the late hours of the night, the moment the sun set he could feel the darkness arise both outside his Citadel, as well as the inside of him. There was no one to blame for what happened, not the Gods, not the crystal, not his father, his friends, not even Ardyn- no one but himself for... well getting harmed as a child. It was getting wounded that had altered the prophecy, his destiny. Where the King was to sacrifice himself in order to save Eos and their star, he had not died. Instead, a change so small yet so large had occurred for their world to be saved. Noctis was not to die, instead of the darkness, the scourge itself had been absorbed into one man alone.
At first, Noctis hadn't noticed this- he naturally assumed it to be a secret blessing from the Six, to be given a chance to live on the planet he saved. That was until darkness rolled he felt a shift inside him, something more sinister, growing by the moment- it alone threatened to consume his very being. His mind... was troubled with thoughts mixed of both his own- and those not of his own. Out of fear, he kept this to himself as he carried out his part as King, walking tall as his father had instructed and taking on duties he never once thought he would find himself doing. After all, his fate had been tied to death, and death only. But fate had been altered by a mistake in destiny, so plans had not gone as expected and because of this, Noctis lived in hidden pain. Holding the scourge of the star, within himself.
As of now, the King found himself resting on the throne, his hand curled and rested on the side of his face. He found himself comfortable enough to doze off... and perhaps that would be the best. If he were sleeping, he wouldn't feel the evil, nor would he be able to act out on those feelings either. His lips pressed firmly together, creating a thin line as he could hear footsteps echoing through the room. They stopped just as the steps that led to where he sat.
He supposed he couldn't ignore whomever it was. They had already made their way here, and it must have been important to bother him after he had requested to be alone at night- for he claimed it was his time to reflect and make preparations for the next day. Which... in a way, wasn't entirely a lie.
"Your Highness!" The excitement held within the male's tone caused Noctis to lift his head and fixate his gaze on the man. "A true miracle has happened!"
"What sort of miracle?" He questioned, his crimson hues focused on the male before fading to their original blue, waiting, for the answer.
"Well... you'll see, sir."
The man was quick to turn on his heel, nearly running and stumbling over himself as he left the room. This... wasn't normal, this sort of behaviour wasn't normal at all. Whoever, or whatever it was... well it better be good to be disturbing a King who was drowning in the darkness that crept through every fibre of his being and threatened to seep through and break his mind. He would have to wait and see.