Supreme

Noctis POV

"So you are the one that she chose to end her. Just what is so special about you?"

He asked with eyes piercing through Aldric like a moonbeam. With a clear face and blank expression, Noctis could not glean much from the Immortal Slayer. While he and Alana were in contact before her death, she did not give him much information regarding the so-called 'Singularity'. 

All that she described him as was 'a lost child with the power to change everything.' What she had meant, he did not have a clue. But it would work in his favour; he would make it.

The moment seemed both short and long. Those blazing red eyes looked back at him with indifference. Noctis could already tell what kind of person he was. It was his eyes that said it all. A being as long-lived as himself was a master of people. With his aspect relating to souls and creating his own sentient dolls, reading people was a skill he had long developed. And what he could tell was that he was different from his friends. 

Different from the blind seer that glanced at the Singularity ever so often.

Different from the respectful yet challenged Nightingale. 

And very different from the disturbingly honest but dangerous Sunny.

There was a grander purpose hidden in those eyes, something that Sunny lacked in particular. And it was then that Noctis felt the familiar nexus of concentrated fate hidden on the Singularity. 

Yet if Noctis had looked deeper, he would have seen it.

'So he has it.'

A subtle grin formed on his face. 

'One more variable should not change much. This nightmare will end soon enough.'

"Let me see it."

---

Aldric POV

'So this is Noctis?'

Aldric thought as he summoned his [Stone Coffer]. In a shower of essence and light, it appeared. With a thud on the ground, he opened the chest and reached in with his hand. Not caring enough to hide or obscure the vision of anybody that looked, he moved past the endless shards that threatened to tip over and finally pulled out a blood-red knife. Its crimson sheen reflected across the room.

Aldric did not care to explain or justify to anyone how or why he was the one to kill Alana. It frankly had nothing to do with them. Effie, Kai, and Sunny would have to be content with one less chain keeping Hope in her prison.

"It's been so long since I've held this. I feared that with how I've changed, I would never see it again."

Noctis spoke in a way that Sunny had never heard him speak. The usually eccentric man shed away his usual demeanour and spoke in a way that was reminiscent of a regular person. In a way that Noctis might have spoken centuries ago. 

After some moments studying the blade, he returned the blade to Aldric. 

"Why are you giving it back to me?"

He asked out of curiosity. After all, Aldric was not Sunny. No matter what Alana said to Noctis, they had just met.

Noctis looked to Sunny and then looked back to him. 

"By the Gods! It would not be the wisest decision to keep them all together, would it?"

He spoke, reverting back to his usual behaviour. 

"Now that all the players have gathered, it's time to relay the plan."

Noctis started. The war council had begun.

---

The next hour was spent with Noctis relaying his intentions and their goal in the battle. Talking about which knives corresponded to each Chain Lord and talking about what forces awaited them in the final battle.

"Do you have a force of your own? An army of some kind? The five of us and the Nightglade are still outnumbered."

Aldric asked the immortal.

Before he answered, Kai interjected with a question. 

"Just who are the Nightglade?"

The term was completely unfamiliar to him, even in the months spent within the army of the Ivory City.

And in turn, Cassie spoke up. 

"They are the premier Awakened from the North. While not a large army, they number nearly two hundred. Filled with awakened and ascended humans. They will reach us within a week or less and join us for the final battle."

She finished explaining and looked to Aldric to see if he had anything to add. Her eyes were sharp and focused. 

"Do not worry, Singularity! I have weapons of destruction as well as what you could call a small army of my own. Though the load will be large, you all should manage well enough. I will handle the Prince and Solvane." 

He rebutted with charisma and charm. But that did not stop Aldric's questions; it only brought more. And while he knew most of the answers, this was not the time to be silent and have the cohort be surprised later on the battlefield.

"And what of Sevras? Where does he fit into this?"

Aldric continued. His voice mellow and bland. There was something about his new form that dulled his range of speech.

The child of the Moon answered. 

"I'll explain this now. Sevras' flaw and my own are two sides of the same coin. While he is weakened at night, I am weakened during the day. And for this reason, we will attack in the dark of night. With my flying ship and the enemy unaware, we can debilitate the Ivory City before both armies converge."

And Aldric rebutted.

"The last time I was in a large-scale battle, the environment shifted and changed enough times to kill. Is there any chance they could change the battlefield in their favour?"

Aldric asked. He knew exactly what Sevras held: a fragment of Shadow's domain. Yet, he could not explicitly say that. But the least that he could do was raise the possibility. 

"I... That is a rather speculative question."

Noctis responded as he took a long moment to ponder the question. 

"I suppose... There is only one thing that could change the odds in his favour or rather against us. But the chances of one of them having such a thing, it would be smaller than a star in the night sky."

And Aldric would have to be content with that. 

Before the discussion continued any further, Cassie spoke out in a determined voice. 

"Noctis, could you please teach me how to operate the flying ship? With you handling the Chain Lords, someone will need to keep the reins."

Her question was full of logic and selflessness. The blind girl recognised that she would not be able to help as much as the others and so chose something that she could do that would benefit everyone. But Aldric knew. And it was not just him. 

Sunny knew too. 

"That is a very good point, Song of the Fallen. While I will be busy over the next week with preparations. My Sailor Dolls can teach you the basics, and I will finish by showing you the runic system."

After all, the flying ship had many other capabilities besides its ability to fly. And who would be the best to show her but its creator himself? 

With a smile and a nod, Cassie thanked the man. 

With a clap of his hands, a Sailor Doll marched stiffly through the room carrying a tray filled with drinks. Taking one from the tray, Noctis placed it onto the table and looked back to everybody else. 

"So, it's time to talk about evacuating the Sanctuary."

---

The talk continued for a while longer. While Noctis had finished with what he wanted to say a while ago, it was the questions and queries from the rest of them that kept the conversation running as long as it did. It was only until Noctis felt that they had spoken enough that they wrapped up.

They had decided on what to use the final week for. Cassie and Kai would lead the evacuation efforts on the flying ship for those unable to walk and travel. Sunny would stay to get used to his newly changed body while Effie would stay and help him. As for Aldric... 

And it was late at night that Aldric found himself standing on the balcony of Noctis' large home that overlooked the Sanctuary from afar. And he was not alone. 

Beside him was the man himself. The immortal sorcerer. 

"I asked Alana this question before, and I'm curious about your answer. Why have you not ascended to the supreme rank?"

Following the path of ascension naturally was not something unknown to Aldric; after all, he knew intuitively that there had been a system to ascend outside of the spell before it existed. So his question was, why did they stop?

It was something that he curiously asked Alana during their final night. And she answered. 

She spoke of numerous terms and concepts that Aldric had never heard of. From the importance of will, the concept of developing a domain to finally performing an act of supreme defiance. It had been on his mind during his journey from the Night Temple towards the Sanctuary of Noctis. And while he would likely always have the Nightmare Spell and nightmare seeds to challenge, a small yet paranoid part of him told him to learn more. Reminding himself that knowing more would be a form of power in of itself.

"She explained it to me in detail and it seems that it could be the best solution outside of death. Just like Alana, you have a domain in the Sanctuary and its inhabitants to propagate it. And I doubt your will is weak after centuries of being a transcendent. All that you are missing is an act of defiance."

Aldric spoke rather bluntly, mentioning Noctis' death with a sort of indifference mixed with curiosity. 

"Hmmm, you have really caught me off guard. For such a strange person, you seem to ask even stranger questions. Well, before I entertain your curiosity, you will have to entertain my own. How did Alana respond to your question?"

Noctis responded calmly as if they were not discussing something that was extremely intimate to him.

Aldric chose not to withhold anything from the Saint. In the interest of developing the conversation and getting the answers he wanted, he would have to reveal the answer to a very personal question. 

"She said that the poison of Hope had destroyed any chance of that happening. That it was her apathy that could not even deign to imagine change. But personally, I think she could never hope to defy the Storm God. Loyalty to her God were both her final words and her final actions after all."

The Child of Nether responded, revealing many things. And it was here that Aldric made his move. 

"But she did mention that out of all of the lords, you had the best chance."

He finished.

"Ahh... I see."

Noctis said as he stood silently. Immersed in his thoughts. His eyes shone slightly as his brain ran a mile a minute. Deciphering and contemplating. 

"Well, thank you for letting me know that."

Aldric did not know which part of his sentence that Noctis was referring to. 

"Listen up. While the idea is not novel to me, it was a last resort. It was simply too much of a risk even compared to what we are attempting now. But the biggest reason against it would be the ones that put us in this position to begin with. The gods will not watch silently as I attempt this. While the perfect act of defiance is right in front of me, to break the divine miracle of the Sun God, their retribution would be swift and brutal."

"Besides, I'm sure you are curious as to how I know the others wouldn't take that risk. Well, the simple answer is that they are all too broken. Do not forget that we were all chosen for a reason; our almost chain-like connection to the gods."

Noctis responded deeply. Laying out a truth not obscured by comedy or lies.

And Aldric was silent in the face of that. It seemed that his move ended before it could start. 

"I guess that makes sense. But you see, Noctis, from where I stand, you are a dead man either way."

Aldric finished off. He would have to be content enough with only broaching the idea. 

"Well, since you are so comfortable speaking of other people's deaths. There is something that you should know."

And it was there that Aldric's heart sank. There was something about the tone of his voice and the way that he said that. The small dose of pity mixed with indifference in his voice. Along with the lack of humour and energy, his instincts told him that he would hear something life-changing.

And so he did.

With his eyes glowing with an ethereal wisp of light, he peered into Aldric's soul and spoke.

"Singularity, as you are today, you will soon die."

***

Thanks for reading.

War time.

What on earth is Noctis talking about? What is he smoking on?

I have posted some art work for Aldric from a very talented Shadow Slave fan artist in the comments. Their name is Wolfy_2021L. Check out their other stuff on the SS Subreddit.

LOTM Anime is straight peak.

Also shoutout to Indra_. One of the fanfics longest supporters now has their own Shadow Slave fanfic called: [Shadow Slave] With Gilgamesh's Powers. Go give it a read if you haven't already. It is refreshing.

That's all for this one. 

Till next time.