Kingdom Come[Open]

Life.

It was such a fickle thing. Beautiful- it certainly was, yet the frailty of such definitive eloquence was far more delicate than glass. A simple, precise crack in the right place, in the form of this proverbial window, through which light and dark in equal shares traversed, would all known shatter into irreparable shards, memories, words left unspoken, motives never enacted upon. For as many times as Ardyn would have felt the welcomed embrace of the beyond, such truths behind the nature of the living had all but become dismissive notions. For every return suffered at the hands of this curse, the euphoric joys of staving off death evermore had all but bled from his soul. A melancholic appreciation was beheld for every failed attempt to find peace. That was of course to account for all the times before, when then was now, and now had yet to have been.

The present played host to a silent rage. It was quelled only by the affable mask the gentleman wore. Like a storm cloud’s ominous silence that preluded the lightning, the thunder, and the chaos. A quiet mountain, which belied the anger and fury of a volcano within. For all accounts by his own recollection, there was no plausible explanation for why he continued to draw breath, why the Chosen King’s play had failed to eradicate the Accursed, eradicate him. Was all this suppressed rage, hatred, despair worthy to hold dominion of his heart once more? Was Noctis’ failure even to blame for this continued condition? Amber eyes examined a gloved hand with a lofty disinterest. There was no joy to behold on this hour. Naught but contempt swelled within him.

Oh there would be a reckoning indeed. Though as he knew with experience, all good things came with time. An element that Ardyn seemed to never be in short supply of. Nevertheless the little setback of otherworldly influential interference would not stop the inevitable from happening. The Starscourge needed to be ended for good this time. Though with so many worlds to which it could spread, between the daemons and these Heartless as to so many referred, it would seem the dear King would have his hands full. Such a mess to clean up, and it was only going to grow by the night. It was a thick forest of dangerous things, dangerous folk, and who knew what else among these foreign lands. The helpless King could hardly find his way through it all, much less take a car ride without a nap. Was it not all for the better that Ardyn chart and help navigate these stranger tides? The Immortal Accursed certainly believed Noct would appreciate the helping hand. He always did after all.

The eloquently dressed traveler stood upon the edge of a forest, gazing out beyond an impressive field, across a sizable lake, to an equally impressive, if not picturesque castle off in the distance. A warm day, sunny and hardly any clouds. A perfect afternoon or early morning for the pleasantry of a casual drive. Were this foreign land in possession of roads, the pomegranate haired man would have felt the need to unload his faithful four-wheeled servant off the airship some few miles from this spot of sightseeing. A vessel of resources to which an intent to return would come, yet for now there remained the matter of assessing the locale. A primitive land when placed in steep comparison to the kingdoms back home. The place was backwater, of a Tenebraean allure, possessive of potentially simple, unassuming folk that adhered to their meager ways. A kingdom of any kind was easily infiltrated, as so many tended to leave the door ajar.

A breeze came swiftly over the hill, prompting the man to hold the onyx fedora sitting loftily atop his red-violet locks; the ornately trimmed coat billowing behind him as dandelions were carried passed. The rustle of the leaves in the foliage above was like a symphony to the otherwise quiet world. Unlike Eos, which found its natural harmonies accented with the horns and hums of autos, there was a breath that could be heard in this land. In a primordial sense, one could indeed feel that the world was alive. Ardyn was never one for the outdoors, yet there was something to be said about the serenity found in the unnerving silence to this land.

The man’s idle pondering placed him alongside a beaten path, which lead down through the glades to a drawbridge. A fine spot to scout for a helping hand, or two, for an excursion that had run behind schedule. Rather it was unlike a man of Izunia’s condition to adhere to an agenda, yet a timely fashion always proved fruitful for cooperation in the machinations of mortal affairs. Sure enough as his estimations of the road’s frequented use, the voices of inbound travelers would carry down the path to Ardyn’s delighted ear. A coy smirk to himself before he would turn on heel to address the pair, a man outfitted in armor, and a young woman clad in leather, with a charming smile and a grandiose wave to them both. Amber eyes gleamed on their approach. Oh this pair would do just fine indeed.

”Why, hello! A warm salutations to my fellow travelers, on such a blissful day!”