The hall fell into a suffocating silence. Noct's blade hovered inches from Eira's throat, its edge humming with residual lightning. A single bead of sweat slid down her cheek. Her eyes were wide, not with courage, but terror.
"NOCT!" Selene's voice shattered the stillness like a thunderclap.
He froze.
That name, spoken with such desperation, forced something inside him to waver. His grip on the blade faltered for a fraction of a second. The shadows around his form hissed and flickered.
Selene ran into the room, past the carnage, her face pale, her chest heaving.
"Selene," Noct said, voice colder than winter. "You're late. I was just finishing up."
Her gaze flicked to the corpses—the scattered limbs, the blood-spattered walls, the smell of ozone and burnt flesh. Her breath hitched.
"Noct, just what have you done," she whispered.
"Just finishing something that should have been done ages ago." Noct tilted his head, flashing a manic grin. "Funny. Everyone keeps asking me that."
"You're not a killer. You were kind. You protected people. You—"
Then she noticed something was off.
"You're not Noct," she said, summoning one of her swords. "Just who are you, and what have you done with Noct?"
He looked at Selene with a knowing smirk. "I'm surprised it took you so long to notice. Noct's... how do I say this... out of commission."
A small chuckle escaped him. "But first, let me finish off this pest."
As he raised his sword toward Eira, Selene stepped in, blocking the slash that would have killed her.
"I won't let you kill her," she growled, holding back his blade.
"Oh, do try and stop me, Mrs. Stellar Blade," he sneered, his weapon surging with electricity.
Their clash began—Noct using Gravity Model to increase the weight of his sword, forcing Selene back. He blinked behind her with Division Blink, but Selene anticipated it, summoning another sword behind her and landing a solid kick into his stomach.
As Noct staggered back, he tried unleashing Abyssal Flame. But his body resisted—blood leaking from every facial orifice.
"Oh, that's surprising," he muttered, shaking. "Looks like the backlash is higher than I thought. But you're behind this too, aren't you?"
Selene frowned, unsure who he was addressing.
He changed tactics. Calling on Twice, he created six glowing copies of his sword . She braced herself, thinking he couldn't possibly replicate her fighting style. But to her shock, he mimicked her perfectly.
Smirking, Noct fought back, pushing her into a defensive stance until she was forced to activate her second form, summoning all of her blades.
The tables turned. Noct was being overwhelmed, but with a snarl, he activated Twice's main ability. The fragments fused into a single new weapon capable of countering Selene's power.
Their blades clashed. Selene gasped as her sword's energy began to drain.
Desperate, she prepared her ultimate skill—but stopped. Something in her heart refused to let her strike.
She landed gently, her form returning to normal.
"Noct... I know it hurts. I know you lost something dear to you. But don't hide behind someone else. I'm here for you. It's okay to let it out."
His wicked grin faltered. Tears welled in his eyes.
Inside his mind, the other Noct smirked. "Looks like my time's up... for now."
He faded into the shadows.
Back in the real world, Noct trembled. His face remained tense, yet tears streaked through the blood.
Selene approached. "You remember now, don't you? What they did. What they chose. But this isn't justice. It's revenge. And you're better than that."
He said nothing, but the glow of Twice became dimmer as it layed in his hand.
Eira tried to crawl away behind him.
With a flick of his wrist, she was pinned to the ground by Gravity Model.
"You don't get to run," he said coldly.
Selene reached him and placed a hand over his heart.
"I don't know how to fix this. But I know you're not alone anymore. I'm here. And so is Mom."
His eyes softened. Pain. Exhaustion. Regret.
Then—the building shook violently.
Sirens blared from the Coalition network.
[Warning: Nexus Instability Detected. Code Red Breach—Sector 7]
Selene turned to the alert.
Noct exhaled and let Twice dissolve into mist.
"Guess fate isn't done with me yet."
He looked at Eira one last time. "You live. For now. But don't mistake this for mercy."
Turning to Selene, he added, "We need to move. If there's a breach… it might be tied to the Creed."
Selene nodded. "And Rael's team sent me a message saying She brought back data before she collapsed,we need to get to Coalition HQ to decode it."
Noct glanced back one last time.
His classmates. Their silence. Their blood.
"Burn it all," he whispered.
Selene said nothing, just held his arm tighter.
As the two vanished from the devastated heart of the Argent Dawn Guild, the alarms continued to scream.
In the void of his mind, the voice returned.
"You held back. That's new. Are we going soft now?"
Noct stumbled mid-step and collapsed into Selene's arms.
Coalition transports roared overhead, closing in.
The storm was far from over.