Shadow Slave

Sitting on a plush cushion with a glass of fine wine in his hand, Noctis recounted the fates of the seven divine knives.

"The Iron Knife was destroyed when Lady Aidre was murdered, and the Ember Knife was stolen and destroyed when the Shadow took his own life. Of the remaining five knives, the Glass knife is the most simple to trace. It belonged to the Shadow, and now, it is where the Shadow had hidden it."

He paused, and then continued:

"The Ruby Knife... that one was entrusted to me. Some time ago, well, I was a bit concerned about my state of mind. Hope's madness is very insidious, Sunless, and not even someone like me is immune to it. So, frightened of what I might do, I gave it to… a dear friend, of sorts… for safekeeping. Which means that you and I know the location of two knives already."

The sorcerer sipped his wine and frowned.

"Then there is the Obsidian knife, which I won from the One in the North in a game of wit. The others weren't happy at all that I possessed two knives, so I, uh… placed it on the altar in my Sanctuary and proclaimed that everyone who manages to gather enough of my coins can take it."

A heavy sigh escaped from Sunny's lips.

"You did… what?"

What was wrong with that guy? It was a relic created by Sun God they were talking about, the key to an immortal's death! Why would he just put it where everyone could see it and even put a price tag on it? What madness was this?!

Noctis shrugged with a guilty look.

"Listen… those coins are very precious, I'll let you know! Who could have thought that someone would actually be crazy enough to collect them all? But, uh… someone did. A very determined and reckless young man, in fact. That daredevil took the knife and disappeared. He was probably killed for it, but where and how, no one knows. The Obsidian Knife was lost… but as I said, these knives never remain lost for long. And here you are, Sunless, wielding it. So…"

The sorcerer raised a hand and showed Sunny three elegant fingers.

"That is three. The next one is the most curious… the Ivory Knife. It was entrusted to Sevras, the Sun Lord, who gave it to his twin brother, the Sun Prince. And that is where things get strange. The Sun Prince came to me one day with an unusual request. You see, he had hidden the Ivory Knife, and wanted for me to erase the memories of where from his mind. He also wanted me to make him forget that request."

Sunny shuddered.

'He… he destroyed those memories on purpose? Even before the terrible torture?'

Noctis sighed.

"While my Aspect has to do with souls, I was very close to Aidre, the Priestess of Heart God, before she was killed by Solvane… that cursed murderer. So, I inherited a few things and a lot of knowledge from her. That was why the Sun Prince came to me, although I still don't know what his motive was. Regardless, I agreed to help him, and removed the memory of the Ivory Knife's secret location from his mind. However…"

The sorcerer smiled.

"...I did not just destroy it. That would be too boring, don't you think? Instead, I kept the memory for myself and eventually retrieved the Ivory Knife."

Sunny shook his head.

"So where is it? How did you manage to lose that one, too?"

The immortal Transcendent shrugged.

"Well… the One in the North was still angry with me and wanted a rematch. The stakes were high, and that time, sadly, I didn't win. She got the Ivory Knife, and then threw it into the Sky Below. That was very silly of her. It is impossible to really lose one of the knives forever, so it was bound to return one day. And recently, it did… I don't know where it is, but it is back, that is for sure."

Sunny looked at him for a while, a somber expression on his face.

He was pretty certain that he knew who had the Ivory Knife… Mordret, the Prince of Nothing. And if that fiend wielded it, even gods would not be able to predict what was going to happen.

Noctis, however, didn't seem concerned. He sipped his wine with a smile:

"No matter where it is, it will turn up soon enough. So, the only knife that remains is the Wooden Knife, which is in Solvane's possession. This one is the simplest to get, although not the easiest. The murderous witch, you know, is more than ready to give it to anyone whom she deems worthy enough to try and kill her. So, we don't even need to search for it. Sooner or later, it will fall into our hands all by itself."

Sunny remained silent for a bit, then said in a somber tone:

"So let me get this straight. There are five knives… the Obsidian Knife is in my possession, and the Glass Knife is hidden in a place that is only known to me. The Ruby Knife is hidden in a place only known to you. The Wooden Knife will be given to us by Solvane if we defeat her… and the Ivory Knife is somewhere out there, being pulled toward all this mess by fate."

The sorcerer nodded with a smile.

"Indeed! So, you see… while I do not possess any of the knives yet, getting three out of the five would not be too difficult, and the fourth one will naturally appear on my path. Four out of five… it doesn't look that crazy anymore, don't you think?"

Sunny hesitated.

Yes… it only looked very crazy instead of utterly crazy now. But all he needed was to know that there was a chance of victory, and now, it seemed that there was. Noctis, eccentric and unreliable as he seemed, had not made the decision based on nothing.

The sorcerer glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"So, Sunless… are you going to share the location of the Glass Knife with me, and help me free Hope? Shall we break her chains and free this land, and ourselves, of a fate worse than death? What do you think?"

Sunny sighed.

That was a very troublesome question... and completely inescapable, at that. However, he could not answer it yet. Looking at the immortal sorcerer, he said:

"I can't make that decision alone. I need to discuss it with my friends first."

Noctis blinked.

"Oh… well, why not? It is always good to have loyal friends. Where are they?"

Sunny shifted slightly.

"That, uh… I don't know."

The sorcerer scratched the back of his head with a perplexed expression.

"I guess we'll have to find them first, then! Tell me, what are their names?"

Sunny looked away, then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Uh… I don't know that, either."

Who knew what names the members of the cohort received in the Nightmare?

Noctis stared at him for a few moments, then asked in an even tone:

"...You don't know the names of your friends? How... interesting. Well, how do they look, then?"

Sunny smiled sheepishly… or rather, he tried. With his bestial face and sharp fangs, the result was far from being as innocent and apologetic as he would have wanted it to be.

"Actually… I don't know how they look, either."

The immortal Transcendent slowly took a sip of wine, remained silent for a bit, then spoke.

"So, if I understood correctly, you won't tell me about the Glass Knife until you have consulted with your friends, but you don't know where they are, what their names are, and how they look. Did I get it all?"

Sunny shifted awkwardly, then shrugged.

"Yes. But… they were supposed to leave me clues of their whereabouts on the Iron Hand island. That's something, right?"

Noctis emptied his glass and looked at him with a strange smile.

"Sunless… how do I say this… there is no island by that name in the Kingdom of Hope…"

'Oh… right.'

The iron giant might have been still alive and in possession of both of his arms, so there would not be an Iron Hand island, indeed. Sunny shook his head.

"Ah, you just know it by another name. It does exist, don't worry. Actually, it is right here, near the Sanctuary. So, I will have to go there first, before giving you an answer.'

Noctis looked at him, blinked a couple of times, and then sighed.

"...Alright, then. In that case, wait for a week or two before your new heart settles. Traveling before that would be very unwise… but after that, do go and find your friends. Invite them here, actually! I doubt that there's a friend of yours who is better, smarter, and more beautiful than I, but I'm sure that they are all nice people… uh, or demons… or whatever they are."

He smiled, and then winked at Sunny with a slightly mischievous look.

"...I can't wait to meet them!"