[Lifespan Remaining: 18 hours, 21 minutes.]
It was his trusted and loyal maid, Noelle.
She stared at Noct—the glowing green eye, four radiant wings, and the countless injuries covering his body told her absolutely nothing. But at the same time, she understood enough of the situation to be mad.
Noct, meanwhile, could only smile.
"You have no idea how relieved I am to see you."
"I believe I have some idea."
Noelle guided the broom toward the enormous opening left by Leviathan’s flood. Its bristles released a pale-blue glow, carrying them through the water until they finally escaped the vortex.
Below, the lower half of Altaire had almost disappeared completely underneath the flood if not for the gigantic wall of ice that had been erected at the portside of the city, presumably the handiwork of a certain witch.
’Lenia really wasn’t a 7-Star Magus for no reason, huh?’
Noct gripped the broom tightly and pulled himself up a bit. "What’s happened to the city? Did you manage to carry out your mission?"
"Yes and no..." Noelle sighed. "The Baron was killed but I managed to secure some property records and his business ledger. Amelia is currently organizing the evacuation with the help of Lenia and Aurora defending them."
Noct released a quiet breath. "Then everyone did their job."
"Yes."
"Good."
"No, it is not good."
The coldness in Noelle’s voice caused him to look up. She had turned just enough for him to see the anger underneath her otherwise composed expression.
"I should’ve never let you enter the mines alone..."
"I really wasn’t expecting to fight. I didn’t know—"
"That’s precisely the problem!"
For once, Noelle burst out, half in rage, while the other...sadness and worry. The broom dipped as her concentration wavered, but she quickly steadied it.
"You always tell me to trust your plans," she continued. "Yet you refuse to trust any of us enough to tell us when you are putting your life at risk."
"I wasn’t trying to keep it from you."
"Then what were you trying to do?"
"...Keep all of you out of it."
"Why?! You are not expendable, Young Master!" she snapped. "You are a 1-Star Mage with a terminal illness. It doesn’t matter how much of a genius you are—you cannot keep throwing yourself into danger alone!"
He opened his mouth, but no convincing response came to mind.
Noelle looked over him once more. Blood covered nearly every part of his clothing, one hand had swollen beyond recognition, and his breathing remained unsteady despite the wind reinforcing his body.
But seeing that she had already scolded him enough, her anger was slowly taken over by concern instead.
"What happened to you?"
"Long story..."
"Then start with the glowing eye."
Noct simply sighed and pointed to the pocket where he once kept Sylph inside. "I made a contract with the spirit that’s been following me."
Yet, before he could explain fully, she was already deep in thought. Something Lenia had said during their conversation in the Witch’s Spire came back to her.
"She said that there was supposed to only be Undyne around Altaire," she murmured. "But from the looks of it, that doesn’t seem to be the case?"
Noct gave her an awkward smile. "Well, it just so happens that my spirit is...quite the hotshot as well."
"Don’t tell me..." Noelle stared at him in disbelief. "Did you form a contract with Sylpheed, the Fairy Lord? That legendary spirit who was said to have never formed a contract before?"
’Were you always that picky, Sylph?’
’Yeah, most humans give off a nasty scent.’
’Didn’t you say you wanted to contract me because of my chivalrous personality or whatever the reasoning was?’
’It’s also because your mana smells like honey, which I like.’
"..."
After a moment of silence, Noelle finally asked the question that Noct had hoped that she wouldn’t.
"How much lifespan do you have left, Young Master?"
Noct glanced toward the blue panel at the edge of his vision, afraid that saying it would get him scolded a second time.
[Lifespan Remaining: 18 hours, 17 minutes.]
’That went down a lot faster than expected.’
’Sacred Assimilation consumes your life force whenever your body cannot provide enough mana,’ Sylph explained. ’And you used far too much of my authority inside the lake.’
Noct looked back at Noelle. "About that—"
BOOOOOOOOOM—!
Water underneath them exploded, forcing Noelle to maneuver the broom upward to avoid the column of dark water that had erupted from the ocean.
Then Leviathan emerged, in all its catastrophe.
Its head burst through the surface, followed by an enormous serpentine neck that seemed large enough to dwarf the surrounding city. It continued rising until its silhouette could seemingly eclipse even the moon.
The resulting displacement of water crashed into Lenia’s wall of ice, causing it to sway and crack from the sheer force.
"Is...is Lord Faust inside that thing?"
"Yes. Another long story."
The pressure descending from its gaze caused the broom to shudder in midair. Yet unlike before, Noct was no longer trapped in the ocean.
The night wind rushed around him from every direction, repairing his form—starting from his wings, then his mantle, then the broken segments of his halo.
Noct was finally able to release the broom; where air answered his call.
He simply hovered beside Noelle, where no water could suppress his authority. With an entire open sky surrounding him, Sylpheed’s power flowed through his right eye more easily than ever before.
’This is more like it!’ Sylph said in excitement.
With a singular sweep of his hand, his entire arsenal expanded once more in a dazzling green light. But that wasn’t all, as more appeared above rooftops, inside trees, wherever wind existed at all.
Dozens of translucent blades illuminated the flooded streets, hovering in the air, waiting for a single command from their lord.
?Fae Regalia: Sovereign’s Arsenal?
"What should we do, Young Master?" Noelle questioned. "We can’t destroy that much water..."
"We don’t have to."
Noct’s right eye focused upon the motionless figure buried inside Leviathan’s chest.
Every current inside the serpent originated from Faust. His veins, mana circulation, and physical body had become the channels through which Leviathan imposed itself upon the Mortal World.
Noct finally understood.
"My right eye is Sylph’s sanctuary," he said. "Faust’s entire body is Leviathan’s."
Noelle followed his gaze, understading quickly creeping up in her expression. "Then if the sanctuary is destroyed..."
"Leviathan loses its anchor and gets dragged back into the Spirit World."
"Young Master..." Noelle hesitated. "You want me to kill your brother?"
Noct directed his arsenal into the sky, hovering just above him. "He’s no longer my brother, but a catastrophe that needs to be destroyed."
"I’ll open a path."
Each and every wind blade turned toward Leviathan while Noelle drew her own hidden daggers, shadow magic swirling around her.
"We’ll finish this—"
"Together."