Ryella soared above the streets of Insomnia. Everything was in shambles. The buildings were worn down and abandoned. Daemons prowled the streets where people once walked. It was all in ruins after 10 years of darkness and daemons. The four males on her back had donned the clothes that had been made for them years ago. Noctis was dressed in his regal kingly raiment while his friends wore Kingsglaive outfits to represent their newly appointed status as Noctis's Glaives.

A slight smile tugged at Gladio's lips. "Home, sweet home."

Prompto grinned, happy to be back home despite the state it was in. "Yeah, at long last."

"What we've been waiting for..." Ignis added.

"Next stop: the Citadel," Gladio said.

"Yeah." Noctis slid the Ring of the Lucii onto his finger, preparing for the battle to come.

Ryella quickly flew them straight toward the Citadel, although it took a bit of navigating to weave through the streets that were unfamiliar to her. But before they could make it to the impressive building that stood tall over the city, the Guardian caught sight of someone ahead. She recognized Ardyn who stood atop a light post, waiting for them. The dragon snarled and glided down to the ground in case a battle was about to take place. She and her friends glared up at the man.

"Fashionably late, I see," he greeted.

"Ardyn," Noctis growled, a scowl of rage on his face.

"Insomnia, the Crown City of my kingdom. I bid you a warm welcome." With a flick of his hand, giant meteor-like fireballs rained down, causing further destruction to the surrounding parts of the city.

"What the hell's he doing?" Gladio questioned.

Once the onslaught ceased, Ardyn spoke again, "I've prepared something special for you, Noctis." He smirked as a red, magical barrier began rising up all around the Citadel.

Noctis couldn't believe his eyes. "What?!"

"Yes," Ardyn replied, "it's the same Wall your father gave his life to sustain. I thought it might serve as a lovely little reminder of your Daddy Dearest. Do you like it?"

"You're sick," the king spat with disgust.

Ardyn feigned an offended tone as he responded, "How could you say that to your own flesh and blood?! I'll try to find it in my heart to forgive you by the time you reach the Citadel."

He disappeared in a puff of dark smoke. Noctis growled lightly. "Let's get to that Wall."

Ryella took off again, flying right over to the entrance to the Citadel. The only problem was the barrier blocking their path. The guys climbed off the dragon's back, and they all gazed up at the Wall. Ryella stood on her hind legs, clawing and pushing against the magical barrier. But after a few moments of trying, she whined at her friends, clueless as to what to do.

"Looks like there's no way past the Wall..." Prompto pointed out.

Ryella suddenly snapped her head around, growling. Her friends looked back, seeing hordes of daemons gathering around them. The Guardian moved defensively in front of the others, baring her fangs.

"There's way too many of them!" the blond cried. "Even for Ryella!"

"And no way outta this either," Gladio added.

Noctis clenched his fists in frustration. "Still... We can't just give up now."

A sudden, brilliant light caught their attention. The light dimmed, allowing them to see Lunafreya standing before them in spirit. Ryella purred happily while the males stared in astonishment.

The king gasped. "Luna?!"

The Oracle clutched her trident in her hands. "Gods above, hear my plea: lend the Chosen King your strength that he may save our Star from darkness' blight!"

Gentiana materialized beside the woman. "The lady's words have reached the heavens. By the will of the Oracle and the grace of the gods, a path for the King is made."

Responding to the summons, Ramuh appeared in the sky above, using his staff to call down lightning, decimating the horde of daemons. Shiva flew in, in her multiple bodies, and froze the entirety of the barrier. In a burst of water, Leviathan rose up, and with a mighty roar, wound her serpentine body around the Wall, constricting it and causing it to crack. Titan then leapt in, punching a hole right through the barrier. And finally, Bahamut soared in, creating a powerful beam from his numerous blades that completely shattered the Wall to pieces. The gods then disappeared, their work complete. The group all looked to Lunafreya.

A faint smile crept across Noctis's lips. "Luna... Thank you."

Luna bowed. "The fate of our Star rests with you now, my King." She smiled softly.

Noctis began reaching for her, his hand outstretched. Luna copied his movement, reaching for him and rushing to meet him. Right before their hands could meet, Luna disappeared into thin air. Noctis clenched his hand and held it against his chest, longing to see the Oracle, to feel her hand in his.

"Talk about divine intervention," Gladio said.

Prompto smiled. "Feels good to know the gods are fighting on our side."

Ignis turned his head toward the king. "And they've entrusted the future to you, Noct."

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to let 'em down now."

With his friends following, Noctis pushed the gates open. As they entered, they found a familiar threat waiting for them. Nero stood in the middle of the road leading up to the Citadel. He growled, giving a threatening roar. His crimson eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. Ryella snarled as she stepped forward, moving between her friends and the opposing Guardian. For once, she showed no fear when confronted with Nero. While lashing her tail, she hissed, snarled, and snapped her jaws, showing him that he couldn't scare her anymore. She glanced back at her comrades, barking for them to go on ahead.

"Let's move," Noctis ordered. "Ryella's got this."

The group began running past. As soon as Nero saw them, he tried to jump in front of them to stop them, but Ryella was quick to tackle him out of the way. Both dragons got up on their hind legs, grappling with each other, their claws interlocked. The guys hurried past while Ryella kept the opposing beast occupied. Though Nero's strength was proving greater than hers as he steadily pushed her back. Her clawed feet scraped across the concrete, trying to find footing.

"You got this, Ryella!" Prompto shouted, looking back at the two beasts as he ran.

That gave Ryella all the strength she needed. She shoved Nero's hands aside and got down on all fours. She rammed her head into his stomach, and with the leverage, pushed him back and over the railing. With a yelp, Nero tumbled down to the area below. Ryella immediately leapt down at him, but he was quick to jump back on his feet and catch her in his claws, slamming her down onto the hard ground. With Nero hovering over her, she went into a frenzy. After training herself for this battle, she knew more of what to do. Even though her hands were pinned, her back legs were free to kick and scratch at his abdomen, which was successful in forcing him off.

Now free, the white dragon flew up away from her opponent. Nero wasted no time in chasing after her. Ryella caught sight of her friends amidst a fiery inferno made by Ifrit. Though she wanted to help, she believed in their strength, and instead, focused on her own fight. She was actually thankful for her smaller size, as it made her swifter and more agile than Nero, especially in the air. She looped up and around, landing on his back. The black beast twisted around though, clamping his jaws onto her arm. She squealed and furiously bit and yanked at his horns, managing to pry him off. The two hovered in the air, swiping and biting at one another, leaving bloody wounds all over their bodies.

Nero was growing impatient by the fight that was dragging on. Tossing aside all restraint, he lunged forward, catching her throat between his jaws. She hissed and growled, viciously scratching at his face. Her claws raked across his eyes and snout, forcing him to reel back with a roar of pain. With the opening that made, Ryella pushed through the immense pain and tackled Nero, biting at his neck this time. Before he had time to react, she reached her uninjured arm over, ripping deep cuts into his shoulder. The black beast retaliated, his long claws grabbing and piercing into her wings.

But instead of letting go and plummeting like he expected, Ryella kept her hold on his throat and kept flapping her wings. The training she'd undergone and the sheer adrenaline of the moment fueled her actions and numbed the pain. But with how much her throat and other wounds were bleeding, she would be tiring out before long. She needed to end it. With all her strength, she grabbed at Nero's wings, halting their movements, all while pushing him to the ground below. With Ryella on top of him, he was unable to keep himself from crashing to the ground. His back ached, bruised and battered. His wounds stung, and he panted tiredly.

Ryella stood over him, snarling down at him. Her claws clutched onto one of his horns, keeping his head pressed against the ground as he did to her in the past. For once, Nero stared up at her with fear. She did look quite intimidating with her white fur coated with blood and her eyes in a menacing glare. She let out a furious roar. Nero slowly closed his eyes, waiting for her to strike the final blow. But it never came. Ryella's gaze softened and tears started pouring from her eyes. She couldn't kill him. Despite all he'd done, she couldn't be the one to end his life. She was no killer.

The pain of her injuries and the strain on her body caught up to her. Panting, she released Nero. His eyes snapped open, staring in surprise at the crying female. He was completely shocked. He had expected her to take the final shot---to end him right then. But she had once again shown him mercy. He couldn't believe it. After everything he'd done to her, she still didn't want to kill him. He watched her drag herself away from him before collapsing from exhaustion, breathing heavily. He slowly rolled himself over onto his stomach, but otherwise, didn't move. He too was tired and in pain, and with his will to fight all but gone, he simply laid there, resting.

Ryella glanced up to where her friends should be in front of the Citadel. Instead of Ifrit's flames, she saw Shiva's ice. That was a good sign that the Glacian had aided them in stopping the Infernian. Inwardly smiling, Ryella laid her head down to rest and recuperate. The two Guardians laid there for what seemed like hours. It wasn't until Nero noticed two magical figures flying away from the Citadel, locked in combat, that he finally rose to his feet. Noctis and Ardyn were battling. Ryella struggled to even move, whimpering and whining when trying to stand. She was losing too much blood from her wounds. But since she spared Nero, he decided to give her a hand.

He approached her, noticing her emerald eyes on him. He carefully stood over her, gently grabbing her by the shoulders, his claws wrapping firmly under her arms. Spreading his wings, he slowly lifted her off the ground with him. With his injuries, he could hardly carry her, but he pushed through the pain to fly her up to the front of the Citadel. He spied the other three males exiting the building. Knowing they would tend to Ryella, he flew her down to the base of the steps, gently setting her weak, limp body onto the ground.

"Ryella!" Prompto cried, seeing the state she was in.

As soon as he started running over, Nero turned and flew away. Prompto fell on his knees in front of the white beast, leaning against her snout. Ignis and Gladio rushed over as well, finding Ryella in bad shape. She panted, her body covered in bloody wounds. The worst was the huge bite in her throat, which bled profusely.

"Why did Nero...?" Gladio trailed off, unable to comprehend why the opposing Guardian suddenly helped her.

"Don't worry, Ryella!" Prompto told her. "Some medicine should fix you up in no time!" He looked over his shoulder at the blind man. "Iggy, you got some potions?"

"But of course."

Ignis went to the gunman's side, handing him a few curatives. Prompto wasted no time in applying them to the dragon. With a few potions, Ryella's wounds began healing up on their own. The pain died down, and once her injuries had mostly healed up, she was left with only her weariness to deal with. She transformed, and Prompto wrapped his Glaive jacket around her, helping her button it up. The tired female shakily stood, her legs feeling weak. Her fiance was quick to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from falling.

"Careful. Don't push yourself. You've done enough already." He kissed her head, a giddy grin on his lips. "You were amazing out there! You faced Nero like a champ! I'm so proud of you!"

Ryella smiled weakly. "I just did what I had to...nothing more."

"Even still," Gladio chimed in, "you showed a lot of courage back there. I don't think I've ever seen you act so ferocious."

"Well, with all that's at stake, I couldn't afford to hold back." She glanced out at the sky. "But in the end, being compassionate and merciful is what made me victorious."

"So you spared Nero," Ignis stated.

Ryella nodded. "I had him down, and I could see the fear in his eyes---fear of his demise. He may have done some terrible things in the past, but that doesn't mean he can't be forgiven. Besides...I'm no killer. I could never take someone's life like that."

"And that's part of what I love about you," Prompto admitted. "You never hold grudges. You're a kind and gentle person."

Ryella blushed lightly at the compliments. Before long, Noctis joined them, having defeated Ardyn in battle. He was relieved to see all of his friends alive and well. They all stood at the steps in front of the Citadel, knowing exactly what came next. They all did their best to put on brave faces, for the time was finally up. This was the end of their long journey together.

"So this is farewell," Ignis said.

"Yeah," Noctis replied. "Here we are."

"It's all you," Gladio told him.

Ryella smiled sadly. "Go forth and purge this world of darkness."

With a nod, the king turned and began ascending the stairs. "No turning back now," Prompto added.

Noctis stopped, turning to face his friends one last time. "Prompto. Ryella. Gladio. Ignis. I leave it to you. Walk tall...my friends."

Ignis responded, "Godspeed...and take care." All four of them placed a hand over their chests and bowed. "Majesty."

Noctis put a hand over his own chest as well, noticing iron giants manifesting behind his friends. "The time has come."

The king continued up the stairs, believing in the capabilities of his companions. The four then turned, ready to hold off the daemons while Noctis made his way to the throne room. Ryella stayed back, still tired and weak, letting her allies dispatch the monsters. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the top of the Citadel. It was so bright that it obliterated the daemons, and at the same time, the dark haze blanketing the sky evaporated into nothingness. The four watched the light fade away from the top of the building. But mere moments later, the sun began to rise above the horizon. They were in awe, staring at the sunrise, as if mesmerized. Even Ignis could sense the light of dawn in front of him.

Tears began pouring from Ryella's eyes. "It's finally over..." She smiled, feeling Prompto's arm wrap snugly around her shoulders. "Thank you...Noct."

~~~~~

The four friends walked through the streets of Insomnia, tears still staining their cheeks from Noctis's departure. Now that the day was back, they could clearly see just what a mess it was. But there were plenty of places that could go for just a good cleaning and be operational again in no time. There was no doubt that people would be flocking back to the Crown City as soon as possible. It wouldn't be surprising to see at least a few dozen people moving back in by the end of the week. Though for Ryella and the guys, they'd most likely spend a great deal of time mourning the loss of their king. For them, they didn't just lose their sovereign, they lost their close friend---their brother even. They'd be sure to arrange a proper memorial for him.

Ryella paused, seeing a familiar figure in black leather standing down the street ahead of them. "Nero?"

The man wore a regretful expression and shamefully turned his head away, ignoring the light wounds still covering his body. "I'm... I'm sorry...for everything..." He sighed. "I...didn't deserve your mercy after all I've done. I can't undo my mistakes, and that guilt will eat away at me until I die."

The brunette smiled softly, steadily approaching him. "Nero..." He watched her coming closer. "I bear no ill will towards you. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can be redeemed."

The crimson-eyed male frowned. "I suppose I'll just go back to being alone then...where I will never be a danger again."

Ryella caught his arm before he could turn and walk away. "You don't have to be alone. Without Ardyn's power and control, you're free now. You can finally see the true nature of your magic."

Nero blinked at her in surprise, but decided to give his magic a try. Black fog exuded from his body, enveloping the group. Concentrating on his past experiences, shapes appeared within the haze with voices of different kinds, each talking over one another. The voices died down, but the figures remained.

Ryella smiled. "Do you see now? Your power allows you to not only cloak yourself in darkness, but also replay memories."

Nero stared in shock, his eyes darting to the different forms he'd created in the fog. They depicted his family. Tears formed in his eyes as he fell to his knees. "All this time..." He clutched the side of his head. "I thought... I believed that I was...a monster. For as long as I can remember, I've done nothing but bring about daemons and destruction."

Ryella bent down, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You were never a monster, and you belong here in this world of light where your magic can truly shine. This is your second chance to be the Guardian you were meant to be."

Nero met her friendly, green gaze. "Thank you... Thank you, Ryella." He clutched her hand in his own. He slowly stood, wiping his watery eyes. "But I must ask, when we fought, why did you let me go?"

She giggled. "I may have acted aggressively, but I had no intention of killing anyone, not even you."

Nero smiled lightly. "You're too kind. No wonder you have so many people who care for you." His smile faded. "But still, I don't expect you to forgive me for...what I did to your brother and your lover."

A sad smile crossed Ryella's lips. "What's done is done. There's no changing that. But I hold no grudge...Rey and Clement wouldn't want that."

The male slowly nodded, turning away. "I'm going to make up for the things I've done. It's time I start acting like a Guardian." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Next time we meet...I'll be a brand new person."

He walked away and down a street. After a flash of light, the black dragon soared up and away. With smiles on their faces, the four friends continued on their way. After everything that had been lost---all the sacrifices made---they could finally rest easy. The world was finally at peace. No more daemons, and no more long nights. Everything was finally the way it was always meant to be. The future looked bright for the inhabitants of Eos.

Stay tuned for the epilogue, guys! Don't mistake this for the end just yet!