As soon as the words are uttered aloud, it's like the world falls out beneath him. He sits frozen, his breath picking up, stunned speechless, and all he can do is try and focus on everything else Ignis is saying while those four words echo over and over in his mind. He put on the ring, the ring that burned everything it touched, that was slowly killing his father, that claimed Nyx's life and burned many others alive for their hubris. Only royal blood, he knew, was the rule. Only those worthy. And Ignis survived, but he wouldn't have known that, and it took so much from him, all for-
-all for him, who'd failed everyone else already, who only existed to die anyway, who Izunia would never have killed because he wasn't the champion he wanted to destroy yet. To save him. Of course he's going to blame himself. How could he not?]
No, [he finds himself whispering, his voice shaky. Wait. What had Ignis said-] Iggy, no, you're so- why would you do that!? Why would you take such a huge risk for me? You're crazy!
[He pulls back, setting his hands on Ignis' shoulders to stare him down. Even if Ignis can't look back at him, he can't... he can't believe. There'd been hints, and he'd had suspicions, but to hear it from his own mouth...]
Iggy... you shouldn't have done it. What if you'd died...?
[What would he have done if Ignis had died? Does he think that Noctis would be any less broken, to find out that Ignis had died for his sake too?]
no subject
As soon as the words are uttered aloud, it's like the world falls out beneath him. He sits frozen, his breath picking up, stunned speechless, and all he can do is try and focus on everything else Ignis is saying while those four words echo over and over in his mind. He put on the ring, the ring that burned everything it touched, that was slowly killing his father, that claimed Nyx's life and burned many others alive for their hubris. Only royal blood, he knew, was the rule. Only those worthy. And Ignis survived, but he wouldn't have known that, and it took so much from him, all for-
-all for him, who'd failed everyone else already, who only existed to die anyway, who Izunia would never have killed because he wasn't the champion he wanted to destroy yet. To save him. Of course he's going to blame himself. How could he not?]
No, [he finds himself whispering, his voice shaky. Wait. What had Ignis said-] Iggy, no, you're so- why would you do that!? Why would you take such a huge risk for me? You're crazy!
[He pulls back, setting his hands on Ignis' shoulders to stare him down. Even if Ignis can't look back at him, he can't... he can't believe. There'd been hints, and he'd had suspicions, but to hear it from his own mouth...]
Iggy... you shouldn't have done it. What if you'd died...?
[What would he have done if Ignis had died? Does he think that Noctis would be any less broken, to find out that Ignis had died for his sake too?]