King Regis and Queen Aulea's desire for a child has finally been fulfilled, as well as their kingdom's need for an heir to the throne. However, when a dark mage with a vendetta against Lucis blesses the young prince with a deadly curse, they realize that no sacrifice is too much when it comes to someone you love. But too much, it turns out, is never enough.
Somnus
Ultima is a Final Fantasy XV fanfic by The_Asset6.
This Fanfiction contains the following tropes:
- Adaptational Backstory Change:
- Here, Prompto is not a Designer Baby but a boy with a barcode to designate his place.
- Ardyn doesn't have any of the Episode Ardyn stuff, but rather an sorcerer whose only relation with the Caelum Lucis' family being a magical advisor.
- Adaptational Badass: Luna. She participated in battles and willing to lend a hand when necessary.
- Alternate Universe: The author made it clear. What happened in canon happened differently.
- Big Bad: Ardyn, being the one behind Noctis' curse.
- Big Damn Heroes: Noctis. Even when unconscious, he managed to break the connection between himself and Ardyn, ultimately killing the latter, saving himself and his loved ones.
- Bittersweet Ending: Noctis is awake but now he has to deal with being a prince. The political atmosphere is currently a confusion but Ardyn is gone with the daemons. Noctis is slowly connecting with Regis and his friends.
- Both Sides Have a Point: It took a while for both sides to stew over and talk about the situation. Noctis realized that all they want to protect him from a nasty mage but he was now forced to reconsider himself and his life. His loved ones have to consider regaining his trust after thinking they can treat the situation as normal despite evidence to the contrary.
- Brainwashed: Ardyn clearly took advantage of Noctis' stress and confusion and took Umbra's form to take Noctis to his doom. Before that, in Hammerhead, Noctis had injured himself in a hypnotic state just to complete the curse.
- Child Soldier: Prompto is a trained assassin and fighter from a young age. The Lucis higher-ups and those in the know noted this to be true. While Ignis and Gladio are trained themselves, they didn't go through the hell Prompto went through.
- Conveniently Unverifiable Cover Story: Done by the good guys to Noctis. For twenty years, Noctis believed himself to be an orphan with his parents either dead or abandoning him, and a commoner. He was fed to this from a young age and grew to accept his lot of life. Deconstructed when Noctis learned his true origins, giving him so much stress that his beloved friends and family would betray and act like it was normal and a duty to protect him. Ardyn took advantage of the stress and confusion so he could complete the curse.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Gladio will never admit out loud that Prompto is an accomplished fighter in his own right, taking out more people than he did he noted.
- Curse: As spoken by Ardyn, before the sun sets on his 20th birthday, Noctis will cut himself on the blade of his own sword and die. Carbuncle adjusted the curse from death to sleep and only would be awakened by True Love's Kiss.
- As his friends and family learned, Noctis' mind will be abandoned just to complete the curse as he cut himself and recalled nothing.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: Well, 20th for Noctis. A bit of a subversion since the deadline for the curse to take effect is his birthday before sunset.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Noctis. He just doesn't know what to do with his future, especially when others don't seem to expect it from him for obvious reasons.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Noctis has dreams where he followed to his doom.
- Faux Death: In his loved ones' opinions, Noctis looked unnatural in his cursed coma state. For Gladio and some others, death seemed like a better alternative because Noctis was now in a place they cannot reach yet somehow living. It doesn't help that in the time of Noctis being Ardyn's Crystal, he genuinely looked like he's dying.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The ring glistening with magic each time after Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio kissed Noctis. Gladio realized this when he noticed the ring glowing as Noctis woke up. However, at the same time, Noctis has to reach an enlightenment himself by reaching out to his friends to actually lift the curse..
- Foreshadowing:
- It had been hinted multiple times Ardyn will go far to destroy Regis personally. The Long Game was to torture Regis specifically.
- When Noctis was injured, he went into the dream world, hinting where he would go once he entered the magical coma and how he could help the outside world in his state. Also, notably, there had been hints Noctis had dreams where he followed to his doom, something he never told his friends and family; obviously, if they knew, they would be even more frantic to save him from the curse.
- There had been hints of Drautos' traitorous ways, given his insistence to know where Noctis is going, forcing Ardyn to send someone else so he can be updated on Noctis
- Pictures of Noctis that Ardyn suddenly has in his possession shortly after Prompto arrived in Hammerhead.
- Noctis' true love which had been hinted time to time and confirmed by Ardyn in one chapter. It turned out to be the rest of the Chocobos who had to make a declaration of friendship, loyalty, and fealty and the accompanying affectionate kiss to wake him
- Foregone Conclusion: Based on the setting, we know the plan set up by the royals and their circle will fail because this is Sleeping Beauty after all.
- Improbably Quick Coma Recovery: Subverted. In the final battle, Noctis had some broken limbs that needed healing. By the time he woke up, he was in a coma for a month at least so he would need some physical therapy to get walking again.
- Innocently Insensitive: As a child, Noctis would say things accidentally related to the curse.
- Killed Off for Real: Aulea (because Ardyn doesn't like his curse had been changed, so he took another life), Crowe, and Drautos
- Locked Out of the Loop: Noctis eventually learned his origins and why he was sent away but all he knows is that he has a curse, not the specifics. Noctis was angry at his friends for not letting him know important information because where he was standing, his world just shattered.
- Prompto had absolutely no idea of Noctis' curse and the only relevant information he got is that Ardyn has a crystal.
- Loss of Identity: A major internal conflict for Noctis, after learning the truth of his origins, is who is he?
- Macguffin: The Crystals and their holders and Noctis. Ardyn has been using Noctis as a conduit of power, knowing the Crystals would be destroyed.
- Mythology Gag:
- The rescuing of Prompto. Unlike the original where Prompto discovered his true origins, Prompto is already aware of his nature as a spy. It also doubled for the Chocobros going to rescue him as does the fairies going to rescue Philip.
- The Ring of Lucii. Thankfully, this doesn't serve the same function as in canon. However, like canon, it did create a wall.
- Noctis had a traumatic experience with a Marilith.
- Ignis making sweets for Noctis. In canon, he is trying hard to recreate Luna's dessert and only found out at Galdin Quay but here, he was given Luna's recipe outright and given the opportunity to mix it up a little.
- The Lovers' Notebook. It's still being used as a scrapbook, especially when Luna herself gifted it to Noctis. It should be noted because magic doesn't exist here anymore, Luna and Noctis doesn't communicate through the notebook but rather kept the memories together in a section dedicated to her.
- The final battle kind of. It's reminiscent of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.
- Speaking of the movie, Drautos turned out to be the traitor
- Only Sane Man: Regis can be quite reasonable about Prompto's role as a spy and Noctis' trust. He has to point out to Ignis and Gladio that it's Noctis' choice what to do with Prompto point forward.
- Out-Gambitted: Ardyn. He managed to make the spell so powerful Noctis' mind will abandon itself for the curse's completion and made Noctis a conduit for his powers when the Crystals were destroyed. He also caught onto Regis's plan and simply watched Noctis grow in the five years till his doom.
- Overt Operative: For five years, Prompto managed to go undercover and snap pictures of Noctis to send back. However, all his mission was to take pictures and send them back to Ardyn so he was telling the truth his friend came from a high place and does genuinely love photography. Everybody but Noctis caught on he was a spy when evidence piled up.
- Papa Wolf: Cid and Regis are not pleased with the curse, especially when the curse activated.
- Parental Abandonment: For Noctis' cover story, he believed himself an orphan from either this or the death of parents. Regis and Aulea didn't want to send him away but when they are in the middle of a war and the curse specifically mentioned it was Noctis' sword that will cut him and activate the curse, they have no choice to send him away.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Regis. After learning the truth of Prompto, he wanted Noctis to have the final say and offered Prompto to be a part of the Crownsguard and later Noctis' retinue.
- RevengeSVP: Subverted. Ardyn has thoughts of revenge long before the christening but he used the event to cause a stir and unleashed his vengeance.
- Sent Into Hiding: Noctis as part of the plan to keep him hidden until the curse passed over. During his slumber, they kept him hidden from the public eye as to not demoralize the people and that Noctis himself isn't ready for the public eye, much less in his cursed state.
- Ship Tease: In the last two chapters, there are teases for Luna and Noctis, something both his family and friends noticed and gleefully documented. As of current, Noctis is slowly growing feelings for her but he doesn't want to go there just yet.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: The cast was shocked to learn Drautos betrayed them but Ignis remembered oddities on Noctis' birthday.
- True Love's Kiss: Obvious for a Sleeping Beauty fic. It was not romantic love that awoke Noctis but brotherhood, the closest relationships Noctis has.
- Twice-Told Tale: Based on the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty with a Final Fantasy XV spin. In one of the comments, the author said it's appropriate to place Aurora's Return/Maleficent's Evil Spell for Noctis' hypnosis.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Regis. When he learned his son cut himself and remembered nothing afterward, he wanted Noctis to return immediately to Insomnia. Unfortunately, he forgot that he commissioned blacksmiths to create Noctis his own personal sword. Regis took this hard, continuing to blame himself for his son's curse and the activation.
