GLADIO   ( đ - to bow down before your muse ) misc action memes  accepting   @shieldofvalorâ
THE WORLD HAD CHANGED  ,  bringing darkness that dominated  --  that felt stifling and threatened to pull the very air from your lungs if you weren't careful.  Nobody had been immune to its effects ,  nobody had gotten through it unscathed  ,  and everyone had the same question.  Would it ever end ? Noctis stood on the edge of the cliff.  Ocean hues looked out over the skyline at the buildings he could see in the distance ,  a place he once knew as home.  A place that had been filled with as many happy memories as there had been bad ones.  The place he'd been born and raised ,  and the place he would ultimately give his life.
Could he bring himself to lament a single moment that led him to this point ?  No.  Perhaps he wished he had done more or expressed more nevertheless there was little point in dwelling on thoughts of the past.  He glanced down at his hand  , curled into a fist.  Questions were raised in his mind.  Did he have the resilience to go through with what he needed to ? Noctis hadn't been unaided throughout the journey.  He wouldn't be alone at the end either.  Their strength and courage were what had driven him.  It would be them that saw him through it.
A noise drew him from his thoughts , the footfalls he would recognise anywhere.  They belonged to his Shield.   â It's almost over. â   The King conveyed quietly, though his eyes did not stray from the skyline ahead.   â Tomorrow the sun will rise once more. â   There was a smile on his face, albeit a melancholy one.  Noctis wouldn't witness the sunrise beyond the horizon.  He wouldn't see the people rejoice that the long dark had finally ended.
â I've accepted what I need to do. I don't want any of you to mourn for me. â  Noctis turned to face him then. Goodbyes were always challenging in any context.  Yet one that spoke of forever ? That was always going to be a bitter pill to swallow. For Noctis ,  it would be but a moment. Yet , the people he was leaving behind would have to deal with losing him.  â Live your life, Gladio. Please, do it for me. â
Unprepared was he , as the Shield bowed for what would conceivably be the final time. Noctis rests his hand on his shoulder.  Optics illuminated in the little light they had.  Yes , goodbyes were difficult -- but this one was necessary. Giving up his life for the lives of the people he loved. It was a worthwhile trade, in Noctis' opinion.
â I couldn't have asked for a better Shield or friend. Thank you, Gladio. For everything. â

















