Theodore knew that for a man like Ardyn, words were just another form of manipulation.
To convince him, he had to show him the "Meta."
While the rest of the group was busy preparing the boat at the Cape, Theodore pulled Ardyn aside toward the Road Runner.
"You want a peek behind the curtain, Ardyn? Touch the door handle,"
Theodore said calmly.
As Ardyn's hand made contact with the cold steel of the SUV, Theodore triggered a Temporary Hub Bridge. For a split second, the reality of Eos dissolved.
Ardyn gasped as the salty air of the Cape was replaced by the sterile, infinite calm of the Hub.
He looked up, but instead of the Star of Eos or the clouds of Lucis, he saw the shimmering data-streams of the Multiverse.
"This... this is not the Beyond,"
Ardyn whispered, his voice trembling for the first time in centuries.
He looked at his hands—the black veins of the Starscourge were still there, but they weren't pulsing. They were static.
"The darkness... it's quiet here."
"Because here, the Astrals have no voice,"
Theodore explained, walking up beside him.
"The Starscourge is a local virus, Ardyn. In this world, you're just a man with a very bad infection that I can eventually cure. You can sleep here. You can eat here. And one day, you can die here."
Ardyn stayed in the silence for what felt like an hour, though only seconds passed in the real world.
When Theodore closed the bridge, Ardyn was back at Cape Caem, clutching the railing of the lighthouse. His eyes were wet.
"Hope,"
Ardyn rasped, a hauntingly genuine smile breaking through his mask.
"A cruel gift to give a man like me."
"Don't waste it,"
Theodore warned.
"We still have a script to follow. You play your part, you help Noctis reach the end, but the 'Sacrifice' doesn't happen the way the gods want. No killing the Oracle. No eternal darkness."
The transition back to the game was seamless.
Ardyn resumed his flamboyant persona, but there was a new, sharp focus in his movements. He wasn't just chaos incarnate anymore; he was a silent partner in Theodore's
"Perfect Run."
The group boarded the power vessel, the Road Runner safely secured in the cargo hold.
As they cut through the waves toward the floating city of Altissia, the air grew heavy with the presence of the Hydraean, Leviathan.
"9S, 2B,"
Theodore called out as the spires of the city appeared on the horizon.
"We're approaching the climax of the mid-game. The Empire is going to swarm this place, and Leviathan is going to try to drown it. We have one objective: Protect Lunafreya."
"Scanning the city's moisture density,"
9S reported, his fingers dancing over a new interface he'd built using Hub-tech.
"I've mapped the Imperial dropship flight paths. I can create a 'Dead Zone' over the altar where the Oracle will stand."
2B checked the new MagTek-Slaying edge on her blade.
"I will position myself in the shadows of the altar. No Imperial soldier—and no 'Accursed'—will touch her."
Altissia was beautiful, but the tension was a physical weight.
As Lunafreya stepped onto the altar to summon the Leviathan, the sky turned black with Niflheim ships.
The Leviathan erupted from the sea, a colossal serpent of spite and power.
The city began to shake under the weight of the tidal waves.
In the original timeline, this was where Ardyn would descend and deliver the fatal blow to Luna.
Theodore stood on a nearby balcony, his INT 10 mind tracking Ardyn's position.
Ardyn materialized in a swirl of black smoke behind the Oracle, his dagger drawn—just as the script demanded.
But instead of striking, Ardyn paused.
He looked toward Theodore and gave a subtle, mocking bow.
"Theodore! Watch out!"
Noctis yelled, warping toward the altar in a panic.
"Relax, Noct!"
Theodore shouted back, activating Wind Walk. He blurred across the distance, landing between Ardyn and Luna.
Ardyn leaned in close to Theodore's ear, his voice a low hiss.
"The Empire expects a corpse, Theodore. Give them a show, or the Emperor will raze this city to the seabed."
"9S! Trigger the 'Light-Refraction' Cloak on the Oracle! Now!"
9S slammed a command into his tablet. A burst of light enveloped Lunafreya.
To the Imperial cameras and Noctis's distant eyes, it looked like a catastrophic magical explosion. A "body" (a high-fidelity holographic decoy created by 9S) fell into the water.
In reality, 2B grabbed the real Lunafreya and vanished into the "Ghost Drive" field of the Road Runner, which was idling in a nearby alley.
"The Oracle is 'dead' to the world,"
9S reported sweating from the processing strain.
"Leviathan is going berserk, but the target is safe."
Theodore looked at Ardyn, who was already disappearing back into the shadows to maintain his cover with the Empire.
"Nicely played, Gamer,"
Ardyn's voice echoed in the wind.
Theodore turned to see Noctis collapse in grief, the Power of the Kings surging through him as he prepared to face the Leviathan in a blind rage.
"Sorry, Noct,"
Theodore muttered, his Mana Recovery already prepping him for the fight of his life.
"You have to be angry for a little while longer. But the 'Good Ending' is still on the table."