...I didn't want to believe it either, when Church suggested the idea.

[The pen vanished, Ardyn leaning his head on his hand. Calm as he looked and sounded, the distant stare in yellow eyes said otherwise.]

But it does make sense, doesn't it? Instead of a nebulous disease, they had a willing vessel. Let him think himself chosen, become container to the plague, then refuse to let him die until the true child of prophecy is born to sacrifice himself and destroy the Starscourge.

And my brother--my Shield-- [His voice cracked, the sentence ending in a sound that was halfway to an unhinged laugh.] ...I don't know if Bahamut had a hand in what they did to me. It might be easier to bear if he did, but it's long since ceased to matter.

...'Chosen' just means 'chosen to die' for both myself and Noctis. It always did.