Noctis's mother died when he was still an infant. Noctis's father, King Regis, is currently around 50 years old, but has aged well beyond that due to maintaining the magic barrier around Lucis. The rapid aging is the unfortunate fate of the king, and Noctis would meet this fate should he inherit the throne. Thus, Regis is torn on whether he should let Noctis become the next king.[3]
When a king of Lucis dies, their wisdom gets passed to the next generation and thus the royal line lives on. A valuable ring is inherited by the person next in line for the throne and Regis possess one of these rings, containing both the wisdom and power of the previous king of Lucis. The summoned swords both Noctis and Regis can wield are also inherited from each previous king.[3]
Noctis, as the heir to the Lucian throne, sets forth from his homeland to formalize the union of states through his marriage to Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of the imperial province of Tenebrae. When Niflheim attacks the Lucian capital of Insomnia, both Noctis and his father are reported dead alongside Lunafreya. In truth, Noctis and his friends—Ignis, his royal advisor; Gladiolus, his bodyguard; and Prompto, his childhood friend—were not in the city during the attack, and set out on a road trip to Altissia to meet with Luna, the city where the two were to be wed.
On their way across Duscae Regalia, Regis's car the party is using, breaks down, and they must raise the funds to have Cindy fix it. They pass by numerous monsters and an astral shard.