It wasn't a choice to be made lightly, and he truly had no other option. Either he died with his friends because that sick bastard would likely just keep sending daemons at them until one of them fell (or all, his mind supplies that possibility) and doom the rest of the world to no promise of the dawn, or he drag his ass to the Crystal.

So he put his faith in his brothers to handle themselves and pressed on, swore he would come back for them all. He doesn't so much as sense Clarus, his voice sounding nothing more than a gust of wind amidst the mechanical noise of the elevator. He only took a few steps before the words from the start of the memory are given context.

"How far's this go?" Noctis' voice echoed in the long hallway with each step. "The Crystal had better be here. Everyone's counting on it...counting on me."

He felt a headache coming on as his eyes caught a glimpse of the familiar light in the distance.

"Your journey is over, Noct."