Noctis came to a stop when the heat started to get to him. He tugged at the collar of his shirt with an uncomfortable groan. "The hell's with the heat?"

"As we climb so does the temperature," Ignis commented. He too was sweating and desperate for a powerful breeze to cool him down.

Prompto's tired and flushed expression was directed towards the princess. "Didn't you say this was a volcano?"

Makina nodded. "Yes. It's the reason why Fel is here in the first place. The temperature is ideal for her to heal and regain her strength."

The blonde fanned himself with a concerned look. "You wouldn't happen to know the chances of it erupting while we're here, would you?" He panted.

"Sorry, Prom, I don't. Especially since Fel is here. She may or may not cause an eruption depending on her mood. Let's just hope she isn't too ill-mannered to trigger the volcano."

He swallowed nervously.

Gladiolus smacked him on the back. "Bright side-you won't suffer long if it does."

The snowy-haired girl intervened. "Hey, even if this volcano does erupt, I promise you I'll get us all to safety. It's as easy as opening a rift to Lestallum or even Wiz's."

Prompto sighed in relief. "Okay, I totally feel better. Thanks, Makina."

"Happy to help."

On the current path they were taking, the royal retinue came across a herd of spiracorns. With no issues at all, they killed the creatures that blocked their way and came to another fork in the path.

"We've two paths before us," Ignis informed the others.

"Noct, do us all a solid and choose the one that's not a dead-end," Prompto said. "Or better yet, maybe we should leave Makina in charge of choosing. She seems to have better luck than you."

"Fine," Noctis grumbled. He stepped back and allowed the princess to take the lead. "Guess Her Majesty will take it from here."

"How kind of you," she blandly replied, walking past him. She gazed at the paths that were presented before them. In the midst of deciding, another roar redirected her attention. It came from nearby. Her head darted to the right path that was covered in molten lava. Without warning, she took off.

"H-Hey!" Noctis shouted. "Dammit...!" He quickly chases after her with Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus on his heels.

The marksman started to pant uncontrollably as they ran up the path after the princess. "How is she...running in heels...up this slope?!"

"Pretty impressive considering she slipped earlier," Gladiolus said.

"Let's make haste through the hot spots," Ignis stated. "We must ensure Makina does not venture too far."

The shield caught a glimpse of the girl before she was out of sight. He was surprised to see her running at full speed. He thought she would have been more sluggish in the heat. "Damn, look at her go."

"She has way too much energy," Noctis grumbled.

The boys, after a few minutes, caught up with the princess. She stood before a ledge that overlooked a pool of lava with a flowing firewall from a cave opening. Another roar echoed from the cave, alerting everyone. From the darkness of the tunnel emerged a lùhng dragon with red and orange scales.

Noctis saw the serpent was flying straight towards Makina with its claws at the ready. He summoned his engine blade and quickly warped, tackling her to safety. He quickly pushed himself off the hot ground and pulled the princess to her feet to avoid being burned. Backs pressed against the cliffside, the two royals watch the angered disciple fly off.

"That was too close!" Prompto panted, placing a hand over his thundering heart.

Makina could feel the heat radiating from the ground. She felt like her shoes were going to melt. "Let's go somewhere that won't melt us." She went to walk down the way they came when she saw another path, but was stopped the moment Noctis grabbed her wrist.

"Don't wander off again," he said.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Let's just hurry and catch up to Fel."

Noctis released her wrist. He then decided to follow her down the path she had found, which connected to the left path in the fork. They traveled down a downward path along the cliffside, only to find themselves face to face with wyverns and thunderocs.

Amid their battle with the creatures, Fel roared again. Makina used the Ionus Sphere, shifting Rift Cutter into a pair of chakrams. She tossed the weapons up at the thunderocs and knocked them out of the sky. Ignis and Gladiolus followed up with their own attacks, killing the birds. Noctis and Prompto finished off the last wyvern, clearing the area of creatures.

The snowy-haired girl dispelled her chakrams. Her eyes drifted up to the cliff above. Scorch marks were present on the stone. She then analyzed the cliffside to see there was a way for them to climb up. "Hope you boys aren't too exhausted yet because it looks like we'll be climbing."

"Do we have to?" Prompto groaned. "Can't you just open a rift that can take us to the top?"

"Rifts only work if I can create a mental image of the place I wish to go. Since I haven't been here before, it would be impossible," she explained.

The marksman was curious. "Have you ever tried to visit the remains of Iona?"

The princess fell silent for a few seconds before replying. "I have."

"Really?" Noctis chimed in. "What was it like?"

"Desolate. A few shards can still support life, but they are barren. There is one piece of Iona I do visit on occasion that still remains beautiful even 'til this day."

"Mind taking us the next time you visit?" Prompto pondered.

"I'll think about it." She nudged the blonde towards the cliffside. "Now get climbing, shutterbug."

Slowly, the group ascended the cliffside. When they reached the top, they soon came across Owlyss Haven. Prompto glanced down at the familiar glowing runes carved into the stone. "This place is practically begging to be camped on!"

"It's a nice spot, but lugging camping gear all the way up here would be a nightmare," Makina commented.

The marksman threw an arm around her shoulders. "And that's where you come in! We could lug camping gear anywhere with you around. You're like an express elevator."

She glared at him from the former of her eye. "An express elevator? Really? No girl wants to be compared to such a thing. Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone wants to be compared to an express elevator."

"Okay, not my best comparison," he mumbled.

"It was the worst one possible."

The blonde groaned and removed his arm from her shoulders.

"Shall we halt our hike for a moment?" Ignis proposed.

"A breather would be nice," Gladiolus said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Noctis was more than happy to plop down on the ground. With an exhausted sigh, he laid on his back and stared up at the evening sky. They had been hiking since morning and hadn't taken any breaks until now. Prompto joined him while Ignis and Gladiolus remained on guard during the break.

Makina wandered to the edge of the haven. She peered down at the area below, eyes widening when she saw Fel collapsed on the ground. The serpent's elongated body was sprawled out, lava dripping from her gleaming scales. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the weakened disciple. Summoning her mother's blade, she prepared herself to create a tear in space. She then remember how she ran off by herself earlier and how angry and worried Noctis was. With her blade still drawn, she turned to the boys.

Noctis, who had pushed himself up into a sitting position, saw the look in her eyes. He shot to his feet and tried to stop her. "Oh, no. You're not running ahead by yourself again."

"Remember what I asked you before we started this trek?" she remarked. "Fel is angered and she is a ticking time bomb. It would be too dangerous for you all to approach her. I will confront her on my own. You understand, don't you?"

He understood completely. However, that didn't prevent him from not worrying. "I do, but we can't help you if you just leave us behind. What if she does attack you?"

"She won't," the princess confidently said.

"She looked like she wanted to earlier," he scoffed.

Makina sighed. This argument was going nowhere. She stared into his azure eyes with determination and a small hint of regret. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way."

"Hard way?" Prompto parroted.

Noctis saw through her plan and acted as quickly as possible. "Hold on!" When he tried to stop her, he and the other boys were frozen in time. Pupils slit and irises blazing a light lilac, she created a rift and made her way down to the serpent.

As time resumed, Fel took notice of the princess that stood a few yards away. She fought through the pain that wracked her body and roared mightily. She lashed out and encircled the girl, creating a ring of fire to prevent her from escaping. She growled, bearing her sharp fangs. "You may be of Valtreus blood, but that doesn't mean you are not a traitor."

The princess was aware of who the disciple spoke of-Orialla and Prella Valtreus. The twin princesses, who were her great-great grandmothers, betrayed the royal bloodline after learning neither of them would be inheriting the throne. Instead, their younger sister, Alina, would become the next queen of Iona. They tried to kill her, but their plan was foiled by the Talosguard and Tarragon Sentinels. They had learned of the twins' assassination plan and quickly apprehended them before they were sentenced to death by their own mother.

Makina dispelled her sword and wanted to show she meant no harm to Fel. "I would never repeat the mistakes of Orialla and Prella. I would never betray Valtreus or you and your siblings."

Fel's golden eyes focused on her chest. "I will be the one to judge you," she hissed. "If you truly are not a traitor, tell me the true purpose of why you possess the Ionus Sphere. What do you plan to use it for?"

"I am Makina Hexxus Valtreus, the daughter of Fellux Naxan Valtreus and Azuli Hexxus Valtreus. My mother died in the explosion of Iona. My father entrusted the Ionus Sphere to me before he perished at the hands of the empire. He perished before he could tell me what to do with it, but..." The girl held her hands a few inches away from her chest as the artifact emerged from her body. "I plan to use the Ionus Sphere to help the one person I cherish the most."

The disciple stared into the princess' lilac eyes. She could see the determination and resolve in her eyes. Her body relaxes as she extinguishes the flames surrounding them. The anger she had clung to vanished. "Your heart is pure, my queen. I shall join my siblings and aid you in this fight against destiny."

"Before you go, I must ask a question."

"Ask, Your Majesty."

"Do you know where Wex is?"

The serpent bowed her head in apology. "I'm afraid I don't. After Iona exploded, I was powerless and unable to locate my siblings. Forgive me."

Makina smiled. "No need to apologize, Fel. I will do my best to find her. Please, rest for a while so you may heal."

"Thank you, my queen. You truly are kind. Do not let anyone take advantage of such kindness." She lowered her head and nudged her snout against the Ionus Sphere. Her body turned into shards of glass before being absorbed into the artifact.

Once Fel was safely inside the Ionus Sphere, Makina examined it. The third chamber had the symbol of the disciple of fire. Only the first chamber remained empty. Curious as to what the serpent's weapon was, she set the artifact to the third configuration. She was thoroughly surprised to see a sniper rifle painted with the royal colors of Riahlan royalty. The purple and white were accompanied by accents of black. The sleek, narrow design allowed for easy use and transportability.

With the newly-acquired sniper rifle, the princess turned around. She was surprised to see the boys standing not too far away. She blinked in surprise. "Wow, you guys move fast."

"Some of us were in more of a hurry than others," Gladiolus said, eyes drifting over to the prince.

Prompto saw the gun in her hands and gasped. "Whoa! That looks totally sick!"

Noctis wanted to ask if she was okay, but he saw she was unharmed. Instead, he asked, "You know how to use that thing?"

"Oh!" The sharpshooter raised his hand excitedly. "I can help if you don't!"

She laughed at his exuberance. "Thanks, but I know how to use it. My father made sure I knew how to use an array of weapons."

"Sounds like he was preparing you to inherit the Ionus Sphere," Gladiolus said.

"It is tradition for the heir to the Ionian throne to learn to wield multiple weapons so they can utilize all the Ionus Sphere has to offer." She eyed the sniper rifle and admired its design one more time before deactivating the artifact. The weapon vanished. "Now that Fel has joined us, we've got a royal arm to find."

Noctis wanted to scold her again for running off without them. However, he held his tongue this time since he knew she did it to keep them safe. "Can't be far from here. Let's go."

Makina followed behind Noctis as he made his way over to an opening in the cliffside. It led to a path that wrapped around the side of the volcano. At the end of the path was what they had been searching for-a royal tomb.

The prince used the key given to him by Cor to unlock the entrance of the tomb. He entered and claimed the Mace of the Fierce from his ancestor. With the royal arm added to his arsenal, he exited the tomb and rejoined the others. His eyes drifted to the sky when he saw the sun had set. A yawn escaped him. "I could use a nap."

Makina huffed out a chuckle. "Does that mean our next stop is the caravan?"

"Yeah." He held back another yawn that threatened to escape him. "Mind making a rift? I really do not want to hike down this volcano. The heat's killin' me..."

She too was exhausted due to not only the hike but the integration of Fel into the Ionus Sphere. "One rift to Verinas Mart coming up." With the wave of her hand, she opened a rift that connected them to the area just behind the outpost. They didn't hesitate to walk through it. The rift sealed behind them once everyone crossed safely to the other side.

Having had rented the caravan before they left, Noctis trudged his tired body towards it with the intent to rest. Alas, his arm was grabbed and yanked back by none other than Makina. He turned his lazy, tired gaze towards her. "What?"

"You can stay up just a little longer to enjoy dinner with us," she said. "It's not good to go to bed on an empty stomach."

"Seriously?" He grumbled. "But I'm tired..."

"Yes, seriously," she remarked. "Get your grumpy butt moving."

"Just drag me..."

"Fine." She switched her grip from his arm to his hand. She dragged him to Erupto Eats, the eatery located just outside the shop. Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis had already secured them a table. She pulled the prince toward a vacant seat beside the advisor and sat him down. The moment she went to release his hand to sit at the vacant seat across the table, he threaded their fingers together and refused to let go. He lazily slumped back in the seat with a sigh.

Makina tried to detangle their fingers, but she realized he wouldn't be letting go anytime soon. "Noct, can I have my hand back?"

"No," he blandly responded.

She almost forgot how clingy he could be with her whenever he was sleepy. She sighed, knowing it was a fruitless battle. With a pleading gaze, she looked at Ignis. "Iggy, could I...?"

She didn't need to finish her question as the tactician was already aware of what she was going to ask. He got up. "He is quite a handful at times." He sat in the seat across the table.

"Thanks," she said, taking the seat beside Noctis. Even after she sat down, he didn't let go of her hand. Although he wasn't one for too much PDA, his tired moments were when he became clingy and would often latch himself onto her. He was half-conscious in his exhausted state and most likely wasn't aware of how clingy he got. All he cared for was touching her and wasn't bothered by who saw them.

After they had ordered dinner and waited for it to be prepared, Noctis scooted his chair closer to Makina. He continued to hold her hand and pulled out his phone. As he booted up King's Knight, he leaned his head on her shoulder. She didn't mind and ignored the grin Gladiolus was casting in her direction.

When their food arrived, Noctis put his phone away and lifted his head from her shoulder. For the first time since they sat down, he let go of her hand to eat. He didn't eat much, but that was okay. As long as he had some food in his stomach, he would be fine.

Makina was halfway finished with her meal when the prince grabbed her wrist. "Hey-"

"Going to bed," Noctis interrupted, tugging her out of her seat and in the direction of the caravan.

"I'm not finished eating!" She was surprised at how strong his grip was for someone who was tired. She looked to the others as he dragged her away. "Help me, please!"

"Sorry. You're on your own, cupcake," Gladiolus replied. "Good luck."

She then pleaded with the other two boys. "Iggy! Prom!"

Prompto simply waved with a snicker while Ignis adjusted his glasses as if he didn't hear her. She glared at them. "I'll get you all back later!"