(Y/n) headed back to the chocobo with the boys hot on her tail. She wasn't upset that they found out who she was because she would've eventually told them sooner or later. Although, she did wish it could've been a secret just a little longer.

"Hold on, (Y/n)!" Noctis shouted.

War stopped, spinning around to face the boys. An emotionless expression was glued to her face. "What?"

"You really can't expect us not to ask questions after that bombshell, are you?"

"Why does it matter?" She sneered. "All of that's in the past and I'm trying to forget it."

"Can you at least tell us a little bit?" Prompto begged.

"Like what?" She groaned.

"Y'know, your kingdom!"

Her (e/c) eyes stared off into the distance as memories of her birthplace played inside her head. Seeing as giving them some information wouldn't hurt, she told them about her kingdom and the time of her rule. "Vanaheim was the sister kingdom of Niflheim. I was crowned queen when I was only twelve because my father died of an illness. Some...things happened and now Vanaheim lies at the bottom of the ocean."

"What did Gentiana mean by the crimson queen?" Noctis pried.

A sorrowful frown manifested on the horseman's face. The nickname brought back bloodied, painful memories of her tyrannical rule. The guilt from what she did as queen returned tenfold. "If I told you the truth, you'd probably never wish to see me again."

Noctis was about to ask another question, but Ignis stopped him. "We've pried too much. Our apologies, (Y/n)."

"It's only natural to be curious of the unknown," War mumbled. She turned her back to them. "Sorry, but I need to clear my head. I'll catch up with you guys later..."

Teleporting, War traveled to Galdin Quay. She appeared on the sandy beach, collapsing to the ground. It made her happy to see the rain caused by Ramuh wasn't affecting the Leide region. She laid on her back in the sand with a heavy, melancholic sigh. Staring up at the sky, an image of one of the many innocent people she killed in Vanaheim resurfaced in her mind. Her sword pierced the young woman's chest, blood splattering across the white marble floor in the throne room. She remembered watching the life vanish from the woman's eyes as she fell lifeless to the floor.

Covering her face with her arm, (Y/n) hid the tears that formed in her eyes. Although she wanted to blame Gaius for manipulating her, it was by her hand she killed so many. Her love for him blinded her from the truth. He was the puppeteer and she was the marionette he manipulated. By the time she reached her senses, it was too late.

"Ahhh," a voice sighed. "I miss lounging around on a beach."

War recognized the tone of voice and lowered her arm. "Not sure how good it'd be for you to lounge on the beach with how pale you are, Death. You'd fry easily in the sun."

"Hey, I wasn't this pale in my previous life," Death retorts playfully. "Then again, I still burnt pretty easily back then too."

(Y/n) chuckled in amusement. "Sunburn sucks."

"I agree one hundred percent." Death laid beside her sister on the sand. "So, what's bothering you?"

"The boys know who I was in my previous life," the redhead confessed.

"Is...that a good or bad thing?"

"Neither. I really don't care that they know."

"Then why're you out here, crying?" Death inquired.

"Just...old, painful memories resurfacing..." War answered.

"Ah, I know that feeling all too well," the inky-haired girl said. "But I know my memories are not as painful as yours. Out of the four of us, your past is the most painful. If I could go back and change what happened, I would."

"I was my own downfall," (Y/n) whimpered. "Blinded by love, I didn't see the monster standing before me. But still, I was the one who did the killing."

"You were a puppet used by Gaius. He did all his dirty deeds through you because he couldn't get his own hands dirty."

War pushed herself up into a sitting position. "That bastard convinced me so many people were plotting against me. In the end, the one I should've killed was him."

"But in the end, you were victorious!" Death chanted. "You were able to summon Leviathan and stopped Gaius from claiming Vanaheim for Niflheim!"

"I destroyed the entire kingdom!" The redhead bellowed in anger. "I ordered a god to drown everything! I may have stopped Gaius, but only at the cost of all the people who called Vanaheim home."

"I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I can't," Death sorrowfully muttered. "But please, don't let the past blind you and stop you from seeing what could become of your future. We may be immortal, but that doesn't mean we should give up on our futures."

(Y/n) hugged her knees against her chest. "How is it you, Famine, and Pestilence always find the time to be happy and philosophical?"

The inky-haired girl giggled. "Once you leave the past behind, you'll be able to find happiness. And, of course, be philosophical all you want. But for now, just take some time to gather your thoughts. If you ever need any of us, you know how to contact us."

"Thanks, Death," the redhead smiled.

Death smiled back. "Take care, War."

(Y/n) watched her sister disappear before throwing herself back on the sand. She gazed up at the sky, focusing on the white puffy clouds sailing by. "My own happiness..." She whispered to herself. "Is that even possible for me...?"

<------------<<<<<

A few days later, (Y/n) composed herself and her thoughts. She accepted some of what she did when she was a queen, but not all. Deciding to regroup with the royal retinue, she did her best to detect the summoning orb. When she did, she decided to give herself some more time and summoned Ares. Hopping onto the horse's back, she rode in the direction she sensed the orb.

In the afternoon, the Horseman arrived at Sothmocke Haven. She dismounted Ares and walked up to the top of the large rune-carved stone. Seeing the tent set up and the boys relaxing around the campfire, she couldn't deny the fact that she was happy they were safe. With a stoic expression, she made her presence known. "Hey."

All eyes fell on her. Prompto waves at her with a smile while Gladio smirked as she sauntered over towards them. Noctis and Ignis were happy to see War was safe and back together with them.

"Welcome back, firecracker," Gladio grinned.

"Again with the ridiculous nickname," she grumbled. Looking away from Gladio, she met Noctis' gaze. "I see you've claimed the Mark of the Fulgurian. Now you've received the favor of two Astrals."

"Yeah, well, I was getting sick of the rain," Noctis sighed. "Speaking of Astrals, you once earned their favor."

War blinked in surprise. "How'd you know that?"

"I spoke with Gentiana again." He leaned forward in his seat. "Does it ever get any easier?"

"No, it doesn't," she answers honestly. "It'll only get more difficult from here on out. That's why I'm gonna teach you a few things. It's the least I can do."

"You mean like with the armiger and warping?"

"Yes."

"How can you even do all that?" Noctis asked.

"Lucis isn't the only kingdom that was gifted a crystal. Vanaheim was also gifted one. But now my kingdom's Crystal lies at the bottom of the ocean with the rest of Vanaheim. I was only able to retain my abilities because the Crystal is still active." She combed a few crimson strands of hair behind her ear. "But before we do any training, why're you four camped so close to an imperial stronghold?"

"Cindy found the car!" Prompto announced gleefully.

"Which is currently inside that stronghold," Gladio added.

"You plan on infiltrating such a heavily defended stronghold?" She crossed her arms. "That's a hefty task for just the four of you."

"You plannin' on joining us?"

A mischievous glint shines in her (e/c) eyes. "Only if I get to destroy things."

"I don't see why not."

"Then will you serve as a distraction, (Y/n)?" Ignis asked.

"Leave it to me," she replied.

"Since that's settled..." Noctis stood up. "Show me some of your tricks, (Y/n)."

War and the prince walked a short ways from the haven. Gladio and Prompto tagged along, curious as to what the Horseman was going to teach Noctis. Ignis remained behind, deciding to get a head-start on dinner.

(Y/n) took a few steps away from Noctis. "Let's start with the armiger." Out of the blue, myriads of weapons materialized around the girl.

He stared in amazement at how many weapons she had and the large variety. "Damn. How many weapons are there?"

"Thirty. But unlike your ancestral weapons, mine are those of the enemies conquered by Vanaheim. Each one has a dark origin tied to it. But let's leave that for now and focus on your armiger. It may lack the weaponry like mine, but that means nothing if you know how to wield it." She dispelled her armiger, grinning widely. "Hope you're ready, Noctis. I won't go easy on you."

Gladio and Prompto watched from the sideline as (Y/n) taught Noctis how to wield the armiger in different ways. Both were amazed at how the prince's full attention was into the training and how he wasn't complaining after an hour.

Another hour passed and the Horseman moved on to warping. She taught Noctis a few of her techniques that she knew would be beneficial in the future.

By the time she ended the lesson, Ignis finished dinner. Noctis and Prompto dashed off, their stomachs growling simply just thinking about food. (Y/n) watched the two run back to the haven while combing a hand through her crimson locks.

"Hey." Gladio walked over to her. "Thanks for teachin' him."

"Like I said, it's the least I can do," she sighed. "I know what it feels like to have so much weight on your shoulders. I pity Noctis yet I envy him."

"You envy Noct?" He scoffed lightly. "Why?"

"Because he has people like you, Prompto, and Ignis by his side. When I was queen, I thought I had someone I could share my burdens with. Turns out he was just a manipulative asshole who was using me to accomplish his true goal."

"This guy..." Gladio's voice lowered. "His name wouldn't happen to be Gaius, would it?"

Her (e/c) eyes widen in horror. "How the hell did you know that?"

"The nightmare. It's becoming clearer. So, you gonna tell me who he was or do I have to wait for this nightmare to get worse?"

Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Why do you even care?"

"Because every time I close my eyes at night, I see that asshole kill you," he remarked.

"Listen, I don't know why or how you're having this nightmare, but what you're seeing is my death over and over again. While I was queen of Vanaheim, a boy I knew since childhood was appointed as my advisor. We did everything together and I eventually fell in love with him. I confessed my feelings and so did he. For five whole years, I thought he loved me. Turns out, he never did and was only trying to take Vanaheim away from underneath me. That bastard twisted my mind and made me believe every word that came out of his mouth. The moment I was no longer of use to him was when he stabbed me from behind." (Y/n) clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. "Now that I've told you, are you satisfied?"

Gladio heard the hurt in her voice as she spoke about her past. He regretted asking, but at the same he was happy to know a little more about her. "Yeah, sorry for pryin'."

"I'm going to scout the stronghold," she said, desperate to change the subject.

"You don't wanna enjoy Iggy's cooking?" He asked.

"I'm basically a walking corpse and no longer need to eat. What would be the point?" She didn't wait for Gladio's response and left.

<------------<<<<<

Once finished scouting Aracheole Stronghold, (Y/n) returned to the haven where the boys were waiting for her. She told them what she learned, earning a thank you from Ignis.

After sharing everything she knew, the group departed from the haven. Back at Aracheole Stronghold, the Horseman excused herself in order to begin her diversion. She wandered into the stronghold, setting her sights on the one area that caught her attention during her earlier scouting. A grin made its way onto her face as she stood in front of the lines of mechs that were freshly assembled. She looked around, noticing the MTs and soldiers on duty had yet to notice her presence. Cracking her fingers, she held out her hands. "I've always wanted to do this."

Using her powerful fire magic, War created a large fiery vortex. She watched with a wicked grin as it toasted the large mechs. The hunk of metals and wires turned into piles of molten metal because of the extreme heat while others exploded. Because of the fiery vortex and the loud explosions, she was able to gain the attention of every enemy within the stronghold.

The Horseman was quickly surrounded. Soldiers aimed their guns at her while the MTs waited for their orders to attack. She tapped her chin, humming in curiosity. "Swords, bows, pistols..." Her eyes widen as she grinned, snapping her fingers. "Javelins!" Summoning a handful of javelins, she manipulated them with ease. The javelins soared through the air, impaling the imperial forces.

Within seconds, she killed a majority of the enemies surrounding her. A few bullets pierced her body, but she was unfazed as they were absorbed into her body and the bullet hole wounds healed. Seeing this, the remaining soldiers retreated in fear. Unfortunately, the MTs didn't follow their allies and continued to attack her. She easily wiped them out with her javelins before dematerializing her weapons. Looking around at the various bodies splayed across the ground, she sighed. "This wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be..."

Moving to another part of the base where they were manufacturing airships, (Y/n) got to work destroying them. She dragged her finger across the side of one of the airship, creating a large crack in the exterior. Backing away, she smirked in satisfaction when seeing flames erupt from the crack. Before long, the air vessel exploded and destroyed even more airships. The fiery explosion lit up the night sky, fueling the girl's need to destroy even more.

Setting her sights on the horde of MTs running straight for her, War summoned a bow and fired arrow after arrow. Each one pierced the metallic skull of an enemy. She watched in amusement as they fell like flies.

Suddenly, (Y/n) felt a familiar god-like presence. Looking up, she saw Ramuh. The feeling of overwhelming power washed over her as the Astral used his power to kill the remaining imperial forces residing within the stronghold. A small smile appeared on her face. "Looks like Noctis did it."

Just as the Fulgurian vanished, the sun peeked over the horizon. The redhead ridded herself of her bow, hearing nothing but her heart racing from the adrenaline rush. Seeing her job was done, she decided to search for the royal retinue. Wandering around the entire base, she finally found the boys and the car they'd been desperately searching for.

From her peripheral, she saw a person she'd encounter on a couple of occasions while traveling across Eos-Ravus Nox Flueret. He'd been a pain in her side due to his and the empire's interference in her mission to slay the monsters that escaped from the Inner Sanctum. She knew exactly why he wanted the creatures and wouldn't allow him to do as he pleased with such dangerous, unpredictable creatures.

From her perch, she watched Ravus approach the boys. She kept her eyes glued to them, keeping her distance. Her plan was to avoid interfering, but that idea went out the window when Ravus threatens Noctis with his blade. The heterochromia-eyed man slowly raises his sword above his head, then brings it down fiercely. Gladio briefly blocks it with his own sword before Ravus parries the weapon away and slams the pommel of his sword into the shield's chest, sending him flying into the side of the Regalia. Prompto runs to check on Gladio while Noctis gets between them and Ravus.

Unable to stand by any longer, (Y/n) summoned multiple javelins and sent them towards Ravus. Sworn to not harm any mortals, she manipulated the javelins and created a makeshift cage around Ravus. The moment the man spotted her, she hopped down from her perch and sauntered over.

"You..." Ravus growled.

"Still being a pain in the ass, I see," War groaned.

"Your presence on Eos is a plague, Horseman," he spat.

"I'm pretty sure many would say the same about you," she hissed.

Suddenly, Ardyn appears and joins their conversation. "Now, now. I'd say that's far enough. A hand, Highness?"

"Not from you," Noctis spat.

"Oh, but I'm here to help."

Ignis was skeptical of the chancellor's sudden appearance. "And how is that?"

"By taking the army away," he explained.

"You expect us to believe that?" Gladio growled.

"When next we meet, it'll be across the sea. Just so happens we have business of our own with the tutelary deity. Don't we?" Ardyn looks at Ravus before glancing at (Y/n). "My dear, would you..." He gestured to the javelins entrapping his ally.

Reluctantly, War released Ravus. The javelins vanished, allowing him to go free. Ardyn thanked her before looking back at Noctis. "Fare thee well, Your Majesty, and safe travels." Ravus and Ardyn walk away, leaving the group behind.

Prompto looked around at the faces of his friends. "You guys know that guy?"

"Ravus Nox Fleuret, first son of Tenebrae...and elder brother to Lady Lunafreya," Ignis said.

"How do you know him, (Y/n)?" Noctis asked.

"Bastard's been a thorn in my side ever since I came to Eos. He's allied himself with the empire and desires to use the monsters from the Inner Sanctum as puppets. I'm not sure why the empire believes they can control such creatures. They're not like daemons or the beasts native to Eos. They're unpredictable and dangerous. That's why they were sealed away within the Inner Sanctum. And if we thought mortals could handle them, there wouldn't be any need for me and my sisters to be here." She walked over to Gladio and offered him a helping hand.

The shield was surprised at her gesture but accepted it regardless. She helped him to his feet, where she healed him and the others. "Thanks for that, (Y/n)," he said.

"Let's just get the hell outta here."