Gladio and (Y/n) headed to Tostwell Grill, which was tucked away in the corner of the marketplace. They sat down at one of the tables and looked over the menu. It was small and only two dishes were being served.

Once reading the ingredients for each of the dishes, the Horseman's brows knitted together. "Neither one of these are breakfast foods. One's a stew and the other's skewers."

"You discriminating against food now?" Gladio asked.

"No..."

"Then pick one."

War told the man tending to their table what she wanted followed by Gladio. While waiting for their meals, the girl crossed her legs and arms as she focused on the shield across from her. "So, what did you want to ask about the nightmare?"

"Oh, right." Gladio recollects what he saw in the nightmare the night before. "After you're killed, water floods the throne room. What's with that?"

"As you're aware, I was also able to call upon the Astrals after earning their favor. Before Gaius could claim Vanaheim for Niflheim, I used my dying breath to summon Leviathan. My final wish was for her to drown the entire kingdom to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. That is the reason why Vanaheim now lies at the bottom of the ocean."

"Damn..." The brute mumbled.

"Was there anything else?" She asked.

"No, only the water was new."

Their food arrived. (Y/n) savored the stew while Gladio ravished the skewers. Halfway through cleaning his plate, he asked, "So, exactly how long has it been since you've ate?"

She lowered her spoon. "You trying to figure out exactly how old I am?"

Gladio picked up on her playful tone and chuckled. "Someone's getting better at messin' around. But in all seriousness, no."

"It's been almost eight months now since my last meal," she confessed. "My sisters and I might not need to eat, but we throw these huge feasts whenever it's one of our birthdays. It's more for fun than satisfaction."

"A huge feasts with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Sounds interesting."

"It's just a normal feast. There's nothing special about it," War stated.

"To you it might not be, but it does to me," Gladio replied. "Sitting at a table with immortals sounds like a helluva feast."

(Y/n) took another spoonful of stew, enjoying the flavor. She noticed Gladio staring at her and lowered her spoon. "Why're you staring at me?"

"Tryna figure somethin' out," he answered.

"And what's that?"

"Who that guy you were talkin' to yesterday was."

"Guy...?" War muttered. "You mean at the outlook?"

"Yeah. You seemed awfully close. Don't tell me you found a boyfriend."

Her eye twitches. "...Are you serious? Did you just hear what came out of your mouth and how ridiculous it sounded? Or do I need to repeat it myself?" She pushed the bowl of stew away. "For your information, that "guy" yesterday was the daemon king himself. He's not my "boyfriend." He happens to be the powerful immortal that resurrected me."

"Well, that explains the horns..." Gladio murmured.

"Haven't you been listening to me? I told you I don't trust mortals." She stood up, anger bubbling inside her veins. "Besides, my personal affairs are none of your business even if I have shared some small details here and there." War left the eatery in order to keep her calm.

Gladio quickly paid the bill and followed after her. He caught up with the Horseman and walked beside her. "Y'know, not all mortals are like Gaius."

(Y/n) stopped in the middle of the marketplace. "I'm well aware of that. You and the others have proven that, but I still have trust issues. The one job I gave you is to show that there is someone on Eos I can trust. Or do I need to find another mortal?"

"Trust me, I can do it," he confidently claimed. "Just wait and see, firecracker."

War pulled up her hood, hiding her face from the shield. "I'm counting on you, Gladio."

The brute was able to catch a glimpse of the smile she was trying to conceal. He wanted to tease her, but decided not to anger her.

The duo walked around Lestallum for a little while, chatting about various topics. Gladio was able to learn a little more about (Y/n) and vice versa.
Their conversation was sidetracked when they were soon joined by a bubbly Prompto. The blonde excitedly told them how he ran into Famine and she spent some time with him.

At hearing the news, Gladio glances towards War. "You and your sisters are everywhere."

"We are just trying to do our job," she replied. "These monsters are not easy to find as they are much more intelligent than daemons or normal beasts."

"Guess you wouldn't be having so much trouble if they were, right?" Prompto asked.

"I would be back in the Inner Sanctum by now if they were pretty dumb. Sadly, they're not."

"Well, now you've got us to help you," Gladio stated.

"Oh, I don't think so. It's best you and the others stay as far away from these monstrosities as possible. They're here on Eos because they crave the blood of humans. You all would be a feast for the bunyips and the dullahan."

"I'd rather not be eaten alive by one of those things..." Prompto muttered.

The trio returned to the Leville to check on Ignis and Noctis. Once doing that, they discussed their next plan. Deciding to rest just a little longer, they would remain in Lestallum for the time being.

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

Several days later, Gladio told everyone what was on his mind. After having some time to think it over, he wanted to escort his sister to Cape Caem. They left the Leville and headed to the gas station located on the main road. Iris, who was kind enough to fill the Regalia's tank, was waiting for them. When she counted how many people there were, a worried expression appeared on her face. "There's six of us and only five seat."

"Don't worry. (Y/n)'s got a ride," Gladio said, gesturing to the redhead.

Iris looked toward the Horseman. "Are you sure you don't want to ride with us? I can always sit on Gladdy's lap."

"No, it's fine. You all go on ahead. I'll catch up with you in a short bit," she responded. The five climb into the car and depart from Lestallum.

(Y/n) called upon Ares, the flaming steed appearing from a thicket of fog. She promptly mounted his back and entangled her fingers in his mane. The flames danced around her hands, the heat causing her no injury. "C'mon, Ares, let's catch up." The horse neighed, taking off down the road.

Within a few seconds, she caught up with the Regalia. Although she was familiar with the way to Cape Caem, she wanted to stay with the others in case they needed her. Ares ran alongside the car, easily keeping pace with it. Due to the wind whistling in her ears, she couldn't hear what the others were talking about. However, she did catch Iris staring at her in astonishment. The young Amicitia wasn't aware of her status as Horseman until now. From the grin she saw on Gladio's face, she figured he was telling his sister all the details.

(Y/n) reverted her attention back to the road ahead. She kept her eyes forward, making sure Ares kept his distance from the car to avoid an accident. However, her attention was diverted when they were halfway to Old Lestallum. The rancid scent of decaying flesh and the tinge of iron she assumed was from blood reached her nose. Eyes narrowing, she looked around in a desperate attempt to locate the source of the odor. Since it was nearly noon, it was impossible a daemon could emanate such a stench. She also knew no beast indigenous to Eos smelt in such a manner.

Suddenly, Ignis slammed on brakes. Ares followed suit, slowing down and stopping beside the vehicle. War wondered what was the problem until she saw it. Her eyes widen before narrowing into a glare when recognizing the creature blocking the road. "The dullahan..."

"A wh-what?" Prompto swallowed in fear.

"A headless horseman," she simplified.

"Didn't know you had a creepy, headless brother," Gladio teased.

She ignored the shield, her (e/c) eyes glued to the dullahan. It didn't move towards them, but it was wielding its spine as if it was ready to attack. It whipped its spine like a whip, its horse neighing in response. While examining the monster's appearance, she noticed something was missing. "Where's its head?"

"Didn't you just say it was a headless horseman?" Noctis retorted.

"I did, but dullahans always travel with their heads. Something feels off..."

Prompto couldn't tear his fearful gaze away from the menacing creature. "I-Is it really a big deal that it doesn't have its head with it?"

"Without the head, I can't kill it," War stated.

"What will your plan of attack be, (Y/n)?" Ignis inquired.

"This thing has killed and I can smell the corpses. I will keep it occupied and pray to the Astrals I'll be able to find the head," she proclaimed. "You focus on escaping."

"You're not seriously gonna fight that thing all by yourself, are you?" Gladio asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am." She summoned a bow, a single arrow materializing from the crimson crystal shards. Firing the arrow, she targeted the dullahan's steed. The monster used its spine whip to deflect the arrow with ease. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, War materialized another arrow and nocked it. At the same time, she dug her heels into Ares' sides to urge him forward. She released the arrow and it impaled the dullahan's chest plate. Seeing she had its full attention when it charged towards her, she shouted for Ignis to drive away. The advisor didn't hesitate and drove off.

The dullahan used its whip to try and grab the Horseman. However, Ares manages to dodge and protect his rider. (Y/n) thanked him before commanding him to run away from the main road. The horse did as she commanded, running away from the main road. The monster followed on its own black, hazy steed. Knowing the dullahan was nothing without its horse, she knew fighting it on-foot was out of the question unless it willingly abandoned its steed.

"C'mon, you bastard," (Y/n) hissed, glaring over her shoulder at the dullahan. Ares led them to a large, open area where there was enough room to ride around. The Horseman switched out her bow for a pair of daggers as she and the monster faced off. Urging her steed to charge directly at it, she yelled his name and he took off. Pushing herself into a crouching position on Ares' back, she waited for the perfect opportunity to attack.

The dullahan charged forward, meeting the Horseman and her steed halfway. It used its whip to swipe at the redhead, but it missed its mark when she dodged the attack and leapt onto the dullahan. She tackled it off its horse and buried one of her daggers into its chest plate.

"Where's your damn head, you bastard?" She growled, jamming her second dagger into its shoulder. A black substance dribbled from its wounds, cascading down its body. Once it dropped onto the grass, the luscious green turned into a decaying brown.

The dullahan chuckled demonically. It grabbed its whip and targeted the redhead. It pierced her side deeply, causing her to shriek in pain. She promptly summoned a javelin and plunged it through the monster's abdomen, pinning it to the ground. Shakily, she pushed herself off the dullahan and got to her feet. Yanking the tip of the spine whip out of her body, she tossed it aside. Blood soaked her left side and dripped to the ground.

Before War could strike again, the dullahan ripped the javelin out of its abdomen and stood up. It stood up and summoned its horse. It made a quick escape, but (Y/n) immediately took chase. She pressed a hand against her wound, knowing it would take more time to heal since the monsters from the Inner Sanctum were more powerful than an average daemon or beast. Following the monster, she fought against the wooziness she felt from the blood loss and focused on her target. "Show me where you've hidden your head, you bastard..."

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

A couple days later after their infiltration of Fort Vaullery and exploring Malmalam Ticket, the royal retinue and Iris were now resting at Kellebram Haven. Prompto was showing Iris the many photos he's taken since she's joined them. After looking through his new pictures, the blonde came across a picture he took of (Y/n) when they first met.

"Oh, it's (Y/n)!" Iris cheered. "Do you have any more pictures of her?"

"I've got tons!" Prompto flipped through various more photos before coming across more with the Horseman as the main subject. Most of them were of her fighting or chatting with Gladio.

Noticing the pattern, the girl asked, "Wait, does Gladdy get along with (Y/n)?"

"I guess you could say that," he answered.

Flipping to the next picture, Iris gaped in amazement when she saw (Y/n) wielding an array of weapons. "Oh, wow! She's so cool!"

Noctis, who'd been playing King's Knight on his phone, looked up at hearing Iris praise the Horseman. "Y'know, we haven't seen her in a while."

Prompto lowered his camera with a concerned expression. "It's been two days. Shouldn't she be back by now?"

"She's immortal. How much trouble could she possibly be in?" Gladio remarked. "Besides, she mentioned she couldn't kill that thing unless she found the head. She's probably looking for it as we speak."

"Or she's in trouble," he replied.

"I hope she's okay," Iris mumbled. "I still owe her for getting me, Jarred, and Talcott out of the city."

"Maybe we should check on her," Prompto suggested. "You've got that orb she gave you, right, big guy? Summon her!"

"And possibly fuck up her entire mission?" The brute scoffed. "I don't think so. I'll be the headless one if that happened."

"Maybe you could try after dinner?" Iris asked.

Gladio wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried about (Y/n). He'd already been tempted to summon her. However, he fought the urge knowing she was trying to focus on the dullahan. But now seeing he wasn't the only one concerned about her, his temptation returned and he wouldn't be able to stave it off this time. "Fine, I'll try after dinner."

Ignis was already ahead of the group. He'd been working on dinner for the past fifteen minutes and it was almost done. Once the food was done, he passed out plates to everyone. They ate the delicious meal around the fire as the chill of night crept around them. The sound of daemons soon filled the dark void of the night. Their shrill cries caused an uneasiness to wash over the group.

Iris lifted her head, gazing out into the darkness. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. I don't understand how you all can ignore it."

"It took a while, but now we all sleep through it," Noctis said.

"It still freaks me out from time to time," Prompto confessed. He put his plate down and nearly jumped out of his seat when an earsplitting shout came from a daemon close by. "Okay, that one definitely freaked me out."

"It was quite unusual," Ignis stated.

"Our daemon reflector isn't here at the moment," Gladio said.

"Daemon reflector?" Iris parroted.

"(Y/n)," he replied. "Most daemons are afraid of her. Whenever she's around, nights are quieter and it's easier to fall asleep."

"Now that you mention it..." Iris mumbled. "No daemons attacked us the night we were heading to Lestallum. I thought we were just lucky."

"At least she's not a daemon magnet," Noctis commented. "Not sure how I'd feel about that..."

"I'd welcome it. It'd give us more opportunities to train," Gladio said. "It'd also make our hunts easier. Speaking of hunts, you said (Y/n) took down that naga without touching it, blondie."

"Oh, yeah!" Prompto cheered as he remembered witnessing the daemon turn into a pile of ash. "I don't know what exactly happened, but it's like (Y/n) just stared into its eyes and it turned to stone. Then it disintegrated into a pile of ash."

"That sounds...scary," Iris said.

"I was freaked out, but it was kinda cool to watch."

"I wonder what she did," the young Amacitia hummed in curiosity.

"Not sure. She hasn't said," Gladio explained. He fished the summoning orb out of his pocket, remembering what he promised to do after they finished dinner. He muttered her name and saw the orb gleam slightly. After some time, he learned that faint glimmer of light meant it worked.

Looking around the haven, he searched for War. The others followed suit and Iris was the first to spot the Horseman a short distance away. "There she is!"

Everyone glanced in the direction the girl was staring and saw the redhead slowly approaching the haven. Gladio noticed something was wrong while watching her stumble forward. Her form was hunched over and she was having difficulty standing on her own two legs. He stood from his seat, putting the orb back into his pocket. "(Y/n)?"

War didn't answer his call as she dragged her body towards the haven. Her hand was pressed against her side in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. Her vision was splotchy and she was barely conscious. She managed to lift her head when hearing someone approach. Seeing it was Gladio, she tried to speak. "Sorry..." she mumbled weakly as her legs gave our underneath her. Her vision turned to black as she fell unconscious.