A/n: The bold text is a dream/nightmare. Besides that little side note, I hope you all enjoy!! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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Opening his eyes, Noctis glanced around at his surroundings. "Where am I?" Seeing as he wasn't in the caravan or any place he'd visited before, the prince got to his feet and walked around. He walked up a set of stairs that led out of the small, dimly-lit room he had awoken in. Once outside, he saw a large waterway and could only think of one place he had yet to visit. "Is this... Altissia?"

Noctis saw numerous of people walking through the pristine streets, smiling and laughing as they headed to their destinations. He knew it was their destination on this journey, but a strange feeling washed over him. Something inside him gnawed at his sense of direction and found himself walking in a particular direction.

When Noctis reached a large fountain, he saw a familiar-looking girl standing beside it. "(Y/n)?" Walking closer to the girl, he saw she had (h/c) hair instead of black, but he knew it was (Y/n). "Hey, (Y/n)!" He shouted. When the boy went to touch her shoulder, his hand passed through her body.

"What the hell?" Noctis muttered, stepping back a few inches and staring down at his hand. A theory came to mind and the boy quickly tested it. He dashed towards another random person by the fountain and his entire body passed through them as if he were a ghost.

As he was flabbergasted at his findings, Noctis heard (Y/n) call out to someone. "There you are, Caspian! I've been waiting for an hour!"

"Sorry 'bout that, (Y/n)." A boy around Noctis' age ran up to the (e/c)-eyed girl with a smile. He had spiky brunette hair accompanied by green eyes. Watching as the two linked hands, the raven-haired boy decided to follow them through the streets of Altissia as they seemed to be on a date of sorts. Noctis saw how happy (Y/n) was with Caspian and couldn't help but wonder what led her to commit suicide at such a young age.

After what felt like an hour, Noctis found his surroundings slowly changing. "What now?" He groaned in annoyance. When he saw he was at what seemed to be the docks, he sighed in annoyance. Unlike before, it was pouring. Noctis didn't feel the cold droplets hit his skin as he glanced down the docks. A figure could be seen through the downpour, their clothes drenched as they sat at the edge of the docks and hugged their knees. Even through the rain, Noctis could hear the sniffles and sobs that left the person as he slowly approached.

Seeing who it was, Noctis stopped in his tracks. "(Y/n)." Her shoulders shook as she cried and the raven-haired boy was confused as to why she was weeping. Before he knew it, (Y/n) stood up and rushed off as tears continued to rush down her cheeks. Quickly taking chase, Noctis ran after the sobbing girl.

When Noctis saw her climbing to the roof of one of the buildings that bordered the ocean, he followed after her. Reaching the roof, he saw (Y/n) was standing at the edge of the building, her eyes trained on the stormy ocean below. The tip of her shoes hung off the edge of the roof as she began mumbling incoherently. Taking a few steps forward, Noctis kept his balance on the slippery roof. With only a couple of feet between him and (Y/n), he came to a halt.

"There's no one left..." Noctis heard the girl mumble.

The raven-haired boy had no clue what she was talking about. Since Noctis knew he couldn't talk to her, he tried reaching out to her and hoped he'd be able to touch her just this once. "(Y/n)-"

Before he could reach her, she jumped off the roof and into the raging water below. Not wasting a second, Noctis dove in after her. He found he could breathe under the water and felt his body was light. As he reached for (Y/n), his hand fazed through hers. "Dammit!" Trying over and over again, Noctis desperately tries to save the girl from drowning.

Suddenly, a force begins dragging Noctis' body back to the surface. Fighting against the force, he tries to reach (Y/n) with all his strength. As he fought the invisible assailant, he watched as the (h/c)-haired girl closes her eyes and sinks further into the depths of the sea. "(Y/n)!" Noctis shouted, his voice slightly cracking.

***

With a sharp inhale, Noctis shot up from where he slept. He had a death grip on the blanket that laid over his body as he focused on his surroundings, realizing he was back in the caravan. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and gently patted it. "You alright there, buddy?"

Looking to his left, Noctis recognizes Prompto as he stood by the bed. Shaking the fog from his mind, the raven-haired boy nodded. "Y-Yeah. Just a nightmare."

"You look pale as a ghost," another voice said. At the foot of the bed stood (Y/n), who was eyeing Noctis with worry.

"Wanna talk about it?" The blonde boy suggested.

Noctis swallowed hard, glancing at (Y/n) for a brief second before casting his gaze downward. "No, it's fine."

The Horseman knew he was lying, but she decided to respect his decision. "Alright."

The door to the caravan opened, revealing Gladio and Ignis as they stepped inside. The brute scoffed as he stared at Noctis. "Look who's finally awake."

"Whatever," the younger boy sighed in annoyance as he got out of bed and ready for the day ahead.

(Y/n) dismissed herself from the caravan, who was followed by Prompto. The two meandered around the Chocobo post as they waited for the others. When they passed the pens, the bird (Y/n) had been so friendly to the night prior recognized her. It squawked loudly, grabbing hers and Prompto's attention. The blonde boy was puzzled as to why the Chocobo was trying to get their attention, but (Y/n) approached the yellow creature in silence. The moment she opened her arms, the Chocobo rested its head on her shoulder and nuzzled its beak into her cheek.

Shocked at the sight, Prompto scrambles for his camera and managed to secure the device before it shattered on the ground. He snapped a few pictures of the scene before he scanned each one and determined which one was the best. A giddy smile spread across his face when the bird flapped its wings as if it wanted to return the hug.

Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis emerged from the caravan just as (Y/n) unwrapped her arms from around the Chocobo's neck. "So," the prince said, eyes glued to the Horseman. "Where to, (Y/n)?"

"Leide. There's a tomb in the abandoned mines just southeast of Hammerhead," Death responded.

"Then, let's head out," Gladio stated.

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

After hours of navigating through Balouve Mines, Noctis claimed another royal arm and the five companions left the dark, damp mines. Back outside, everyone heard a low grumbling. (Y/n) glanced to her left and saw Prompto was blushing slightly with a hand over his stomach. "S-Sorry. We didn't eat breakfast today and I'm starvin'."

Death smiled at the boy. "No need to apologize."

"I'm hungry, too. Let's head to Lestallum," Noctis said.

"What?! That's so far! Why don't we eat at Takka's?" The blonde suggested.

"It is, but we need to tell Talcott about what we found behind the waterfall."

"Kinda got sidetracked," Gladio said, gesturing to (Y/n).

Said girl blinked owlishly in confusion. "Why're you pointing at me?"

Gladio chuckled at her question. "Because His Highness wanted to check out the abandoned tomb we heard about from His Majesty before we left the city."

(Y/n) turned to glance at Noctis. "Why didn't you do that before I dragged you back to Leide?"

The prince shrugged at her question. "Just wanted to find another royal arm before headin' back."

The Horseman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright. Now that you have another royal arm, let's head to Lestallum." (Y/n)'s gaze bounced over to Prompto. "Think you can hold on a bit longer?" The sharpshooter nodded and the five climbed into the Regalia, Lestallum being their next destination.

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

In the city, (Y/n) decided to head to the outlook while the boys made their way to the hotel and have a quick bite to eat. Her sable locks whipped in the breeze as she stared into the distance at the Disc of Cauthess. Her thoughts ran wild as she leaned against the stone railing, admiring the eerie but beautiful sight of the Meteor. She hadn't sensed the presence of the man behind her until the last second. The girl spun around, eyeing the stranger with a hint of fierceness in her (e/c) gaze.

The man had red-velvet locks, piercing amber eyes, and an odd sense of fashion. (Y/n) leaned against the stone railing as he bowed politely. "A pleasure to meet such beauty."

Death crossed her arms, unamused at the obvious pick-up line. "Does that line ever work?"

The man chuckled lightly, grinning slightly. "I am merely stating a fact, my dear." He grabbed (Y/n)'s hand and placed a kiss atop it. She grimaced at the feeling of his lips against her skin and unconsciously took a step back, her body hitting the stone railing. The stranger kept a stronger grip on her hand as she tried to be gentle and tug it away from him.

The girl glared when she realized the man wouldn't let go of her hand. Before she could snap at him, someone pried their hands apart and stood in between them. (Y/n) recognized the boy as Noctis when she spotted the familiar spiky hair. She glanced behind her and saw the other three only a few feet away.

"What a coincidence," the man smiled eerily as Noctis and (Y/n) backed away from him to join the others.

"I'm not so sure it is," Gladio huffed, his amber eyes narrowed and glued to the stranger.

"You four know him?" The Horseman inquired, glancing between the four boys and the man.

"Morosely, yes," Ignis replied, his jade eyes seemingly holding a strong foreboding in them.

"Aren't nursery rhymes curious things?" The strange man suddenly began rambling. "Like this one: "From the deep, the Archaean calls... Yet on deaf ears, the gods' tongue falls, The King made to kneel, in pain, he crawls."

Unable to hide his curiosity, Prompto had a slight jolt in his step as he questioned the stranger. "So how do we keep him on his feet?"

"You need only heed the call. Visit the Archaean and hear his plea." The man stopped, turning on his heels with a grin plastered on his face. "I can take you."

"Are you serious?" (Y/n) mumbled in disbelief, eyes slightly narrowed and glaring harshly at the stranger.

"We in?" Prompto turned to his companions, wondering what their opinions were.

The prince sighed in annoyance. "I don't know."

"We take a ride..." Prompto started.

"But watch our backs," the shield finished.

The tactician agreed after muddling over the current predicament for a few seconds. "Fair enough."

"Hold it!" (Y/n) shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "What am I missing here?"

"Noct's been having these headaches after seeing a vision of the Disc," Gladio said, gladly filling the Horseman in.

"Oh," Death gasped. "That's why you were holding a hand against your head in the mines. You were experiencing a headache."

"You noticed?" The raven-haired hoy asked. He was shocked at how close she was truly watching over him. (Y/n) nodded with a small smile, causing Noctis' own smile to come forth. When he saw the smile, his thoughts raced back to the nightmare he had. He stared into Death's (e/c) eyes, wondering if she would ever smile like she did with Caspian.

The Horseman waved a hand in front of the prince's face, wondering why he fell silent all of a sudden. "Noctis?"

Blinking a few times, the boy shook his head. "Sorry. Let's do it."