With Death now in his arms, Ardyn vanishes. He heads to Zegnautus Keep, where he takes the elevator to the prison block. A menacing smirk crept onto the man's face as the door slid open and he stepped out of the elevator. Turning down the hallway leading to the cells, the chancellor called out to the only other prisoner in the entire keep. "You've company, dear boy."

In the farthest cell, Prompto raised his head as he heard Ardyn's taunting voice. Confusion was written across his face as he watched the man walk down the hallway with a body in his arms. Squinting, the blonde tried to see who the person was. As Ardyn continued his approach, the boy was able to tell who the chancellor had brought. His sapphire eyes widened in fear at the sight of the familiar girl. "(Y/n)..."

Ardyn grinned at hearing Death's name only above a whisper from Prompto. "Indeed, it is. Although, she is unobtainable at the moment."

Prompto took a closer look at (Y/n) and spotted the bullet hole in her forehead. He squirmed against his restraints, causing his wrists to throb in pain. "W-What did you do to her?"

"Need not fret," Ardyn started as he approached the open cell closest to the boy. "Our dear Horseman will be well in a handful of hours." Without a care for what happened, the man tossed (Y/n)'s body into the cell. Her body slammed against the hard floor as he closed and locked the cell door. The chancellor casted another bone-chilling grin in Prompto's direction before leaving.

Once Ardyn had left, Prompto struggled against the metal device that constricted his movement. He tried to peer into the cell the chancellor had tossed (Y/n)'s body in, but he couldn't due to the strange device. He bit his bottom lip, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear him in her current condition. His head slumped down, unable to do anything.

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

A couple of hours later, (Y/n)'s eyes fluttered open. She gasped for air as she raised a hand and felt her forehead. The bullet wound was healed and left no scar. Next, she checked the back of her head to make sure all of her wounds had healed without any complications.

Death slowly sat up, scanning her surroundings. She didn't recognize where she was or why she woke up in a cell. Her legs felt like jelly as she stood up and used the wall for support. All she remembered was being shot by Ardyn and everything being consumed by darkness. Her mind was still a blurry mess from the bullet and she couldn't think of what happened while in her catatonic state.

(Y/n) nearly collapsed, but she was able to grab ahold of the bars before falling to the floor. She grunted in pain, her body aching as she supported it against the bars. As Death went to try and open the cell door, she heard someone call her name from down the hall. The sound of metal clanking accompanied her name as she tried her best to look down the hall. "Prompto?"

"A-Are you okay?" He asked in concern, his voice cracking from how dry his throat was.

"Me? What about you? All of us have been sick with worry about you. Noctis told me what happened and he feels terrible about it," (Y/n) replied. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a few scratches. I mean, I haven't been stabbed or shot in the head like you. The last time I saw you was when you were bleeding out with a sword through your stomach. And then, I see you with a bullet hole in your head. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," (Y/n) said with a small smile. "This is the only time immortality is a gift. Give me a few minutes to clear my mind and gain my bearings, then I'll get us both out of here."

"Don't push yourself, (Y/n), please," Prompto replied in a shaky tone.

"I won't."

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

It took (Y/n) around five minutes for her mind to clear and the strength to return to her body. She stood in front of the bars, reaching out to touch them. When her index finger touched the bars, they disintegrated to ashes. With the bars gone, she stepped out of the cell and ran down the hallway to Prompto.

Clasping the bars with her hands, Death destroyed them with her deadly touch. Prompto watched eagerly as she made her way over to the metal device and placed her hands on it. The instrument crumbled into a pile of ashes, causing Prompto's body to fall. (Y/n) caught the boy before he hit the floor and steadied him on his feet. Staring at his face, the Horseman noticed the small cut on his cheek. "Are you in pain?"

Prompto nodded slightly. "Just my wrists and ankles. What're we gonna do now?"

(Y/n) held out her hands, materializing Prompto's gun. "You'll be needing this."

The marksman took his weapon, thanking Death with a small smile. "Let's go."

"I need to know something before we go-where are we?"

"Zegnautus Keep."

(Y/n) sighed and rolled her eyes. "Great. Guess we'll be searching blindly."

"At least we've got each other and aren't wandering around by ourselves," Prompto pointed out.

"That's true. Let's get going. Hopefully, the others are already here."

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

After searching the Keep for two straight hours, the duo was exhausted from fighting magiteks and a few powerful daemons. Unlike (Y/n), Prompto wasn't able to heal his wounds and the two decided to find a place to relax for a short while. They found the sleeping quarters and entered the room, closing the door behind them.

Prompto flopped down on one of the many beds with a huff. "A bed... It's been so long!" He spread his arms out, sighing in content. His body ached from all the fighting and closed his eyes for a brief second before hearing a squeaking noise. Prompto peered over to the source of the sound and saw (Y/n) opening one of the many lockers in the back of the room.

Inside the small lockers, the Horseman found nothing. "Guess no one is living here," she comments as she closes the locker. Turning to face Prompto, she saw his pistol laid at the foot of the bed. "Is there something wrong?"

Prompto knew what (Y/n) was referring to and nodded. "I can't seem to get rid of it."

Death knew the ability to conjure weapons was due to the connection with Noctis and she assumed something must've happened on his end. The Horseman picked up the pistol and added it to her arsenal. "I'll keep it with me for the time being."

"How'd you get your hands on it, anyway?" Prompto questioned.

"Oh," she started. "I actually didn't acquire it. I just... remember what it looks like and was able to conjure it."

"Can you do that with any weapon?" The boy ecstatically asked.

"If I have enough information and details-yeah, I can."

Prompto smiled like a small child. "Oh! Do Noct's weapon!"

His smile was contagious and (Y/n) returned the gentle gesture. "Alright, let me try." She concentrated on Noctis' engine blade-all the details and the power it possessed. In the blink of an eye, the blade appeared in Death's cold, frigid hands. "See?"

After the first demonstration, Prompto was enthralled at (Y/n)'s ability and asked her summon many weapons to pass the time. The Horseman stopped summoning weapon's when she saw Prompto yawn. She smiled and sat in a chair beside the door, crossing her legs and leaning back. "Get some rest, Prom. You're gonna need it. I'll keep watch."

With another yawn, the boy nodded drowsily. "Alright. Thanks for saving me, (Y/n)." He laid down on the mattress and his eyes gradually closed.

The smile on Death's face grew. "You're welcome, Prompto."

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

An hour passed as Prompto slept peacefully. (Y/n) knew he needed the rest and let him sleep as long as he needed. She stood from her chair and went to sit on a bed when the sound of creaking and hissing was heard from outside the room. Her head snapped up and she stared at the heavy, metal door. Glancing towards the sleeping boy, she noticed the sounds didn't wake him.

Grimacing, Death summoned her scythe and wandered out of the room to inspect the sound. Her weapon rested on her shoulder as she walked down the hall and turned right, which was the only direction she could choose. Following the sounds, (Y/n) found herself stalking a MT that's appendages were sparking and its head was twitching. One of its feet scraped against the floor as it walked with heavy footsteps. She felt no empathy towards the monster and decided to follow it a little further.

The magitek trooper led (Y/n) to a room that appeared to be a small storage area. She watched as the adversary stumbled further into the room before it hissed and began slamming its already damaged head against the wall. She watched in confusion as the MT continued to ram its head into the wall, not caring if the creature killed itself. The loud clanking of the monster slamming its head against the wall filled the room as the Horseman continued to watch. She dispelled her scythe, watching as the magitek raised its weapon and stabbed itself in the abdomen. Luckily, (Y/n) was a safe distance away when its body exploded into pieces. "Must've been malfunctioning," the girl muttered to herself.

Death turned on her heels and headed to the door, but she abruptly stopped when she heard footsteps approaching. She went to hide, but she realized there was no decent place to hide and the people or creatures approaching would find her. She was about to summon her scythe when the door slid open and revealed the owner of the footsteps. Her (e/c) eyes widened as they met another wide pair of familiar azure eyes. "Noctis?" Behind him, she saw Gladio and Ignis standing outside of the room.

Noctis cautiously approached (Y/n) as if she was going to pounce on them if he moved too fast. She watched his every move, slowly taking steps towards her. She was utterly confused why he was treating her like a cornered coeurl. She raised a brow as he circled around her. "What are you doing?" Then, he stopped directly in front of her and reached out to touch her. His hands landed on her cheeks and began pulling on them. She winced from the sudden skin pulling and swatted his hands away. "What is with you, Noctis?"

"You're real, right?" He asked unsurely.

In response, (Y/n) placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled at them. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"For the past hour, that bastard has been using illusions of you and Prompto against us," Gladio answered. "And sometimes, you'd attack without warning."

"That makes sense. But, really?!" Death huffed, glaring lightly at Noctis. "Pulling on my cheeks and circling me like you're about to be mauled? You could've just-"

Death didn't get to finish her rant as Noctis had stolen a kiss from her lips. She was surprised at the sudden kiss and didn't kiss back until it was too late. The kiss was short, but then, Noctis cupped her cheeks and pulled her closer to him. He examined her forehead as one of his hands traveled to the back of her head, feeling around as they ran through her inky locks. (Y/n) knew he was checking the wounds she received from the bullet and allowed him to continue.

After a long silence, Noctis sighed and leaned his forehead against (Y/n)'s shoulder. Death remained still as his other hand fell from her cheek and landed on her other shoulder. "How long has it been?" The Horseman asked, slicing through the silence.

Noctis raised his head and stared into her beautiful eyes. "Several hours."

"What happened?"

The boy told all that happened during the time Ardyn captured her and when they arrived at Zegnautus Keep. (Y/n) learned the chancellor had sealed off Noctis' power and he wasn't able to summon his weapons. Luckily, he had the Ring of the Lucii and found his father's sword, completing his collection of royal arms.

Once Noctis finished his explanation, (Y/n) decided to share some good news. "Prompto's safe. He's resting in a nearby sleeping quarters. I'll take you to him."