The next morning, the three boys woke up. (Y/n) was busying herself with packing up the campsite so they could depart for Lestallum. While her body was doing one thing, her mind was on cloud nine. Her mind kept racing to the intimate kiss she shared with Ignis the night prior. She mentally confessed to herself it was distracting her, but she refused to show it in her actions.

When Noctis and Prompto were departing for the Regalia, her eyes locked with Ignis'. Neither of them looked away, but (Y/n) was the first to shatter the silence. "You must tell me what happened in the nightmare, Ignis. That kiss...it was prompted by the nightmare, yes?"

Ignis turned his gaze away from hers for a split second before reconnecting it. He didn't want to lie to her and nodded. "Yes," he simply replied. Although he admitted the truth, he wasn't ready to tell her what all transpired in his nightmare. He went to turn on his heels and head to the car, but he stopped in his tracks when a hand curled into the fabric of his leopard print dress shirt. He rotated his head, his body unmoving as he gazed down at the shorter girl.

(Y/n) arched a brow, pulling slightly on his shirt. When she managed to get his entire body to face her, she maneuvered her hands up to his cheeks and cupped them gently. She pulled his face down a little ways so she could stare deeper into his eyes without having to stand on her tippy toes. "Please, Ignis, I beg you. What changed?"

Unable to break away from her cool, gentle touch, the advisor spilled the details of his nightmare. As he reached the part where he was able to physically touch her and save her from plummeting to her death, her eyes gradually widened. They darted between the ground and his face as she slowly released him and took a few steps back. "How is this even possible? Could your close proximity with the orb created a bond and allowed you to manipulate the events of the nightmare? It sounds inane, but the orb contains an immense amount of power. After all, it is the catalyst of the nightmare."

Before (Y/n) could try and debunk the situation further, Ignis stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Such trifling matters must be deciphered at a later date. For now, we head for Lestallum."

The Horseman nodded. "Yes, you're right. Let's go."

<——————<<<<<<

Arriving in Lestallum, the group learned of the trouble the power plant was experiencing. They rendezvoused with Cindy's friend, Holly, and learned what the issue was. Seeing as the engineer was in need of a helping hand, the four offered her what she desperately needed.

A few hours later, it was nearly noon by the time Noctis had suited up in a safety suit, courtesy of Holly. Prompto snickered as he stared at his best friend from behind the bridge gate. "Lovin' that outfit, Noct!"

"Why don't you wear one?" Noctis grumbled, glaring at his best friend from under the head piece.

"Well, that's the only one. And if anyone stands a fighting chance in there, it's you. Forget about fashion and go," Ignis commanded the younger boy.

While Holly was distracted with Noctis, (Y/n) stood next to Ignis and leaned closer to him. "Should I join him for cautionary reasons?"

"With a hunter already assisting in this endeavor, your help will not be required," he responded.

Prompto glances between the two when he could only hear their incoherent whispering. He stood a few feet from them and analyzed them. The first thing he noticed was how close they were standing to each other, which they had never done so casually before. Second, he saw how Ignis would brush his hand against hers every few seconds. He wasn't sure if it was voluntary or a complete accident due to their close proximity. Lastly, the aura radiating from both of them was completely different. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He cleared his throat, which grabbed Ignis' and (Y/n)'s attention. "So...What's happening, you guys? Did I miss something?"

Pestilence cocked her head to the side in pure bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"You and Iggy..." He cleared his throat one last time when it accidentally cracked from nervousness. "Did I miss something?" He reiterated.

(Y/n) and Ignis exchange glances. When the ivory-haired girl went to speak, the strategist beat her to it. "Our lips are sealed."

The Horseman's jaw unhinged at hearing those words come from Ignis. She thought he would tell Prompto of what ensued last night to clear up the signs he was detecting, but she was shocked to find out she was wrong.

Prompto saw the baffled expression on her face and decided to see if he could get the answer out of her. "Oh, c'mon! You guys can't keep me in the dark! Please, (Y/n), tell me!"

"Well, um..." Her voice trailed off. Her eyes darted over to Ignis before refocusing on the blonde. She was speechless and unaware of how to respond. She fumbled through a few starter sentences in her head, but none of them sounded good. She crossed her arms behind her back and leaned forward slightly. "While you and Noctis were asleep, Ignis and I decided to exchange banter." She felt horrible for lying to the sweet boy, but she wasn't prepared to announce their minuscule make-out session they had while Noctis and Prompto were sleeping only a few feet away. 

There was a part of Prompto that believed her, but there was another piece that didn't. He sighed in defeat, knowing both individuals were stubborn. "Okay..." He was still suspicious of the two, but he knew he wouldn't be able to break either of them.

By the time Noctis and the mysterious hunter finished slaying the daemons in the power plant and were making their way across the bridge, (Y/n)'s head shot up as she felt a chill creep down her spine. She unconsciously took a few steps in the direction of the parking lot, but she stopped when Ignis simply called out her name. "(Y/n)."

"Um, you okay?" Prompto added, noticing her sudden change in demeanor.

Pestilence blinked a few times before nodding when the chilling presence vanished. "Yes. I thought I...never mind."

"What is it, (Y/n)?" The royal advisor pried, knowing her strange behavior was caused by something.

"I felt a familiar, eerie presence. It could've been—"

"Great work in there!" Holly suddenly cheered. The three turned to see Noctis and the hunter had safely returned. "As promised, here's your mythril. And thank you for your hard work."

"Sure," the hunter replied before removing the suit alongside Noctis.

"Hey, big guy!" Prompto chanted when he recognized who was inside the suit.

Ignis eyed the shield. "So the "hunter" who went on ahead—"

Gladio grinned from ear to ear. "The one and only. How ya been, fellas?" His eyes trailed over to (Y/n). "And lady, of course."

"Not bad," the sharpshooter replied before gasping as he took in Gladio's appearance, noticing the new scars. "Whoa...someone did a number on you, though."

"You should see the other guy," Gladio responds. "Anyway, I'm back and better than ever."

"It's good to see you're safe," (Y/n) smiled. "While you were on your own adventure, we had a quite adventurous one, as well."

Gladio crosses his arms, his smirk widening. "Tell me all about it. And while you're at it, tell me what happened between you and Iggy."

"I knew it!" Prompto cried out. "Something did happen!"

Pestilence looked away with a bored expression. "Ignis, we may as well..."

"It seems so." Ignis adjusts his glasses. "Their eagerness will never cease."

Noctis was utterly confused, but he remained silent as he listened to his advisor explain what happened between him and (Y/n) last night. When he heard about the kiss, he acted like a child and muttered a small, "Gross..."

"What are you, a five-year-old?" Gladio scoffed. "You'll be in the same boat soon enough. You won't be able to keep your hands off Lady Lunafreya once you're married. I'm surprised Iggy's been able to keep his hands to himself for this long."

(Y/n)'s eyebrows scrunched up in puzzlement. "What are you talking about, Gladio?"

The shield pointed at Ignis with his thumb. "He's been crushin' on you for quite some time. You really didn't notice?"

Ignis refused to comment, knowing the shield was trying to egg him on, and kept his lips sealed as he listened to (Y/n) and Gladio. "No," she confesses truthfully. "You are aware of my past. I...haven't thought about relationships in nearly an entire century."

"But you're okay with Iggy?" Gladio arches a brow in curiosity.

The Horseman glanced at said boy. "Yes. It's been a while since I've been in a formal relationship. I'm hoping my past won't be a hindrance if Ignis will truly have me by his side."

Before the others could respond to her seemingly saddened tone, they were interrupted by Iris and Dustin. "Noct? Gladdy!? I can't believe it!"

"Hey," the brute greeted the duo. "Thanks for looking after her, Dustin."

"So, Gladdy, did you apologize to Noct for storming off like that?" Iris questioned with a scolding gaze.

"He made it up to me in there," Noctis replied, gesturing to the large structure behind them.

"The power plant? Oh, so you got your hands on some mythril! In that case, I'll go deliver it to Cid." The ravenette handed the mythril to Iris and held it tightly. "Come and meet me in Caem when you're ready!" Iris, alongside Dustin, walked away.

The five watched as they disappeared into the streets of Lestallum. "Shall we depart for Caem right away?" (Y/n) asked once Iris and Dustin were out of sight.

"Might as well," Noctis sighed, his and the other's memories erased of the previous topic.

They departed from the power plant and headed to the parking lot. As they climbed into the car, (Y/n) being in the front seat courtesy of Prompto, she felt the sinister presence again. She looked around the practically vacant parking lot, but she was unable to find the source of such a bone-chilling aura.

"(Y/n)," Ignis called out her name with a hint of worry. "Are you alright?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned her head toward him when, once again, the presence vanished. "Y-Yes. My mind is quite occupied with ridiculous thoughts." She felt terrible for lying, but she didn't want to worry him or the others. She gazed into his emerald eyes and saw he knew she was lying, but she was grateful he didn't pry.

Ignis started the car and drove out of Lestallum, heading toward Cape Caem.

<—————<<<<<

(Y/n) listened to the three boys in the backseat as they exchanged cheerful, funny banter. It brought a smile to her face, but it was soon shattered when Ignis suddenly slammed on brakes. She was glad to have had her seatbelt on as she felt it dig into her body at the sudden screeching halt. She looked in front of them and noticed a group of familiar black cars blocking the road. Myriads of men in strange masks stood in front of the sable vehicles.

Pestilence quickly removed her seatbelt and hopped out of the car, ignoring Ignis' protests. Her bare feet created no noise as she walked across the asphalt toward the group of masked men. She glared at the one man standing in the middle. "How insulting, Silas."

The man in the middle took a few steps forward as he peeled off the skeletal plague doctor mask. "Not insulting, flattering." He sauntered up to her and took her hand in his as he kneeled down on a single knee. "Pestilence, the pale rider and the Horseman of plague, I beg of you to grant me your power."

"How many times must I convey the same response to such a ridiculous request?" She growled, yanking her hand out of Silas'. "Or maybe my mistake has been allowing you to wander around without dealing with you properly."

"This game of cat and mouse will end once I've achieved what I desire," the highwayman hissed, eyes narrowed in a sharp glare.

"I will never grant you my power or the ability to control me," (Y/n) snapped back.

Suddenly, a blade emerged from thin air and embedded into the ground beside the Horseman. She looked to her right and saw Noctis' body materialize as he grabbed the hilt of his engine blade. Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis were close behind as they stood with their weapons drawn.

Silas chuckled at the sight of the four boys. "You four don't even possess the strength or will to kill humans. What makes you think you can stand against us?" His hand dipped into his pocket and emerged with a strange, spherical object. He tossed it against the ground and it exploded.

A heavy smoke shrouded the royal retinue. They coughed as their eyes watered from the smoke. The boys couldn't see or hear anything. Unconsciously, Ignis searched the fog for his companions. He called out their names, only receiving three out of four responses. "(Y/n)!" He shouted. He covered his mouth to keep from inhaling the smoke any further and continued to search for the Horseman.

After seconds ticked by, Ignis heard three loud 'thumps.' He tried to find the source of the noise, but his vision became unsteady and his body suddenly felt as if the life was sucked from his being. He fell to his knees and hands, forced to listen to Silas' maniacal laughter as he lost consciousness.

<—————<<<<<<

"C'mon, Specs. Wake up!" A voice shouted.

When Ignis heard Noctis yelling, his eyes slowly opened and a painful groan slipped from his lips. He realized he was laying down on a cold, cement floor and pushed himself onto his feet. As his vision cleared, he spotted Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio. His head ached with a small throb as he examined their surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Astrals only know," Prompto sighed, reclining his head against the wall and staring up at the ceiling.

"That damn highwayman and his cronies knocked us out with that smoke and dragged us somewhere. We've no idea how long we've been out," Gladio said.

"Who knows?" A voice cackled. The boys look toward the cell door and saw Silas on the other side of the bars. "Maybe you're still in Lucis or maybe somewhere in Accordo."

Noctis summoned his sword and swung it at the bars, but the metal wasn't even scratched after his attack. His eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell...?"

Another sinister chuckle escaped Silas. "This cell was built to hold Pestilence, not the prince and his crew. The cell is meant to keep a powerful immortal at bay. Your attacks are meaningless and a waste of energy. I suggest you get comfortable as much as possible. Once Pestilence abides by my terms, you four will be on your merry way."