A/n: This part turns into a murder mystery halfway through. I decided to lace an original theme into this book to make it a little more interesting. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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5 YEARS LATER

(Y/n) currently was relaxing in Lestallum. The girl was sitting on one of the many wooden crates scattered across the town, staring up at the darkened sky. It had been four and a half years since anyone had seen the sun. Daemons ran rampant 24/7 and hunts were becoming impossible with their numbers growing by the day. She knew of King Aeshema's reign, but she feared he no longer had control of the daemons from his domain due to the perpetual darkness all across Eos.

Unbeknownst to the Horseman, a figure sauntered towards her. She hadn't noticed them as her eyes were still focused on the dark sky above, hands folded in her lap. When she felt the person place their hands on her knees and pry them apart to stand between her thighs, she tore her gaze from the sky and focused it on them. "Prom, I thought you weren't suppose to be back until tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow, (Y/n). How long have you been sitting here? This is exactly where I left you a day ago," Prompto responded with a hint of worry.

"Guess I lost track of time," she sighed. From her perch, she admired his older features in their entirety. He had gained muscle in the past five years and had cut his hair a little shorter. The go-tee he had grown is what truly made him look older. Whenever she admired his aging self, she automatically thought about how she still looked twenty. Unlike Prompto, she was cursed to stay young forever and watch the one she loves age. One day, he'd have wrinkles and white hair while she still was a young twenty-year-old woman. The thought wounded her and made her want to burst into tears.

"(Y/n)," Prompto gently called out to her, wiping a single tear from her cheek. "Why're you crying?"

Famine hadn't realized she was crying until he pointed it out. "I-It's nothing."

He shook his head with a frown. "If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying. What're you thinking about that's making you cry? I hate seeing you like this."

The girl inhaled a shaky breath, knowing she couldn't hide the truth from him. "As the years pass by, you get older and more handsome. I watch as you grow older and I stay young. What happens when you've got gray hair and wrinkles? What happens when you're gone and I'm still here?" More tears fell as her voice shook with sorrow.

Prompto felt his own tears building up in his eyes as he listened. He wrapped his arms around her smaller shaking frame and hugged her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. The thoughts she spoke of never crossed his minds. He never thought about her timeless body as he was enthralled with her beauty every day. He wasn't sure how to respond to her questions and just held her, listening to her sniffles and whines. He stroked her golden locks, hoping his ministrations would soothe her and wipe away the tears.

(Y/n) cried in Prompto's embrace for a few minutes before finally being able to compose herself. She took a few deep breaths before snuggling into his arms and listened to his soothing heartbeat. "I'm a hot mess..."

Prompto chuckled lightly at her words. "You're not a hot mess. If anyone here is, it's me."

"I am a mess-mentally," she retorts.

"And physically, you're the most beautiful girl on all of Eos," Prompto flirted with a cheeky grin. "You're like... all I've wanted wrapped up in one-kind, sweet, smart. You're also a little bit crazy, though."

"You have your crazy moments, too," (Y/n) snickers.

The sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed the couple's attention. Prompto kept his arms secured around the girl as he peered over his shoulder. "Hey, big guy!"

"Haven't seen you in a while," (Y/n) stated. "What've you been up to recently?" After their safe return from the empire, she had received a fleshed-out apology from the shield. He had gone into small details having learned of all she had done to save and protect Prompto.

"The normal-daemon hunting and guarding conveys." Gladio looked between the boy and girl. "I'm here because I could use your help."

"Our help?" Prompto's brows knitted together in confusion.

"Guess you two haven't heard the news," he sighed. "Some crazy asshole's decided to create a cult and guess what they worship."

"Daemons?" Prompto and (Y/n) said in unison.

"Exactly. Apparently, they're called the Creed of Aeshema."

"What?" Famine gasped. "They're using the daemon king's name? Makes no sense."

"Why's that?" Gladio questioned.

"King Aeshema may be the king of all daemons, but he abhors his subjects. The only reason he grants them freedom at night is to prevent an uprising. If he's killed, daemons would wander Eos during the day and night."

"I don't think normal humans have that knowledge," the shield retorts.

"Very true..."

"So, what? You need our help stopping this cult?" Prompto asked.

"Yeah. So, if you two lovebirds are done," he smirked, gesturing to how Prompto still had (Y/n) in his arms while she remained sitting on the wooden crate. "We've got cultists to deal with."

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

"Anything else you can tell us about this cult?" Famine inquired as they rode in the bodyguard's truck. She was squished in the middle, but it didn't bother her.

"They're kidnapping anyone they can get their hands on and using them as sacrifices. There's been ten bodies in total so far and those are the only ones that have been found," Gladio answered, eyes glued to the road in front of him.

"How long has this cult been active?"

"Almost a month. It's the only thing the hunters are talking about at Meldacio."

"First daemons and now a cult? Like we didn't have enough trouble before," Prompto huffed.

"We're gonna investigate the sight where the recent murders were found. The Marshal's also looking into the cult back at Meldacio." Gladio glanced at (Y/n) from the corner of his eye. "And with you along, we won't have to worry about daemons attacking us."

"She's like a real life charm that wards off all the daemons," Prompto said with a giddy grin.

"Gonna need that charm in order to investigate thoroughly."

They arrived at their destination, which was a little ways down the road from where Wiz Chocobo Post once stood. A few daemons had spotted them and tried to approach, but they immediately turned around once sensing the Horseman's chilling aura. Gladio led the couple through the foliage until they reached a cave located in the cliffside.

Inside, they could smell the immense amount of blood. The iron scent wafted through the faint breeze as they wandered around the cave. It wasn't deep, but it was rather large in width.

(Y/n) stepped over a pool of blood, using the flashlight Prompto had given her to illuminate her surroundings. "Dear Astrals... I've never seen so much blood before."

"That means something coming from you," Gladio stated, referencing to how many times she's been fatally stabbed.

"Where's the bodies?" Prompto asked, glancing around the cave.

"We've got tons of blood, but not a single body. I wonder..." (Y/n)'s voice trailed off.

"What's on your mind?" Gladio asked.

"There's a tale about King Aeshema I read when I first arrived on Eos. In the tale, it said the blood of innocents is needed to summon the king himself. But in order for this so-called spell to work, the bodies have to be burned after draining every last drop of blood."

"You think they're following the book?" Prompto wondered.

"Can't be. Ten bodies have already been found," Gladio stated.

"It's possible they were experiments or part of the cult. If you haven't found anymore bodies, it's highly possible they're following the tale," Famine said. "Where's the bodies now?"

"Back at headquarters."

"Let's head to Meldacio. The bodies will be of more help than you know."

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

At Meldacio HQ, the trio was greeted by Dave. "Well, well, well. If it ain't two of my best hunters!" When his eyes landed on (Y/n), he smirked. "You must be the famous (Y/n) I've heard much about."

"Me?" The girl asked, brows slightly furrowed.

"Prompto here talks about you nonstop. You're the subject of pretty much all his conversation," Dave chuckled.

"Oh, really?" Famine smirked, glancing in the sharpshooter's direction. He nervously scratched one of his red cheeks with a finger, embarrassed and unable to look her in the eye.

Gladio threw an arm around Prompto's shoulders and pulled him into his side, earning a grunt from the younger boy. "He runs his mouth 24/7 and all that comes out is stuff about you. "Wonder what (Y/n)'s doing? I hope she's okay. She's the most amazing girl I've ever met. I really miss her." Sappy shit like that."

"Dude!" Prompto groaned. "Not cool!"

"Aw," the Horseman cooed with a smile. "It's nice to know you care so much about me even when we're apart."

"W-Why would I not? We are a couple," Prompto retorts with his cheeks turning an even deeper red. "A-And you're also the first girl I've ever dated. I'm actually surprised you've stuck with me this long."

Gladio released Prompto and allowed (Y/n) to cup his cheeks in her hands. "I swear to the Six, you better not say there's a better guy out there for me. If there was, I wouldn't be standing here right now." She left a chaste kiss on his lips before dropping her hands. "Now, let's bring down a cult."

"We're here to see the bodies, Dave," Gladio informer the hunter.

"Ya tryna hunt down the cult, huh?" He asked. "Well, you came just in time. We plan on buryin' the bodies in a few hours. Follow me."

Dave guided them to a small house by the shop. The smell of rotting flesh assaulted their noses as they stepped through the door. Prompto gagged while (Y/n)'s nose scrunched up in disgust.

All ten bodies were scattered across the floor, covered in white sheets. Famine walked down the rows of bodies, eyeing them one by one. "Which one was the first you discovered?"

"This one." Dave sauntered over to one of the bodies and plucks the sheet off, revealing a young woman who appeared to be around twenty-five years old. "Name's Miena Arano. Found her body by the road near the Vesperpool."

"What about the others?" She asked.

"Four were found in the outer limits of Lestallum with the other five were discovered near Fort Vaullerey."

"Hmm... Sounds like they're operating in the Cleigne and Duscae regions only. No reports from Leide?"

"None."

(Y/n) examines the body and notices the large hole in the side of the woman's neck. Her face scrunched in disgust. "Blood drained via the neck." She moved on to the other bodies to see if they had the same injury in the exact spot. Lo and behold, all of them did. Along with the holes in their necks, she noticed the rope burns around their ankles and a strange symbol on one of the victims. "Prompto, Gladio, could you check the rest of the bodies for a strange symbol on back of their necks?"

"On it," the shield announced and checked the bodies closest to him.

"I'm gonna need to wash my hands after this," Prompto whined as he checked the other bodies. He turned over one of the corpses and his eyes narrowed. He checked the remaining bodies before telling (Y/n). "Uh, these all have this weird snake with a hand as a tail and there's an eye in the middle of the palm."

"Same here," Gladio huffs. "Guess you were right, (Y/n). They're all members of the cult."

"Why kill their own members?" Dave asked.

"Not sure, but we've confirmed the area of operation and the symbol the members bear. Our best chance is to find an active member of this "creed" and see what more we could learn from them," Famine said.

"Capture a cultist. Never thought I'd ever say that," Prompto confesses. "Let alone be doing it."

The golden-haired Horseman stood up and readjusted the sheets to cover the bodies. "Gladio, you said they've been capturing people, right?"

"Yeah. We've been receiving missing persons reports for weeks now," the bodyguard responded.

"In what areas?"

"Mainly Lestallum and Old Lestallum. What're you plannin', (Y/n)?"

Prompto shook his head with wide eyes, knowing exactly what his girlfriend was thinking. "Oh, no, no, no, no! You are not gonna be bait!"

"How did-?" She was baffled at how quick he picked up on her plan, but decided to retract her question. "Prompto, this is the only way to lure these bastards out. Unlike you and Gladio, I can survive whatever they throw my way. It's the easiest and safest way to grab one of them and get the answers we need."

"No! I-I've seen you stabbed through the chest, the abdomen, shot in the head, and those are only a few to name! I don't care that you're immortal! I'm tired of seeing you get hurt!" He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them. "Just promise me you won't do this."

"Prom, I... I can't. I have to do this. It's the only way," she mutters. "It'll also ensure no one will get hurt or worse-killed."

Prompto couldn't hide his disapproval and hatred of the plan due to how it was written across his entire face and how it was laced through his sharp tone. He released (Y/n)'s shoulders and silently left the house, slamming the door behind him.

Famine flinched at hearing the door slam, sorrowful gaze focused on the door. She mentally shouted to go after him, but she held herself back. With a sigh, she met Gladio's gaze. "Are you against this plan, too?"

"If you were my girlfriend, I'd be acting just like Prompto. But since you're not, I think it's a good plan. Not to mention, it's the only one we've got to work with," the brute confesses. "Prompto'll cool off. Just give him some time."

"While he's clearing his head and probably cursing me to the end of Eos, let's head back to Lestallum. I know the perfect place for a damsel in distress act. It's bound to grab a cultist's attention."

"You gonna leave Prompto behind?" He asked.

"If we take him along, he'll only try to stop me."

"Alright," Gladio puffed out a heavy sigh. "He's not gonna like this. Let's get back to the truck."

(Y/n) and Gladio left the house, allowing Dave to tend to the bodies. They reached the shield's truck and hopped in.

The second the engine came to life, Prompto lifted his gaze from the ground with wide eyes and looked at the truck. He flew to his feet when he realized they were leaving without him. "W-Wait! Stop!" He ran after the vehicle as it took off. "(Y/n)! Gladio!"

Prompto tripped over his own feet, causing him to fall onto the asphalt. He watched in despair as the truck vanished into the darkness. Letting out a scream, he slammed a fist against the pavement.