Ryella laid flat on her back, her wings spread out on either side of her. She was seemingly frozen in place, unable to move. Her surroundings were nothing but shades of grey in an endless haze. Standing over the white dragon was a massive, shadowy figure. It was completely black, and the only features that she could see were the glowing crimson eyes that pierced straight through her. A deep, monstrous growl reverberated all around Ryella. She felt a foot press firmly against her stomach. The Guardian's emerald orbs stared up at the monstrosity with pure terror, unable to tear her eyes away for even an instant. A large hand suddenly enveloped her head.

"Wh-why are you doing this?!" she cried out, her voice slipping through the claws clamped over her face and snout. "What did I ever do to you?! I don't even know who you are!"

The shadow of Nero snarled with rage. In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward, jaws opened wide and teeth jutting out, engulfing the white beast in a sea of complete darkness.

Ryella shot upwards with a loud gasp, clutching the left side of her face. She quickly realized it was all just a dream and sighed with relief. Her forehead was slick with beads of sweat that had formed during her nightmare.

"Ryella?" an accented voice spoke. The brunette noticed that Ignis was seated on his bed across from hers, already wide awake. "What's wrong?"

She forced a weak smile. "N-nothing. Just a weird dream, that's all."

Ignis could speculate about what had her jolting out of bed in such a frightened manner, but he didn't bother questioning her about it. Ryella stretched her arms, hearing Prompto in the bunk above her shifting around. Gladio too began to stir, groaning from his place on the floor between Ryella and Ignis's beds. Above the advisor, Noctis still slept soundly. The girl was quick to climb out of bed, carefully step around the shield, and go straight to the bathroom, sliding the curtain closed behind her. She turned on the faucet and splashed cool water on her face, simultaneously perking her up and washing the sweat away. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she left the bathroom to see both Prompto and Gladio awake as well.

"Morning!" the blond greeted in a chipper voice.

Ryella smiled. "Good morning. Are we still going to the Mother of Pearl?"

Both Gladio and Ignis looked to Prompto for an explanation. The gunman nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, sorta told Ryella we'd all go to the restaurant for that new dessert. Hope that's okay with you guys."

Gladio shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind really. We can go there for breakfast."

"While I'd normally never allow dessert for breakfast," Ignis began, "I suppose this once would be acceptable. And after that behemoth kill, we have the extra gil to indulge ourselves a bit."

The brunette cheerfully clapped her hands together. "Great! I can't wait to taste it, especially if it truly is a Tenebraen dish."

They all smiled at how happy she seemed. After forcing Noctis out of bed and cleaning themselves up, the group left the caravan and walked out to the Mother of Pearl. They approached the bar where Coctura was busy grilling some fish. She gave a friendly smile upon seeing the prince.

"Welcome back! How can I help you today?"

"We'd like to try the Tenebraen Berry Opera," Noctis said.

"You're in luck," she replied. "I just got in fresh Ulwaat Berries. I actually concocted this special dish to commemorate your wedding, Prince Noctis. So I hope it's to your liking."

Ryella was nearly bouncing with excitement beside Prompto. "Mmm, it's been quite a while since I've had Ulwaat Berries."

"What do they taste like?" the blond asked.

"Well it's hard to describe. They've got a unique, sweet taste to them, and they're rich in vitamins, making them highly nutritious."

Once Coctura served up their orders, the five went to a table and sat down to eat. Ryella shoveled a forkful of the cake into her mouth. She smiled, savoring the sweet chocolate taste mixed with the berries. Each of the boys took a bite as well, having similar reactions.

Noctis let the taste sit on his tongue for a moment. "This tastes familiar."

Ignis looked over at him. "Could it be the same type of sweet Lady Lunafreya shared with you back in Tenebrae?"

Noctis gave a firm nod. "That's the one."

"Oh, I helped Luna make those," Ryella told them. "I love those yummy little sweets. If we had Ulwaat Berries of our own, I'd gladly recreate the dish for you."

"I've been attempting to reproduce that very dessert for years," Ignis admitted. "Seems the key ingredient I was missing was Ulwaat Berries."

Prompto was scarfing down his slice of cake. "This is sooo good! If you two are ever able to make this, you make sure I'm around for it!"

Gladio chuckled, having nearly devoured his entire piece. "I'll say, this is delicious. I could go for something like this more often."

Gladio and Prompto were the first ones to clean their plates, but waited patiently for their friends to finish. "So, what are we gonna do after this?" the blond inquired.

"I might go down to the dock and do a little fishing," Noctis replied with a shrug.

"I'm afraid we've got something else to deal with," Gladio chimed in, his amber eyes glued to the phone in his hand. "Iris just messaged me. Said they're experiencing frequent quakes around Lestallum."

Ignis hummed in thought. "Seismic activity? Perhaps something relating to the Meteor?"

Noctis sighed, disappointed that he wouldn't be able to do any fishing. "Guess we'll go see what's up."

Once they'd all finished their meal, they left the restaurant and went to the Regalia, piling inside like usual. They left Galdin behind and drove out to see Iris. It took nearly all day to get there. Having been way down at the far end of Leide, the distance was far between Galdin and Lestallum located in Cleigne. It was all the way across Lucis. The group occupied themselves by chatting, listening to the radio, playing games, and partaking in their individual activities during car rides. Noctis napped half the way, Gladio read a book part of the time, and Prompto took the occasional picture. Ryella, with nothing else to do, mostly daydreamed about anything and everything.

She thought about Reynard, Lunafreya, and herself playing in the fields of sylleblossoms, and the other many fun times they had as children. She thought back on the days they spent together, making music, baking, assisting Luna on her trips to heal the masses, even the occasional visits from Ravus after he joined the empire. The girl smiled at the fond memories. Her mind then wandered to her encounter with Clement. Right from the start, she felt some form of connection to him. It was the same feeling she felt with Prompto at present. And even though she thought about her losses, she wasn't quite so depressed by them. It felt like her shattered heart was steadily being repaired, thanks to the four amazing friends she'd made.

She was snapped back to reality when she realized they had arrived at Lestallum. Just in time too, for the sun was already sinking beyond the horizon. After Noctis got out of the car, he held the door open for Ryella. The brunette climbed out, muttering a small "thanks" to the prince. Noctis nodded in response, but an intense headache suddenly overcame him right as the ground beneath their feet shook. He groaned and hunched over, clutching his head as a vision of some massive being flashed through his mind. As soon as the rumbling died down, so too did his headache.

"You okay, buddy?" Prompto inquired, leaning down to look at his best friend.

"What's the matter?" Ryella asked.

"I'm fine." The prince could hardly find words to express what had just happened. "Just some kinda...headache or something."

"So when the ground shakes, your brain aches?" Gladio questioned.

Ignis rubbed his chin in thought. "A sort of seismic shock to the system. Curious."

"Let's go see Iris," the shield suggested.

The group walked out to the Leville, finding Iris outside, as if waiting for them. "Gladdy! Guys! You all sure took awhile."

"Well we were all the way in Leide when you messaged me," Gladio told her. "So what's with all these earthquakes?"

"Jared will have a better explanation than me. C'mon."

She led them upstairs to Jared and Talcott's room. They all had a seat to listen to the elderly man. "Occasional tremors in this area are normal. Legends tell of the Archaean slumbering beneath the Disc of Cauthess, and the quakes are called 'Titan's snores' by the locals."

"But there hasn't been any this frequently before," Talcott chimed in. "Everyone's concerned that something might be going on at the Disc."

"Perhaps in the morning, we should go down to the outlook and see what we can glean of the situation," Ignis advised. "It won't substitute for being on sight, but it's a start."

Prompto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can use the viewer thingies!"

"Until then, let's rest up," Noctis said with a small yawn. "I'm sleepy after that long ride."

Ryella giggled. "But weren't you napping half the time?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but you can never get enough sleep."

"You mean you can't get enough sleep," Gladio corrected.

"In that case," Iris began, her gaze falling on the other female, "would you like stay in my room tonight, Ryella? We can catch up and have fun."

Ryella smiled kindly. "Sure, that sounds nice."

Iris lightly took the older girl by the hand and pulled her along. "Let's go! We've got so much we can do and talk about!"

The Guardian couldn't even get a word out before Iris dragged her out of the room. Gladio chuckled at how enthusiastic his little sister was to have another girl around. Before long, the two ladies were in their room, chatting and giving each other makeovers, all while listening to music on the radio. Ryella had just finished applying makeup to Iris's face.

The younger girl gasped upon seeing her reflection in a mirror. "Wow! I look...amazing! And so grown-up! How'd you ever learn to do makeup like this?!"

Ryella giggled. "I'm mostly self-taught. I wasn't always this talented with cosmetics though. The first time I tried to give myself a makeover was when I was about 11 or 12." She laughed at the memory. "I ended up looking more like a daemon instead of a mature young woman."

Iris laughed at the mental image that gave her. "Oh gosh, that sounds so bad!"

"It was. My brother was so alarmed when he saw me, he immediately made me wash my face. I didn't dare try it again until I was 14. With some help from Lunafreya, I managed to learn how to properly apply my makeup."

"You've gotta give me some tips! I'd love to get all dolled up like this when I'm out and about."

Ryella smiled with joy. "Sure thing. I can also show you some things to do with your hair and clothes, if you like."

Iris's eyes were sparkling. "Yes, please! You must've picked up on all this living in Tenebrae, huh?"

The green-eyed girl nodded. "I did. I often had to look formal for some public appearances and other such gatherings."

Iris abruptly stood from her seat and went to her bed, picking up a bag of clothes. "Let's get started, then. I bought some new clothes just the other day. I wanna learn how to coordinate my outfit with my hair and makeup."

The girls spent at least an hour just trying on different articles of clothing while styling their hair and makeup to match. Ryella taught her friend much of what she knew of the subject. They finally stopped long enough for a small supper. With Ryella lending a hand, Iris cooked them up a Kupoberry Cheesecake, her specialty. The pair sat down around the coffee table, enjoying their meal, when Iris brought up a new subject.

"So, the guys seem to really like having you around."

Ryella brushed off the idea. "Well, they've been requiring my assistance more than once. And as a Guardian, it is my duty to protect and aid others."

Iris giggled and shook her head. "No, no, I mean they've got a soft spot for you, or at least it seems that way from what Gladdy's been texting me."

Ryella's eyes grew wide and a blush crept across her cheeks. "H-huh?"

Iris gave the girl a puzzled look. "He said he'd asked you out."

The Chocobo Post visit came to mind. "Oh, r-right, he did. B-but I couldn't accept. I just don't...feel that way about Gladio. I...hope I didn't hurt his feelings."

Iris giggled. "Nah, he's fine. He knows how to take a hint. Besides, Prompto's the one you like, right?"

"Wh-what?!" Ryella's blush darkened.

"Gladdy said you two had gone out."

"W-we had...b-but not in that way! We're just friends!" The Guardian turned her head away. "I lost my first love...I don't want to go through that again. I...I'm not ready for anything like that."

Iris's smile turned down into a small frown. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea about..."

Ryella weakly smiled. "It's okay. It is true that I feel closer to Prompto than most, but...I don't know. There's two many conflicted feelings in my heart."

"If you want my opinion, you should do what you feel is right for you. If you don't feel comfortable in a relationship, that's fine. But if you truly like someone, you shouldn't let the past keep you from them. At least, that's what I think, anyway."

Ryella grew quiet, thinking on her words. If Prompto does feel that way about me, would I be comfortable accepting and returning those feelings? I guess I do kind of like Prompto---he's sweet and funny, and seems to always make me smile. But what about Clement? Would he be okay seeing me with another boy? Would he want me...to forget about him...and move on? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't seem to decide on what to do. Maybe I should just go with the flow? See how things turn out? I mean, now that I think about it, I technically did go on a date with Prompto back at the Chocobo Post. And maybe Clement and Rey would both be...happy for me.

She inwardly sighed. She couldn't deny that she felt a real connection to Prompto, but could she really stand to disregard the past and go about her life with someone else? At the moment, all she could really do was wait and find out in time. Hopefully, the fun-loving photographer could be patient enough for her to make a decision. Ryella honestly didn't know how long it would take her to completely move on and no longer be hindered by the past, but she wanted to, in time, be able to grow closer to others again without fear of something going wrong. Those four boys---her close friends---made her want that again.