Prompto lazily opened his eyes. He tiredly yawned and shifted to stretch his arms. That's when he realized something warm was pressed against his back. He looked over his shoulder to see what it was, and the sight made his eyes grow wide. His jaw dropped as a silent gasp escaped his lips, and his whole face turned bright red. There, nestled into his back, was Ryella. Prompto's mind was reeling, trying to form an explanation. Why the hell is Ryella in my bed?! I never asked to share, did I? No, no, I could never ask her something like that. Then what is going on?! Wait, was I drunk?! Did I...?! He swiftly reached under the covers, feeling along his waist. He sighed in relief upon feeling the fabric of his pants. Whew, thank the Six I'm still fully clothed.

All his fumbling around caused Ryella to stir. Prompto froze, watching as the girl's eyes fluttered open. Her green orbs locked onto Prompto and she immediately sat up, a blush creeping across her freckled cheeks. "P-Prompto!" she gasped out. "I-I'm sorry! I should've asked you first! I just couldn't sleep last night and...and..."

The blond shifted to face her. "It's okay. Just slow down."

She took a deep breath. "I was...afraid after what happened last night. Whenever I couldn't sleep, I'd always sneak into my brother's bed..." She hung her head down sadly. "I'm sorry. Please, don't be angry with me."

Prompto mentally slapped himself. Of course it was just something simple like that. "It's alright, I'm not mad. I was just kinda surprised to see you right there when I woke up. But was I really the best choice for this role?" His smile and playful tone made it clear he was joking around. "I mean, Gladio's the most like your brother, right?"

Ryella giggled. "Well, yeah, but he was on the floor. And besides..." She shyly averted her gaze and her voice grew quieter until it was barely above a whisper. "I actually feel the most comfortable and safe with you." Prompto felt his heart skip a beat.

"Since when do you two sleep together?"

The pair jumped at the sudden voice. They both turned to see Gladio's head poking up beside their bed. They blushed furiously and Prompto tried to form an answer. "I-it's not what it looks like! We were... Uh, you see...R-Ryella was..."

Gladio laughed, quieting the gunman's rambling. "Calm down, I'm kidding. I heard the whole thing. And apparently Iggy and our charming guide are already up, so you two should get ready to set out soon."

Prompto and Ryella climbed out of bed and down the ladder. They disregarded the slumbering prince and took turns in the bathroom. Before long, Noctis was up as well, and they all picked up a small breakfast before meeting Ardyn in the shop. Soon enough, they were back on the road again, resuming their trip to the Disc.

"So, Ryella, do you know what to expect from the Archaean?" Noctis asked, breaking the silence.

She girl shook her head. "No, I don't. The gods have been asleep for thousands of years. I've never actually met one."

"The Archaean is said to have caught the Meteor that fell ages ago," Ignis explained. "Even now, while he slumbers, he holds the Meteor upon his back."

"And its shards are what give Lestallum their energy source," Gladio added.

"That's...pretty incredible," Prompto chimed in.

After a long and tedious drive, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Disc. An imperial gate barred the entrance. Ardyn pulled over to the side. "I'll be but a moment." He looked up at the large gate and shouted, "Hello! It's me! Be so kind as to open up!"

Sure enough, the gate opened. "Wow, that actually worked?" Prompto questioned.

"I may not look like much, but I do have some influence," Ardyn said. "Aren't you glad we came together? Your audience with divinity lies ahead."

"You're leaving?" the blond inquired.

"I drop you at the Archaean's open door, and with that, bid you farewell."

Noctis stepped on the gas, passing through the gate and leaving Ardyn behind. "I've met some weirdos," Gladio muttered.

"Hope we don't meet that one again," Ignis said with disdain.

"Me too," Ryella admitted.

"Guy sure knew his nursery rhymes though," Prompto pointed out.

"Nothing creepy about that," the prince replied in a sarcastic tone.

They drove down the rocky path until they could go no further. There was an opening between the rocks that was too small for the Regalia. Noctis parked the car, and everyone got out. Ignis noted the familiar type of ruins around the area. One by one, they slipped between the rock walls, finding an area that jutted out just below the Meteor. At the end of that path was a tomb, where the Blade of the Mystic rested.

"A tomb?" Ignis glanced back toward the entrance. "I suspected as much with those ruins."

The five moved closer. Noctis approached the tomb and held his hand out. The sword glowed and crystallized, absorbing into the prince and expanding his arsenal. Right then, the ground beneath their feet violently shook.

"Here we go again," Prompto said.

The tremor caused the gunman to stumble back and fall on his butt. Gladio and Ignis kneeled down to keep their footing. Ryella's well-developed balance kept her from falling down. "This one's huge," Gladio stated.

Ryella's sharp ears picked up on the cracking of rock underneath them. "The ground's not going to hold!"

Ignis shouted, "Get away! Quickly!"

While the others began scrambling back, Noctis hunched over, clutching his head in pain. The quake brought about another throbbing headache. It was extremely brief, and the prince was able to twist around and follow after his friends. But as luck would have it, those extra seconds spent on that headache cost him. The ground crumbled away, bit by bit, catching up to Noctis and bringing him down with it. His friends watched him helplessly slide down, but in an instant, Gladio was jumping down after him. Ryella let out a gasp of fright. The ground continued shaking as the Meteor steadily rose up from its resting place. Underneath it was a colossal humanoid being who held the entire Meteor upon his back. In a booming, foreign tongue, he spoke.

"T-Titan..." Ryella stared in awe of the magnificent deity staring down at them. His lone eye seemed to bore right into her soul. "Why has he awoken?"

Ignis and Prompto rushed past her, peering down over the edge at where their friends had gone. "Noct!" the blond yelled. "You okay?!"

The advisor caught sight of the pair far below them. "Thank heavens your safe! Is there a way back up?!"

"No, but there's a path!" Noctis shouted back. "Gonna see where it leads!"

"You three try to get down!" the shield told them.

"Very well!" Ignis responded. "We'll look for a way! Be careful, now!"

"You too!" the prince called back.

"What?!" Prompto screeched in alarm. "We're going where?!"

Ignis quickly turned, looking at the girl. "Come, Ryella, we must go."

The Guardian didn't move. She remained in place, staring up at the Archaean. "I...I don't know if I can."

"Whaddya mean?" the blond asked.

Ryella had finally begun to piece together what was going on. It all made sense---Noctis's headaches, Titan calling him, said god appearing before them. She had learned a bit about the Six from Lunafreya, and now, she had a hunch as to why the Oracle had sent her away. She believes in Noctis as the Chosen. Is this...why she insisted we part ways? Has she...spoken with Titan?

"I believe..." She finally tore her eyes away from the Astral to look at the two males. "I believe this is a trial from Titan, for Noctis."

"A trial?" Ignis echoed, confused.

Ryella gave a small nod. "I learned a little about this from Luna. Titan had called for Noctis to come forth, all so he could test his strength. This is a revelation from the Archaean."

"But what does that have to do with you?" Prompto asked.

"I'm saying that...as a Guardian, I cannot interfere with the matters of a god. This is for Noctis to face."

Ignis gave her a stern look. "Trial or not, we cannot allow Noct to go on alone. As his friends, we must remain at his side. We're going, with or without you. You may remain here if you wish."

Ryella turned he head away shamefully. She wanted to help, she truly did, but she couldn't just carelessly jump into a situation involving a god. But as a Guardian, her duty is to protect those of great importance. It was a responsibility she was given. Could she stand up to the might of a god if it meant safeguarding the Chosen?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a hand touched her arm. She looked up at the blond. "C'mon, you can at least come with us, even if you don't get involved in the action. I'm sure the Archaean wouldn't mind that, right?"

Ryella blinked at him, processing that information. He was correct. As long as she didn't purposefully disrupt the trial, it should be fine. She nodded, determination evident in her eyes. "Okay, let's go."

The trio hurried off, following a small path off to their right. With multiple twists and turns, they moved quickly, hoping to reunite with their friends. The farther they went, the more the temperature rose, and every time Titan even slightly shifted, he caused massive quakes all around him. The Astral appeared to have his eye on something farther down. They could only assume it was Noctis and Gladio. Ryella suddenly heard what sounded like engines. She stopped, panting from the quick pace they'd been keeping, and turned her head away from the Disc. She could see them in the distance---magitek engines.

"We've got company," she said, alerting the two males to the imminent danger.

Ignis was swiftly fishing his phone from his pocket. "I'd best inform Noct of this." He pushed a couple of buttons before placing the device next to his ear. The prince picked up almost immediately and answered with a distorted 'Ignis'. "Listen, Noct, imperial troops are near-" That was all he could get out before the connection was lost. The man stared at his phone briefly. "Drat, the signal's gone."

"So we'll just have to hurry up and find Noct and Gladio," Prompto replied.

A loud roar erupted from the Archaean, forcing them to turn their attention to him. The massive being seemed to be looking straight at Ryella at the moment. He uttered a few unknown words to her, of which she could not understand. But she felt as though she knew what he was telling her.

"Titan..." She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "He's...calling to me." Ignis and Prompto looked at her, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" the bespectacled man asked. "Can you understand him?"

The girl slowly shook her head. "No, but...I can tell that he's requesting my assistance. He wants me to...halt their progression so he can complete the trial unhindered."

Prompto went over to her, placing a hand on her arm. She finally shifted her gaze to him. "Are you sure you can take on all those ships?"

"I don't know," she answered. "But I have to try. By the order of a god, I must defend. I cannot reject a command as important as this."

"Then go," Ignis told her. "Uphold your duty."

The gunman hummed, unsure of the idea. "Just...be careful."

Ryella gave a firm nod. Ignis used an elixir on her so she could transform. With a blinding light, her figure shifted and grew. Her clothes ripped apart and fell around her feet. The boys stepped back as the light faded and the white beast stood tall in front of them. Titan gave another roar, as if ordering her. The beast's pupils constricted in response. She turned her gaze up to the ships overhead, snarling. She flapped her wings, taking off into the air, leaving her friends to go on without her.

Ryella's assault on the ships was ruthless. She latched onto the first ship she came to, reaching her head inside and ripping out whatever she could grab. With her extra weight, the ship tipped down, steadily descending. Ryella was quick to notice and used her strength to push it down. Right before it crashed into some rocks, the Guardian flew to safety, then zeroed in on the next target. Despite her assault, there were too many ships to stop, each one emptying MT's to the ground below. Titan was being attacked with the specialized weapons the empire had created, all while he battled with Noctis.

Fortunately, the guys had all reunited, though their fight with Titan was arduous. Ryella didn't pay too much attention to what was going on, as her concern was bringing down as many ships as she could. But before long, Titan roared and disappeared in a golden glow. With his leave, a magical shockwave shot out from where he'd previously been, destroying all the magitek engines. The wave passed over Ryella, somehow filling her with magic power yet draining her of energy at the same time. She drifted down, almost plummeting, to where she spotted her allies. She skidded across the ground, which was now breaking up and revealing small rivers of magma, and burst into a blinding light.

She shrunk down to her normal, human form. With the light fading again, Ryella panted, sitting on her knees. She hunched over, her arms covering her chest and her legs pressed tightly together. Just like the last time they'd seen her like that, the boys averted their eyes, all except Prompto, who stared wide-eyed with his face flushed. Surprisingly, he was the one to rush over to the girl, even before Ignis could. The blond pushed aside his embarrassment and desire to look over the female's bare body, and instead, slid his vest off and draped it over her.

"Ryella, you okay?" he inquired, crouching down to look at her face.

The brunette hugged the vest tightly around herself, weakly smiling at the boy. "Yes, I'm just...exhausted."

She slipped her arms in and buttoned up the vest. Although it was sleeveless, it worked well in covering her, and with flannel at the bottom of it hanging loosely, it felt much like wearing a skirt. It would have to do until she was able to acquire something else to wear. Prompto gingerly wrapped an arm around her waist, standing her up with him. It was only then that the pair realized the predicament they were in. The ground around them was cracking and splitting open. The heat of the lava spewing forth was almost unbearable.

"Doesn't get much worse than this," Gladio stated.

They all began frantically looking around for options. Ryella felt a bit useless in that moment. She could've easily flown them all out of there, if only she wasn't so exhausted. As if to add to their problems, a magitek engine stopped overhead. They all looked up at the ship hovering above them.

"The empire!" Ignis said through gritted teeth. "Now?"

The hatch opened up, revealing the one person they loathed to see. Ardyn leaned forward, peering down at them with his usual crooked grin. "Fancy meeting you here!" They all gazed up at him. "It occurs to me I never formally introduced myself." He placed a palm against his chest. "Izunia. Ardyn Izunia."

"Imperial Chancellor Izunia?" the advisor questioned.

"At your service," Ardyn responded. "And more importantly, to your aid. I guarantee your safe passage. Though you're always welcome to take your chances down there." Receiving only silent glares, he added, "Buried among the rubble, is it?"

After a moment of thought, Ignis knew they had only one choice. "Dying here is not an option." He looked to the prince at his side. "We have no choice, Noct."

The discontent was evident on Noctis's face. "I know."

The ship lowered down enough for the five friends to climb aboard. They all took a seat on the floor, all except for Ignis, who stood to face Ardyn. Ryella sat closely to Prompto with her legs tucked under her, clasping his arm.

"Oh, thank the gods I found you all," the chancellor said in a dramatic tone.

"And what will you do with us now?" Ignis angrily asked.

"Why, grant you safe passage---just as I said."

"Pretty generous offer for an imperial," Prompto retorted.

"Come now. Is it fair to begrudge a man the circumstances of his birth?"

The blond was almost at a loss for words, finding himself easily knowing the answer to that. "Well, no, I guess not..."

Ignis kneeled alongside his friends, needing to discuss a plan of action. "So what do we do after he drops us off?" Gladio quietly inquired.

"Go get the car," Noctis answered simply.

"Can't leave her unattended for long," Ignis added. He stood and faced Ardyn once more. "Chancellor. If you truly wish to aid us in our efforts, then I request you release us this instant."

Ardyn chuckled. "This instant? It's a long way down. Perhaps the army could break your fall. Or perhaps you could simply sit back and enjoy the ride. You needn't worry---you're in good hands with me."

Prompto finally turned his attention to the silent girl at his side. "Ryella, you doing okay?"

She met his blue-eyed gaze, giving a slight nod. "Yeah, I just feel...drained. Whatever Titan did back there sapped my strength away."

Noctis sighed. "And now we need to get you more clothes."

The brunette blushed and muttered, "S-sorry..."

The ship abruptly stopped, startling them. They didn't know where they were since the magitek engine had no windows of any sort. But Ardyn left them with one final thing before dropping them off.

"Here's hoping you find that car of yours."