A couple of days dragged by. There was still no word on the Regalia's whereabouts. The five friends looked around the surrounding areas for any information or clues at all. Ryella even had a look from the sky, despite her friends insisting it was unnecessary. They turned out to be right, as the Guardian didn't find a thing either. They met back up outside the caravan.

"Still no word on the Regalia?" Ignis questioned the prince, hoping he'd received a call or message from Cindy.

Noctis sighed, shaking his head. "Nope."

"Let's not kid ourselves," Gladio said. "The empire has it."

It was true, that was the conclusion they'd all come to. It was the only thing that made sense. They'd been picked up at the Disc by the chancellor, and then suddenly their ride disappeared without a trace. Prompto suddenly looked past his friends, seeing a small, black animal approaching.

"Hey, it's Umbra!"

Ryella whirled around, smiling with joy upon seeing the dog. "Umbra!" The canine trotted over to her as she crouched down. He wagged his tail as she pet him. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Oh, right," Noctis said. "I'd almost forgotten that you lived with Luna. You probably knew Umbra and Pryna even longer than me."

Ryella nodded, glancing up at him. "I did. They've been around for as long as I can remember." She affectionately scratched Umbra's head. "I really missed you, Umbra."

Umbra suddenly shook her hand away and barked at the prince. He walked a few yards away and stopped, glancing back at the group and barking again. "Looks like he wants us to follow him," Noctis concluded.

Umbra sprinted away with the five following behind him. The dog led them away from the Chocobo Post, just past the trees. Then he abruptly darted behind a tree. Noctis was the first to spot the figure Umbra was now sitting beside. Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring at the woman.

"Gentiana..." Noctis muttered.

Ryella gasped, stepping closer. "Gentiana, I...I can't believe you're here."

The Messenger smiled warmly, opening her eyes for a brief moment. "It is heartening to see the young Guardian right where she needs to be. The Oracle had feared you would stray from your path, but it appears she had no reason for concern."

The girl fell silent, thinking on her words. "What are you doing here?" Noctis inquired.

Gentiana turned her head toward the prince, her eyes closed once more. "Hear me, O King of the Stone. By the Stormsender's blessing will the path to the Stone be opened. The Oracle goes hence in her King's name."

"Luna---where is she now?" Noctis inquired.

"The eye of the Storm," Gentiana answered. "When the covenant is forged, the Oracle and Ring shall await their King at the Walls of Water. Stray not from the path."

In the blink of an eye, the woman was gone. Confused, Prompto looked to the bespectacled man beside him for an explanation. "She's a Messenger, a spirit faithful to the Oracle."

The gunman tried his best to understand. "Uh, for real?"

Ryella remained quiet. Gentiana's words got her thinking. So this really is why Luna sent me away, she's awakening the gods. She's fulfilling her calling as Oracle, and she wants me to do the same. As a Guardian, I must follow through with the duty I was given. I must faithfully protect the Chosen, no matter what. Knowing just how much Lunafreya was doing to aid Noctis sparked a new determination within Ryella. Luna was risking so much for him. Ryella knew the price she would pay for awakening the Six, and yet, the Oracle chose to go through with it without hesitation. The girl would need to set aside her desire to cling to the past. She wasn't a child that could rely on her big brother anymore. The responsibilities of a Guardian fell to her.

She looked down at the prince crouched in front of Umbra. While she'd been thinking, he'd already written a response in the notebook. He slipped it back under the green rope bound around the canine's torso. Umbra stood, turned, and casually trotted away, disappearing beyond some bushes.

"Prince Noctis..." The black-haired boy stood up straight and turned to face the girl. He hummed in response, waiting for her to speak. "I...I think I'm ready...to finally commit to a new link."

The boys all gasped lightly. "Uh, are you sure?" Prompto questioned.

"You don't have to force yourself into anything, y'know," Noctis assured, standing in front of her. "I think you're doing just fine without being bound to anyone."

Ryella shook her head. "You don't understand." She gazed up at the prince with new resolve, pressing a hand against her chest. "I'm a Guardian, and the last of my family. I was born with the sole purpose of defending others. A Guardian without a master is practically...useless."

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Ignis asked.

The brunette glanced over at the bespectacled man. "It's just...Luna is awakening the gods, Noctis is acquiring new power to reclaim the Crystal, I'm the only one too cowardly to fulfill my purpose." She hung her head down shamefully.

"Just because you aren't out seeking something doesn't make you a coward," Gladio told her.

"But...I'm still neglecting my duty. Luna wanted for me to lend you my strength."

"But you are," Noctis argued.

"Not completely!" she snapped. "A Guardian's true strength is unlocked once they're linked to another."

"But what about how you feel?" the blond inquired, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I thought you didn't want this type of commitment again. What about everything that happened before?"

Ryella met his blue-eyed gaze. "I didn't. But I'm tired of worrying about the past. My father and my brother would never want me to act this way. They'd want me to push onward, and so would Luna. I can't keep avoiding relationships with others out of fear of losing everything again."

"You won't be losing us anytime soon," Noctis assured. "And if you're really committed to this, then I say go for it. But I don't ever wanna hear you call yourself useless again, got it?"

The girl smiled. "Okay."

"Just...tell me how this all works."

"Well," she began, "since you've never done it before, I may have to initiate the whole thing. What happens is my magical energy will tie with yours. As a result, we can share energy, you can summon me at any time, and our hearts will be connected to one another."

"I'm fine with everything up until that 'connecting hearts' thing."

Ryella blushed lightly, averting her gaze. "I admit, it's the most intimate part about forming a link. Put more simply, our strongest emotions will be felt by the other. So, for example, if I were to feel great sorrow over something, you would feel it too, and therefore, understand my predicament."

"And, uh, just to be clear, it's not like reading each other's minds or anything, right?"

Ryella giggled at the uncomfortable tone in his voice. "No, nothing like that. We merely sense really strong emotions from each other. No mind reading, I promise."

"Gotcha," the prince replied. "So let's get on with this."

"There's one final thing I must tell you." The Guardian's expression grew serious. "If you should ever feel like you're not up for this, or if you grow weary of my restless emotions, you are free to sever our ties." There were hints of sadness in her voice. "I'll understand...if you no longer have need of me."

Noctis smiled and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'd never do that to you, not unless it was absolutely necessary. Now c'mon, I'm ready when you are."

"Very well." She stepped closer to him. "I'll form the link, all you need to do is relax and allow me in."

He nodded in understanding. Ryella closed her eyes and clutched her hands against her chest. She concentrated her magic, letting it flow from her body. Noctis stared at the girl in amazement. Ryella slowly moved her hands to the side, allowing white, dust-like particles to emerge from her chest. The others watched on as the particles of magic energy came together to form what looked like a ghostly chain. It snaked forward until it touched Noctis's chest, causing him to gasp lightly. It was a strangely warm, fuzzy feeling that gave him a sense of security. He relaxed, causing his own magic energy to emerge from his chest in response. His was a light, crystalline blue, the same as when he summoned weapons. His energy formed a chain as well and allowed Ryella's to wind around it until they became tied together.

To be completely honest, Prompto felt hints of jealousy deep inside his heart. He had actually wondered what it would be like to link with the girl. To see Ryella bind herself to someone that wasn't him made him somewhat envious, despite knowing that his best friend would never steal the young Guardian away. He kept telling himself that it was all for them to fulfill their callings, nothing more. They were only friends, and Noctis even loved Lunafreya instead. But the gunman still couldn't stop himself from wishing he was in the prince's place at the moment.

The magical chains faded away, causing Ryella to open her eyes and look up at the prince. "It is done. I am now your Guardian, Prince Noctis."

Noctis glanced down at his hands. "Huh. I was expecting to feel drastically different or something. You made it sound like such a big deal."

She giggled at him. "More for the Guardian than the master. But I certainly feel the immense energy coming from you."

A faint smile crossed the young man's lips. "Good, that means you'll be able to use it to transform as much as you need. Oh, and don't go calling me 'master' or anything. You're my friend, Ryella, and now my Guardian too. Just call me Noctis, or Noct, if you prefer."

With a bright smile, the brunette replied, "I will...Noct."

Almost out of no where, dark clouds suddenly cloaked the sky, bringing with them a lot of rain. There were flashes of purple lightning across the sky. Noctis suddenly held his head, hearing a voice speak to him.

"What's going on?" Gladio asked.

"It's Gentiana," Noctis answered. "She wants us to follow the lightning and find something called runestones."

"We should follow Gentiana's instructions," Ryella said.

"Indeed," Ignis agreed. "Perhaps this is a test from the Fulgurian."

"Alright, then!" Prompto cheered. "Time to meet with the Stormsender!"

"I'll take you," Ryella told them. "I can fly you all there in no time."

Noctis gave a nod. "Okay. Hop to it, noble Guardian."

They all went back to the Chocobo Post. Ryella was quick to hide herself behind the building to strip down and transform. With all the magic energy radiating from Noctis, she could easily borrow just enough to change forms whenever she needed. Once she was in dragon form, she poked her head around the building and barked to get their attention. They went around to where she was. She pointed to her pile of clothes on the ground.

"Ah, yes, we'd best take them with us," Ignis said. "It'd be a waste to leave them after they were just purchased recently."

Prompto helped the advisor gather up the clothing. The boy tried his best to ignore the fact that he was touching a girl's underclothes. There was a bra and a pair of panties in the pile, and Prompto had been so lucky as to pick them up before Ignis. Gladio went around to the shop and brought back a bag. They stuffed the clothes inside and the shield offered to lug it around. Upon moving around the building, the chocobos began squawking in fear of the large beast, though fortunately, none of the people were reacting that way. Apparently word was spreading about the wonderful dragon who was helping people. The most anyone did was point or snap pictures.

Ryella rose up on her back legs, stretching her neck up to see where the lightning was striking in the distance. "You see where to go?" Noctis inquired.

The dragon carefully got back down on all fours and nodded in response. She crouched down, allowing them to climb onto her back. Her coat was wet from the rain and clung to her body, but the four males still managed to grab clumps of her fur to hang on. The dragon stood, spread her wings, and took off into the air. She flew just above the treetops, just high enough for them to follow the lightning strikes. Ryella flew northeast, a short distance from the Nebulawood, nearing the first runestone. The whole time, Prompto asked more questions about Gentiana, and Messengers in general. He was the only one who didn't know much of anything about them, which is understandable given his upbringing.

A growl reverberated from Ryella's chest and throat, alerting the four to what she saw. In front of the entrance to where the runestone awaited were a couple of magitek engines stationed next to the road. Numerous imperial soldiers patrolled the wooded area along with a magitek armor. It was as if they foresaw that the prince would go for the runestone.

"Ignore them!" Noctis commanded, raising his voice to make sure the beast heard him. "We can fly past! If they get in our way, then we'll take 'em down!"

The dragon turned her head slightly, glancing back at the prince and nodding. She sailed on over, keeping a close eye on the imperials to make sure they didn't try to fire at her. Fortunately, their programming had them focused on the woods around them, not the sky. Once past, Ryella dropped down onto a massive rock, then hopped down to the ground. The rocky walls surrounding the area were shaped much like a canyon. At the end of it was a peculiar stone that spiked upwards and branched out in lightning shapes.

"There's the runestone!" Noctis cried.

He swiftly slid down off the dragon's back and hurried over to the stone. He held his hand out to it, sparking a reaction. The prince's eyes glowed red as bolts of lightning shot out around the stone. After a brief moment, the sparks ceased and Noctis's eyes faded back to their usual blue. Rapid gunfire echoed through the area. Ryella snapped her head around with a snarl.

"Sounds like something's going on back there," Gladio said.

"Noct!" Ignis called. "We must go!"

"Coming!" the boy responded, running back to them.

"Hurry!" Prompto urged. "We gotta get outta here!"

Ryella darted over, meeting him halfway. She crouched down for him to climb up again, stretching her head around and pushing him up with her snout while Prompto took his hand to help him. Once he was back in his spot on her back, the Guardian sprinted back to the large rock. She leapt onto it and kicked off, spreading her wings and flying away. Glancing behind them, the group could now see that the soldiers had been shooting at a griffin, not them. They caught sight of where the lightning was striking next. It was up north of the Alstor Slough. Ryella went straight for it, determined to get Noctis there as quickly as possible. Now that she was officially his Guardian, it was her responsibility.

With Ryella's speedy flying, they made it there in no time. They, once again, bypassed the imperials stationed around the area. The second runestone was wedged in-between the rock walls. The white beast landed atop the stone wall. Noctis warped down to the ground and approached the stone. It looked almost exactly the same as the previous one, and it reacted in the same way. Once the prince had awakened its power, he had another minor headache. Like before, he could hear Gentiana's voice seemingly whispering into his head.

"O King. Journey to Fociaugh, the eastern hollow. The seal has been lifted. Deep within the heart of rock lies the runestone, the portal to power. No other can be allowed to find it."

"Was that Gentiana again?" Prompto asked. "What did she say?"

"The last runestone's in Fociaugh Hollow." Noctis warped back up to Ryella's back. "Let's go."

With a grumble of reply, Ryella took to the air again. The Guardian was thankful that Ramuh didn't test the young prince in an extreme way, like Titan. It proved that each of the Six had their own demeanor. Ramuh was one of the kinder gods, testing Noctis in a way other than sheer strength alone. And with this final runestone, Noctis would obtain the blessing of yet another deity, and he'd be that much closer to rising up as the one True King.