"Angel!" Noctis shouted. "Answer us!"

Thanatos laughed as Cultro began removing the girl's restraints. "She's not listening to you anymore. She's one of us now, and just to prove it, she's gonna be the one to end your lives. Angelica, rise."

With the shackles off, the girl complied and slowly rose to her feet. She gazed at her friends with empty, emotionless eyes. Thanatos placed his hands on her shoulders, grinning insanely as he leaned his head down next to hers. He fixed his eyes on Ignis and pointed a finger at him.

"Let's start with him, shall we? Kill him."

Ignis clenched his jaw as he watched the redhead slowly approach him. One of her daggers appeared in her hand. "Don't do it!" Prompto cried.

"Snap out of it!" Gladio yelled at her.

"Angel, you've gotta stop!" Noctis shouted.

Ignis suddenly noticed something. As Angelica came closer, he could see she had tears leaking from her eyes. She's still in there, Ignis concluded. If only I can reach her. Angelica now stood in front of Ignis, looming over him. He peered straight up into her eyes, trying to find a hint of emotion in them.

"Angel," he said, his voice quiet and gentle. "I know you're in there. Give me a sign if you can hear me."

His voice reached her ears. Her mind struggled to form a response. "I... Ig... nis..."

The advisor smiled gently. "Listen to me, darling, you can fight this. I have faith in you."

"Kill him!" Thanatos ordered.

Angelica slowly raised her dagger. "Don't listen to him, Angel," Ignis said. "Your mother wouldn't want this."

Right as the blade in her hand was coming down, it froze inches away from Ignis's face. Angelica's whole arm was shaking as she struggled to stop herself. Ignis finally caught sight of some sort of emotion in her eyes. There were flashes of pain and sorrow in her blue orbs, and tears flooded down her cheeks. I will not hurt him, I will not hurt him, she repeatedly told herself. While her mind knew what was right, her body didn't want to comply.

"You can do it, Angel!" Noctis shouted. "We believe in you!"

"Fight it, dammit!" Gladio added.

Angelica's other hand shot up, grabbing hold of her wrist and trying to keep the dagger from getting any closer to Ignis. It was a fight she was determined to win. Her friends were cheering her on, strengthening her willpower. Although Thanatos was getting sick of her defiance.

"Angelica! I'm not gonna say it again! Kill him!"

Angelica managed to turn her head slightly. In an instant, she forced herself around, slinging her dagger and yelling, "No!"

Her blade flew toward Thanatos. But her father swiftly caught it by the hilt. He dropped it and glared at her with pure rage. "How dare you defy your own father!" Thanatos charged toward her, rapidly closing the distance between them. He snatched her by the throat, pulling her closer to face him. "Looks like Val never taught you any discipline. You should respect your parents."

Angelica was desperately clawing at his hand in an attempt to make him let go. "You're not... my father..." she choked out.

"Unhand her!" Ignis yelled.

For several moments, Thanatos strangled the girl. The boys fought with all their strength against the restraints and the assassins that held them. Angelica was on the verge of losing consciousness. But the sounds of engines made the chief loosen his grip on her. He and everyone else turned their gaze to the sky where many magitek engines were now hovering overhead, they're lights flashing in the night sky. The one in the lead was red in color.

Thanatos dropped the redhead. She fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. "Get ready for a fight!" Thanatos commanded the assassins.

Almost as soon as imperial troops began coming down from the ships, the assassins dropped everything they were doing to fight the invaders. A war between the two sides ensued.

"Well look who it is," a feminine voice said. A figure leapt out of the red ship, landing before the group. "Fancy seeing you boys here."

"You're that mercenary," Noctis said, recognizing her.

"It's Aranea," she corrected.

"What're you doing here?" Gladio asked warily, skeptical of her intentions.

She chuckled. "Relax, I've got my orders. Be glad none of you are in it." She noticed Angelica lying on the ground, panting and clutching the back of her neck. "What's wrong with her?"

"Quickly, free us," Ignis ordered. "She needs help."

Aranea went over, using her lance to break off the shackles that bound them and sealed their abilities. They immediately hurried to Angelica's side while Aranea went on to do her job. With the dragoon's skill and the special training her men underwent, they whittled away at the assassins' numbers, though they were sustaining many casualties as well due to the sheer ferocity of the assassins. Ignis pulled Angelica up slightly, inspecting the bug on the back of her neck. The girl was still struggling to fully gain control over her body.

"We need to remove the bug!" Ignis informed the others, his tone urgent.

He suspected that the daemonization hadn't fully taken over her body, and that if they could remove the source, she might still be okay. Ignis summoned one of his daggers. With the others keeping the girl still, he carefully slid the tip of the blade between her skin and the bug. He carefully pried the object away from her neck, causing her to groan in agony. It was a slow, steady process, but finally, the bug released its hold and popped right off.

Unlike the other assassins, Angelica didn't become a daemon immediately afterwards. Instead, she regained control over her body. She slowly sat up straight, looking over her friends. She still had stray tears leaking from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to Ignis. "I almost hurt you."

The advisor's gaze softened and he smiled gently. "But you didn't. You showed great restraint."

The sounds of gunfire and metal clashing steadily died down. The imperial troops won the fight, killing off all the infected people, all except for Thanatos. He was brought back to the dais in chains. Aranea forced him down on his knees before going over to the group.

"You okay, strawberry?" she asked, seeing the redhead sitting up with her friends.

They all rose to their feet. "I'm in control of myself, at least, but... I'm not really feeling so good."

Ignis examined the back of her neck, realizing that the blackened skin was still there. Thanatos chuckled darkly from where he kneeled. "Since you removed the bug, you're gonna end up becoming a daemon. Guess this is what happens to misbehaving brats."

Aranea went over and kicked him in the back, knocking his face down onto the stone of the dais. "Shut up before I kick your sorry ass."

A sharp, painful sensation suddenly coursed through Angelica. She cried out while clutching the back of her neck. Ignis was quick to remove her hand and inspect the place. He could visibly see the black skin move.

"It's spreading," he said through clenched teeth. "Angel's been infected."

"Oh no!" Prompto exclaimed. "So, she's gonna turn into a daemon?! What do we do?!"

"I'll tell you what," Angelica answered, sending a furious glare at her father. "We get rid of the source of our problems."

She pushed through the pain and approached Thanatos. He stared up at her, expecting his own demise in an instant. "Go ahead, then. If you have the guts to kill your father, then I can consider myself proud to have such a ruthless assassin as a daughter."

"Time has not been kind to you," the girl replied. "You lost everything, just as I once did. But instead of accepting it and moving forward, you let darkness and revenge swallow your heart. You lost your sanity."

Thanatos chuckled. "Perhaps I did. But to tell the truth, I really did love you and Val... Now go ahead." He closed his eyes. "Send me to the beyond, so that I may finally see Valerie again."

Angelica's gaze softened slightly, and she summoned a dagger. "Despite everything, I'm glad to have met you... Dad."

In one swift motion, she slit his throat, ending his life. His body collapsed. But before anyone could say or do anything, a searing pain overtook the girl, even worse than the previous one. She fell to her knees, screaming in agony, tears of pure pain cascading from her eyes. Her friends rushed to her side. The sensation was only growing and was becoming unbearable. In tears, Angelica lifted her dagger to her own throat.

Ignis swiftly snatched her wrist, halting her. "Please, kill me!" she pleaded. "It burns all over! Just let me die and end it!"

"No!" Ignis argued. "I can't allow you to do that!"

"But I don't wanna be a daemon!" she yelled. "I'd rather die first!"

"There must be a way to reverse it!" Prompto said in a panic.

"Especially since she isn't a full daemon yet," Gladio added.

A thought crossed Noctis's mind. "Luna! She could heal you!"

Angelica looked at him as the pain died down, a sliver of hope in her eyes. "Do you think she could?"

"No doubt about it," Aranea butted in. "That's part of the Oracle's job."

"But what if we don't get to her in time?" the redhead asked, fear lacing her voice. "Or what if I hurt someone in the process?"

Ignis suddenly pulled her into an embrace, quietly telling her, "You won't, I'll make sure of it."

His arms wrapped firmly around her frame. His warmth was soothing and eased the girl's agony. She eagerly returned his hug, allowing herself to relax. She buried her face into his shirt, forgetting her pain and worries, even if only for a brief moment. Ignis always had a way of calming her.

"Aranea, think you could give us a lift?" the prince suddenly asked.

The woman sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "Fine, but no farther than Lestallum. C'mon, before I change my mind."