It'd been several weeks since all hell broke loose in Altissia. Ignis was blinded due to using the Ring of the Lucii, Lady Lunafreya was dead, and (Y/n) was missing. Now the royal retinue was aboard a train and heading towards Cartanica. The savannah-like landscape was dotted with the occasional tree. Prompto and Ignis are sitting together in one seat while Noctis sits alone across the aisle from them, hanging his head.

Prompto hasn't lifted his head from his bracelet. His eyes had been glued to the accessory ever since he was unable to find (Y/n). It was still intact, but that only meant she was alive. He feared the empire captured her and was possibly torturing her. The thought caused anger and sorrow to bubble inside his veins.

Ignis was aware of how distraught and distant Prompto's become due to (Y/n)'s disappearance. He tried to provide comforting words whenever possible, but they seemed to be hollow and never reached the marksman. Both Prompto and Noctis were wallowing in their own pity, but both had reasons to do so.

After a long while, Prompto found the courage to speak up. "So...we're gonna roll through Tenebrae."

Ignis was surprised to hear him speak, but understood why he chose to remain silent most of the time. It was to keep his own feelings from spilling out in the form of tears. "Not before visiting the royal tomb in Cartanica," the strategist said.

Prompto glanced over, wincing when seeing the extent of his wounds. "You're sure you're up to that?"

"The wounds have mended. Eyesight's a matter of time," he lied, hiding the truth from his companion.

Gladio, who'd been staring at the sulking prince for a while, stood up and walked over to him. His voice was a low growl as he spoke. "The hell is wrong with you?"

Noctis slowly raises his head once hearing the anger-laced tone of his shield. "What?"

"We're not stopping in Tenebrae. You need to grow up and get over it," he growled, glaring at the prince.

The raven-haired boy stands and confronts his friend. "I am over it. I'm here, aren't I?!" He snapped back.

That's when Gladio snapped. He grabs Noctis by his jacket and pulls him close. "Maybe when you're not too busy moping, you can look around and give a shit about someone worse off than you."

"Let go of me," Noctis hissed, eyes narrowing.

Gladio ignored the command, continuing to egg him on. "How's that ring fit ya? You'd rather carry it around than wear it? She gave her life so you could do your duty, not so you could sit around feeling sorry for yourself."

"You don't think I know that?!" Noctis shouted, his voice shaking with anger.

"You don't! Ignis took one for you too, and for what?! Hell, even (Y/n) took one for the team to protect your ass. And now she's missing. Guess you don't give a damn about how that's affected your best friend!"

Prompto's eyes widen at Gladio's accusation. He hung his head, feeling the familiar sting of tears in the corners of his eyes. Ignis, who'd been listening, couldn't stand to listen to their bickering any longer. "Enough, Gladio!"

The tactician's shouting went unheard by the shield. Gladio wasn't finished and gripped Noctis' collar tighter. "You think you're a king, but you're a coward."

"Shut up!" Noctis shoves Gladio and grabs him by his jacket as well.

Prompto lifted his head, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall as he stands and addresses Gladio. "Don't do this—!"

Gladio puts his hand on Prompto's face and shoves him back. Noctis was clearly at a breaking point. "I get it, alright?! I get it!" He shoves the brute away from him.

Gladio was forced to release him due to being shoved. "Then get a grip! Pull your head outta your ass already!"

Noctis turns and walks away. Prompto calls after him. "Noct!"

"Leave him," Gladio growled before turning and walking away in the other direction.

Prompto glanced between the two, wondering what to do. Steeling himself, he wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape his eyes and decided to follow Noctis. He found his best friend sitting in the connected train car. Slowly approaching, he notices Noctis was staring down at the Ring of the Lucii in his hand. Taking a closer look, he saw how the boy's hand was shaking before he closes his fist tight around the ring. Making his presence known, Prompto sat beside him. "Hey, buddy."

Noctis lifted his head and saw he was no longer alone. "Hey, Prompto..."

"I would ask how you're holding up, but that'd be a stupid question," Prompto chuckled weakly, twirling his gemstone bracelet around his wrist.

Noctis realized his best friend was fiddling with the bracelet. "You haven't really spoken since...y'know..."

"Neither have you."

"True..." Noctis glanced out the window for a split second before looking back at the bracelet on Prompto's wrist. "Hey, I'm sorry about (Y/n). What happened, exactly?"

"Well, um..." Prompto found it difficult to talk about her, but he willed himself to. "Remember that daemon the empire made? Well, we ran into it on our way to the altar. She volunteered to stay behind and keep it busy. I'm...I'm not sure what happened after we left her behind..." He hung his head, a few tears trailing down his cheeks. His body shook as he gripped the bracelet tightly.

"She's alive though, right?" Noctis asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. I just wish I knew where she was. She could be hurt, o-or the empire might've captured her. Not knowing is the scariest part."

"I'm sure she's okay, Prompto."

"I hope you're right, Noct..."

As the train rolled into Cartanica Station, the two boys stood up. They exited the train and Prompto immediately left the prince's side. Noctis looked around the station and found Ignis sitting on a bench with his cane leaning against it. He wasn't sure where Gladio was and didn't particularly care at the moment. He was still angry from what he said on the train.

Noctis attempted to clear his head, by his thoughts were too rampant. With a heavy sigh, he headed in the direction of the Fodina Caestino Mine elevator where he regrouped with Prompto and Gladio. Thanks to Cor, they knew there was a royal tomb located in the quarry below. The moment he went to summon the lift, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was Ignis.

"Ready to set out?" The tactician questioned.

Uh..." Noctis was unsure if he should let him tag along due to his lack of eyesight. He knew Ignis too well and opted to not leave him behind. "Yeah. You sure you're up for this, Specs?"

The bespectacled man nodded. "I'll manage somehow."

Noctis pressed the button and summoned the lift. Once it arrived, they stepped inside and it carried them down into the quarry. The group stepped off the elevator and made their way down the slope. Prompto grimaced when he stepped in a muddy puddle of water. "Feeling a little out of my element."

"We're a foreign species in this environment. Mind we don't end up prey," Ignis advised.

"Right, good tip," Noctis said.

Due to Ignis' injury, he walks at a slower pace than the others. Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio made sure not to leave the advisor behind as they navigated through the abandoned quarry. Prompto remained glued to the tactician's side in case he were to slip or trip in the mud.

The royal retinue walked down a windy slope into the quarry. As they passed a rusted bulldozer, they spotted movement in the distance. There was a pack of gurangatches wandering the shallow puddle outside the sinking mining machinery.

Creeping up on the group of monsters, Gladio summoned his greatsword and warned the tactician beside him. "Watch out, Iggy, they're on top of us."

"Ah, thank you," Ignis said as Noctis summoned his blade and performed a warp-strike.

"Don't thank me yet," Gladio retorts. He swings his sword at an approaching gurangatch, knocking it on its side.

Prompto summoned his pistol and shot the downed monster, killing it with a single shot. Noctis, who was still blinded by anger from his argument with Gladio, was being reckless and wound up being grabbed by one of the gurangatches. He fell on his back as the creature dragged him through the shallow water.

Although still mad at the prince, Gladio couldn't allow him to get hurt and attacked the creature latched on to his ankle. After he was freed, Noctis didn't even thank his shield before warp-striking another enemy.

When the last gurangatch is defeated, Noctis dispels his blade and glances in Ignis' direction. "Hey, you should hang back."

"Was I in the way?" Ignis asked, slightly dejected.

"No, you weren't. It's just—" Noctis was unsure how to end his sentence and fell silent with a huff. Returning to the task at hand, he trudged through the dirty water towards the path leading deeper into the quarry.

"Tomb must be down below," Gladio commented as they traveled down the sloping path.

Prompto was standing beside Ignis when he nearly slipped in the mud. "Whoa. Careful, Ignis."

Ignis sighed, annoyed by his disability. "Right."

Walking underneath large tree roots, the group comes across mining machinery blocking the path. "They parked here?" Gladio groaned.

"Wish we could write 'em a ticket," Prompto said.

Noctis took a closer look at the machinery and noticed there was nothing they could do from here.

"Nothing but a giant roadblock," Gladio muttered.

"Ironic for a vehicle," the sharpshooter commented.

"If we get its motor running, perhaps we can move it out of the way," Ignis chimed in.

"Then we better head back," Noctis mumbled.

Heading back up the path, they returned to the collapsed mining facility. Prompto was helping to search for a way to clear the path, but stopped when he felt an intense burning sensation on his wrist. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" He shook his wrist, confused as to what was causing him pain.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Gladio spat.

"I-It's not me!" Prompto cried out. He saw the gemstone was glowing brightly and realized it was the source of his pain. He quickly took off the bracelet and instantly found relief. "It's the bracelet."

"What's wrong with it?" Noctis asked.

"I-I don't know..." He examines the accessory closely. "It's never done this before."

All of a sudden, a spectral image of (Y/n) appeared in front of him. He gasped in shock, nearly dropping the bracelet. Alongside the girl was a fuzzy image of a man. He couldn't make out any facial features or what he was wearing. Reaching out, he tried to touch her. "(Y-Y/n)...?" His hand passed through her body.

At that moment, the ghostly image of the spirit began yelling at the man. "What the hell were you thinking?! You've gone too far!"

"I haven't gone far enough!" The man hollered back. "I thought you of all people would understand!"

"Oh, I understand completely. But this is not the way to do this! You're sick in the head! I won't support your experiments anymore!" (Y/n) turned her back on the man and began walking way. She didn't make it far before the man grabbed a sword and ran towards her. He plunged the blade through her back, the sharp tip piercing through her chest. All that fell from the girl's lips was a painful gasp.

"No!" Prompto shrieked out.

"Forgive me, (Y/n)..." The man mumbled somewhat sorrowfully. "But I can't lose you to those Lucian bastards. I will make the perfect copy and you will be mine, body and soul." He yanked the blade from her body, droplets of blood flying through the air.

Prompto leant forward to catch (Y/n) as she fell. Her body passed through his arms, his eyes widening as he remembered he couldn't touch her. He fell to his knees in the murky water, watching the spectral image of his beloved bleed profusely and the life leave her body. Slowly, her body and the man shattered into crystal shards. They floated through the air before vanishing.

The vision ended. Prompto wasn't sure what to do. His hands were shaking and tears streaming down his cheeks, but no sound came from him. Noctis told Ignis what happened once the shock wore off. By what the prince described, the tactician may have an answer to what transpired. "I do believe the term for such visionary is a memory echo."

"What's that?" Noctis inquired.

"A memory echo is a spectral vision which results from immense escalation of emotions from a guardian. The gemstone becomes enabled to exhibit a memory of a spirit."

"So to put it simply, we just saw one of (Y/n)'s memories?"

"Precisely."

Prompto shook his head, snapping out of his grievous state. He stood up and showed them the bracelet. The gem was still intact. "Th-That's not possible! (Y/n)'s still alive! A-And we've been together since we were toddlers!"

Gladio crosses his arms. "Maybe she's been lying to you."

"She's not a liar!" Prompto yelled angrily. The three were shocked. Never had they heard the blonde raise his voice out of anger. Prompto lowered his head, sliding the bracelet back onto his wrist when the gemstone ceased glowing. "She's not a liar..."

"Whatever," Gladio scoffed. He spun on his heels and continued to search for a way to clear the machinery. Noctis and Ignis weren't sure what to say to their friend and also joined the shield. With a huff of sorrow and anger, Prompto follows after his friends.

Eventually, the group discovers a control panel for the machinery. Prompto, although still having mixed feelings from witnessing the memory echo, was somewhat cheerful at the discovery. "This looks promising!"

"Is it operational?" Ignis asked.

"We'll see." Noctis inspects the control panel and starts up the machinery. Black smoke begins to pour out of its smokestacks, but abruptly stops after a moment.

"Hey. What're you stopping for?" Gladio snappily questioned.

"I'm not," Noctis hissed.

Prompto inspected a little closer and found a note. "Let's see here... "In case of power failure, use backup generators." There's a key in the shed."

They head to the lower trenches of the quarry as the sun began to set. Turning on their flashlights, they cautiously proceeded forward. After defeating some snagas, they continued through the windy path of the trenches. Soon, they arrived at Plantagh Haven and decided to call it a night.

A silence befell the group as Gladio distanced himself from the others. Even after enjoying cup noodles, he still wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone. By the time it was ready to sleep, no one said a word.

<—————————————<<<<<

The next morning, they left the haven and continued their search for the generator key. They found it near the shed guarded by a pack of falxfangs. With a quick ice spell, the creatures were all dead and the group claimed the generator key. With it, they searched for the generators and were able to reactivate them.

Returning to the machinery's primary control panel, Noctis was able to activate the machinery. They could hear the sound of the machine moving in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Noctis asked.

"Sounds like we're clear!" Prompto cheered.

"Grand," Ignis replied.

"Then let's move," Gladio huffed.

As the royal retinue begins to make their way down the newly cleared path, the shield stopped Noctis. "Hold up." The boy stops and turns to face his shield, allowing him to continue. "You sure you're ready for this? You got what it takes?"

"To do what?" Noctis snapped.

"To face your ancestors and convince them to lend you their strength. Got a long road ahead. Can you see this through? To the end?"

"Can and will," Noctis remarked with strong resolve. "Whether I like it or not, I've got a duty to fulfill—as king."

"You're damn right, you do. Then that means you'd better start taking this seriously." Gladio walks on past Noctis and heads deeper into the quarry.

With the machinery no longer blocking their path, they were able to head to the deepest parts of Fodina Caestrino.

Continuing down the path, the marksman took in their surroundings. "This cave is huge!"

Ignis lifted his head, loosening his grip on his cane slightly. "The tomb's further in?"

"You wanna wait here?" Noctis asked.

"Alone, here," Gladio sneered.

The prince glared at him. "Not what I said."

The conversation ended and the group proceeded further into the quarry. They eventually draw closer to the swamp at the bottom of the mine. Prompto grimaced when he smelt something foul in the air. "Man, something stinks around here. Don't slip and fall in whatever that is."

In the swamp located at the bottom, outside the entrance to the royal tomb, Noctis and the others come across several large organic sacs hanging between some tree roots. "What is this?" Prompto asked.

"I hate eggs," Gladio grumbled.

"Do we really wanna know what's back there?"

Suddenly, large squirming tentacles come out of the swamp followed by the malboro they belong to. The group backs away from the creature. The marksman stares, mouth agape at the sight of the creature. "That looks like a mouth. Is that its face?!"

Ignis, although he could smell the horrid odor seeping from the creature's being, couldn't see what had the blonde on edge. "What? What is it?"

"Something real bad!" Noctis summoned a spear and leapt into action. He charged towards the malboro and slashed at it. Prompto remained beside Ignis, keeping his distance from the foul-smelling creature. Gladio swung his greatsword, dodging the tentacles in the process.

Noctis activated the armiger and surge forward, slashing wildly at the malboro. When he no longer had the strength to support the armiger, the weapons vanished.

As the battle carries on, malboro sprouts begin to hatch. They scurry towards the boys. Prompto killed a few as they approached. "Whoa! Look who's hatching!"

"Bust 'em up!" Gladio shouted, slicing a few sprouts with a single swipe of his blade.

The three continue to fight against the malboro and the small sprouts. Ignis remained on the sidelines, knowing he would only get in the way. Noctis and Gladio delivered blow after blow, but none of their attacks were causing heavy damage. Not even Prompto's bullets could cause much damage.

"It's useless," Gladio sneered.

Prompto began to grow uneasy. "What do we do?!"

"This might be a good time to panic," Noctis said.

"No. There must be a way!" Ignis shouted, refusing to give up.

Just then, the malboro goes berserk. It opens its mouth, spewing its bad breath. Noctis received a whiff immediately and backed away with the others behind him. "Gotta shut that thing's trap!"

The malboro sucks in air and prepares to unleash another puff of bad breath. That's when inspiration dawns on Ignis's face. "Noct, I have an idea." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a magic flask. "If I may..." He hurls the magic flask down the malboro's gullet. A second later, flame erupts from the creature's throat. Feeling the immense heat and hearing the malboro wail out in pain, he knew his idea was successful. "Ah, as I suspected!"

"It really worked!" Prompto cheered.

"Nice one, Iggy," Gladio commented.

"Now, we've a fighting chance," the strategist said.

Ignis joins the fray and uses Libra Elementia. With the elemental attack, he torches the malboro to a crisp. Hearing the creature was silent, he asked, "Is it dead?"

"It is—and it's all thanks to Iggy!" Prompto chanted.

Gladio glanced at the strategist. "Iggy, you saved us."

"Seriously. We'd be plant food if it wasn't for you."

"Happy to help," Ignis responded.

Gladio looked over at Noctis with a scowl. "What, no royal commendation from His Majesty?"

"None for you, at least," Noctis quipped.

The group walk over to where the eggs were hanging. Gladio analyzed the small sacs. "Whisking them just makes a mess—better fry 'em."

Noctis incinerates the eggs, revealing the door to the royal tomb hidden behind them. Prompto recognizes the design and was relieved. "I think we found it!"

"Just wish they found a better place to build it," the prince commented. He enters the tomb and acquires the Katana of the Warrior. Leaving the tomb, he regroups with the others.

"All right, let's haul ass," Gladio said once the younger boy rejoined them.

Noctis nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's."

As the royal retinue walks back out into the swamp, Ignis stops everyone. "A moment?"

Gladio faces the advisor. "Is everything okay?"

"It bloody well isn't," he snapped. "And I won't suffer this pointless bickering in silence any longer. Let's be frank. My vision hasn't improved, and probably won't. Yet in spite of this... I would remain with you all. Til the very end."

The shield crossed his arms with a scowl. "Sorry, but I object. War is a matter of life and death."

"But, we'll be there!" Prompto chimed in.

"It's not about us looking out for him!" He growled.

"Uh-huh. Well, then he should be free to choose," the sharpshooter retorted.

"There's more to it than just what he wants!"

"I know full well! I won't ask you to slow down. If I can't keep up, I will bow out," Ignis intervened.

Gladio casted his glare towards Noctis. "What says "His Majesty"?"

Ignis turned his head in the raven-haired boy's direction. "Noct, you are king. One cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back." He then glanced in the shield's general direction. "Gladio, Noct will take his rightful place, but only once he's ready."

The brute is quiet for a moment before relenting and turning his back. "Have it your way. We're still taking a big risk." He then turns to look at Noctis. "We better all be ready." Gladio walks off, leaving the others behind.

Noctis, Prompto, and Ignis follow after Gladio and make their way back to the elevator. They rode it back up to the train station. As they stepped off the lift, they inhaled the fresh air. They wander over to the train, but Noctis stopped when he asked, "You guys mind if we stop in Tenebrae?"

"Might as well hop off," Prompto replied.

"If it helps him move on," Gladio said.

Noctis glanced over at Ignis, feeling resolved thanks to their earlier conversation. He wanted to express just how much he meant to him and the others and how they'd be there whenever he needed a helping hand. "We're here for you."

Prompto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let us help you."

All of a sudden, the boarding bell begins to ring. Prompto smiled at the sound. "And we're off!"

The marksman makes for the train. Gladio comes along behind him, guiding Ignis. "Are we clear?" The shield asked.

"Crystal," Ignis replied.

"Hey, watch your step," Noctis said.

"You're not "pushing onward"?" Gladio asked the younger boy.

"Not at his expense."

"Fair enough."

Just as they were about to board the train, a familiar voice called out to the sharpshooter. "Prompto."

Prompto was almost convinced his mind was playing tricks on him because of how much he missed his beloved. He was afraid to turn around and see another spectral image of his guardian. He wanted the real (Y/n), not some ghostly apparition. Building up his courage, he turned around. When seeing it was no mere figment of his imagination, his cerulean eyes widened as they locked with golden ones. "(Y/n)...?"