Three days passed after Prompto and (Y/n) were brought to Zegnautus Keep. The boy, at the command of Callyx, was now bound to a mechanical device. His body was littered with cuts and bruises, but his entire being ached. He hung his head, eyes sealed shut as another wave of pain washed over his body. The guardian enjoyed torturing the boy, a wicked smile etched across his face as he delivered hit after hit. Blood seeped from the larger gashes scattered across his body, but Callyx made doubly sure the wounds he inflicted wouldn't be any cause for concern.

The moment the cell door opened was when Prompto raised his head. The devil of a spirit walked into the cell with two soldiers by his side. They freed him from the device and grabbed both his arms, pinning them behind his back and cuffing them together. Callyx ordered them to drag him along and follow.

Prompto lifted his head as he was dragged behind Callyx by the two soldiers. He examined his surroundings, trying his best to memorize where they were going. They wandered down many hallways and corridors until coming to a stop in an observation room. Control panels with numerous of monitors were located underneath a large window that was darkened out.

One soldier unlocked his cuffs and freed him before tossing him to the floor. Prompto grunted as he landed on his hands and knees. Through the pain that engulfed his body, he managed to get to his feet. He rubbed his blistered, raw wrists while glaring over at Callyx. He watched as the guardian strolled over to one of the control panels and pressed a few buttons. The glass of the window was no longer blacked out and visibility in the room behind it was poor.

Prompto's eyes were drawn to the opposite room when the lights flickered on. What he saw caused his eyes to widen in horror and the fury he felt a few days ago to return tenfold.

Inside the rectangular room on the other side of the glass was (Y/n). Her body was pinned to the metal wall, black spikes pierced through her arms and legs. It was as if she was a butterfly pinned inside a shadow box. Blood trickled from around the spikes, trailing down her body and forming a small puddle of crimson liquid underneath her. Her head was tucked against her chest, face hidden from everyone.

Prompto dashed toward the window and slammed his fists repeatedly against the glass, crying her name out in a desperate attempt to get her attention. Callyx simply watched in amusement before chuckling. "You honesty think she can hear you? That glass is 24 millimeters thick."

Prompto tore his gaze away from (Y/n), glaring at Callyx. Before he could say anything, the guardian already had an explanation. "She's not dead, if you're wondering. Then again, you probably already know that from the gemstone. This wouldn't be any fun if she was dead." He glanced toward one of the soldiers. "You know what to do."

The soldier left the room. Prompto watched him leave before looking back at Callyx. "Why did you bring me here?"

He huffed out a groan. "Have you already forgotten? Well, I'm not surprised if I'm being honest. You're getting a front row seat to feeding time."

The boy's brows furrowed together. "Feeding time...?"

The wicked grin that haunted Prompto for the past three days spread across the spirit's face. "It's been a while since the devourer had a tasty snack. (Y/n) is next on the menu and we wouldn't want you to miss it."

Just then, the sound of a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the Keep. Prompto looked around in confusion while Callyx groaned in annoyance. "Those imbeciles really don't know how to handle my creation, do they...?"

Followed by the scream, the sound of a large explosion resonated throughout the area. The room shook slightly, papers falling off a table in the corner of the room. Now both men were bewildered. Callyx clicked his tongue, using the control panel to access the cameras scattered throughout Zegnautus Keep. On one of the camera feeds, he spotted a lone figure wandering the corridors of the lower level. "Dammit all..." Lifting his head, he addressed the soldiers stationed a few feet away from the door. "There's been a minor setback. Take him back to his cell."

Prompto saw no point in struggling. He allowed one trooper to cuff his wrists before being yanked out of the room. Before the door closed behind them, the boy glanced over his shoulder at (Y/n), swearing to the Astrals he would be back for her.

Back in the cell block, he hoped the soldiers would just toss him into the cell without strapping him to the strange device. However, his hopes were dashed when they shoved him towards it after undoing the cuffs. Prompto refuses to be reattached to the device and tried to fight his way out of the cell. He manage to kick one to the ground and grabbed their gun. As he aimed it at the other soldier and went to pull the trigger, the trooper was much quicker. The second soldier rammed the stock of his firearm into the back of Prompto's neck, knocking him unconscious.

•••••

"Prompto!" A nineteen-year-old (Y/n) shouted excitedly from the kitchen of the apartment. She had just returned home from her shift at the small boutique a few blocks away.

A fifteen-year-old Prompto just finished changing out of his high school uniform and into something more comfortable when hearing her call his name. He left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen. "What is it, (Y/n)?"

The (h/c)-haired girl spun around, revealing the cake she had with a smile. "Happy birthday, Prom."

The boy was in awe at the sight of the cake. "This is..."

"It's chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. I was hoping we could enjoy a slice together." She lowered the cake and placed it on the counter. "I hope it's not too much. I know you've done your best to lose weight and, well..."

Prompto glanced down at the cake. The buttercream frosting was dyed blue with a yellow chocobo on top. There were even small white clouds, making the blue appear as if it were the sky. He was shocked and didn't know what to say.

(Y/n) noticed his silence and became nervous. "Is it too childish?"

"No!" Prompto denied, turning his attention to her. "I think it's amazing, (Y/n). This is the first time we've been able to spend my birthday together without my parents. It's nice. I wish we could've done it sooner."

Her smile returned. "There's one more thing I wanna give you." She rushed down the small hallway to the bedroom and grabbed what she had hidden under the bed. She promptly returned to the kitchen and held out the present. "I've been waiting all month to give this to you."

Prompto gaped in surprise as he took the gift. "You even bought me a present?"

"Of course I did," she giggled. "Open it!"

"Shouldn't we enjoy the cake first?"

"No way! I can't wait for you to open it. We can have a slice of cake after."

Seeing how excited she was, Prompto decided to open the present. He tore off the paper, gasping when seeing what he unwrapped. He tossed the wrapping paper aside and examined the box closely. It was the camera he'd been saving up for. "Is this...the newest model?"

The guardian nodded. "Yep. You've been talking about it for the past three months and I thought it'd make the perfect birthday present."

He placed the camera box down on the counter beside the cake before stepping towards (Y/n). He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I love it, (Y/n). Thank you so much."

She wound her arms around his waist, returning his hug. "You're welcome, Prom." Pulling away, she peered up at his face. "Now then, let's eat some cake! I even bought some ice cream if you want some."

"There's no way I can deny a slice of cake and ice cream," he laughed. "I'll blame you for making this my cheat day."

"Blame me all you like. No one can ever deny cake and ice cream on their special day."

The two ate the cake and ice cream together. There was plenty of each left over once their bellies were full. Once they took care of the dishes, they headed into the small living room connected to the kitchen. (Y/n) laid down on the couch with Prompto laying partially on top of her. She raked her hands through his hair as his head rested against her chest. As he enjoyed her touch, he fiddled with his new camera. He admired it with stars in his eyes. "Man, I am totally gonna take some cool pictures with this camera. There's ton of space on the SD card, too!"

"Knowing you, you'll fill up the entire SD card in a month," she said. "We should look into getting you a second one just in case."

Prompto turned off his new camera, placing it in his lap. He stared up at the ceiling in silence for a couple of minutes before attempting to confess his true feelings that'd been eating at him for the past two years. "Hey, (Y/n)?"

"Yeah?" She questioned.

"What if... What if I said... Ah, never mind," he sighed, his confidence shattering. "It's nothing important."

"You can't leave me hanging like that!" She gasped.

"Can you wait a little longer?" He begged.

Smiling, she nodded. "Of course. I'll be here whenever you need me."

Prompto closed his eyes with a content sigh. "Thanks, (Y/n)."

Suddenly, the air in the apartment became cold and the lights flickered out. Prompto grunted when his body was dropped on to the sofa. "(Y/n)?" He sat up, seeing the guardian was gone. Even his camera was missing. Getting to his feet, he began searching the apartment for her. He checked the kitchen, the hallway bathroom, their shared bedroom, and the bathroom attached to it. "(Y/n)?!" He frantically searched the closet, underneath the bed, and even the fire escape. He couldn't find her anywhere.

As Prompto ran back to the living room, the apartment morphed and he found himself back in the Magitek Production Facility. He stood in a room lined with large glass cylinders. Instead of finding copies of himself, he saw the face of (Y/n) on the bodies trapped inside. Some were missing limbs while others were sickeningly disfigured, creating a horrific creature. Each glass tube had large red 'X's painted across the front. "Wh-What's going on?" He spun around in confusion. "(Y/n), where are you?!"

From the darkness, Prompto heard the clacking of heels. Turning around, he saw the (h/c)-haired guardian emerge from the shadows and step into the light radiating from the glass tubes. Her expression remained stoic as she stopped a few feet away from him. He went to approach her, but she stopped him by raising her hand. "Please, don't come any closer, Prompto."

"What's wrong, (Y/n)?" He asked with a concerned expression. "Why're we back here?"

His questions went unanswered as she gestured to the various glass tubes surrounding them. "Failure after failure, Verstael desperately tried to recreate (Y/n). After so many failures, he finally succeeded only for me to be taken by a Lucian spy alongside you. In the end, I may have been the perfect copy but to him I was another failure. Do you honestly believe we could be happy together because of our origins?"

"Where we come from doesn't matter!" Prompto wailed. "It's where we're going that counts! I don't care that you're some copy of his guardian or that I'm a copy of him! I won't be able to do anything if you're not with me!"

"Prompto," she mumbled.

He outstretched his hand towards her. "I only care about the girl who showed me love and kindness all those years in Insomnia when no one else would. It's thanks to you I was able to achieve my goals and make even more friends. I want both of us to get back together with Noct and the others and go back to all the fun we were having together. I refuse to leave you behind, (Y/n). I need you more than you know it. So please, let's go back together."

The guardian stared at his hand. She weighed her options, but her feelings for him were too strong. There was no way she'd ever leave him. She loves him too much and cherished her new friendship with Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Yes, let's go together, Prom."

Just as she was about to place her hand in his, the sound of gunfire could be heard from behind her. The invisible bullets pierced her body over and over again, blood spattering as each one hit. Prompto stared in horror as her body became riddled with bullets and her blood splattered across his body.

Once the firing ceased and the last bullet was fired, (Y/n)'s body collapsed lifeless against the ground. Prompto fell to his knees, hands shaking as he reached for her. "(Y-Y/n)..." He managed to crawl closer to her and turn her body over. He saw her eyes were open, void of life. He gasped, his attention being drawn to the bracelet around his right wrist when he heard a faint cracking sound. Looking at it, he saw the gemstone was cracked and was turning black. "No, no, no!" He pulled her cold body into his arms and tried to wake her up, ignoring the blood that was beginning to soak his being. "Please wake up, (Y/n)," he begged with tears in his eyes. He lowered his head, nudging his nose against hers. "I can't lose you..." Tears flowed from his eyes, splashing against her cheeks. He held her tightly as a guttural wail erupted from his throat. His cry fell on deaf ears as he was consumed by darkness.

•••••

Prompto awoke from his unconscious state when he felt his body fall to the floor. Opening his eyes, he saw Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis.

"Hey, you alright?" Gladio asked.

"Are you hurt? Do you need help?" Ignis inquired, unable to see the blonde's tattered state.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Noct." Through the pain, Prompto manages to sit upright and met Noctis' gaze. "Tell me. Were you worried about me?"

"Of course I was. What kind of question is that?" Noctis retorted.

"Of course. That's why you came, like I believed you would."

"Prompto..." He murmured.

"That's why I told myself I couldn't die. Not until I could see you and hear you tell me I'm not a fake-that I'm the real me."

Noctis hung his head with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Everything's alright now." With his best friend's help, Prompto was able to stand. "I have to save (Y/n). Will you guys help me?"

"Hell yeah," Noctis smirked. "She's our friend, too."

"You seriously think we wouldn't help you save your little lady?" Gladio guffawed.

"Her comradeship has been invaluable," Ignis added. "Abandoning her is not an option."

"Thanks, guys," Prompto smiled at his friends. "I know where they're keeping her. Let's go."

Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis followed him out of the cell block and down a series of hallways until they arrived at where Callyx dragged him earlier. The door slid open and the four boys entered the room. However, the room was in complete shambles. The bodies of dead soldiers were scattered across the floor with documents strewn about. What caught his attention the most was the shattered window. He stepped over shards of glass as he headed towards the window. Peering into the connected room, he saw (Y/n) was missing. The only thing that remained was the puddle of blood.

"Thought you said she was in here," Gladio remarked. "All I see are dead bodies and broken glass."

"She was here, I swear!" Prompto shouted. "Callyx brought me here."

"Think they moved her?" Noctis asked.

"Possibly." Ignis fumbled around until he came across the control panel. He activated the monitors, which caused a lightbulb to flicker on above the marksman head as he remembered what Callyx did.

He made his way over to the control panel and remembered the buttons the guardian pushed. "I almost forgot. Callyx used this control panel to access the cameras all over this place."

The strategist was able to connect the puzzle pieces. "It's highly possible they will reveal what transpired here."

"Exactly." Prompto continues to work on the control panel until he was able to pull up the camera feed for the room they were currently in. With a few more buttons, he was able to rewind the feed. He stopped a few frames after seeing the window shatter. Playing the feed, they watched what happened hours ago.

Soldiers were doing their duties until the sound of a bloodcurdling scream came from behind the glass. All the troopers' attentions were drawn to the window as it shattered. Many of them were killed by the shards while a couple were left standing. From the broken window, (Y/n) climbed into the room and killed the two remaining soldiers. Before she left the room, she looked up at the camera to reveal not gold slits but glowing azure sclera with no iris or pupil.

Prompto stopped the rewind, eyes still glued to the screen. He wasn't sure what to say, but Noctis did. "Looks like Brahma took over. Whether that's a good or bad thing, we won't know until we find (Y/n)."

The sharpshooter was somewhat relieved but still worried. He glanced down at the gemstone to still see it was normal. "She's alive. That's all that matters. I'm sure we'll find her soon."

"Now that we know short stuff is gone, let's get the hell outta here and find a way to get your powers back," Gladio said, eyeing Noctis.

Ignis nodded in agreement. "Yes, let's."