Entering greyshire glacial grotto, the boys noted just how right (Y/n) was. The temperature dropped dramatically and the cave was covered in ice. The deeper they went in, they could see just how thick the ice was that coated the walls. Noctis and Prompto rubbed their exposed arms, puffing out a breath as their teeth chattered from the cold. The blonde blew into his gloved hands, trying to warm his exposed fingertips. "This place gives me goose bumps. Double back for our coats?"

Gladio, who seemed to be not cold at all even with only a simple leather jacket on, replied with, "What's the point?"

The marksman continued to trail his hands up and down his arms. He was desperate for warmth, but knew he wouldn't be getting it until their business in the cave was done. "Well, looking on the bright side... Maybe the cold keeps the daemons at bay?"

Gladio scoffed and sarcastically replied, "Yeah, because monsters like warmth. Guess (Y/n)'s magic will protect all our asses from any daemons."

Prompto glanced at the shield for a split second before realizing he was being facetious. "Ah. Sarcasm. Hmm... But what if they're frozen?"

"Encased in ice... Waiting for something warm to pass by..."

"And then they jump out!" Prompto's body shook violently as he shudders at the cold and thought of daemons emerging from the ice.

"We'll just have (Y/n) refreeze them," the shield stated.

"And let you guys miss all the fun of battle? No way," (Y/n) remarked. "Besides, my ice spells are temporary. Any daemon I freeze will thaw out by the time we have to leave."

Not far into the cave, a trio of flans spawned. The gelatin-like daemons blocked their path and prevented them from going any further. Prompto sighed and groaned at the interruption. "And there's our warm welcome."

Noctis was the first to react. He summoned his engine blade and performed a warp-strike, but he scowled after seeing his attack did hardly any damage. Prompto conjured his pistol and shot the flans, only seeming to nip away a small portion of their health. Gladio joined the two younger boys, swinging his greatsword around. His attack also did a minuscule amount of damage.

Ignis gripped his daggers tightly. He had analyzed his companions' attacks and saw how futile they were. It was as if the flans were absorbing most of the force from the physical attacks in their gelatin bodies. "(Y/n), use magic," he commanded.

She nodded, holding up one of her hands. Three large icicles formed around her, which she aimed at the flans. She swung her arm to the side and sent the icicles flying towards the daemons once Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio were safely out of the way. Each icicle hit its mark and sent the flans flying backward. They were pinned to the icy wall, their bodies dissolving due to the attack being enough to kill them.

Prompto blinked in surprise. "Seriously? It was that easy?"

"Did you forget already?" Gladio sighed. "Her magic's amplified because of the cold."

"Oh, right..." Prompto strolled over to her to ask a question, but he slipped on a patch of ice. He screamed out as he fell on his back. Groaning in pain, he weakly glared at Gladio when he heard him laughing at him. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, keep laughing, big guy! It's always funny to watch people slip and fall!" He seethed.

(Y/n) helped him back to his feet. "I told you to be careful when walking near me. I don't have complete control of some of my magic."

He blushed lightly, remembering what she said before entering the cave. "O-Oh, right. Totally forgot that already..."

She stared into his cerulean eyes with her sapphire ones. "You're not hurt, are you? Not dizzy or feeling nauseous?"

"Um, no. I'm perfectly fine. Why?"

"Just making sure you don't have a concussion. You did hit your head, after all."

"Nope. I'm right as rain!" Prompto appreciated her concern. He thought she had the same motherly presence as Ignis when it came to injuries and couldn't help but grin. They had more in common than he'd thought.

Hearing Noctis groan, the blonde caught up with his best friend. The prince stood at the top of an icy slope that led deeper into greyshire glacial grotto. The sharpshooter was amazed at how far down the slope went. "Heading down a slippery slope... In slip-sliding shoes. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't jinx us," Noctis muttered.

"Hey, at least we're not wearing high heels like a certain someone," Gladio said, eyes trailing over to (Y/n).

"Is there a problem with my footwear?" She narrowed her eyes at the shield.

"Not at all. To be honest, watching you run in those things without tripping at least once is impressive. Think you'll be able to handle the icy slope, munchkin?"

She smirked confidently. "Wanna bet?"

"A thousand gil says you fall on your ass," he wagered.

"Two thousand says I remain on my feet the entire way down."

Gladio's own smirk came forth. "You're on." He then gestured to the icy slope. "Ladies first."

"How kind," she sarcastically replied. Stepping onto the icy slope, she kept her balance as she slid down deeper into the cave. Gladio and Noctis were next, both of them falling on their hindquarters not long after they begin sliding down. "Wh-whoa!" The prince shouted as he built up momentum.

"Down we go," Ignis said as he and Prompto followed suit.

At the bottom of the icy slope, (Y/n) landed on her feet. She looked up just in time to witness Gladio and Noctis ungracefully land on their hindquarters in front of her. Prompto landed on his stomach while Ignis landed perfectly on his feet just like her.

"Damn..." Gladio grunted as he got to his feet, rubbing his rear end. "Pretty sure I cracked my ass."

"Doesn't it already have a crack?" Prompto mumbled, pushing himself off the ground.

Dismissing the blonde's question, the brute glanced between Ignis and (Y/n). "You two are the only ones who kept their balance."

The guardian threaded her fingers together as fond memories of her childhood with Ignis resurfaced, smiling faintly. "Iggy and I would often go ice skating when we were younger. There was this pond located in his family's mansion's garden. I would freeze it and teach him how to ice skate from time to time. I think our favorite time to do it was during the summer on his days off. It was refreshing on those hot days." She blinked away the memory and huffed out a sigh. "You owe me a thousand gil, Gladio."

The shield clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. "I swear, you and Iggy are the worst people to bet against..."

"It's not our faults you suck at gambling."

Prompto and Noctis snickered at her comeback. They laughed even more when Gladio opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Even Ignis was smirking in amusement at her smart remark.

Their joyful moment was interrupted when a small horde of imps appeared out of nowhere. The daemons circled around the group, earning a frustrated cry from Noctis. "You things love deep pits. Let's get it over with."

The boys summoned their weapons while (Y/n) created a bow and arrow from ice. She fired the single arrow, which was quickly replaced with another. Her ammo was unlimited as long as she could cast ice magic. She fired arrow after arrow until the last imp was dead. The bow in her grasp shattered, the icy shards falling to the ground before vanishing.

After the battle, Prompto ridded himself of his pistol and shook his head when he felt a small tinge of pain. "So much for a "little chill." I got an ice cream headache-without the ice cream!"

"Isn't the more appropriate term a "brain freeze"?" (Y/n) asked.

"Yes! That! I've got a brain freeze from how cold this place is!" He placed his hands on either side of his head and groaned. "I hate brain freezes!"

"Same here," Noctis agreed with his best friend.

Proceeding forth, they venture around the icy cave. They encountered a few dead ends before arriving at another icy slope. (Y/n) snuck a glance at Gladio, smirking sinisterly. "What? No wager this time?"

"I think I've learned my lesson," he replied.

"What a shame," she sighed. "And here I thought I was going to become a thousand gil richer again."

Unlike the previous icy slope, Noctis decided to be the first one down. He slipped the second he got on the ice and rushed down the slope. Seeing a side path with a possible route to the royal tomb, he tried to alter his course but was having issues. Fortunately, (Y/n) saw what he was trying to do and acted quickly before he slid by. Casting a spell, she formed a large ice wall that kept him from sliding any further. The prince was in shock at the sudden appearance of the wall as he slid into it, but was grateful nonetheless. "Thanks for the assist, (Y/n)."

The girl, who stood on the side path, helped Noctis. "Glad I could help." She grabbed his hand and slid him across the ice until he was safely on the path. He stood with her assistance and released her hand when he saw the other three boys manage to slide directly to the side path.

The ice wall she created vanished as they searched around the new area. Noctis spotted a small opening in the ice that was big enough for them to crouch through. As he passed under the ice, Prompto cackled. "Your tips just got frosted, dude!"

"Really? How's it look?" Noctis curiously asked.

"I could frost your hair even more," (Y/n) grinned. "All you gotta do is ask."

The prince glanced at her as she emerged from underneath the icy overhang. "Why did that sound evil?"

"Maybe you need to get your hearing checked."

"Oh, he definitely does," Gladio agreed with a chuckle.

Ignis smiled faintly at their banter. He was happy to see (Y/n) interact with the others and see just how close she'd grown comfortable around them. He also was glad to hear the other boys talk to her like they were old friends. Although they've known her for years in her spiritual form, her human appearance was still new to them, but they treated her with respect and playfully bantered with her from time to time. Even he would mess with her on occasion just to see what reaction he would get. She was a colorful person and never ceased to amaze him with the various reactions she had. It was another thing he loved about her.

Taking a few steps forward, Noctis immediately took a single step back when another group of flans appeared. Remembering what (Y/n) did earlier, he grabbed a random magic flask from his pocket and tossed it at the squishy daemons. The glass flask shattered and flames consumed the flans. The single spell was enough to kill them.

Following the path, the group search for another way forward that didn't involve backtracking. They looked around and eventually located a narrow ledge that wrapped around one of the icy walls. Noctis eyes the ledge suspiciously before pressing his back against the frigid wall and slowly making his way across.

"Watch your step," Gladio warned the prince.

"No more slip-ups," Ignis said.

(Y/n) looked over at him, a single brow arched. "Was that another one of your puns, Iggy?"

Deciding to mess with her, he kept his expression neutral. "I couldn't possibly understand what you mean, (Y/n)."

She purses her bottom lip. "Acting innocent, huh?" Reaching out with a single hand, she poked him in the side. "That won't work on me. I know you like to crack off cheesy puns every now and then. It's one of your favorite pass times."

He adjusted his glasses, his expression still stoic. "Nonsense, (Y/n). Icy not what you speak of."

"You just did it again!"

Ignis could no longer keep his smirk at bay. It spread across his face as he gazed endearingly into her sapphire eyes. "Come now, ice forward."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you're making ice puns..."

"Hey," Gladio called out. "You two done flirting? Get your asses over here or we're leavin' you guys behind."

Ignis was unfazed by the shield's remark. He proceeded across the narrow ledge with (Y/n) lagging behind a little ways. They both safely make it to the other side where the others were waiting for them. Looking around, they all saw how the cavern opens up scenically.

"Well, this is new," Noctis mumbled.

Gladio looked around with a hint of amazement in his voice. "You can say that again."

Walking around the new area, the royal retinue debates between many paths. They set their sights on an icy incline that leads to a pathway up above. (Y/n) lagged behind to avoid freezing more of the slope and cause one of the boys to slip. Prompto tapped his foot against one of the patches of ice and saw it crack under the weight of his foot. "Well, this seems perfectly safe."

"Focus on walking," Ignis scolded the marksman.

Carefully, they make their way up the icy incline. Once at the top, they were startled by an arachne daemon as it descends from the ceiling. Gladio readied his greatsword with a sarcastic remark. "I did not see that coming."

Fighting against the daemon, (Y/n) used her bow and managed to knock it back. Noctis performed a warp-strike and caused the arachne to end up sprawled out on its back. Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto finished off the human/spider hybrid with their combined efforts. Dispelling their weapons, they continued deeper into the cavern as if nothing had happened.

Following another path upward, they trekked across a walkway that overlooked the large chamber they were currently in. Like with other areas of the cave, daemons littered the pathway. A ronin and some flans seemed to have been eagerly awaiting their arrival and attacked.

While the boys focused on the flans, (Y/n) set her sights on the ronin. She conjured an ice sword and attacked the daemon that towered over her. She ducked under its katana when it swung it at her and jammed her own sword into its abdomen. Feeling the surge of power, the blade morphs and turns into multiple icicles. The ice pierced the ronin's body multiple times, sending it to its knees. Forming a single throwing knife from ice, she aimed for the daemon's head and threw it. Just like the sword, it morphed into an icicle and impaled its head. That was the final straw for the daemon. Its body keeled over and fell lifeless to the icy ground before dispersing.

Prompto had taken a few shots of her battle with the ronin. He admired them with a grin. "Oh-ho, these are amazing if I do say so myself!"

"Maybe if you stopped taking pictures, you could learn a thing or two from (Y/n)," Gladio said.

"Doubt it," Noctis sneered. "She's like a video game character with stat bonuses in this place. Totally not fair."

"She's like a five-star King's Knight character! Like, only one you can get from a special event!" Prompto added excitedly.

"(Y/n) is standing right here and can hear everything you're saying," the girl spoke about herself in the third-person, earning a faint chuckle from Ignis.

"Sorry..." Prompto apologized sweetly.

"Putting video games aside," Gladio began, his greatsword vanishing from his hand. "The glaive is through here?"

"Most likely," Noctis replied.

"Let's see for ourselves," Ignis said.

Walking to the end of the path, Noctis located another narrow ledge that wrapped around the cave wall. Gladio followed right behind the prince while Prompto was the third one to cross. Halfway across, the blonde's teeth chattered again. He thought he would've gotten used to the cold after they'd been in the cave for two hours. "I'm freezing... What I wouldn't give for a hot bowl of soup. Mmm...soup. We're almost there... We gotta be. Right?!"

(Y/n), who was behind him, spoke up. "I could always scout ahead."

"Nah, it's fine," Noctis replied. "Gotta feeling we're pretty close."

As the prince had predicted, they discovered the royal tomb after crossing the ledge. On the other side was a large, open room covered in ice. The walls reflected the sun that managed to seep in through a hole in the back wall.

The door to the royal tomb came into view and Gladio smirked. "Hey! Knock, knock."

"We're there...finally," Ignis sighed.

Just as Noctis searches his pocket for the key Cor gave him, several daemons manifest. Among their ranks was a mindflayer and a horde of imps. Gladio huffed out a groan as he conjured his greatsword. "Can't it ever be easy?"

"Never," Noctis responded, using his sword to warp-strike one of the imps.

"Where's the fun in that?" Ignis sarcastically asked, throwing one of his daggers and impaling another imp.

(Y/n) decided to use her bow and kept away from direct combat. She nocked three arrows and aimed them all at the mindflayer. Releasing them, they pierced the daemon but didn't kill it. Prompto saw it was stunned from her attack and fired bullet after bullet. He cheered when his final bullet plunged into the daemon's head and killed it.

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio dealt with the imps. When there were only two left, flans and more mindflayers manifested. (Y/n) kept her attention focused on one of the mindflayers and morphed her bow into a sword. Deciding to switch tactics, she charged at the daemon. Teaming up with Ignis, she performed a link-strike with him. Switching to his polearm, she infused it with her ice magic before he tossed it at the mindflayer. It impaled the daemon and its body becomes crystallized in ice. As the javelin vanished, the ice cracked and shattered. Chunks of ice fell to the ground in a pile, the mindflayer dead.

"Wha-?!" Prompto gaped, having watched the entire thing after killing the other mindflayer. "What was that?!"

"A simple enchantment," (Y/n) blandly replied. She manifested a large icicle and impaled three flans.

"Simple yet effective," Ignis stated.

Noctis finished off the remaining flans with a single magic flask. When all the daemons were dead, he rolled his shoulder with a groan. "There. They're all dead, finally..."

Prompto's eyes glistened with hope, his gun vanishing from his grasp. "Does this mean we can go back outside?!"

"Still gotta visit the royal tomb, remember?" The prince took the key out of his pocket, approaching the crypt of his ancestor. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and claimed the Sword of the Wanderer. Unlike the first two times, he felt a strange power course through his veins. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was eager to find out.

Returning to the others, Noctis tugged on his jacket. "Let's get the hell outta here. I'm gonna need a hot bath after this is over."

Prompto cheered. "Aw, yeah. We're heading back outside! Let's go!"

Retracing their footsteps from earlier, the five return to the entrance of the cave. As they stepped out into the light of the sun and felt the warmth, the chill in their bones defrosted. Noctis took a step forward, but suddenly hunched over in pain. He grabs his head with a painful wince. Like when they first arrived in Lestallum, images flashed through his mind in a flurry.

Prompto took a few steps towards him when seeing his painful expression. "Noct, you okay?!"

A few seconds later, the pain and images fade from Noctis' mind. "What did I... Where was that?"

Gladio was mystified and asked, "What is it?"

The prince tried to make sense of the images that flickered through his mind. "A hole in the ground...something burning... The Meteor?"

"You saw the Disc of Cauthess?" Ignis inquired with a puzzled tone.

Gladio patted Noctis on the back. "Let's make our way back to Lestallum."

However, the raven-haired boy shook his head. "Not yet. We're going to Costlemark next."

"That wouldn't be wise, Noct," (Y/n) chimed in after her long silence.

He lifted his head and met her gaze. "I can deal with headaches for a little while longer. We need to stop this voice and the only thing we can do is visit Costlemark before you wind up in another trance. You almost were hit by a car yesterday because of this damned voice. At least I don't lose control of my body when I get a headache. We're going and that's final." Noctis took the lead and walked down the cliffside path.

Gladio and Prompto followed after him, but Ignis and (Y/n) remained behind. They exchanged uncertain glances before following their companions and leaving greyshire glacial grotto.