Not my pic.

"A deal?"

"Yep, I want us to make a deal." The stranger said still grinning in a goofy way
"Look you, intruder. I don't make deals with people I don't know. So beat it." I said in a forceful tone and the stranger sigh.
"But if I go away, I might tell king Regis or Cor who you really are. You don't want that do you?"
"I doubt that you know either person."
I replied, he had to be bluffing
"Really? Let's call one of them." The stranger said as he took out a cellphone and speed dialed a number. After two rings a familiar voice spoke,
"What do you want, fool? I'm busy."
Cor?!
"Awwww, is that anyway to treat your dear friend, Cor?"
"Fuck off, already. I don't want to deal with you."
"But Cor I'm lonely! Can't you help out a friend? I need something from the palace."
".....what do you need?" Cor snorted
What the hell?
"All I need is a vanilla and chocolate cake, 3 pieces each!"
"You call me for that?" Cor's tone sounding angry
"I could always call Regis for this errand, Cor."
"......fine. I will give it to you tonight; no promises."
"Thank you, Cor! Your my lovely hero!!"
"Go to fucking hell, parasite and don't bother me again or the king!!!" With that Cor hanged up
He sounded pissed off more with this stranger; why?
"Is that proof enough for you?"
"...what's the terms of the deal?"
"I knew you see it my way! I'm having a little bit of a problem, you see. I need something in the palace, a book!" the stranger said as I gave him a look of 'wtf' and asked,

"Why a book?"

"Well, let's just say it's a interesting read. In return, I will keep my mouth shut about your true intentions." The stranger said smirking as my mind calculated the deal, it sounded reasonable but suspicious. My eyes were scanning him top to bottom as my results didn't shred any light on my mysterious intruder and the ID scan came up a John Doe from...50 years ago? He raised a brow as if challenging me to find out who really is. This person held many mysteries indeed.
"What book am I looking for?"
"It's called myths of the unknown. Can't miss it in the library, product #0. I'll even tell why you have this mission."
"You know nothing about me, intruder." I stated as my eyes blinked, the stranger is inches away from my face and his grin widened.
"I know all about you, ÁSTRÍÐR. You are weapon programmed to kill the last Lucien heir."
I had it. My fist clenched and went straight to punch however, the intruder slide back and went behind me. He pulled out a pocket knife and aimed inches away from my neck. We were in a standstill and he asked,
"My dear  ÁSTRÍÐR , did you know you were human?"
"What? That's bullshit!" I retorted
"I know, I thought that too until I saw the truth. The very bloody truth about you and your another family member."
He said as my body froze of the word 'family member', my mind is confused and replied,
"I have no family, intruder. I'm a machine programmed to kill."
"Are you sure about that? You shouldn't listen to that woman." the intruder said as my mind thought about Medusa at an instant, it was something to consider but not possible to me and the intruder let me go. 

"That's it, your leaving?"

"Yes, I have another things to do, ÁSTRÍÐR. One more thing." The intruder said as quick as sound, he threw a needle that aimed for my head and my hand caught it. Suddenly, my systems were beginning to act on their own such as shutting down and errors in my program. My body slowly slouch down on the ground and intruder smirked again.

"I will be watching you, ÁSTRÍÐR. Don't disappointment me now. Have fun learning about you!"

With that said, my eyes closed off reality to fall into darkness. My eyes opened again to find that I was in a grass field with no buildings, people or life around me. I slowly got up as my ears began to hear whispers, my eyes saw nothing but calmness and it is unwelcoming to me. Where the hell am I? What was that needle? My feet started to walk forward as the landscape began to change into the Insomnia throne room and I stopped in the middle of the room. Wait, this is..what the hell is going on with me? Is this a test? Again, no one is here but me. The whispers stopped for a minute until a familiar voice said,

"You're finally here,ÁSTRÍÐR."

"Huh?" I said as I looked around, no one is here however my scanner detected many people are around me. This confused me greatly as now, I can't trust my scanner and now, my other sequences were not responding to me. Unsettling...

"You have many questions but we don't have time."

"Time? Who are you? I heard you before...in my..."
"Yes, your dreams or you would prefer, a sleep cycle in your case."

"Where are you hiding?" My tone started rough and it was getting on my nerves that I couldn't see who is talking to me.

"Sadly, I'm not hiding from you out of my own power. I'm trapped here where no one can see me such as yourself. You have a interesting air; you almost pass for human."

"I'm not human." I scoffed at the comment

"Heh, I know. You are created as one of them but...you still retain the powers that were given to you long ago."

"Powers? What powers? I'm a machine! First it's the intruder now you?!"

"....I didn't mean to offend you but it's the truth. Now then, come forward to the throne. I must give you want you need for your journey."

"Journey?" I started to walk to the throne chair as the voice said no more, my feet stopped at the throne chair and found a red ring. It was a heavy ruby material formed as a ring with a sapphire stone in the middle. My eyes scanned the ring as a normal object but it is also telling me many errors of this object.

"Wear it, ÁSTRÍÐR. It belongs to you alone not even that woman can take it." the voice finally said something as my fingers put on the ring, the object glow bright red with glory and my sequences began to...react to the ring. My body began to shake in pain? That's not possible! My whole body twitched in this odd pain that I'm experiencing now and my scanner showing me white ghost like forms that gathered around me. I tried to move but it was hopeless. Without my sequences being properly performed; I am a useless moving doll. For the first time, I felt my mind is going to overthinking mood with my body continued to shake; not moving. Is this...fear?

"It's time, ÁSTRÍÐR. You begin to know the truth, your journey and...possible love. May the Gods, grace you home once it's done."

"Waii-tt...What...do..you....mean...?"

"Goodbye, ÁSTRÍÐR. Come here again when you are ready to talk." the voice said as the ghost like forms came to me, I shut my eyes to be in the darkness again and reopened them to see a familiar guest room.

"Hey, look! Alice is awake!" a voice called out as I slowly got up, my eyes saw the four men crowded around me with concern and worry in their eyes.

"Hey...what's up?" I said 

"That's all you got to say when you were out for a week?! We were worried that you wouldn't wake up!" Noctis said as he hugged me from behind, I felt heat from his hug such as an overwhelming energy and my fingers twitched in response. How was I...feeling something? A week? If felt I was in that place for fifteen minutes...I guess time stopped in reality. My mind clicked as my eyes went to were I had the red ring, it the same but somehow looked different in a way. 

"Miss Alice, are you still feeling any pain?" Ignis asked as Noctis let go of me but intertwined my hand with his

"No...I just feel light headed. What happened?" I asked to play dumb because I didn't want these four knowing what...I saw. All of them looked at each other and then looked at me as if they were scared to tell me.

"Miss Alice, we want you to keep an open mind of what we're going to tell you."

"...Ok?" I'm getting confused.

"Noctis said you meet with a mafia, yes? Well,...that ring you have..."

"What about it? Spit it out, guys. What's going on?"

"Well, you see...Alice.."Prompto stuttered

"I'll tell her. Alice-" 

"For the love of Etro, I'll tell her! You have been marked for death, Alice by the Mafia lord!" Gladiolus interrupted Noctis from telling as his friends were staring at him for saying something too soon, they all had eyes on me and I replied,

"Huh?"

Thank you, readers for reading this story! I hoped you enjoy reading this chapter. There is more to come, friends. Mafia marking Alice for death?! Why, well you have to wait and see. I wanted to ask a questions to all my readers out there. What do you like about this story that you like it so much? Please type up your thoughts in the comment box and I will reply to you as soon as possible. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, what to make this story better if I know some of your thoughts on this story.