This will take place after Noctis receives Titan and Ramuh's blessing. Also, sorry for the quick rundown of information here at the beginning.

The days rolled by quickly and the group found themselves taking down imperial bases. After returning to Lestallum in search of answers behind the prince's headaches, they ran into Ardyn, who then took them to meet the Archeon. One thing led to the next and Noctis was receiving not only Titan's blessing, but Ramuh's as well. Yet, through the entirety of it all, Ardyn would show his face, even if only to torment Lorelai. He was the reason she saw her mother's face at every turn. He would make himself or others look like Ailey, the late queen of Siderum.

No one could understand his reasons, but he continually aided them. Though at times, he would only show himself to the girl merely to try to persuade her to do his bidding. Lorelai always resisted, but the mental strain was beginning to be too much for her. No matter how much she shut him out, he always came back. Tales of Luminis, the lost city, spouted from his mouth. She knew that he wanted her to go there and that she couldn't give in, no matter what. She clung to her belief that Luminis should stay hidden.

It was the middle of the night. The gang had just wrecked another imperial base. They now gathered at a motel room, taking it easy for the remainder of the night. Having already eaten supper, Noctis stood from his seat, murmuring about cleaning up while heading to the bathroom. Ignis then got up and walked toward the door.

"I need to do a little shopping myself. See what ingredients I can procure for breakfast in the morning."

"In that case, I'll join ya," Gladio said, following the bespectacled man out the door.

Prompto looked to his girlfriend. "I think I might grab a snack. Wanna come?"

"Nah, I'm good," she responded, stretching her arms tiredly.

"Okay, be back in a sec."

The blond flew out the door, eager to grab a bite and return to Lorelai. The girl giggled at him and laid back on the bed. She took hold of her locket and opened it, staring at her mother's picture. She always kept the locket around her neck where it was always close to her. She also still had the bracelet Prompto gave her along with the dragon wood carving. Those were some of her most treasured possessions.

"Look at you, all alone." Lorelai frowned, her eyes shifting down to the woman standing at the foot of the bed. She knew the image of her mother was fake and that it was actually Ardyn. She used to fear him, but now he annoyed her more than anything. "Are you certain you don't want to uncover the truth?"

Lorelai closed her locket and propped up on her elbows. "What truth would that be?"

Ailey's figure moved around to the side of the bed, leaning down toward the girl. "The truth about yourself. There is much you don't know." She chuckled. "But I do."

"Then why don't you just tell me?" Lorelai asked with annoyance.

Ailey grinned and chuckled again. "What fun would that be? If you want to know, you must discover it on your own."

"Pass." Lorelai flopped back onto the bed again.

"Oh? By any chance, have you ever wondered where your magic comes from?" Lorelai froze, her eyes looking over at her mother. "There is history behind that, you know."

Lorelai clenched her fists. "I don't care. It doesn't matter."

Ailey frowned. "I see your stubbornness is still present." Her voice began to deepen into Ardyn's. "I only wish you were there to witness the death of your mother." Standing up straight, Ardyn's voice went back to Ailey's as he feigned his distress. "Oh, Lorelai, how could you leave me?!"

The girl's eyes widened. "I-I did no such thing!"

"You abandoned us all! Me, Purnima, your people, your home - you left it all so that you could save yourself!"

Lorelai clutched her head, attempting to cover her ears. "No! Stop it!"

"You left us all to die! And here I thought you cared about others!"

Lorelai curled up on her side, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. She trembled, trying to block out Ardyn's trickery. She suddenly heard someone enter the room. She opened her eyes, seeing Prompto. He looked at her with worry. She swiftly sat up and looked around. Ardyn was gone.

"Lora, what's the matter?" Prompto asked, approaching her. He immediately looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. But he could guess what it was. "It was Ardyn again, wasn't it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. Still trying to get me to do what he wants. But I won't fall for it. I'll never let him manipulate me." She then hung her head down and sighed. "I just... don't know how much more I can take."

Prompto walked over and took a seat beside her. "I brought back a snack, if you want it. I decided not to get anything much." He held out a granola bar. The girl smiled, taking it from him. He then snaked an arm around her waist and scooted closer. "Lora, you know if there was anything I could do to stop him, I'd do it."

She smiled. "I know."

She set the snack aside, leaned closer, and pressed her lips against his. He immediately returned her kiss, feeling her hands clutching his shirt. Without breaking the kiss, Prompto slowly wrapped both arms around her and shifted around so that he completely faced her. He then pulled her closer until her body was pressed against his. Right when the kiss was becoming more heated, the sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed their attention. They pulled apart and looked to see Noctis at the bathroom door, his arms crossed.

"Noooct!" the gunman whined, annoyed by the interruption.

The prince held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I didn't ask to see you two making out as soon as I enter the room."

Prompto's cheeks grew red out of embarrassment. Lorelai gazed at her boyfriend and giggled. The blond looked at her questioningly. The girl brought her hands up to rest behind his neck.

"Don't let him bother you, Prompto. Who cares if he's watching?"

Despite being embarrassed, Prompto eagerly kissed her again. Noctis was left to roll his eyes and take a seat turned away from them. This time, the gunman took the initiative and slipped his tongue past her lips, tasting every aspect of her before pulling away briefly to breathe. The two remained in each other's arms, kissing and snuggling. At least until the others returned. As soon as Gladio saw them, a smirk crept across his face.

"Look who's gettin' it on," he said.

His comment made the couple finally pull apart. They moved back and retracted their arms from each other, looking over at the two men.

"Apologies for the interruption," Ignis said, casually walking over to the table and setting the bag of food items down. He then pushed up his glasses, his emerald eyes landing on the two. "If I had known you'd be in the midst of intimate relations, I would've-"

"No, it's fine," Lorelai interrupted, not wanting him to finish that sentence. Her own cheeks were beginning to grow warm just as Prompto's had. "You didn't interrupt a thing."

"Not what it looked like a minute ago," the shield stated. His phone suddenly rang. He slipped it from his pocket, checking who it was before answering. "Hey, Sania, how are things going on your end?"

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful! I've figured out what's causing the monsters to go haywire!"

"Great!"

"I suggest you boys come on back here! I guarantee you'll want to know all about it!"

"Will do. We'll be there tomorrow." He hung up and looked at his puzzled companions. "Sania's solved the mystery behind the crazy monsters. Wants us to meet her for the details."

Lorelai smiled brightly. "Nice! That was faster than expected!"

"We'll leave in the morning," Noctis said.

"But for now, who's up for a game of cards?" Prompto asked, not feeling quite tired enough to sleep yet.

"You sure you wouldn't rather be cuddling in bed with Lorelai?" Gladio teased, a smirk on his lips.

The two both blushed madly. "It's not like that's all we do!" the girl cried.

"Yeah!" Prompto agreed. "Besides, we still like doing stuff with the rest of you too!"

"That's true," the prince said with a nod.

Ignis smiled slightly. "I'd be concerned if either of you changed your tune on that part."

"Well then, let's play already," Lorelai said, smiling.

"Do you even know how to play cards?" the shield questioned.

Lorelai frowned at him. "As a matter of fact, I do." She took the granola bar, opened it, and took a bite. "I admit, I'm no pro. But I can play the game. In fact, I'll team up with Prompto and I bet we can beat you, Gladio."

"Big talk for a little girl," he retorted. "But I like your spunk. I accept your challenge."

Everyone sat around the small table. Lorelai sat with Prompto on the bed, leaning over his shoulder and telling him what moves to make while snacking on her granola bar. Thanks to Lorelai's directions, Prompto was able to beat both Gladio and Noctis. Of course Ignis's intellect brought him on top as per usual.

"Aw yeah!" Prompto cheered, high-fiving his girlfriend. "Thanks a ton, babe!"

"No problem," she replied. "It was quite fun, even though I was only helping."

"And if it weren't for Lora, I'd have beaten you," the shield said.

"An enjoyable game, for sure," Ignis said with a slight chuckle of amusement. "I think it's time we all get some sleep."

Noctis protested but everyone else agreed. Prompto and Lorelai returned to their own room and climbed into their beds. The gang was quite eager to hear what Sania had discovered. Tomorrow, they would uncover the mystery.