Lorelai ran her hands over the stone door. "This door looks just like the one at Steyliff. If it's the same type of mechanism, then it should open for us once the sun goes down."

Ignis pushed up his glasses. "That's an odd design for a door. I wonder how it works."

"Dunno," Noctis replied, glancing at the sky. "But we shouldn't have to wait long, then."

The sky was steadily changing from blue to orange. Prompto currently had a lot on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about what Ardyn had said. In fact, he seemed more terrified than Lorelai, and he wasn't even on the receiving end of Ardyn's threats. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand it if anything happened to Lorelai that he could've prevented. He was going to have to voice his concerns.

"Uh, Lora?" The girl turned to look at the blond. "Do you... really think you should come with us?"

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it's just that, after what Ardyn said... Are you sure it's safe to go in there?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "You don't actually believe him, do you? How do we know he wasn't lying?"

"I'm with Prompto on this one," Gladio said, crossing his arms. "Why would he bother warning us if it wasn't a big deal?"

"Well it could be a plan to simply split us up," Ignis pointed out. "If Lorelai did stay out here alone, then she'd be an easy target if the chancellor showed up. Either way, she could be put in harm's way."

"Whoa, whoa, it's my decision," Lorelai said. "I'm going. End of discussion."

"But, Lora," Prompto argued. "What if-"

"No buts," the girl interrupted. "I'm going whether you want me to or not. Do you guys remember what you told me before? You said that the five of us were a team and that whatever problems came our way, we'd face them together." She smiled. "We can't split up now. Whatever may be in there, we'll tackle it together."

A faint grin tugged at the advisor's lips. "Well said, Lora."

Noctis smiled slightly. "Hey, it's your decision. Besides, you're a skilled fighter, I'd feel better with you alongside us."

Prompto remained silent, unsure of her decision. After a short while, the sun had completely set and the door opened. Beyond it were several flights of stairs. As soon as they went in, Lorelai was struck with a strange feeling. She let out a small gasp that alerted the others.

"Something wrong?" the shield asked.

Lorelai placed a hand against her chest. "I just... got a really weird feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" Prompto questioned with concern. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. Just something about this place makes me feel... odd. I can't describe it. It's probably just me, let's go."

She hurried them along, dismissing the strange feeling in her chest. The five ventured in, letting their lights illuminate the dark. For once, Lorelai didn't use her light magic. Prompto noticed and grinned.

"Lora, you're not using your magic!" he pointed out. "Does this mean you've conquered your fear?"

Lorelai blinked at him in surprise before looking around. "I... guess I have. I'm not afraid." She forced a small smile. "I didn't even realize it."

In all honesty, she was far too distracted to be afraid. The feeling in her chest was turning into one of longing. She had no idea what it meant, but the darkness was the least of her worries at the moment. She wished she knew what was causing the sensation. It was a bit frightening. But she kept it to herself, not wanting to worry her friends.

A group of hobgoblins appeared before them, earning their attention. They swiftly took them out and continued onward. There were quite a bit of daemons within the ruins, which was no surprise, but none of them posed a real threat. The gang trekked through many rooms, climbed stairs, and crossed bridges. They even went farther beneath Costlemark via large blocks that moved about, acting as elevators and creating small rooms for them to traverse. It seemed like the longing feeling in the girl's chest got stronger the farther they went.

Finally, when they activated a circular elevator that began taking them lower, Lorelai clutched her chest, the sensation becoming unbearable. "Guys, I think Ardyn was right after all. I don't think I should've come here."

"Why?" Prompto asked, going over and placing an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"It's this longing feeling," she explained. "It's getting worse. It feels like... something's calling me, but I don't want to go."

Ignis looked around at the ancient machinery that passed by them. "Could it be your magic reacting to the technology down here?"

"Just what is all this?" Noctis questioned.

"You don't think..." Gladio began. "This could be Solheim technology?"

Ignis snapped his fingers as if he just discovered something. "Yes, of course. It all makes sense. This deactivated machinery needs a power source and Lora's light magic is drawn to it like a magnet."

"So... what does that mean for her?" Prompto cautiously inquired.

Before anyone could answer, a loud roar was heard. Everyone snapped their heads around as the elevator came to a stop. They were now trapped in a circular room with a jabberwock. The circular orb in the center of the elevator began to glow red, and in an instant, a red energy barrier enclosed around the elevator. It instantly pushed everyone out, except for Lorelai. The four men looked back to see the girl trapped inside. Lorelai looked around in fear and formed a small light barrier around herself.

But red bolts of energy shot out from the walls around her, shattering her barrier and hitting her body. She cried out in pain as the white light of her magic was pulled out of her and mixed with the red energy. Her friends immediately tried getting to her, using their weapons to try and break the energy wall. But nothing seemed to work.

"Lora!" Prompto yelled, banging his fists on the wall separating them.

The machinery around the room began to glow red, activating from the energy it was absorbing. The roar of the jabberwock forced the four to turn their attention to it. Fortunately for them, a massive bolt of white and red energy shot out from where Lorelai was trapped, hitting the monster and instantly vaporizing it. In its place laid a large sword. Noctis quickly collected it before returning to where Lorelai was. All four gathered around, listening to the agonized screams of the girl as her energy was sapped away.

Noctis had finally had enough. "Stand back," he ordered.

Once his friends were clear, he summoned several of the royal arms he'd collected and attacked the barrier. With the power of kings, the energy barrier shattered. Lorelai's screams finally ceased and she collapsed.

"Lora!" Prompto cried, rushing to her. He fell on his knees and lifted her up a bit. "Lora, answer me! Tell me you're okay!"

The others gathered around the unconscious girl. Her breathing was shallow but rapid. Nearly every bit of her magic energy had been sapped from her body. She was on the verge of death. Ignis checked her pulse, which was very weak. Prompto was crying now, scared he was going to lose her. He held her in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Lora," he quietly said. "This is all my fault. I should've made you wait outside."

Ignis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "None of us could've known. You're not at fault."

"Specs is right," Noctis sadly agreed. "She wanted to come. There was nothing any of us could've done to stop her."

"They're so rebellious at this age."

Everyone turned their heads to see Ardyn. Gladio growled and summoned his sword. "Haven't you done enough?!"

The chancellor held his hands up defensively. "Now if I recall, I said to NOT come here. I didn't do a thing."

"Get the hell outta here," Prompto darkly said. "I don't want to even look at you right now."

"Fine," Ardyn replied. "I see I'm not wanted here. But I'll leave you with one last bit of advice - Lorelai's still alive. She can be saved yet."

With that, he was gone again. "C'mon, let's get her somewhere safe," the prince said.

Ignis nodded. "Though I loath to admit it, Ardyn is correct. Lora's still alive, we have a chance of saving her."

Prompto wiped his watery eyes and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. Let's go."

He lifted her up in his arms and carried her with him. They took one of the teleportation panels to quickly leave the ruins. They went straight to the Regalia. Despite it being night, Ignis still drove them to the nearest outpost. Prompto even asked to trade seats with Noctis for once, not wanting to leave the girl's side while she was in such a state. He couldn't wait to get to an outpost and place Lorelai in a comfortable bed to rest. He hoped that she'd be okay.

A/N: By the way, I know that having your magic drained doesn't normally harm you in the game, but I would think having it brutally pulled right out of your body would. That's what happened to Lorelai, so I hope this makes sense to you guys. I just figured I'd add a little explanation in case you didn't understand the reasoning behind that.