~Zodia's POV~

Glaring past the Magiteks, I saw Brigadier General of theNiflheim army-Loqi. A grin was plastered to the general's face as he stepped forward, pushing past his Magiteks forces. "So, the princess has flown from her cage and wanders the land of Lucis without companions. A bold but idiotic move, Your Majesty."

"It seems your dear empire has yet to fill you in. Such a shame. They must think of you as nothing but dirt," I taunt. Loqi clicks his tongue in annoyance, my words affecting him immediately. "Get her!" He shouts.

"Zodia!" Talcott shouts. I glance over my shoulder to send him a smile to reassure him. Turning my attention forward, my view was obstructed by Magiteks. With a quick tap of my staff, a shockwave knocks all the enemy forces to the ground. Loqi was appalled at the sudden spell I had casted on him and his forces.

"Now, dear general, I will only say this once-leave." Magic flowed from my staff, creating a breeze that caused my hair to blow around my form.

"And I will only answer once-never!" He hollers once his shock wears off.

"Suit yourself, Loqi. For I will make sure you are no longer a thorn in anyone's side again."

Raising my staff, I reiterate the incantation that was written on the page of the grimoire found at the Disc. The wind surrounding my body created a strong vortex with a bright blue light. Gazing upwards, I finish the incantation and the vortex and blue light infuse, forming a beautiful dragon.

Loqi and his fleet stared with fearful eyes as they scrambled to back away from the majestic beast. The dragon roars, bearing its teeth to the imperials. In a swift motion, the beast coils its body around them. Loqi barked orders with a shaky voice, but it was drowned out by another deafening roar. Raising its head, the creature opens its large mouth as blue flames erupted from its throat. The only scream I heard was from Loqi as the flames burned him and his MTs.

"Stop," I command the dragon. The flames cease and the creature returns to my side. "I will not kill this man yet. He will pay for his crimes later. For now, he can crawl home and inform his superiors of what transpired here." With that, the dragon nods and vanishes into thin air with no trace except for the piles of Magitek ashes. Loqi returned to his ship and flew away within minutes. I took a deep breath and exhaled before returning to Talcott and Skye.

"That was awesome!" The young boy chants as I mount the bird. I pat him on the head with a smile and guide us back to Lestallum.

By the time we reached the city, it was already eight o'clock. The sun had been vanquished by the night and the moon took its place in the sky. I sent Skye off with a thankful smile before we headed back to the Leville. Iris was in the lobby and she greeted us with her famous smile. Talcott yawned and stretched his arms upwards. The cactuar figurine was still in his hand as Iris took him upstairs. I headed to my and Iris' room to clean up. As I was splashing water on my face, a reflection in the mirror caught my attention.

"Aries, is there a problem?" I ask, turning to face the zodiac. He shook his head before answering. "None at all. I am here to pass information along. We have knowledge of three more royal arms within Lucis."

"Please, tell me."

"The locations are The Myrlwood, Costlemark Tower, and Balouve Mines."

"Thank you, Aries. I will let my brother and the others know once they return."

The zodiac bows before returning to his charm. I left the bathroom to lay my tired body down on the soft bed. After laying down for almost ten minutes, I felt my eyelids grow heavy and I fell into a deep slumber.

-Next Morning-

Iris, Talcott, and I were wandering around the market. The young boy had spotted a metallic cactuar that almost resembled the one I had bought him yesterday. Though it was five hundred gil more than the wooden one, I purchased the trinket and passed it to him.

"Thank you so much! You've bought me two presents already. I'll have to find some for you!"

"Don't worry about me, Tal. Just seeing you smile is payment enough."

His smile widens and we leave the market. Iris left Talcott in my care and we headed to the outlook. He clutched the metallic cactuar close to his chest as we sat on a bench. His smile was still plastered to his face and it never wavered once. It felt as if this happiness of his would be enough for him to push through Jared's passing. A smile eventually crept onto my face as he leaned against me.

After an hour passes, I heard the sound of a familiar engine and voices. When I turned, the Regalia was parked in its normal spot. Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis exit the vehicle and easily spot the two of us. Talcott springs to his feet and dashes to my brother. He showed Noctis his gift from the market and points to me. When I reached them, Talcott was divulging details of our encounter with the empire yesterday.

"Then, Zodia created this really cool dragon!" Their eyes widened in complete bewilderment.

"A... dragon?" Prompto asked, his cobalt eyes and mouth gaping at me.

"It was the spell written on the page I had found at the Disc," I admit.

"When did you have time to memorize it?" Gladio asked.

"I memorized it on the spot. It wasn't long, but the words were complicated."

"You were always one to memorize any book or document with ease, which still baffles me today," Ignis smiles. He held out the grimoire and I placed a hand on the top of the book. "Also, the page mended with the spine of the grimoire as if it were not torn."

"As usual, I knew I could count on you, Ignis. Thank you," I softly state, taking the spell book from him. When we got lost in our own world, we had notice the chatter around us ceased. Breaking eye contact, we look around to see everyone was eyeing us with smirks. Even Talcott was smirking as if he had found out about a dirty secret.

"Get a room, lovebirds," Gladio chuckles. My cheeks turn red and Ignis clears his throat in embarrassment. I covered my face with the grimoire as I heard them laughing at us. After the teasing calms down, I reveal my face and stare at Noctis. "I-I've learned of three royal arms locations."

"Damn, you work fast," Gladio comments.

"Don't thank me, thank Aries and the other zodiacs. I'm just a messenger."

"You're as much help as the zodiacs themselves. Without you, we would have surely not made it this far." Ignis placed a gentle hand on my back with an entrancing smile. His words were comforting, but I still felt like a burden. "But, if I wasn't here, you wouldn't had to have wasted three whole days looking for me," I mumble sadly. Without warning, Ignis pulled my petite frame close. His arms rested around my waist as he rested his head against mine.

"Do not think of yourself as a burden. You have done more for us than we could ever repay. Your capture was a small bump in the road-one that I could've prevented."

"You've been blaming yourself this whole time for what happened at the Disc?" I ask, pushing away a little to see his face. Staring into his emerald irises, I received my answer. "What transpired at the Disc was unpredictable. You can't prevent something that can't be foreseen."

"I still-"

I silenced him by placing a finger over his lips. "We're all here together. The only ones worse for wear are you four. Before I tell you anything else, let's get you all patched up with old remedies." I broke the hug and grabbed his gloved hand in mine.

"Zo, we can just use some potions," Noctis said in protest against my declaration.

"You are not wasting a potion on minor injuries that can be healed with bandages and disinfectant," I fire back.

"She does have a point," Prompto said, following behind me and Ignis.

"It would conserve curatives," Ignis adds. Noctis groans in defeat and follows next to Talcott.

Back at the hotel, I left Talcott with Iris and headed up to the boys' room. They enter and I order them to sit down somewhere. When Prompto tried to get up, I sent him a glare, making him squeak in fear and hastily sit back down. I sat the grimoire on the bed next to the advisor, who insisted on going last. I respected his decision and moved on to Noctis. With the disinfectant in my hand and a bunch of cotton balls, I began treating my brother. He winced every time I placed a cotton ball on an open cut.

Moving to my next victim, I began patching up Prompto. Unlike my brother, he swallowed his whimpers and took the pain head-on. Luckily, the sharpshooter didn't need much treatment and I was able to tend to Gladio next. The only wound that was inflicted upon him was a deep cut on his upper arm. Seeing that it was much deeper than I thought, I placed a hand over the cut and casted a healing spell.

"Hey, why didn't you use that on us?" Noctis asked in disbelief.

"Because the cut would've required stitches, which we do not have. It was too little for a potion, but just enough for a minor healing spell. Also, I don't wish to use magic much after what happened yesterday. I'm still a little worn out from that amount of magic I used."

Noctis fell silent as I moved on to Ignis. When I realized I ran out of cotton balls, I sigh and head into the bathroom to retrieve some more. The sound of a slamming door and running footsteps confused me as I grabbed what I needed. Returning, I noticed the only who was left was Ignis. He was hunched over, pinching the bridge of his nose with an annoyed sigh.

"Why... ugh, never mind," I mumble. Dabbing disinfectant on a cotton ball, I stood in front of Ignis and placed a finger under his chin to tilt it upwards. I placed the cotton ball on a cut located under his jaw gingerly, making sure not to put too much pressure on the small wound. Moving on to his forehead, I dab over a faint cut lightly. When I was almost done, I caught a glimpse of something in Ignis' eyes.

"What's wrong, Iggy?" I ask.

"It's... nothing," he responds in just above a whisper. Not buying it, I place the cotton balls down and place my hands on his cheeks. I made him look me in the eyes and I stared deeply into them. "It's not like you to lie. Tell me what's wrong."

"I have not been sleeping well for the past few nights," he finally admits.

"Do you know what's causing these sleepless nights?"

"Yes, a nightmare. A reoccurring one with no ending."

"What happens in this nightmare?"

Ignis tensed up, catching my attention immediately. Tilting my head, I urge him to continue forward. "It... is of the underground lab. All I perceive is..." When he paused, I could feel fear brimming from his being.

"Iggy, what do you keep seeing?" I persist.

"... Your lifeless body."

I was completely appalled. No words came from me as I caressed his cheeks with my thumbs. After a long silence, I felt something tugging at my heart when I saw how his walls came crumbling down. He always carries a strong demeanor, but now he was completely weak. I had no idea such a thing could bring him down to such a weak state. The strange feeling in my chest was bubbling up and my brain was shouting one thing. Building up the courage, I lean down and seal his lips with mine.