~3rd Person POV~

-Five Years Later-

At Meldacio, Ignis takes up a hunt and has unexpected help. When he meets with Dave, Gladio is chatting with the hunter about the sudden outbursts of Nagas near the Vesperpool. The shield waved to Ignis, ending his conversation with Dave.

"Glad y'all are here. Those damn Nagas are crawlin' everywhere. No vehicles can enter the Vesperpool from the south. Few of my boys have been killed tryin' to get here."

"We'll take care of the daemons," Gladio said.

Dave thanks the boys before tending to other business. The shield glances at Ignis and gestures to his truck. "C'mon, Iggy. We'll take my car." The duo hop in the vehicle, driving to the Vesperpool. "What've you been doin' for the last five years, Iggy?"

"The same as you, Gladio."

"Been visiting Zodia?"

"Every day. Cindy has divulged me of your visits."

Gladio's grin falls to a frown. "Yeah. I still need to apologize to her, but I want to properly do it. I won't be able to do that until Noct returns."

Ignis gazes out the window, watching the myriads of daemons prowl the darkness. "I must apologize, as well."

"You've been sickeningly sweet to her ever since you guys met. And you haven't had a single argument. What the hell could you be apologizing for?" Gladio glances at the strategists from the corner of his eye.

"Failing her."

Gladio slams on the brakes, causing their bodies to lurch forward. He stared at Ignis in disbelief. "You're kiddin', right?"

Confused, the royal advisor eyed the shield. He glared at the spectacled man, shaking his head. "You did not fail her. Where the hell is this comin' from?"

"I failed in protecting her," Ignis admits.

"Bullshit! You did protect her! Even she would be yelling at you for doubting yourself. I may not know Zodia like you do, but I can tell you she would be fuming right now if she heard what you said."

Ignis stares into Gladio's amber eyes with his emerald ones. He couldn't speak as he took the brute's words to heart. The tactician knew she would be more than fuming for blaming himself. He leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. Gladio pushes his foot on the gas pedal with a sigh, slowly driving to their destination. With the new headlights from Cindy, the daemons refused to approach the car.

As Gladio pulled the truck over, Ignis broke the silence. "Apologies, Gladio."

"Like I said-you have nothing to apologize for. I'll make sure Zodia hears about this and she'll chew your ass out."

Ignis chuckled lightly. "I shall prepare for a tongue lashing when she returns."

Gladio pats him on the shoulder. "Let's go kick some daemon ass. It'll make you feel better."

They hop out of the truck, weapons at the ready. The hissing of the Nagas permeated the cool air, their tails flicking back and forth. "You ready?" Gladio asked.

"Let's."

Jumping into battle, the duo attacked in unison and targeted a single Naga. While they were able to handle the one, more Nagas appeared. Gladio clicked his tongue in annoyance, glaring at the daemons gathering around them. "Damn, there's too many." The man spun around to see where Ignis was. When he spotted the tactician, he noticed a Naga sneaking up behind him and had no time to call upon a zodiac. "Iggy, move!"

Before Ignis could react, the Naga lashed out at him, fangs reaching out towards him. His eyes widened as the daemon was only inches away from his body. Suddenly, a radiant silhouette appeared, protecting Ignis from the Naga. With a single but powerful spell of light, all the daemons burned into nothingness. Blinded by the spell, both men covered their eyes from the harsh light. After it dissipated, Ignis opened his eyes and was able to tell who had saved them.

"Zodia..."

Ignis reached out to touch her, only for his hand to pass through her transparent body. A single tear fell from his eye as she smiled at him. Though he could not touch her, he could feel the familiar warmth radiating from her body. Her smile remained on her face as she turned and walked away. Ignis followed behind the girl while Gladio shouted out his name, his booming voice falling on deaf ears.

As the tactician followed close behind, Zodia had led him to a small rock formation near the edge of the Vesperpool. She suddenly stopped, her gaze falling to the base of the rocks. When Ignis followed her line of sight, he spotted a familiar blonde. His eyes widen as he also sees how pale and bloody the sharpshooter is. Zodia kneels next to Prompto's unconscious body and places her hand over his chest. A healing aura emits from her palm as he was able to crack open his eyes from the sudden warmth. Zodia vanished before Prompto could even get a glimpse of her. "H-Hey, Iggy. Whatcha doin' out here?"

"The same could be asked of you, Prompto. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, much better than I was hours ago. Did you use a hi-potion?"

"No, your gratitude should be directed towards Zodia."

Prompto's eyes slightly widen. "How? Isn't she still crystallized?"

"A specter, more precisely. She is the vindication of why we are still breathing."

"Is she also the one who led you to me? I never told anyone where I was going."

Ignis nods. "Yes. In such a state, you should rest. Gladio and I will convey you to the truck."

"Gladio's here? Haven't seen him in years." Prompto tried to stand but slipped. The strategist caught his friend, supporting him with his body. The shield finally regrouped and helped Ignis carry Prompto to the truck.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gladio asked.

"A daemon jumped me from behind. I've been in and out of consciousness for a couple of days," Prompto answers.

"Why did you refuse to utilize the zodiac charms?" Ignis inquired.

"I-I left them back in Hammerhead," Prompto meekly replies.

Ignis and Gladio raised an eyebrow at the blonde. Sticking the key in the ignition, the brute glares at Prompto in the rear view mirror. "You're an idiot. Why leave 'em behind knowing you're going somewhere dangerous by yourself?"

"I felt... I felt the need to leave 'em behind because I don't deserve help. All they've been doin' is protecting me."

Ignis sighs with his eyes closed. "You truly are an imbecile."

"Hey!" Prompto pouts.

"That's the reason why Zodia gave them to us. She wants us all to survive this hell so we can see her and Noct again."

Prompto slumped in his seat, eyes falling into sorrow. "I never even thought about it that way. I just thought she gave them to us so we can slay daemons."

"The ones that endanger your life. I had the exact conviction, as well. Pisces sanctioned otherwise, correcting my views."

"Ugh, you're both right! I'm a complete idiot!" Prompto ran his hands through his blonde locks.

"We'll report to Dave later. We need to head to Hammerhead and get Prom's zodiac charms," Gladio states.

An hour passes before they pull into Hammerhead. With assistance from Ignis, Prompto was able to get out of the car. "Whatever Zodia did, I feel so much better."

"She probably used a powerful healing spell on you," Gladio spoke. "I'm just wonderin' how she knew where you were."

"We won't retrieve that answer until she is liberated of the crystal," Ignis said.

"Where'd you leave the charms?" Gladio asked.

"I left them with Zodia. Who else would I give 'em to?" Prompto smiles.

The trio heads into the garage, noticing Cid and Cindy weren't around. The flowers around the princess had increased tremendously. The flower crown Iris had made still adorned her head after many years. Gladio and Ignis spot the zodiac charms that laid at Zodia's feet. Prompto picks them up and stores them in his pocket. "So, where are you both headin' now?"

"I'm heading back to Meldacio. What about you, Iggy?" Gladio asked, his eyes falling upon the royal advisor.

"I... wish to remain here for the time being."

"What about your car at Meldacio?"

"I will find an alternative. For now, I shall remain here."

Gladio nods and pats Prompto on the back. "You should stay here, too. You're still pale."

"Yeah, I was plannin' on resting. My wounds are healed, but I'm worn out! Too bad Zodia doesn't have a spell to stop weariness."

"On the contrary, she has an incantation for deep slumber," Ignis states.

"Like, how deep?" Prompto curiously questioned.

"Three days."

"Wait, that's how long you were out after what happened in Altissia. Does that mean she casted the spell on you?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, she admitted to manipulating a plethora amount of mana and resulted in the slumber abiding longer than she had formulated."

"Three days of rest sounds nice, but we can't. The daemons are getting stronger and more people are dying," Prompto sorrowfully states.

"Once all is calm, rest will come facile."

Prompto nods. "Lookin' forward to those days."

"As am I."

-Ten Years Later-

Sitting in Takka's Pit Stop, the trio catch up after finally having their paths cross after three years. They were silenced when they heard a truck pull into Hammerhead. Peering out the window, the guys saw Talcott and someone else exit the vehicle. Their mouths were agape when they were able to see who was the second person.

"Noct's back!" Prompto shouts, running out of the diner with Gladio and Ignis close behind.

Outside, the prince smiles as his friends reach him. "Hey."

Gladio grins at the simple response. ""Hey"? That's all you have to say for yourself-after all this time?" Gladio puts his hand on Noctis' shoulder and playfully shoves him.

"Noct, it's you! It's really you!" Prompto cheers.

"Is it? I hadn't realized," Noctis smirks.

"Well, well. You kept us waiting," Ignis smiled.

Noctis walks up to Ignis and places a hand on his shoulder. "Not like I wanted to. We've got catching up to do. Where's Zodia?"

"In the garage," Ignis said, gesturing to the building.

"Can I come with you?" Talcott asked.

"I'm positive Zodia would like to see you once she's free," Prompto said.

The five men enter the garage, their eyes falling onto Zodia. Noctis gasped at the sight of his sister, his eyes glued to the azure crystal. Talcott had explained what happened to her, but he had a slightly hard time believing it. He took a step closer to his sister, completely at a lost of how to free her.

"Gemini said you were the only one who could break the crystal," Gladio informs.

"Did they give you instructions? 'Cause I've no idea how to break through it," Noctis admits.

Suddenly, the gleam of a zodiac charm was seen through Gladio's pocket, drawing everyone's attention. Then, Leo appeared next to the shield.

"A single touch from the true King will free her."

"It's that simple?" Noctis ponders.

Leo bows his head. "Yes. She will experience a slight pain due to rapid aging afterwards. Do not be alarmed."

"Rapid aging?" Prompto asked.

"Her body will experience pain due to her body catching up to her age."

"She was nineteen when crystallized," Gladio said.

"She will be twenty-eight once liberated," Ignis points out.

"Yeah, her birthday's in two days," Noctis adds. Thanking Leo, the raven haired boy turned back to his sister and stood directly in front of her. Reaching out, he touched her crystallized hand. As his fingertips skimmed over the luminous gem, the surface began to crack. A web of rifts spread across her body, small pieces of crystal tumbling to the ground. A faint radiance emitted from the crevices, slightly blinding the royal retinue and Talcott.

The sound of cracking grew louder as the crystal broke at a more rapid pace. Peering through his fingers, Noctis watched as the crystal fell in substantial pieces to the flowers below Zodia's feet. Finally, the princess was freed from her crystal prison after ten long years.