~Zodia's POV~

With a sharp inhale, my eyes flew open. Meeting a dark ceiling, I steadied my breathing and was able to tell we were still in the tower. My head rested in Ignis' lap while the others were figuring a way out of the tower besides waiting.

I felt two hands resting on my cheeks, the pads of familiar gloves rubbing the apples of them. Adjusting my gaze slightly upwards, I'm met with a sea of emerald. Just by looking into his eyes, I could see all the worry that had built up during the time of my departure.

"Ignis, how long was I out?" I ask, my voice a little groggy.

"An hour. You nearly gave me a heart attack," he replies.

"Sorry, Pisces needed to pass on some information about our trip to Altissia."

Ignis raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting to know what was so important that the zodiacs had to whisk me away to the Celestial Court without warning. "They... told me of consequences in Altissia and... I won't indulge them upon you. If I tell you-"

"The consequences would alter," Ignis finishes.

I nod slowly, feeling terrible for keeping it a secret. "But, I'm going to prevent them from happening and I must do it alone." I tried to avert my gaze, but Ignis kept me in place with both of his hands.

"I will not persist on the matter, but I will do all I can to support you, Zodia."

Hearing him say that made a few tears of joy slip from my eyes. I raise my hand, placing it on his cheek. "Thank you." Ignis smiles and lays his hand over mine, leaning into my touch while stroking my porcelain fingers.

"We've gotta find a way outta here! I'm losing my mind!" Prompto hollers, shattering our loving moment together.

"I don't think you ever had one," Gladio snickers. Noctis ignores the two and walks over to me and Ignis. He kneels next to me with a concerned expression. "How you feelin'?"

"Still lightheaded and exhausted. Besides that, I'm more than better."

Suddenly, Prompto shouted again, making my head hurt. Noctis noticed and barked at the sharpshooter to be quiet.

"You should get some rest. If we find a way out before sundown, we'll wake you up." Noctis then directed his cobalt gaze to Ignis. "Until then, she's in your care, Specs."

"I would not think of leaving her in anyone else's, not even yours," the tactician remarks. The comeback made a faint giggle slip from my lips. Noctis grumbles under his breath before returning to search with Prompto and Gladio. Ignis then begins stroking my long midnight hair gently, lulling me into the dream world.

<---<<<<

When I opened my eyes, I couldn't believe where I was. Sitting up, I glance around to make sure I wasn't going crazy. "I am definitely in the tent."

Still confused, I unzipped the flaps and exited to see where the others were. The sun greeted me harshly and I still couldn't believe it.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and flinched from the sudden contact. I look over my shoulder to see Ignis. Before I asked the question that's been racing in my mind since I woke up, I took a deep breath and cleared my head. "How long was I asleep?"

"A day. Instead of waking you, I decided to carry you once the entrance was navigable."

"And... I've been asleep ever since I fell asleep in the tower?"

Ignis nods, closing the distance between us. I turn my body to face him, making his hand fall from my shoulder. "Did the others find a way out or was waiting all you could do?"

"We were forced to wait 'til dusk."

A guilty feeling rose within my chest. Before I could apologize, Ignis silenced me by placing his gloved hands on my cheeks. "An apology is unnecessary. I rather have waited than have you use your magic in your weak state."

I nod in understanding, pushing the guilt away. The others soon appeared back in the haven, their eyes drawn to me like I was a magnet. Noctis has a grin and I knew exactly what he was thinking. I found the nearest object to me, which was a small pebble, and threw it at him. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face. You're not the one who had to perform astral projection."

Prompto tilted his head in confusion. "What's 'astral projection'?"

"An out-of-body experience where your soul is detached from the rest of your body. That's why all my vital signs are missing. The body is just an empty shell."

"Y'know, I won't be able to get used to that," Gladio comments.

"I don't suppose any of us will," Ignis corrects.

"Guys, I'm not dead. I'll be back soon enough. Time in the Celestial Court is much more condensed than on Eos. Time goes much quicker. A day in the Celestial Court is an hour on Eos."

"Did the zodiacs pass anything on?" Noctis asked.

Ignis and I shared glances before I shook my head. "None of which is for your ears. I will handle the ordeals myself."

"Zodia, we can-" Noctis began to protest, but Ignis stepped in.

"Noct."

The sharp tone of the royal advisor made his protest end. Noctis must've sensed how Ignis had already pleaded to help but failed in the end. My brother looked away gloomily, his eyes traveling to the ground.

"Noct, I know you wish to help and the others, too. But... there are some things I must do alone."

He glanced back up at me with melancholy. "I know. It's just... I haven't really been a brother to you. Specs has been by your side longer than I have and he knows you better than me. When Dad denied my request to take you along on this trip, I..." His voice trailed off.

My eyes widen in shock. I had no clue Noctis had asked Father to take me along. "Noct, you... you asked to take me along?"

He nods and smiles at me sadly. "I wanted to take you away from the Citadel. You'd been trapped there ever since birth. Specs even begged Dad to take you along. I wanted to use the trip as a way to make up for all those years I missed with you while I was healing in Tenebrae."

I couldn't control my emotions and walked over to him. I pulled him into a hug and thanked him. Noctis' sad smile was replaced with a joyous one once he returned the hug. It was a short one, but I wouldn't trade the moment for anything else. "Noct, you have been the best brother in the world. Father told me of you injuries during the daemon attack and I wanted to see you so badly. When I heard you were in Tenebrae and wouldn't be returning in a long while, I cried for days. I wouldn't trade you for any other brother on all of Eos." I broke the hug and pulled on his cheeks while giggling. "I'm gonna need a bigger smile from you!"

"As long as yours stays around, I won't have a problem smiling," he responds, pulling on one of my cheeks.

"Good. You're gonna need that smile once your marriage with Luna is back on."

Noctis' smile reaches ear to ear when he heard Luna's name. "Yeah, and you'll need yours when Specs pops the question." I began to blush and heard Ignis choke on air. Prompto and Gladio laughed at the tactician and his shattered calm expression.

"W-Where did that come from?" I ask meekly.

Noctis chuckles, patting me on the head. "Just thought about it."

I nudge him playfully with a giggle. "Now that you're done teasing me and Iggy, can we head to the Myrlwood and claim the next royal arm and awaken the next zodiac?"

Noctis ruffles my hair with a grin. "Sure thing, Shorty."

"Hey! I'm not that short!" I bark.

"Uh, you kinda are," Prompto said.

I look at the blonde in disbelief. "Not you too, Prom!"

Gladio was about to interject with his own comment, but I covered my ears. I turned my back to them and ignored their laughter with the best of my abilities. My eyes landed on Ignis and watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose just above his glasses.

After the laughed died down, we packed up camp and headed to the Myrlwood. Rain began to pour from the sky as we got closer. It had taken us awhile to reach the Vesperpool due to a few imperial airships trying to stop us. Luckily, they proved to be no real problem and we made it to our destination.

Noctis, being the pushy person he is, decided to take a small detour and found a nearby fishing spot. We arrived at a small pier near the Myrlwood and were greeted by a man. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the young fisher himself!"

The only one confused was me. The others must've met the man before I joined. The older fisherman turned to face me with a smile. "And you've brought a lovely lady with ya!" He chuckles. Then, he looks between Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis with a faint smirk. "Which one of ya is the lucky gentleman?"

Gladio nudged Ignis forward, causing him to crash into me. I lost my footing and began to fall. Luckily, Ignis wrapped an arm around my waist to prevent me from hitting ground. He steadied me on my feet before slowly letting go. The fisherman chuckled and smiled at the two of us. "Sorry 'bout the teasin'. I'm Navyth."

"We met him in Alstor Slough before pickin' you up, Sis," Noctis explains.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Zodia. I hope my brother hasn't been too much of a bother," I introduce.

Navyth bellows with laughter and glances at Noctis. "If he ever is, you'll be the first to know."

My brother grumbles incoherently under his breath, making me grin. He went to the pier and began fishing in peace while the rest of us chatted with Navyth. He had told us of a strange blue light emitting from the middle of the Vesperpool and how all the wildlife was scared to approach it. Curious, I walked to the water's edge and dipped my fingers to see if I could sense what was causing such a disturbance.

"A zodiac..." I flew to my feet and asked if Navyth had a boat we could borrow. He nods in bewilderment before showing us to the small dingy. It wouldn't be able to seat the four of us. Before I could put one foot into the wooden boat, Ignis grabbed my upper arm to stop me. "What did you sense?"

"That strange blue light is coming from a slumbering zodiac. I'll be able to awaken them and all the wildlife will return to normal. The magic resonating form the zodiac is what's repelling the fish."

"And your intent is to dive into the Vesperpool?"

"It's the only way to reach the zodiac."

His grip on me tightened, but it wasn't painful. "It is too treacherous."

I stare into his emerald irises with determination. "I'm the only one who can do it and you know that." Knowing I was right, he released his grip and got into the boat with me. We looked towards Gladio and Prompto, who were still confused.

"We've got room for one more. Who wants to join us?" I ask. Gladio stepped up and took my offer. "Prom, watch over Noct. You can push him in if you want to."

"Did you just give me permission to push Noct into the water?" The cameraman asked.

"Yep."

A mischievous smirk crept across Prompto's face as he joined Noctis on the pier. As we rowed out to the middle of the lake, we saw Prompto shove Noctis off the pier. The three of us snickered as my brother emerged from the water and tried to drag Prompto in with him.

"Prom's gonna let your name slip once he's caught," Gladio grins at me.

I cross my arms with a giggle. "Never expected him not to."