Untold Omens
Chapter Two: Verisimilitude
In the week after she met Prompto, Aracelis spent every free and waking moment she had engrossed in research on whatever she could find regarding the history of Eos. Without knowing the cause of the change, her only option was to delve into every possible avenue of research. She began the blind search on the Astrals, wary of what she may find.
While she hadn't followed Eos' creation and development in her last life, she knew it was originally part of the nightmare called Fabula Nova Crystallis or better known as Final Fantasy XIII. That world was the most needlessly convoluted and poorly executed piece of work she's seen in her life. There were plot holes within its plot holes. The storytelling was so bad, the characters practically broke the fourth wall to tell the player the transitioning dungeon to the next plot point was purely for level grinding. Needless to say, she disliked that series with a passion.
As she delved into the cosmogony collection, she feared to find any mention of Fal'Cie or L'Cie, XIII's version of the Astrals and their unfortunate gofer heroes. It was one thing to deal with temperamental gods, but another thing altogether if they decide to enslave you as their permanent punching bag. She barely wanted to work for the Amicitia family, there was no way she would be willing to work for those ostentatious gods.
Fortunately, the taint Eos contained were of daemons, cranky Astrals and the accursed. While disappointed to find the origin of the gods not a culprit of the change, it was also relieving for Aracelis. She needn't contend with forces she cannot hope to challenge. However, it also meant she had to look elsewhere for answers.
A frustrated sigh escaped Aracalis as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her meticulously neat bun had become a frayed mess. During the course of her research, she kept burying her fingers through her hair out of sheer aggravation. Any other time she would have stopped to fix what she deemed as an unkempt birds nest back to her standard of acceptable. However, when faced with the task of rifling through over 2000 years' worth of history of the royal families because her research with the Astrals reached a dead end, she was less inclined to worry over her personal comfort.
With the back of her knuckles pressed against her lips, she tapped her pen loudly against the desk with her other hand. It was all she could do to contain her nervous energy. The kingdom of Lucis had over a hundred kings with King Regis as the 113th. Tenebrae likely had just as many oracles in the Nox Fleuret family and lastly, she can't imagine what it would be like to go through Niflheim's Aldercapt family.
"Damn it…" muttered Aracelis under her breath as she twirled the pen in her hand and planted it firmly against the desk. There had to be a better way to approach this.
"Eh-hem," coughed a patronizing voice. "If you don't mind Aracelis, there are other people using the library too."
Aracelis bit back a retort as she glanced up to the speaker. A desk away from hers was a fellow classmate and self-declared rival, Marcus Flavius. Though, she mentally nicknamed him Flabio for acting like an obnoxious imitation of Gladio. Except he had less tact and even less musculature. To Aracelis, the young man felt pretentious and narcissistic. An idiot who overcompensates because of self-image issues. She had no clue why he decided to compete with her academically when Ignis Scientia dominated the rankings in their year.
Insomnia's education system works with a competitive model. Exam results of all students were public record, posted for all to see. Aracelis regularly alternated between second and third with a rare few incidences of first. If she didn't know who Ignis was, she might've faced a crisis over her self-worth.
In her previous life she developed her studying habits through much mental anguish and tears. Her excellent grades were the product of a strenuous hell experience, otherwise known as being a college student. For Ignis to constantly beat her would have struck a blow to her ego, if she didn't already know that grades meant nothing for the future.
"My apologies," replied Aracelis icily. "For a moment I forgot you existed."
Flabio's smirk remained on his face despite her biting sarcasm. The corner of Aracelis' lips quirked up as she rested her elbows atop the desk and she loosely clasped her hands with only her fingers intertwined.
"How goes studying?" drawled Aracelis. "Any hopes in beating Ignis this time?"
"As if you could beat him," retorted Flabio, reminding her of her failings. "You're not that much better than me."
"True," admitted Aracelis in amusement, a sly grin tugged at her lips. "But I'm still better than you."
"You're a bitch Hester, you know that?" Flabio declared glaring at her self-satisfied face.
"So I've been told," replied the brunette dryly before switching over to a mocking lilt. "Shall I vacate the library for you to nurse your ego?"
Scowling deeply, Flabio returned his attention to his books. Aracelis' grin widened at the petty victory, but ultimately decided to pack her things to leave the library. With her research at a dead end, she might as well go off and get some food before afternoon classes start.
It was impossible for her to sit through a meal whenever she was on a project. It often resulted in her living off granola bars and coffee for weeks at a time, a bad habit she can't seem to get rid of even in this new life. Even as she dug into her food, she still found her thoughts drifting back to her notes.
Regarding to the Caelums and the Nox Fleurets, there was plenty of recent records online. Unfortunately, with the older generations, she needed to delve into the archives in the Citadel as it was unlikely for public libraries to carry text as old as the kingdom itself. However, information on Niflheim's Aldercapts was near impossible to obtain within the walls of Insomnia. As the empire's main enemy for the last hundred years, anything that she finds will likely be propaganda to be taken with a grain of salt.
"…Great," muttered Aracelis. Her spoon stilled as she suddenly lost all appetite to continue.
It wouldn't be so bad if she had some direction, but… her thoughts trailed off when she spotted the familiar figure of Ignis Scientia walking pass the cafeteria. Surely, if anyone was to know something about the history of the Lucian kings, he was probably the best person to start with. Even if he doesn't know everything there was to know about them, he could at least give her some direction on where to look.
Except… she seldom spoke to the green-eyed advisor beyond group assignments. Like with Noctis, she feared her interactions with him might change the course of the world for the worse. However, with how things were now, it shouldn't matter if she approached him. It definitely beat blindly searching like she had for the past week. Mind made up, Aracelis hastily disposed of her lunch and sped-walked to catch up with the future advisor.
"Ignis!" She called out to the taller teen before he rounded the corner. He paused at his name and glanced back to see her hurrying to his side.
"…You are…" started the teen as he took a moment to identify the brazen brunette. "Aracelis Hester, you serve the Amicitias correct?"
Trust Ignis to identify her by her family's connection before all else. Though she supposed he would need to since he's technically in line for the title of Count when his uncle passes. The facts are that the Amicitia family was technically considered Knights, but since they've served for so many generations, they ranked above most knighthoods. If they were to stand on ceremony, the Scientia ranked above the Amicitia in court. However, on the battlefield, the roles would be reversed.
The Hester family held no title or court position; however, they can represent the Amicitias, if they choose not to appear in court for whatever reason. Not that it happened often considering the Amicitias usually acted as the King's Shield. Even so, Ignis might take her request the wrong way and view her as a tawdry social climber.
"Yes," nodded Aracelis before skipping all pleasantries and getting straight to the point. "I would like to request your assistance on a personal project of mine on the Lucian kings. I'm willing to compensate you for your time."
"That sounds like an interesting project," noted Ignis, nudging his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But if you do not mind me asking, why me in particular?"
"In short of a historian, who better to ask than someone slated to work for the crown?" reasoned Aracelis.
"…I'm not slated to work for the crown," replied Ignis with a bewildered frown.
"You're not…" Aracelis trailed off realizing at no point did she ever hear someone say he was going to be the prince's advisor. However, she refused to allow this to throw her off. If Ignis wasn't Noctis' advisor then she needed to fabricate even more of an incentive to get close to him. "No matter, you're still the best student in the school and I could use a second set of eyes."
"May I ask why you are researching the kings?" queried Ignis.
"…I saw Prince Noctis recently," began Aracelis. "He seemed unnaturally lethargic for his age."
"…Could be a lack of sleep," suggested the disinterested teen and began turning away. "…Most boys his age tend to have one thing… or another that keeps them up at night."
With the subtle entendre, Ignis began to leave. Aracelis felt her heart drop. She couldn't let this happen! Noctis needed him. Hell, his presence alone opened the possibility for an alternate ending. Without thinking, her hand lashed out and gripped tightly onto Ignis' arm, determined to keep him in place.
"But it's not just the prince!" snapped the brunette, desperate to keep his attention. "I noticed it with his majesty as well during a recent interview on TV."
Ignis now turned to face her again, his eyes glanced briefly at her death grip on his arm. Belatedly, Aracelis realized she overstepped her boundaries and hastily released her hold.
"Surely this is conjecture on your part," rationalized Ignis as he adjusted his glasses. The unexpected jostling had knocked them askew.
"I know I sound insane and none of it makes sense! But you have to believe me! There's something wrong with the king and the prince!" said Aracelis, near hysterical at this point. "I know for certain with your help I'll be able to prove it. Don't you think it's our duty to make sure they're okay?"
"I suppose… I am amiable to the idea," agreed the green-eyed young man reluctantly. "When do you propose we begin this research?"
"How's your schedule?" asked Aracelis as she pulled out her phone to compare calendars with his.
The two eventually settled on comparing notes during their lunch hours, but they would conduct their research separately. Outside of school, they each had a number of responsibilities to attend to. She supposed even though the young man was no longer Noctis' future advisor, he was still slated for other work as the future Count Scientia. Between their schedules, meeting at school was the only free slot they both shared.
Aracelis technically did have some time after school before she needed to return to the Amicitia house to complete her tasks for the day. However, she learned from a life time ago that breaks and downtime were essential to keeping her productivity and sanity intact. Hence…
"Perish you damn—" growled the bespectacled brunette under her breath as she rapidly pulled the trigger and gunned down the zombies hordes on the arcade screen.
Among the noise of the arcade, a crescendo of horrifying string instruments blasted through the speakers accompanied by the moaning, groaning and splattering of zombies. The score counter steadily climbed in numbers with each kill. It was practically routine by this point for Aracelis to make her way to an arcade and destress for an hour with zombie slaying.
"Damn it," grumbled Aracelis as a bloody game over painted across the screen. With a frustrated sigh, she deposited the gun controller back into its holster. However, as she turned to grab her bag to leave, she spotted a familiar face staring at her in surprise. "…Your highness?"
Determined to maintain a certain image, she refuses to let her family and peers catch her lollygagging and playing games. She often chose an out of the way arcade to avoid anyone who could recognize her. The prince seemed to share the same idea… Maybe she could use this.
"…Gladio's not with you," stated Noctis as he glanced around for his shield.
"Do you want him to be here?" asked Aracelis with a raised brow.
"Not really," muttered Noctis.
"Well then… Let's keep this a mutual secret, shall we?" suggested Aracelis offhandedly.
"Wait… you're hiding from Gladio too?" frowned Noctis. "I thought you guys were friends."
"Have you met that muscle head?" retorted Aracelis and drew a snort of laughter from the younger boy. "You barely know him and you don't even want to be in same room as him. I grew up with him, trust me when I say that from time to time, a safe haven from him is required."
"Yeah… I guess so," agreed Noctis with an awkward grin.
"So…" continued Aracelis with a wave towards the arcade machines. "Which game do you normally play here?"
"Er…" Noctis uttered with uncertainty, but eventually shrugged and pointed to the game she was playing previously.
"How about we do one game and then I'll give you a ride back to the Citadel?" suggested Aracelis.
"What? Why?" protested Noctis.
"One thing you need to learn about Gladio, if you stay in one place long enough, he will find you," noted the older girl. "If you want to avoid him, you have to keep moving and also do something so obvious that he would think you're stupid."
"…Like going back to the Citadel?" repeated Noctis.
"It doesn't work all the time, but it will throw him if you do it sparingly," advised Aracelis with a wry grin tugging one corner of her lips. She set down her bag and moved to give the machine a fond pat as if to invite him once more. "Well, what do you say, your highness?"
"Huh…" Noctis glanced at her thoughtfully, but ultimately he moved to grab a gun.
Aracelis did the same and popped in the necessary coins. The game started with a ghoulish moan and the two of them proceeded to gun down as many zombies as possible. As they played, she couldn't help but review what she's found so far. Prompto and Noctis weren't friends. Ignis wasn't his advisor. And Gladio? The Amicitia heir looked like he was more willing to step aside for someone to kill the prince rather than throw his body in the way to protect him.
It suddenly dawned on her, it was as though the events of Brotherhood never happened.
Alarmed by the thought, Aracelis' aim faltered and a zombie broke through the ranks. Noctis was quick to cover her mistake, but her mind had gone into overdrive. The four of them developed their bond during the events of Brotherhood. Without it, naturally they would be near strangers. What didn't happen that was supposed to? What ultimately brought them together?
"Are you playing or what?" grumbled Noctis. He turned to glare at her, but the annoyance slipped from his face when he noticed the conflicted expression on hers. "Hey…"
"My apologies," muttered Aracelis as she looked at her gun. Her sullen expression reflected back at them on the flashing game over screen. A slow counter descended, indicating their time to continue was dwindling. "Do you wish to play again?"
"…Nah," said Noctis with a shake of his head. "You look like you have something on your mind. Just drive me home."
"Of course," said Aracelis dutifully. They gathered their belongings and walked in an awkward pall of silence back to her car. The smell of the city air was a welcome change from the stuffy atmosphere of the arcade.
Without knowing the full story, she had no clue how to talk to the prince. She didn't want to ruin the opportunity to fix things when there was a chance that he didn't want to talk to her. It didn't help that she was clueless to what stopped the events of Brotherhood. The uncomfortable silence worsened when they got into the car and made their way back to the Citadel.
The only solace she had was the young prince's preference to sit in the backseat.
Ring…Ring…
"Excuse me," apologized Aracelis as she glanced at her dashboard to check the caller. She didn't recognize the number, but she did give Prompto her contact information. So, she answered anyway. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Miss Aracelis Hester by any chance?" asked a professional woman's voice coming from the car's speakers.
"Speaking, who may I ask is this?" inquired Aracelis with caution.
"I'm Nurse Rhea, calling from the Remedium General Hospital regarding the patient Prompto Argentum."
Aracelis felt her stomach dropped. Her grip tightened over her steering wheel as she did her best to focus on the road and still listen to the call.
"The hospital?" Aracelis all but snapped. "What happened? Is he okay?
"Due to hospital policy we cannot disclose patient information over the phone. However, as Mr. Argentum's parents are unreachable, he supplied us with your contact information. If you can come to the hospital as soon as you can, we can discuss what happened further."
"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for letting me know," said Aracelis gratefully before she ended the call. "Your highness, can you please put on your seat belt?"
"That sounded serious," noted Noctis as he reached for his seatbelt and buckled in. "You can head to the hospital first if you like."
"But your highness!" protested Aracelis as she glanced at him through the mirror.
"I don't feel like heading back to the Citadel yet," dismissed Noctis as he stared pointedly back at her.
"…Very well," sighed Aracelis. "But you may wish to call for an escort back to the Citadel. I am uncertain how long this may take."
Noctis simply hummed in response, digging into his pocket to occupy himself with his phone.
Aracelis hastily entered the hospital's address as the prince sent out his text. Neither of them exchanged another word as she gripped the wheel and stepped on the accelerator. She wasn't crazy enough to speed through the highway with the prince in her car. It would be hard to explain to the traffic cops why she had the Crown Prince. However, she did risk matching the speed limit and occasionally going above it.
By the time they made it to the hospital, she was faced with another conundrum. To leave the prince alone in her car or bring him along and potentially create a scene. In hindsight, she probably should have driven the prince home first, but what's done was done. She didn't bother asking if he wanted to join after she parked and abruptly left the car. If the prince wanted to come, he could well decide on his own. She needed to make sure Prompto was okay.
"I'm here for Prompto Argentum," said Aracelis in near breathlessness as she got to the registration desk. "Nurse Rhea contacted me earlier that he is currently being hospitalized here."
"And who are you to the patient?" asked the receptionist.
Who is she to Prompto? Aracelis recall the nurse who contacted her mentioned that she couldn't get a hold of his parents. If something happened to Prompto and the hospital needed a medical proxy to authorize treatment, she wouldn't be able to help unless she was related in some manner. She had no choice, but to lie. She could be arrested for fraud, but it was the best she could come up with for the time being to make sure he's okay. Aracelis straightened her posture and evened out her breathing to compose herself.
"I'm his temporary guardian. His parents left him in my care while they're out of town," lied Aracelis.
Age wouldn't be an issue, most Kingsglaive and military recruits were eligible to serve at the tender age of 16. To her shock and dismay, Insomnian law states if they're old enough to die for their country, they're old enough to participate as legal adults. The thought still unsettled Aracelis from time to time, but in this incident, it was to her benefit that Insomnia's law system was so skewed.
"Room 15," said the receptionist pointing her towards the double doors.
"Thank you," said Aracelis before she turned her heel and hurried off.
The rooms the receptionist mentioned were merely curtained off areas with individual stretchers used for accidents and emergencies. A number of beds were already occupied by patients with varying levels of injuries. Aracelis held her breath and feared for the worst as she approached number 15. She still had no clue what happened to Prompto, but at the sight of the number, she hastened her step.
"Prompto!" called out Aracelis as she pulled back the curtain.
The blond spluttered in surprise at the sight of her. His wide blue eyes stood out against the cuts and scrapes on his face and the neat bandage around his head. "Miss Aracelis, I didn't expect you to actually come. Well, Nurse Rhea said she'll call, but um—"
"Are you okay?" Aracelis interrupt him before he could continue his fumbling words. "What happened?"
"Ehe…It looks kinda bad huh?" Prompto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I um…got hit by a car?"
"You got…" The older girl's eyes widened at sudden flash of headlights against the darkness of night replaced her vision.
Her ears rang with screeching tires in the distance, followed by a rapidly decelerating heart monitor. Hand over her mouth, she mentally cursed at her psyche's timing on assaulting her with the trauma of her previous death. She could barely keep herself from hyperventilating at the taste of coppery blood filling her mouth. She was lucky it didn't assault her last week when she nearly ran over Prompto, but this wasn't any better.
"But I'm fine really!" said Prompto in a hurry. He flailed his hands in a panic to reassure her, thankfully unaware of the inner demons she was facing. "Honestly, they said I'm good to leave, but um… I'm a minor and they kind of need a chaperone to… see… me home?"
"...Okay," agreed Aracelis weakly as she pulled her shaking hand away from her mouth. "Let's get you signed out and back home."
Somehow, she managed to recompose herself long enough to flag down a nurse to get the appropriate papers filled out. She needed to get him out before her nerves gave up. Her self-proclaimed temporary guardianship won't hold up for long if they decide to question her while she was in this state. Fortunately, the blond was quick witted enough to realize what she was doing and agreed wholeheartedly with whatever lies she fed the nurses. Within the hour they were out of the hospital and Aracelis made certain to steer the skittish blond towards her car.
"Prince Noctis!?" yelped Prompto in surprise when he spotted the prince in the car. "What's the prince doing here?"
"Just get in," said Aracelis in exhaustion before turning her attention to Noctis. "Will there be an escort coming for you, your highness?"
"No," replied Noctis dismissively.
"…Am I going to have a squadron of Kingsglaive after me because of this?" asked Aracelis warily. "I would rather not be charged with treason for kidnapping the prince."
"Kidnap!?" squeaked Prompto as he looked between the two of them in horror. "What the hell Miss Aracelis! Why would you kidnap the prince of all people? Oh my god! We're gonna dieeee! Or maybe I'm already dead? And this is some weird punishment because I didn't listen and wear reflectors like she suggested?"
"Prompto," said Aracelis calmly. Her patience wore thinner with each passing second.
"You said treason right? What's the punishment for treason? Death? Can you die a second time after you died once?" asked Prompto in a panic.
"Prompto," repeated the annoyed brunette louder, but the teen didn't listen and continued his rambling.
"There's so much I want to doooo!" wailed Prompto.
"For god sake, Prompto can you calm down? You're not going to die!" snapped Aracelis as she grabbed the seatbelt and forcibly buckled him in.
It was through sheer willpower that she wasn't shaking from the unexpected episode at the hospital. This was her life now, she reminded herself. She needed to make sure Prompto stayed safe long enough to become friends with Noctis and steer the plot back on its rails. She died once already and was in no hurry to experiencing it again until she was old and decrepit.
"But! But!" whimpered the blond.
His protests went unheard as she slammed the door shut and made her way back to the driver's seat. Through the window, she could still see Prompto's animated panic as he continued to talk himself into a frenzy. The prince turned away with a hand over his mouth, desperately trying to not to laugh at his plight. Albeit, his shaking body suggested otherwise. Noctis eventually gave up the losing battle and wheezed in laughter.
Aracelis paused in surprise before glancing over to Prompto. The blond's panicked frenzy turned to indignation as he snapped at the raven-haired prince. A wide grin stretched across Noctis' face. His eyes filled with amusement as he retorted in a teasing manner. Prompto's freckled-face flushed red and he pointed an accusing finger at the other, clearly flustered by whatever the prince had said. It took less effort than she thought for them to get along. Though at this point she wasn't sure if they're getting along or if Noctis was being an incorrigible troll.
"Behave children," chided Aracelis in jest as she entered the car.
She intended to tease them in good humor, but through the mirror, she could see Prompto fluster and settle down in his seat. Noctis on the other hand chose to stare pointedly at her. Her attempt at joking fell flat as neither Prompto nor Noctis spoke a word after she pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the streets.
"So…" started Aracelis, her fingers strummed uncertainly on her steering wheel as she tried to come up with something to break the awkward silence. "Play any good games…lately?"
She wary another glance at her mirror to evaluate their reaction, but was met with twin looks of bewilderment and utter confusion. This was going to be harder than she expected. How was she supposed to relate to pubescent boys?
"I—um… played the new Assassin's Creed game recently," replied Prompto meekly.
"You play Assassin's Creed?" said Noctis in surprise turning his attention to the blond.
"Wait, you played it too?" gapped Prompto as if seeing the prince in a whole new light.
"Duh, the assassin's like the coolest ever!" scoffed the raven-haired teen with a roll of his eyes before an excited grin tugged at his lips.
Inwardly, Aracelis breathed in relief as the two carried on fanboying over a video game. At least this was a start for them to hopefully branch off into a friendship. She personally wasn't too familiar with the Assassin's Creed franchise, her primary exposure to it was purely through the special events in the game. Even so, she kept an ear on their conversation in case anything useful came up.
"Man! I never expected that the prince plays video games like the rest of us!" laughed Prompto.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" huffed Noctis.
"I mean, you probably get attempted assassinations on your life all the time right? Isn't it a bit weird to play an assassin when you could potentially be assassinated?" asked the blond curiously.
"You're totally into conspiracy theories aren't you?" laughed Noctis. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Insomnia's super safe. If there was ever an assassination attempt, I've never experienced it personally."
"Serious?" continued Prompto in awe.
"Yep," confirmed Noctis. "They'd probably need to use a daemon to even have a chance, but the wall's near impenetrable. Never going to happen."
At his words, Aracelis couldn't help but turn her full attention to the conversation. That wasn't right. Didn't the prince get gravely injured once before as a child because a marilith breached the wall and got into the city? It's the reason why he needed to go to Tenebrae for healing and Niflheim took the opportunity to invade the diminutive state ruled by the Nox Fleuret royals.
"Your highness," interrupted the older teen. "There's truly never been an attack on your person? Not even once?"
"…Why are you surprised?" frowned Noctis.
"Yeah… isn't it a good thing that he's never gotten an attempt on his life?" continued Prompto.
"Of course," agreed Aracelis dismissively, but pressed on. "Does that mean you've never left Insomnia before?"
"No, why do you ask?" questioned the prince in confusion.
"Just wondering if you've been to Tenebrae," fibbed Aracelis in a rush as she tried to give reason to the out of place question. "I think I read somewhere the developers took inspiration from Tenebrae's architecture for the city's design."
Another awkward pause.
"That um… sounds cool?" hedged Prompto, if only to be polite.
…Unquestionably awkward.
Aracelis found it best to cut her losses and stop interjecting further. For the rest of the trip, Noctis and Prompto continued to trade anecdotes and random tidbits about their favorite game. Albeit less rowdy compared to before, but at least they were still comfortable enough to talk to each other despite her presence. For now, it was an acceptable outcome. After all, her presence in the prince's life wasn't essential.
"Name, identification and reason for visit?" questioned the guard when they finally made it to the gate barring the path to the Citadel.
"Aracelis Hester, I'm escorting the prince back to the Citadel." Aracelis handed the guard her license.
"The prince?" repeated the man in surprise as he ducked down to peer through the windows to confirm her words. Noctis chatted animatedly with Prompto, paying no heed to the guard.
"May we pass through the gates?" asked Aracelis, impatient to be kept waiting.
"Uh…" the guard quickly swiped her license through a card reader to check her credentials. "You have clearance to enter under the Amicitia family, but about the blond kid in the back..."
"A classmate of his highness," interjected Aracelis.
"He needs to get clearance before we could let him through," explained the man.
"But I'm only dropping the prince off at the steps. Prompto won't be going in," argued Aracelis.
By now, Noctis and Prompto both stopped in their conversation and took interest in the exchange.
"Sorry, but that's the rules," reasoned the guard. His hand made an awkward gesture, signaling there wasn't much he could do.
"Very well," huffed Aracelis irritably before she grabbed the back of her seat and turned to speak to the two boys in the back seat. "It looks like I will have to drop you off here."
"That's fine. I can—" started Prompto sheepishly as he moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, utterly self-conscious by the guard's suspicious gaze.
"Can I trust you to walk the rest of the way to the Citadel, highness?" interjected the brunette before Prompto could completely undo his seatbelt.
"…What?" said Noctis in surprise, not expecting to be asked to leave the car.
"It's only a couple of hundred feet from here," reasoned Aracelis.
"I'm sorry, what?" said the guard in alarm at her window.
"Come on, up and at 'em," said Aracelis with a light tap to the back of her seat.
The bewildered expression didn't leave Noctis' face as he unbuckled himself and got out the car. With a slight shuffle, the prince shouldered his school briefcase and meandered his way towards the gates. The guard, flabbergasted by what just happened, looked torn between wanting to berate her and wanting escort the prince to the Citadel himself. The latter won out and he scrambled to catch up to the prince.
"I'll leave his highness in your capable hands then." Aracelis called after the man's retreating form cheekily before she place her car in reverse and backed out from the front of the Citadel gates. "So, where do you live Prompto?"
"What—you—did you just kick the prince out of your car because of me?" screeched Prompto in complete mortification.
"He's not the one who got into a car accident. Are you going to tell me where you live or not?" asked Aracelis.
"But he's the prince!" squeaked Prompto.
"He has plenty of guards to take care of him. You on the other hand," huffed Aracelis as she glanced at him through the mirror. "Are alone for some reason. Where are your parents? Do you need me to call social services for you?"
"No! No, no no!" shouted the blond as he frantically waved his arms. "They're just busy with charity work. I'm not being neglected or anything."
"I see…" murmured Aracelis thoughtfully.
She had wondered why Prompto was always alone before, if his parents were engaged in philanthropy work, it'd make sense that they won't be home often. Still, it was absurdly irresponsible, not to mention neglectful for them to leave the teen without some means to contact them during an emergency.
"Please don't call social services on my parents! They're good people!" begged Prompto.
Under normal circumstances, she would call social services and let them handle this. However, it's to no one's benefit if Prompto gets lost within the system afterwards. She needed him to stay in the same school as Noctis and resume his role as the prince's friend and companion. This meant more involvement than she would like, but it also meant she could monitor the situation better.
"On one condition," decided the older teen.
"Yes, I'll do anything!" agreed Prompto without even knowing her demands.
"A word of advice," chided Aracelis in exasperation. "In the future, you should really listen or read the terms and conditions before you agree to anything."
"Uh… you're not going to make me do anything illegal are you?" asked Prompto worriedly.
"My condition," emphasized the brunette heavily to bring the conversation back to her original point. "Is that you contact me if anything happens to you and if your parents are not available."
"…That's it?" asked the blond in confusion.
"That's it," confirmed Aracelis.
"But… why?" frowned Prompto. "I'm no one special, why would you do that for me?"
Aracelis breathed deeply through her nose, to buy time for an explanation. She couldn't very well tell him something's wrong with the world and it was essential for him to become the prince's friend. Any sane person would probably try to get away as far away from her as possible. It also didn't help that Prompto had an absurdly low level of self-esteem. She'll need to get that fixed before it gets in the way of him talking to Noctis.
"You were alone at the hospital after a car accident," reasoned Aracelis. "Special or not, no one should ever have to go through that alone. Besides… you're plenty special."
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the blond in confusion.
"You made the prince laugh. From what I've seen, he doesn't do that often. I'd say that's pretty special," supplied Aracelis.
"W-what?" stuttered Prompto, face flushed red at the compliment.
"I think you two could become friends if you really wanted to," suggested Aracelis casually, with every intent of boosting his confidence so he would take the initiative to do so.
"You think so?" asked the teen shyly.
"Doesn't hurt to try," replied Aracelis but she hoped to high hell he'd succeed. "But for my peace of mind, please call me if you get into something like that again. Can you promise me that? It doesn't even have to be something life threatening. If you need something or someone to talk to, feel free to call me."
The car fell silent, she could see the conflicted emotions plainly on the blond's freckled face as he thought over her words. Aracelis continued to drive some distance away from the Citadel as she waited for the blond to make up his mind. When he did, she could see a shy smile lighting up his face as he looked to her.
"Sure, Miss Aracelis. I'll call you if I need anything," agreed Prompto with a nod.
"Good, and you don't need to call me Miss Aracelis. Just my name will do," replied the older teen, relief flooded through her at his answer. "Now, where do you live?"
Now that she has secured a means to begin fixing this nightmare, she could breathe a little bit easier. Not only that, but she also found why the events of Brotherhood hadn't happened. Somehow, the prince had avoided the marilith attack that would have sent him to Tenebrae for healing and meet the oracle, Princess Lunafreya. His meeting with her, in turn would start a correspondence between them after the Niflheim invasion and lead to a series of events that would have brought Prompto to eventually engage the prince in a friendship.
Since the attack didn't happen, Noctis lost out on two friendships. One with Lunafreya and the other with Prompto. It hardly explains the situation with Ignis and Gladio, but if she had to fathom a guess, the marilith attack must have done more than send the prince to Tenebrae. Ignis was chosen by Regis for a reason, but what reason was it?
"What am I missing?" muttered Aracelis long after she obtained Prompto's cell number and sent him home.
Stuck in rush hour traffic with her mind filled with questions and speculations, Aracelis decided to pause her speculations on Ignis and turned her attention to Gladio instead. Logically, the marilith attack shouldn't have affected Noctis' meeting with Iris. With how often the Amicitia teen complained about the prince, Aracelis was surprise it hadn't triggered the event that lead Iris to seek out Noctis to prove Gladio wrong. Iris was always the type to pursue what she wanted, when she wanted regardless of the rules.
It's unlike her to take this long to…
"…Oh no," muttered Aracelis under her breath as she thought back to all the times Iris came to her for training whenever Gladio wasn't around. The marilith didn't have anything to do with the strained relationship between Noctis and his shield, she did. "Idiot!"
An aggravated growl escaped her lips as she banged her head against the rim of her steering wheel. How did she not notice? It was so obvious had she just paid attention! Iris idolized her almost as much as she did her brother. Naturally she would want to spend more time with her and in turn forget any silly schoolgirl crush she might have on the prince. Aracelis took a deep breath to recompose herself and gripped her wheel even tighter.
No matter, Gladio was easy. She just had to get him to respect Noctis somehow and all will be well. The question was how, but she could worry about that later. She still had the mystery of Ignis' lack of employment to the crown in question. Regis chose Ignis as the prince's advisor for a reason. He wanted him to guide Noctis and push him forward if the prince fell stagnant. For him to not appoint Ignis here, must mean he didn't feel Noctis needed an advisor.
"…But why wouldn't Noctis need an advisor?"
HONK!
Aracelis jumped at the sound and lifted her head from the wheel to see the traffic moving along. The cars around her were already driving ahead and she was holding up the cars behind her.
HONK, HONK!
"I'm going, I'm going!" grumbled the brunette as she stepped on the accelerator to push forward.
As she did so, another thought hit her. If the car horn hadn't alerted her, she wouldn't have noticed the traffic moving. What if that's what happened with the marilith attack? With the prince hurt, the king would have no choice but to be cautious and plan ahead. However, since Noctis didn't get hurt, Regis didn't get the sense of urgency to plan ahead… but Noctis was the chosen king, why wouldn't he plan ahead anyway?
Unless…
"He doesn't know Noctis is the chosen king," breathed Aracelis in horror.
Slowly, the pieces fell together and the entirety of the picture became clear. With the exception of Gladio—that was purely her fault—the marilith attack served as an essential catalyst.
Without it, Regis wouldn't worry over Noctis. He wouldn't take him to Tenebrae for healing. He wouldn't have fought his way out with Noctis in tow when Niflheim attacked. He wouldn't commune with the Crystal about his son's fate. He wouldn't realize his son was the chosen king, He wouldn't see... the omen of what was to happen to the prince if he were to face his fate alone.
A chill went through Aracelis as she realized the true severity of the situation. It was no longer just the matter of the world being plunged to never ending apocalyptic darkness. If she didn't get Noctis and his crownsguard back together before the start of his journey, there was a possibility this world will become the hell foretold by the omen. Where every turn was Ifrit's hellfire with three-headed Cerberus hellhounds and daemons at every corner. Where Noctis succumbs to the darkness and beats Lunafreya senseless with her own oracle staff before stabbing her to death.
"…What have I gotten myself into?"