A/N: Ever know what you need to write, what needs to happen, and yet you still have trouble writing it?

Yeah, that was this chapter.

Well, this chapter also ended up being longer than I thought it would be! Not intentional, I swear, but I just needed to get everything I planned for into this.

I'd also like to thank those who are reading this story, and a big thank you goes out to those that have left reviews! I never expect much in the way of feedback when I post stories, so each one really means a lot to me. Again, thank you. It's amazing how much they help me to get motivated to writing more, seeing that people are enjoying this.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

III

Hellfire

After leaving the town where they had fought the behemoth, Noctis and his friends were once again forced to walk to their next destination. This, of course, brought much protest from Prompto, but there was not much any of them could do about their situation. The town had been such a small one that there was no place for them to buy or rent some sort of vehicle. For now, they would have live with travelling on foot.

While their journey into Solheim had been filled with conversations between the friends, it was now almost always in dead silence. There was only one thing to account for this change: their new companion. The woman that they had come to call Niveus trailed silently at their side. Noctis did not want to deal with her let alone start up a conversation. She may have had to travel with them so they could keep the Crystal Shard that was bound to her near, but that did not mean they had to do anything else.

The other three men, at least, would try talking with Niveus now and then. Most of the time, though, her responses would either be "I don't know," or "I don't remember," and thus quickly ending any conversations that were started—if one cold call them conversations. So, while it was not as though they were all giving her the cold shoulder, it was just hard to have more than a few words with the pale woman.

When night had fallen and they made their place to stop for the evening, even their dinner conversation was minimal. His friends tried to get the Prince to talk a little with Niveus, but Noctis was able to get around doing so. He was not so accepting of her on this journey as the others seemed to be. It was not as though this was some pleasure cruise that just anyone could join them on without so much as a "by your leave". With being the first to finish his meal for the night, Noctis was quick to excuse himself for sleep.

This routine was much the same for the following day, as well. On the second night, Noctis' troubling dream returned. Still the Crystal cried out for help. Still it shattered. Still he could do nothing to aid it. Waking, he was careful to keep his breathing quiet as he stared out into the darkness of the night. He reached up and gripped his hair tight, as though it would help to take his mind off the dream that plagued him.

"Trouble sleeping?" asked a soft voice. Noctis quickly tensed up, not having expected anyone to still be awake at that late hour. Turning over, he saw who he had assumed had spoken: Niveus. The woman sat by the dying embers of the fire they had made for the night and watched the ashes dance with each faint crack and pop.

Frowning to mask a glare, Noctis remained silent as he looked at her. How had she known he had woken up let alone was having a troubling sleep? A thought crossed his mind and his frown was replaced by a look of light embarrassment. He sure did not hope he had talked in his sleep.

"What about you?" he asked back, not wanting to answer her question. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" A loud snore from Gladiolus reassured the Prince that at least his other friends were resting.

"I'm not tired," she responded, not once taking her eyes of the embers. Noctis sighed softly. Even when her answers were not "I don't know" or "I don't remember", it was still hard to talk with her.

Seeing that their little conversation had died faster than the fire, Noctis let out a scoff and looked down to his hands. Since he had woken up, there was something that he wanted to try. Closing his eyes, the dark-haired Prince concentrated with all his might on the power of the Crystal Shard. He had been able to use it in the midst of battle, surely he could call upon it again.

Try as he might, the Crystal would not answer his call. The sword he tried to summon over to him remained where it was, as motionless as an inanimate object should be. He cursed under his breath and clenched his hand into a fist in frustration. Noctis almost felt like he had been abandoned by the Crystal. Back when it first shattered, he had no idea that this ordeal would leave him so...sad.

"Any luck?" Noctis nearly startled at the sudden question. He blinked a few times and looked up to see Niveus watching him with those freakishly pale eyes of hers. Frowning, the Prince shifted back slightly. How long had she been watching him? Not to mention, how had she known he tried to use his abilities? His deep-blue eyes darted down to the Crystal Shard that hung from her neck. Perhaps that was how...

"No," he sighed coarsely as he rolled onto his back. Looking up to the night sky, he kept himself from turning back to Niveus though he could still feel her eyes on him. The silence that followed was an awkward one at best. It even grew to a point where Noctis was becoming unsettled by it. "Why are you helping us?" he finally asked, looking over to her from the corner of his vision.

She tilted her head at him. "Because you asked," answered Niveus truthfully. This caused Noctis to look at her in surprise. There had been no deceit or trickery in her words. Was that truly the only reason for her joining them? With how she had answered, it certainly seemed to be the case, but Noctis just could not accept it so readily. "Because you need this Crystal Shard, as you call it, but are unable to take it."

Noctis' brow furrowed. "That's it?"

"That's it." She blinked at him in confusion. "Is that wrong?"

The Prince looked at her with a mix of bafflement and amazement for a moment. It was as though she were a child, not knowing the ways of the world and the people in it. Sighing, he gazed back up to the night sky and scowled lightly. "People...people just aren't like that."

"Why not?" Once again, Noctis stared at her in surprise. It was not as though she meant "Why not? That sounds stupid," with how she asked. No. Niveus was genuinely curious.

"Because people are selfish, and normally don't help without wanting something in return." Noctis stared grimly up at the stars. It may have been a bleak outlook on life, but it had been proven true time and time again. Another thing he had learned was how often people would lie. When he had to deal with matters concerning Lucis and the other kingdoms, that fact was made painfully obvious to him. Sighing deeply, Noctis turned his back to Niveus. "Get some rest, even if you're not tired," he muttered as way of ending their conversation.

The Prince only hoped, as he slowly began to fall asleep, that his nightmares would not return.

"Man, look at the size of that thing!" whistled Prompto in awe. Raising his hand to block the glare from the sun, he craned his head back to stare up at the mountain that loomed before them. Lucis' surrounding lands were very flat, and as such, mountains like the one the city before them rested under did not exist. "Is this where you think the Crystal Shard is?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to Noctis.

The Prince nodded as he studied the city ahead of them. It was larger than the town they had been at a few days before. Buildings rose up into the sky rather limited to a floor or two. In a small way, it reminded them of home. That then brought a thought to their mind: when would they be able to see Lucis again? There was no telling how many shards there were out there, and if each of them continued to take days to collect, their time spent on this journey could certainly add up.

"So, do we start asking around to see if anyone's seen a shooting star?" smirked Gladiolus.

Sighing, Ignis pushed up his glasses. "There's no telling if each shard will have the same story. We should just ask around for anything out of the ordinary again."

Prompto threw up his arms as she shook his head. "Well, let's just get this over with then."

"This is a much larger place, though. I think we should stick together to make sure none of us get lost," remarked Noctis. It was silent for a moment as all eyes fell onto a particular person in their party.

"What are you looking at me for?" questioned Prompto with a light glare.

"Well, you do have a pretty bad sense of direction," coughed Gladiolus as he glanced away.

"I was surprised you didn't get lost back in the last town," commented Ignis.

Distraught from the comments directed at him, Prompto looked to Noctis with a pleading expression. "Noct?"

The Prince shrugged and looked away. "I stand by what I said."

"Bu—but!" Sighing, the blond then looked over to the one person who had not said a word since they reached the city. "At least Niveus doesn't make fun of me!" Quickly moving to her side, Prompto wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Ain't that right?" He shot a grin at her. Blinking a couple times, Niveus looked back at him with mild surprise. She seemed at a loss for what to say. "You're on my side through thi—Hey!" Within a second, Prompto was sent stumbling forward after being shoved away from the pale woman. Whirling around, he glared up at Gladiolus. "What was that for?!"

"Don't you drag her into this too," huffed the scarred man.

"She's already been dragged into this whole mess!"

"That's not what I'm talking abou—"

"Um..." whispered Niveus. Though it quiet, her voice brought everyone else to silence and stopped the argument before it could escalate any further. "Should we start looking now?"

Taking that moment to regain control of the situation, Noctis gave a firm nod. "Let's go."

Staying together, the friends made their way into the crowded city. With it being early afternoon, there were plenty of people about that they could ask.

"Something odd?" questioned one of the first few men they asked. The friends from Lucis were careful to mask any hope they might have had. It was sounding good so far. "You should talk to the miners. Ever since about a week ago, they've been going on about the mines in the mountain being cursed."

"Where can we speak to them?"

"Head towards the mountain. It's the big building with smokestacks before the mine shafts. Can't miss it."

Nodding in thanks, the friends were quick to head off. All of them wanted to find the next shard as quickly as possible and be on their way. Time was of the essence in this matter.

"A curse? Really? That doesn't seem like Crystal would do," remarked Prompto as he placed his hands behind his head. He had asked the question that had been on all their minds. The Crystal gave life to their people. It brought hope to them and sustained their society. In these dark times, it remained a ray of light shining on. How could something that brought such life and prosperity be the cause of something people called a curse?

"It certainly does seem odd." Gladiolus crossed his arms as he looked up towards the mountain. "But not as though we got anything to lose by looking!"

"Only time," remarked Ignis. It was true. If the curse turned out not to be caused by the Crystal Shard, then they would have wasted valuable time in looking. Every moment was precious. They had already been searching for a week and only had one shard to show for their efforts.

"I think it is a Crystal Shard," said Noctis from the front. "It's broken, shattered, not how it's meant to be at all. There's no telling what it'll do in that state. I'm sure it's capable of things we never thought possible from it before." The Crystal, as Noctis knew, was alive in some way. Just like a person that was injured, desperate, and scared, there was no telling what it would do. To him, at least, causing something that could be called a curse seemed like a reasonable thing for it to do. "Besides, the timeline fits."

For them, that ended their conversation as they continued on towards the mountain. If the others still had doubts over whether or not the curse was caused by a Crystal Shard or not, they certainly did not voice it. Surely Noctis, who was the only one out of them who was connected to the Crystal, knew it best. If he believed it to be a Crystal Shard, then that was enough for the rest of his friends.

The man they had spoken to had been correct. As they followed the streets to the mountain, the building that he had mentioned was very hard to miss. Rising up from the land, it was the only structure like it in the area. The entrance to the mines could also be seen, their dark tunnels fading from sight when they reached too far into the mountain.

"Whaddaya want?" huffed a man once they entered the building. The burly man was scrambling around, perhaps trying to make sense of the mess around them. "Little busy here, so hurry it up!"

"We have some questions," began Noctis, stepping forward.

"Yeah, well, I may not have the answers. Well, what's taking ya? Spit it out!" The man continued to work, not sparing the companions more than a glance.

"We'd like to know more about this curse we heard about in the mi—"

"Ha! Curse?" barked the burly man. "Bunch of scared wusses if ya ask me! About a week ago, the miners that work down there started to go on about the place now being cursed. They're all so frightened that many have stopped comin' in ta work. Something about a monster and the mountain blowin' up."

Prompto swallowed nervously. "Blow up? You mean...is that mountain actually a volcano?"

"Used ta be," grunted the man as he placed down something that seemed rather heavy. "But it's been dead fer generations. Nuttin' but a mountain now."

"Are you sure it's not just dormant?" questioned Ignis as he looked out the window to the dead volcano.

"Are ya kiddin'? That things dead. I'd stake my career on it."

"Of course, the only thing you'd have to lose if you were wrong is just the entire city being wiped out," commented Gladiolus.

"Feh, not gonna happen!"

"Thanks for your time," said Noctis with a stiff bow. Seeing that they had gotten all the information that they were going to get from the man, the Prince turned and gestured to his friends that it was time to leave. Not to mention, he did not want to have to deal with other people more than was necessary. They needed information, but he did not want to stay long enough for people to start figuring out what they were after.

"So, how fast do you think people would die if that thing blew?" questioned Prompto as he stared up at the volcano once they were outside.

"Within seconds," answered Ignis with a sigh. "If it does go...we won't want to be here."

"Well then, let's get that shard and get the hell out of here. What's the plan, Noct?"

Looking around, Noctis checked to see how many people were in the area. Other than the man they had dealt with inside the building, there had been no one in sight. "We go in," he answered, looking back to his friends. "You say you want to get this over with, right?" Raising an eyebrow, the Prince seemed to challenge any of them to argue otherwise. They all remained silent. Just as he thought. Even if they were not too thrilled at the prospect of going inside a volcano, none of them could argue with him.

Hurrying along, the five of them made their way to the entrance of the mines and delved into the darkness. Lights were strung along the supports, illuminating the place once the light from the sun could no longer reach in. Even with the light, it was still a dark and gloomy place. Water trickled down the walls. Given enough time, that alone would render the mine useless, despite whether or not the volcano erupted. Machinery and other tools were scattered about. As they travelled deeper and deeper into the earth, they wondered how quickly the miners had left for everything to be in this state.

The farther in they got, the less and less it was looking like a mine, and was looking more and more like a fissure. Supports were minimal at best, and they could not help but become a little wary of their surroundings.

"Hey, Noct, buddy, you sure this is such a smart idea?" laughed Prompto nervously. "I mean, you know, what if something were to go wrong? Not as though you got your powers to help us if things go bad fast."

"We don't have any other choice. The Crystal Shard is in here, I can tell that much now." Pausing for a second, the Prince looked down the multiple tunnels that split off from the one they were currently in. None of them looked any better than the main tunnel. As long as they were down here, they would be at the mercy of nature. Like Prompto had pointed out, if something were to go wrong, there was nothing any of them could do. One mistake and they could be stuck down there or killed. "This way." Picking up his pace a little, Noctis hurried towards the tunnel that was leading down.

"Man, I hate it when he gets like this." Prompto raised his hands helplessly.

"Like what?" questioned Niveus as she slowed down to match his pace.

"When he gets so focused on something that he basically blocks everything else out. Don't get me wrong, it has had its useful moments, but that was also when he had all his abilities and could accomplish almost anything. Now...well, I just hope he remembers he's not all-powerful." Soaking in the information, Niveus looked up to where Noctis was. He certainly did seem set on the task at hand. "He really needs a girl," added the blond in a whisper.

"What will that do?"

Prompto made a quiet noise in surprise. He had not intended for anyone else to hear him. Laughing nervously, he rubbed the back of his head when he remembered that Niveus had her memories blocked. If she ever had known what Prompto meant by his comment, she sure did not now. "Ah, I'll explain it to you later..."

From the front, Noctis scowled lightly. Even he had been able to hear his friend's comment, but he did not respond to it. He just wanted to get the Crystal Shard as quickly as possible. The faster they got it, the sooner they could be back outside and safe. Was that really so hard for the others to understand? If it was not safe in here now, waiting would probably make that only worse.

Not to mention, for his sake, they simply had to find the Crystal Shard.

Each day that passed without the Crystal left him feeling worse and worse. He had taken it for granted while growing up, thinking that it would always be there. Now...well, Noctis knew he would never take it for granted again. When they had found the first shard, or rather, it had found them, things had gotten marginally better. Perhaps each shard would begin to fill the hole that consumed him. He could only hope...

"Man, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?" sighed Gladiolus as he wiped sweat that began to bead on his forehead.

"The temperature sure seems to have gone up," agreed Ignis.

Stopping in his tracks, Noctis looked at the sudden change in surroundings. "Uh...I think I know why that is..."

"Whoa!" shouted Prompto in surprise when they reached the Prince's side. "Dead volcano, yeah right!"

Flowing beside the path they were on were rivers of magma. The molten rock flowed along, slowly changing the shape of the chamber around it. One wrong step, and there would be no return for any of them. This close to the magma, the heat was bordering on unbearable for them.

"You sure this is the way to the shard?" questioned Gladiolus as he peered at the molten rock. Patches of cooled magma flowed across the surface, like small black islands that seemed like they could possibly support someone for a fraction of a second before merging into the magma.

"It is..." answered Noctis, somewhat put-off by what they would have to travel through.

"Man, I think I can start to see why people stopped using Crystals," commented Prompto as he scratched his head.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"They're waaaaaay more trouble than they're worth!"

"We're here now. Might as well keep going forward, right?" Blinking, Niveus waited for some kind of response from any of them. The men simply stared at her with light surprise. None of them had expected her to be the one to voice continuing on. She waited a moment longer, but once it became clear that none of them were about to say anything she continued on into the volcano. The heat and prospect of immense danger did not seem to be affecting her one bit.

"Huh...whaddaya know," muttered out Prompto as he watched Niveus with interest. "She's got some spunk after all."

"You call that spunk?" Gladiolus raised an eyebrow sardonically.

"Well, coming from her, yeah."

"Point..."

"Hey, wait up there, Niv!" called out Prompto as he hurried to catch up with her. Letting out a bark of a laugh, Gladiolus was next to follow.

Crossing his arms, Ignis looked over his shoulder to Noctis. "Well, you were the one who wanted to hurry along and get the shard." With a shrug, the friend with glasses was next to join the others in their trek through the sweltering surroundings.

Noctis remained where he was for a moment longer. The expression on his face made it clear that he did not quite understand what had just happened. Brow furrowing, he let out a soft sigh before he hurried along so he would not get left behind.

The heat only grew worse the farther in they went. For a while, they wondered if the temperature would ever stop rising. The air in front of them danced as the warmer currents rose up, trying to escape from the maze of a mine. Just how far this went on for, none of them knew.

"Man, aren't you boiling in that thing?" panted out Prompto as he slipped off his own vest. The blond looked up to Noctis, who had once again taken the lead.

The Prince let out a light groan. He tried not to think about the heat. As such, having his friend ask about it did not really help the matter. When he focused on other things, rather than just the heat that smothered all of them, it could become bearable for a while. Even the others were removing their top layer of clothing due to the uncomfortable heat.

"It is, but I'll be fine," panted Noctis after swallowing to regain the moisture that was in him.

"Then why don't ya just take off the coat if its so uncomfortable?" Noctis sighed in annoyance, but said nothing. Blinking in confusion, Prompto then glanced over to the only woman in their party for a second before looking back to his friend. "Ah, never mind. But if you pass out or die because of your shyness, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Rolling his eyes, Noctis muttered something under his breath. He merely did not think removing his coat would make enough of a difference in this magnitude of heat. It did not have anything to do with him being shy. At least, that is what he tried to convince himself was the reason.

Finding it too difficult to even talk any more in the heat, they continued on into the volcano in silence. After a time, the path they travelled along began to rise up, yet the magma stayed with them. Wherever they went, it was right there at their side, a constant reminder to how dangerous this place was. Now and then, tremors would shake through the ground, causing all of them to stop and wait for it to pass. They were not very strong quakes, but they were enough to make the companions grow even more concerned.

"Hey, do you hear that?" whispered Prompto as he stopped walking. The others also stopped and strained their hearing to try and catch what it was that captured the blond's attention. A clash was faintly heard. "Is that... Is there someone fighting down here?"

"Who says it has to be someone?" questioned Gladiolus. "Could be something." A sudden roar shook through the tunnel, causing all of them to have to steady their footing. "See?" The roaring faded away, but the ground still vibrated from it.

"Oh, yes, that makes it much better, thank you."

"Could it be the source of the curse the miners are afraid of?" asked Niveus as she tilted her head to the side.

Gladiolus let out a long sigh as he stared at the path ahead of them. "Well, something tells me we're about to find out."

"Let's go!" called out Noctis before he ran on ahead. Even in this heat, the idea that someone could be closer to the Crystal Shard than they were almost scared him. If it was taken before they reached it...he would never forgive himself. Up ahead, he could see that the tunnel opened up. Hurrying through the natural archway, he breathed out a sigh of relief when it got noticeably cooler. The cavern they were now in was so large that the heat rose up away from them instead of being cramped around them. Above them was a roof of rock that had holes scattered about, allowing some of that heat to escape. A giant ring of magma flowed around the edge of the cavern, making this place no less dangerous than the tunnels before it.

"Damn that Creon! He didn't say there anything about there being something like this!" cursed a man with green hair from the center of the chamber. Eyes widening in surprise, Noctis looked over to the man who was supporting his weight on a spear. He was doubled-over and seemed to be holding his left arm under his right as though it were injured.

"Creon..." repeated Noctis. That was the name his father had given for the man who tried to destroy their Crystal. Drawing forth his sword, the Prince rushed forward to the man at the center of the cavern. There were answers he wanted, and that man should surely have them.

"What the?!" blurted out the green-haired man as he barely noticed the Prince in time. Jumping to the side, he dodged to safety before the sword would have injured him. "Tch, figures you guys would show up." Looking over to where Noctis' friends still stood, the man seemed to groan lightly.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded Noctis as he rounded about for another attack.

"Looking for the same thing you are, my good Prince." Though the man tried to act smug, it seemed as though he could not mask his pain entirely. A sudden roar kept them from talking any further. It bubbled up from deep within the magma until it tore through the entire cavern.

"Wha-what kind of monster makes a noise like that?!" shouted out Prompto as he covered his ears in attempts to block it out. Everyone else was doing much the same, trying to withstand it until the roar faded away.

Letting out a curse, the green-haired man looked back to Noctis. "Well, I'd love to stick around, but I think it's your turn to deal with that thing. Enjoy the heat of hellfire!"

"Wait!" cried out Noctis...but it was no use. The man had disappeared into a swirl of dark magic. Breathing heavily as way to vent his frustration, Noctis cursed under his breath. The last time he had seen such magic was when Creon fled the Crystal chamber. Did that man work for or with Creon? Only one thing was certain after that encounter: they were no longer the only ones searching for the Crystal Shards.

A terrible rumbling cut his thoughts short. The ground shook violently as Noctis' friends moved quickly to join him at the center of the cavern. All of them looked around for what was causing the disruption. It was like the monster was toying with them.

"So, still think the Crystal Shard is here?" asked Prompto as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder.

Noctis nodded, not once taking his eyes off from the edge of the ground they were on. "Positive."

"Over there!" shouted Gladiolus as he gestured to one side of the cavern. Everyone whirled around to see just what the monster was.

The temperature in the room rose rapidly. All of them wondered for a moment just how hot it could get. It became clear to them then why the man had said to enjoy the heat of hellfire. Off where Gladiolus had pointed to rose a giant claw that gripped the side of the ground and pulled up the rest of the body of the creature. They stared on in shock when they saw what it was.

As massive as the behemoth they fought a couple days back, the monster seemed to be made completely of the magma it rose from. The outer layer of it cooled so quickly that it turned to black rock. But it did not remain like that for long. Bubbling up from underneath, fresh magma split through its skin and spewed forth, endlessly destroying and creating a new shell. Never before had any of them seen anything like this beast.

"How...how the hell are we meant to destroy something like that?!" blurted out Prompto as he backed up a step. Magma dripped from what had to be the maw of the beast once it was fully onto the same ground as they were. It stared at them hungrily. How much of a meal they would provide for the monster, none of them knew, nor did they want to find out.

"Now I can see why that guy left," barked Gladiolus. Their scarred friend gripped his axe tightly, a part of him wishing they had also left when they had a chance.

"Guess it's up to us to clean up this mess," sighed Ignis as he pushed up his glasses.

"I'm sure it can be defeated," commented Niveus. Her pale eyes darted all over the monster, looking for something that could be a weak spot and exploit it.

"Time to put an end to this curse," muttered Noctis calmly. Gripping his sword, he rushed forward. It was times like this where he missed his teleportation ability the most. The monster roared as he neared, magma flying from its maw. Steeling himself against the intense heat, Noctis leapt up and sliced through one of the forelegs before landing a safe distance away. Whirling around, he looked to see what damage he caused.

The severed leg fell to the ground and quickly cooled in place. A grumble seemed to escape the monster, but it otherwise remained unfazed. A curse escaped Noctis as he watched while the foreleg reformed from new magma. It was like he had done nothing at all to it. The monster shook its foreleg, testing it to make sure everything was working normally.

A loud bang rang through the air after Prompto fired his shotgun. The rounds passed harmlessly into the face of the monster, who barely flinched from the attack. Taking what would have normally been an opening, Gladiolus charged forward to see if his own attack could work. The magma-monster focused its attention on the scarred man and quickly swiped at him. Bringing up his axe to block the attack, Gladiolus barely managed to defend himself from the molten rock. A cry of surprise escaped him as he dropped his weapon when it became too hot for him to hold onto.

"How are we meant to attack it?" questioned Prompto as they gathered back up together. "Normal attacks aren't doing anything, and who knows how long your melee weapons would stand up against it!"

"Then we attack by other means," answered Ignis. From the moment he saw Noctis' attack had not worked, he had begun to prepare his own way to damage the monster. Now it was time to try his method. Holding out his hand, the air around them cooled rapidly. What moisture there was around them began to form shards of ice that somehow managed to keep from melting in the scorching cavern. With a single thought, his magic spell shot off towards the monster.

The shards of ice imbedded themselves into the magma beast. As they did, the areas around where they landed cooled quickly, making those parts of the monster useless. The ice had been so cold that the heat of the monster could not melt them.

"All right!" cheered out Prompto as the monster coiled in pain. "We just gotta freeze that thing! Niveus, can you use magic?"

"I'm...not sure," she answered after a moment's thought.

"Well, we'll find that out later then. You help Noct with distracting the monster. We'll make sure that thing reaches absolute zero." Backing up, the blond began to cast an ice spell of his own.

Despite their situation, Noctis still managed to sigh in annoyance. He did not like being forced to do something with Niveus' aid. Surely he would have been able to keep the monster distracted long enough on his own. Why bother having someone else help who would more likely get in the way rather than be useful.

Pushing any further thoughts from his mind, Noctis charged forward to the monster, Niveus a second behind. No longer preoccupied with the first magic attack, the magma beast searched around for a target, and focused on those nearest it. As it loomed above the two, another ice attack shot through the air. Roaring in pain, the monster whirled around and began to head for those that were casting spells.

"Over here!" taunted Noctis as he sliced through one of the back legs. At the same time, Niveus had hurried over to the other side of the monster and severed the other back leg. A roar that sounded like a mix of pain and surprise escaped the monster as it fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Magma flowed from the wounds like blood would have from a person. Since no ice spells had hit that part of the monster yet, fresh magma poured out and formed new limbs for the beast. Enraged, it rounded about on Niveus.

Cursing under his breath, Noctis tried to get to her side quickly and safely. This is what he was afraid of happening. And getting to her now was much more difficult than it would have otherwise been. The heat radiating off the monster seemed to have increased tenfold, making it hard to move around it without getting caught in the intense heat and passing out. Even Niveus seemed to be having trouble in her current situation. The monster loomed above her, forcing her to back up farther and farther until she was at the edge of the ground.

"Now!" shouted Ignis. Icicles shot through the air as though they were bullets. They broke through the hard shell of the monster and reached deep inside the magma. Crying out in pain, the monster thrashed about. Taking that moment, Niveus got out of the monster's path while the temperature was not so hot. Breathing harder than normal, she reached a safe distance and watched as the ice began to take effect on the monster.

Everyone watched with baited breath to see if it was enough. The monster clawed at its own cooling skin, as though it was trying to get the ice out. No matter what it tried, the monster could not reach the roots of the spell. Working its magic, the ice spells began to freeze the monster from the inside out. The longer it tried to struggle in vain, the slower its movements became. Once enough time had passed, the monster was completely frozen in a prison of ice.

"Did we get it?" asked Prompto hopefully. Noctis stared at the monster. It did not feel like the battle was over to him. Gripping the hilt of his sword, the Prince hurried forward and jumped into the air above the frozen monster. This battle would only be over once it was completely destroyed. Given enough time, the heat of the place would probably melt the ice and this would start all over again. Sword poised to strike, he brought it down with all his might.

Ice cracked as his blade was jammed into the monster's back. Where a cry would have normally pierced the air from the monster was eerily silent as the others watched to see what would happen. Cracks began to spread all over the monster, radiating out from where Noctis had attacked. Not wanting to be that close to the action, he quickly leapt from the back of the monster and landed near his friends, turning to watch what would then happen.

Much like the what had happened to the Crystal nights before, the cracks in the ice spread all over the surface, each one reaching deep. His attack had hardly been superficial. Once all of the ice was cracked, it shattered, sending shards, specks, and even larger pieces of ice shooting out all over the place.

But the ice was not the only thing that had been shattered.

Frozen solid, the monster had also cracked with the ice and now clumps of it were sent flying along with the ice. With how the flakes of ice glistened in the warm light, it almost looked beautiful for a moment. At the very least, it brought relief in this hot cavern to the companions.

"I think we got it," commented Noctis, trying hard to hold back a smirk. They had won.

"Look!" called out Gladiolus, pointing up. The others looked to where the scarred man had gestured to.

"Is that...?" breathed out Prompto, a grin splitting across his face.

Ignis nodded as he continued to stare at the object. "I think it is." While all the shards of ice had fallen down by now, one remained hanging in the air. But, unlike the other ice, this remained unaffected by the heat. It glinted in the light as it slowly lowered towards the ground.

"The Crystal Shard," whispered Noctis as he began to walk towards it.

"So, was that thing inside that monster the whole time?" questioned Prompto.

"I do believe now that the power of the shard created this mess in the first place." Ignis calmly pushed his glasses back up.

As the Crystal Shard neared the ground, Noctis held out a hand towards it, and waited. He could not begin to describe how relieved he felt that they had retrieved it, and not that green-haired man. Inches away from his hand, the shard glowed so brightly that they all had to close their eyes as they waited for it to pass. After a moment, the Prince looked back and gasped. The shard was no longer there. Spinning around, he looked between his friends to see if any of them knew where it went, but stopped when his gaze fell onto Niveus.

The Crystal Shard hung before the woman, glowing faintly. Slowly, flakes of the shard began to break off and were absorbed by the one that rested around Niveus' neck. Hers glowed brighter for a moment, but soon returned to normal once the second shard was gone.

"Well, that's handy," remarked Prompto. "At least now we won't have to worry about lugging around a ton of shards with us!" Gladiolus laughed softly while Ignis nodded.

Noctis sighed and looked away, not wanting any of them to see his bitter expression. All his life, he had been connected to the Crystal. He had protected it and wielded its power with respect. Now he was being passed over for this woman? As much as he tried not to, he could not help but feel some resentment towards Niveus. Even when he tried to tell himself that it was not her fault, that the Crystal had just so happened to bind itself to her, the jealousy remained.

At least they had gathered another shard. That much the Prince could take comfort in. With it now in their possession, he could sense others out there. They all called for help from the two shards they had, each wanting to become whole again.

"Aw, man!" cried out Prompto. The others all looked to him, wondering what could possibly be wrong now.

"What is it?" asked Gladiolus.

"There was no girl with this shard!" The other three men sighed while Niveus just blinked in confusion. Shrugging it off, Prompto placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, guess you're our one and only for now."

The Prince ran a hand down his face and groaned. He was very glad that this shard had not been bound to anyone if it meant someone else would have to tag along. Not to mention, despite the fact that he resented Niveus, he did not want anyone else to go through the same thing as her. While there was no telling if other people would be affected by a Crystal Shard differently, going by the examples they had, it certainly could not be a pleasant experience.

"C'mon," sighed Noctis, placing his sword over his back. "Let's get out of this place."

Favouring his left arm, the green-haired man hurried along through the halls. As he pulled open a door before him, he did not slow down. The room he had entered into was void of people save for a lone figure that stood by a window. Outlined by the glow of the setting sun, the figure seemed more like a statue than a person.

"How did it go, Lysander?" asked the figure, his voice deep and steady.

Shifting his weight uncomfortably, the man named Lysander glanced down. "The Prince and his friends showed up as I was trying to retrieve the shard, like you thought they might, Creon." Lysander looked up, expecting to see Creon with a look of rage on his face. But the dark-haired man continued to stare out the window, acting like he did not hear the report at all. "There...was this other woman with them, though."

Creon seemed to twitch slightly. "A woman?"

"Yes. She looked unnaturally pale. But, the oddest thing was the necklace she wore. It looked like it was a Crystal Shard." That caught the leader's attention. Turning around, Creon's black eyes peered at Lysander.

"A Crystal Shard, you say?" Though his expression remained a mask, his voice had given away just how interested he truly was. Lysander nodded, relieved that Creon was not angered. "How interesting, I did not expect this to happen..." Cupping his chin in his hand, Creon returned to looking out the window. "Worry not about the shard. Let that foolish Prince and his friends scurry around as they try to restore their Crystal. They will be able to find the shards faster than us, so we shall allow them to do the hard work." Raising a hand, he stared through the Crystal Shard that he held to the light outside. The warm light refracted through it, making the shard appear full of power. Much to his luck, one of the shards had appeared near his headquarters and was quickly recovered. This was the shard that he had in his possession. "That blasted Crystal shattering may have made us change our course of action, but I think things will work out just wonderfully." Light glinted into his dark eyes from the shard. A malicious smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Yes...I think things shall work out quite well..."

A/N: Hm, what could they be planning now...

Poor Niveus, seems like Noctis doesn't like her too much. At least the others aren't so cold to her. And Prompto...well, he's just Prompto.

And yes, poor Noct, so shy that he'd rather boil in his coat than take it off in front of her.

A heads up, the next couple chapters will also be like this (they get to where a shard is, have some trouble, and get it), but that will be changing up soon! So don't worry, the entire story won't be just this! Think of it like a RPG where you start off doing one thing, but then have to do something else later. I'm looking forward to writing future scenes, so hopefully I'll just steel myself and get the next few chapters over with soon so I can get to the good stuff (well, what I think'll be good, have to wait and see what you think).

Stay tuned for more!