The following evening had been when her godsend finally came. At first, Nyxia didn't know what to think of it. There had to be some sort of mistake. As she was still staying in the spare room that had been temporarily designated for her, her aid came through the window in the form of a crimson, fox-like creature. Nyxia couldn't believe her eyes.

A Carbuncle stood before her in her bedroom, more elegant than Shiva and cuter than a chocobo chick.

For a moment, Nyxia was certain there had to be some sort of mistake. But then, it spoke to her.

"Nyxia, right?"

"Uh... yeah." The words struggled to come out. A guardian sent from the gods had come for her? This couldn't have been what Ardyn had prepared for her. It had to be something even greater.

It was a sign. She had to be the one to stop the daemons' eternal reign. What other explanation could there be?

"I'm here as your protector, as the gods would have it, to help you on your quest to find the Gem of Tenebra. I am called Rubia."

"Rubia," the sorceress repeated hazily. "I... I'm sorry, I've never met one of you before. I'm sort of at a loss for words."

"That's alright! We carbuncles get that every now and then. You shouldn't feel intimidated or anything. Just think of me as a cute companion."

"I suppose so."

The next day, Nyxia sought off on her second quest of finding the gem. Now knowing it was a necessity, she had newfound determination and a little extra help.

It had been difficult, explaining this to her father, but seeing Rubia seemed to convince him that she was in good hands. Also, as Cingarus was being waited on to start an important meeting, he didn't have much time to really argue.

Leaving Curia towards the early afternoon, they made their way towards Galdin Quay. However, instead of stopping by the docks, they instead parked and went to the right. By the rocky hills on the coast was a well-hidden, cave entrance. She supposed she might as well start furthest east and work her way inward, until a better solution proposed itself.

She never knew of this place having a name, and after a while of exploring its damp, dark interior, she was beginning to realize why it was. There was nothing extraordinary about it; it wasn't even very large. It probably took them an hour to navigate the entire thing and come out through the other side. Having to climb the rocks back over to return to the car, Nyxia found herself rather disappointed.

At least they didn't come across any big hustles throughout, save for some flying daemons that were easier to conquer with her throwing daggers. Nyxia even managed to come out unscathed.

Upon returning to the car, the two of them left the coast behind and made towards the Keycatrich Trench. There was plenty of time to check out the old, war shelter underneath northern Leide before she needed to return home. Surrounded by rock and dilapidated, support beams, every turn seemed like it could be a death trap.

Remarkably, however, the power still seemed to work down here. There were lights dangling from the ceiling that were still lit, though some of which did seem to be burnt out. Still, it was enough to help her navigate through the dungeon.

Then, suddenly, a pack of goblins made their presence known from the other side of one of the barred gates. They skipped and hopped about the room as if they were taunting them.

"They're harmless." Rubia stalked away, her crimson tail curled behind her. "Don't pay them any mind."

Nyxia followed, though a bit more cautious than the carbuncle. She didn't like goblins, knowing they had quite a bit of a mischievous reputation. The corridor they followed eventually took them into an open area, where a running generator confirmed that someone had been here before them.

"How long do you suppose the electricity has been running?" she asked curiously. Rubia didn't seem to have heard her, as the carbuncle suddenly stopped in her tracks. Behind them, the goblins suddenly rammed through the doorway, using the weight of their own bodies to tear through. The walls seemed to shake as they did, and suddenly, as the daemons swarmed towards them, rock began to crumble behind their wake.

"Run!" shouted Nyxia, and the pair of them bolted further down the corridor. She could only hope that they could outrun the collapsing walls...

They came into another room that branched off, and as she looked behind them, it appeared the fallen rubble had taken the goblins down with it. It was silent now, and Nyxia huffed, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"There's no way but forward now," Rubia said, coming up by Nyxia's boot and sitting for a moment. "I'm sure there's another way.""There has to be, if it's a shelter," she murmured. After all, if it was designed to protect its inhabitants from enemies, there had to be a way to sneak out if someone found the entrance.

A few minutes further of walking, and they soon came across two paths, both of which led to large, ornate doors. She took the one on the left first, and for a moment, pondered over what it was she had walked into.

The room was relatively small, but it looked important. There were statues of men carrying shields lined across the rounded wall, which instead of being bulky rock, seemed to be made of smooth concrete.

In the center of the room was an elevated altar, where the statue of a king lied on its back.

"Is this...a royal tomb of the Lucis line?" Nyxia murmured in awe. The ethereal creature behind her observed curiously, as well.

"It is. And the axe it's supposed to wield is missing."

"Do you suppose King Noctis had already taken it?" Nyxia sighed, brushing back her hair. "Not that it matters, I suppose. He's been missing for a long time now. It's not like he's coming back."

At this, Rubia perked up at her. "Don't say that. Others out there still have hope. But that's not to say we shouldn't do what we can to try and help.""Those daemons attacked my home, my city and my people. I can't stand aside and let that happen again."

"I don't blame you." Rubia followed her out of the tomb and to the other path - the only other way they could go. The other door was closed, and even seemed to be locked, but as she approached it, it seemed to react, giving off a soft, blue glow from its decorative metal.

Did it open with magic, she wondered? The princess raised her hands, focusing her energy towards it and closing her eyes. She tried everything she could, even spells more offensive, such as fire. Yet, nothing changed; there wasn't even a scratch on it.

"How does it open?" Nyxia asked herself in distress.

"Typically, with a key.""I didn't know you could be sassy." Nyxia looked at the carbuncle, grinning just a little. However, if that was the case, how were they going to get out of here? The way back was completely barricaded by boulders far too heavy for her to lift.However...

"I have an idea," Nyxia said, and with a skip in her step, she bounded back towards the barricade. Rubia followed curiously. If the rocks were too big to move, the most sensible thing to do would be to make them smaller. So, as they returned to the congested corridor, she drew out her water staff, conjuring a constant, powerful jet to break it down, little by little.

It seemed to make only a small difference before Nyxia needed to stop and regain her strength. Only the smaller rocks seemed to respond, and even then, they didn't get far.

Then, beside her, a bright, pink light illuminated the area. The carbuncle came up beside her, and the source of the magic came from the long, jeweled horn on her forehead. Nyxia didn't understand what it was at first, but then, she felt her energy returning to her.

Again, the sorceress gave the spell another shot. This time, the aquatic stream was much larger and stronger than before. The pile of rubble began to shift now, and as the smaller pieces washed away, the larger ones began to crack and crumble before they would follow suit.

"Yes! We did it!" Nyxia chimed. The way back was opened up again, and though there seemed to be no sign of the daemons that were pursuing them earlier, it seemed safe enough to go back, which seemed to be the only choice, considering they had reached their dead end.

In the end, it was a bust. However, if nothing else, it did show her what her new, "cute companion" was capable of. It also allowed her to look more into that curious door that wouldn't even budge.

Time to pull out the books again, she thought to herself.