welcome back!

...

"If you trust in your power instead of fighting, there will be no limit to what you may accomplish." - Gentiana.

.*.*.

Ignis had cleaned up the mess in his apartment after Nox's "drop in" visit. The glass was easily vacuumed, and he disposed of the table frame. Washing the fluids out of the carpet, however, wasn't nearly as easy. She had lost a lot of blood, but after Gladio's quick thinking she was resting and looking as normal as possible, given her current state. She was still sleeping, had only woken up here and there to roll over and hardly acknowledge him with glazed eyes. He was searching for a new table on his phone while he sat in his room with her. He had only left the apartment while Gladio was here, not wanting her to wake up on her own and take off before they could talk.

She took a sharp breath in through her nose, and his green orbs moved to her instinctively. She rubbed her closed eyelids, her face screwing up in annoyance, and then she fell back into a peaceful sleep. Ignis sighed slightly, going back to his phone. At least she was sleeping, it seemed that only when her body was purely exhausted was the only time she did so. Was strange, given her family relations. He heard his front door open, not really concerned since the only people who could walk in had keys. He then saw Gladio standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

"How is she?" he asked in his gruff voice.

"Resting, but remains stable," Ignis answered, putting his phone away.

"Think she'll wake up soon?"

"Yes, within the next 24 hours. She grows more restless as the time passes."

"That's something I guess," the shield crossed his arms, his eyes trained on Nox. She was on her back, but her head faced the doorway, one arm by her face and the other on her stomach, while her left knee was bent outward and the other leg fell straight, "Wonder why she was wandering around Duscai."

"Hard to say. Given her missions, she does tend to travel frequently."

He grunted, "I guess so. Just figured she wouldn't be on foot as much. Send her to the citadel as soon as she wakes up. Those are the orders from his Majesty."

"Understood," Ignis nodded. Gladio took one last look at them, and then left, closing the door softly behind him.

...

It wasn't until the next day that Nox had woken up for good this time. Ignis was reading on the chair as her eyes opened slowly. She frowned slightly, not knowing where she was at first. She turned her head so that it was no longer facing a wall, looking around. She recognized Ignis' room, and was greeted by his smiling face. There was a book on his lap, and she knew it was from her own house. She propped the pillows up, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Back with us then?" said Ignis, closing the book and placing it on the shelf beside him. He stood, leaving the room and returning after a mere moment with a glass of water.

"What happened?" she crossed her legs, taking the water from him. Both of them noted that she nearly dropped it once the weight was completely in her hand, but she managed to stable herself and take a drink. She placed it on the bedside table, as he sat back down in his chair.

"I'm inclined to ask you the same question."

She closed her eyes, rubbing her head. Ignis could tell she was healing herself now that she was conscious. He no longer saw any bruising where her hands had traveled, nor the cuts from the table, "I got hit on my way back. It was... stupid I was in a rush. After the fight, I... I just remember needing to get somewhere safe. That's it, that's all I could focus, finding s safe place. Surprise..." she forced a smile, lifting her arms and stretching them wide. She let them fall shortly after.

"You came into my home and caused quite a ruckus. Fell right through my coffee table."

She winced, "It was glass wasn't it?"

"Correct."

"Yeah that must of hurt. Is that what your arm's about?" she gestured her head towards the bandage on his forearms.

"Ah yes, the results of cleaning up your mess," he in a light tone.

"Can I see?" she held out her arm weakly, having it only drop on the bed. Her external wounds were healed, but she was still weak, probably from the blood loss.

He got up from his chair and walked over towards her. She frowned again, but took hold of his right arm. She took the bandage off, slowly, as she didn't want to hurt him. She felt bad about what happened, even if she didn't remember. She concentrated on it, feeling her powers within her. She had never done this before, and his green orbs were intent on her. He could feel something tingle on his arm, and was about to pull away when she grabbed it quickly, holding it on his wound. He was stunned, but did not try to pull away again. She frowned once more, closing her eyes and letting her arm drop. Ignis sat down on the bed beside her, and placed her arm on her stomach. He was about to look at what she had done when she opened her eyes, seeing on his other forearm had an open wound. Again, from the glass in his table that she had shattered. She drew in a breath, forcing her hand up and taking hold of him. This time it was easier, as she knew what she was doing. She sighed, finishing up and letting her arm drop yet another time, unable to summon anymore strength. Ignis looked at his former wounds, noting that there wasn't even scarring.

"Truly remarkable..." he trailed in disbelief.

He looked back at her, but she was fast asleep, her head drooped to the right side. Smiling slightly, he gently lowered her so she was laying flat, fixing her pillows pulling up the covers. He rubbed her forehead once, a gesture he hardly took notice of. He studied her sleeping form, noting the difference it made now that most of her wounds were healed from her own power. She looked peaceful, for the first time since she had learned who she was. He sometimes missed the lively girl he met all those years ago, but given the circumstances, she was handling herself quite well. As long as she always came back alive, he would be happy. Sighing, he stood up, going to busy himself in the kitchen. He knew she wouldn't be asleep long, now that she was functioning. She would be hungry when she woke up again.

.*.*.

It was a dreary day, the fog settling in over Lestallum. The moisture in the air on top of the lack of sun seemed to make everyone even more sullen than before. That wasn't even including the virus that had spread like wild fire. Aranea, Cor and the troops kept at it, everyone weary with the jobs in front of them. There were more casualties today just as yesterday and the day before. Ignis treated the sick as best as he could, while Iris assisted. He was hardly sleeping, and having more and more trouble keeping Nox's memories at bay.

Cid was starting to get better, and Ignis had hope that this plague would soon pass. And then Iris fell ill one morning. With a heavy heart, Ignis had reported it to Gladio, assuring the shield that he was doing everything in his power to help her. That was when the idea struck, just as the most recent memory. Nox had mended his wounds before, with her own magic. He had managed to utilize that power on himself a few days ago. Or did he? There was only one way to tell.

As he brought a cold cloth to Iris' forehead he remembered which tell tale signs began the illness. He kept his hand on her forehead, concentrating. What did he do last time? He wished, and then it just... simply happened. He put his mind back into that moment, and felt his hand tingle. He wasn't sure if it worked, as he couldn't feel anything for Iris. This wasn't like summoning his weapons. But he moved onto her throat, placing his hand gently upon it. He concentrated, the same thing happening, and his hand tingling. Last, was her chest. This was tricky, but he made sure there were no inappropriate placements of his hand as he began to focus. Once the tingling in his hand subsided he simply waited. She coughed, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"How do you feel?" he asked instantly, removing the cloth and no longer detecting a fever.

"Fine," she said in her normal voice.

"No discomfort?"

"No," she shook her head, a little confused at his questions, sitting up like new.

"Fascinating..." he trailed, pulling out his phone and updating Gladio.

It was a good thing he had cured the young Amicitia, as the shield was ready to burst into Lestallum. As Ignis stood from his seat he felt a rush go through his head. His vision was black, though he wasn't losing it altogether, he was simply light headed. The world was spinning, and he lost his balance, feeling himself fall. He knew he had hit his head on the desk in the room, on the corner, but he couldn't be bothered with that as he was beginning to lose consciousness. He heard Iris call his name, and her footsteps come towards where he had fallen, but he was no longer able to keep himself awake.

.*.*.

The citadel was a large building. It took up a lot of space, and it stood the tallest in all of Insomnia. It had two towers, and in between the crystal did emanate its power, teaming up with the King and keeping up a magical barrier over the entire city. There were hundreds of people within this great building, where King Regis lived. Everyone was hard at work, busy with tasks set before them. It was hard to maintain the place, and even harder to communicate at times. So it was no surprise that the young girl, close to two years old, was able to slip by unnoticed and walk on her sturdy legs anywhere she desired. No one questioned her, as she was quiet when she moved. Her navy hair only reached her shoulders, but her amethyst eyes caught everything.

She wandered the various corridors, happy to finally get away. Ever since she could remember, she spent a lot of time in the infirmary, being closely monitored. A couple of months ago, she was able to move around, but still people watched her, looking at her strange as if she wasn't supposed to be here. But she did as she was told, because if she needed a doctor, then she must have been sick. But she would look outside, and wish to be there instead of here. So when the old nurse that she had been watching finally fell asleep at the same time every day, she crept out to do some serious exploring. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew that eventually someone would find her so she'd have to go as far as possible. It wasn't very far, she was sure she was still in the infirmary. She walked into a room, seeing someone she recognized and not wishing to be caught just yet. She closed the door a little louder than she thought, cringing at the sound.

"Is someone there?" she heard a voice call out. She whirled around instantly, scared.

The room belonged to someone, she could tell by the personal belongings everywhere. It was much different than the room she had been living in. Though it was a little on the bland side, it was still nice to have ones own space. On the bed was a boy, not much older than her, sitting up and looking in her general direction. His face was concentrated, though his green eyes were unfocused. She looked at him curiously, not really sure what to think at the moment.

"Hello?" he called out again.

"Hi," she responded in her little voice.

"You do not sound familiar. Do I know you?"

"I don't think so," she frowned.

"Forgive me, but why are you here?"

"Um... I'm hiding," her small face contorted in guilt.

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Anyone that will make me go back to my room. I've never been out of it before."

"That sounds unpleasant. So you ran away?"

"Uh huh. Not forever, just for a walk."

"Why are you always in your room?"

"I don't know, I've always been there, near the nurses."

"Are you sick?"

"I don't think so. I don't feel sick," she spoke confidently, "Do I look sick?"

"I... I'm afraid I can't see you," his face pointed sadly at his feet.

The girl was shocked, even though moments ago, he was looking right at her. She walked towards him, making sure she was loud enough that he would hear that she was coming near. She stood in front of him, putting her hands on top his knees and looking at his face intently. His eyes were on her, but she could tell he really couldn't see her.

"Why can't you see?" she asked.

"I don't know.. I've never been able to see," he answered sadly.

"That's not good..." she was too young to be able to process why he was hurt without any marks.

It was a lot like her, she saw nothing wrong with her, but here she was, stuck in a room just like him. She felt a tear in her eye, even she had seen the beauty of the world outside of the windows. But he couldn't even see that. She felt he had such a gentle soul, a caring one. Besides, if he could leave this place, then maybe she could to one day. Determination on her little face, she reached out her hands and put them on each of his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked, though he did not move to stop her.

"I'm going to fix it," she spoke confidently.

"You can't, no one can."

"I can fix it," she said once more, "I can fix it," she reaffirmed.

She wanted to fix it, wanted it all to work out. She felt her hands begin to burn, though there was no pain. She was fixing it, she knew. She didn't know how she knew, but she wasn't going to stop until it was fixed. She focused, wishing that he could see what was around him, see her and tell her that she wasn't sick, that everything was okay. Because he didn't look sick so there was no reason for him to be here. Her arms went numb, and then he screamed, being pushed back by her hands. She looked in horror, her intention not being to harm him at all.

"Are you okay?" she asked, scared.

"My eyes..." he was in pain.

"I'm so sorry," tears started to well in her eyes. She didn't get a chance to do anything else, as the door burst open.

"Noxima!" King Regis instantly picked her up and away from the boy.

"Ignis," another man went to check on the boy, brows furred together in worry.

The nurses had come to see him, blocking her view of him with the other man hovered over. Regis stepped back with the young girl in his arms, keeping an eye on what was going on. He looked angry, she had never seen him so mad in all the times he had come to see how she was doing. He had never used that name for her before in front of other people. Usually she was just Charlotte. That's what she knew, anyway.

"What were you doing in here?" he asked her.

She looked down, knowing she was in trouble, "I just wanted to go for a walk," she told him honestly.

"What did you do to that boy?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. I just wanted to help him. He can't see, and I wanted to help him see. It's not fair," she stared directly at him.

Regis sighed, wishing he could explain to her why she couldn't actually make that happen. He was ushered out of the room, leaving his retainer there. He kept the girl in his arms, if anything, to make sure that she didn't sneak off again. She was sad, though exhausted after what had happened in the room. She fell asleep on the King's shoulder, her forehead leaning against his neck. He waited, a couple hours passing. And finally, his retainer had come out to him.

"How is your nephew?" asked Regis.

"He is unharmed," the man replied, staring at the sleeping girl.

"But?"

"Excuse me, your Majesty there are no buts. In fact, it appears that he has retained some vision," he was in disbelief, still staring at the girl.

"He can see?"

"Yes. Though, not perfectly, he will require corrective lenses. But..."

"That is marvelous news," but Regis noted that the mans eyes were still on the sleeping girl, "What is it?"

"He awoke, asking about her. She had told him she was going to fix him. I believe she did cure him... with magic."

"If that's the case, then it was powerful magic for such a young age. We'd still be unable to be sure until she is older."

"Understood."

"She is almost done in the infirmary. I think after that I will place her in your care, to see if more magic pops up while exposed to your nephew. If you do not mind that is."

"No, your Majesty.

"Very well."

.*.*.

Ignis had a splitting headache when he awoke in his own bed. He had forgotten he was born completely blind, though he never knew it was Nox that had cured him. It was such a long time ago, and he owed her for the life he currently had. There was no way he would have become the man he was today if she had never accidentally stumbled into his room that night. He grunted in pain, bringing a hand to his head just above the left eye. It seemed he had no luck with it, given that's where he remembered smashing his head on the desk in Iris' room. Someone had cleaned it up and bandaged it.

Testing his might one more time, he focused on the wound. The familiar tingling came to his hand, and then, he no longer felt the cut, nor the bruising. So it was, Nox had left him her own magic abilities. It seemed he owed her a great deal, those white magic skills coming to his aid more often than not. But they took away at his own energy, he was sure that was why he collapsed so suddenly. He had never used the power before, and how long it was with him he was unable to say, as he had never had the need or thought to even try it out. It was only natural his body wasn't used to it. The cut on his forehead was small, and he hardly felt a drain from it as he sat up slowly. No head rush or fatigue, so that was a good sign.

"Ignis are you okay?" Iris asked, coming into his room with a glass of water.

"I'm perfectly, fine, thank you," he spoke instantly, not wanting the girl to worry anymore.

"You just.. collapsed, are you sure?"

"I'm quite alright, you needn't fret over me. Have you seen Cor?"

"He's on the couch right now."

"Perfect," Ignis stood slowly, happy that he was able without the magic taking away from him.

"Not dead yet," said Cor as Ignis walked into the room, followed closely by Iris. She was obviously still not convinced that he was okay, and rightfully so as he was very stubborn about people worrying about him. He sat on the single chair, placing the water glass down in front of him

"Sorry to disappoint. Is it any better out there?"

"A little, more people are recovering than dying."

"Then it seems we are finally making progression. The quarantine will be over shortly."

"About time, I can't wait to get out of here."

"I think we could all use a vacation," said Iris, sitting down on the other side of the couch.

"I seem to have developed another side effect of Nox's magic," said Ignis, looking at the marshall.

He seemed to perk up at that, "Oh yeah?"

Ignis nodded, "It seems I've acquired her healing magic," and to prove what he meant, he lifted the bandage that was over top of the wound he suffered from his fall.

Iris gasped, which mean that it was no longer visible at all. Cor looked thoughtful, not really all that shocked. Then again, he was Cor the immortal, constantly surrounded by magic when he fought in the war. It probably took a lot to startle him.

"So you have," said Cor, "How long have you had it?"

"I cannot be sure. I discovered it on accident. I awoke with the beginning of the virus and simply wished it away. It was the same with Iris, though I am certain that the use of the magic is the cause of my fall," explained Ignis.

"That kind of magic does take a toll on the body if you aren't used to it," agreed Cor.

"Precisely my thoughts. Once the quarantine is lifted, I was hoping you might help me learn to control it."

"I don't have magic."

"No, but you handled Nox when she was out of control. There is no one better than you who understands its nature."

"You got me there. Alright, as soon as we get out of here."

"Thank you."

...

thanks for reading. how am i doing?