Noctis awoke from his years long slumber. His body felt rough and stiff. He ached all over, and even more when he stood up. He found himself in a broken down tomb on a far island off of Galdin Quay. With great surprise he walked towards Umbra, the loyal dog of the oracle. Taking the note from his mouth, he read it carefully. The four words written in Seraphinas handwriting. Boarding the boat that awaited him, he headed off towards the once beautiful resort on the coast. He wanted to believe this sight was a nightmare. The whole place was destroyed. There were remains of people who ones visited this place. As he walked down the docks, he looked over at the flickering light. That was the only light that remained. He walked towards it and looked down at the object it illuminated. A silver jacket covered in ruble, and a noticeable teal tie laid before him. He held in his tears at the thought of how this once annoying reporter had died. He heard the clicking of something as it fell out of his pocket. Soon a white sheet of paper also slipped out. He bent over towards the light as he unfolded it. It was a letter addressed to Seraphina.

Hey there your ladyship,

I see you have been working hard. You definitely have motivated a bunch of our people. I have never seen so much fight in the kingdom. I do mean every word that I am saying right now, but that is not the reason for this letter. No, I wanted to say that even in this darkness I have noticed a shine in you. I know, now is not a good time, but I am a jeweler after all. I can spot a woman in love from a mile away. I see that Argentum fellow finally got some courage in him. I hear ya, this ain't no time to be thinking about stuff like that. Still whenever the time does come I wanted you to know this, I have created the perfect engagement ring. I know you'll love it. I filled it with the rarest gems in the kingdom. I am only looking forward to the smile it will put on your face. Until we meet again...

Your trusted jeweler and reporter, Dino

Reading this letter Noctis began to look for the object that made the clink noise. It have to had been the ring he talked about in the letter. Thanks to the flicker of the light, the gem gleamed from the touch of it. He grabbed a hold of it, it was a beautiful ring indeed. It was a rose gold ring, with different colored gems. It had the pattern of stems twisting into each other. Like a flower, it matched the chain that once held her elemancy. So he finally did it, he thought to himself as he held the ring and letter tightly. Even in this darkness, they managed to find light inside each other. A light that was noticeable to everyone around them. He had fears when he woke up that they might not be waiting for him anymore. That perhaps they weren't even around. But now he couldn't think about anything wrong happening to them. His friends are strong and he knew that. The light went out unexpectedly and Noctis rise to his feet. Stashing the ring into his pocket he called upon his sword. Imagining it to be heavy upon his hands, he was surprised on how light the weight was. He fought off the daemons that came after him. He made himself a path as he ran towards the street. Every corner he turned to was full of daemons. There seemed to have been no end to them. As he ran away, he was glad to see lights shine bright ahead of him. It was a truck driving by, it spotted him and stopped.

"Uh"

"Yeah?"

"It's me, Talcott. My grandpa served the Amicitia family"

"Talcott" Noctis looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Yeah"

"No way"

"Yes way. Welcome back, your majesty. I was told to take a drive, I didn't get it at first, but I understand why now. Looks like Lady Seraphina was prepared for you. Come on, get in" They began to drive with caution. "Wow, I can't tell how good it is to see you again"

"Yeah. You sure look different though"

"You think so? Guess I've grown some in these ten years"

"Ten years?"

"Ha...The guys must be pinching themselves right now"

"Where are they anyway?"

"Lestallum, more often than not, but they take a lot of trips to Hammerhead"

"For...?"

"For Miss Cindy...y'know back at the garage..."

"Huh..."

"Ah speaking of which, the guys are at Hammerhead right now, so we'll be meeting them there. Y'know, ever since you disappeared, your majesty. It's been nothing but nighttime nonstop. Lestallum still has light, thanks to the power plant. So just about everyone has taken refuge there"

"Only there?"

"Everywhere else's been abandoned. Daemons moved in, forcing the people to move out. People still swing by the garage at Hammerhead from time to time, but it usually isn't for repairs. These days it's less of a service station and more of a slayer station. A base for daemon hunters. The garage's still open though, one of the few places that is"

"You mentioned her...How is she, Sera?"

"Oh...with all the daemons prowling around, more folk were getting hurt or worse. So Sera stepped up as the final royal standing. She had spoken to the glaives, figured taking out the daemons themselves was all they could do. And the garage, she figured it would be the best place to put the children"

"The children...?"

"She's been taking care of children who's parents have passed during battle. She is a true angel, just like the Oracle is said to be. She holds a great candle to Lady Lunafreyas light."

"That's good, I'm glad" Noctis let out the smallest smile.

"Gladio and the guys lend a hand whenever they can. Prompto and Lady Seraphina spend most of their time around Hammerhead. He hunts making sure the place stays safe as our Lady watches over the kids. Though there was a time she went out on hunts with the glaives. Prompto didn't seem to like that idea very much. It lasted for a good couple years, but she finally decided to settle down after a while"

"And Ignis?"

"He hunts too. We tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. He said if anything, he's more used to the darkness than we are"

"Never got his vision back..."

"I'm afraid not, but that being said, he gets by pretty well on his own"

"Gladio and Prompto usually hunt on their own as well. It isn't often you see the three of them together nowadays. They still work as a team every once in a while, but each has his own set of task to keep him busy"

"Is that so..."

"We've arrived, Your majesty, everyone would be happy to see you"

Noctis watched with a knot on his throat as he saw Hammerhead in the distance. Many memories of his friends ran through his mind. Ten years have been taken from him, he wondered what it has done to them. Prompto, Ignis and Gladio walked out as the truck parked. He didn't know how to feel as he watched his best friend grabbed a hold of Ignis and shuck him in excitement.

"Hey" was all he could bring himself to say.

"Hey, that's all you have to say for yourself, after all this time?" Gladio questioned him with a small shove.

"Noct, it's you! It's really you" Prompto smacked his arm with great joy.

"Is it? I hadn't realized"

"Well well, you've kept us waiting" Ignis commented with a low tone.

"Not like I wanted to. We've got a lot of catching up to do"

"Let's head inside...Our Lady is waiting for you"

I walked out of the kitchen, around the counter and back towards the children. They played and laughed among each other. Looking at them made me forget how things were going around the world. I have taken care of these children for a while, and as the prophesy comes to pass, I wished to spend time surrounded by their joy. I put down the plate at the center of the table and sat down with them. They dug into the dish right away. They complimented and they thanked me with they smiled. Within this daemon war, it was the kids that have truly helped me grow as an oracle.

"Lady Seraphina!" the sweet boy across from me called out. "It's almost time, isn't it?"

"Oh...what makes you ask that?"

"You seem sad, but there is no reason to be. His Majesty is coming home"

"Of course, that is a great joy..."

"Then why are you sad?" a lovely little girl concernedly asked.

"You guys are very perceptive. Guess I'm just not ready to leave you guys"

"We don't want you to go either, but you have done so much for us. Thank you so much" They all agreed in unison.

"Once this is all over, will you come back for us?"

"Of course I will"

"I think before you go, we should have a little party" the oldest girl responded.

"Are we not having one now?"

"No" she shuck her head. "I guess it wouldn't be considered a little party"

"Oh really? What did you have in mind?"

"Before I say, can I ask a question first?"

"Go ahead"

"You love Mr. Argentum, don't you?"

"I do" I responded with no hesitation as their eyes stared into me.

"My mom told me once, that people who love each other get married" the small girl spoke once more.

"You should have a wedding!" The older girl responded. I began to cough from the shock.

"A wedding? That's a bit...well there's a lot that needs to be done for a wedding. We don't have any time"

"What are you missing?"

The kids began to comment on the idea. How they would dress in beautiful gowns and suites. How I would look in a big white wedding dress. I let out a deep breath, it was like they have all chosen tonight to mention this. I wonder, did he put them up to this? I laughed along with them though, they're joy was contagious.

"We're missing the most important thing" I finally responded. "We can't have a wedding without the best man" This was my final attempt at stopping them.

"We better prepare then, because the best man finally arrived" I froze at the sound of his voice. Slowly turning my head towards the door, there he stood. "I'm back"

I felt my eyes widen and my body jerk itself. I jumped out of my seat and into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, as he wrapped his around my waist. I could feel the difference from before. How lanky he had become, how frail he felt underneath my touch. I looked over his shoulder at Prompto. He smiled at me and I was terrified at how much of the conversation they have heard. I let go of Noctis and took in every detail. How his face was now defined by his high cheekbones. The stubble of hair that had grown around his face. The soft wrinkles around his eyes, and the roughness of his skin. His eyes still shined a bright ocean blue. His hair was not in the best shape, but it was easy to fix. The volume had disappeared and he had grown out his spikes.

"You must be starving. Sit down, I'll bring some food out" I lead him to a table and ran back into the kitchen.

"I suppose things are going well?" Noctis asked his best friend. The one who was now ten years older than he expected. Shorter cut hair, a goatee, God how he wanted to tell him to shave it off. His tired wrinkled eyes that held a youthful stare. It amazed him that after many years Prompto still got flustered at the questions.

"We've been busy lately, but yeah, I like to think so"

"Yeah, and so did Dino..." He brought out the ring and note, soon sliding it across the table. "I found that while walking out of Galdin Quay"

"You found it?"

"Yeah, seems like Dino didn't make it" they all got quite. He watched as Promptos eyes widen as he read the note. Soon taking out the ring he stared at it.

"Wow, Dino really did that for us? Way to make me feel bad for the way I talked about that guy..."

"Those sure are some beautiful rocks" Gladio commented.

"Dino was a jeweler of high quality. I'm sure he used nothing more than the best" Ignis added.

"I think we've all been in darkness for too long" Noctis suggested over to Prompto.

Noctis watch as Sera walked out from the kitchen. Plate in hand, he finally noticed how graceful she had aged. Her face still looked smooth and she showed less wrinkles than the guys. Her hair was no longer put up in a hair style. It neatly fell onto her shoulders, showing that she was no longer went out on hunts. She had become a calmed woman, who took care of children on her free time. A mother and that for some reason tugged at Noctis heart. He turned back to Prompto and with a genuine smile nodded towards her.

"Why don't you shed some light for us?"

"Yeah! Do it Prompto" the kids from the other booth turned around and looked over.

"Just think how pretty she would look in a wedding dress" the little girl spoke gleefully.

"I wish we could have seen Lady Lunafreya in hers" the smallest boy let out.

"Noct..." Prompto called out with a worried face.

"It's okay, I wish I could have seen it too"

Noctis looked up at me as I put down the plate in front of him. He turned to the food and a childish expression crossed over him. The smell of the food made him back up in anticipation. He took a deep breath in and soon dig in.

"Oh wow! That definitely hits the spot"

"I'm glad and you guys! What did I say about looking over the booths" I turned over to the kids. They giggled and turned back around.

"Sera"

I turned around at the request of Promptos voice. I felt myself step back as I looked at him. He was kneeling down on one knee and his face burned with a red blush. His freckles stood out harshly and he covered his face with his hand for a moment. I turned over at the guys, they all smiled at me. Then I turned to Noctis. His eyes gleamed with joy and a warm feeling took over me. I saw a bright light come from his stare. I grabbed a hold of Promptos hand and removed it from his face. He was shaking underneath my finger tips. His eyes bright and filled with so many emotions. He reached into his pocket and took out a ring.

"Where did you get that?" I asked with shock.

"Noctis found it, said Dino meant to give this to us...before he passed"

"That man, sure was a hell of a reporter"

"More like a hell of a jeweler" he said as he gave me a piece of paper.

"Yes, you're right" I agreed as I read the letter he had handed me. A letter I wish Dino could have gave me himself.

"I know we've had this conversation, but...Nocts back now...After all of this is over, will you...WILL YOU MARRY ME?" he stuttered through, but managed to do it. I let out a small chuckle. His eyes widen and he began to panic. "Uhh...um, so...?" he rubbed the back of his neck. I wanted to stop him from have a panic, but I couldn't help how cute he was being.

"Yes" I responded lightly.

"Huh? what? You mean it!?"

"Of course I do"

With great joy he stood up and twirled me around. His voice let out sounds of laughter and glee. The guys stood up to congratulate us. The kids cheered out, which caught the attention of all the hunters outside. Soon after the place was full with people. Full of smiles, laughter and happy faces. Expressions I haven't seen in years, and tones I haven't heard be spoken since the fall. This union of two people, between Prompto and I brought this much happiness within others. I couldn't help but to sneak off to Noctis after everything. He got his fair share of welcomes and bright faces. Yet soon after he had retreated himself towards a corner, always the same old man, no matter how many years have passed. As I walked up to him, he pulled me into a big bear hug. One different from the one I gave him previously. This one felt safe and warm, and for some reason it made me want to cry. I didn't want him to pull away, but when he did all I could see was the great smile across his face. He took my hand into his and examined the ring that now marked me.

"It looks good on your finger" He commented. "It was made just for you after all"

"You made him do this, didn't you?"

"What? I have no idea about what you're talking about"

"Oh is that so...Look at all of them. An engagement made the people this happy. I haven't seen this many smiles in years. It's all because of you. You told Prompto...no, you gave him the courage to pop the question"

"And thank god you accepted it" He laughed. I couldn't help but to give him a little smack on the arm. "You two are meant for each other"

"Do you think so?"

"It took me getting out of the way, but I wish you could have figured out a better way to get rid of me" I glared at him.

"Gone for ten years and still have jokes, huh. It took me a while, but I'm sure now...Prompto is the one I love"

"Yeah, sorry about those times"

"I'm sorry too"

"I may not be the man you love, but I am one thing"

"And what's that?"

"Your best friend?" he asked uncertainly.

"HA!" I laughed loudly. "Always" We soon noticed the stares of everyone on us, and with that we busted out into laughter. "Glad to have you back, Your Majesty. I can finally retire, yay"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I believe we still have one more job to do"

"Yeah, you're right"

"Will you fight with me?"

"As the oracle I must. As your friend I'll be ever at your side" I gave him a simple bow with a smile. Then soon retired from the conversation and back to my now fiance.

"I've heard that before..."he mumbled to himself.

Noctis looked over at Prompto and the way he held on tightly at Sera as she walked to him. His arm wrapped over her shoulder and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He felt warm and happy watching them. He remembered the time he was in the crystal. The memories that filled him with hope. This was right, it was always suppose to be this way.

"When are we going to do this?" Gladio patted Noctis on the back.

"I suggest we rest up before we go"

"I second that motion" I agreed with Ignis request. "Get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow"

"Can you even tell when tomorrow will be?"

"That's what you're here for buddy" Prompto smiled. "Can't wait to be able to see that sun again"

"I'm sure we all can't. Tomorrow then"

"We're going to have a huge fight on our hands" I couldn't help to comment. I was nervous and a part of me was scared.

"I think we'll be ready for it" Noctis reassured me with a wink.

I felt a tight feeling in my stomach at the thought crossed my mind. It was finally going to be over, this years long battle. It was more than one could anticipate. If I was telling the truth, I had a nightmare that night.