House Fleuret : 10:45pm : 79 days

You began your descent out of the home, and on the way you could hear imperial soldiers entering. Shit, the front door was no longer a way out, so back up you went.

How could you leave without being caught? You didn't have your grapple, so jumping from a window was no option at all. How bad were these soldiers anyway? Certainly they wouldn't just cut someone down that they thought was innocent. Or maybe they would, but you didn't want to get caught and find out. Seemed like your best option was to wait it out.

Frantically you searched for a room to enter. Not just any room, but something out of the way. A room that they'd have no need to enter. Like a bathroom or something. MT's didn't have to pee right?

You ran into the nearest room and shut the door. Pulling out your phone, you dialed up your aunt again. You'd have to not only make this quick, but be quiet as well.

"Where are you?" The woman picked up with worry in her voice.

"I'm still inside. There are soldiers coming up the stairs. What if they find me in here? I have nothing." Your voice shook.

"You are much stronger than you're giving yourself credit for." You could just feel her teeth gritting through the phone. "If all else fails, use it. I'll be waiting for you about a mile east of House Fleuret. You'll have to cross a few more bridges. Look for the waterfall."

A mile east? Damn these floating islands. Did she really just bail on you like that? Plus a waterfall was a rather vague description. Waterfalls in Tenebrae were equivalent to buildings in Insomnia. They were everywhere. Guess you had to play the role of both the damsel in distress as well as knight in shining armor.

No need to rock the boat for now. So long as no one was coming in you had no reason to leave. Maybe you could wait it out.

You pressed the home button on your phone and noticed a missed notification. It was a voicemail. When did you receive this?

Clicking your voicemail, you saw that the message was from Noctis. It was dated back to right before you left; down to the minute. You just barely missed it. You pressed play and put the phone to your ear.

"Hey squirt... I'm, I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave Insomnia thinking that I'm upset with you, because I'm not. I guess I didn't take into consideration what you may have been going through. Anyway, let's go to the beach when you get back. Screw waiting for summer. Let's make those last weeks the best time of our lives. Hope you get a chance to hear this... and I hope you aren't too angry still. Be safe. See you in no time."

You lowered the phone, and there was guilt weighing down your heart. You felt so bad that you didn't answer his call. It wasn't like you knew he'd call, it's just, you wished he knew you felt nothing but love and forgiveness for him. Your only hope was that Ignis could set his heart at ease.

A breath of relief exited your lungs, but it was all for not. The door busted open, and before you stood 3 armed soldiers ready to subdue you.

You put the phone back inside your pocket and held your hands up as if to comply. One by one they entered the room. So these were the MT's your aunt told you about, huh? It was jarring how soulless they appeared. It was almost as if they were never human to begin with. More like never had the chance to be.

So this is what you were to become? Another mindless magitek trooper ready to slaughter for a cause you'd never know. The thought made you sick. Maybe by killing them you could release them from this life. Relieve them of the burden that is being a mindless soldier.

Your eyes raced from MT to MT. Like a cornered animal, your mind was running at full speed. What would you do? Fight or flight?

.

Insomnia-Apartment : 12:38am : 76 days

The party was over, but the boys kept the momentum going. They couldn't for the life of them figure out why your prized possession was here, but you were nowhere to be found.

They sat in the living room, and your necklace was on the oak coffee table before them.

"Okay, so what all do we know?" Prompto asked.

"We know that she never takes this off, it's stained with blood, and some way she went to Tenebrae most likely running into Luna." Noctis sat back and sighed with a hand over his face, "This information is getting us nowhere fast. We don't know anything else."

"We know that the necklace is broken." Ignis pointed at the clasp, "Too early to assume that there were signs of a struggle however. Any number of things could have happened."

Both Prompto and Noctis closed in on the necklace. It didn't look broken. They didn't even notice it until Ignis pointed it out. The barrel clasp had been snapped off on one side.

It was ignorant to assume that you struggled, but considering the blood as well, all signs were pointing toward it.

"One thing concerns me." Ignis continued, "If the necklace is here and in this condition, why didn't Lady Lunafreya mention anything about it? Perhaps we could be looking too deep into the situation."

That was always another theory. Maybe nothing happened, and this was just some strange coincidence. They knew that you went off to train, so the chances of blood marking the necklace was very probable. That could explain why it broke as well. It could have gotten caught on something.

The only X variable in this situation was Lunafreya. Why did she send it back? When and how did the two of you meet?

"Maybe we are looking too deep." Prompto slumped over with his hands holding up his face. "Think about it. She could have broken her necklace while training."

"True, and it isn't impossible to get to Tenebrae. Especially for her." Noctis nodded at the suggestion. "A lot of people travel to see Luna for healing. And it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that she brought up their connection to Lucis; gaining Luna's trust."

Ignis adjusted his glasses as he continued theorizing about the necklace. "And if it truly is her prized possession, she wouldn't leave without it. So perhaps it could have slipped away from her unknowingly, and Lady Lunafreya sent it back because she knew you'd be able to return it to her Noct."

Of all the theories that had been tossed around, this seemed to be the favorite. This was the one they were most willing to believe. Not only because it meant that nothing went horribly wrong, but it seemed to be the most feasible.

"...well, I feel like an idiot." Prompto sighed. "Guess we got all worked up there for nothing, huh?"

"Really does take a weight off. Though I feel kind of bad that we spent that whole party worrying over it." Noctis stood up and grabbed the necklace.

He'd keep it here. Luna wanted him to return it to you when you got back, so that's what he'd do. Goodness, this was like a murder mystery case, and everyone was so glad it was over. They gained comfort in knowing that this whole thing was most likely a strange mix up.

"Think I'm going to get some shut eye." The small blond stretched his arms upwards and gurgled an unpleasant sound from his throat. "Whelp, see you guys tomorrow."

"I believe I should do the same. It's been late enough." Ignis followed behind Prompto to the door.

"Night." Noctis waved off the two.

As they left he made for his room and took a seat on his bed. He took the necklace out of his pocket and placed it beside the lamp on his nightstand. A long sigh expelled from the boy's lungs. He was relieved; not just for your sake, but Luna's as well.

He couldn't wait for you to come back and explain this one. The prince chuckled to himself. It would be hilarious once you heard all the theories they came up with. It'd be a nice laugh to share for the first time in 2 months. Felt like forever since you left, but it was only two and a half weeks until you returned. He was eager to see you again; they all were.

.

House Fleuret : 11:22pm : 79 days

You were on your knees in the middle of this pouring rain. Your arms were currently being bound by the hands of two soldiers. If they lifted them any higher, certainly something would pop out of place.

There were no more hiding places. You were surrounded by a number of enemies you could not take out. What did they want from you? For all they knew, you were just a wanderer who journeyed to Tenebrae for healing.

Were they waiting for Ravus to finish up inside? You couldn't let that happen. You'd rather take on all the soldiers than the former prince. He had a strength that you could not match.

The soldiers on each side of you had lifted you off the ground, and they were now taking you toward one of the airships. Did they just receive an order? No, not like this; you thought. You were going to be dragged to Niflheim, and not even on your own terms. You were going as a prisoner.

Well, the question has been posed again; fight or flight? It seemed that you couldn't run, so you only had one option left.

Using all of your body weight, you flipped yourself forward, and overturned the soldiers to the ground. As you got up, you felt the hand of the soldier grab your necklace. The momentum you had combined with the power of its grip yanked you back onto the ground.

An alarm sounded on the two ships that were currently landed, and you watched as a fleet exited to head your way. Your fingers held onto the necklace so you couldn't get choked out by it, but the force was too strong. Your hands became bloody from the power of the chain being pulled back. If you continued to hold on, they would slice through your fingers; and that was something Luna wouldn't be able to heal no matter how hard she tried.

You grunted and watched as the MT's closed in on you. No goddamnit! This wasn't how it would end. There was too much more to do and see. It was time to pull out the Hail Mary.

Moving your neck to the side, you summoned The Sword of the Damned and sliced through the necklace. Quickly you stood up and made a run for it. There were too many enemies to fight, but too little to give up.

As they came at you, you went for the diaphragm of each. Cutting right through the middle so that even if they did have a chance to get up, it would take a minute.

Your freehand rubbed over the knuckle prints indented in your neck from you holding onto your necklace. It hurt, but as always, adrenaline was the best medicine.

You remembered what your aunt said about meeting up a mile east of the house. That was your best bet. If you couldn't take them all out yourself, she would be able to help some.

Where there was smoke, there was fire, and the more of a scene that was being made, the more imperial troops that were landing to detain you. You felt like a runaway thief who'd stolen the most precious jewel on the planet.

You ran as fast as your feet would carry you, and unfortunately it wasn't quick enough. Humans were no match for MT's. That much was made clear, and tonight you were able to comprehend that for the first time.

Tackled into the thinned grass, you were. It was no light tackle. This was an attack to subdue. Your body crashed to the ground face first into the craggily rocks, but you'd not stay there long. Summoning your weapon once again, you threw your arm back to slice the head of the soldier clean off its shoulders.

More came, and it was you against them. Again you could see the hellish red and white lights in the sky. They were landing all around you. Why you? You were no one of noble blood or high profile. Maybe you sent off some kind of defense mechanism from initially attacking.

Two came at you wielding axes, and you feared the worst. If you got hit, that could be it. You had nothing to heal you, and no armor to retard any attacks. Your eyes switched between each MT until they both reached you.

Swinging at the same time, you held out your sword to hold them off. Using what might you had, you pushed back and broke away for a brief moment. The second was short-lived, but you used it to your advantage. Giving a kick to the one on the left, you knocked it over and rendered it vulnerable.

As for the other one, you drove your sword deep into its core and released your hand from the weapon; letting it fade away once more. There was still no waterfall in sight, at least not the one she spoke of, and this run couldn't last forever. You were going to get caught.

Damn the floating islands of Tenebrae. Had this been Insomnia you could have lost them down a street, or at least thrown them slightly off your path. There were only bridges connecting each place, so that meant no escape.

You looked back to see what progress you made. Didn't you watch movies? That was always a grave mistake. The direction of the path you ran skewed just a bit, but it was enough to make you stumble on the side of the bridge.

Of course the rail free bridges would come back and haunt you. You felt your whole body fall down with only half of it still up on the walkway. You grit your teeth and grunted as you hoisted the rest of yourself up.

As you did, you had to remember that this was real life. Nothing and no one was going to wait for you to help yourself before attacking. They would kill you without hesitation.

Wide were your eyes; like you'd just seen your worst fear come to life. The MT came swinging at you with its axe; slow motion. Your eyes watched as the sharp edge sliced through your arm, but it only got about 13 stitches deep before a brute force tremored through its chest. It was so fast you couldn't even see what happened.

Your eyes closed as metal parts came flying out of its torso and hitting the ground. Some speckled on you as well. Looking the other way, you saw your aunt holding what looked like a magitek whip. Sleek black, long, and deadly. Really, was that her weapon of choice?

Finally you were able to get back up onto land. You were out of breath, but not out of the woods. One by one the soldiers kept approaching, and she'd easily rip through them with her whip. It was like clockwork. She could do this all day. It was nice to know that the woman training you could actually hold her own.

She snapped her whip one last time; wrapping it around the head of an MT and pulling back. Down the abyss it fell, and that was the last of them.

"Come on, we're not too far from the waterfall." She placed her weapon back underneath her clothing. "There's something you need to see."

You wondered what it could possibly be. Guess it wasn't just some rendezvous point after all.

"Use this." She handed you a hi-potion. "It'll do for now, but you won't feel your best until you get that sewn up."

You held out your hand and squeezed tightly against the potion. The contents inside did make you feel better immediately, however this was just a quick fix.

The further you walked, the louder it became. Rushing water; a major waterfall. The two of you stopped just as you could see it. The water lit up from the microorganisms that lived inside. Without it, it would be hard to see since the sun had just set. It was still gorgeous, but you could tell that a place like this would be breathtaking in the daylight.

"Do you remember?" The woman looked over at you, and seeing your confused facial expression told her she'd have to remind you. "This is where we first met. Where you last saw your mother."

You nodded, "Right, the place I often visit in my deepest nightmares. Why are we here?"

"Because you should see it. Don't fear this place because of what has happened." She closed her eyes and relished in the moment.

Your mother was a person you remembered fondly, however you never took into consideration that it was your aunt's best friend too. Certainly it must have hurt her deeply to see her friend die.

It was hard standing here, but you knew it was needed. Building up your hate for the imperial army as well as overwriting a stale memory with a tender one.

You sighed harshly, "Well, we can't stay here all night, right? What abou-"

"Your training?" She chuckled in her raspy tone as she cut you off, "You've been finished with that for a long time now. I only wanted to push you to the brink so that when the time came for you to use those techniques you'd be surprised by how easy it was. I wanted you to feel empowered and know that there wasn't a single person who could hold a candle to you. Training you was my duty, and raising you was not just my promise to a friend; it was my pleasure."

She pulled back the garbs on her face, and for the first time you saw her smile. Not just with the pulled corners of her mouth, but her teeth as well. It was an intoxicating smile. It made you wonder why she never did it more often.

She placed a hand on your shoulder, "I can't take full credit for the person you've become. That's just the way you are. I'm proud of you." The older woman nodded, "And I lov-"

What? Why did she stop? Your eyes widened as her body tipped over right into your arms. As the rain poured, you could see the red liquid that discharged onto the gravel in which you stood.

"No! No!" You yelled. "Please!"

Frantically your hands searched for the wound, and they became bloodier the closer they got to it. You pulled up her garbs, and underneath she wore a black tank top. Her arms were adorned with scars covered by tribal tattoos that you'd only seen just a handful of times.

There it was; a bullet wound right to the chest. At this point you wished that it would only have penetrated you too. Two of your loved ones struck down in cold blood; seemingly in the same place.

Speechless. What else was there to say?

You flinched as you heard another gunshot hit the ground right beside you.

The woman held her chest as her gurgled, "Get out of here! Now! You need to get to the train!"

You shook you head, "What?! I can't leave you!"

Hectically your eyes danced around as you saw more ships landing near you. Again you ducked from a bullet just grazing the ground right beside you.

The woman staggered to her feet. One hand held her whip, and the other held the hole in her chest. "I won't last long enough to make it to that train, but I can make sure you can."

Already the blood spilled from her mouth; staining her teeth and down her chin. A dying woman's final stand. It was noble, but nobility could only last her so long.

Another bullet cut through the air. It was directed right at you, but before it could reach, the woman before you pushed you out of the way. She grunted as the scorching metal pierced her shoulder.

"You don't have time to contemplate whether you want to live or die!" Her bloody hand clenched onto your shoulder. "Get out of here! Or I'll kill you myself!"

She was right. You had to leave. It felt like moving a mountain to get each foot in front of the other, but you had to. Giving a kiss to the woman's forehead, you looked into her daffodil eyes one last time.

"They will pay for what they have done. Twice now they've damned me. Shame on me…"

There was no time to grieve. If you stayed, you'd eventually be lying right beside her. For now, there was a train to catch, and while you were still not a target, this was the best time to run.

Your head looked back to see an unimaginable amount of MT's coming at her. She was always good for her word, and hold them off she did. Cracking her whip in every direction; had she not been fatally wounded she may have stood a chance.

Just 2 more minutes, and you could be out of this hell hole. Never again did you want to come back to Tenebrae. A place that brought you peace once has now become the center of your woes.

Your now cauterized arm was no longer a problem, but you would have to see a doctor about it at some point.

There it was; the train, and it was getting ready to shut its doors. Using your adrenaline and what energy the hi-potion gave you, you jumped through the gates at the last second; literally.

Finally you were able to let it out. No quiet sobbing. This was the big one. You rolled over with your back now to the ground. It was not comfortable considering the backpack that you were still wearing, but that didn't matter in this moment.

It was as if you reverted to a small child. Your wails must've carried through at least a few train cars. Maybe you seemed like a woman gone mad, but that wasn't a bad assumption. You were. Someone close to you had died right before your very eyes, and you had no time to give a proper farewell.

It seemed so primitive to just leave her soon to be lifeless body out there, but what other choice did you have? Your hands banged against the metal floor of the train, and you were just waiting for someone ask you to control yourself. Anyone; you were looking for a reason to take out this anger and frustration.

She never told you she loved you. Not outright. You always knew she did, but she never said it. That was your moment to hear it for the first time, and it had been shattered. Moments like that could not be repeated or redone. That was it.

Where would you go from here? She was going to be the messenger for the king, and now there wasn't one. Once you had time to accept what has happened, you would travel back to Insomnia and request an audience from the king.

For now you were committed to Altissia. She may have said that your training was finished, but in your eyes, a warrior's work was never done. You'd stay there for as long as you saw fit. 79 days is all you had left. The empire had no idea who they just scorned.

.

Northern Altissia : 6:40pm : 64 days

You sat inside the empty establishment bloody and jaded by the world. Your time of grief was still among you. It hurt to pick up the work that someone so beloved to you once taught.

It was only two weeks ago that she died. Time was always the best medicine for healing, but you still needed more of it. As any good warrior, you'd push forward, and continue working on what needed to be refined.

Normally a situation like the one you faced would take a person's heart out of the matter completely, but it only fueled you. Your worry now was that you wouldn't be able to control yourself once you got there. You feared that you'd just tear everything apart without even thinking.

Anger was never a worthy emotion to settle upon. It was heavy. Eventually you'd have to let it go, but for now it was the only thing you could feel besides sorrow.

Your hand reached to fidget with your necklace, and you remembered it was no longer there. You were so accustomed to it being there, that you'd occasionally touch your bare neck forgetting that it was gone.

It was funny, when you first got the thing you were opposed to even wearing it. You made Noctis promise not to tell you how much it cost. Promise that he got it from a machine. Fine jewelry was all well and good, but it was burdening to know that he paid so much for it.

As an 8 year old immigrant fresh from Tenebrae, you were an open target for mean children. Five long years you suffered alone. That was until you met Noctis of course.

That necklace wasn't a birthday present, or Christmas gift. It was merely a gesture from one friend to another. That's what made it so special to you. A random Tuesday in the middle of the school year, and now it was gone. Another memory refusing to fade from depths of your mind.

Your head turned as you heard a loud boom outside. Exiting the building, you walked enough distance out so that you could see the cause of this. The fireworks of a chocobo and a moogle burst into the sky. It was all so bright.

You'd been cut off from the outside world for so long that you didn't realize there was a festival going on. Being on the upper end, closer to Yureil Plaza, you couldn't see much. Although you were still pretty far away, you could hear some of the chatter of a loud crowd. What you wouldn't give to laugh like that again.

This would be your last night in Altissia. From here you'd head back to Insomnia tomorrow morning. If there was one thing that your aunt always taught you, it was to be independent. 60 days of training was her itinerary. Tenebrae was already a source of your sorrows. You didn't want to add Altissia to that list.

You sat on a small bridge and tried as best you could to enjoy the fireworks. There were tears in your eyes, but they'd not fall. You felt so lonely right now. If only you had someone, anyone to share this moment with.

The multicolored lights of the fireworks reflected off your skin as you gazed into the night's sky.

"I wish you guys were here. I know you'd really like it…"

.

Tenebrae : 12:30pm : 77 days

Lady Lunafreya exited her home and walked out to enjoy the warmth of the afternoon. Though the time you two had was short, it also remained invaluable.

She walked forward into the grass. She'd not get very far as she was stopped by something. It was clear as day. The red diamond reflected right into her line of sight.

Kneeling down, she picked up the jewel and held it in her hand. What happened here? While she'd been speaking with her brother, she became oblivious to all other matters.

Perhaps you were in such a rush to leave that your necklace snagged onto something and broke off? It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. The necklace was a prized possession to you, yes, but leaving it behind was more important than getting caught by the empire. She had to send this back right away.

Rushing inside, she knelt before Umbra. Lining the necklace in the notebook, she'd send it off. Luna didn't want to worry Noctis of matters that she was unsure of. One thing she did want to do however, was let Noctis know that both you and she met, and was okay.

She spoke nothing of the necklace in her message. Noctis would know who to give it to. The girl clasped her hands once more; praying that you and Noctis both were in good fortune.