Noctis took a ragged breath as he read the message. "Noct? You alright?" Gladio's gruff voice brought him back to the moment. He looked up to see Gladio carrying Prompto on his back, Ignis following behind them while juggling the different containers.

"I… I'll explain later. Is Prom okay?" Noctis said as he finished throwing off the covers for Prompto.

Gladio carefully, ever so gently, placed Prompto down. Ignis placed the food on the nearest flat surface and headed over to join them even as he answered Noctis' words. "He passed out shortly after you and Gladio entered the room." Ignis reached out to press the back of his hand on Prompto's forehead. "He seems to have started a fever as well."

Noct reached for the covers and proceeded to tuck Prompto in; Gladio helping from the other side. They left Prompto as comfortable as possible in the bed before moving over to the far side of the room to talk. Ignis looks pointedly at Noctis. "I believe an explanation may be in order?" He seemed more worried than anything else.

Noctis dropped down on a chair, passing a hand over his face wearily as he considered where to start. Better off being straightforward. "Chancellor Izunia was expecting us. We had a nice chat before he disappeared. It's probably why Prom's not doing well." Noctis glanced up and chuckled.

Gladio and Ignis were staring at him, horror written on their faces. Noctis was even more exhausted than he thought if he was laughing at their worry. "Sorry, sorry," he whispered, trying to rein himself under control before hysteria set in completely.

Ignis waved off his apology as he zeroed in on Noct, "The Chancellor was here? Did he injure you?" He glanced at Prompto. "If this is the same as when we encountered the man in Galdin Quay. It may take a while for Prompto to recover properly." Ignis hoped rest was all that Prompto would need. None of them could heal the way Lunafreya could, and she was supposed to be in Lestallum by now.

Gladio frowned. "How in Eos did we not notice the guy?" He folded his arms, shoulders lifting as he hunched inwards. Was his trip, his efforts, worth nothing?

Noctis reached out, laying a hand on Gladio and Ignis' arms as he smiled, grateful for their worry and care. It took a while to explain the whole encounter including his suspicion that Ardyn and Izunia were related. Gladio unwound himself from his worries and insecurities. He wrapped himself around Noctis instead. Noctis welcomed the physical touch especially when he had to recount the part about having to turn his back on his dad.

Ignis examined the note Noctis had found. The offer has been made. What you most desire awaits you at the Tidemother's Mercy. I would not dawdle if I were you, for the tides wait for no man. A message with no clear sender or recipient and yet… It seemed unlikely that this was left by those they were to meet here. Which meant it was most likely from the Chancellor.

The meaning seemed rather clear in that case. King Regis would be sent to Altissia where he would be held somewhere at the mercy of the tides. Perhaps an underwater prison? Ignis looked at Noctis.

He looked exhausted, slumped into Gladio's embrace. His hands were shaking slightly, and he looked lost in thought. Ignis raised his gaze and met Gladio's own worried one. A wordless conversation, one of so many over countless shared moments, caused Ignis to smile and nod.

Ignis stood. "I will call the Marshall and Lord Amicitia to update them on the situation. It may take a bit, so could you try and reach Mr. Ghiranze and see what's going on?" He waited until Noctis nodded before leaning over to give both of them a kiss.

He stepped out of the room only after checking that Prompto was comfortable. The sun was starting to set over the ridge of the meteor canyon and was throwing orange and red across the horizon. Ignis did not like their current predicament at all.

The Chancellor of Niflheim's appearance in this area alone was cause of concern. To learn that the man could use magic; more so, that he knew a technique that allowed him to speak with someone without affecting the world around them? Ignis had worked hard on trying to figure out how such a thing could work after Noctis' frightening encounter with Ardyn Lucis Caelum. But even with the help of Crowe and Lunafreya, he had only the barest of ideas.

The phone rang in his hand. Ignis hoped they were not busy with something. "Ignis? What is it?" Cor's gruff voice was a welcome sound amidst Ignis' chaotic mind.

"Ah, my apologies if I am disrupting something Marshall, but I must report something that has occurred." Ignis said.

Ignis heard shuffling noises before Cor replied. "You're never bothering me Ignis. Even if you just called to say hi." Ignis could hear the teasing tone in the Marshall's voice, and felt his face heat up. "What happened? Are you all alright?"

"Prompto is slightly ill but should be feeling better soon. As for what happened…. Chancellor Izunia seems to be aware of our movements. He showed up to demand why Noctis was no longer seeking the Astrals' blessings," Ignis said in one breath. The silence that met him was enough proof of the shock the Marshall received.

Ignis heard a bit of static before the muffled voice of the Marshall calling for Lord Amicitia and his deputy filtered through. He waited patiently until the Marshall addressed him. "I'll have you explain the situation only once. You said Prompto is ill?"

Ignis nodded to himself, walking over to leaning beside the closed room door. "Do you recall our description of the incident at Galdin Quay? We believe this to be the case again. Something about the Chancellor makes him shut down temporarily." Ignis could almost hear Cor's worry exuding over the phone.

There were a few moments of silence before Cor spoke, "Take care of him. Please."

"Of course," came the easy reply. How could they not take care of their sun? Ignis smiled against his phone. Prompto always blushed at the nickname, or any endearment of it. Ignis hummed and changed the subject while they waited. "Any news from the others?"

Cor tutted, surprising Ignis with the unusual reaction. "Yes and no. Luna, Ravus and their escort arrived safely at Lestallum, but you already knew that." Ignis stayed silent, waiting for the Marshall to finish speaking. "They were to start the first round of healing today except that someone tried to assassinate her within the first 15 minutes."

Ignis straightened in shock. Someone had tried to kill Lunafreya? Cor continued. "The Glaives did their jobs and dealt with the situation before anyone got hurt. But we may need to scrap the whole healing tour if we don't figure out why it happened in the first place." He sounded upset; but whether it was with himself (quite possible considering the man's protectiveness) or about something else was hard to say.

Ignis didn't have the chance to ask anything more as Clarus and Monica's voices indicated their arrival. He recounted the events as Noctis had shared them, including the message found within the room after the unusual encounter. He even outlined the possible connection between Ardyn, a possible Lucis Caelum, and the Chancellor of Niflheim.

Other than the sound of someone punching a wall, when Ignis told them about Noctis' close encounter with the King, heavy silence reigned on the other end of the call. Ignis cleared his throat. "What are your suggestions for our next move?" A question with heavy implications and one that Ignis hadn't enjoyed asking.

After what seemed to be an even heavier silence, Monica spoke up. "First, we should consider whether the message can be trusted. Chancellor Izunia is not known for being trustworthy."

Cor agreed, "Right. His actions beg the question: why is he so determined to have Noctis go to Altissia?"

Ignis said, "I believe the Chancellor's interest might be in Leviathan rather than in Noctis himself. Do you recall the first time Prompto encountered Ardyn Lucis Caelum? The warning he delivered to us was about the Emperor going after the Astrals. It proved to be true when we sought both Titan's and Ramuh's Blessings."

"Then why not go after the Oracle herself if that's the case?" Clarus asked. "Unless… The assassination attempt this morning?"

Ignis drew a deep breath in. A distinct possibility that he hadn't considered. "Perhaps it was not an assassination attempt, rather an attempt to poison Lunafreya once again? As Niflheim did when they attacked Insomnia."

"I'll have Nyx check the weapon for poison and stock up on antidotes just in case." Cor said. "If we assume that this is a set up for whatever purpose Niflheim has for the Astrals, then we should act accordingly."

Clarus spoke up, "In other words, assume that Regis is going to be in Altissia and in danger?" He sounded furious. Ignis could understand why. If it was Noctis in that position, held somewhere in danger by a madman. Ignis would do anything, take any risk to ensure his safety.

"Exactly." Cor said plainly. "And we can't risk sending Noctis into a trap. So, we'll have to trick the Empire into making them think Noctis is going there when he won't be." Ignis winced but said nothing. Noctis wouldn't take this peacefully.

Monica hummed thoughtfully before she spoke, "We can have them go to Galahd by boat then. If they leave from Cape Caem, it would appear as though they are heading to Altissia for a while."

"Good idea Monica. We can send a small team into Altissia beforehand to investigate possible locations. Locations that match the message and where they might hold the King. Once Noctis is seen to be on his way to Altissia then, if the note is true, they will be moving him to the city if he isn't already there." Cor said.

Clarus didn't wait. "I'm going!" Ignis heard (what was probably) a fist slamming on a table.

Cor chuckled, "Like I would even consider not sending you. Weskham is already there as well; we can send him a message too and get him involved." Cor fell silent after that.

Monica sighed. "You might as well go too, Marshall. Dustin and I can handle the hunters and Crownsguards. We'll grab Sir Scientia and Sir Argentum if we need extra help." Ignis brought a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. Monica had been working with the Marshall for quite some time and it showed.

Cor cleared his throat. "If you're certain about that." Ignis assumed Monica must have given the Marshall some kind of nonverbal sign of agreement, because after a few seconds he spoke again. "Then it's settled. Ignis?"

"Yes, Marshall?" Ignis said.

"I'll leave it to you to explain the plan to the others. We'll get the details down by ourselves for now and call you in the morning to let you know what role you will all play in it. It might take longer than that, depending on what Nyx has found out about the attempt on Luna. Any questions?"

"I would like to confirm my understanding of the plan so far," Ignis started. Cor made a noise of agreement, so he continued. "We will operate under the assumption that Niflheim is targeting the Astrals, and they require Noctis' presence in Altissia for their plan to work. As such you, Lord Amicitia and perhaps a few others will head to Altissia first to investigate the city. During that time, Noctis is to pretend their threat is working. We will make our way back to Cape Caem and get on His Majesty's old boat, and our destination will not be Altissia but Galahd. On top of that, Nyx and the Glaives will investigate the attempt on Lunafreya's life to see if it might have been an attempt by Niflheim to poison her as a means to control her."

Clarus sighed. "That sums it up concisely. We'll let you know how long to take to get to the coast, and anything else that you might need to know once we figure it out ourselves."

Ignis nodded, "Yes Sir. Should I ask Gladio to call you later?"

"I'd appreciate that, Ignis." Clarus replied. Cor checked with Ignis about their supplies before bidding him goodnight.

Ignis closed his phone with a relieved sigh. At least they had a semblance of a plan now. He smiled wryly; the only thing left was to tell Noctis and the others - and convince them to follow the plan.

The sun had completely set by now. The night sky filled with stars, partially eclipsed by the lights of the small rest stop. Ignis tilted his head backwards and looked up. How strange it was that the sky would seem so beautiful even under such harrowing circumstances.

He took a few seconds to compose himself before going inside. As beautiful as the stars were, his place wasn't among them. It was with those he held beloved, by their side for as long as they wanted him there.