"It was Libertus."

"Libertus Libertus? Like, Nyx's Libertus?" Rayne asked, eyebrows raised to her hairline. Noctis nodded, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees. "Never thought he'd lose his shit."

"That's the thing, though. He didn't." Noct turned his eyes to Ignis, who listened patiently. The king and Gladio left together to speak with the Glaives, who surprisingly turned out to be quiet apologetic and personable. "He and the rest of his Glaives went to Caem because they heard—very late—that we were there. The rest of his group was riled up by a few angry guys." He sighed, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes. "He's the one who brought Iris here."

"What do we do about them?" Prompto asked.

"I don't know," Noctis admitted. "I wanted to march in there and kill them all, but I guess it didn't work out that way."

"They get a pass because one guy decided to 'save' Iris after trying to kill her?" Rayne scoffed, crossing her arms. Noctis shook his head.

"No. They didn't understand why we denied them. Thought we were all stuck up and ungrateful. Gladio explained."

"I'm good with words," Gladio chucked. Rayne rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Just because you can read 'em doesn't mean you can speak 'em."

"So...?" Prompto pressed. Noctis sat up straighter.

"They're staying where they are. If they want to come try to impress Rayne, they can. If not, they need to back down and become hunters or something. Either, I think we're safe."

"That's good to hear," Ignis replied, touching his glasses. "How can you be certain they will honor that decision?"

"I trust Libertus."

"Does he want to come back?" Rayne asked. She almost sounded hopeful. Ignis couldn't blame her; it would be nice to have a few more familiar faces around. Noctis shook his head with a grim expression.

"No. He just wants to go home."

"To Galahd?"

"Yeah."

"It's not there anymore, is it?"

"They've rebuilt," Ignis answered. "It's meager, but it's something." Noctis nodded, standing.

"Yeah." He stretched his arms over his head, thinking. "I'm going to bed. Are we heading back in the morning?"

"That's up to you," Gladio shrugged.

"... We are."

"Fine by me," Ignis nodded, heading for the door. "Goodnight, Majesty."

"Night, Specs."

Ignis headed down the hallway, his back aching from a long day of nothing but sitting around waiting for something to happen. His eyelids felt heavy and his limbs were like dead weight. The door didn't open when he turned the knob, snapping him out of his drowsy autopilot mode. Frowning, he pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Why had Rue locked it to begin with? Rayne said she wasn't feeling well, but certainly that meant she might appreciate help or at least company. Sighing, he shook his head and stepped inside, exhausted. Rue looked up from her phone, curled up under the covers.

"Finally," she muttered, putting the device on the side table. "I'm bored."

"You have my condolences," Ignis replied wryly, heading toward his suitcase. "We're headed back for the Crown City in the morning."

"We solved our pest problem?"

"Indeed we have." He glanced over at her, eyeing the tossed sheets. She didn't seem unwell, though it looked like she'd been sitting in bed for hours. Pushing the thought away, he briefly explained what Noct just told them. She nodded, fluffing up her pillow as she listened.

"I hope they chill the hell out," she finally said, flopping back against the mattress and staring at the ceiling. There was an edge to her voice and something not quite calm in her eyes. Ignis frowned, carefully packing away his things.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Rayne said you went to bed feeling unwell," he answered, making direct eye contact. She turned away with a shrug. There it was again, that distant look in her eyes. But why won't she answer?

"I think it was the air in Cid's house. Too stuffy."

Ignis nodded, though he didn't believe her. Finally, once he was satisfied with his work, he shut off the lights and laid down, feeling gravity pull his tired bones into the mattress as he sank down. Silence overtook them for a long time. Suspense hung in the air and he waited, sensing that she wanted to speak. She was suppressing something. Finally, she moved, but no words came out. Rue turned over and rested her head on his collarbone, stretching an arm across his stomach and pulling herself closer. She tucked her head under his chin and sighed, finally closing her eyes.

Ignis stared into the darkness for a minute longer. Why was she still there? He couldn't help but search for any reason at all for why she kept playing along with the idea he'd proposed unintentionally. Perhaps it was her need for validation—but she'd always seemed so distant. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, brow furrowed. Rue was looking for an answer to her problems, but he didn't have it. He knew he wasn't what she needed and yet... It seemed he just kept playing along, too.

"We all set?" Noctis asked, heaving his bag onto his shoulder and looking around at the people gathered in his room. Rayne looked exhausted, stifling a yawn and nodding.

"We should be. I can't think of anything we're missing."

"Okay. Let's head home, then."

"With our luck, it'll be burnt down," she grumbled.

"It was intact when we returned last," Ignis reminded her, gathering the room keys and following Noctis down the stairs.

Rue sighed, adjusting the weight of the bag on her back and looking around the walls once more. It was strange fighting the urge to commit this place to memory. Ever since the Fall, it was as if her mind couldn't quite understand that most times, cities aren't falling, and empires aren't vanquishing entire nations. Sometimes, places could be at a standstill.

Her mind raced with the news of yesterday, wrestling her desires. She knew what was bad for her and what was good, but she wanted the bad so terribly. Would it really be so horrible to get some closure? Rue followed the group through the town, ducking her head to hide her face as citizens took out their phones to snap photos of the king and his royal retinue. Gladio pushed a few people aside and Rayne snapped at a few irritating individuals that refused to back down. Finally, they reached the parking lot, where the people of Lestallum leaned over overhead railings to watch the group pack away their things. Rue's mind tossed her options back and forth, panicking. I have to decide. Her body moved before her brain did, her hand reaching out and grasping Ignis's elbow.

"I need us to stop somewhere on the way back."

"Pardon?" Ignis frowned, looking past her to Gladio.

"It's important, Ignis." She pleaded with her eyes, desperate. Her heart pounded, filled with hope. "Please. Just have Prompto ride with the others." Ignis blinked at her, trying to understand what she was asking. "I'm serious," she gritted under her breath, watching the gunman laugh with Rayne. Noctis climbed into the back of Gladio's car.

"... We'll discuss this later." Ignis was clearly on edge with the crowd of people gathering, shooting a stern look to Prompto. "Prompto, go with them."

"What? Why?" Prompto whined. Rayne raised an eyebrow and Ignis shot her a meaningful look. The woman nodded and shoved Prompto's shoulder.

"C'mon, buddy. They need to talk."

Prompto gave in with a sigh and climbed in back with Noctis. Ignis nodded his thanks and they hurried to get into their vehicles. Rue took a deep breath, relieved. The car rumbled to life and Ignis followed Gladio out of the parking lot, brow furrowed and eyes glued to the road. Rue sank back into her seat, feeling her heart calm gradually. Once they hit an open stretch of road, Ignis sat back, relaxing. Silence enveloped the car for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure." He frowned, glancing at her. "Did you see the article about that woman finding some cave full of prison cells?"

"Yes." He hesitated. "... Are we going there?"

"Yeah." Rue swallowed; her mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Might I ask why?" Ignis quickly passed a slow car that pulled between him and Gladio, waiting for an answer. Rue sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"... I'll get to it eventually."

"Why boot Prompto from the car?" he pressed. She took a deep breath, forcing a thin smile onto her lips.

"Same reason."

"You'll get to it?"

"Yeah."

"Hm."

"What, I can't just want to be with you?" she teased, reaching across the console and patting his knee. He raised an eyebrow, though he didn't look away from the road. Rue laughed, eyeing Gladio's car to see how much space was between them before leaning over and pressing a kiss to Ignis's cheek. "Thanks."

"You may want to let Rayne know we'll be dropping out at some point," he sighed, glancing down at the hand on his knee.

"I will."

"Eventually?"

"Stop it," she snickered, hitting his knee and pulling away to text Rayne. Her stomach twisted with nervous energy as her right knee bounced up and down. This is such a bad idea. "It's in the desert southwest of Hammerhead. I'll find clues somewhere in those pictures."

"Please do. I doubt the car can handle much off-road adventure."

"Don't worry. I won't make you ruin your pretty hunk 'a junk," she muttered, pulling up the article.

Her gut twisted at the mere mention of the place and her skin broke out in a cold sweat. But I have to. She quickly scrolled through the photos, sparing them a mere glance to save her heart the pain of the memories that threatened to suffocate her. Finally, something caught her attention.

"Here." She held her phone out toward Ignis, who forced himself to trust his instincts and spare the quickest of intermittent seconds to study the picture. Gladio's constant slowing and stopping was putting him on edge.

"I know where that is," he said finally, slamming on the breaks to avoid rear-ending Rayne's car.

Rue's palms hit the dashboard sharply to stop herself from hitting it with her face. A herd of towering anaks galloped across the road. Ignis stiffly leaned back in his seat, taking a deep breath. Rue pressed her lips together and watched the creatures pass before relaxing. Eventually, they got moving again.

"I apologize," Ignis murmured. She shook her head.

"Not your fault." She twisted around onto her side, pointing at him. "See, that's why I don't want to drive. I never would've hit my breaks on time."

"Not if you were just starting out, no." He glanced over at her. "You're fidgeting."

"Am I?" She sat up straighter, gnawing on her cheek. "Yeah, I am."

They said no more, settling into the silence. Ignis focused on the drive, trying to clear his mind. The anxious weight in the air had him on edge. Rue busied herself by counting the number of broken-down cars she saw. She grew sleepy, but she was afraid to close her eyes in case she saw the cave before she got there. Wouldn't want any spoilers, now would we? She rolled her eyes and rested her head against the window. Her phone vibrated. A text from Rayne.

You're going on a hike?

No. There's something I need to take care of.

Don't you get all cryptic on me. I get enough of that with Iggy as it is.

Rue slouched in her seat and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves. It only made her chest ache more. She crossed her arms, bouncing her legs up and down. Her fingers drummed on her arms, trembling from her rush of adrenaline. Ignis adjusted his glasses, unable to distract himself from her incessant squirming. Rue knew she was starting to fray his nerves when he kept adjusting their placement on his face unnecessarily. Irritated with her inability to calm down and his constant poking and prodding, she snatched his hand from his face and clung to it, pressing it to her leg as she stared out the window. Her hand was clammy, but she didn't apologize. I have to do this.

Finally, Ignis turned away from the road, taking them down a narrow dirt path. Rue watched Gladio's car disappear, feeling her anxiety spike through the roof as the ground rumbled beneath them. Ignis pried his hand away from hers to better control the vehicle, eyes scanning the horizon for what they were searching for. Rue couldn't breathe, gritting her teeth until her jaw ached. Her nails dug into her skin to distract her from the pounding of her heart. Ignis eyed the small tears in her skin. The tension refused to leave his body as long as she refused to explain the situation.

"Here," she managed to say, her voice surprisingly calm.

Ignis obeyed, slowing to a stop. Her throat tightened when she caught sight of faded stone beyond the outline of the dilapidated house before them. She wanted to speak, but no sound came. She shook her head, reaching toward the door.

"We don't have to go," Ignis reminded her. She hesitated, but only for a moment.

"I have to go."

"Rue..."

Rue pushed the door open, hurrying to stand. Her legs shook beneath her weight like a newborn anak's. Ignis sighed and followed suit, pushing his glasses up and scanning their surroundings. Taking a deep breath and searching for any landmarks she might recognize, Rue spotted a looming bounder and headed toward it. Red sand blew over its blunt ridges with a gust of hot, dry wind. Sweat prickled across her skin and she wasn't certain it was all the heat's fault. Raising her arms to shield her eyes from the sun, she hurried across the dusty ground to reach the rock. Her lungs screamed for air by the time she got there, and her hand stuck the firm surface, her fingertips tracing the stone and her heart burning under the blow of the nostalgia.

Ana's cries filled her ears and she shuddered, chilled to the bone. A hand rested on her shoulder and she jumped, looking back to see Alec staring down at her. She blinked and suddenly Alec was Ignis. His frown creased his brow, his eyes warm with concern. Rue pursed her lips, suppressed the images of the frightened girl's eyes, and pressed on, setting her gazed onto the invisible trail of dragging footsteps that led to a larger ridge of stone. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and pressed forward, protecting her face from the blowing sand. The mouth of the cave stood wide open, unhidden and unashamed of its secret. Her stomach churned, and for a moment, she tasted bile.

"This is it," she said. Her throat was so dry that her voice hardly raised over a whisper. Ignis didn't reply. Swallowing her inhibitions, she led the way inside.

Rue's eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, but once they did, she felt sick all over again. Her head spun as she took in her surroundings. Everything was the same as in the photos—the same as it was before. She carefully stepped in deeper, swung the makeshift door open, and listened for the echo of its scrape against the stone floor. Ignis waited behind her patiently, though he seemed to be anticipating something lunging from the darkness.

Rue finally stepped inside, breathing in the musty air. The wood lining the cave walls rotted from the bottom up, stinking up the cavern. Unlit lightbulbs hung from their hooks on the walls, waiting to either shatter or erode to nothing. The memories were so overwhelming that she almost didn't realize there was a small pack of sabertusks headed her way until she saw the flash of Ignis's daggers soaring past her in the dark. Startled, she summoned her gun and squeezed off a few shots, staring down at the pile of animal bodies before her. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Sharp shooting," she murmured finally.

"On your part as well," he uttered.

Rue turned on her phone's flashlight and hurried further in, a rush of memories overtaking her mind. Every scuff, step, and scurry echoed off the walls and penetrated their ears, bouncing around their skulls before finally fading. She shuddered at the sight of the iron bars that reflected the light. She came to a stop at the front of the room of cells, searching for any emotion her mind might give her. Aside from the horror of seeing the place again, she was surprisingly numb. Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the stain on the floorboards for a moment before turning back to Ignis.

"There. That's where she died."

Ignis's stomach tightened. He figured this had something to do with Ana, but the emptiness in her voice was far more jarring than seeing her burial site.

"Ana?" he asked, knowing full well he was right. Rue nodded, glancing back at the spot.

"Yeah." She tucked her hair behind her ear and hugged her arms to her body, wishing she could sit down anywhere. The air was beginning to make her dizzy. Ignis touched his glasses habitually and his gaze fell to the ground as he wrestled for the right words to say. There were none.

"... What happened?"

Rue puffed a short, bitter laugh, turning her pale eyes in his direction. In the lighting, she looked ghostly.

"Buckle up, buddy. It's one hell of a ride."

~3 years before~

Rue tossed a pebble at the wall and watched it skitter back, too tired to pick it up for the umpteenth time. Sighing, she looked across the pathway between the metal bars that caged her and met Alec's eyes. His face was swollen with bruises from the beatings of Carter's men, mainly results of him running his big mouth. He turned away sharply, unable to hold his head for long. She looked back at the wall, tracing her finger through the dirt slowly in some unknown pattern. Beside her, Ana slept, unsure of what else to do to pass the time. The soft rhythm of her breaths kept Rue's mind occupied.

The shuffling down the hall wasn't unusual. It was the lack of rude pet names and crude language that drew Rue to the cell door. She was on her feet before she realized she had the strength to stand, her fingers grasping the cold, slimy bars before her. A man sprinted up to her door, fumbling with a key clumsily. Rue frowned, lowering her head to catch his eye; he looked up sharply. Dex's eyes were wide and his breaths ragged. Finally, the lock clicked and the door swung open with a low groan. Ana gripped Rue's hand before her mother could hiss a command and they rushed out, freeing Alec before running together down the passageway. It all happened so quickly that Rue didn't think to ask how he got in. She didn't have the energy.

They turned a corner sharply and Dex forced them back into a deep shadow of the cave. Trembling and panting, the group of survivors watched one of Carter's men stroll past, distracted by the light of his phone. The jerks still have battery... Rue gritted her teeth and gripped Ana's hand tighter. Her other hand clutched Dex's elbow as they waited, paralyzed by fear. The guard passed by without a single upward glance. Alec breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to send Ana a reassuring smile. It disappeared when they heard the click of a gun, their hearts sinking.

"What're you doin' outta your cages?"

Rue's mouth dried instantly at the sound of Carter's drawl. This is the end. She looked up to see him waiting expectantly, watching him cock the gun toward the hallway they just came from.

"Bring them back to the hall."

"Please," she whimpered helplessly, trying to sink to her knees. One of the men grabbed her elbows, heaving her upright and dragging her. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't choke. She stared ahead at the dim lights, dreading the end. Ana followed, eyes wide and mouth shut tight.

"Knew I shoulda tied up the loose ends," Carter muttered, eyeing the line of prisoners before him. Dex held clutched Rue's free hand, knuckles white as he gnawed on his lip. "Thought you'd slip in unnoticed, kid? My men saw you comin' miles away."

"I did what I could."

"What he could," Carter scoffed. His cold eyes scanned the crowd and his nose twitched when he snarled. "I'm done with this shit." He gestured toward them with the gun and they flinched. "Bring me the girl."

"No!" Rue shouted, hugging Rue to her body. "Please, take me instead," she pleaded, trying to touch the man's humanity as he gripped Ana's arm and dragged her away. Her chest constricting, Rue choked on her tears as Ana stumbled after him, dazed. "Please..." Dex watched in horror, unable to speak.

"You went against my orders, plain and simple," Carter answered, shrugging. "Instead of serving your time, you tried to escape. Corner cutting learns you nothin'." He gripped Ana's arm and pulled her in front of him and pulled the safety off his gun.

"Please..." Rue whispered.

"Take me," Dex pleaded, stepping forward. "I'm the one who—"

"Shut it." Carter rolled his eyes and spit to the side. "Some punishments are worse than death." His eyes flitted to Alec half-second before he shot. Rue screamed as the boy fell to the ground, lifeless with a hole in his head. "Except for people like him. All they think about is themselves. Can't stand 'em."

Rue choked on air as she began to hyperventilate, dizzy. Ana flinched when the smoking barrel pressed to her temple, a tear trickling down her smooth skin. She shook like a leaf. Rue didn't know what to do, willing herself to wake up. Her fingernails dug into Dex's arm, but he didn't seem to notice.

"But like I said, for we humans, there's somethin' worse than dyin'."

"Please..."

The final pop hardly hit her ears before Rue hit the ground screaming, wailing, trembling. She pounded on the floor, a horrific sound tearing through her throat in her anguish as she searched for any way to release this agonizing pain from her body. Nails clawed her pants until they lifted from their beds, teeth gnashed and tore her cheeks, lungs pushed out cry after cry until her mouth tasted like metal and no more sound would come. The fire that tore across her skin concealed the grip of the men as they dragged her back to her cell and stole Ana's things out of her reach. Her eyes didn't open as she collapsed to the ground once more, stomach squeezing to force out any sound it could as a fountain of tears poured down her face.

The rattle of the gate hardly caught her ears when it opened hours later. A plate skidded across the floor, ringing loudly. The strong scent of burnt flesh caught her nose and she glanced down before uncertainly meeting the gaze of the man standing before her with a wicked smile on his lips.

"What?" she croaked.

"I thought you might want to be close to her again."

The words took a moment to register before she panicked and kicked the plate away, pressing herself up against the back wall. The man cackled, doubling over as the meat rolled across the hall, the plate shattering against the stone. Rue gagged, uncontrollably nauseous with nothing to expel. Done with his fun, he shut the gate and walked away, laughing. Raging, Rue leaped to her feet, rattling the bars and screaming with her raw throat.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! What did you do to her?!"

"Rue," Dex called, locked in Alec's old cell. "Rue, calm down. It's not her, he's just a dick."

But she couldn't hear him, kicking and punching and screaming at the bars. She threw herself against the wall, gripping the roots of her hair and pulling it out in handfuls. This carried on for weeks. Every day, someone brought her something to torment her with and she reacted like an animal, inconsolable and broken beyond repair. Her punishment was to relive Ana's death; Dex's was to watch her lose her mind and remember he caused this.

Rue stared into empty space, her eyes long dried and her lips sealed shut. The halls were dead silent. The men evacuated days ago after Carter suddenly died from cardiac arrest—an unexpected turn on their part. Dex stood waiting at the doorway of her cell, gnawing on his cheek anxiously as he tried to convince her to leave, too. They were free, he said. They could go see the world.

"I don't want it without her."

"I know, but we can't have her."

"I'm not going."

It took weeks of prodding. He brought her meals from scavenged cans, staring longingly down the passageway at the entrance. Some days, Rue ate. Most days she didn't. She couldn't decide if she wanted to live or to die, to carry on in a memory or give up. One day, Dex came running down the hall, skidding to a stop outside her cell, breathless.

"Rue... The sun!"

Rue leaped to her feet and hurried after him on unsteady legs. He helped her up the rock face of the cave, staring in wonder at the horizon as a golden light pierced the night sky. Rue took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, overwhelmed at seeing the sun for the first time in three years. Her eyes flooded with tears and she choked on a sob, wishing with her whole being that Ana would appear to her right and lecture her about leaving her behind like that. Instead, she clung to Dex and he clung to her, a mix of joyful and mourning tears shared between them. The Dawn came steadily, as they knew it might someday. Rue sniffed and scrubbed at her face, realizing that life would yet again be turned on its head. I have to do it. For her. She laid her head on Dex's shoulder. For Ana.

WE'RE IN THE HOME STRETCH NOW, BOYS! SHOULD HAVE THIS BAD BOY WRAPPED UP BY THE END OF DECEMBER/BEGINNING OF JANUARY!