The man that had been labeled as Gladio frowned at the girls' question as he said, "Yeah, what of it?"
The smaller blonde held up both hands and grinned at the bigger man. "Ease up there, big guy. Can't you see these two are already scared? Wouldn't you be?"
When Gladio turned his glare to the younger man, the boy chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well, I guess maybe you wouldn't. But I know I would."
Thankfully, the taller blonde stepped in to keep things from escalating. "It is not surprising for our names to be recognized. That does not mean these two bear any ill will. It is easy to see they are traumatized by these circumstances."
Gladio frowned at both men, but it was a moot point. The girls had heard enough already. Dia grabbed her sister and pulled her as far away as they could get without putting themselves in a potential danger zone. Once they were there, she lowered her voice and said, "We need to get out of here. They seem nice enough, but they are way too into character. I'd rather not run into more trouble with a bunch of wannabes."
Cia looked down for several seconds before she looked back over at her twin. "I know you may not want to hear this, but what if they really are the chocobros? I mean, how else can you explain the thing that attacked us. You said it yourself—you have never seen anything like it before."
Dia clenched her jaw and took a deep breath so she didn't yell. "Are you trying to tell me that somehow we just got isekaied? Really? Do you hear how weird that sounds? I mean, you even called them the chocobros. This is just too strange. There's no way."
Cia took a calming breath and put her hand on her sister's arm. Dia tried to keep her glare up, but when her sister stared at her like that and focused on her breathing, she made it damn hard to do. Finally, Dia huffed and crossed her arms. Cia smiled at the action as she said, "Now, think about this, don't just dismiss it because It's odd. Look at the evidence. You and I both saw that monster before you killed it. We also saw how it disappeared. Even if you could try and explain that thing as a science experiment gone wrong, there is no way you can say the rest could ever happen on earth."
Dia knew her twin was right. She usually was when it came to matters of observation and deduction. Still, that didn't make it easy to accept. She sighed and rubbed her temple once more before she nodded. "Fine. I will admit that there may be more going on here than I can explain away. That doesn't mean I accept your explanation, but given the situation, it would probably be best to go with them anyway. At least then, we should be able to make it out of here and see where we really are."
Cia patted her arm with another smile before she turned back to the other group. When Dia looked over, she could see that the only one not frowning at them was the young blonde—possibly Prompto—if her sister was right. She didn't like what she was about to say, but she hoped it would get them one step closer to the truth. "I apologize for that. We really do appreciate you coming to help when we called out, and I'm sure that seemed rude, but I—"
She paused. How in the hell did Cia expect her to explain the hesitation without exposing where they were from. If she was right, there was no way in hell she would ever be telling these men they were from another planet, or dimension, or whatever the hell it was.
She was shocked when the tall blonde put a reassuring hand on her uninjured arm and gave her a smile as he said, "I understand. It can't be easy to be in this situation with a sibling to worry about."
Dia nodded mutely before she snapped herself out of it. She managed a strained smile before she turned back to the rest. "If the offer still stands, we'd appreciate the help getting out of here at least. Then we can figure out the rest."
All three of the men turned to look at the young man they had called Noct. He lowered his chin while he thought about it before he finally looked back up and shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind. We did make the offer already. Besides, the two of you don't need to be alone in this place and unarmed."
Dia's eyes widened. She needed to tell them they weren't unarmed before they found out on their own. If they even thought she was hiding it, that could turn ugly, and quick. She pointed to her sister's hand and said, "Well, we aren't exactly unarmed, but we only found one extra magazine. I doubt that would get us out of here, no matter how good a shot my sister is."
Cia looked down under their scrutiny, but at least she was able to add, "Well, most of my practice has been in a shooting range, so I wouldn't know if I'm good in the heat of battle. Dia does most of the heavy lifting."
Prompto smiled at them both. "Well, at least that's a little less to worry about. I'm sure it'll be enough to last until we can get you to the hunters."
Noctis nodded in agreement. "Thanks for letting us know, but we shouldn't stay here. The quicker we get done, the better."
Once that was settled, the one Dia assumed was supposed to be Ignis offered to help both women across the rubble so they wouldn't fall. It was welcome help, even if she refused to admit it. They were both still sporting injuries, and only adrenaline had been keeping them going.
Once they were on the way toward the light Dia had seen earlier, Prompto quickly broke the silence. "It looks like the two of you are twins, but those names are really close too. It was Dia and Cia, right?"
Both girls chuckled and looked at each other before Dia responded, "Yes, we are twins, but those are nicknames. I am Landia Solis, and my sister is Lucia."
The boy grinned at her. "That makes sense!"
Before he could say more, Gladio looked back and scowled at the younger man. "Less talking, more keeping an eye out. We can discuss pleasantries when we're out of here."
Prompto immediately fell back without a word. Or at least without a word the rest of them could make out. Dia couldn't hide her smile when she caught part of the mumbling. Still, the rest of the walk was quiet. Not that they had far to go.
When they rounded the bend, Dia could see that the light was coming from a hole in the roof of the cave. She frowned as she tried to mentally place the map of the cavern the earthquake had been in over the cave they were in now. It made a shiver go up her spine when she realized she should not be able to see daylight. They hadn't gone that far. The tour cave should have been above them still. She swallowed once and opted to ignore it for now. It wasn't like there was anything she could do.
Instead, she watched as Noctis walked forward to something that looked like a tree made out of light. It only took her brain a moment to realize what was about to happen. At least if she was going to believe her sister was right. She didn't say a word before she grabbed Cia and tried to yank her back away from the rest.
Unfortunately, she hadn't made it in time. As soon as her hand landed on Cia's arm, lightning started pouring from the tree-like thing and time seemed to freeze. Noctis stood there as though he was unaffected as the power surged into him. However, not all the lightning went into the palm of his hand. Some of it lifted up through the hole in the cavern where a giant could be seen forming.
Dia's eyes were so wide the whites probably showed as she watched Ramuh appear. There was no way she could deny what she was experiencing. Especially when the humungous Astral sent a wave of lightning down that struck the two sisters.
The world went white. Dia couldn't see or feel anything, not even the sense of time. When her vision finally cleared, she was on the ground with all four of the men looking down at them with worried expressions. When she groaned and sat up, Gladio held out a hand to help her. Ignis had done the same for Cia.
When they were both on their feet, Noctis gave them a worried look. "Are you both all right? I don't understand why Ramuh would attack you. You didn't make any move to attack me."
Cia was still unsteady, but she managed to shake her head as she tried to reassure him. "That wasn't an attack. At least, not in the sense of the word that he was trying to hurt us."
Dia scoffed. "Speak for yourself. I don't see how that wasn't an attack. Maybe he pulled the punch since we're still standing."
Cia looked over with confusion as she said, "You mean you didn't see anything? I thought since we were both hit that—"
For a moment, Dia felt doubt creep through her. No matter what they were facing, Cia was never one to lie. Instead of trying to figure it out in front of these strangers, she just shook her head and said, "All I saw was white. At least until this guy helped me."
Her sister only looked more confused, but Dia didn't let her argue. Instead, she gestured back to the way they had just come from. "Why don't we worry about it after we get out of this hellhole?"
She then turned to face the men. "You're done here, right?"
Noctis nodded, even though he wore a slight frown. Ignis was the one to break the silence, "Well then, we should be off lest we attract unwanted attention." The rest silently agreed and fell into step as they headed back toward the cave entrance.
Before the group made it out of the cave, they had several run-ins with more daemons. By the time they saw the opening of the tunnel, even Dia had to admit they were no longer on the earth she knew. Not that her silent admission helped to calm her nerves. If anything, she was more anxious than she had been when they were alone and in the dark about what was around them.
Now she had so many other questions—like, why were they brought there. What about the other people that died, were they meant to be part of whatever this was too, or had they died before the shift? Plus, there was whatever that had been with Ramuh. She could tell her twin was still lost in thought about the issue and had been the whole time they walked back out. None of it was making sense, and she hated things that unnerved her. Which was why she was just shy of a total grouch when they finally saw the entrance to the cave.
Prompto rushed past them all with a huge grin as he threw his arms up and said, "Ah, the smell of fresh air at last!"
Dia looked over to her sister when there was no sound. Typically, that would have been something to make Cia giggle. Her continued silence just set Dia's nerves on edge. So much so that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a phone ring. She instinctively reached for her own but left it in her pocket when she saw Noctis pull his out instead.
She ignored whatever the conversation was and took the chance to approach Cia while the others were distracted. However, before she said anything, Cia's face lit up, and she crouched down as she said, "Oh! What a pretty puppy!"
It was indeed a pretty puppy. One that looked familiar. It let Cia pet it for a few moments before it ran off a short distance. Dia realized why the dog was probably there, and it was confirmed when she heard Noctis's one-sided conversation getting closer. He paused next to her as he finished, "Thanks for looking into it. Something's come up here, so I need to go, but don't worry about it—yeah, we'll handle it."
As soon as he hung up, he walked to where Umbra was waiting, but the dog didn't let him catch up. Noctis frowned but didn't let it bother him. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened.
The whole group followed them a short distance away, but they all stopped when the tall figure of a woman in a black dress came into view. Obviously, all the men knew who she was because they gave her respectful bows. However, the woman's eyes were on the two girls as she said, "Daughters of war and death, of life and peace, do they know where they are—what they see?"
The twins shared a look, and Dia could tell that Cia was even more unsettled than she had been. She gave her sister a smile and stepped forward so Cia wouldn't have to. She gave the woman a bow before she stood and said, "Yes, we do. We are both honored to meet you, Gentiana." Dia had a million and one questions at that moment but swallowed them. For one, it would be rude to bombard a diety like that, but it would also likely get her nowhere. There was no point in wasting the energy.
Instead, she stood there and waited for a response. Noctis had been standing closest to her, so he was the one to ask, "How do you know who she is?"
Dia spared him a look, but they both turned back to the Astral in disguise as she said, "The one true king must find the light to return it to the world, but the path is treacherous and not all ways end in success. Sometimes, a lantern is needed to illuminate the possibilities."
Dia could tell the answer frustrated the prince nearly as much as it did her, but he didn't say anything. Especially since Gentiana moved to stand in front of her. She almost took a step back instinctively, but the Astral had already reached out to touch Dia's shoulder. She froze under the contact, both literally and figuratively.
There was no trace of ice on her skin, but in her mind, everything was a frozen landscape. Part of her consciousness was aware that she was still standing in the woods near the cave, but that part was small and overwhelmed by the giantess that stood before her.
Shiva lifted her arms to the side before she suddenly burst into several smaller copies of herself. Most of them flitted around through the air like the pixies they resembled, but one floated down to stand in front of Dia. When the Astral spoke, her voice was in the language of the gods, but somehow, Dia was still able to understand. "The great crystal blesses Eos with its light, as well as the Astrals, yet it is tied to the fate of humanity as well. Many things has it seen come and go; the flow of time separates it from the world around it, yet it is still part of Eos."
Despite her awe and fear of Shiva and what might happen, she was already getting tired of the riddles. Or more precisely, she was getting tired of all the talk around the point instead of getting to it. That being the case, she was thankful when the Astral got to it before Dia's hold on her mouth broke.
"The king has been chosen to wield the power of the crystal and lead Eos back into the light. He must not go alone. Of the things the crystal bore witness to, many were tragic and ended with all shrouded in darkness. The Astrals can form a pact with the king but cannot see what may come of his choices. A guide is needed. A smaller light to show him which path to take that he may fulfill his purpose."
Dia still had so many questions, but none of them came out. Instead, Shiva stepped forward and gently cupped her face before placing a feathery kiss upon her brow. She then smiled and let go. As soon as Dia was released, the world seemed to snap back into place and left her stumbling and disoriented.
She righted herself well enough, but her eyes were wide as Gentiana stepped back with a smile. The Astral in disguise was already fading away when her voice whispered through the air. "Light the path."
Several seconds passed in thick silence that was only broken when Cia took her sister by the arm. They shared a look that made Dia realize her twin must have gone through something similar back with Ramuh. That certainly explained a few things, even if it made so many more questions.
Unfortunately, they were not given a chance to come to terms with it all. Noctis and the other three had gathered around them. Gladio wore a frown, but the rest all looked curious. The crown prince was the one to say, "Something tells me it was more than coincidence that you both were in that cavern. First, the incident with Ramuh, and now Gentiana? There is more to the two of you than we thought."
The twins shared a look before Dia sighed. He wasn't wrong. She doubted it was a coincidence either, but it wasn't like they had put themselves there. Still, she had to tell them something, so she decided to give them part of the information she had just received. "If you are asking if we went down into the cavern just to see you, then no. It happened just like we already told you, but I think more is going on than we thought. I don't know if you heard Gentiana speaking to me, but she explained a little."
Noctis's eyes widened. "She spoke to you telepathically?"
Dia nodded, which had Prompto staring with wide eyes, Ignis humming to himself with his hand on his chin, and Gladio glaring even harder. Instead of worrying about what they were thinking, she tried to explain what she had heard. "She told me that everything is tied together, and it is all linked with the crystal. She also said something about it being outside the flow of time. I didn't understand it exactly, but I think I got the gist of it because she told me I needed to be a smaller light to illuminate the proper path to success."
Gladio scoffed as he said, "You're telling us that the messenger of the gods asked you to travel with us to show the 'proper path?' Not likely."
Dia frowned at his quick dismissal but wasn't shocked. She wasn't sure she would have believed it either in his shoes. However, before she could refute him, Cia stepped closer and said, "Um, actually, Ramuh said something similar to me too."
That garnered several shocked looks. Noctis wore an unreadable expression when he said, "You spoke to one of the Six and understood him?"
Cia's eyes were wide as she began to understand how big a deal that was. Still, Dia didn't doubt her. The question now was, how were they going to convince the others. They couldn't wander on their own, and there was obviously a reason they were pulled to Eos. Figuring out how to get home would have to wait. She had a feeling the Astral's were not going to let them leave until their job was done anyway.
Dia sighed before she said, "Look, I know you have no reason to trust us, but we just want to figure out what is going on too. Can we at least travel with you for now?"
Gladio was still frowning, but Noctis patted his arm as he said, "I don't know how any of that is possible, but I did hear Gentiana tell us something about a lantern to illuminate the possibilities. I say it would be best to keep them close until we figure out what this all means."
Gladio did not seem happy with the statement, but Ignis pushed his glasses up before he nodded and said, "Agreed. Ignoring the messenger of the Six is ill-advised."
Noctis nodded his agreement, and Prompto chose that moment to say, "If that's settled, what was that phone call about?"
A/N: And we jumped right into the action lol. Though, I agree with Iggy. It's hard to deny stuff when the gods get involved right in front of you. I'm sure Gladio will come around. Now the question is, what do you think of the twins and their personalities now that you've seen from both points of view. And who will each end up with? Just want to see your thoughts so far lol. Anyway, thanks for reading, and cheers!