Untold Omens
Chapter Two: Verisimilitude
Winter M.E. 749
In the week after meeting Prompto, Aracelis spent every free and waking moment she had engrossed in research on whatever she could find regarding the history of Eos. Without knowing the cause of the change, her only option was to delve into every possible avenue of news. She began her blind search on the Astrals, wary of what she may find.
While she hadn't followed Eos' creation and development in her last life, she knew it was originally part of the nightmare called Fabula Nova Crystallis, better known as Final Fantasy XIII.
As she delved into the cosmogony collection, she feared to find any mention of Fal'Cie or L'Cie, XIII's version of the summons and their unfortunate gofer heroes. It was one thing to deal with temperamental gods, but another thing altogether if they decide to enslave you as their permanent punching bag. She barely wanted to work for the Amicitia family, there was no way she would be willing to carry out the bidding of treacherous gods.
Fortunately, the taint Eos contained were of lucrid daemons, fickle Astrals and Ardyn, the accursed. While disappointed to find the origin of the gods not a culprit of the change, it was also relieving for Aracelis. She needn't contend with forces she cannot hope to challenge. However, it also meant she had to further her clueless search for answers.
Situated in the library of Valetis Institute, Aracelis sat in a rumpled slouch surrounded by volumes of books, all in a variety of thickness, colors, and sizes. Apart from her, other students could be seen quietly browsing the countless rows of dark mahogany bookshelves, researching for their respective studies.
Her eyes drifted to her pen's reflection, blurred against the brass spine of the lamp protruding from the corner of the desk. Aracelis twirled it in her hand, temporarily mesmerized by the movement as she tried to gather her thoughts on what she's found so far.
The kingdom of Lucis had over a hundred kings with King Regis as the 113th. Tenebrae likely had just as many oracles in the Nox Fleuret family and lastly, she can't imagine what it would be like to go through Niflheim's Aldercapt family.
She glared at the endless text, her brows furrowed as she blew away a loose strand of hair in frustration. During the course of her research, her meticulously neat bun had become a frayed mess, due to burying through her hair out of sheer aggravation. Of course, having her hair resembling an unkempt bird's nest was the least of her problems compared to the task of rifling through over 2000 years' worth of history of the royal families.
She tapped her pen loudly against the blackwood desk in agitation with one hand and pressed the back of her knuckles of the other against her lips.
"Damn it…" muttered Aracelis under her breath before stilling her pen, planting it firmly against the desk. There had to be a better way to approach this.
"Eh-hem," coughed a patronizing voice. "If you don't mind Aracelis, there are other people using the library too."
Aracelis bit back a retort as she glanced up to the unwanted speaker. A desk away from hers was fellow classmate and self-declared rival, Marcus Flavius. Though, she mentally nicknamed him Flabio for being analogous to Gladio when he's at his worst, boastful or purposely trying to aggravate her. Except Flabio was a bonafide pest, obnoxious with less tact and even less musculature.
Aracelis considered the disconcerting redhead a pretentious narcissist, an idiot who fancies himself clever, an ostensible heartthrob despite evident self-image issues. She has no clue why he still decides to compete with her academically when Ignis Scientia dominates the rankings in their year.
Valetis Institute works with a competitive model. Exam results of all students were public record, posted for all to see. Aracelis regularly alternated between second and third with a rare few instances of first. Without the foreknowledge of who Ignis Scientia was, she might've faced a crisis of self-worth. In her previous life, she honed her studying habits through mental anguish and tears. Her current excellent school performance was the byproduct of suffering the strenuous hell experience of being a cramming undergrad. For Ignis to constantly beat her would have struck a blow to her ego, if she didn't already know that grades meant nothing for this future.
"My apologies," replied Aracelis icily. "For a moment I got lucky and forgot you existed."
Flabio's smirk remained on his face despite her biting sarcasm. The corner of Aracelis' lips quirked up as she rested her elbows atop the desk, loosely clasping her hands with her fingers intertwined.
"How goes studying?" instigated Aracelis. "Any hopes in beating Ignis this time?"
"As if you could beat him." He retorted, reminding her of her failings. "You're not that much better than me."
"True," conceded Aracelis unconcerned, a sly grin tugged at her lips. "But I am still better than you."
"Wow." Flabio drawled in hollow offense, angling his head in a lifeless gesture. "You're a real bitch… you know that?"
"So I've been told," replied the brunette dryly before switching over to a mocking lilt. "Shall I vacate the library for you to nurse your wounded ego?"
Impassive, Flabio returned his attention to his books. Aracelis' grin widened at the petty victory, but ultimately she decided to pack her things and leave. With her research at a dead end, she might as well get some food before afternoon classes begin. It was impossible for her to sit through a meal whenever she was on a project, often resulting in surviving on granola bars and coffee for weeks at a time. This is a bad habit she can't seem to get rid of, even in this new life.
Having ordered and paid for her lunch at the cafeteria's sleek counter, Aracelis chose a bar seat by the ceiling-high windows facing a view of the courtyard's luscious landscape. Watching the steam dance over her food, she found herself drifting back into her thoughts.
There was plenty of information available to her regarding the history of the Caelum and Nox Fleuret lineage. Unfortunately, with the older generations, she would need to delve into the archives in the Citadel as it was unlikely for commonplace libraries to carry text as old as the kingdom itself. However, information on Niflheim's Aldercapts was near impossible to obtain within the walls of Insomnia. As the Lucian Kingdom's main enemy for the last hundred years, anything that she finds will likely be biased doctrine to be taken with a grain of salt.
"…Great," muttered Aracelis. Her spoon stilled as she suddenly lost all appetite.
It wouldn't be so bad if she had some direction, but… her thoughts trailed off when she spotted the familiar figure of Ignis Scientia making his way across the courtyard from one of the many alcoves littered about the campus. The unassuming young man carried himself with silent decorum, always composed and unhurried.
Beyond mandatory classroom assignments she seldom spoke with the indelible royal advisor, avoiding him whenever possible. As with Noctis, she feared any interactions with him might change the course of the world for the worse. However, with how things are now, it no longer mattered if she approached him. Surely, if anyone was to know something about the history of the Lucian kings, Ignis was the best person to start with. Enlisting the person most intimately acquainted with the prince might at least provide her some direction of where to look. It definitely beat blindly searching like she had for the past week.
Mind made up, Aracelis hastily disposed of her lunch then made her way out of the cafeteria.
"Ignis!" She called out to him as he rounded the corner. Ignis paused at his name and glanced back to see her hurrying to his side.
"…You are…" began the bespectacled teen, taking a moment to identify the brazen brunette. His lips tightened in recognition. "Aracelis Hester, you serve the Amicitias correct?"
"Yes," confirmed Aracelis with a curt nod.
Trust for Ignis Scientia to identify her by her family's connection before all else. Though she supposed he would need to since he's technically in line for the title of Count when his uncle retires.
"I would like to request your assistance on a personal project of mine regarding the Lucian kings."
Ignis paused to nudge his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "… If you do not mind my asking, why me in particular?"
It stood within reason for Ignis to take all this the wrong way and misinterpret her as a tawdry social climber. The Amicitia House classify as a knighthood family, ranking low among the tiers of the Lucian peerage.
Uninterrupted service as the King's Shield for countless generations resulted in the Amicitia family name becoming tantamount with the venerable role, placing them above all other Lucian Knighthoods. If they were to stand on ceremony, the Count Scientia House rank high above the Amicitia in royal court.
The Hester family held no title or court position; however, they can represent the Amicitias, if they choose not to appear in court for whatever reason.
"In short of a historian, who better to ask than someone slated to work for the crown?" Aracelis justified.
At her declaration, Ignis failed to restrain a bewildered frown.
"…I'm not slated to work for the crown."
"You're not…" Aracelis trailed off in gradual realization.
At no point has it ever been spoken that Ignis serves the prince as his advisor. This was worse than she thought. She felt a knot of dread accumulate in her stomach yet she refused to allow this to throw her off. If Ignis wasn't Noctis' advisor, then she must fabricate even more of an incentive to get close to him.
"No matter, you're still the best student in the school and I could use a second set of eyes." She rectified.
"May I ask why you are researching the kings?" queried Ignis, a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"…I saw Prince Noctis recently." Aracelis explained. "He seemed unnaturally lethargic for his age."
"…Could be a lack of sleep," suggested the disinterested teen withdrawing from her. "…Most boys his age tend to have one thing… or another that keeps them up at night."
With the subtle entendre, Ignis began to leave. Aracelis quickly felt her heart sink watching him walk away. She couldn't let this happen! Noctis needed him. Hell, his presence alone opened the possibility for an alternate ending.
"But it's not just the prince!" snapped the brunette, desperate to hold his attention. Her hand lashed out and gripped tightly onto Ignis' arm, determined to keep him in place. "I noticed it with his majesty as well during a recent interview on TV."
Ignis turned to face her again, wide-eyed confusion clear on his face.
"I know that I sound insane and that none of this makes sense! But you have to believe me! There's something wrong with the king and the prince!" cried Aracelis, near hysterical. "I know for certain that with your help I'll be able to prove it! Don't you think it's our duty to make sure they're okay?"
"But… Surely this is only conjecture on your part." He reasoned.
His green eyes glanced briefly at her death grip on his arm. Belatedly, Aracelis realized she overstepped her boundaries and released her hold of him. With his arm liberated, Ignis carefully readjusted his glasses. Much to her immediate relief, Ignis merely hesitated before he inexplicably agreed to assist her with the nonsensical cause.
"…I suppose… I am amiable to the idea. When do you propose we begin this research?" Outside of school, they each had a number of responsibilities to attend to. Even though the young man was no longer Noctis' future advisor, he was still slated for other duties as the future Count Scientia. The two eventually settled on comparing notes during their lunch hours, but they would conduct their research separately.
Aracelis technically did have some time after school before she needed to return to the Amicitia residence to complete her tasks for the day. Hence…
"Just DIE you damn—" growled the bespectacled brunette under her breath as she rapidly pulled the trigger and gunned down the zombie hordes on the arcade screen.
Among the noise of the arcade, a crescendo of string instruments blasted through the speakers accompanied by the moaning, groaning and splattering of 3D zombies. The score counter steadily climbed in numbers with each kill. It was practically routine by this point for Aracelis to make her way to an arcade and destress for an hour with zombie slaying.
A bloody GAME OVER painted across the screen.
"Damn it," grumbled Aracelis, depositing the gun controller back into its holster with a frustrated sigh. However, as she turned to grab her bag to leave, she spotted a familiar face looking at her in surprise. "…Your highness?"
Determined to maintain her image of mature discipline, she often chose an out of the way arcade to avoid anyone who might recognize her. The prince seemed to share the same tactic… Maybe she could use this.
"…Gladio's not with you." Noctis cautiously looked about for his shield.
"Do you want him to be here?"
"Not really." He muttered, reluctant to meet her eyes.
"Well then…" She suggested offhandedly. "Let's keep this a mutual secret, shall we?"
"Wait… you're hiding from Gladio too?" Noctis frowned. "I thought you guys were friends."
"Have you met that muscle head?" Her rhetorical question drew a snort of laughter from the younger boy. "You barely know him and you don't even want to be in the same room as him. I grew up with him, trust me when I say that from time to time, a safe haven from him is required."
"Yeah… I guess so," agreed Noctis with an awkward grin.
"So…" continued Aracelis. "Which game do you normally play here?"
Noctis gazed at the row of colorful arcade machines with uncertainty, then shrugged and pointed to the game she was playing previously.
"How about we do one game and then I'll give you a ride back to the Citadel?" suggested Aracelis as she grabbed a plastic gun.
"What? Why?" Noctis frowned in protest, mirroring her actions.
"One thing you need to learn about Gladio," noted the older girl as she popped in the necessary coins. "If you stay in one place long enough, he will find you."
The game started with a ghoulish moan as Aracelis continued the casual conversation. The two of them proceeded to gun down as many zombies as possible, landing headshots in between angling the gun downwards to reload the in-game ammunition.
"If you want to avoid him, you have to keep moving and also do something so obvious that he would think you're stupid."
"…Like going back to the Citadel?" repeated Noctis incredulously, the screen splattering red with the brains of the zombie.
"It doesn't work all the time, but it will throw him if you do it sparingly," advised Aracelis, a wry grin tugging one corner of her lips.
While they played together, Aracelis reviewed all the information acquired so far. Prompto and Noctis weren't friends. Ignis wasn't his advisor. And Gladio? The Amicitia heir looked like he was more willing to step aside for someone to kill the prince rather than throw his body in the way to protect him.
It suddenly dawned on her, it was as though the events of Brotherhood never happened.
Alarmed by the thought, Aracelis' aim faltered and a zombie broke through the ranks. Noctis was quick to cover her mistake, but her mind had gone into overdrive. The four of them developed their bond during the events of Brotherhood. Without it, naturally they would be near strangers. What didn't happen that was supposed to? What ultimately brought them together?
"Are you playing or what?" Noctis turned to glare at her, but the annoyance slipped from his face when he noticed her conflicted expression. "Hey…"
"My apologies," muttered Aracelis. Her sullen expression reflected back at them on the flashing game over screen. A slow counter descended, indicating their time to continue was dwindling. "Do you wish to play again?"
"…Nah." He dismissed with a shake of his head. "You look like you have something on your mind. Just drive me home."
"Of course," said Aracelis dutifully.
The two left together in a pall of silence. The obnoxious sounds from within the arcade faded away, replaced by the noise of the city's bustling rush hour. Their soft breaths puffed up in a cloud of white amidst the winter chill. As they made their way to Aracelis' car, the looming silence continued to grow at their mutual lack of conversation.
Without knowing the full story as to exactly what prevented the events of Brotherhood, Aracelis had no idea what was safe to say around the prince. Noctis was just as much of a mystery to her as she was to him. Her only solace as they got to her car was the young prince's preference to sit in the backseat.
Ring… Ring…
At the sudden ring of her phone, Aracelis glanced at the number on her dashboard. It wasn't one she recognized, but she did give Prompto her contact information.
"Excuse me, I need to take this." Aracelis pardoned herself as she answered the call. "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Miss Aracelis Hester by any chance?" A woman's voice tinged with professional courtesy came through the car's speakers.
"Speaking." Aracelis frowned, cautious. "Who may I ask, is this?"
"I'm calling from the Remedium General Hospital regarding the patient Prompto Argentum."
A sudden dread crept into her chest, her hand gripped tighter at the wheel.
"The hospital?" She all but snapped. "What happened? Is he okay?"
"Due to hospital policy we cannot disclose patient information over the phone. However, as Mr. Argentum's parents are unreachable, he supplied us with your contact information. If you can come to the hospital as soon as you can, we can discuss what happened further."
"…Of course." Aracelis forced out. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for letting me know."
She ended her call, mind racing at the news. Forget about trying to find out what might have prevented the events from Brotherhood. For all she knows, Prompto could be dead.
"That sounded serious." Noctis' soft voice drew her out of her thoughts. A quick glance to her rear mirror showed the prince's cool blue gaze on her. "You can head to the hospital first if you like."
"…Are you sure?"
"I don't feel like heading back to the Citadel yet," dismissed Noctis in curt tones.,
"…Very well, please put on your seatbelt." Aracelis sighed. "I am uncertain how long this may take. You may wish to call for an escort back to the Citadel, your highness."
Noctis simply hummed in response, digging into his pocket to occupy himself with his phone.
Neither of them exchanged another word as she gripped the wheel and stepped on the accelerator. She wasn't crazy enough to speed through the highway with the prince in her car. It would be hard to explain why she had the Crown Prince of Lucis in her backseat if they were pulled over. More importantly, she couldn't risk getting the Chosen King killed before he fulfilled his duty.
When she finally reached the hospital, she didn't bother asking the prince if he wanted to join her. She parked and abruptly left the car racing into the building. Aracelis was near breathless as she nearly crashed into the registration desk in her haste.
"I'm here for Prompto Argentum." She wheezed. "I was contacted earlier that he is currently being hospitalized here."
"And who are you to the patient?" inquired the receptionist.
Who is she to Prompto?
Aracelis recalled the nurse who contacted her mentioned that she couldn't get a hold of his parents. If something happened to Prompto and the hospital needed a medical proxy to authorize treatment, she wouldn't be able to help unless she was related in some manner. She had no choice, but to lie. She could be arrested for fraud, but it was the best she could come up with for the time being to make sure he's okay. Aracelis straightened her posture and evened out her breathing to compose herself.
"I'm his temporary guardian. His parents left him in my care while they're out of town," lied Aracelis.
Age wouldn't be an issue, most Kingsglaive and military recruits were eligible to serve at the tender age of 16. Lucian law infers that if they're old enough to die for their country, they're old enough to participate as legal adults. The thought still unsettled Aracelis from time to time, but in this instance it was to her benefit that Insomnia's law system was so skewed.
"Room 15," informed the receptionist pointing her towards the double doors.
As she searched for the number 15 the brunette held her breath and suppressed her fear. The so-called rooms the receptionist mentioned were merely curtained off areas with individual stretchers used for accidents and emergencies. A number of beds were already occupied by patients with varying levels of injuries. At the sight of his number, she hastened her step.
"Prompto!" called out Aracelis as she pulled back the curtain.
His wide blue eyes stood out against the cuts and scrapes on his face and the neat bandage around his head. The boy yelped in surprise at the sight of her.
"Miss Aracelis, I didn't expect you to actually come. Well, the nurse said she'd call, but um—" "Are you okay?" Aracelis interrupted him. "What happened?"
"Ehe…It looks kinda bad huh?" Prompto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I um…got hit by a car."
A sudden flash of headlights against the darkness of night replaced her vision. The sound of wheels screeching rang in her ears. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she mentally cursed at her psyche's timing on assaulting her with the trauma of her previous death.
"But I'm fine really!" He flailed his hands in a panic to reassure her, thankfully unaware of the inner demons she was facing. "Honestly, they said I'm good to leave, but um…" Prompto nervously averted his gaze before he explained, "… I'm a minor and they kind of need a chaperone to… see… me home?"
"…Okay." Aracelis slowly removed her hand from her mouth to ground herself with a deep breath. "Let's get you signed out and back home."
Somehow, she managed to recompose herself long enough to flag down a nurse. Her self-proclaimed guardianship won't hold up for long if they decide to question her at the moment. Fortunately, the blond was quick witted enough to realize what she was doing and agreed wholeheartedly with whatever lies she fed the nurses. Within the hour they got the appropriate paperwork filled out and were out of the hospital.
Aracelis was certain to steer the accident prone blond towards her car to avoid any further dangers to the boy.
"Prince Noctis!?" yelped Prompto in surprise when he spotted the prince. "What's the prince doing here?"
"Just get in," muttered Aracelis in exhaustion before turning her attention to Noctis. "Will there be an escort coming for you, your highness?"
"…No," replied Noctis absently.
"…Am I going to have a squadron of Crownsguard after me because of this?" asked Aracelis warily. "I would rather not be charged with treason for kidnapping the prince."
"Kidnap!?" Prompto looked between the two of them in horror. "What the hell Miss Aracelis!"
"… Prompto." Aracelis began calmly, but her patience wore thinner with each passing second.
"You said treason right? What's the punishment for treason? Death?" Prompto commenced in a slew of ridiculous questions. "Can you die a second time after you died once? Or maybe I'm already dead? And this is some weird punishment because I didn't listen and wear reflectors like you suggested?"
"Prompto," repeated the annoyed brunette sternly, yet the teen didn't abate his rambling. "For goodness sake, calm down! You're not going to die!"
She grabbed the seatbelt and forcibly buckled him in. The blond's frantic protests went ignored as she slammed the door shut. Through the window, she could still see his animated panic as he continued to talk himself into a frenzy. The prince looked away with a hand over his mouth, failing to hide his morbid amusement.
It was through sheer willpower that Aracelis wasn't shaking from the unexpected episode at the hospital. This was her life now, she reminded herself making her way to the driver's seat. Besides, she reminded herself, she needed to make sure Prompto stayed safe long enough to become friends with Noctis and steer the plot back on its rails. The story must not derail more than it already has.
Once seated, Aracelis paused at the reflection of the two boys in her rearview mirror. The blond snapped at the snickering prince, his previous frenzy turning to indignation. Noctis retorted in a teasing manner, his eyes filled with amusement.
Prompto's freckled-face flushed red, pointing an accusing finger at the other, clearly flustered. It took less effort than she thought for them to get along. Though at this point she wasn't sure if they were actually getting along or if Noctis was being an incorrigible troll.
"Behave children," chided Aracelis in jest as she started the car.
Her attempt to tease them in good humor fell flat as Prompto compliantly settled down in his seat. Prince Noctis, on the other hand stared pointedly at her. Neither Prompto nor Noctis spoke another word after she pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the streets.
"So…" started Aracelis, her fingers strumming with uncertainty on her steering wheel as she tried to come up with something to break the awkward silence. "Play any good games… lately?"
She wary another glance at her mirror to evaluate their reaction, but was met with twin looks of bewilderment and utter confusion. This was going to be harder than she expected. How was she supposed to relate to pubescent boys?
"I—um… played the new Assassin's Creed game recently," replied Prompto meekly.
"You play Assassin's Creed?" asked Noctis in surprise, turning his attention to the blond.
"Wait, you play it too?" gapped Prompto, as if seeing the prince in a whole new light.
"Duh, the assassin's like the coolest ever!" scoffed the raven haired teen with a roll of his eyes before an excited grin tugged at his lips.
Inwardly, Aracelis breathed in relief as the two carried on fanboying over a video game. At least this was a start for them to hopefully branch off into their fated friendship. She personally wasn't too familiar with the Assassin's Creed franchise. Ironically, her primary exposure to it was purely through the special events from Final Fantasy 15. Even so, she kept an ear on their conversation in case anything useful came up.
"Man! I never would've expected that the prince plays video games like the rest of us!" laughed Prompto.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctis asked with a huff.
"I mean, you probably get attempted assassinations on your life all the time right? Isn't it a bit weird to play an assassin when you could potentially be assassinated?" The blond asked him curiously.
"You're totally into conspiracy theories aren't you?" quipped Noctis. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Insomnia's safe. If there was ever an assassination attempt, I've never experienced it personally."
At his words, Aracelis gave her full attention to their conversation. That wasn't right. Didn't the prince suffer a grave injury as a child because a marilith breached the wall and got into the city? It's the reason he needed to go to Tenebrae for healing and Niflheim took the opportunity to invade the diminutive state ruled by the Nox Fleuret royals.
"Your highness," interrupted Aracelis. "There's truly never been an attack on your person? Not even once?"
"…Why are you surprised?" frowned Noctis.
"Yeah… isn't it a good thing that he's never gotten an attempt on his life?" continued Prompto.
"Of course," agreed Aracelis dismissively, but pressed on. "Does that mean you've never left Insomnia before?"
"No, why do you ask?" questioned the prince in confusion.
"Just wondering if you've been to Tenebrae," fibbed Aracelis hastily as she tried to justify the out of place questions. "I think I read somewhere that the Assassin's Creed game developers took inspiration from Tenebrae's architecture for city design."
Another awkward pause.
"That um… sounds cool?" hedged Prompto, if only to be polite.
…Unquestionably awkward.
Aracelis found it best to cut her losses and stop interjecting further. For the rest of the trip, Noctis and Prompto continued to trade anecdotes and random tidbits about their favorite game. At least they were still comfortable enough to talk to each other despite her presence. For now, this was an acceptable outcome.
"Name, identification and reason for visit?" questioned the guard when they finally made it to the gate barring the path to the Citadel.
"Aracelis Hester, I'm escorting the prince to the Citadel." Aracelis answered, handing the guard her license.
In surprise, the guard ducked down to peer through the vehicle's windows in order to confirm her words.
"May we pass through the gates, please?" asked Aracelis, impatient to be kept waiting.
The guard swiped her license through a card reader to check her credentials, confirming her clearance under the Amicitia family. Prompto, on the other hand, proved to be another story.
"I'm only dropping the prince off at the steps. Prompto won't be going in," argued Aracelis.
By now, Noctis and Prompto both stopped in their conversation and took notice of the exchange.
"Sorry, but those are the rules," reasoned the guard motioning with an open palm gesture, signaling there wasn't much he could do.
"Very well," huffed Aracelis irritably before she grabbed the back of her seat and turned to speak to the two boys in the car. "It looks like I will have to drop you off here."
"That's fine. I can—" started Prompto sheepishly as he moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, utterly self-conscious by the guard's suspicious gaze.
"Can I trust you to walk the rest of the way to the Citadel, highness?" interjected the brunette before Prompto could completely undo his seatbelt.
"…Huh?" Noctis looked up in mild surprise.
"I'm sorry, what?" The guard echoed the prince's confusion, standing at her window.
"It's only a couple of hundred feet from here. Come on, up and at 'em," said Aracelis with a light tap to the back of her seat.
Noctis unbuckled himself and got out of her car. Shouldering his school briefcase he meandered towards the gates.
The flabbergasted guard seemed torn between wanting to berate her and wanting to escort the prince to the Citadel himself. The latter won out so he scrambled to catch up to the idle prince.
"I'll leave his highness in your capable hands then." Aracelis called after the man's retreating form. She placed her car in reverse and backed out from the front gates. "So, where do I drop you off Prompto?"
"What—you—did you just kick the prince out of your car because of me?"
"He's not the one who got into a car accident. Are you going to tell me where you live or not?" asked Aracelis.
"But he's the prince!"
"He has plenty of guards to take care of him. You on the other hand," huffed Aracelis as she glanced at him through the mirror. "Are alone for some reason. Where are your parents?"
Prompto averted his gaze before answering "…They're just busy with charity work."
She had wondered why Prompto was always alone before, if his parents were engaged in philanthropy work, it'd make sense that they wouldn't be home often.
"… It's not like I'm being neglected or anything." Prompto suddenly proclaimed, as if responding to her pensive silence. "Please don't get my parents in any trouble. They're good people."
Aracelis had no intention of taking any action that could potentially disrupt his current living arrangements. She needed him to stay in the same school as Noctis and resume his role as the prince's friend and companion.
"On one condition," decided the older teen.
"Yes, I'll do anything." Prompto agreed hastily, without even knowing her demands.
"—A word of advice," chided Aracelis in exasperation. "In the future, you should really listen or read the terms and conditions before you agree to anything."
"Uh… you're not going to make me do anything illegal are you?" He asked.
"My condition," emphasized the brunette heavily to bring the conversation back to her original point. "Is that you contact me if anything happens to you and if your parents are not available."
This meant more involvement than she would like, but it also meant she could monitor the situation better.
"…That's it?"
"That's it," confirmed Aracelis.
"But… why?" frowned Prompto. "I'm no one special, why would you do that for me?"
Aracelis breathed deeply through her nose, buying time for an explanation. She couldn't very well tell him something is dreadfully wrong with this world and that it is essential for him to become the prince's friend. Any sane person would try to get as far away from her as possible. It also didn't help that Prompto had an absurdly low level of self-esteem. This might get in the way of him befriending Noctis.
"You were alone at the hospital after a car accident," reasoned Aracelis. "Special or not, no one should ever have to go through that alone. Besides… you're plenty special."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You made the prince laugh. From what I've seen, he doesn't do that often. I'd say that's pretty special." Aracelis commented casually. "I think you two could become friends if you really wanted to," with every intent of boosting his confidence so he would take the initiative to do so.
"…You think so?" asked the teen, flushed red at her compliment.
"Doesn't hurt to try," replied Aracelis calmly as she inwardly hoped to high hell he'd succeed. "But for my peace of mind, please call me if you get into something like that again. Can you promise me that? It doesn't even have to be something life threatening. If you need something or someone to talk to, feel free to call me."
The car fell silent. Aracelis continued to drive some distance away from the Citadel as she waited for the blond to make up his mind.
Prompto wore a conflicted expression on his freckled face as he thought over her words.
"Sure, Miss Aracelis. I'll call you if I need anything." He finally agreed with a shy smile and a nod.
"Good, and you don't need to call me Miss Aracelis. Just my name will do." Relief flooded through her at his answer. "So, what is your address?"
Now that she has secured a means to begin fixing this nightmare, she could breathe a little bit easier. Not only that, but she also figured out why the events of Brotherhood hadn't happened. Somehow, the prince had avoided the marilith attack that would have sent him to Tenebrae for healing and meeting the oracle, Princess Lunafreya.
Their meeting, in turn, would start a correspondence between them after the Niflheim invasion and lead to a series of events that would have brought Prompto to eventually engage the prince in a friendship.
Since the attack didn't happen, Noctis lost out on two friendships. One with Lunafreya and the other with Prompto. It hardly explains the situation with Ignis and Gladio, but if she had to fathom a guess, the marilith attack must have done more than send the prince to Tenebrae.
Ignis was chosen by Regis for a reason, but what reason was it?
"What am I missing?" muttered Aracelis long after she obtained Prompto's cell number and sent him home.
Stuck in rush hour traffic with her mind riddled with questions and speculations, Aracelis decided to pause her speculations on Ignis and turned her attention to Gladio instead. Logically, the marilith attack shouldn't have affected Noctis' meeting with Iris. With how often the Amicitia teen denounced the prince, Aracelis was surprised he hadn't triggered Iris to seek out Noctis to prove Gladio wrong. Iris was always the type to pursue what she wanted, when she wanted regardless of the rules.
It's unlike her to take this long to…
"…Oh no," muttered Aracelis under her breath as she thought back to all the times Iris came to her whenever Gladio wasn't around. The absent marilith didn't have anything to do with the strained relationship between Noctis and his shield, she did. "Idiot!"
An aggravated growl escaped her lips as she dropped her head against the rim of her steering wheel. How did she not notice? It was so obvious, had she just paid attention! Iris idolized her almost as much as she did her brother. Naturally she would want to spend more time with her instead of delving into a silly schoolgirl crush on the prince.
No matter, Gladio was easy. She just had to get him to respect Noctis somehow and all will be well. The question was how, but she could worry about that later. She still had the mystery of Ignis' lack of employment to the crown in question. Regis chose Ignis as the prince's advisor for a reason. He wanted him to guide Noctis and push him forward if the prince fell stagnant. For him to not appoint Ignis must mean he didn't feel Noctis needed an advisor.
…But why wouldn't Noctis need an advisor?
HONK!
Aracelis jumped at the sound and lifted her head from the wheel to see the traffic moving along. The cars around her were already driving ahead and she was holding up the cars behind her.
HONK, HONK!
"I'm going, I'm going!" grumbled the brunette as she stepped on the accelerator to push forward.
As she did so, another thought hit her. If the car horn hadn't alerted her, she wouldn't have noticed the traffic moving. What if that's what happened with the marilith attack? With the prince hurt, the king would have no choice but to be cautious and plan ahead. However, since Noctis didn't get hurt, Regis didn't get the sense of urgency to plan ahead… but Noctis was the chosen king, why wouldn't he plan ahead anyway?
Unless…
"He doesn't know Noctis is the chosen king," breathed Aracelis in horror.
Slowly, the pieces fell together and the entirety of the picture became clear. With the exception of Gladio—that was purely her fault—the marilith attack served as an essential catalyst.
Without it, Regis wouldn't worry over Noctis. He wouldn't take him to Tenebrae for healing. He wouldn't have fought his way out with Noctis in tow when Niflheim attacked. He wouldn't commune with the Crystal about his son's fate. He wouldn't realize his son is the chosen king. He wouldn't see… the omen of what was to happen if the prince were to face his fate alone.
A chill ran through Aracelis as she realized the true severity of the situation. It was no longer just a matter of the world being plunged into never ending apocalyptic darkness. If she didn't get Noctis and his retinue back together before the start of his journey, this world was destined to become the red hell foretold by the omen.
Where every turn was Ifrit's hellfire with three-headed Cerberus hellhounds and daemons at every corner. Where Noctis succumbs to darkness and beats Lunafreya senseless with her own oracle staff before stabbing her to death.
"…What have I gotten myself into?"