The sky was dark.
It was not the dark brought on by dusk. There were no stars. There was no moon. But neither it was a black of a moonless night. The sky was bathed in a gloomy, unnatural grey. When you looked harder, the flecks swirling through the darkened sky were visible. It was unnerving. It was far too similar to another black mist that the humans knew: The particles of miasma that emanated from daemonic bodies. It was sinister. Ominous.
The world was in a state of perpetual night.
Lestallum. In the past, this place had been lively, with throngs of people filing into or out of the shops or stopped at its numerous restaurants for a short break from the heat brought on from the bright sun. Not a hint of those days remained. Even more disconcerting was the fact that every store of the city was abandoned.
A single person walked those once crowded streets to relive those old memories of before the collapse of society. Passing by the places his friends used to frequent all those years ago and standing in front of what used to be a hotel, a sad smile on his expression had surfaced as he recalled those lost days.
The old Leville had been the lodgings of choice for Prince Noctis and his retinue whenever they passed through Lestallum. Now the building served as headquarters for operational strategy to both the Kingsglaive and the Hunters, located at the very center of humanity's stronghold, the only source of order left on Eos.
Mankind comes together, here in Lestallum, to defend the remains of civilization.
Securing areas outside of Lestallum where people could live was one of the main goals of the Kingsglaive and everyone else who collaborated with them. Uniformed groups of people walked in and out, face hardened by countless battles. Some of the older men and women in front of the building were smiling as they talked with the younger people who grew up without a sun.
But... How many tears did each of those smiles conceal?
It was no secret they were trying to stay strong for those who felt like they have reached their limits out on the battlefield after so many years, constantly fighting to survive another day. Still, it wasn't unusual for members of the Kingsglaives or the Hunters to wake up screaming from the war of attrition they've lived through, the monsters they've seen, the horrors they've witnessed, the new painful wounds over their old half-healed scars, and the deaths of their friends.
The man looked away from The Leville and turned around, the memories of happier times giving him a renewed sense to fight, to make them a reality once more and not just a dream he yearned for. He felt as though it was still possible even though so many others before had given up on the idea that the King will return one day.
"Oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention where I was going." A Hunter said who had bumped into him when they were rushing to get back to The Leville.
"It's okay, I'm just as guilty. Haven't been able to sleep much after that last mission they gave us." Prompto Argentum answered with a short shake of his head.
"Make sure you take some time off, we need more people like you out on the front lines." They replied, recognizing him.
"I know, I know. I'll keep that in mind." Prompto said as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm calling it a day pretty soon, just needed some fresh air first."
"It's almost time for my team to head out to clear out some of the daemons who are getting too close to the city. Just the usual. Rest easy knowing that we got this. Give yourself a break every now and then." They said before they waved a good bye and made their way towards the old hotel.
"Give yourself a break...Huh." Prompto said out loud to himself as he walked towards the lookout of the city. "I'll take a break after I fight alongside Noctis and we do what we have to start getting things back to normal."
'Normal?' He thought the word to be foreign, since the dark sky was his normal now. 'But it wasn't always like this. Even before we first met that man Ardyn in Galdin Quay, I can still remember that night before the start of our journey as if it happened just yesterday...'
Flashback
Sorting everything into several boxes of the now half-empty apartment Noctis used to live in, the four of them had started later than originally planned. The Prince's remaining possessions were strewn about in haphazard plies, and although progress was being made, the place looked messier than ever.
"Woah! Never thought I'd see this again." Prompto exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence of the room.
Noctis looked up from behind a nearby plie, surprised at the excited voice.
"What?" Noctis asked curiously, standing up as he dusted off his clothes and walked over.
Prompto retrieved a comic book from an open box next to the now empty bookshelf.
"This! I never noticed, but you've got a ton of comics!" Prompto answered.
"Some of them are yours, too." Noctis revealed.
"Seriously?" Prompto asked, shooting him a disbelieving look.
Noctis leaned over the box to see it's contents and withdrew another comic book.
"Hey, look at this." He said, pointing to the cover.
"Oh! Man, I really wanted to read it one more time." Prompto said with a short sigh.
"Why don't you?" Noctis asked, offering his best friend the book.
"Well... If you insist." Prompto said, reaching for the comic wearing a mischievous grin.
"Hold it." A different voice in the room spoke up. "You don't mean now, do you?" Gladio asked from behind his own pile of Noctis's possessions he was helping sort out.
"Neither of you has made any progress cleaning." Another voice added in. "I understand you'd like to reminisce, but now isn't the time." Ignis said with an exasperated sigh.
"But isn't this gonna get taken to the Citadel?" Prompto asked Ignis while waving the comic book in the air.
"Yeah." Gladio answered bluntly.
"Well, once that happens, I'll never be able to see it again!" Prompto said, holding the comic book tightly to his chest.
"Can't you just take what you want?" Gladio asked, shrugging his shoulders.
Looking over to Noctis next to him, his expression turned bright.
"Can I?" He asked.
"No." Noctis said, shaking his head and returning to his pile when Ignis shot him a look to not slack off any longer.
"It's all going in a box you won't open again anyway." Gladio tried to reason with the Prince.
"I'll open and check through everything. When I find the time." Noctis answered, unmoved at the suggestion.
"And who knows how long that would take." Ignis chimed in.
"See?" Prompto said, pointing over to Ignis.
"The answer is still no." Noctis repeated.
"Just give up and go back to cleaning." Gladio told the disappointed Prompto who returned the comic book back into its box and closing it back up before walking away from it.
They all resumed their respective tasks after that and the room fell silent once more.
It is some time later and the place looked unrecognizable, with only a few larger items of furniture remaining in place. Gladio moved the final box on the pile near the front door as the four turns to admire their handiwork.
"Looks like we got it all squared away." Gladio said with a nod.
"Finally! I never realized how big this place really is." Prompto said in wonder as he looked around.
"And this is the last you'll see of it. When we return, Noct will begin his new life." Ignis said.
"I mean, when you put it that way... It's still kinda hard to imagine. You know?" Prompto said, looking over to the Prince who seemed to be lost in thought.
"His Highness will be married." Gladio said with a nudge to bring Noctis back with them.
"It... It hasn't hit me at all. But I'm sure it'll all work out, though." Noctis said with a shrug, leaning against the wall behind him.
"You mean, you aren't nervous? If you are, it isn't showing." Prompto said, impressed.
Silently, Noctis considers this for a moment, betraying no hint of concern.
"Hmmm... About waking up on time?" Noctis asked with a tilt of his head.
"Certainly." Ignis said with a small smile.
"Yeah, good point." Prompto said.
"You haven't thought about it, have you?" Gladio asked, shaking his head.
"Give me a little more credit than that. Still, thinking about it's not gonna change much, is it?" Noctis answered.
"I get ya." Gladio nods sympathetically, conceding Noct's point.
"Not easy being the Prince, huh?" Prompto asked.
Not answering right away, the room became silent as nobody knew how to go about talking of such a big change without piling up the worries in Noctis's mind he would never willingly show on his face.
"First things first: Completing our journey." Ignis spoke up, deciding to lighten the mood from the heavy conversation with a change of topic.
"Right." Noctis agreed, silently appreciating what Ignis was doing.
"I can't believe it's tomorrow already. I'm so excited! Did you study up 'bout the outside?" Prompto asked Ignis.
"Briefly. I hadn't time to dedicate myself thoroughly to the task." Ignis admitted, pushing up his glasses.
"Yeah, too busy with your own preparations." Gladio said, understanding the upcoming signing ceremony with Niflheim was taking up a lot of his free time.
"I had to look on some maps. But even if you ask around, nobody seems to know anything." Ignis said.
"It's a whole new world out there, huh..." Noctis said.
"There're all kinds of wild animals on the outside, right? Think they'll just walk on up to us?" Prompto asked.
"Dunno. All I heard is that it's different than Insomnia... Least that's what my old man says." Gladio answered.
"The culture is similar to that of Insomnia thirty years ago. Like a sprawling landscape from an old photograph." Ignis tried to explain.
"I'm so psyched, but so nervous! Don't know if I can sleep like this." Prompto admitted with a nervous laugh.
"Well, if you can't sleep..." Noctis started off with, pulling out his phone and tapped on the screen, booting up his favorite game.
"Great idea!" Prompto said with a big grin, following suit.
"You can't be serious. King's Knight? At a time like this?" Ignis asked.
"Well, why not? We gotta be there for His Highness, don't we?" Gladio said as he joined in.
"Besides, this is the last time we can do this here." Noctis said, trying to convince Ignis to join them.
With a slightly theatrical sign and a resigned shake of his head, Ignis pulled out his own phone and begins playing.
Flashback Over
Back to the present, Prompto sat on his bed in one of the rooms he rented out for the time he was staying in the Leville. He stood up and walked over to one of the drawers in the far corner of the dimly lit room. He pulls out the only item inside of it, closing it shut before he sat back down on his bed. In his hand he held the worn out comic book from that day.
'That day was the last time for a lot of things, that's for sure.' He thought about sadly.
After news of the attack of Insomnia, Prompto recalled how he didn't want to show the others just how much of a toll the event had on him. Thinking that the others were fast asleep, he snuck out of the tent at the Haven they were staying at before they traveled to Altissia to give himself a moment of silence for all that was lost that day. Another sleepless night, although nothing compared as what he goes through now after Noctis's disappearance.
During one night, he recalled thinking about how powerless he felt, about how much harder it was on Noct to lose everything he knew: His dad, his throne, Luna... Yet despite all of that, Noct was there for the upset Prompto.
Noctis was also awake that very night and sat down next to Prompto as he quickly wiped his eyes to hide what he was feeling. Noct didn't say anything to him, simply handing him the comic book Prompto had completely forgotten about.
As his hand traced over the worn out cover page, his eyes began to blur to where he couldn't read the discolored title. It was supposed to be a surprise to Prompto that Noctis took it with them when their journey began, though the reason to give it to his best friend was changed in trying to cheer him up instead.
The conversation they had that night was something that he'll never forget about. It was one of those times where they were completely open to one another about things they needed to let out, and it was because of this his bond with his best friend grew even stronger.
It was specifically about the Fall of Insomnia. About how Prompto was just thinking of his parents who adopted him as a baby, how they must've been killed in the attack of the signing ceremony since he never heard back from them unlike Iris, how it was they must've died, and if their last thoughts were of their only son. He talked to Noctis about how he wished he had waited for them longer the night before the four of them left Insomnia for the last time, that he regretted not staying long enough to give them time to return home from work, not sitting at the dinner table even if only five extra minutes just to show off his brand new Crownsguard uniform when they walked though the front door, how he'll never see them proud of their child for accomplishing such an achievement, and how finally saying all of this out loud made him realize just how much he really missed them both to the point that it hurts.
To this day those questions were never answered.
One time, he felt guilty when he asked himself if he should really miss people who were never really home, but then again they took him in even though he was born in the Niflheim Empire and gave him everything he needed when he was growing up. Maybe they just didn't know how to express the love he craved for from them, but thinking back to every interaction he had with them, they definitely had their own way of showing love that he didn't realize it until much later in life now that he was grown up.
He let out a short laugh when he remembered the first time when he was in high school and the shock on both of his mom and dad's faces when he brought his first friend home, the son of the King himself for a study session on an upcoming test they had.
At the times he felt weak like he had that night at the Haven, Noctis's friendship was all he needed to keep him going. It was the reason he would be there, no matter what, to be by Noct's side when the time comes. For His Highness's return to face the darkness head on. Prompto knew he would never give up the fight for the light, at least not while he knew he had newfound strength that he was waiting to show off for that moment after all these years going into battle against the daemons and gaining a lot of experience.
Letting the old comic book lay on his chest as he stared up at the plain ceiling, he wondered how the other two royal retainers were doing right now and how much longer it will be until the four of them will join together to be a team once more.
"I owe Noct everything... So... I guess I'll see you soon... Okay, buddy?" Prompto said to nobody in particular as he closed his eyes, finally letting sleep take him over.
Twitch: Enrita11