Day 41:

She reached.

Before, it had been as simple as walking. All she had to do was step into the In-Between and view the world from outside time. But perhaps that was only because she had been in the In-Between all along. It was only ever an inch away. Now she stood on the ground and reached for the sky.

No matter how she stretched, she would never be able to touch it.

Take the leap, little Dreamer.

He shouldn't have been in her mind, not here, when her mind was her own and not some extension of the In-Between where her whole world was only a Dream. But the magic between them allowed him to find her, to look in on her from beyond and above.

You gain nothing for nothing. Take the risk. Let go. Leap off the edge.

But if she let go of her body, she would only be lost again. Ten years of horror. Ten years she could still hardly even think about but for being pulled back into them.

You have to want it.

And she did. Enough to lay down with the intention of Dreaming, knowing the risks. If she failed, she would continue along blindly with no notion of whether or not Father and the others were in any danger in Insomnia. Without any notion of whether Cor was in danger with her.

She let go.

She tumbled into black nothingness. She plunged into the river of time and was swept up, choking and coughing. Before she knew which way was up and which was down, a giant hand reached after her, clawing her out of the stream, dragging her away from the physical realm, and dropping her in an endless emptiness—bare of anything, save the Draconian himself.

:Thou cannot win, O Dreamer. Thou cannot save thy kin.:

"I will."

:Thou cannot. Thou seeks to protect thy home, yet thou hast abandoned it. Wouldst thou leave thy father and brother to their fate in pursuit of vengeance?:

"It isn't vengeance. This is the preservation of what I love."

:Whatever thou callest it, it matters little. That which thou lovest stands unguarded. Thou art past thy time; the darkness in which thou thrivest is gone. Without, thou art but a shell. I need merely turn my attention upon thy homeland and destroy all that thou holdest dear.:

"You wouldn't dare kill Noctis," she said, though even as she did, she wondered if it was true. "You need him to destroy the scourge."

Didn't he?

:Thy rage blindest thee. The Chosen King's fate hast been arranged in consideration of mortal life. He is the gift we granted thee, that mankind might live on. But his is not the only method.:

"A gift? You think killing my brother is a gift?"

:For thee, perhaps not. But for thy kind.:

"I care nothing for my kind." What were humans but the leeches that fed on Caelum blood? "But I will die before I allow you to harm my family again."

:Then thou shalt die in vain, and so shalt they. Each one that thou lovest will meet with the same. Thou cannot escape the pull of fate. Follow the path laid before thee, or suffer worse at mine hands.:

He let her go.

All at once she was thrust out of the In-Between and back into her own body. It took her nearly a minute to believe she was in her body, even with Cor calling out to her, even with the fire crackling and the heat of the volcano rising up from the earth. And even when she could believe it was real, she nearly didn't want to.

She was still no wiser. Father could have been in danger or it could have been merely a ruse to convince Reina to turn back around and abandon her task. Could she risk giving Bahamut what he wanted? Could she risk leaving Father, Noctis, Ignis, and Iris all unprotected in Insomnia?

Either way, he won.

Either way, he had some other plan in mind. And all she could do was hope to kill him before he could kill her.

She needed to move faster.