2. Power Within
With his belly pleasantly full and his hair still damp from a satisfyingly long shower, Prompto belly-flopped on the cheep motel bed and wondered if he could get away with not moving for the next twenty-four hours.
Noctis grunted as he got up from the foot of the second bed and stretched his arms over his head, causing his shirt to rise up slightly. "Right, now it's my turn. Did you save any hot water for the rest of us?"
"Nope. Used it all," Prompto joked. "You'll save me from Iggy's wrath, right?"
"Not a chance," Noctis responded with a slight grin.
Prompto buried his face in the pillow. "Some hero you are. I thought prince's were all about rescuing the innocent?"
"You, innocent?"
"Mean," Prompto said without any bite. He turned his head to watch Noctis walk into the bathroom, tempted to throw a pillow across the room. He didn't though; both because he was unable to muster up the energy to do so, and because Gladio would get involved and thoroughly trounce them. He yawned and rolled over onto his back. "I hope you weren't holding out for a round of King's Knight tonight, 'cause it is lights out for me."
Noctis paused in the doorway. "I'll be sure to keep it down. You get some rest. You deserve it."
Prompto closed his eyes. "You're the best, Noct."
He heard Noctis chuckle and the squeak of the bathroom door shutting, but kept his eyes shut until the shower cut on and he knew he wouldn't be interrupted for a while. Prompto rolled over and sat up before pulling his emergency bag from the Armiger. He glanced at the door connecting their room to the one Gladio and Ignis were sharing, hoping he was correct in his assumption that either of them would knock before entering.
As much as he wanted to burrow under the blankets and sleep like he told Noctis he was going to do, first he needed a better look at the crown.
It was still warm when he removed it from the bag. The tiny gears shifted beneath his fingers, effortlessly moving as if by magic. (Which, he realized, it probably was.)
The crown really was a thing of beauty and Prompto couldn't understand why Rhyos just handed it off to him like it was no big deal. Clearly it was a very big deal. The biggest!
"Why me?" Prompto whispered.
Ancients, why did he accept the crown? Why did he have to touch that stupid sun? The one that was obviously – in hindsight – the set-up to a cliché trap. He wished he'd never fallen into that hole. Sure, getting to sleep in a bed instead of on the hard ground of a haven was nice, but was it really worth it?
Prompto took a deep breath.
There was no point in dwelling on "what if's" that would lead him nowhere and only cause him anxiety. He needed to focus, if not for himself, then for Noct.
(Why was his life such a mess?)
He ran his thumb over the gleaming sun, idly wondering what sort of gemstone it was made from. It didn't look like any of the others Dino sent them to search for, but that could be because they were rough, uncut pieces. In a way, the stone reminded him of the meteorshards up at Exineris, shining with its own ethereal light.
Prompto wished he knew more about Solheim; more about the Astrals and Messengers; more about anything that would help him understand what was happening. What he needed was someone who could help him learn.
Ignis was the smartest person he knew and was bound to know something about it, but there was that nagging feeling that he'd become suspicious of why Prompto was asking such things and ask too many questions of his own. Questions that Prompto wasn't ready to answer yet.
Lady Lunafreya was another option, but she was so far away and even once they found their way to Altissia, where she was waiting, he doubted she would have time to talk to a simple pleb like him. She and Noctis had more important things to do; things like forming covenants with the Gods and purging the world of the starscourge. Important stuff.
Impulsively, Prompto hopped out of bed and walked over to a round mirror hanging on the wall. He carefully placed the crown on his head, just to get a look at how completely ridiculous it made him look.
He felt like a little kid playing pretend.
He should take it off and forget the whole thing ever happened! Or find Rhyos and force him to take it back! Or... or he could dig a hole out behind the motel and bury it there!
Prompto groaned.
All of those were awful ideas.
He needed something better. He needed to understand what it all meant, but he didn't see any place to find the answers he needed, except...
Rhyos.
Rhyos would know. Maybe if he asked politely, he would be willing to answer. The only problem with that was that Prompto had no clue how long it would be before Rhyos showed up again. It could be days. Weeks. Months.
What if it was years before Rhyos came to find him?
A familiar rush of panic swiftly built up, and Prompto looked away from his reflection and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He couldn't think like that. Rhyos said he'd find him when the time was right, (whatever that meant) so he'd have to believe that.
Without looking at his reflection again, Prompto carefully removed the crown and spent another minute looking it over as if it held a clue he was missing. He was too lost in thought to notice the shower stopped running, and it was only when he heard the rattle of the doorknob that he moved again, leaping for his bed and cramming the crown into his bag, kicking it off the bed just in time. He yanked the covers up over his head, his heart hammering in his chest.
Noctis said nothing and Prompto started to relax, sure that he hadn't seen anything. Any minute, Noctis would pass out in the other bed and wouldn't wake up until late in the morning.
"Prompto, I know you're awake."
Damn.
Prompto slowly lowered the covers to the amused expression of his friend. "Uh, hi?"
"Any reason why you're pretending to sleep?"
An excuse. He needed an excuse.
"I just, uh, didn't want you to know I was playing King's Knight without you." (That sounded weak even to his ears.) "You know, after I said I was going to crash for the night."
Noctis didn't look at all convinced, but he shrugged and let the subject drop, also choosing not to remark on Prompto's odd behavior.
It made Prompto feel ten times worse for lying.
He squirmed under his blankets, trying to get comfortable and convince himself that it was just a tiny, harmless lie and they'd both forget about it by the morning and also hopefully Noct didn't think he was avoiding him or anything like that and-
Out went the lights and a stillness fell over the room.
"I wasn't really playing King's Knight without you."
There was a sigh from Noctis and the rustling of blankets. "I kind of figured, since your phone's charging across the room. Do you need to... talk or... something?"
Prompto bit his lip. "I don't know. Probably? Something weird happened while I was underground and I'm still trying to process, that's all."
The light clicked back on and Prompto turned his head to watch Noctis sit up and run a hand through his hair. "I thought you said it was just like all of the others."
"Well, not exactly..." Prompto winced as he revealed another lie. He hated keeping secrets. Too many, and he'd start to crack under the pressure of holding them all in.
The skin beneath his wristband itched.
"You know how all of the others have been dark and creepy and filled with all the creepy crawlies? Well this place didn't have any monsters. No daemons either. And all of the walls and stuff were intact. It was like the ground just swallowed it whole and didn't damage anything," Prompto said.
"Maybe it was made that way," Noctis suggested.
"Nah," Prompto said, shaking his head. "It was covered in pictures of the sun. Or symbols, I guess. Doesn't really seem like something meant to be underground."
Noctis frowned, his brow furrowing as he thought deeply about something. "The sun? Like a dedication to the sun god?"
Prompto's heart beat a little faster. Maybe he'd get an answer to one of his many questions without needing to ask.
But it didn't seem like Noctis had anything else to say about it, and after a few minutes Prompto assumed the conversation was over.
"No one knows much about Solheim. The only sun god I can think of is Ifrit, so it could have been hidden on purpose after he turned against humanity. Or it could've happened before then," Noctis said at last. "Luna would know more than I do. Next time Umbra shows up, you can send a message to her."
"You'd really do that for me?"
"Sure, why not? If it helps put your mind at ease," Noctis responded nonchalantly.
Prompto took a moment to debate whether or not to specifically ask if Lady Lunafreya had heard of an Astral named "Rhyos", but in the end decided against it. "Thanks, Noct," he said with a yawn.
"It's really bothering you that much, huh? I don't think I've ever heard you express interest in the Astrals outside of class," Noctis remarked.
"I guess falling in that place gave me a new perspective on things. I mean, you've got those covenants you're making with the Six and I still don't entirely know what any of that means, except that it's important. I know normally I'm more of a 'go with the flow' kind'a guy, but this feels like something I should know more about, yunno?"
"Seems logical enough. I can help with that, if you want. I don't know as much as Luna, but I remember some of the stories she used to tell me," Noctis offered. "Or you could ask Ignis. He'd be better at explaining it than I am."
Prompto rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, trying to get comfortable. "Wouldn't wanna worry him by suddenly showing an interest in academia. He might think I'm getting sick. On second thought..."
Noctis chuckled sleepily. "In the morning then."
"Yeah," Prompto agreed.
The light clicked off one last time.
His whole body burned from overuse as he ran, pushing himself well beyond his limit. He ha to keep going. Couldn't stop. Lives were in danger!
The landscape blurred, unfamiliar to his eyes. Water and rubble surrounded him, crowding in. Gunfire in the distance. Screams. Prompto didn't know what was happening or what he was doing there, except that there was some place he desperately needed to be.
Darkness began to consume the edges of his vision, but he pressed on.
Hurry.
Hurry!
He slipped, plunging into water, but it did nothing to ease the heat racing through his veins. It grew worse instead, like he was standing too close to a campfire as it spat up sparks.
He sank deeper and deeper, struggling o resurface.
And there suddenly – Lady Lunafreya, stumbling away from a pitch black figure, clutching her side as red spread across the white fabric of her beautiful gown. He trident slid from her hands as she fell, and Prompto screamed in horror.
"No!"
Something grabbed at him through the darkness, pinning him in place as he began to struggle. "No!"
"Prompto, wake up!"
Prompto gasped, his eyes flying open. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, so loud that he wanted to reach up and cover his ears to muffle the sound, but with his wrists restrained all he could do was moan in pure misery.
"Gladio, fetch a cool rag," Ignis ordered. "Noctis, sit down if you're just going to hover like that. Prompto is fine. It is likely just a fever dream."
Prompto tried to focus on what Ignis was saying. A fever dream? Yeah, that explained why he felt like he was on fire, but he couldn't remember getting sick. There should have been signs, right? There were always signs. He was pretty good at recognizing them – or he thought he was, but maybe with all of the fighting and running around, he didn't notice.
"Here, Iggy," Gladio said.
Something freezing cold touched his forehead and Prompto whimpered and twisted away, but Ignis persued with the wet washcloth, carefully wiping down his face in hopes of cooling him down.
"S'cold," Prompto slurred.
"Yes, it's meant to be," Ignis said patiently. "Prompto, you have a high fever and I need to bring it down."
Prompto did his best to hold still, but heavy shivers wracked his body, making his teeth chatter. After moment, Ignis quietly withdrew to talk to Gladio and Noctis.
"He will have to rest for the day. Moving him will only worsen his condition," Ignis said.
"Do we have the funds for that?" Gladio asked.
At that reminder, Prompto struggled to sit up, but his arms refused to support an ounce of his weight. "I'm okay, really."
Noctis looked over and raised an eyebrow. "Clearly."
"Ugh," Prompto gave up on trying to get up. He couldn't even muster up the strength to flip off Noctis for the sarcastic remark. "I just need a minute."
"Regardless, Gladio and I will go look into what hunts are available in the area. Should you miraculously recover from your cold by the time we return, we can be on our way. If not, we can afford one more night here and I expect you to rest the entire time," Ignis said, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "Noct, you will remain here with him and ensure that he gets proper rest. No King's Knight." His tone left no room for argument.
"Sure. Fine," Noctis agreed.
"Unless you would prefer going on a hunt with Gladio?"
"No! No, I'm good with staying here."
Prompto drifted back off to sleep to the sound of Ignis and Gladio playfully teasing Noctis.
He had no more dreams. No more nightmares. Or at least, none that he remembered. Prompto drifted in and out of sleep for a while, aware of the low hum of the AC running and Noctis trying to stay quiet while he played around on his phone, keeping busy while the others were away.
Prompto turned his head to blearily watch his friend for a few minutes. "How long have I been out?"
Noctis visibly startled at the sound of his voice and set aside his phone. "All day. How do you feel?"
Prompto took a moment to evaluate. He was no longer shivering and he was pretty sure he could sit up without his arms giving out as though they were make of overcooked noodles, so that was a good sign that he'd moved on from the worst.
His stomach growled at the thought of food.
"I'm starving. I don't suppose Iggy left any food for us?" Prompto asked hopefully.
"Even better. He's down in the kitchen making soup right now. Something about him and Gladio taking on a hunt at the request of the owner, and as part of the payment, Ignis gets full use of the kitchen," Noctis explained. "I just hope it's not vegetable..."
"I'll eat yours if you don't want it."
"That hungry, huh?" Noctis sounded amused.
"I feel like I could eat a whole Garula. No, one of those – what are they called again? Cobble-somethings? The big things down in Alstor Slough?"
"Catoblepas?"
Prompto nodded. "Yeah, that one."
Noctis hummed thoughtfully. "I don't think Ignis is making that much food, but there should still be plenty for everyone. Knowing him, it's at least enough to last until he's sure you're better."
"Do you think if I tell him I feel absolutely, one-hundred percent better, I won't be on some crazy soup diet for the next week?" Prompto asked.
"He'll make it two weeks if you do that," Noctis warned jokingly.
Prompto groaned good naturedly, and the two enjoyed a few minutes of playful banter back and forth, coming up with more and more ludicrous ideas for the lengths Ignis would go to in order to ensure proper healing.
"Seriously though, I feel like I could go on a five mile run and barely feel winded. Must've been some weird, twelve-hour bug," Prompto said. He sat up and adjusted the pillow behind him so he'd have something comfortable to lean back against.
"I dunno, Prom, you were pretty sick this morning," Noctis said, his tone serious.
Prompto shrugged. "Whatever it was, I'm fine now."
"Maybe, but Ignis would kill me if I let you get out of bed to go running." Noctis said the word as though it was something distasteful. "Just... just rest tonight, okay? You had us all worried."
Prompto honestly didn't see what the big deal was. A high fever and a terrifying nightmare sounded pretty standard as far as a flash sickness went, and he was willing to chalk the severity of it up to a combination of spending several hours in a damp, underground ruin and the anxiety of the aftermath.
Stress.
It was just stress.
He did feel bad that he made everyone worry and resigned himself to staying in bed until Ignis gave him the all-clear.
"Yeah, alright," Prompto agreed. "Hey, so I know Iggy said no King's Knight, but..."
Noctis grinned as he stood up. "I'll get your phone."
The rest of the night passed without incident, and Ignis said nothing about the two of them playing a game once he and Gladio returned from the kitchen with food. Prompto flushed under Ignis's scrutiny, but in the end it was determined that his fever had dissipated and if he was still feeling well in the morning, they would be on their way.
Prompto dove into the bowl of soup that was handed to him, trying his best to savor the flavorful broth and pieces of tender chickatrice, but his hunger got the best of him after the first two spoonfuls.
"We should go over our itinerary for tomorrow," Ignis said in a manner that let them know it wasn't a suggestion; they would discuss it and he would accept no complaints.
That didn't stop Noctis from groaning, hunching in over his bowl as though Ignis would take his food away if he tried to refuse.
"Well, we've cleared out most of the hunts around here and we returned the dog tag to Dave, so we're good to move on to the next outpost," Gladio said.
"We're not far from Caem, I was thinking we could stop there and check in with the others. Perhaps Monica has heard from Cor recently," Ignis said.
Gladio grunted as he set his spoon in his bowl. "That's at least a half day's drive. No havens along the way either and there isn't much to the west, so would we double back through here? Seems like a waste of time to me."
"It depends on whether or not Monica has news for us. However, we have not spent much time west of here and I have heard several of the hunters mention odd rumors about Malmalam Thicket. It's nothing they have been able to confirm, as they have some sort of agreement to not bother the wildlife there, but it sounds like it would be worth checking out."
"Huh. You think there could be a royal tomb?" Gladio asked.
"It is possible."
Prompto's spoon scraped across the bottom of his bowl and he glanced down to find he'd already finished. He must have made some kind of sound to indicate his sadness, because Noctis wordlessly took his bowl and passed it to Ignis, who refilled it and handed it back.
"What do you say, Noct? Shall we look into it?" Ignis asked.
Noctis shrugged. "Yeah, fine by me."
Gladio held out his bowl and wiggled it slightly, which made Ignis roll his eyes. He refilled it anyway and looked to Noctis, a silent question of whether or not he wanted more as well.
Everyone's bowl was filled a second time and conversation resumed.
"So it's agreed, we stop at Cape Caem and then head on to investigate Malmalam Thicket," Ignis tried to confirm.
Prompto had to admire him in that moment; his persistence to make sure Noctis was involved in the decision making, no matter how reluctant their prince was to take part. Prompto knew that Noctis appreciated it more than he let on.
Noctis grunted in agreement and the topic easily shifted, with Gladio taking control to explain he'd need some help checking over their camping gear once they reached Cape Caem.
"Don't want anything failing in the middle of the night," Gladio said.
"Like the chair that broke when I sat down in it?" Prompto asked.
Gladio scoffed. "The only reason it broke is because you and Noct were fucking around."
"Were we?"
"I do seem to recall you saying something along the lines of 'check out this cool new move' right before it happened," Ignis said teasingly.
Prompto pouted. "I'm sick and you guys are going to pick on me like this? Not cool."
"That's weird. I could have sworn you told me you felt like you could go run five miles and be okay," Noctis remarked, joining in on the fun.
Ignis frowned in clear disapproval.
"That so?" Gladio asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was going to carry your share of the equipment, but if you're feeling well enough to talk about going running..."
Prompto whined and leaned back against his pillows.
He should have said "no".
The moment Noctis started to drop hints about wanting to go down to the coast to do some fishing, everyone else had come up with an excuse as to why they couldn't go. Or in Talcott's case, point blank refused, citing that it didn't sound like much fun, which had at least gotten a chuckle from Noctis.
Prompto had no excuse, and a single pleading look from Noctis and the promise of riding chocobo's to their destination had him caving in and agreeing to accompany him there.
They promised Ignis they would return before sunset and then they were off, riding down the road and through the tunnel before they were able to take the path down to the shore. Prompto made note of how long the journey took, so they would be sure to have enough time to get back before night fully set in. The last thing he wanted was to get cornered by a bunch of daemons when it was just the two of them.
Noct's smile as he set up his fishing gear was worth it.
He had a beautiful smile and it wasn't one Prompto had seen much of since the fall of Insomnia. Which was understandable. Prompto didn't feel much like smiling either, but someone had to try and stay positive with everything happening or else they'd all fall to despair, and he figured he was pretty good at lightening the mood.
Prompto lifted his camera and snapped a quick series of photo's before the moment was lost.
He didn't often let himself take the time to admire Noct. Not anymore. It was too risky. Not because he was afraid of Noct figuring out his secret crush, but because of how damned observant Ignis and Gladio were. Neither of them said anything, but sometimes Ignis would raise an eyebrow at a casual arm across the shoulder that lasted too long or Gladio would smirk at how easily he caved to what Noct wanted to do.
Yeah, they definitely knew.
But Noctis was marrying Lady Lunafreya and that was a union looked forward to by all – well, almost all – of Eos. He wouldn't get in the way of true love and nor would he jeopardize their friendship.
Friendship was all he could have and Prompto was okay with that, even if sometimes it made his heart ache.
Prompto closed his eyes and tried to redirect his thoughts to Cindy instead. Gorgeous, charming Cindy, who was a delight to talk to once he got over his nerves. Cindy, who wasn't at all interested in him (or anyone else), but seemed to genuinely enjoy his company and his ability to mostly follow along her car-talk. Cindy, who had pulled him aside to give him permission to continue flirting, so long as he kept it appropriate and stopped if she ever asked.
(No one else needed to know about that little agreement of theirs and Prompto was still confused about why she trusted him to keep his word, but he wasn't going to complain. Maybe he just gave off a trustworthy vibe?)
His love life was a bit of a mess, to say the least, but hey, he was young. He had plenty of time to figure things out.
Noctis called out to him in delight, holding up his first catch of the day, and Prompto automatically snapped a picture, trying not to stare at the way the sun glinted off his dark hair and brought out the blue in his dark eyes.
He was unfairly beautiful.
They spent the rest of the evening like that. Noctis, showing off what he caught and Prompto trying not to let his thoughts lead him too far down the proverbial rabbit hole. Before too long, the sun began to dip dangerously close to the horizon, and Prompto began to get ansty.
"Noct, we need to get back."
Noctis looked around, checking the position of the sun and then the time on his phone. After a moment, he agreed and sent his rod and tackle back to the Armiger before joining Prompto in the sand.
"No chocobo's?" Prompto asked after a minute or so of walking.
"Figured we could use the exercise. We'll still get back in time, unless... Are you still feeling alright?"
"Uh huh." Prompto got a little tongue tied at the show of concern and cursed himself for letting his thoughts wander too far. It was going to take at least a day to recover from his daydreams. "Walking sounds good. Great!"
He could feel Noct's eyes on him.
"Sorry, just thinking about some stuff," Prompto said, answering the unasked question with a wave of his hand, hoping Noctis wouldn't push for anything else. To his luck, they walked in silence, following the faint trail back to the road.
It wasn't an awkward silence, but comfortable and peaceful, born from years of friendship. Prompto liked that about Noct. They didn't have to constantly talk when they were together. Sometimes they could just... be.
Prompto frowned as they exited the tunnel to find it darker than expected and automatically moved closer to Noct, his eyes scanning for danger.
They hadn't taken into account the trees that blocked much of the light.
"We need to hurry," Prompto said, his voice tight with fear.
If anything happened to Noct on his watch...!
They hastened their pace, both hoping to reach the safety of the lighthouse cottage without incident. Shadows chased their steps, spurring them on, but before they could reach the car park, a haunting groan caught them off-guard as inky blackness bubbled on the pavement and a massive form began to breech the surface.
"Iron Giant," Noctis whispered, looking pale. "Run, Prompto!"
But there was another problem.
An angry shriek pierced the air as a Bomb careened out of the tunnel behind them, rolling between them and aiming a burst of fire at Prompto, who barely dodged out of the way. His guns materialized in his hands and he fired off a few rounds until the Bomb dropped and began to fade.
"Noct?!" he called out in panic, frantically searching for his friend. He found him soon enough, pinned down by the Iron Giant, which reared back to take a swing with its gargantuan sword, and with a burst of speed Prompto didn't know he was capable of, he put himself between Noctis and the daemon, raising his hand as though that would be enough to stop it.
Prompto braced himself, prepared for agonizing pain from his foolish mistake.
Instead, a bright flash of golden light illuminated the area, and the daemon toppled back, screeching in agony as it popped and fizzled away. Prompto stood and watched in shock, hand still outstretched and his mind blank, unable to comprehend what was happening.
There was a hand on his arm, pulling him towards the car park. Noctis, speaking to him in a low voice, telling him to move.
Prompto stumbled as his legs unlocked, letting Noct push him towards safety, and once they were under the bright lamp posts, he finally looked at Noct, who looked just as terrified as he felt.
"What the hell was that?"