Citadel Medical Wing, Prompto's private quarters; right where we left our heroes:
Prompto walked in darkness, his footsteps echoing in the vast stillness of the nothing. He bit his lip as he continued on, unnerved that the only light seemed to come from his very skin.
It wasn't long before the nothing began to grumble and shift, recognizing his presence and responding. Heart rate quickening, Prompto hurried his steps, not knowing what he was running to; the urge to keep moving the only thing spurring him on.
The faster he ran, the more the darkness tried to get its cold tendrils on him. Wisps of shade wrapped themselves around his ankles but were too insubstantial to truly stop him. He ran and ran until the black mist had swallowed up his lower half, and he realized he was wading in water the color and consistency of ink.
He stopped and slowly turned, searching for where the water met the shore. He quickly became disoriented and no longer knew from where he came or what direction to go now. All around him the nothing rippled and wafted but gave him no clues.
Every tentative step seemed to take him deeper until he was forced to stand still for fear of being swallowed whole. For long moments (…hours…days…) he stayed there, his ragged breath echoing back to him; mocking his terror. Just as he was ready to try again, a gentle sloshing reached his ear, and he rotated towards the noise, gaping at the sight before him.
A swan, regal in its purity, glided across the flat black surface of the nothing. Beneath it, a near perfect reflection kept course; however the reflection's head was turned towards Prompto, and watched him as its corporeal counterpart stared ahead. Like him, the bird created its own light, and it glowed in the darkness, a beacon of comfort. He followed it tentatively, and found that as he did, he was making progress towards the shallows.
However, while still waist deep, something else moved beneath the surface and Prompto froze.
Much like his own, the light of the swan seemed to attract the creature that comprised the nothing, and soon it manifested into something solid. Something predatory. It swam just beneath the inky blackness, scales skimming above the surface as it headed straight towards the swan.
Prompto began to scream, but his voice was a pale whisper; the darkness around him seeming to gather his words and shove them back inside until he was choking. His chest heaved in the nothing and the cold and he became dizzy with it.
Before him, the thing beneath the surface shattered the stillness, all snapping jaws and flashing amber eyes. The swan hissed and kicked in terror, but was no match for the hungry crocodile. Before Prompto's eyes, the creature of darkness devoured the one of light; blood flying and shredded feathers floating on the rippling surface of the nothing as Prompto finally found his voice and screamed and screamed and screamed…
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When Prompto showed signs of having another seizure, Noctis immediately hit the button to alert the nurse's station. When instead of shaking uncontrollably the blond began to scream, the doctors said there was nothing they could do for him, and he called Ignis.
When Ignis arrived he was looking just as haggard as he'd been earlier, having not had any time to properly groom himself for days, now. Though he'd arrived mere minutes after Noctis had called him, the hospital room was already a study of chaos.
Electrical surges seemed to be forcing all the machines to malfunction, and they were beeping and screaming almost as loud as Prompto. Ignoring all the pandemonium, Ignis maneuvered his way through the doctors and nurses to Prompto's side. He placed his hand upon the boy's forehead and frowned deeply. He stepped down to the foot of the bed and stared down a large male nurse until the older man shuffled back. The adviser studied the chart, looking from it to Prompto and back again with growing agitation on his features. He shoved the clipboard back into its pocket on the end of the hospital bed and turned away and pulled out his phone, shooting off a few messages as he headed to the en suite bathroom.
Noctis watched him, but stayed put, knowing better than to get in the way. He tried not to hold his breath as he waited for any direction the older teen may give him.
The adviser came back out a moment later and opened the door to the room, letting in an orderly who was carrying a large bucket of ice. He directed the man to the bathroom and then came over and began unhooking Prompto from the various machines, ignoring the protests of those around him. He scooped the sweating, screaming boy up in his arms and carried him bridal style towards the bathroom, only to be blocked by one of the doctors.
"Just what do you think you're doing with my patient?" The man was old, and had been on staff for years. He stood glaring up at Ignis with an indignant air of authority.
The adviser was unfazed, however. "I'm lowering his fever. He's had it for at least six days, now. You've cured every infection and healed most of his wounds and broken bones, but have done nothing to rid him of the fever. If we don't reduce it significantly soon, we will be risking brain damage. I can't believe I have to tell you this."
The doctor scoffed up at him and quickly blocked him again when Ignis attempted to sidestep the smaller man. "You are not his doctor. I have him on a strict schedule of antibiotics and—"
"Whatever you're doing, it's not working. Now get out of my way." Ignis glanced over to Noctis, who scrambled—nobly—to throw his royal weight behind the adviser's command.
The doctor was not to be swayed, however. "He woke up yesterday morning coherent and lucid despite his high fever. I'd say that's working just fine."
Ignis' face transformed from the quiet dignified royal adviser to an enraged friend in less than a second. "Yes! Yesterday morning! It is now two in the afternoon the following day, and he's not woken up since those few hours yesterday. Step aside, old man, or you may regret my next actions."
Doing his best to keep his voice level, Noctis injected himself between them when it looked as if the doctor would protest further. "By Royal Command, you are hereby ordered to move or face possible expulsion from duty." He wasn't even sure if those were the right words for what he wanted, but it seemed to work as the doctor twisted his mouth in anger and stepped aside to let them through.
Once in the bathroom, Ignis gently lowered Prompto into the ice water filled tub, careful to keep his head above the surface. He muttered a litany of comforts as he took a cloth and saturated it with the cold water before wringing it out in his sweat soaked hair and laying it across the boy's forehead.
The relief that washed over the youth's face was almost instant. Though he did not wake, the lines of pain and terror smoothed out and his screams finally died down to soft mumblings.
Once he had Prompto settled, Ignis quickly had Noctis switch places with him and gave the prince instructions to keep the water cold, but not freezing. The boy nodded, and gently swished his hand in the water, summoning a little frost magic to cool it down further now that some of the ice had melted.
There were terse words spoken outside the door and when Ignis came back in, they were alone again.
"How is he?" Not waiting for an answer, the adviser sat on the toilet and reached down to feel Prompto's head himself. He nodded almost absently and scribbled something in his little notebook. He stood again, and gave Noctis' shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "He's going to be fine, Highness. Keep doing what you're doing. I'll be back, soon. And do try to remain calm. I believe your magics are getting away from you again."
He was at the door before his words fully registered with the tired teen. "What do you mean 'my magics'?"
Ignis froze, a line of tension straightening his shoulders further. "You have recently shown a larger aptitude for magic than you have in the past; I believe your …emotions may be getting the better of you and are being channeled in unconventional ways. Like… with the machines earlier, or the other day when you made the room shake."
Noctis quickly retracted his hand from the water, suddenly afraid. "Do you think I'm dangerous to him?"
Ignis finally turned back to face him, now leaning up against the wall. He looked tired. "No, I don't think so; at least not as of right now. I do, however, think we need to run some tests. I believe the heightened anxiety from the last two weeks may have unlocked some sort of door in your mind that allowed dormant powers to manifest."
Noctis nodded and turned back to his charge, refreshing the cloth in the cool water and running a hand gently along the side of Prompto's face as he muttered in dark slumber.
Before Ignis could take his leave, however, Noctis spoke again. "We kissed yesterday, you know. Well, I kissed him, and he, uh, he kissed me back and stuff. When he was…when he was awake. Do you think this…do you think he's—"
"Noct," the adviser's voice was gentle, but firm. "He's just asleep, now. A deep sleep, but one from which he will undoubtedly wake. You needn't worry yourself so. Once the fever is gone, he'll be right as rain." He smiled at his young charge, trying to give him some strength. "But, please do remember that he's been heavily medicated in addition to his fever, and he may not remember yesterday. Be patient with him, ok?"
Noctis bit his lower lip, not looking up from the still blond face hovering inches above water. "Yeah, Iggy. Thanks."
"Of course." Ignis made his departure, closing the door quietly behind him.
Noctis got himself as comfortable as possible, speaking soft words to his friend. To his love. The longer he talked, the more Prompto seemed to relax.
When he ran out of words to say, he began singing a soft lullaby as he stroked one thumb across the back of Prompto's hand beneath the water. "…I will be your home…I will be your guide…"
He laid his head in the crook of his free arm on the side of the tub. He closed his eyes briefly as he sang; his voice sad and cracking in the small bathroom. "…I will be your friend…always on your side…"
Had he kept his eyes on his friend's pale face, he may have caught when his eyes opened to glowing golden slits and regarded him quietly before drifting closed again.
But he didn't; and when he looked back to Prompto's face again when Ignis reentered the bathroom with an armful of towels and new clothing, it was serene and even sported a small soft smile.
Don't worry, things will pick up right nice in the next chapter or two :) for those of you interested, this is the song Noct was singing to Prompto: watch?v=dc2ygv4dWRw