Iris's senses slowly came back as she opened her eyes. She had found shelter in an abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere. Nothing surrounded the area where she was, and daylight never shone upon that forgotten land. When was the last time she had spoken to another human being? When was the last time she had even seen one? Something stirred in her memory, a boy that used to haunt her dreams. She could barely recall his face now, let alone his voice. And yet, she remembered he was important. He had always been.
Something felt different that day. Or night. Iris couldn't really tell anymore. It was forever dark, and she didn't really care anymore.
But the Quicksilver that had kept her company for so long had started to shine brighter and brighter again. It was unusual for her to see it glow crimson once more, after it had fallen hollow for what felt like ages.
She had kept the promise she had made to Bahamut, the god she met when she had been pulled inside the Crystal together with Noctis. Bahamut had told her she was the last guardian of that very stone created by the Six, and that she would be the key to not only help the King bring back Light, but also to restore certain events that were bound to happen but never did due to the Star Scourge.
She hadn't understood what Bahamut meant by that then, and still didn't. All she knew was that she had a mission, and today she would fulfill it.
She looked up at the dark sky before shutting her eyes in one last, desperate attempt to remember the boy's face. Or his voice.
No luck. It had been too long.
She moved her long hair falling onto her face aside and left her shelter for the last time, guided by the glowing Quicksilver. It felt as if they had developed such a strong bond in all those years that they could communicate without using words. It was almost instinctive because they were meant to be together as master and faithful servant.
She vaguely remembered how she had been separated from Noctis after their encounter with Bahamut, where he had been chosen as the King of Light, the one who would restore peace in Eos.
She wondered where he was, how he was doing. And her mind once more wandered off to the only person that had kept her sane in all her lonely years, despite remembering only his name now: Prompto Argentum.
She had forced herself to mentally repeat his name over and over again so she wouldn't forget at least that. She recalled how she had managed to hold onto that last, brief moment they had spent together before being separated forever, but her memory eventually betrayed her and erased that too.
Prompto. Argentum.
She could only hope he was still alive, still waiting somewhere out there for their return, still fighting against the darkness.
"Gladio, Ignis, Noctis, Prompto" she said, her voice sounding so foreign to her "I'm coming back home."
Ten years. Ten long years spent in the dark, alone. Well, technically he did have company, but not the one he would have thought. When Noctis and Iris had been pulled inside the Crystal, he had waited together with Gladio and Ignis for them to resurface shortly after. Gods knew how long they had been standing there, waiting patiently. But they never came back, and his heart did a flip when he heard Ignis speak the dreaded words "We should get going".
Those simple words had torn him apart because they sounded so definitive, so final…
He understood that signified the two people that meant the most to him would not be coming back.
But Iris had promised! She said she would...
He remembered how Gladio had grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the Crystal as his legs refused to move on their own. He had been literally dragged away from the building and they somehow managed to return to Hammerhead, after a long and silent train ride with the help of Biggs and Wedge.
Once there, they had been greeted by a much worried Cindy whose eyes widened even more in shock and fear upon hearing what had happened. The girl was not used to seeing Prompto that way, so sad and distant. She had tried her best to cheer him up –and in other circumstances he would have been overjoyed with all the attention from the hot girl- but he simply didn't care anymore. He had lost all he had ever cared for, and he felt like his life no longer had a meaning.
Gladio and Ignis had been very supportive in the beginning, making sure he ate and took care of himself without getting killed at the first occasion. Because he had to admit he had tried very hard by accepting hunt quests far too dangerous even for the most experienced warrior in the world, and only Gladio's or Ignis's intervention had allowed him to come back home in one piece.
But without Noctis as the main conjunction ring, the party had quickly fallen apart. Even though Prompto could call Gladio and Ignis his friends, they had started to see each other less and less until they had taken separate paths.
Prompto had never left Hammerhead, the only place he could call home. Sort of. He still missed the Crown City more than any other place, and still secretly hoped his friends, family, Noctis and –his stomach twitched nostalgically- Iris were still alive so they could all claim the capital together and go back home. Hammerhead was much more dangerous than Lestallum for its lack of a power plant supplying the city, but it was well fenced and defended by veteran hunters, including himself.
He looked at his own reflex in the mirror in the tiny bathroom of the motel room where he now lived. He was now working full-time as a professional hunter, killing Daemons to earn some cash so he could carry on with his meaningless life. He wasn't sure why he was still holding on. Probably because he still had the faintest hope...
He returned to his bedroom, avoiding stepping onto the pile of dirty clothes scattered all over the floor, and picked up the photo album that he always stored by his bedside. He would always open the album before bed, and would refuse to let sleep overtake him before he was finished looking at all the pictures he had taken during their journey.
A nostalgic smile crept up to his face as he flipped through the pictures of him and Noctis proudly showing the Regalia parked behind them, or those of Ignis cooking one of his delicious meals at the camp, or Gladio posing so naturally for the camera. His heart skipped a beat when he came to his favorite and yet most dreaded part: the selfies he had taken with Iris. The sweet smile on her face still warmed his heart even after all those years. He would be lying if he said he hadn't been attracted to other women during those ten years. After all, he did work with female hunters too, sometimes sharing a tent with them at camp when they were required to travel far...
He still remembered that one flirt he'd had with a particularly pretty one who had told him square in the face that that might be the last night she would ever live, before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the lips. He had liked it -especially what happened after that- but couldn't say he had ever fallen in love. His heart still belonged to her, to his Iris.
He doubted he could ever love another woman after her. It would be impossible to ignore his instincts, as they were part of his nature, of him being a male, but he knew no other woman could win his heart. Not even Cindy.
"Hope you're ok, Ir. Wherever you are" he whispered, while stroking his fingers against the very first picture he had taken of her.
His phone was buzzing. Prompto groaned in his sleep and shifted in bed, trying to ignore the vibrating sound coming from the bedside table. When it didn't stop, the blonde sat up in bed and grabbed the phone, swiped his finger on the screen and answered the call.
"What?" he asked, his voice still croaky.
"Rise and shine, kiddo. It's time to go".
"Gladio?" Prompto was so surprised to hear the muscular man's voice that he immediately forgot how sleepy he was "Go where?"
"The Citadel" the man on the other line answered "You might wanna come down to ol' Cid's garage and meet up with me, Iggy and… well, you'll see by yourself".
Gladio hung up before Prompto could even try and ask what the hell he was talking about. Curiosity finally piqued, the blonde stood up and went to the bathroom. For some reason he couldn't explain, his heart had started hammering against his chest. Gladio's voice had sounded so hopeful and happy, like he hadn't heard in a very long time. Something good must have happened, and that gave the gunslinger just as much hope. However, he forced himself not to set his expectations too high, because he had been disappointed many times before and didn't want to risk picking up the pieces of his broken heart once again.
He wore his usual hunter's uniform since his Crownsguard one didn't fit him anymore, for he had grown some inches and had developed a lot more muscles during the years.
He left the motel room, waving at the manager –who was technically his landlord- on his way to the gas station.
The bright lights kept him safe from the Daemons crawling around the surrounding, dark areas. Prompto noticed how they had increased in number and stature.
When he finally arrived at the garage, he saw a lot of people gathered together and forming some sort of circle.
"Excuse me!" he said, while trying to make his way through the small crowd "Yeah, I've been invited".
"Took your time, Prom".
The voice that spoke his name made his heart stop for a second. Prompto was actually sure he had stopped breathing for a while as he stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him.
His best friend, Noctis, the prince… no, wait! King. King of Lucis was smiling warmly at him. He had grown a beard and was a bit taller but was overall the same as always.
Prompto blinked several times, unable to say anything until someone patted him on the back.
"Cat got your tongue?"
He snapped his head to his left so quickly it hurt his neck. If he thought he couldn't be more surprised, he was definitely wrong for in front of him was standing none other than Iris Amicitia herself.
He could only stare at her, taking in the small yet significant changes in her person: her hair was much longer, her curves more prominent and she simply looked more mature in general.
He noticed how she was staring at him just as fervently, as if she couldn't tell whether he was really Prompto or not. He thought he hadn't changed that much, but felt a blush rise to his cheeks when he remembered he had let a goatee grow on his face. He thought it made him look more adult, but suddenly wished he had shaved before coming to the meeting.
"Hey there" she said after what felt like forever.
"Hey" he replied incredulous. It felt so surreal to be reunited with his best friend and the girl of his dreams after ten, long years. Noctis stepped closer and put an arm around the blonde's shoulders, trying to show him just how much he had missed him and his stupid puns.
When he finally let go of him, Prompto automatically turned to Iris, as if expecting her to hug him or something. When she didn't however, he simply rubbed the back of his head.
Why was she staring at him like that? As if it was the first time she saw him. Must have been the goatee. Yes, definitely. He mentally noted to get rid of it as soon as he had the chance.
Iris was at a loss for words, too. She had traveled for so long, with the help of her faithful Quicksilver until she had seen a van driving on the dark and deserted road. The driver had stopped, letting her on board and, boy, she was shocked when she realized the young man was none other than Talcott! And he had managed to find Noctis on his way to Hammerhead, too!
The two friends had hugged each other in silence, for words were not needed. Talcott had been almost exclusively the only one speaking during their car ride to Cid's garage, and he had made sure to contact Gladio so that he could warn the others about their arrival.
Gladio had been the first to arrive, almost stumbling in his rush to get to them, and especially to his long lost sister. They had hugged for several minutes before letting go upon hearing the sound of Ignis's footsteps. The man was sadly still blind, but he had managed to live with it. He could now walk without the help of a stick –or anything or anyone else, really- had improved his cooking skills despite the lack of eyesight as well as his fighting skills. He was fully independent and kept his stoic demeanor.
And still, there was no trace of Prompto. Iris had been waiting for him in particular, mainly to remember the way he looked, how his voiced sounded, what he smelled like.
When he had finally arrived, she was so nervous and excited that she almost felt sick. He had simply stepped inside the garage, staring wide-eyed at the man she loved without saying a word. And suddenly, all of her memories were restored. Just like it had happened with Noctis, Ignis and Gladio, she could remember everything about him: his punk-like and easy-going demeanor, his melodic voice, the fresh scent that his clothes carried, his rebellious blond hair, his sparkling crystal-blue eyes, that scar on his left eyebrow that had never really faded away…
It was overwhelming, and so she simply stared at him, taking in the slightest changes in his person: he was taller and more muscular, his eyes were still sparkling with life but seemed somehow haunted too, and –she almost burst into laughter- he had grown a goatee.
"Sooo, what's the plan?" Prompto finally broke the ice as he joined the others, and Iris's attention focused on the present again.
"A very simple one. We're taking back what's always been ours" Noctis answered with a smirk, visibly happy to be reunited with his friends after such a long time "It's time to end this once and for all".
Next Chapter: the party returns to Insomnia after ten years, reminiscing their childhood memories. Noctis reveals what he's destined to do in order to restore light. As Noctis faces Ardyn and his fate, the four Kingsglaives fight their way through Daemons, receiving support from an unexpected crowd...