Blind Faith

Part IV

"What we're looking for are clues; passages that can tell us where we can find the next Royal Tomb and the resulting Royal Arm. Any little bit will help right now," Ignis instructed while Gladio dropped a pile of books down on the table in front of them. "Until Cid can get back to Altissia with the boat, we'll have to make good use of our time and this will hopefully hold us over until he gets here."

The radio was turned on and placed on the table next to them, but the volume was turned down low. Right now, all that came through was the steady hiss of static. If any news ended up coming in, they wanted to be sure to know. For a while now, radio and cell signals had been jammed so no communication was coming in or out of the city. It was hard to be at Ground Zero, yet not know anything that was going on around them.

At the moment, they were still waiting on Cid to come rescue them. He'd gone back home after dropping them off, thinking this would be a pretty cut-and-dry mission for the group and he'd have no issue getting back to Altissia to get them. That moment when they first arrived at the docks seemed like a lifetime ago. They would never have guessed on that boat ride across the seas that they'd end up alone in the ruins of Altissia and not happily celebrating another victory in scoring the covenants of the Astrals.

Prompto grabbed one of the smaller books from the pile, thumbing through some of the pages. "So, what you're saying is we need to go through all of these to find where the next Royal Tomb is?"

"Not just those," Gladio huffed, dropping another stack of books on the previous ones. "These, too."

Ignis nodded and handed a book up to Gladio, who grabbed it without a word, to start researching. "It may appear tedious, but I assure you that finding this small piece of information is crucial in our journey."

"Oh, I wasn't complaining! I just wanted to get on the same page as you guys as far as what we needed to do, that's all," he looked around, perplexed. "By the way, where's Noct? Didn't he say he'd be down here by now? I don't think he went back to sleep, but I don't know. Poor guy hasn't so much as taken a nap since he came to."

"His Majesty said he wanted to be alone for a bit longer, even after telling Iggy here that he'd help with looking into these Royal Tombs," he jerked a thumb at Ignis and scowled. "It's been a few days and still he's acting like he's the only one who lost something."

"He never came outright and said he'd help; I merely inferred that his grunt was a sign of his willingness to assist us. I don't begrudge him for needing time to grieve."

Prompto shrank in his chair, bringing his opened book eye-level to cover himself from what would be Gladio's inevitable rage. "I mean, his fiance was killed in front of him by the chancellor."

Gladio side-eyed Prompto, mumbled something under his breath, and then turned his attention to his book, effectively ending the conversation. Prompto went to make a face at Ignis but stopped short when he remembered his friend could no longer see the facial expressions he made whenever there was an awkward situation. He sighed sadly and flipped through his book, trying to appear like he understood what he was reading.

Ignis sat uncomfortably, wringing his hands under the table. He wasn't sure what he should be doing and the lost expression on his face made that evident. It wasn't like he could read any of the titles and taking notes for the group was out of the question. Honestly, he was only here to guide them in what they should be researching, but even that was hard to do when he was uncertain of what to look for.

Not really sure if either of the other two men were watching him but assuming they were too buried in their studies to care, he slowly brought a hand up and slipped the closest book from the tabletop to his lap. It felt heavy, but incredibly sturdy, in his hands. He looked down at it and imagined, once again, that he could see.

In his mind, the book he was holding was red with gold scrolls along the cover's edges. It smelled like it had been shoved to the back of the shelf for years, maybe decades, forgotten. When he opened it, the spine cracked loudly and he imagined the font inside was extremely small to accommodate all the information the book was trying to convey. There may have been a picture or diagram here or there, but when used, they were extremely detail-oriented.

It hurt him deep in his chest to know that he'd be forever relegated to merely imagining stuff like reading a book or taking notes on a new culinary dish instead of actually doing those things. Frustration simmered inside of him again, a once-unfamiliar emotion he was coming to know all too well. His grip on the book tightened and he wished desperately that, even for a split second, he could see the text in his hand. Surely, his sight had to eventually return, right?

"Iggy? Are you alright?" asked Prompto.

Ignis snapped his head up and hastily replaced the book back in the pile as if he shouldn't have even had it in the first place. "Apologies, just got carried away in my own thoughts," he recovered quickly. "Did you find something interesting?"

"I've barely been able to get through half a page," Prompto laughed. "If you mean 'did I find something that would help us', then no. If you literally meant 'interesting', well, I doubt I'll find anything interesting in these books. This stuff just doesn't do it for me, unless it has to do with photography or something fun like that. "

"Well, keep reading. We're down two men and I'm not about to pull the entire weight of the group just because you don't find this stuff 'interesting'. I did enough of that with group projects in high school," Gladio flicked the book that Prompto was holding and Prompto smiled back, nodding ever so slightly.

There was the sound of shuffling feet behind the group. "What about high school?" a groggy voice asked. The three turned to see Noctis standing there, looking incredibly worn out and drained. In the time he'd woken from his state of unconsciousness, he looked like he'd lost quite a few pounds. His eyes were lifeless and hollow. His hair, normally styled just right, sat limply on his head and looked like it needed a good washing.

Prompto's smile grew larger, ignoring his friend's haggard appearance. "Hey, Noct! Come sit by me! There's a chair here with your name on it!" the blonde patted the seat of the chair next to him and beckoned Noctis with the book he was holding in his other hand. Noctis silently walked to the empty chair at the table and flopped into it, crossing his arms and keeping his chin tucked into his chest.

Gladio rolled his eyes. "Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Your Highness. Here to help us out or are you just going to sit there and sulk?"

"Quit it with the sarcasm and get off my back, Dad," he countered. "Besides, it looks like you've got it under control all by yourself."

"No thanks to you and your sorry ass," his eyes fell accusingly on Noctis' hands. "Where's your ring? Figured since Luna gave it to you, you'd have the decency to actually wear it now."

Noctis brought his left hand to his right, covering his fingers from Gladio's stare. "Mind your business and don't worry about where my ring is. I'll wear it when I wear it," his voice was low and raspy.

"Oh, I see. Should have expected so much from you. Still too much of a coward to fulfill your duty as-."

"That's enough, both of you," Ignis interjected, shooting both a sharp look. Even behind his visors, his eyes told everyone that he was fed up. "Let's stop this arguing before it gets out of hand and let's get back to finding information on that Royal Tomb."

There was an uneasy silence in the air as Prompto cautiously held out a book to Noctis. He snatched it from him and glared at Gladio across the table, exaggeratingly waving the book in the air with his eyes widened and his lips pursed. "Happy now?"

"I would have been a lot happier if you were down here earlier to help us instead of locking yourself in your room to-."

"Alright already!" This time, Prompto jumped in. "We're all obviously a little stressed right now, so why don't you give Noct a break this time? It's not like he's done anything wrong."

Gladio started to say something else but he bit his tongue when he saw Ignis' stern frown still aimed at him. Noct narrowed his eyes and slammed the opened book on the table, forcing himself to buckle down and start researching clues. Gladio followed suit and buried his nose in his book, his hair falling in front of his face. Finally, some peace. Besides the occasional note scribbling from Prompto and Noct, or the turning of the pages of their books, the morning and mid-afternoon passed with little noise.

They were all so concentrated on their work that they almost missed when the radio stopped blaring static and a voice sounded through the speakers. Ignis' ears perked up first and he held a hand out to alert his friends. "The radio."

Gladio reached behind and turned the volume knob up just enough so they could hear the transmission. "It has been about two weeks since the events in Altissia and little progress has been made in the way of cleanup and rebuild. Evacuees are still waiting on word to return, but officials have said that it will be another month before anyone can start to make their way safely back into the city."

"A month? Have they seen this city? There's no way it'll only take a month to get it back in order," Prompto dismissed, a hand extended out to the ruins of Altissia in disbelief. Ignis shushed him, a finger pressed to his own lips, before turning his ear back to the broadcast.

"Word is also coming in that Ravus Nox Fleuret, the former High Commander of Nifleheim, has been sentenced to death for his acts of treason in the Altissian battle. Reports have remained vague regarding these acts, but we will continue to monitor the situation and will bring any new updates to you as we receive them."

Prompto's jaw dropped, commenting again on the broadcast: "Death? Ravus?"

Noctis stopped writing and looked blankly at Prompto. "What, you're shocked? Hard to feel bad for a guy who was gunning for his sister's capture. Probably had it coming."

"Ravus had a chance to kill us and didn't, Noct. Ardyn threatened him with Luna's safety in exchange for killing us, and he didn't do it," informed Gladio.

"What?" Noctis whispered, his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? We are talking about Ravus Nox Fleuret, aren't we? The same guy who held a sword to our necks, ready to kill us at any moment? That guy?"

"I'm afraid so," Ignis murmured, leaning forward a bit. "Ravus . . . he started to say something about giving something to you, but he was interrupted by Ardyn. He had the opportunity to kill us right there, but he didn't. If I recall correctly, he also called out to Ardyn to stop his attack on us, but my memory of that day and those moments remains a bit hazy."

"No, he did," Prompto confirmed as he remembered that day. "Ardyn was talking to me and I heard Ravus stop him in the distance. Of course, that's when Ardyn took him down, too. I don't know who grabbed his body because Gladio woke up shortly after and we managed to escape with Iggy before anyone did, but I do remember looking back and seeing him still knocked out on the ground. I thought the spell that Ardyn used killed him, but maybe not."

"The Empire must have grabbed his body once we left, but who knows what would have happened to us if we had been there when they returned. I don't believe me being incapacitated would've have made another round of fighting any easier. Ravus may not have been entirely good, but he wasn't inherently evil, either. It's a shame we weren't able to learn what it was that he had to tell us," Ignis adjusted his glasses as he lamented on the High Commander.

Noctis tossed his book back into the pile and rolled his eyes. "Oh, so what? He had a sudden change of heart? He didn't seem too concerned about Luna's well being when he was placed as High Commander of the army that marked her as the enemy. His sister is dead and it's probably all thanks to his handiwork.."

Gladio slammed his book closed. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched. "Get a grip on yourself. We were there, Noct; you weren't."

"Not by choice, Gladio. I would have been there, but unfortunately, I was a little busy."

"Oh, so it's our fault now? We were held back from helping you and it's our fault?"

Noctis pointed a finger at him. "Don't put words in my mouth."

Gladio threw his hands in the air, annoyed. "You know, I was all for cutting you some slack after everything that has gone down, but you haven't shown one ounce of concern for any of us. Prompto kept our asses afloat when everything was pretty much hopeless, and have you even so much as thanked him for keeping your best friends alive? Have you asked Ignis how he's doing? If he's ok? Since you've woken up, have you done one thing to show us that you are ready to take on the task at hand?"

"Just because you're feeling guilty that you're the shield of the group and you couldn't save yourself or anyone else, that doesn't mean you get to push those insecurities on me," Noctis responded scathingly. Gladio furiously leaped to his feet, knocking over the table and all of the books on it. Noctis jumped to his feet as well, his face red with rage. Prompto and Ignis both let out a sharp cry of surprise and reflexively backed their chairs up to avoid getting in either one's way, too stunned to even think of getting involved. As Gladio started toward Noctis, enraged, the phone in Noctis' pocket rang.

He let it ring a couple of times, his eyes still locked with Gladio's, before he pulled the phone out. "It's Cor," he identified from the caller ID. He moved away from the group and the chaos before them, answering the call with a monotonous "hello" and keeping his voice low.

Ignis took a deep breath and reached down, feeling around for a book that fell by his feet. "That was unnecessary."

"Yeah, what the hell, man?" Prompto cursed, now pulling the table back upright. "You know he's not thinking clearly right now, so why take anything he says seriously?"

"Just because he's 'not thinking clearly', that gives him a free pass to let his responsibilities fall to the wayside? We're all adults here and we should act like it; not sit around and mope while the world around us goes to shit," Gladio growled and turned his attention to Ignis, who was now picking up another book off the floor to place in his lap. "You may have 'babysitter' listed in your job description, Ignis, but I sure as hell don't. I didn't take on this role to coddle the prince. My duty is to ensure that his goals remain clear and that he keeps his role as future king number one in his mind."

"There's a fine line between ensuring that Noct's goals are clear and just being cruel," Ignis warned. "I know you're hurt and I know you feel great guilt about everything, but taking that out on Noct won't help. Go take a minute to collect your thoughts and come back when you're calmer. These fights aren't helping our situation any."

"I'm not-"

"Now, Gladio," Ignis insisted again, this time a lot more forceful with his words. Gladio wanted to argue his point, but he looked around at the mess he'd created by knocking the table aside and closed his mouth. With his fists clenched firmly by his side, he stalked far enough away to be alone but stayed close enough to hear if anyone called him.

With the table replaced where it was before, Prompto quietly started picking up all the scattered texts and stacked them neatly on the table. He reached for the one that Ignis was holding, but for some reason, Ignis kept his grip firm on it.

"I can take that if you want."

Ignis smiled and traced a finger over the cover, finding the lettering standing out slightly. Prompto stood, looking down at him with concern. As he reached down for the book again, he pulled his hand back quickly when Ignis brought his head up, his smile now faded. He held the book out to Prompto, who cautiously took it and held it close to his chest. "Your vision could still return, Iggy. Your left eye may be damaged beyond repair, but that doesn't mean your right eye is completely lost. Who knows? You could wake up one day and be able to read this book, again. There's still a chance."

Ignis sighed, shaking his head. They both knew that Prompto was just blowing hot air to make Ignis feel better, but still, all he could see was emptiness and the faint glimmer of light. His wounds had healed enough for them to know that this was most likely a permanent condition, even if they tried to deny it with false hope and inspirational speeches to each other.

Noctis bid farewell to Cor on the phone and hung up, turning around and coming back to the table. "What did the Marshall have to say?" Ignis asked.

"Just said he's been trying to get a hold of us ever since he heard about Leviathan and Luna, but obviously lines have been jammed. He sends his regards about your condition," Noctis relayed. Ignis nodded and motioned for Noct to continue. "He also had some information on the next Royal Tomb for us. Said something about it being located somewhere near the Cartanica train station in the abandoned mines. He didn't know the specifics, but at least it's better than nothing."

"Woohoo! That's awesome! Hey, Gladio! Did you hear that? We have information on the Tombs! It's somewhere in Cartanica!" Prompto called out to Gladio, who was still standing a distance away and staring off into the waters around them. Reluctantly, he turned around and came back to the table but did not take his seat, instead standing defiantly and turning his chin up at Noctis.

"You do realize that Cartanica is in Niflheim, right? Enemy territory? This isn't just some walk in the park we're talking about here," he spat sarcastically, "This is life or death. No need to get all excited about this."

"We'll have to go into Niflheim, anyway. Last we heard, the Crystal had been moved to Gralea, the capital city of Niflheim. We can take the train into Gralea and get off in Cartanica for the Royal Arm," Ignis briefed.

Prompto turned to Noct. "Either way, we still have a lead! Cid will be here soon, he can take us to the shipyard, we'll hike to the nearest train station, and BAM! On our way!"

"We'll take the train bound for Gralea and stop in Tenebrae along the way," Noctis stated.

Gladio rolled his eyes. "Tenebrae? We won't have time to stop in Tenebrae. We're going to Cartanica and then we're going to Gralea. No stops."

"We're stopping in Tenebrae," Noct repeated, his teeth clenched in anger. "Come with me or don't, but we're going. That's final."

He brushed past Gladio, his shoulder bumping Gladio's arm, and walked back to the Levelle. Once again, Gladio growled under his breath, trying hard to contain his anger as he watched Noctis' back as it left the group behind. Ignis got to his feet, grabbing his cane beside him and moving to stand next to Gladio. He sensed Gladio's eyes cast down to him and he felt the frustration boring holes into his being. "I don't think it's too out of the question to stop in Tenebrae if it means giving closure to Noct, don't you agree?"

He closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Yeah, I guess; But we won't stay for long. I can't imagine the death of the Oracle doing wonderful things for this world. The sooner we get to that Crystal so Noct can realize his true, full potential, the better. He just needs to stop with the moping and start with the leading."

"There's still the whole 'fiance stabbed in front of him' thing that you keep forgetting . . ." Prompto reminded in a hushed voice. Gladio ignored his comment and followed Noctis back into the Levelle, his posture slightly hunched as he left. Ignis felt Prompto's hand on his elbow he turned his eyes to the gesture.

"He doesn't know how else to deal with his grief and sadness, so he channels it into anger," Ignis thought aloud. "As long as I've known him, he's never been one to express emotions in any other way than anger. He'll work through this, but I don't anticipate it getting any easier in the foreseeable future."

"That still doesn't make it ok. We're all hurting, but this fighting is going to tear us apart, you know?" Prompto worried. He sighed, squeezed Ignis' elbow and led him back to the Levelle, leaving the books on the table behind them.

"How does it feel to live in a world of darkness? To never see the light of day again?"

"Please . . ."

"Take your sight away and you're completely useless, Ignis Scientia."

"NO!"

Ignis thrashed around. He felt hands on his arms, pinning him to his bed. Someone was yelling at him, trying to get him to calm down.

"Ignis! Ignis wake up, you're having another bad dream! Stop! Wake up!"

"Get off me!"

"Ignis, dammit, it's me! Prompto! Wake up!"

His eye popped open and he gasped, his thrashing slowing to a stop. The grip on his arms stayed on him for a bit longer before releasing him. He felt the cold sweat beaded on his forehead and running down his back and his throat was slightly sore from yelling.

"Hey, buddy. Holy crap, you can put up a fight, that's for sure," he was breathing hard from holding him down. "Are you awake now? You ok?"

It took a second for Ignis to really understand that he was back in his room and not in the middle of a rainy Altissia, fighting for his life. Prompto must have turned on the lamp by his bedside because he saw a faint light in his sight. Instinctively, he reached for his glasses but didn't find them nearby. Oh yeah, that's right. I don't need them. Slowly, he sat up and held a hand to his forehead, wiping his sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. Prompto was sitting quietly on the bed beside him, watching him.

"I-I'm sorry about that. I didn't . . . I'm-."

"Nah, don't apologize. That's what I'm here for. Hell, I'd do the same for Gladio and Noct, too, if I needed to. Although, I would probably need help if it were Gladio since he's got me by like a whole foot and like an extra 150 pounds," he chuckled.

Ignis didn't laugh. He grasped at a handful of sheets, feeling incredibly vulnerable. "Did . . . is anyone-."

"Awake? No, they're still sleeping. Or, at least, I think they are. I just got up to get a drink of water and I heard you as I was coming back to my room. Here, you can have some if you want," Prompto handed the glass of water to Ignis, who promptly nudged it away. Prompto set it back down on the nightstand. "Hey, come on. There's nothing to be ashamed of. So what, you're having nightmares? We all get them."

"Not like this, I'm afraid," Ignis whispered, his breathing finally settling back into a normal rate.

Prompto shrugged. "No, probably not. But who else has been through what you went through and lived to see the next day? You don't have to always be strong in front of us. We're your friends and we want to help you."

Ignis waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "I don't want to, nor do I need to, put the burden of taking care of me on the three of you. I'm fine. I may be a little slow for the time being and I may not be able to cook or chauffeur you around, but I'm fine."

He groaned. "No, Ignis, you're not fine. It's really hard to see you like this and I can't sit back anymore and pretend that you're ok just because you're too stubborn to admit it. Let us help you get through this," the blonde pleaded.

Ignis took a deep breath and turned to his friend, his face illuminated by the moonlight through the window and exposing his healing wounds. "I-I can't stand the thought of being in the way or of being an encumbrance to everyone. How can I go from someone whom everyone was able to rely on, to now being the person who can't do anything alone?"

Prompto shrugged again and poked his arm reassuringly. "Not sure, but I'm here to help you figure it out. And I'll be here every step of the way, no questions asked, alright? Now," he inched off the bed and turned off the light that he'd hastily turned on when he first came in the room, "I think it's time to go back to sleep. Seriously, though, I'm in the next room over. I don't care if it's just that you need someone to sit in here while you fall asleep. Just yell for me if you need anything, ok?"

Ignis settled back down into his bed, feeling uneasy again at the thought of falling back to sleep, but not voicing this out loud. "I appreciate it."

"Night, Iggy," he said as he closed the door behind him, leaving Ignis alone once again.

The next morning, Prompto and Ignis were downstairs, chatting at a table just outside the Levelle's doors. The heat started to creep up on them even though it was so early in the morning. Despite the events of the night, Prompto didn't bring anything up; in fact, it almost would have appeared as though nothing had happened at all. It relieved Ignis to know that Prompto was keeping this close to himself and he silently prayed it would stay that way.

Gladio joined them in mid-conversation. He was much friendlier than he had been the prior day, but that could have been because Noct wasn't sitting with them yet. He ate an apple that he found in the kitchen and offered one each to the other two, who took them graciously.

Prompto noticed that Gladio looked like he was in deep thought. "Got something on your mind you'd like to share with the class?" he teased.

Gladio took another bite of his apple and chewed longer than necessary, avoiding whatever it was that he was thinking. Finally, he swallowed and glanced at Ignis beside him. "We know that Cid should be arriving in the next day or so. Shouldn't we talk about the big elephant in the room?"

Ignis flinched, knowing where this conversation was headed. Both men turned their eyes toward him and he suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable. "Yes?" he quietly inquired, keeping his head down.

Gladio played with the half-eaten apple in his hand nervously. "Iggy, have you thought about staying behind in Lestallum until we can get back there? Iris and Talcott could watch you and make sure you're alright and the doctors there are great. They can monitor your condition and everything."

Prompto choked on the bit of apple he had in his mouth. "You want us to leave him?" he managed through his coughing fit.

"I don't want to leave him, but we have to be reasonable here. Iggy, you know if the roles were reversed, you would be suggesting the same thing."

He thought about this and cursed in his head. Although he didn't want to willingly admit it, there was definitely the chance that he would propose the very idea if it were Gladio that was handicapped, but he shook his head. "No, I can't stay behind. I took an oath to Noct to stand by his side, no matter what. I have to come."

"I know, but what if something happens to you in battle and we lose you this time? What if you being there ends up hurting one of us? I mean, let's be logical here. We have to stop thinking with our hearts and start thinking with our heads on this one."

"Gladio, please reconsider," he breathed, his head still down. "I don't . . . I can't-."

"He's not staying behind," Noctis confirmed, coming from the Levelle doors. He looked down at Gladio. "We're in this together and have been since day one. He's coming with."

Gladio watched Noctis with an expression that looked somewhat like a mix between anger and defeat. "What if something happens again? Something worse off than before?"

"We could say that about any of us. For all we know, we all could die tomorrow. I mean, you were alright with bringing Prompto with us when we first set out, and he had no experience in this sort of thing. He was awful! No offense, Prom."

"Nah, none taken. I know I sucked."

Noct turned back to Gladio, his eyes stern. "He's coming with us."

Ignis looked up. "I understand that-."

"I'll be by him the entire time, so don't worry about it. I'll make sure he's ok," Prompto interrupted before Ignis could say anything more. He shot him a smile, knowing he wouldn't be able to see it, but hoping he at least knew.

Gladio took another bite of his apple and leaned back in his chair. His eyes turned to Noctis' hands again, noting his fingers were still bare without the ring. He motioned to his hands and snarled. "Still not wearing that ring, are you?"

Noctis pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. "I've got it on me."

"That's not the same as wearing it."

He shot him a glare and dropped the ring back into his pocket, angrily marching back inside and up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. Gladio snarled, throwing his apple into the trash bin behind them as Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted. If they couldn't get along now, how could they work together to take back the throne?