Author's notes: At last I can update the Sixth Chapter! By the way, I've saw the newest chapter (chapter 214) from DGM and after I'm read it, I'm telling you, it frustrated me for days! Not to mention I had some final test in this semester, and it kept me busied and away from this story. Thank God it's over now and I can continue this story again. I'm giving you thank you for the reviews you have sent to me and for your endless patience to this writer. And please don't hesitate to keep review this story because I love reviews. And for the reply time:

For kitsune630; Thank you very much for your review! Here the update Sixth Chapter for you! :D Happy reading!

For Hakumei- chan; Huaaaa, I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you're like rather long. oAo;;; I promise I'll made the next chapters are long as much as I can, okay! Please don't kill me!

And for those who have read and favorite and story alert this story, I'm very very gratitude at you. So therefore, thank you very much and please enjoy this story. Feel free to review it and flame it or even to critic it. Last words, happy reading for everyone. X3

Disclaimer: I'm definitely own nothing in here.

Warning: Gender bender, some spoilers which will start right before the Phantom G Thief Arc (soon), few swearings, and a lot of bad grammars since English isn't my first language. =_=;

The God's Clown and the Prince of the Sky

Story05: ETRO

Komui Lee was become a Chief Officer for no reason.

At first he had no intention to join the Black Order, for his most of concern was focused on his beautiful and cute little sister, Lenalee. But all of that changed when Lenalee was taken to the Black Order, away from him. He couldn't let that happened. He couldn't let his little sister being taken by those heartless monsters.

So he worked hard in order to enter the organization. Komui fought his teeth and nails in order to find Lenalee and protect her. Days became months, months became years, until years had passed and he finally got his goal. He found his little sister and did his hardest to stay with her since he had achieved high position within the organization.

He had worked for the Black Order for a quite time.

So for that span of time, he had seen a lot of weird things that not many people had experienced.

So it didn't really bother him if those events didn't make him fascinated.

But this time, it looks like that fate decided to mess up with him this time or screw him to be exactly.

This was beyond his imagination.

Komui couldn't take his eyes away from the enigma named as Noctis Caelo or whatever his name. He had thought that the young man with sky blue colored eyes was quite odd. And now, he even proved to be weirder and more puzzled to the spectacled man. First of all, this young man had appeared mysteriously inside the Ark. Second, he was bearing a weird way of clothing and it made him stood out from all people. Third, he possessed some kind of aura which indicated him as nobility at least and that only made Komui more and more confused than ever.

He had no idea why he had an assumption like that. Perhaps it was because his somehow elegant yet steady moves. Perhaps it was the way he talked with such deep and calm voice when he just a young man probably just few years older from Kanda and Lavi.

As if those weren't enough to give him head spinning, this young man claimed to control the power of the dead. Well, if the young man had telekinetic power, or could see future, or any other but that, he still could accept it, but the power of the dead? If only he wasn't a restrain man and couldn't control his emotion above his logical, perhaps he already accused the young man for being crazy and threw him to jail.

But noooo, he wouldn't do that. He wasn't the Hitler's copycat Levellier for crying out loud. He still had a heart. The white clothed man really, really wished that he had a coffee and perhaps some aspirins.

Noctis's story seemed unbelievable and yet Komui had a suspicion for that matter and a logic one too.

It was very possible that this young man had the Innocence without him being realized of it and mistook it for the power of the dead for how it had similar function. But from way he was talking, he quite confident about this seemingly disturbing ability. Not to mention that Komui actually didn't know what kind of ability Noctis could do, he didn't quite sure at all. So unless he saw it, he couldn't decide if the young man was tell the truth or not. When he stole a glance to Lenalee, his little sister couldn't take it really as well as the other Exorcists.

"The power...of the dead?" Lenalee gasped. "How is that possible?"

He raised an eyebrow at the question which odd to him. "Have you ever heard about the mythology of Etro?"

"Etro? What or who is that?" Lavi raised his visible red eyebrow and got a glare from the Bookman to shut up for once.

Noctis was stay still but the flash of flabbergasted emotion within his eyes told otherwise. "You never about her?"

The redheaded just shook his flare colored head.

Noctis blanched to say at least. Everything was getting weirder and weirder to him. Not only most of their clothes were outdated, not recognized cell phone, they even didn't know about Etro's myth! Etro's mythology was considered well known despite it was originally came from Tenebrae country, not his kingdom! The moment Noctis acknowledged this fact was the moment he realized that it definitely a bad news to him, very if he might add. Their clothes, their names, their technology; everything about them were different from his kingdom and the other kingdoms as if they were…from entirely different world from his.

At this worrisome thought, Noctis's worry increased rapidly as his heart began to drum loudly in his ears and began to felt panic. As a prince, he wouldn't let it took control over him so he tried his best to control this negative feeling. He wouldn't let himself appeared to be weak person in front of them. And yet no matter how much as he tried to comfort himself, he was haunted by the new possibility of his current situation.

"Unfortunately we know nothing of this Etro." Bookman answered calmly, noticed the startled response from the odd hair styled young man. "Now if may I'm asking you, Noctis, what's this mythology of Etro you're talking at?"

Noctis took a slightly shake breath. He tried his best to remain calm but on the other hand he could sense that something strange is happened in here. Noctis couldn't point out what it was and he didn't like it one bit. However he rather kept his suspicion for now, there were other things that more important to him to concerned about.

"...It's an old myth about a goddess and it's common from where I come from." Noctis answered few moments later after he managed to still himself.

"Interesting." Bookman stated thoughtfully. "Can you please tell us this myth you're talking about?"

"Uh...sure." Noctis began. "Etro is known by us humans as a goddess of death and the creator of the mankind. It's said that she was the one who giving birth to mankind long time ago. Upon the creation of mankind however, she died in the process and as a result, she or rather her soul then went to the realm of the dead and didn't belong to the world of the living anymore. She is staying in the world of the dead, forever."

Everyone but Noctis had their face were twisting at the odd myth.

"...Wow. That's kind of creepy in a way..." Lavi mumbled unconsciously.

Bookman ignored his apprentice mused and was deciding to took a conclusion from what he had heard about this myth from Noctis.

"I took that she then became the goddess of the death after." Bookman spoke evenly yet knowingly in the same time.

"Correct. But it didn't stop in there. There's something more from the myth." Noctis added more quietly.

"And that was...?" Lenalee asked in anticipated.

"...Mankind was fated to die sooner or later and it can't be change. Nothing can change that fate. It will occur to all humans in this world."

The Exorcists were affected a bit by this exclamation. Kanda grip on his arm sleeve hardened while Lenalee looked down and Ellen narrowed her silver eyes in pain. Mana was the first thing she thought about. She missed her foster father very dearly.

"The myth said when a person is dying and cross to the world of the dead, Etro opened the gate to the world of the dead so he or she can enter her realm. Each time she is opening her gate, the light which come from her realm can also see by those who dying. Most of people died in the end of course. However for those who ever managed to saw that light and came back to the world of living, he or she will be gifted by the power of the dead. However it's not a myth...It's really a reality to me and my father at least."

"And you happened to be one of them?" Link pointed it out tonelessly.

Noctis didn't answer it immediately. He looked down at his hands. His mind went flying to a certain memory from the past. No matter how much time has passed, forever, he would remember that fateful event which happened to him.

"…I am."

"Noctis, I don't mean to offend you," Lenalee commented in hesitant manner. "But that myth is kind of weird to me. It's kind of ... unbelievable."

"Not to everyone from where I live. I have told you. It's considered to be real for my father even has the same power as me..." A certain sliver haired young woman noticed the quiet tone from Noctis. Ellen blinked as she saw his right hand hardened its grip.

Ellen had a mind to ask him. Unfortunately, almost at the same time, that very moment was the last straw for a certain long haired samurai. He couldn't contain his anger any longer so he banged the wall behind him with his fist, startled almost everyone in that room and confronted Noctis.

"That's ridiculous." Kanda snarled as his blue eyes glared at Noctis, his voice was filled with unspoken anger. "There's no such thing like that. How can living human can have the power of the dead?"

"Hey, Yuu, calm down…"

"Shut up, stupid rabbit." Kanda cut Lavi a lot faster and gave him a sharp look. "How can the dead have any power and give it to the alive?!" He almost barked before turned his face at Noctis once more. "What is dead is should staying dead for they're not being alive anymore and they can't give any power or ability to living human. That's the most stupid things I've ever heard. You even have no proof of it."

Sharp dark blue met dagger sky blue. The long haired young man found himself being stared coldly by the black short haired young man. But something was wrong with the older young man's expression. Noctis face betrayed no emotion like an ice sculpture. His bright blue eyes now showed no mercy and eyed the young man before him like a predator ready to attack its prey.

"You want my proof?" His voice was heavy and disturbingly too calm, much to Kanda's dislikes.

The samurai also noticed the other things as the odd young man's behavior changed drastically as if the young man he was facing right now was an entirely different person. It was almost like Noctis had two different personalities. Before Kanda could ever talk again, Noctis had cut him again and this time they didn't miss the dangerous tone within his voice. It was then Kanda sensing that the older guy in fury and it definitely not a good sign for them.

However he didn't really care about that for now. He himself was burned with his own anger. This whole thing reminded him of...of his own past. It only served his anger toward the other black haired guy; he already didn't like this guy. Now his reasons to dislikes this guy increased even more than before. His hand itched to grab Mugen and pointed it at the older young man.

Komui was eyeing the two young man with some worry, the room was held too much tense, much to his dislikes, and he feared that it could become a fight in any given moment if this kept continue and head to a wrong way. He hoped from his heart that the other Exorcists could arbitrate them should the fight was broke loose. The man didn't need his office to be destroyed despise the wish that he wanted all his annoying paperwork were gone. No, he would be doomed if that happened.

The others had no better reaction than his, well, except Book man who only eyed the heated glare between the two young men. Lenalee was the most obvious besides Komui who worried so much, followed by Ellen. Lavi sighed in long suffering manner; he clearly didn't like the situation. Link looked annoyed but his stance indicated that he was ready to interfere if the worst happened.

"You want my proof?" Noctis asked once again and more from his cold fury was being put in his sentence. "Shall I show it to you that I'm not lying to you and that none of my words are false?"

The rest were stared in anticipation at the two of them.

Noctis stood slowly from the coach and shifted his position so he was facing Kanda. His eyes were flickered red for a very short time and only Kanda who caught it.

"Yes? Or no?"

Ellen wanted to flinch at that voice which held darkness and power. She never really thought it back there on how this young man she found could be dangerous if he want. She felt unthreatened when he was stood in there in that dream, she even somehow felt some strange comfortableness. But now...

Imagined how flabbergasted she was when she acknowledged that he was capable to be acting in such a dark way.

But then again, Ellen thought dryly as she readied her Crown Clown, she just knew him for a short time so perhaps she really didn't know his true nature from the beginning.

Back to the heated glare contest between the stoic samurai and the cold prince, Kanda only steeled his glare as his response.

"You have heard my words, aren't you?" Kanda countered sharply.

"..."

Noctis mouth pulled into a deep frown at Kanda's rather unkindly reply and tried hard to resist his anger. That and not to threw his magic at him.

The euclase eyed young man didn't like the way the younger man talked to him to be honest. But from the way of the younger man was behavior, it seems that the long haired young man had a hard time to believe this and he couldn't blame him for that. While Kanda indeed countered in such harsh manner, the prince could hear the tone he grew to familiar in his voice earlier. The long black haired young man demanded for concrete evidence, not some kind of fairytale like. So more or less he got an idea that the younger man actually having a hard time to believe, perhaps this had something to do from his past from the way he talked about the dead. His act reminded him a little of himself when he found out how he got his power from.

Just a little.

Noctis closed his eyes and huffed heavily.

"...Very well."

Without waiting the others further responds, the chocobo haired young man lifted his right hand and summoned his black falchion. He called his power within him and as always the power did respond quickly to him, answered to his call.

They watched in surprised when there were few peculiar blue colored lights floated in silence around him. Lenalee gasped softly at their signs, while Lavi and Bookman eyed with ever grew interest. For the green haired girl, it kind of beautiful yet scary due to how the blue lights floated and circled around the young man's stretched arm in slow yet elegant moves. Both the old man and his apprentice had never come across with ability like this, so they more than willing to know what this ability could do further.

Komui straightened from his seat with those wide eyes, completely speechless to say at least. Link brownish red eyes widened ever slightly as the blue lights danced around the euclase eyed guy. It wasn't a wonder that now both the man clearly intrigued by the seemingly ethereal scene held before them. As for the holder of Mugen, somehow Kanda had this frozen look at his face. He tensioned at the sight of the blue lights. His dark blue eyes widened ever slightly before they narrowed and scanned those lights as if they were something dangerous.

Ellen was stunned; she followed those lights with some uneasiness. They were indeed beautiful. However at a glance, those lights were reminded her a little too much with the souls of the dead which people often draw in the books. But it was real. They were real, circled the young man with soft and cold glows and it uneasy her more or less at first. No wonder it was said to be a power from the dead. If people didn't have some guts, they probably would freak out at the lights-like- souls and misunderstood them as spirits.

It was then they saw something solid yet invisible glittered within his opened palm. Noctis gripped the thing and later his falchion appeared in his waiting palm along with few flakes of transparent crystal, as exchange from the blue lights that went gone soon after. It was dominating with black and silver colors with a bit of blue from the small and long cylinder which was attaching to the mechanical part from the hilt. The mechanical part itself borrowed a resemblance a motorcycle machine and few runes like carved on the falchion's blade.

As the crystal flakes also disappeared from their sight, nobody said anything for quite good moment as they kept staring at the falchion. Which was quickly broken when Lavi whistle.

"Now that was I call as awesome." The eye patch young man stated nonchalantly.

"You..." Kanda had his dark blue eyes widened for a second before they were back to his normal narrow shaped when he lifted his head back to Noctis.

Although it was faint and Noctis almost didn't manage to catch it, there was a faint of surprise tone beneath his cold voice.

"This is the proof that you wanted, Kanda." The prince cut him first with hard tone, left him no room to argue back. "While it's true that the dead should stay dead…do not ever underestimate the power of the realm of the dead. Should the power is use wrongly; it can cause large destruction to mankind… That's why very few people have this power. It is because that dangerous…"

His voice went softer at the end of the sentence; his anger had lessened in good amount in the same time.

"…Brother? Is that an Innocence?" Lenalee couldn't take her gaze away from the falchion.

"That's definitely not the Innocence for surely." Komui countered with amazed and confused tone. "No Innocence can do that."

This quickly gained attention from Noctis.

"Innocence?"

Komui seemed hesitated for a moment. He was torn between either to tell him or not due to the younger man's circumstance. For a second thought, the young man could be really a citizen instead of spy from the Earl. Yet he found it quite difficult to make a choice with some risk. However to his surprise, Bookman already pass him.

"Or do Dark Matter for that matter." Dark eyes full of wise met the frowned euclase eyes. "I knew something is different from you when I looking at you. So that's the power of the dead. If this myth is true at all, then you had facing death before. You almost died once and yet in the same time you managed to come back and now, you possess this ability as a result."

His assumption went hit on the right spot as Noctis clenched his grip at his weapon. His mouth shut closed however his brief act had spoken so much volume to the Exorcists and a Chief Officer.

"You have proved it more than well, Noctis. Now please put back your weapon, there's no need to hold such a weapon in this office."

Noctis only replied Bookman with a quiet nod as he muttered a thank you. He let the falchion gone from his grip in the same way. The flakes of crystal and blue lights appeared as the blade disappeared within the grip and then went gone once more.

"No wonder it's considering to be a real thing. I can see the reason of it." Bookman commented as he saw the falchion disappeared. "Though, I wonder why I never heard about this before."

"What do you mean by that, Bookman?" Link asked and narrowed his caramel eyes.

Noctis found himself was gave a serious look from the rather short old man. Now he thought about it, he just realized that the old man was shorter than he had first seen him. Noctis then threw away that disrespectful mind before he could think otherwise and give himself a mental slap.

"You said that the myth is common from where you come from. If I may ask, where are you came from?"

Noctis had a mind to answered Lucis but he then against it. If this old man was just as clever as he has showing to him, then he surely would notice the similarity between his temporally surname and Noctis' kingdom, it will be useless and blown his cover in instant. Instead, Noctis chose to use Stella's name country as his cover and Noctis couldn't help but feeling slightly guilty toward the blond haired young woman.

"I'm from Tenebrae."

"That sounds so Latin. Are you from Rome?" Komui asked and tilted his head to left.

"No. I'm not from Rome." Noctis frowned a bit.

"But your name sounded like a one from Rome." The bespectacled man pointed out.

"Is that a small town from around Rome then?" Ellen asked curiously.

Noctis left eye twitched. "Ellen, it's not a small town. Tenebrae is a country and it's a quite big to be drawn on the map."

Then silence.

"A country?" Lenalee repeated with disbelieve line. "Are you sure, Noctis?"

"Of course. It has a wide regional to be even to draw in the map."

…

No one opened their mouths or even commented. Not even Kanda who had this 'are you nuts' look on him.

Noctis felt slightly uneasy at the oddness.

"It's near the Magna Viridi Forest and Fatum Mountains. If you're still not getting it yet, it's neighboring with countries of Tenebrae, Accordo, and Solheim." Noctis explained more detailed yet he still left about the Lucis Kingdom.

"..."

"..."

Okay, is this just him or he was feeling that he somehow been left in blackness?

And could they not stare at him with that way?

Why would they look at him with unreadable expression? Well, not really unreadable, just it was looks like their eyes were filled with odd shock and unexplainable disbelieve mixture. He really started to scare at those looks and he felt like he was a mental patient who was running from the hospital or crazy or…

"Uh...Noctis?" Lavi cut his inner ramble with unsurely gesture.

Noctis blinked dumbly. "Yes?"

The red head young man scratched his back head hesitantly as he exchanged a silent communication with his master. Bookman nodded his almost bald head, allowed his apprentice to talk to the young prince. Noctis felt his body tensioned as his trained sixth sense quickly did feeling something.

"Is there something wrong?" Noctis shot the question.

Lavi blinked at him as Ellen and the rest were waiting for the eye patch young man to talk. Again, he scratched his head then he sighed heavily as if he wanted to tell some bad news. And it made Noctis worry to say.

"Noctis," Lavi began. "There are no such countries with names like that, let alone the forest and the mountains."

…

Noctis' euclase eyes went as wide as saucer.

For a moment he forgot to wear his cold mask. His face was now completely like a blank expression of fool.

"Huh?" Was the only smart reply he can give.

Wait.

Wait.

Please wait a minute.

What did he just say?

"What Lavi mean is, there are such places with Latin names like those you've mentioned. And so far as I remember, Noctis, I'm even can't recall if there are such countries with names like Tenebrae, Solheim, and…Accordo. I've see the map of the world quite often to remembered a lot of countries." Bookman elaborated.

The old man already sensed that the young man now completely devastated.

Noctis felt his heart was being stab by a cold and sharp sword. As if it wasn't enough, it then cut through his body without mercy, left him in deep gash within. Suddenly Noctis had a difficult to breath and his head began to throb. He shook his head slowly and sighed heavily. Noctis then put his hand on his forehead.

"No…way…"

That's...impossible to say.

"You're really never heard about them?"

"Nope. Not even one bit. Although this place is probably isolated from outer side, it doesn't mean this place is inaccessible. We're even often going outside." Lavi replied.

Noctis resisted the urge to groan. This is not so good.

"Errr, Noctis, are you alright in there?" Lavi had to ask carefully even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer or a reply above that, and he prepared as much as that.

Surprisingly, Noctis did reply him although it was in a mere mutter.

"No, I'm not alright..." His chocobo head then snapped at Komui. "Mr. Lee, if you really have a world map, may I see it, please?" Noctis asked with an urgent tone.

Koumi blinked. "Uh..., sure. Lenalee, can you take the newest map from that table, please?"

"Yes, Brother." Lenalee stood up from the coach. "Excuse me." With that, she then took off to take a map.

Noctis seated back to the coach beside Ellen who was staring with some concern at him.

"Noctis?" Ellen tried to calling his name with hushed tone but the young man seem to distraught with his new problems.

Ellen called him once more, this time more demanding.

"Noctis."

Noctis then snapped his head at the certain silver haired young woman. He blinked once in question.

"Yes?"

At first, Ellen hadn't any idea of what she should say to him. Noctis' stunning sky blue eyes were fixed and stared right into her silver. Now she thought about it, his eyes color now looked like a clear crystal since they were glimmered. Were they actually his true color eyes? Ellen also took a note that confusion was obviously in there, inside his eyes, but a good few moments later Ellen noticed there was something else. It was then she realized that he was waiting for her to let her opinion. Noctis was waiting Ellen to talk to him. Oddly enough, as she acknowledged this, her mouth then moved by itself and formed a word by word. Her hand then laid on his shoulder, squeezed it in gently manner.

"Noctis, I know you're probably wondering what's going on, but I'm suggest you to be patient and don't go chaotic too early. Perhaps your country is a small country and isn't drawn on the map before. I'm sure we will find out something once we are seeing the map. Until then, you're needed to stay down. Can you do it?"

Noctis kept staring at her, though his body stance had relaxed a bit. His voice went quiet.

"… Thank you for your advice. Ellen." Noctis' lips curved a bit. "And you don't have to worry about me. I am trying to keep my head cool." He assured her.

"Good."

Lenalee finally went back with the world map within her grasps.

"I've found the map. It's difficult to pull it out from the other things. Brother, I think you should once or twice clean this whole mess." She half lectured.

Komui grimaced at the mention of cleaning his office. "Perhaps next time when I'm not having paperwork..."

"Here we go. I'll so you can see all of it." Lenalee gave the map, in which Noctis had just noticed that it was a quite big map.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for making trouble of you." The euclase eyed young man accepted it with gratefully.

"Oh, there's nothing to apologize. I'm glad I can help you." Lenalee smiled and waved her hand in dismissal.

Noctis went to focused at the big map unfolded the world map with slightly hurried yet carefully gesture. Everything had become too weird to his dislikes. A civilization that had no cell phone yet they had something else called golem, clothes which looked old fashioned to him, an organization that he never heard, the countries around his home kingdom which they claimed to never existed. He couldn't contain his suspicious and his worry anymore since it became too much to him.

At the time he saw the whole world map; he was frozen and found himself staring widely at the map he held.

There we so many countries and their capitals within the map, along with the smaller cities and wide continents.

But…

But…

He didn't recognize any of them.

Oh, Dear Etro.

How could this is happening?

Noctis was speechless.

He couldn't find any word to describe his chaotic feeling right now. Here was no signing of countries him being familiar with.

No Tenebrae. No Accordo. No Solheim.

Not even Lucis nor Niflheim.

It was a map with odd shapes continents and names of countries he never heard, many of them.

"…Noctis? Dude, you look so pale." Lavi asked in concern.

"…My homeland…" Noct choked. "My home country…I can't find it. Not even Niflheim in here. What the h*ll?!"

"Eerrr, Noctis?"

That's it.

He can't hide his panic and worry anymore.

This whole façade really, really had become too much for him.

And so he did the act that most people would do when they were in unknown place and freaked out.

"IN THE NAME OF ETRO, WHERE THE HECK AM I...!?"

The frustrated voice of the poor, not to mention clueless blue eyed young man, was echoing not only through the whole room but it echoed through to the entire Black Order HQ.

In the Ark…

Meanwhile as the main heir of Lucis too preoccupied with his new situation, somewhere within the Ark, in the piano room, the Noah of Destruction who watched quietly from the shadow couldn't help but struggle very hard to not laugh in which he was chuckling at the prince's hilarious reaction.

Ah poor Noctis.

He didn't know what about to hit him soon, the Fourteenth thought that as he saw Noctis now went panicked with deep interest.

So far the prince had proved to be a worthy entertainment to the Musician. And he had met little Ellen Walker and made interaction with her.

The shadow gentleman then smiled very widely.

As he had expected, the young Lucis was indeed interesting.

He noted to himself that he should thank to the goddess of the death for this, later.

Otherwise in the Lucis Kingdom...

It wasn't an easy day for the kingdom that day.

It was like a nightmare to the most of the people.

Few hours after the attack began and through a long fierce battle, the soldiers managed to secure all the invaders with some reinforcement that from Tenebrae. It was not without a price. There were people died from the sudden attack either from the soldiers or from the civilians, lots of them. The injured also were not few. Most of them relieved that they could stop the attack.

But not to the few certain people.

Especially for brown spike haired and spectacled man named as Ignis.

Ignis never been this tired and felt the cold angry this bad before.

He never expected this to be happened.

Ignis had this almost irresistible urge to strangle someone, anyone and it took a lot of his control to not let go his tantrum. The spiked haired man swore that this is the worst day that he ever had in his life. Nothing would be worse than the abrupt disappearance of Noctis, the prince of the Lucis and his close friend.

When they managed to force back the enemy and stabilized the security's back, Ignis, along with Gladiolus were wasting no time to go to the Holy Chamber and left the charge in the rest of the soldiers. Once they got there, they only found Prompto who barely conscious leaned to the one of the pillars. His shotgun was laid not far from him and a small crack existed above him. The intruder or the prince was nowhere to be found, not even sight of them existed. And this made both Ignis and Gladiolus more cautious and worry than ever.

It was obvious that the intruder managed to hit Prompto with one single strong attack and went away but that's not the only matter. Ignis couldn't find Noctis in this chamber, so where he had gone into? Gladiolus went to their blonde friend's side and tried to wake him up. After several moments, Prompto finally regained his conscious back. The blonde had a bluish bruise on his back. Prompto was still hurt from the injury but it will heal for sure. They had to bring him the infirmary hall and had him to be treated immediately. They were watching their blonde friend from afar as the blonde had his back got treatment from the nurse.

"…I can't believe this sh*t would be happen…" Ignis put his hand on his face and shook his head. "Noct was right; we should've known this will come eventually…"

"Hey, no one would expected it, Bro. I bet even the King will not have expected this, it isn't the time for blaming yourself, Ignis." Gladiolus said in the matter of fact and tried to cheer him up.

"Even if you say so, I'm still feeling responsible for what had happened. But that's not the only problem I'm worrying about."

Gladiolus then looked at the floor and stared hard. "Noctis…he's still missing, isn't it?"

Ignis not gave his answer yet his silent had spoken much volume to the scarred man.

Gladiolus huffed and leaned against the cold wall behind him.

"It's rather…unbelievable story." Gladiolus stated as he lost in thought. "But with the power of the Great Crystal, I guess nothing is impossible. And I don't think Prompto is being hallucinated, aside from lying."

Ignis had to agree with the black haired man. No matter how seemingly absurd Prompto's story, he couldn't deny it as it was the only logical reason for the Noctis Lucis Caelum to disappear without any trace. They had heard Prompto's story before they brought him to the infirmary. It made them quite devastated once they knew who the intruder was. And the revelation about the crystal was being acted by its own, not to mention that Noct got hit by the power of the crystal and then gone from where he once stood didn't help either.

And for the love of Etro, they have no any idea how to report this certainly bad news to King Regis, Noctis' father and the current king of the Lucis.

Only God knows what would happen if the king acknowledged the disappearance of his son.

"The Great Crystal…it seems that it always finds its way to never cease us to being amazed." Ignis said quietly.

"It is." Gladiolus nodded in agreement. "Though I wonder what the Great Crystal had done to Noct and where he is now."

Gladiolus frowned slightly. "That and why it wants to do such extreme thing?"

There was a brief silence between the two men as they were on their own thoughts.

"…There are intriguing questions none less, indeed, however we must do what we can do for now."

"Such as?"

"We must have Prompto treated first before we report it to Your Majesty."

Gladiolus raised one of his eyebrows in questioning manner. "And once we report it?"

"…Well, isn't it obvious?" Ignis fixed his glasses then straightened and stood from his seat. "We will find out what's going on in there and find a way to bring him back."

Gladiolus smirked. "I see." The man then glanced at Prompto's direction. "It seems that the treatment has finished already."

"Good." Ignis glasses gleamed under the light. "Then we can do this job faster. Who knows what kind of trouble Noct will get while he's in the middle of nowhere."

"Heh. Noct is so stubborn, you know that already. He isn't going let himself to be beaten by that kind of stuff." Gladiolus laughed half heartedly.

Ignis smiled wryly.

"You're right."

Unknown to them, almost in the same time in far away in there, in another world, the very same prince was having a panic session when he found out that him not in his home world anymore.

And that's the end of this chapter, for now. X) So what do you think of it? Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto made their appearances although it was short. Also, the Fourteenth is sure going to enjoy Noctis being freaked out from the Ark. Speaking about the prince, some of you probably wondered why Noctis told them to calling him as 'Noctis', not 'Noct'. Well, there is a reason why he told them to calling him 'Noctis'. From what I've read about him, the nickname of 'Noct' is only used by few people who close to him, including his father and his friends. Since Noctis recently had just met them, he instead gave him his full name, not his nickname. Please give me your opinion, reviews, or even your critics here! See you next time.