Hey everyone,
phew, this chapter took quite a long while to finish. Personal matters took most of my freetime away and I had to postpone writing for awhile. Thank you for being patient with me :).
I won't say anything about this chapter. I think reading everything yourself will tell you everything you need to know, fufu. I can only hope that you like this chapter as much as I do.
Only so much: for Noct there are many changes to come ...
Enjoy!
Kamuel
Chapter Fourteen - Found - Noctis POV
...
Aah, such wonderful bliss.
I'm surrounded by beautiful roses and I can smell their sweet fragrance all around me, it's making me smile wide and I feel my body relax.
It's a wonderful day to be alive.
Have I already mentioned the roses? Their smell is really intoxicating.
I feel great.
Today is a good day.
Everything smells great...
Yes.
I do not feel as if I am about to puke all over my shoes any moment.
Oh damn, that was a negative thought. Now I have to start over again.
Okay... just in case you are wondering what the hell I am doing right now - I practice the art of positive thinking.
You read that one right.
There is this saying in Lucis, that to think positive, to visualize your future as optimistically as possible, is to draw that future you envision closer to the present.
And you know what? It's a lie.
I already did this for the past two hours and it didn't work.
Or, I might have been doing this completely wrong. I don't know. Nothing has changed so far.
I'm still sitting here beside Ravus, forced to enjoy this hellish ride as an illegal passenger of one of the best steered airships that I've ever had the pleasure to come across to (somebody please instant-fire this suicidal idiot of a pilot!).
Why am I even surprised? Niflheim isn't famous for being surrounded by a deep, all-encompassing red colored fog for nothing. Even the native people living here can't really foresee how the dangerous storms around the mountains behave, evoked and induced by too much magiteck-smog. Ravus told me, that the storms are a remainder of Niflheim's curse, for having once used their very last resources of magical power on evil experiments - fusing human consciousness with artificial intelligence, by using a dangerous self-aware technology in their guns and weapons that has helped their nation to conquer the whole world today.
The ancient influence their Archean named Bahamut has over these lands is clearly tangible. The air is impregnated with copper remnants of their now complete depleted Crystal, coloring the surroundings in these mountains that function as a barrier in a deep red, forever hiding the sun, making it harder to detect or to locate this place from the outside of its borders.
Especially today, to me it almost seems as if Bahamut is deeply aggravated by something. For the storms to be that strong this morning I wonder what happened to the Archean to be that angry ...
My body gives a shudder, feeling very uncomfortable in my own skin as we make our way to Lucis. There is something in the air today... my guts can't tell exactly what it is, but there is a change coming.
Hopefully we can get ourselves alive, intact and in one piece to the Insomnia palace.
Anyway, I'm about to get angry as well. I diligently start to count backwards the hours, minutes and seconds in order to somehow estimate the entire unbearable long duration of our terrific journey through these Edenic lands.
So back to positive thinking.
Birds are chirping, a warm breeze is caressing my face, the sunlight is beaming brightly from above and warming up my skin, nature is calling...
Nature is indeed calling just as my stomach starts making some really strange sounds. I fight with all I have to not lose my breakfast sideways on Cor's newspaper. Do they even have toilets on this magnificent flying ship?!
Indeed, in case you haven't figured it out yet, I suffer from severe motion sickness - curiously happens to me only once I'm inside an airship (especially badly steered ones like this one).
Teleporting myself around? No problem. Check.
Sitting in the back of cars and trains? No problem. Check again.
Traveling on boats or ships? No clue, haven't experienced that one yet. Obviously back in Lucis we didn't have any seas to overcome.
But being forced to travel inside airships? Heaven forbid, I literally hate those with a severe passion.
Just then the turbulence inside this airship grow even stronger and I curse inwardly, trying to steady myself on something solid. The nearest object beside me makes me frown just when my hand is shooting out to grasp Ravus' firm thigh forcefully on my left side. Beside a small twitch of his muscles under the palm of my hand, he gives no outward indication of my frightfully strong grip on his leg - and I'm sure that I must be hurting him by now, the airship doing some crazy loops at this moment to dodge whatever is out there.
I don't need to look into a mirror to see my pale and puke-green complexion on my appalled face. My eyes squeeze themselves tightly shut all on their own, as if this could prevent me from getting violently sick.
God in Heaven. If you can hear me, please stop this.
I really don't feel good right now.
A whisper reaches me from the right side. "Are you alright?"
No. No, I'm not alright.
I'm actually terrified.
The feeling of throwing up any minute multiplying itself with every slight turn of this damnable airship.
I'm going to have nightmares and constipation for weeks after this hellish ride.
I don't dare to move even one muscle of mine, controlling my breathing to keep calm, then I feel Cor patting me on my back, while reading today's news and throwing worrying glances at me periodically. How he is able to read so calmly, while this airship is doing all those crazy stunts in the air, is a complete mystery to me.
A further reason of why I'm not daring to move, is because we are surrounded by a bunch of Niflheim's human and android troops. They are escorting their new Highness of Lucis to reach Insomnia safely.
I feel so special to finally get some serious experience of what it's like to be a part of Niflheim's army.
Had I mentioned that this is the best day of my life?
And had I mentioned roses before? Have I? Let me explain why I desperately wish for the sweet fragrance of roses.
Because of my hard earned, highly popular status in Niflheim, I've been given the privilege to find myself inside this very stifling, very uncomfortable and complete disgusting smelling piece of old crappy armor.
Considering that I had two limiting options for my safe transportation, options that were kindly given to me by Ravus this morning (only five minutes before departing), I shouldn't complain. It's been either hiding myself inside a cramped luggage, but after having almost suffocated myself in advance on my hyperventilating fright of my brain cells probably dying inside that tight space from lack of oxygen and simultaneously imagining how my precious limbs would fall off in their feeble attempt to summon their spectacular nonexistent and professional-looking contortion abilities, I definitely needed to hear my second option.
Here is the thing. I previously thought the alternative to be an absolute brilliant idea: to cover myself from head to toe inside this far superior and stupendous piece of crappy and stinky armor. There. Genius, right? What a brilliant idea we've all had. From the outside I look like an innocent Niflheim soldier on duty, just guarding Ravus and his entourage on our trip to Insomnia - the only difference this time: I'm about to suffocate myself while inhaling all of these terrible all-pervasive pestilential vapors fuming into my nose. I don't even dare to wander off to those nightmarish thoughts, of people dying in here and probably having been left to rot inside for whole centuries.
So, which option did my humble and noble self choose this morning?
If you haven't figured this one out yet, I'll give you three guesses.
Let's just leave it at that, I deeply regret my decision by now. The cramped luggage would have smelled neutral the very least - a high contrast to what I have to endure now. Had I only known beforehand ...
I blame my tender nose for not being able to sustain such a revolting smell. How those knights in their shiny polished armor in front of me are able to even lift their guns at their enemies at all is remarkable. I should file away this knowledge for later use - Niflheim's human soldiers are completely immune to rotting stench.
As I scrunch up my nose, in an attempt to somehow evade the whiff-ey particles of information so that my nose can't be sending them straight to my sentient brain, I try to ignore the fatal, emetic inducing odors this overused armor is giving off. It honestly reeks as if the previous owners have never heard of soap before. I fear the acrid fumes are that heavily clingy, insomuch they permeate my sensitive skin right as I start to sweat inside.
My body shivers in revulsion.
As if the motion sickness alone isn't enough for today.
This suit of armor is the devil himself!
How desperate I am to finally get out of this crappy thing! My hallucinating brain is sending me ongoing emergency signals that I'll never be able to get rid of this putrid smell, no matter how often I'll wash myself. The strong odors already invading my high-strung mucous membranes and making themselves quite at home there without my spoiled nostrils permission. This definitely won't leave my inner nostrils walls for a long, long time - and I don't even need Ignis' foretelling skills for me to know that for sure.
I'm not joking, I really stink like a dirty skunk.
I imagine Prom never wanting to touch me ever again. Not in this foul reeking state of mine.
A comical tableau appears unbidden before my inner eyes. A prophetic vision. Prom and I are smiling brightly, emotional tears gracing our glimmering eyes as the sunset is highlighting the fragile complexion of our faces. And we run, and run towards each other, and jump on a field full of roses to finally, finally reach another (like it always happens in those old cheesy romantic movies). But then, I can hear in the distance his feet suddenly screeching fiercely in halt. With utmost fear painted inside my eyeballs I can already see the vegetation beneath his feet to be damaged beyond repair. And this means only one thing - that he is suddenly holding his nose in utter disgust and refusing to go any further! All the while my heart beats painfully, full of misery and longing, for his passionate embrace. But. There are approximately fifty meters forming a huge invincible distance between us, the sudden purple fumes of the absolutely atrocious odor that my skin is giving off becomes suddenly visible and is building an impenetrable wall between us! It's separating Prom and me until the day I die and am going to leave this mortal stinking body behind.
Or, without over-dramatizing my current situation, at least until I washed myself with the most potent and best smelling soap in existence.
I shake myself from the terrible fiction that my mind just produced.
That was a truly horrible vision.
But it did manage to distract me for awhile.
My stomach is reminding me that I don't feel well.
When will we finally arrive in Lucis?
I pray to the Heavens to bestow upon my sensitive nostrils (and stomach) strength and endurance for the rest of our trip.
Meanwhile I busy myself with counting numbers backwards, forward and backwards again - it's the only thing that works against the motion sickness after all.
...in hopes that the circus around me comes to a sudden end, hopefully through some miraculous circumstances that are interfering with the upcoming depressing events of today.
...
"Aaargh! Did you see that?! What was that?"
"It's Bahamut!"
"Bahamut, the Archean?! Are you sure?"
"That can't be right. What is he doing out here? Shouldn't he be asleep?"
The airship suddenly slows down, halting and hovering in the air. The hired staff around us start to talk louder among themselves, the growing fear and panic on their faces clearly visible.
"Why do we stop? What's going on?"
"Captain, the Archean Bahamut is out there! He blocks our path, sir. Your orders, sir?"
The captain of the airship is jumps up from his seat to run towards the windows to catch a better look of what's happening outside.
"He's not only blocking the path. He is preparing himself to attack the airship as we speak!"
Cor, Ravus and I look at each other in shock.
Never in a million years would we have expected the ancient Archean to appear today.
Well, it seems as if my prayers have miraculously been answered - but in a complete different way as I've had initially anticipated. My positive thinking might have worked out - but I wouldn't call this exactly a positive future that is now staring us in the face. These are some damn fine thorny roses out there, bringing only the sweet fragrance of death with them.
The Archean Bahamut is rumored to be the most dangerous and strongest entity of them all. Add to that him being angry for whatever reason at us and we already have the perfect combination for a disaster happening.
Why did he wake up from his long slumber?
"Attack incoming! Rise the protective shields! Everybody brace for impact!"
Not one second after, a huge flare of energy is hitting the surface of the airship and the explosion outside and the wild tremors inside indicate that the protective shields have been utterly destroyed with only one blow.
It's a wonder we are still alive after such a strong blast.
As I look around me in growing fear, Ravus stands up to give his order to land. "Bring us down immediately. At this stage we have no choice but to relent if we don't want to be annihilated on the spot."
"Yes, my Lord."
I stand up as well, whispering furiously at Ravus, "What do you hope to achieve? Getting a seat to chitchat with Bahamut while drinking your damn tea? Yeah, like this will go well."
"In fact, this is exactly what I'll be doing," is his smooth answer.
Rolling my eyes at his calm demeanor I watch Cor and him exchanging some meaningful glances, and again, I hate to be the only one to be left uninitiated into each one of their damn secrets! I really need to know what truly is going on, damn it! Yesterday evening our talks were cut short by the personal assistants that Aldercapt had sent to Ravus' rooms to help out with the moving boxes - and I didn't get to hear the rest of their plans because I needed to get into hiding for the entire night afterwards.
Now, without any of my powers recovered - an aftereffect from whatever Ravus and Cor have done to me in between those past few weeks, there is no way in hell that I could aid them in this fight without getting myself killed in the process.
And this thought is utterly frightening as it is frustrating.
For the first time in my life I am really aware of the fact, that I'm indeed mortal. Being completely powerless sucks big time.
I hope Ravus and Cor have some sort of tactical advantage over the Archean, else I foresee all of us meeting my father in the Astral realms sooner rather than later.
"Second attack incoming! Brace yourselves for another impact!"
Shit.
Bahamut isn't playing around!
We don't even get enough time to get ourselves down on the floor or to hold on to something, because this time Bahamut's angry assault on our airship is literally tearing the entire vehicle apart.
The following events happen to me in a furious blur.
Ravus gets hit by a blasted chunk of hot metal, his body knocking painfully against the wall from its force and I watch helplessly how he is immediately passing out after.
Just when I crawl my body in his direction, Cor shoves me desperately away from the airship, pushing me down right through an open hole from where the airship has just been blasted apart, the thin air and wind making it hard for me to breathe as my leather gloved hands are holding tightly on some damaged metal parts.
I realize a second too late that I can't take a hold of the edge properly, the leather fabric slippery with machine oil, not being able to reach to Cor's hands to pull him with me and for a second or two I can only watch various unreadable expressions playing over his mature face. His usual stoical looking eyes are now full with pain and regret as as my own body is mercilessly being pulled down by gravitation, the old armor I'm clad into only assisting in adding even more weight.
And just then the rest of the airship is blowing up in blazing pieces of hot metal before my very eyes.
"NO! Cor! Ravus! NO! I can't lose you two as well! Not now! Please!"
My helmet comes off from my head and I have trouble breathing now that I did lose my only protection against the thin air and smoke.
Damn it all to hell!
Why is all of this happening to the people that I care about?! Why is all of this happening to me?
Is this some sort of punishment?!
Is there somebody out there enjoying the pain and loss that we go through?!
I feel angry tears appearing and blurry my vision, my shaking limbs falling further and further down towards the mountains, all the while willing myself to warp somewhere on a safe place.
But the alien power inside me doesn't answer to my desperate calls.
The Phantom Swords do not react to my will either.
What in the world happened to me?
Why can't I even feel my inner powers anymore?
How did Cor and Ravus expect me to protect myself when I can't fucking use any of my magical abilities?!
With a sharp cry of despair I try to call whatever power that is left inside of me.
Ramuh!
Titan!
But the only thing that I get in return is absolute silence.
I swallow dryly.
So... that's it?
As I feel myself inevitably falling further downwards, as if in slow motion, I look up at the burning parts of the airship above me as the distance between us is growing, knowing my heavy body to hit the ground inevitably in less than a minute, I suddenly find myself strangely disappointed.
In a bizarre kind of way I always thought that the day I reach my own demise would happen in a more meaningful manner. I thought that I would die in a fierce battle of sorts, surrounded by my most precious friends and family as I lead them to victory. Naively thinking that my death would change the world for the better...
There is still so much left to do.
So much in this world needs to change...
I thought I would be strong enough to make this change happen.
I should have found out the truth about everything much sooner... my father would still be alive.
I should have been more alert all this time, Ignis had been right.
I shouldn't have arrogantly believed that I'm strong enough to take on the whole world with my inexperienced fighting skills and should have taken my training with Gladio more seriously.
The angry tears at myself spill out in hot trails over my cold cheeks and I punch at my armored chest in a hollow motion, knowing that it's already too late for me to change anything about myself.
If only I would have been stronger and wiser, all of this could have been prevented from the very beginning!
Prompto would still be alive and still by my side...
Everyone would still be protected by the Crystal.
I'm so sorry Prom...
I'm truly sorry everyone.
I've failed all of you...
More angry tears are spilling over my face and I welcome the pain of loss, the pain of defeat.
All of a sudden I feel an inhuman presence beside me.
I take a defeated glance at my left, not surprised at seeing Bahamut flying closer to me.
But I'm surprised at seeing that he looks exactly like all those ancient paintings I once saw as a child in one of those ancient books. He looks like I would imagine a beautiful fallen angel to be, his body having a pale human-like form and an almost glowing complexion, huge black wings making him look more intimidating as they are flapping up and down to keep him constantly in the air.
And I'm even more surprised by what says to me in my mind as he fixes his intense but cold dark eyes at me, "I know who you are. I didn't want any of this to happen. But I had no choice..."
Before I can ask who made him do this, I can feel his own pain and furious anger just as he summons another flare of energy in between his pale hands.
I brace myself, preparing for my last intakes of breath.
At least I prefer this kind of death over to being squashed painfully like a mashed potato on the unforgiving ground.
Eos... I'm going to miss everyone.
I'm really going to miss Prom...
As I close my eyes, I feel myself smiling a bittersweet smile at imagining his own smiling face before me.
I wish to see him one last time before I leave this world. Because I know that it will take a long time again until I'm allowed to meet my soulmate in another life.
I promise next time I'll be better prepared to protect the both of us.
To protect everyone.
I won't make the same mistakes twice.
Prom, if there is a way that my thoughts can reach you... I love you. Sincerely. Madly.
I recall all the precious memories that I have of him, wanting to keep them close to my heart even in the afterlife.
When I start to feel the impact of Bahamut's flare attack, the heat of it reaching the armor and beginning to melt the measly metal off from my body I'm about to scream in pain, the blazing heat penetrating my clothes, but suddenly nothing happens.
Time seems to stop.
Ah, this must be the famous effect of dying.
I heard of people saying that this is the moment where your entire life is flashing before your inner eyes.
"Noct!"
Well, isn't this funny?
Even Prom's voice seems to be realistic.
"Noct, we need to get you out of here!"
I give a short cynic laugh.
Yes, Death loves to wreak havoc with my senses, because it's not possible for Prom to call out my name by now.
"Noct! Seriously, get a grip of yourself!"
I feel somebody furiously shaking me.
Shaking me as in truly touching my shoulders and really shaking me.
"Answer me! Noct!"
With a loud gasp I quickly open my eyes, eagerly searching out the source of the voice. Not daring to believe.
And I suddenly feel myself going into shock.
Not being able to process, nor being able to comprehend for one second the incredible sight that greets me.
Familiar, almost glowing bright blue eyes are staring with worry back at me. His fair colored hair having grown slightly longer, the more mature lines on his face telling me that he has seen and experienced a lot in the time we've been separated.
My hand shakes like crazy as I slowly reach up to touch the side of his breathtaking looking face.
"Prom... is it really you?" I whisper with awe, my voice trembling as my emotions threaten to choke me up. "I am not dead, am I?"
He smiles fondly while his warm hand strokes over the cold trails of my tears. "Idiot," he says lovingly, "of course it's me. Sorry for being late. I'm glad I made it in time."
Only when he takes a look around us do I follow his gaze and gasp again when I realize that time has truly stopped, it wasn't my imagination!
Bahamut is frozen in place, in the same position as before, his eyes fixed strangely in a sad way in my direction, the mass of energy shooting out from his hands just reaching my armor and having stopped short before it could burn my skin off from the entire left side of my body.
"How...?" I'm not able to produce an entire sentence. The whole situation completely overwhelming my mind, still unable to understand that Prom is really here, holding me, saving me.
"Come. Let's get away from here. Time will unfreeze itself soon." He takes a hold of my hand and I watch in a strange fascination how we are running down, with stepping motions upon thin air, as if there were solid stairs under our feet instead.
As I watch the muscles of Prom's back rippling, and his lean but strong legs moving before my very eyes, a sight I didn't believe to see in this current life anymore, my emotions run all rampant inside - feeling relieved, excited, elated and confused as hell.
And as if reading my mind he turns his face to look into my eyes, saying to me breathlessly as we continue to run forward, "We'll talk later. First we need to find a place to hide ourselves in."
I can only nod in answer. Fearing, that if I open my mouth to say something, Prom might disappear. That they will take him away from me again.
He squeezes my hand firmly, intuiting that I need every slight confirmation that he is real. That all of this is really happening. That I just got a second chance at life and a chance to make up for my own incredibly stupid mistakes, with Prom by my side.
When we finally reach the ground, Prom guides me to a hidden place that seems to be the only spot around the entire mountain range where flowers still bloom. "Hurry, we need to get inside."
I can hear sounds of a waterfall somewhere near as he pulls on my hand to follow after him, being careful of my head as we get deeper into the cave. It's a small looking cave that quickly proves to be much wider on the inside.
"From where do you know this place?" I can't help but ask curiously.
He glances sideways at me, grinning boyishly, "I have been here before."
"Hah?! Really? When?" I don't remember him ever being in Niflheim before, and most certainly not around these forsaken mountains.
With a frown on my face I notice that he doesn't reply to my question, but I'm patient and so we walk further into the deepest parts of the cave, the walls suddenly being illuminated by a beautiful, bright light, both of us walking until we reach the end to an open fireplace in the middle of it. This isn't a natural fireplace... it's a foreign art of magic, and said magical signature is tied to Prom.
Well, here I have another question stacked and added to my never ending list of questions. But it's not hopeless. I know that everything will get answered once I join my father in the Astral realms. Yeah, that thought is definitely reassuring.
"Hmmmh, that's great. Everything still looks the same and hopefully everything is still here." Prom lets go of my hand with a smile, stepping forward to lift up and set several rocks aside, and to my surprise there seems to be a hidden chamber or room underneath. He reveals and unlocking a wooden door, looking up to me while saying, "Follow me, this will be our secret haven for the next few days, maybe even weeks, until everything calms down outside and we are ready to leave."
What he just said suddenly reminds me of this crappy armor, or at least at the damaged pieces that managed themselves to miraculously cling on some injured parts of my body. Reminding me of how much I stink actually. I guess, besides everything that happened to me so far, that I still feel well enough emotionally if I am already able to worry about something so mundane as wanting to smell good when I'm stuck in a tight place with Prom alone.
He notices my hesitation, asking with a frown, "What's wrong?"
"I..." I pause to look down on my dirty clothes, my lips puckering up in disgust. "I reek. I need to clean and wash myself first and change into fresh clothes..."
I'm about to get serious seizures when I realize that there are no fresh, clean clothes for me to change into.
Prom starts to laugh heartily.
My gaze focuses completely amazed on my soulmate gorgeous face, hearing and seeing him laugh again seems so foreign suddenly. The sounds of his soft laughter like balm for my soul...
I drink in his gorgeous presence, still getting used to his longer hair... but not because it doesn't fit him. On the contrary. It makes him even more attractive and in this situation it's volatile for me to desire him even more than I did before...
We don't have time for this now.
His eyes twinkle in good humor when I hear him teasing me, "Heaven, I missed you so damn much. Noct, only you would be so concerned about your personal hygiene in a situation like this."
"Well, excuse me, I almost died out there, and now that I find myself alive after all, I just need to feel alive. That means I need to be clean first." I shrug uncomfortably at my somewhat petty excuse, shuffling my feet on the ground and kicking a small rock to the side, hoping that he won't be able to guess my real fear; him never wanting to be in my personal space again because of the horrible stench that surrounds me. I know that I behave like a spoiled brat, but I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink beside him in this bad reeking condition of mine.
I catch a triumphant looking small smile on his lips before he straightens his gorgeous face back into a serious expression. "Wait a bit, I'll get you some new clothes. Let's see, where did I place them again?" He murmurs to himself while going down the ladder, his blonde hair slowly disappearing the further he reaches the level underneath me.
So I sit down on the ground, looking around me while Prom is rummaging downstairs. My mind starts to wander.
This Prom is different compared to the one that did leave me a few weeks ago.
Prom said he was here, inside this cave in the middle of Niflheim's territory.
How? Why?
Ravus mentioned that Prom has been transported far back into the past. What did Prom do there? What kind of inheritance did he retrieve? What happened to him that changed him so much? For others it might seem not to be a lot, but I'm his boyfriend, I'm his soulmate, so naturally I now tend to notice every single detail that changed him.
When I think about it, all of a sudden he is able to wield a foreign signature of magic. I glance at the blazing fireplace in front of me, its signature completely different from the Crystal of Lucis.
Prom is suddenly able to control the flow of time, I guess. Seeing how he was able to stop not only Bahamut, but he did freeze up the whole time-sphere around us, the air stood completely still. I'm sure that he broke some serious rules with it and I hope it doesn't have any serious consequences... I still can't get over the fact that he saved my life mere minutes ago.
And then I remember the look of his body now... while he still looks lean and slender overall, I did catch some serious work done on his muscles (as a lover, how could I not notice?). Does that mean that he got some form of proper training wherever he was? In addition to that I took notice that he didn't have his usual guns by his side, whatever happened to his favorite battle companions?
My heart starts to flutter and pound holes into my chest when I think back at how incredible he looks now. His entire presence is breathtaking, more charming and much more powerful. I have no clue, because I didn't spent enough time yet around him to notice more different things about him, but what else has changed?
Oh, and I noticed of course that his face matured quite a bit. Maturity and experience suits him well... I wonder how much time has passed for him to grow that much?
The footsteps leading up the ladder calls my attention back to the present. I turn my head in his direction just when he stumbles back up the last few steps. The bright smile he aims at me is radiant and glowing.
Gods... this is such a moment where I feel like I've fallen all over again in love with him.
I feel blessed, grateful, humble. Genuinely happy that I'm allowed to have my soulmate by my side again.
Prom realizes that I think about him right now, because his smile and gaze turns very fond and he starts to walk slowly towards me with the new clothes held firmly inside his arms.
"Outside at the back of this cave there is a waterfall, I'm sure you have heard the water lap against these walls already. Don't worry about being seen, I've already taken care of our location the last time I've been here. Nobody will be able to locate us as long as we don't stray too far away from the vegetation around us. Further away I placed a protective barrier to hide us safely."
When I hear him reveal to me another proof of his new powers, I become focused and serious about our situation. "Prom, I'm sure you have a lot to share with me," I say to him with intent. "I need answers, and I know that you can help me out with that."
...
To be continued.