Chapter 18

Dinner that evening was unusually quiet. While the solemn atmosphere that had shrouded the group earlier in the day had mostly broken away, the general exhaustion that everyone felt left little energy for mirthful discussion. Dinner was quite good, as was to be expected, though simpler than usual; the discerning chef rightly understood that none of his diners would be in the mood to appreciate anything too complex.

Noctis finished his food shortly before the rest, but as he stood to leave Ignis spoke up.

"If you don't mind, Noctis, Miss Velcia and I have something to discuss with both you and Cindy."

The black-haired man stopped abruptly, turning towards Ignis with only a fraction of the surprise with which Cindy did.

"Yeah, what's up?" Noctis asked, entirely overlapped by Cindy's "Wait, whaddya need to talk ta me fer?"

Velcia couldn't help but chuckle at this, but she turned her attention to Noctis first. "It's about that Darkness in my Station, the one that's been tormenting that Star I told you about."

Noctis paused, took a deep breath, and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Alright. Something going wrong?"

Velcia glanced around the room, seeing everyone looking towards her curiously. "I suppose one might say that, but… I've been talking with Ignis and I believe it may be time to try to address it."

Ignis nodded. "From what Miss Velcia has told me, the arrival of this permeating dark presence in Lestallum has accelerated the power growth of the Bear-like beast hiding in the Star's heart. It has grown both more bold and more capable, Noct."

Noctis grimaced. "Shit. What can we do about it?"

Cindy had been doing her best to remain patient up until this point, but could restrain herself no longer and spoke up in squeak-ish surprise. "And what in tarnation does it want with me?!"

"Fear not, Cindy," Ignis assured, "Our hope is that you will not be too inconvenienced. Miss Velcia, would you please care to explain the situation?"

Velcia nodded, and stood up. She explained to Noctis and the others the most recent developments, about the Bear's power to create nightmares, and about the two little Stars and their recoveries so far. As she recalled the events of the previous night, when the Bear so boldly confronted her, many of them seemed to be quite disturbed; but Cindy's face softened.

"Aw, Vel… when you said you were dealin' with nightmares, I didn't realize it was as bad as all that," Cindy said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"Please, don't be," Velcia told her. "We've all had so much to deal with, and I've had a lot of support from Ignis. In fact… that is why I bring it up tonight."

"You got a plan to take it out then?" Gladiolus said, a knowing smirk on his face.

Ignis raised a finger. "Of sorts. Miss Velcia, I believe your new Keyblade should help explain things," he said, motioning towards her.

Velcia held out her hands in front of her, summoning her Keyblade. It was still in the new aspect provided to it by Lunafreya's charm, a fact that instantly caught Noctis' attention. He jolted upright from his perch against the wall and came over to look at it with a level of interest and amazement that Velcia had never before seen from him.

"This has something to do with Luna, doesn't it?" he asked nearly under his breath, holding his fingertips gently against the Sylleblossom in the blade.

"Yes, it does. I attached the charm she sent me to the Keyblade's base form and it took this new shape," Velcia explained.

Noctis stepped back slowly, a look akin to shock on his face. "Did she design the charm to do this?"

"I don't know, she didn't mention it at all in her letter," Velcia said, watching his face with great interest. "Keyblades have been known to take new forms inspired by the connections of its Wielder's heart. It may have simply done this on its own."

Noctis crossed his arms, and a bit of his stoicism returned as he eyed the Key. "Maybe. There's a lot of symbolism in that blade, though."

Velcia nodded slowly, looking down at it again. "That's what Ignis told me. The flower, the crossguard, the general choice of material and design… it sounds as though the entire thing carries some representation of the Oracles of your world."

Gladiolus had come over too, and was now inspecting it closely. "I'll say. It seems like a proper Tenebraen Keyblade, if there were such a thing."

"Does it have any new powers?" Prompto interjected curiously.

"In a way. The enchantment of Lunafreya's charm, the one I used to clear the muck from the Adamantoise, permeates the very essence of this form of the Keyblade. I have little doubt that any spell I cast with this form will have this same enchantment imbued into it, certainly more powerfully than if I were to try to use the Dual-Casting Love's Inheritance affords me," Velcia told him.

"Love's Inheritance?" Cindy asked curiously.

"Yes, that is the name of my Keyblade's other form," Velcia told her.

"Well, ain't that sweet! What's this one called, then?" Cindy asked.

Velcia looked down at the golden blade, turning it slowly in her hands as she looked it over. "I… I'm not really sure. With Love's Inheritance, I only knew because it was engraved in the Medal on the end of the Keychain."

Gladiolus crossed his arms, nodding thoughtfully for a moment before speaking up. "Oraculum Gratia," he said.

She turned towards the large man with her head tilted curiously, but before she could ask what he meant Ignis spoke up. "It does seem rather fitting," he said with a nod. "In the ancient tongue, it means-"

"Oracle's Grace," Noctis finished, nodding solemnly. "Yeah, that seems about right."

Velcia smiled, a warmth coming to her heart as she looked across the new Keyblade form. "It's perfect," she whispered.

"So… you think this will help you defeat the Bear, then?" Noctis asked; and though it was a simple question it snapped her to attention instantly.

"I… Yes, I hope so. From what I've learned when using the spell, Lunafreya's enchantment does not necessarily destroy or damage the Darkness, but it does make it lose its grip on whatever Heart it has a hold of."

"In addition to a small variety of other, less understood, disruptive effects," Ignis added.

"Sounds like just what you need, then," Gladiolus said.

"The trouble is," Velcia continued, turning her attention back to Noctis, "That if I use this on the Bear I believe it will find its way to my Heart through my connection to the Star. If I use this, I must destroy the Darkness before it has the chance to possess me instead. I… I believe this must be done tonight."

"Tonight?" Noctis exclaimed. "Vel, you're in no shape to be-"

"Her current physical impairment should not, in theory, translate to her abilities in the Station," Ignis interceded. "And from our discussions, I believe that if the confrontation is not made on Velcia's terms it will not be long before this Darkness makes a move on its own."

Noctis grit his teeth. "I don't like this. Are you sure there's no other way?"

Velcia shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Noctis… I know the great danger that this represents to you and your world. If this Bear overtakes me, then you will no longer have the power of my Keyblade to help you against the Adamantoise and the other Heartless…"

Ignis stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Miss Velcia, you shouldn't-"

Velcia cast him an aside glance, shaking her head. "I must. I must consider the larger picture, and the responsibility that I carry as a Wielder," she turned her attention back to Noctis. "As I am here to support your endeavors, I will leave the final decision to you."

A frustrated scowl crossed Noctis' face briefly, and he shook his head. "You're sure there's no other way?"

"There may be… but I do not know if I have time to find it. If I can take the Bear by surprise, I feel I should be able to get the upper hand. I have had some experience with another creature of Darkness that could create Nightmare realms… if the Bear's are anything the same, it may end up making itself more vulnerable should it try to trap me in one," Velcia said.

"...It doesn't sound like we have much of a choice, then," Noctis said with a sigh. "Still… if that's the power Luna and Gentiana gave to you, I have to have faith that it'll be enough…"

Gladiolus crossed his arms solemnly. "You really think you can surprise it?"

Velcia couldn't help but smirk wryly. "I do… this Darkness thinks very little of me. To be honest, until earlier tonight, I thought very little of myself as well…" she trailed off, looking over towards Ignis gratefully, "But, I believe I can use that to my advantage."

Noctis huffed with a reluctant sigh. "Alright then, do it. What do you need?"

"Not much, I-" Velcia stopped abruptly, seeing Cindy watching pale-faced with worried anticipation. Velcia's face softened and she gave her a reassuring smile. "I was only going to ask if you would mind if Cindy and Ignis switched beds for the night, so that he can be available to me should something go wrong."

Cindy heaved a sigh of relief so palpable that all present felt more at ease. "My gawd, Vel, I couldn't fer the life of me figur' what good little ol' me could do agin a thing like that. Couldn'tya have told me sooner?"

"I'm so sorry to worry you so, Cindy!" Velcia exclaimed with a penitent bow.

Cindy took off her yellow cap and ran her hand through her hair, exhaling sharply. "Well, it ain't no trouble to me if you'd rather Iggy be there with ya fer moral support. The whole thing sounds a mite beyond my skillset, anyhow."

"Iggy is the closest thing we have to a doctor!" Prompto declared surely. "Makes a lot of sense that he'd be the one to have around for something like that."

Gladiolus dropped back a bit in his seat, nodding slowly. "Yeah, that sounds about right. What say you, Noct?"

Noctis shrugged reluctantly. "Makes sense to me. Anything else you need to do to prepare?"

Velcia held her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I… I don't think there's anything else I can do. Everything will happen after I fall asleep and enter the Station."

Cindy shook her head, tutting softly. "I just don't reckon I know how you could fall asleep, waiting fer a thing like that."

Velcia's mouth scrunched up. She wasn't exactly looking forward to it, herself.

Later that night, Velcia lay in bed nervously trying to fall asleep. Her heart raced with a nervous energy, eager at the opportunity to finally be rid of the Bear but also knotted up in a frenzied anxiety as she battled against the fears that she was being too rash and overestimating her odds.

Swirled into this maelstrom of feverous emotions were the complex, conflicting feelings about the fact that Ignis was in the bed on the other side of the room. She was happy to have him there, and the thought that he would be readily available for support was comforting; but something about it also felt stressful and she couldn't quite place why.

She lay there, hands on her stomach with her fingers interlaced as she looked up at the ceiling. It was difficult for her to resist the urge to try to start some sort of conversation to distract herself from the mess of thoughts rumbling about in her mind, but she began to find that focusing singularly on her need to avoid doing so seemed to be an adequate distraction in and of itself.

It was some time before she began to nervously nod off to sleep, and a process interrupted several times by anxious, impatient jolts. When at last she finally found herself in the Station of Awakening, she stood up and looked around cautiously, as if she were unsure if she really had made it. Once she'd come properly to her senses and was confident that she had reached her destination she inhaled sharply and clenched her fists, taking a moment to reassure herself before continuing on. The Station wasn't any different than usual, but in the tension of anticipation it felt eerily silent to her.

Velcia brought her Keyblade to hand and looked it over, a wave of comforting relief washing across her to see that it had indeed retained its new form and new magic even here in the Station of Awakening. Clutching the handle tightly, she dashed towards the steps and began to make her way up them as quickly as she felt was safe.

She'd thought quite a bit on the general plan, the basic structure of what she was trying to do, but now as she climbed up towards her adversary's lair she focused herself on the specifics. The Bear was quick, cunning, and powerful. She knew that she needed to find a way to catch it off-guard, but was still not entirely certain as to how. A part of her had been afraid that if she'd had too rigid of a plan, the Bear may come to realize that something was amiss.

The Bear was confident. It had no reason to fear her, and so it did not. She had but one new tool to change the game entirely, and her success hinged on keeping this tool hidden for as long as possible. By the time she reached the top step, she felt as though she knew what she would try to do. Velcia was still nervous, but now saw this as an asset to help mask her intentions.

Without delay she raced over beside the Star's body, sighing sadly when she noted that he was growing darker still. She knelt down beside him and began casting her usual array of spells, but she kept her senses focused on the environment around her as she anxiously awaited the arrival of the Darkness.

It wasn't long before the vile scourge began to bubble up from the cracked platform. Velcia stood up and eyed her surroundings intently, watching for the form of the Bear. The thick muck of darkness coated the faded plane quickly, the familiar foul stench growing stronger. A distinct tower of bubbling Darkness began to take form not far from her, and the shape slowly refined into the distinct silhouette which Velcia had anticipated.

Velcia spun her Key around in her hand, holding the blade flat against her arm in a reverse grip, and adjusted her stance to provide more solid footing as she hunched down. Her free hand was held at the ready, fingers tightening as she prepared herself to cast spells at a moment's notice.

A rumbling laughter filled the Station as the Bear's form solidified, once again taking the tall, hooded aspect. "Have you learned nothing?" it asked, raising its robed paws out to either side. Walls of darkness encircled the platform, cutting off the stairways. "You cannot change his nature… you cannot stop me…"

Velcia's brow furrowed angrily. "Darkness is not his nature. I won't stand by and watch you corrupt him."

The Bear lowered his head and glared over towards her, bright eyes shining from the void underneath the hood. "You Keyblade Wielders never can… it is what makes you so easy for us to destroy," it said as it hunched forward, its obsidian teeth and claws shimmering from the light of her Keyblade.

Velcia's hand began to glow bright with magic. "I know I can't fight you." She stepped back abruptly, raising her fist into the air and swiping her open hand down and out, a brilliant shield of light forming around herself and the little Star. "But I will stay by his side as long as I am able."

The Bear watched this with amusement, plodding deliberately forward towards the shield. Darkness began to spurt up from the ground across the station, the thick wave slowly advancing towards and sloshing against the side of the shield. Velcia grit her teeth and held her hand out towards the magical barrier, casting a stream of reinforcing Holy magic in an attempt to bolster its strength.

"A foolish endeavor…" the Bear taunted. "Your sacrifice benefits nobody but I."

Saying so, the bear raised his mighty paw and crashed it against the protective dome. The barrier crackled and sputtered under the strain, but held strong as Velcia desperately held firm. The Bear reared his arm back again and pounded against it once more, sending waves rippling through the shimmering enclosure.

Velcia yelped and swung her Keyblade out before her, pointing it towards the section of shield directly between herself and the Bear, trembling and shaking. A bright beam of light shot from the end of the blade and against the interior of the protective barrier, spreading out as if reinforcing it further.

The Bear glowered at her. "Even with your Keyblade, this barrier cannot stop me," it growled. The monster reared back with its powerful arms held high, its body rippling with Darkness as it grew larger and began to take a more feral form. With a great roar, it swung down with both mighty paws to crush the shield. Velcia's barrier shrieked and shattered easily, and once it did the beam of light from the Keyblade shot through the now-empty space and struck through the Bear.

This spell of Velcia's had not been adding strength to the shield, but had in fact been restrained by it. The beam of light was infused with the enchantment provided by Lunafreya, and upon impact the Bear was sent reeling back in a wounded and angry confusion. The powerful light magic rippled through the Bear's form, spreading out to the Darkness around it. Velcia continued to cast the beams of magic with a renewed fervor, making sure to hit as much of the dark sludge around her as possible.

The Darkness across the platform began to lose integrity; the once-thick muck became quite fluid and sloshed down off of itself. Much of this began dripping off the ends of the Station, and Velcia was busy at work using her spells of Light to purge and neutralize it while she could.

The Bear stumbled about in a confused fury, roaring as it stomped through the slick muck towards Velcia. It struggled to keep control over its own form, howling with rage. "What have you done?!" it demanded.

Velcia said nothing, spinning quickly back towards the Bear and holding the Keyblade straight out. Another spell began to swirl around the weapon with brilliant wisps of green magic, and once she started to swing it blasts of air swept forcefully across the surface of the platform; the mighty Aeroga blowing the near-frictionless Darkness off the edges and into the dark abyss below. The Bear howled as it struggled against the wind and, though it managed to keep its grip longer than most of the rest of the dark ooze, it wasn't long before it too was finally sent tumbling over the side.

Velcia rushed over towards the side of the Station Platform to watch it fall. Most of the Darkness fell harmlessly into the endless void below, but a considerable amount still splattered across the surface of her own Station Platform. The Bear spun around as it fell, but seemed able to influence its descent rather handily and it too landed upon Velcia's stained glass mural. It shook angrily, clawing and stamping at the ground before looking up towards her with a furious roar.

The Bear began absorbing the Darkness around it, slowly growing larger as it did. Velcia took advantage of this momentary distraction to leap down off the precipice, Keyblade held straight down as she sent beams of Holy light down to incinerate what free-flowing Darkness she could. As she neared the platform she stopped this, and cast her Feather Falling spell in order to land safely.

She looked up towards the beast defiantly. The Bear paced around angrily, its hate-filled eyes locked onto her with a piercing stare. "You have done nothing but bring me to your own Heart now," it said menacingly. "Already I feel my control and influence returning… and once it does, you will not be able to remove me again."

Velcia readied her Keyblade once more, standing firm. "Either way, I've freed that poor Star from your torment."

"And in doing so, you have damned yourself!" the Bear roared, lunging towards her. Velcia leapt aside quickly, just barely managing to avoid its clumsy charge. The Bear quickly spun around to see a wave of fire from Velcia's flames coming towards it.

In the blink of an eye, the Bear disappeared from behind the rolling wall of flame, and Velcia began to spin around slowly to look for it. Though weakened and disoriented, it seemed the monster still retained its great speed and power.

Velcia stood up slowly, closing her eyes in anticipation as she readied herself for what she knew was to come next. She took a deep breath as she prepared, but still yelped in shock as the Bear crashed into her from behind, sending her tumbling along the ground and her Keyblade clattering away from her.

She rolled along the cobblestone streets, before catching herself and rising up onto her hands and knees. "This is it…" she sputtered, her eyes struggling to adjust. This Nightmare realm was dark and frigid, and as she came to her senses she heard a chilling roar that had long haunted her dreams.

With steely determination, she pushed herself up to her feet and looked around. The familiar walls of the Olympus coliseum stood tall around her, shrouded in Darkness. Cold winds blew through the night air, the ground rumbling underneath her from the heavy steps of the enormous Ice Titan, which could be seen rampaging nearby.

A wave of anxiety shot through her, but she clenched her fists. "I knew it would be this place again…" she whispered.

A pair of screams called out from behind her, and Velcia quickly whipped around to see the frozen bodies of her father and cousin stuck in pillars of ice, Vanitas prowling around between them ominously.

The young man cackled tauntingly. "You, a wielder? Give me a break!" He rushed towards her suddenly and knocked her to the ground. "Come on, get up! Don't you want to save them?"

Velcia rose up onto one knee, her steady gaze locked on the dark figure skulking around her frozen family. She glared defiantly. "I can't save them. I couldn't then, and I never can… and I've come to accept this," she told him.

Vanitas doubled over in laughter. "What a coward! You worthless weakling!" he shouted, straightening abruptly and smashing the frozen form of her father with the handle of his vile Keyblade. Velcia winced at the sight, her hands tightening into fists, but her resolve remained unwavering. Vanitas tapped his Keyblade atop his shoulder, holding his hand to the bottom of his helmet in an exaggerated mockery of thought. "I guess my Master was wrong about you…" He said with a shrug, his voice growing more menacing. "You don't have what it takes to be a wielder!" he howled, shattering the effigy of her cousin and sending bits of its frozen form skipping across the streets.

Velcia took a deep breath, paying no mind to the horrifying illusions. "You're wrong," she bit, standing up slowly. "I am a Wielder… and you aren't Vanitas." She held out her hand, and her Keyblade flickered to it in an instant.

"Your pathetic Keyblade can't do anything against me," Vanitas taunted, lunging towards her.

Velcia raised her Keyblade, blocking the swing, and with a quick burst of magic sent the dark figure tumbling away in flames.

The Darkness rolled across the ground, morphing back into the Bear as it did. It stood up defiantly, glaring into her with renewed hatred. "Your efforts are useless," the Bear growled. "I alone control this realm, I have all the power."

As if to prove its point, the world around them began to change shape. Night turned to day, the stone walls of the Coliseum stretching upwards into a tall, arching brick structure as the world around them rearranged into a castle hall, a lone crow fluttering and cawing through the window.

Velcia looked around the space, brow furrowing at the sight of Maleficent's cursed castle. This Bear had only been in her heart for a short time, but it seemed to have rather quickly learned just which memories stung the most. Still, she'd expected this to be the case and returned her attention to her adversary.

"You're lying," she accused, adjusting her grip on her Keyblade.

The Bear shook its head. "You could not wait for your turn… and now it is here early. I will haunt you for the rest of your days, you shall never again awake…"

"I have been in a Nightmare like this before, monster," Velcia bit, "And I know that the only power you have access to in my heart… is my own!"

She raised her Keyblade to the sky, the illusory world around her shattering to pieces as the Bear looked on in abject horror, glowing balls of magic energy flowing from the disintegrating environment and into Velcia's body.

The Bear roared and pawed ferociously at the ground, then lowered its head and charged towards her, baring its razor-sharp teeth. Velcia held out her Keyblade, which glowed brightly with an intense energy, and shot out a beam of light that pierced through the beast's head, exploding the creature into crackling shards of bubbling darkness. The world around Velcia continued to shatter and decay, the ground gave way, and she found herself tumbling into a dark void.

Velcia felt numb, as if she were floating through an endless empty space. She wasn't sure where she was, or what had happened. Had she won? Or had she died?

A gentle voice broke through the silence, speaking soothingly. "I'm here for you… everything will be alright."

She smiled, a warmth growing inside of her. Velcia closed her eyes and breathed deeply, a serene peace washing over her. Something smooth brushed against her arm, and when next she opened her eyes she was greeted by the dancing blue lights on the ceiling above her bed. She turned her head to the side to see Ignis sitting in a chair beside her, gently running his hand along her arm.

Ignis' face brightened to see her awake again, and he sighed with relief. "It is good to see you back, Miss Velcia."

Velcia's face broke into a smile, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I did it, Ignis!" she exclaimed, a wave of joyous relief washing over her beaming face as she slowly sat up. "I did it, I actually did it!" She shrieked with excitement, bouncing up and down and yet sobbing uncontrollably. Ignis couldn't help but laugh joyfully alongside her, but was quite surprised when she lunged forward and clasped him into a tight hug. "It worked, oh Ignis, it actually worked!"

Ignis chuckled, returning her embrace. "And I'm so relieved to hear that it did. You seemed to be in such distress as you slept… I was beginning to fear the worst."

"Oh, Ignis, I just can't believe it… my heart feels so much lighter now, and… and the little Star! He's safe now too!" Velcia exclaimed, pulling back and watching as her hands shook wildly out of control.

"The Darkness has been purged?" Ignis asked eagerly, grabbing her shaking hands and clasping them between his own.

"It has, it has!" she cried cheerfully. "Lunafreya's spell was just what I needed afterall!" she shouted in delight.

Ignis chuckled and held a finger up gently to his lips, then pointed over her shoulder towards the dark window.

Velcia shrunk back with a sheepish grin, blushing softly. "Sorry!" she whispered. "Oh, I just want to tell you all about it!"

"And I would be delighted to listen," Ignis said.

And so, still trembling furiously with excitement, relief, and adrenaline, Velcia enthusiastically began to tell Ignis all about what had happened; and she was only slightly too loud while doing so.

When Velcia awoke the next morning she felt thoroughly exhausted and weak. Despite this, her heart felt light and free now that the immense weight of the Darkness that had been embedded deep into the heart of the Star was finally destroyed. She took a deep breath as she looked at the morning sunlight streaming through the window, reveling in the relief and excitement of her victory the night before.

Her ears perked at the sound of a page turning behind her, and here she remembered that Ignis was in the next bed over. With a yawn, she turned over to her other side to greet him. "Good morning, Ignis."

Ignis had been laying on his back in bed, reading a book that was held above him. At the sound of Velcia's salutations, he lay the open book face-down on his chest and turned to say hello. Velcia's ginger-framed face was poking out from a veritable nest of white blankets, her rosy countenance beaming with an infectious joy, and he smiled warmly back to her. "Good morning, Miss Velcia, I hope you were able to get some good rest."

Her sideways head nodded, parts of her face disappearing behind her snuggly cocoon of blankets as she did. "Yes, once I managed to get to sleep, anyway. I've been terribly relieved and excited."

"I had a bit of a hard time getting back to sleep myself, for similar reasons," Ignis admitted. "How are you feeling today?

Velcia wasn't entirely sure about this, being as cozy as she was, but as she moved her limbs around under the blankets to begin to sit up she quickly started to have the question answered for her. "I am feeling quite fatigued and weak, I am very fortunate that I did not push myself further yesterday, though between the excursion to the Adamantoise and the battle against the Bear, I certainly did push myself further than perhaps I should have."

Ignis nodded, staring back to the ceiling. "Indeed. I hesitate to say it was fortunate that you nearly fell out of the airship, but it does appear that this fainting episode did prevent you from doing too much damage to yourself. Perhaps, then, a bit of a blessing in disguise. In any case, between your efforts against both the Heartless Adamantoise and this Bear that you've purged from your Heart, I strongly recommend you get plenty of rest today. We are stuck here in Lestallum a while longer anyways, so it is a good opportunity to recover."

Velcia leaned back against the headboard as another rush of fatigue ran through her. "That does seem like a wise idea… Why do you say we are stuck here? Has something gone wrong?"

"Well, not much aside from our defeat yesterday," Ignis admitted, now moving to sit up as well. "Prompto and Gladiolus are both rather banged up from the Heartless swarms, and Cindy says the airship has yet again sustained severe damage to the outer hull."

"Oh, of course," Velcia said, remembering the severe beating she and the others took the previous day. "Perhaps rest will do us all some good."

"It will certainly give us time to re-evaluate our strategies. Yesterday's effort against the Adamantoise may have ended abruptly and with great hardship, but I would wager that the information we've gathered will prove to be invaluable," he said, tilting his head and nodding slightly with a pained smile, "Though it may take the others some time to come to see it that way."

Velcia looked back to the window. "I see… so then, what shall we do today?"

Ignis picked up his book and placed a dark red ribbon bookmark inside it to save his place, then closed it and set it aside. "Cindy has insisted that the sooner she can begin making repairs, the better. Normally, I would argue against this, but this sort of work is her passion and, knowing her as I do, it will be the sort of activity that she'll need to get herself back on her feet. As such, Noct and I will be traveling south to the scrapyard with her again to help her obtain the raw materials she needs to effect the repairs."

"Oh, that does sound like fun," Velcia said. "I have not seen a scrapyard yet, but from what Cindy has told me they sound fascinating."

"Hm… I'm afraid I must insist you stay behind in Lestallum," Ignis said. "The journey is likely to be tiring, even if you refrain from any heavy lifting. We shall be spending a lot of time wandering outdoors and likely climbing over the scrap, with very little in the way for places to rest and numerous ways to seriously injure yourself should something go wrong."

Velcia's face scrunched up in disappointment. "Oh," she murmured simply.

"Neither Prompto or Gladio are pleased to be staying behind either," Ignis told her. "Perhaps the three of you can find some form of entertainment."

"I'll have to talk to them about that. I do feel like I've been getting along better with Gladiolus, and Prompto is always a lot of fun as well," Velcia said optimistically.

Ignis nodded, setting his book aside. "Though he would not be likely to express it plainly himself, Gladiolus has come to respect you quite a bit. If you have still been worried about your misunderstanding last week, you need not continue to do so."

Velcia sighed happily. "That is quite a relief. It did seem to be that way, but it is quite hard to tell with him. You and he are both so reserved and disciplined," she said, holding her hand to her chin thoughtfully.

"I suppose it comes with the job," Ignis said. "Though, yes, there is quite a bit more to Gladiolus than most would initially expect and he is quite happy to keep it that way. This book, for example," Ignis said, rapping his knuckle against the cover, "Is an ancient tome of philosophy from the very early days of the Lucian Empire, and even then it may be older still. Gladio has read it several times and I am now only doing so myself at his insistence. He is quite an avid reader."

Velcia slowly scooted around, hanging her legs from the side of the bed and looking down at the heavily worn book. The faded brown leather cover was cracked and bleached in many spots but in some places, particularly the pits of the stitching, it seemed as though the cover had once been a vivid dark red. Across the front cover was a set of faded golden rings of various differing designs, akin to letters, that she supposed must have represented the title in some ancient language. These circular letters, she noted, also appeared along the spine of the book though these had nearly entirely faded away. "That is quite interesting," Velcia said. "A book that old must have a great amount of historical value. My Uncle is always delighted to see similar items come through the Academy."

"It has been a rather interesting read, however I find the conversations that it has stimulated between Gladiolus and I to be much more engaging. There are quite a lot of old ways of thinking and world views that we have developed past or come to find conflict with our understanding of the world over the centuries since, and yet there is an incredible depth to much of the wisdom within," Ignis said. "It is a shame that you haven't read through it, I am certain that if you had, you and Gladiolus could pass the day rather easily."

"That would be very interesting," Velcia mused. "Though I suppose that it would not be an activity that would interest Prompto."

"This is true," Ignis said with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, I do not yet know any leisure activities that would be likely to interest the three of you. I suppose that this is a good opportunity for you to find some."

Velcia nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I am looking forward to it…" she trailed off, a sad look coming to her face. "Although… Once the Adamantoise has been defeated, and the Heart of the World is locked away…" she sighed sadly, looking back down to the sheets. "It doesn't matter, right now. I will very much enjoy whatever time I have left here with you."

Ignis froze momentarily, disappointment flashing through his normally stoic expression for a second. "We will just have to make the most of it, I suppose," he said, shaking his head. "There is quite a bit still to be done once this trouble with the Heartless is cleared up."

"It is true for me as well. Once I am done here, I need to go back to Olympus to bring my mother back home… Time has flown by so quickly, I can't believe I've made her wait so long!" Velcia said with some surprise. "But, she will understand. For now, I am here on Eos helping you all, and… and I am rather enjoying our time together."

"...Likewise," Ignis said after a moment of quiet contemplation.

Not long after, there was once again a knock at the door from the service attendant delivering breakfast. Once Ignis returned with their trays, Velcia told him about her mix-up with it the day before. It was a memory that she found more amusing than embarrassing, and Ignis was quite entertained by the tale.

While the food did help soothe Velcia's fatigue, she was still exhausted and prone to waves of weakness. Noctis, Ignis, and Cindy left for the scrapyard soon after breakfast, leaving Velcia, Prompto, and Gladiolus to their rest.

Velcia had moved over to Prompto and Gladiolus' room for company. The two boys were happily playing King's Knight together on their phones, taking advantage of the offline patch that Prompto had dug up several days prior. Velcia did not understand how to play the game, nor could she get it to work on her Gummi Phone despite Prompto's most desperate efforts, but she was happy to watch for a time before she moved to a small but comfortably cushioned chair near the window to read through more of the digital spellbook Master Aqua had provided her.

After some time, Velcia sat the Gummi Phone down on the table and held her hand against her forehead. "Oh, my…" she sighed.

Prompto turned towards her, concerned by her tone. "Everything alright, Vel?"

Velcia nodded weakly. "Yes, I believe so. I overdid it when casting my spells yesterday and damaged my body a bit… I've been dealing with occasional waves of fatigue today as I recover from it."

"Damaged?" Gladiolus said. "Most people would use the word 'injured'."

"I suppose 'injured' works as well, but the effect on my body isn't quite the same as an injury," Velcia told him thoughtfully. "A man I consider to be something of a mentor, Ansem the Wise, explained to me that when I cast my magic too desperately, beyond my body or my Keyblade's ability to replenish that magic energy, I may inadvertently begin to cast these spells using the magic that sustains my very being. This greatly fatigues me, and in my initial experience with this problem I would likely have killed myself were it not for his and my friend's quick thinking and intervention."

Prompto's eyes lit up, and he shook his finger thoughtfully. "Oh, that must be what Iggy was talking about last night when you were telling Noct about your plan."

Velcia nodded. "Yes… I suppose I could have done a better job explaining it. I hadn't known that this sort of magic burnout was even possible, before it happened to me."

Gladiolus looked up at her. "Don't think I've ever heard of something like that happening here on Eos, either… guess you gotta be careful, then."

"Indeed…" Velcia said softly.

"Heh, you kinda sound like Ignis when you say it that way," Prompto snickered.

Velcia blushed slightly. "Oh, um," she stammered, not sure what to say.

Gladiolus cracked a sly grin. "Yeah, Prompt, going to get real hard to tell those two apart soon, isn't it?"

"They're always together anyway," Prompto teased.

"A-anyway," Velcia interjected frantically, "I've only hit that point with my magic a few times now, so hopefully it will not be something that we'll have to worry about again."

Prompto nodded. "That's good. We'd hate for somethin' to happen to you." He thought for a moment, then lowered his phone and turned towards her. "Say, was that why you were glowing yesterday? Was that because you were burning yourself up?"

"No, I went too far when I was trying to get those Heartless Roc away from us," Velcia said, thinking back to the previous day. "I still don't exactly know what had happened to make me glow like that."

"Huh. Well, when I pointed it out to you it was like you snapped out of a trance, so I just thought that maybe…" Prompto said thoughtfully.

Velcia crossed her arms nervously. "It did feel a bit like a trance. It's happened a few times since I've arrived on Eos, though I believe this was the first time I've begun to glow. I've been rather concerned about it, to be honest."

Gladiolus glanced up from his phone screen. "Why's that? Seem like something dangerous?"

"I'm not sure. There have been so many strange and overwhelming new sensations and experiences since I've arrived that are unlike anything I've experienced. I don't know how I came to have two other Hearts taking refuge in mine, nor how the great Darkness managed to infect one of them. I suppose with everything going on, I've just been wary of whatever this strange phenomenon is," Velcia told him.

"Huh. You're pretty good at telling Light and Darkness apart, aren't you?" Gladiolus asked, still looking at his phone screen. "So, magic girl, does it seem like something evil to you?"

Velcia bit her lip, brow furrowed. "Well, there's more to be wary of than just Light and Darkness. I've heard of, and met, people who ended up falling prey to the wiles of Darkness or falling under evil influences even when they couldn't discern anything to be wary of. In this case, the magic feeling that wells up inside of me… it's overpowering, nearly intoxicating… and each time it feels like it's leading to a great power. I'm extremely hesitant to trust a great power that offers itself so freely, and makes itself so hard to ignore."

"That sounds pretty savvy, Vel," Prompto told her. "Gotta make it hard for those bad guys to trick ya."

"Well, you don't want to be overly cautious either," Gladiolus countered. "It could be argued that the charm from Lunafreya and the new Keyblade it gave you aren't too different of a situation."

"I suppose that's true…" Velcia admitted thoughtfully. "Once I became aware of the Bear, I assumed that this magic feeling may be related to it. But now that the Bear is gone, and I don't have that Darkness in my Heart to worry me… perhaps, if that new magic begins to manifest again I will embrace it instead and see what becomes of it."

"Well, keep your wits about you and pay attention, but yeah, it may be worth checking out," Gladiolus told her. "Who knows, could just be another breakthrough waiting to happen."

Velcia inhaled deeply. "That would be a relief."

Prompto lowered his phone suddenly, turning off the screen. "Man, I know we're supposed to be taking it easy, but I am getting really restless being cooped up inside for so long."

"Go outside then," Gladiolus huffed. "Nobody said you have to stay in bed."

"Hey, you know, that's a good idea!" Prompto said, jumping up to his feet and bouncing from foot to foot. "I'll go for a walk around Lestallum, see what's going on. You two coming with?"

Gladiolus shook his head, grimacing. "Not this time, but thanks."

"Aw, man. How about you, Vel?" he asked hopefully.

Velcia looked back out the window. It was a beautiful day outside, and though she knew she should decline, she eased her conscience by noting that there were rather a lot of benches in town. "Though I suppose I should not," Velcia started, an immediate frown crossing Prompto's face, "I think I would like to get out for a bit and get some fresh air, if you don't mind stopping when I need to sit down for a while."

Prompto pumped a fist. "Yes! It's way more fun to go window shopping with friends!" he said.

"Window shopping?" Velcia asked.

"It's like shopping, but you just look at cool things," Prompto explained. "You don't actually buy anything."

Gladiolus snorted. "You certainly do."

"Hey, only when I find something that's, like, SUPER amazing," Prompto defended. "Can't blame a guy for that!"

"Sure. You two have fun," Gladiolus told them, locking his eyes onto Velcia, "And don't push it too hard. You don't want to get on Iggy's bad side."

"Psh, you've seen how he is with her," Prompto said, waving his hand dismissively. "She's got nothing to worry about."

Gladiolus chuckled, then again with a little more tact when he noticed Velcia blushing once more. "Guess you're right. Still, don't push it."

"I will be careful," Velcia said indignantly.

"Alright, see ya Gladi!" Prompto said, opening the door for Velcia as the two walked into the hall. "So Vel," he said as they made their way to the hotel lobby, "Where's this magic shop you told me all about?"

"Oh, it's… well, I don't know how to explain it. It's near the market, in sort of a corner. If we can make it to the market, I can bring you there," she told him.

Prompto held an open hand up to his mouth, glancing left and right and speaking with an air of secrecy. "Don't tell Gladi, but I just gotta get me one of those lightning orbs."

Velcia laughed. "I understand! I was mesmerized by the one I saw in the window. Now that I think about it, I still haven't opened the one that Heston gave me."

"Think you could score a free one for me, too?" Prompto asked hopefully.

"I… do not," Velcia said. "He will probably not be as impressed with my magic the next time, and as much as I would like to be able to help you, I would feel bad to have him give me another one for free. If you would like, you can have mine."

"No, you keep that one. I gotta get one of my own!" Prompto said. "And hey, maybe I'll find something there for Cindy, too!"

"Oh, what is she looking for?" Velcia asked.

"Not looking for, I just wanna buy her a gift, you know?" Prompto said, blushing. "She could use some cheering up."

"I suppose everyone could, after a day like yesterday," Velcia said thoughtfully. "Why, if I had money, I would buy gifts for the others as well. Is there a good way to get some?"

"Tell you what, you find good gifts and I'll pay for 'em. I've got plenty, so long as they're not too expensive. Can't go buying Cindy a car or something," Prompto said, shaking his head with disappointment.

Velcia motioned towards a bench nearby on the sidewalk, and the two stopped to sit for a moment as she caught her breath. "That is a very generous offer, Prompto, but I don't want to take your money, and you know them all so much better than I do… you would probably be better at finding gifts for them as well."

"Yeeeeah," Prompto said, "But they'd probably be a lot more special coming from you. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Velcia laughed breathily, her strength returning. "Well, if you insist," she said.

"Awesome!" Prompto said, bouncing his feet on the ground.

After a few restful moments, the two resumed their journey. The market wasn't far, but their pace was slow and littered with intermittent stops for Velcia's sake. It didn't take long for Velcia to realize that she probably should have stayed back in the hotel room and she knew it would be wise to turn back; however the excitement she and Prompto shared over finding gifts for the others overrode her sensibility and she pressed on.

When at last they reached Heston's magic shop, Prompto seemed as though he would burst at the seams with excitement. He quickly ran up to the window, face very nearly touching the glass, and watched the lightning orb. "There it is, Vel," he said seriously. "I gotta get one of those."

Velcia laughed weakly, sitting down on a nearby bench and grabbing the armrest tightly. Her fatigue was hitting her much worse now than when they started, and she was also once again feeling almost sickly from the looming dark presence that had hung over Lestallum the last few days. She cast an encouraging smile over to Prompto, who quickly ran over beside her once he'd noticed her fatigue.

"You alright, Vel? You look more pale than usual," he observed.

"I'll be alright in a few minutes," Velcia said. "The excitement got the better of me and I have been pushing myself too hard. You can go ahead inside without me, and I'll be along soon."

"No way!" Prompto exclaimed. "We're buddies, I'm not just going to leave you out here all alone in the sun!"

Velcia glanced up to the sky. The sun, though bright, was more pleasant than burdensome. Still, she appreciated the gesture and bowed her head graciously. "Very well. But, if you get bored…"

"Not gonna happen!" Prompto declared.

True to his word, Prompto waited with great patience and didn't once mention or complain about the wait as Velcia regained her strength.

As they passed through the door of Enchanting Artifacts, Velcia found herself quite confused. Though she had been here only days before the interior looked very different and unfamiliar. Her eyes scanned across the shelves noting that most of the individual items did indeed seem to be the same, and finally she came to the conclusion that the entire shop must have been re-organized from wall-to-wall, with both items and furniture finding new homes.

Velcia and Prompto walked together between the well-stocked shelves, when suddenly there was a familiar cackle. A plume of smoke burst out at the end of the aisle and they could hear a rapid shuffling of feet, and once the smoke began to clear Heston himself, adorned now in deep purple wizard's robes with a matching floppy, pointed hat stepped forward with a great amount of flourish.

His head was lowered as he emerged from the smoke and he raised it dramatically, opening his mouth to speak; but once he saw Velcia his jaw dropped further open and he startled in surprise, a great grin coming to his face.

"Ah, what an honor, the sorceress has returned!" he exclaimed. "And you've brought along a guest, another magician I do hope?"

Prompto, who seemed to be thoroughly delighted, crossed his arms. "Vel's more like a wizard than a sorcerer, dude. Although…" he turned to Velcia, "Your Keyblade doesn't come with any crazy pacts with daemons or gods, right?"

Velcia looked at him with wild confusion. "N-not that I'm aware, should it?"

"Definitely not a warlock. Yeah, wizard it is," Prompto said with a nod.

Heston stepped forward abruptly, hands held up in excitement. "You understand the magician's classifications?!"

"Yeah man, I used to be real into that stuff!" Prompto told him.

"And which manner of magician are you, sir?" Heston inquired.

"Uh, I'm not. Just a regular guy, I'm afraid," Prompto said with a shrug, much to Heston's visible disappointment.

"Well, that's not entirely true now is it, Prompto? You do have some magic," Velcia said, immediately re-igniting the passion in Heston's eyes.

"Eh, that's more Noct's power than mine," Prompto told her. "I don't think it really counts."

Velcia motioned towards the excitable shopkeeper. "Oh, but still, I'm sure he'd love to see it anyways."

Prompto tapped his foot, with his finger to his chin. "Hm… well, all I ever really use it for is stuff like this." Saying so, he flicked his hand to the side, summoning one of his pistols.

"Very good!" Heston said approvingly. "Miss Wizard, you do seem to know the most fascinating people. What brings you back here of all places today?"

Stowing his gun away once more, Prompto raised his hand. "I did! She told me about this place and I just had to come see it for myself. I just have to get one of those electric orbs."

"We also had the thought to look for some gifts for our friends," Velcia added, "So, if you don't mind, we would like to look around for a bit."

"Stay for a spell!" Heston said, chuckling to himself proudly.

"Heh, that's a good one!" Prompto laughed.

Velcia smiled. "What sort of spell?"

"It's… it's an expression, Vel," Prompto said with a shake of his head.

Heston stepped back and waved his arm out to the side dramatically, his long robes swaying as he did. "Feel free to look around! If you find yourself in need of knowledge or wisdom about any of the artifacts you find, I will be delighted to enlighten you!"

Velcia bowed her head. "Thank you, Heston."

The two walked around the shop, looking at everything they could. Velcia found it no less enthralling than she had on her first visit, and Prompto thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

In the back corner of the store, Velcia found a set of shelves with some items she had not seen on the first visit. These were rather unassuming looking, small rectangular boxes with rather reserved art on them. What caught her attention was the display case that was set on top of the shelf, showcasing several small cards like she'd seen Gladiolus and Cindy play with. The art on the cards was exquisite, each of them depicting a differently designed figure with various weapons or attacks. Some of these illustrated attacks Velcia could immediately recognize as magic, but a few seemed to be almost mechanical in nature.

Heston caught her looking and came over. "Aha, admiring the playing cards, are you?" he asked. "Pretty good artwork on them, huh?"

Velcia nodded, still looking at the various cards. "Yes, they are quite beautiful. Are these characters using Magitek?" she asked, pointing towards a couple of them.

"That's right," Heston said with a hint of frustration. "Unfortunately, that's been enough for most people to just turn around and walk away. I've been having a real hard time moving these."

She turned to him, head tilted with a look of confusion. "Oh? But they're so wonderfully done. Why would that-"

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" Heston interjected, shaking his head. "Most Lucians associate Magitek with the Niflheim Empire. Given what's been going on the last decade, they're not exactly keen to have a collectible like this that depicts Magitek so positively."

"I suppose it does seem a little…" Velcia trailed off.

"Tone deaf?" Heston huffed. "Yeah, maybe, if it actually was some freakin' Nifs on the cards. But nobody ever pays attention to the box art."

Velcia looked back down to the boxes below. The text, made of thin gold foil against the dark red box, read "Heroes of Solheim". Above this text, she noted a very similar set of the round golden glyphs she'd seen earlier that morning.

"Solheim?" Velcia asked curiously.

"Yeah. It was an ancient civilization, right here in what's now Duscae and Cleigne. A lot of people pass it off as nothing more than superstitious mythology, especially since the Nifs are so set to try and recreate its glory days, but it was as real as you or me. Why, there's tons of their old machines and buildings and artifacts scattered and buried all around," Heston told her.

"Yeah, it's true," Prompto chimed in. "We've visited a bunch of their old catacombs and whatnot, I think Noct might even have picked up a couple of their old trinkets."

Heston's eyes widened. "I've seen pictures of the catacombs, but you've actually visited them?"

Prompto nodded. "Yeah, they were cool and all but man you wouldn't believe what sorts of traps and monsters we ran into… not so fun, really."

Velcia pondered this. "Traps? Like what Hinata and I helped out with in that Castlemerk tower?"

"You've been inside Costlemark?" Heston exclaimed. "Why, nobody has ever… it's magically sealed!"

"It's a good thing, too," Prompto said, holding his hand to his chin as he thought back to it. "That's probably the most dangerous place I've ever been. It'd reeeeally suck to have to go there without guys like Noctis, and Gladio, and Ignis, and Velcia, and… you know, probably just don't go there."

"So those traps, were they Magitek?" Velcia asked.

"Almost surely!" Heston told her. "Solheim was said to have been bestowed the knowledge of the Astrals themselves by Ifrit, and they blossomed into the most technologically advanced civilization Eos has ever seen; thanks in no small part to their mastery of Magitek!"

Velcia nodded, very impressed. She looked back down to the red box. "Do you know what these circles mean? I have seen them before, but I don't know what they mean."

"Well, if you've been inside a decently preserved Solheim structure, it isn't so much of a surprise - it's from their ancient language," Heston explained.

"Hm… I don't know that I remember seeing them in Costlemark…" she thought, eyes lighting up. "But, just this morning, my friend Ignis was reading a book that was very old. It was mostly faded, but I saw both these circles and this same color red in the stitching of the cover and thought that it must have been beautiful when it was new. I suppose it just stuck with me."

"Oh, was it that old philosophy book Gladi's always trying to get me to read?" Prompto asked with a chuckle. "That thing's ancient!"

Heston raised a finger. "Ah, excuse me, how ancient are we talking about here, exactly?"

Prompto tapped his foot, looking up to the ceiling as he tried to remember. "I dunno, pretty old. I can't remember if he said his was a copy, or one of the originals. Probably just a copy."

"I'm trying not to get too excited here," Heston said, "but I can't help but wonder if it could be one of the early Lucian copies of a book from the great Solheim Library! It's been decades at least since any were seen, but they supposedly all shared this same shade of red!"

"That might be it…" Prompto said thoughtfully. "Gladio and Iggy would know for sure, but they're busy. I'll have to ask them later."

"Prompto, would Gladiolus like these cards?" Velcia asked.

Prompto looked inside the case, taking his first real good look at them. "Oh, yeah, Gladio would love these. You thinking what I'm thinking, Vel?"

She nodded eagerly. "If it's in your budget," she said.

Prompto stepped back and looked down to the boxes at the price tag.

"I guess it's as good a time as any to tell you I've been trying to clearance these things," Heston said. "Take, say, half off the sticker price. If that's good with you, they're yours."

"Sold, dude!" Prompto exclaimed. "We'll take a set of these cards and one of those lightning orbs."

Heston quickly reached into his pocket, taking out a set of keys and opening the case. "I don't know why I even bother locking these up anymore, anyone stealing 'em would be doing me a favor," he complained, glancing over to the two. "That's, uh, sarcasm by the way. Please don't steal anything with your wizard tricks."

Velcia giggled, and followed both Heston and Prompto over to the sales counter and stood by patiently as Prompto bought their items. Once done, she tapped Prompto on the shoulder. "Oh, yes, before we go, Heston has a very magnificent trick with water that you really should see. It was my favorite thing."

Heston shrugged reluctantly, forcing a smile. "It's not that impressive, when you've got real magic like yours, but I guess I can show you again."

Despite this dismissal, Prompto was quite excited to see the trick. Heston carefully reached down and took another tray of water from the freezer, setting it down on the counter. He took the wand from the drawer and waved it around in the air, making half-hearted whooshing sounds before tapping it against the water's surface. Instantly, the entire tray of water froze solid.

"Can you believe he can do that, even without using any magic?" Velcia asked in awe.

"Man, magic or no, that was pretty cool," Prompto agreed as he poked the ice in the tray.

"You think so?" Heston asked. "I dunno, it just feels like it's lost its touch for me."

Velcia frowned. "Oh, I hope it's not on my account."

"No, it's not your fault. I've always thought real magic was way more interesting, just didn't realize how much passion I had for it until I saw it for myself. My parlor tricks are fun, but what I wouldn't give to learn some real magic!" Heston said.

Velcia thought on this for a moment. "Well, hm…" she looked around, and saw a set of prop wands up against the wall. She walked over to them, and ran her hands across several different models until she found one she liked. "Do you mind if I try something with this?" she asked Heston over her shoulder.

"What, are you going to use it for a magic trick? Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Boy, that'd make my day!" Heston said.

Velcia took the wand gently off the walls, wrapping her hands tightly around it. Her hands began to glow with a magic energy, luminescent drops forming across the surface of the wand and dripping down across it. She ran her hands gently across it as if she were polishing, until the drops were gone. The wand had developed a curious sheen, very reflective if not slightly glowing of its own accord. Next, she held the bottom of the wand tightly in her left hand, raising her right hand into the air and swirling her finger. A small amount of frost began to form on her fingertips, and once it did she pinched the end of the wand.

Once done, she looked over it happily. Heston had been watching with eager anticipation, waiting to see what sort of spell she would perform, but now found himself merely confused. "So, what exactly was the trick here?"

Velcia walked over and handed the wand to him. "Have you got an empty tray?" she asked.

Heston took the wand curiously, looking it over. It was quite a bit more shiny than it was before, and though he couldn't quite understand why it certainly seemed to feel differently to him. "Uh, a tray, yeah," he said absent-mindedly, reaching down and picking one up for her.

Once he'd set it on the countertop, Velcia filled the tray with water with a quick, magical wave of her hand. Heston observed this with great interest.

Velcia looked up at him with a warm smile. "Alright, do what you did with the other tray."

"What? But this is just regular water," Heston said. Still, he did as she requested, reluctantly raising the wand and waving it about, before tapping the surface.

Once the wand hit the water, a ripple of ice shot out through it, freezing the contents of the tray solid. Heston's jaw dropped, his eyes nearly popping out from his head and he looked at the wand with a shocked disbelief. "What the-? Did that really-?"

"Yes, it did!" Velcia told him happily. "It's not a very powerful frost spell, but I've enchanted it for you. This wand wasn't made out of an ideal material for absorbing frost magic, but it will certainly suffice for what you're doing. I hope it's alright."

Heston stared at the wand blankly, holding it across his open palms. "N-no, I… I can't accept this!" he told her. "A regular guy like me, with an actual magic artifact? And you're just giving it to me?"

"It is your wand," Velcia said thoughtfully. "I am sorry if I should have asked first… if I've ruined it, I would be happy to find some way to pay you back."

Heston sat the wand down thoughtfully. "I… I guess there's really nothing wrong with it," he told her. "I'm just really surprised is all. Are you sure about this?"

"Well, like I said, it's not a particularly strong spell. You should be careful with it, but it would be difficult to do much damage, especially since it's only effective for a very short distance. I just thought that, if you were so disappointed about your old water trick, maybe this would help you to get your passion back for it," Velcia explained.

Heston sat down, still staring at the wand. "Nine thousand gil,' he said.

Velcia turned to Prompto, eyes wide with surprise.

Prompto shook his head. "Nuts, sorry man, I don't have that much. Is there some other way we can pay you?"

"No, you misunderstand. I can't just take something like this for free. How's nine thousand gil sound? Seem like a fair price?" Heston asked.

"You mean… you pay me?" Velcia asked, voice squeaking.

"Yeah. I'd offer a trade, but I don't honestly think anything else here is worth as much as this. I know nine thousand seems a little low, but it's all I can do right now," Heston said.

"Oh, that's really unnecessary," Velcia said.

Heston chuckled, opening up his drawer and carefully counting out the Gil. He grabbed a small bag of dice from further away on the counter, opened it up and was about to dump them out when he stopped, shrugged, and just poured the Gil in alongside them. He tied the bag and handed it to Velcia. "Here you go. I won't take no for an answer."

Velcia bowed her head softly. "Thank you, Heston. I didn't mean to make you-"

"And I really appreciate that. I do," Heston said, sighing. "It just feels right to give you something in return, you know? Go get something nice for yourself with that, alright? It means a lot to me that you'd do this for a regular guy like me."

She smiled back. "Absolutely. I hope you enjoy it."

"Heh, I'm probably going to spend the next few weeks freezing any liquid I can get my hands on," he said playfully, but glanced over to her quickly. "Don't worry, I'll be careful with it. I know it's not a toy."

"Of course," Velcia said.

The three said their good-byes, and Velcia and Prompto made their way back outside.