welcome back! let's finish this up! thanks so much for reading and don't forget to have a look at Twisted by Design, something I'll be working on while finishing the editing of Terminal State and finishing up more of these lost chapters over here in this extra.

...

Two weeks passed and Athenacia was no better now than she was when she had first come into quarantine on the fifth floor. Machines still did most of her body functions for her while she remained unconscious, slowly getting worse thanks to the solvent pathology had developed with her help. Contracting the daemon virus was a death sentence. Everyone reacted the same way, only some had more time than others. Both Gladiolus and Cor insisted on keeping Athenacia alive until the very last minute, in the off chance that some sort of cure besides Oracle magic would surface. The young doctor believed in these people and Gladiolus knew that he should as well. Cor also had this kept quiet, admitting her under a false name so as not to put the hospital in a panic. Only three nurses and the attending knew about her condition and that was the way it was going to stay.

As the third week was coming to a close, Ignis finally took notice that something was amiss. The Shield was hardly home, spending all of his time in the hospital when he could while trying to delegate any of his responsibilities. Keeping quiet was key here, the fewer people that knew the better. Despite being blind, Ignis could actually see things in a much different way thanks to all the training he had undergone with Athenacia to utilize his senses. She was the best person for the job since hers were heightened thanks to the moogle DNA that flowed through her. So it came as no surprise that one night when both the Adviser and the Shield were actually in the house they shared at the same time, the younger man came forward.

"What is ailing Dr. Virum?" asked Ignis suddenly while Gladiolus was on his way out the door.

"Cia? She's fine," the big man shrugged.

"Do not play coy. Tell me the situation regarding the both of you."

"Seriously, everything's good."

"Dr. Virum has not been home in nearly a month. While that executes normal behaviour it unlike you to allow it."

How could he possibly know that? The man was extremely perceptive and Gladiolus was foolish for thinking he could hide anything from him. A frown occupying his face, he turned to face his friend with a lump in his throat. Having the secret come out into the open just made it more real and that was the root of his reluctance to tell anyone - including his sister - that Athenacia was not only sick but also that it was terminal.

"Cia..." he sighed, "She... she caught the daemon virus."

Whatever Ignis was expecting, that wasn't it. Gladiolus watched as the man stiffened slightly before clenching his own fist and pointing his head downward.

"I see," the man's voice was low, barely audible, "If there's anything I can do..."

"Yeah..."

There seemed to be nothing else to say so the Shield turned his back and began to go down the foyer. The Shield didn't even notice the journey to the hospital, walking the familiar path and not stopping until he was by Athenacia's bedside. Cor wasn't there, the man having a harder time with all of this than anticipated. Her condition hadn't changed, her hand still cold as ice despite being under the blankets. It made his heart heavy, trying to warm her up even though it was fairly futile. The three charge nurses assigned to her came in at intervals of time but he hardly too notice. What killed him inside the most was knowing that he wouldn't get to say anything more to her before she passed. She wouldn't wake up again to allow anyone final words nor to offer her own. This was why he didn't want to tell anyone, because it made the truth stand right in front of him with nowhere to go.

Growling while trying to ignore the blow delivered by that knowledge. Tears stung the bottom of his eyes and he shot out of his seat. Unable to take it anymore, he left the room in a fury. Gladiolus didn't stop until he was well out of the city. Spending three weeks in the city definitely warranted a much needed break. Daemons were the perfect way to let go of some of his rage. The image of Athenacia's unconscious face hooked up to those machines with that tube down her throat to keep her breathing, obstructing her beautiful features. Swinging his massive sword with a roar, the tears, fears and anxieties he had been holding back the last three weeks finally let themselves go. More enemies came and Gladiolus kept going with no intentions of stopping.

It lasted for a week. The man hunted and slept outside, avoiding any sort of human contact while barely sleeping. He couldn't, seeing his girlfriend the way she was and knowing that was going to stay like that until the end. Memories washed over him of the last time they were actually together and she was able to speak to him. It didn't make anything any easier, only hurt him more which then fueled the anger that welled within him which was then released by the daemon hunting. Gladiolus knew he was neglecting responsibilities by selfishly dealing with his own personal needs. His phone was dead and he would have refused to talk to anyone had they bothered to try anyway. Staring into the flames of his fire he became lost in thought, trying desperately to think of anything but his losses. His parents were gone, his father died doing his sworn duty as always. Insomnia was still in ruins and Noctis was not among them either. There were only two people he really had left, Iris and Athenacia and soon only his sister would be there for him. A protector by nature and yet he hadn't been able to protect anything close to him, losing it at every turn in his life. Times like these, his girlfriend would remind him to stop being ridiculous. But she was the reason he was so distraught in the first place.

"I'm gonna head out for a couple days, got some work to do," he told her the night before she went back to work.

"So soon?" she frowned at him.

"You know what they say..."

"Cephalodynia is contagious?"

He blinked, "No, Doc, I don't know anyone that says that."

"I do," she sniffed crossing her arms.

He laughed at the serious look on her face, bringing her close to kiss her. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip after he pulled away and he loved that he was still able to make her blush even after all of this time. It made it hard to leave her in the first place, but he would be back and wouldn't waste a single moment with her.

"Love you Doc," he whispered.

"I love you. Come back alive."

The conversation he had face to face with her before all of this. Little did he know that it would be his last one. The risks of him leaving the city and fighting were always great and the two of them were always aware that he might not come back alive like she always wanted. It had never occurred to either of them that she would be the one that ended up leaving instead, all within the safety of the city. This wasn't fair, life was not fair to him and he hated every second of it. Gladiolus growled again, giving a hateful glare toward the fire while trying to suppress all he was feeling right now.

"Gladdy?"

A small voice called to him a very familiar one. Whether or not it was in his head didn't matter to him right now, perfectly content to ignore it. However, it called to him again, trying to gain his attention. He looked over, seeing Iris there looking down at him sadly. With the shadows of the flames reflecting off her face he was unable to see the blemished skin left over from years ago when Athenacia had detonated and Iris got caught in it. It would never heal, not without magic and the young woman was forced to live with it. Every day was a reminder of that particular failure, one to protect the two people most important in his life. This wasn't a good time for her to be here.

"Iris what are you doing here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Obviously it didn't work, her face falling as soon as he was finished speaking. Iris wasn't going to back down that easily though, not even bothering to abandon her post.

"I... I wanted to see how you were doing," she replied.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, looking back at the fire, "Go home."

She looked uneasy before sighing and completely ignoring his instructions, taking a seat right beside him. Her head fell on his shoulder but he didn't move, thinking back to when they were younger. Some nights she would run to him and lie like this on the couch because she had a bad dream and their parents weren't around. It felt like just the two of them a lot when they were growing up even though that wasn't entirely true. Iris saw things in such a different light and Gladiolus admired her for it. He couldn't be prouder of her and wished that their parents could see how she grew up. Back then he felt like his father wasn't around much and at times he would resent that, but not Iris. His sister would faithfully help Jared make sure that the man was taken care of during his long work days. Gladiolus had come to understand it, loved his father despite how he felt about it, however, could never understand how Iris was so forgiving all the time. And now, she was all he had left.

"I miss them," said Iris absently.

Evidently she was thinking along the same lines as him and it only made him tenser. The fact that he wasn't there for her after the fall of the city weighed heavy on him and it hurt even more how understanding she was about it. There was nothing that could be done, his job as Shield ensuring that he would be swept away from his personal life. Gladiolus had come to embrace his duty at a young age but there were times that he wished it didn't interfere with his own wants and needs. Cor was right all those years ago in the Tempering Grounds, duty first, life second. The Shield wondered if his father or even Cor felt this way sometimes.

"Me to," said Gladiolus.

"Are you going to come home?"

"No."

"Don't you think you should be with her?"

"What difference would it make? I'm not a doctor and I ain't got healing magic. Does her no good for me to sit there."

"That's not true."

"You an expert?"

Iris sighed, "No. But Frankie was telling me that the EEG changes whenever someone she knows is in the room."

"You don't even know what that means," he scoffed, a fist tightening at his side.

"I do actually. An EEG measures her brain activity and according to the nurses it spikes when you're around."

"So what?"

"So it means she knows when you're there."

"It doesn't matter!" his voice rose, body still tense, "She ain't gonna wake up so being there doesn't make a difference!"

"Gladdy..."

Iris brought her head up, her brother's body vibrating in his rage. This was the first time in a month he had said out loud that Athenacia was going to die. And here he sat unable to stop it, completely useless. A small hand found its way to his shoulder but he kept his scowl on the dancing flames before him.

"That might be true," the choked sob in Iris's voice forced him to look at her, "But do you really think she wants to be alone for this?"

The tears falling down her face shone in the light of the fire. Unable to contain herself, she let her shoulders slump in defeat as she cried. Gladiolus put an arm around her, allowing her to sob into his shoulder while his gaze went back to the flames keeping them warm. Iris had lost as much as he had and she was handling it better than he ever could. She was right, he should be with Athenacia no matter how hard it was.

"I don't want to lose her either," whispered Iris in shaking breaths.

He didn't respond, not right away. It took a lot to gather his thoughts, trying to push away the last time he saw her but going there would only make it worse. Heaving a heavy sigh as his sister managed to pull herself together, he looked down at her and nodded.

"Let's go home."

...

Gladiolus returned to Lestallum with his sister but went home first. Just like before, his room felt completely empty and cold without Athenacia's presence and that weighed heavy on him. It would always feel like this now, nothing about that was going to change. Cleaning himself up quickly, he made his way out of the house and made a beeline for the hospital, his chest tightening when he was standing outside the room. The curtains were closed since she was here under a false name, no one wishing to take the chance of seeing her since it was a fairly popular floor. When he walked in he wasn't the only one there. Cor was standing off to the side as he often did and Gin was also checking in to monitor the patient's condition. The Marshal looked over at the younger man, nodding once before going back to his brooding.

Athenacia looked no different than last time. She was still hooked up to a bunch of machines, including the one that breathed for her, but her face was peaceful. Gin went to have a look at the wound and Gladiolus's heart sank as soon as she did. The skin that was once fair was now almost black, stretching from her back and coming closer to her heart and engulfing her left arm. It had only gotten far more so than he anticipated. She was running out of time and he wasted what little of it he had feeling sorry for himself. Athenacia once explained to him when the infectious miasma took over all the major organs it was a matter of minutes before the victim would turn into a daemon. That was when they had to put them down, easily able to monitor the course of it. From the looks of things, it wasn't going to be long before it was her turn.

Cautiously walking to her, he found that his mind was barely registering anything else around him. Gladiolus could only see her and nothing else, hardly noticing when he was seated and her cool skin within his own hands. She still felt like ice and it startled him every time. Gin finished up her work and then took a seat herself, letting out a sigh. Looking over at the ginger-haired woman, it was obvious she wasn't taking very good care of herself. All three nurses were devoted to caring for their friend and the Shield was happy that Athenacia wasn't alone this entire time.

"She doesn't have long, does she?" asked Gladiolus.

"No," Gin shook her head, her voice barely audible, "Two weeks if she's lucky."

"With no hope for a cure," said Cor, a fist clenched at his side.

"There's nothing more we can do. But she hasn't given up or she would have been gone already. Maybe if April were here..."

Gladiolus grunted, "She couldn't save herself."

The day April Hunter died was very vivid in his mind. It was a loss to everyone, not just the hospital. Vi, her sister, took it the hardest, followed by the woman on the bed right now. At least April had known her days were numbered but Athenacia was hit without warning, refusing to acknowledge a wound that should have been looked at the day she received it. Gladiolus blamed himself over the last week even though there was no way to change it.

"No, but she prolonged her life farther than anyone else, even managed to hide it until the final days. Between her and Cia I'm surprised there isn't an alternate cure," said Gin sadly.

"Two weeks huh?"

Gin nodded, "Only a miracle can save her. It's too bad there isn't any more magic in the world left, it's her only shot."

Cor looked over at the woman sharply, his eyes narrowing. Something about her words rubbed him the wrong way, like he was missing a vital piece of the puzzle. Bringing his gaze over to his daughter, he frowned in thought. Gladiolus caught it, wondering what the older man was doing.

"Keep her alive until I get back," said Cor suddenly.

No one was able to ask him what he meant, the man leaving the room instantly. Gladiolus and Gin shared a look before looking back at the spot the Marshal had vacated. Whatever Cor was up to, the Shield hoped it was worth spending the time away.

...

A week went by and Cor hadn't returned yet. Athenacia was never alone in her room though, always having at least one person with her. Gladiolus didn't even leave anymore, not trusting himself to stay away knowing how close the end was. Iris and Ignis made sure he was taken care of and Prompto made poor attempts to lighten up the mood. Frankie, Gin and Vi were all taking shifts, no days off in order to make sure that Athenacia was closely monitored. Talcott came by as much as possible and Gladiolus hoped that maybe she would react a little more with him there. The two of them were close when he was younger, none of that really changing after she disappeared for two years. Despite knowing otherwise, they were all hopeful that she would just wake up.

Nearly at the two week mark, Cor had finally come back to Lestallum. Gladiolus hadn't noticed him come in, dozing on the couch that was in the room he never left. That was fine, the older man not wanting to disturb him anyway. Athenacia was still alive and Cor went to have a look to see how far the infection had spread. He was aware that she was quoted two weeks and quickly realized how lucky that time frame was. She was fighting, had to be. It was the only way that she was able to survive this long and he couldn't help but be proud of her for that.

"You weren't kidding," said Aranea.

The dragoon knight was standing beside him, her voice in a hushed whisper. Aranea was aware of Athenacia's condition but had only been by once while Gladiolus was out for the week. The pilot set to her own mission to try and fix this at the insistence of Cor.

"How long?" she asked.

"Not long. Any second now," replied Cor.

"Shit."

Aranea was not happy to hear that at all. Cor placed his hand on top of Athenacia's head, rubbing his thumb along the pale skin. Leaving her was a risk, he knew that, but sometimes they had to be taken. Not going would have had him regretting that he didn't try every solution to the problem, especially since he was supposed to be taking care of her.

"There's nothing in Gralea?" he looked over at the other woman.

"Not a scrap of anything useful. They were more interested in harvesting the bastards instead of curing them," replied Aranea.

Cor nodded, "Then I hope this works."

"Hope what works?"

Gladiolus sat up, the sound of voices making it difficult for him to continue sleeping. Both of them looked over before Aranea stepped aside, allowing the big man to see exactly what they were talking about. There was a third person in there, one that hadn't said a word the entire time. It was easy to understand why, she was totally in shock. Red slits for eyes watering while dirty blond hair covered most of her face, Gladiolus was easily able to recognize Evangeline, Athenacia's mother. So this was where Cor had gone. What was he thinking?

"Moogle magic," answered Cor simply, crossing his arms.

The Shield stood up after he heard that. It was an interesting thought, moogle magic saving Athenacia once before back at the Temple of Illume. As to whether or not it would work on something like this, no one knew since it hadn't actually been done before. Spending time to work it out would be useless, however, since there wasn't the time to test out theories.

"You really think it'll work?" asked Gladiolus.

"It better," replied Evangeline, walking up to her daughter with tears in her eyes.

The sound of her voice stopped everyone from making any more moves. Carefully, the moogle removed the necklace from Athenacia's neck and held it firmly in her own hand. She then pulled out her own moogle charm and just like before, pushed them together so that they combined with a small audible click. Pushing the trinkets in her daughter's hand, Evangeline held it within her own before losing her eyes and focusing. Gladiolus kept his eyes intent on the scene, watching as an azure glow erupted from the necklaces beneath their hands. Slowly, it travelled so that it was engulfing Athenacia's body entirely. It was almost similar to how she looked before she was about to detonate, though this was far different.

Hope died with the glow, however, no change within the patient on the bed. Evangeline gave a small cry before she nearly collapsed, Cor steadying her by her shoulders. That tightness in the Shield's chest came back, worse than before at knowing there truly was no other way to do this. Letting his hopes rise was foolish and he knew that. Accepting her fate was easier for all of them. What was Cor thinking? The only cure for the daemon infection was either Oracle magic or magically Noctis returning and banishing the darkness from Eos. Even then there was no guarantee the patients would recover.

"It didn't work," said Gladiolus.

"It did," gritted Evangeline.

"She's still dying."

The moogle stood up straighter, sighing once she caught her breath. Her hand came to her daughter's, squeezing it while the charms were still inside of that weak grasp. Athenacia didn't react, that steady beep of her heart monitor still filling the room. It was a rhythm that Gladiolus had grown accustomed to, one he hardly took notice of while he was in here. Evangeline smiled sadly, keeping her gaze on the patient and the Shield waited for some more information as to why this woman was so confident about doing absolutely nothing.

"True, I was unable to cure the miasma, but the magic has it contained," the woman spoke softly.

"Contained?"

"That's right," said Cor, "I didn't have Aranea bring her here to try to cure it, I wanted it contained."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Evangeline looked over at the young man, that small smile still on her face. Gladiolus had a brow raised, not exactly happy about being kept out of the loop like this. If there was something important he needed to know about Athenacia then they should make sure he was well informed, especially since he was the one watching her this entire time. The moogle tried to be reassuring, bringing a hand to rest on his shoulder.

"I've bought her more time."

...

thanks guys! I'll have part three up soon! Don't forget I'm also on twitter: rain00205