5
Silence filled the train car, an ever present air of impatience and urgency permeating the space around Noctis and his friends. Sitting around waiting for the train to arrive in Gralea was becoming increasingly more insufferable as more and more time passed, the clanging of the train on the tracks rattling in their ears for beyond many hours beginning to irritate Noctis to no end.
If he had to sit in that train any longer, he was going to lose his mind.
"We should be drawing close to Gralea." Ignis stated, noting their location as best he could by how long they had been riding the train.
"Can't imagine what it'll be like." Gladio sighed quietly, thinking about what they may experience when they did finally reach the capital which was quickly closing in.
"Swarming with deamons, but you knew that." Noct countered, adjusting himself in his seat as he too thought about the situation in the capital and what Prompto was experiencing right now. The pain he must be in... those thoughts had plagued Noctis for hours now, but never as much as they did now that he was so close. So close, but still so far from rescuing his best friend.
So close, yet so far from delivering him from whatever hell he'd been trapped in.
"Don't remind me." Gladio muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the thought of what they would be walking into once they got there.
"Once we arrive, we'll make for the Keep." Ignis stated, already formulating a plan for their upcoming three-man invasion of the capital.
"The 'Keep'?"
"Zegnautus." Ignis explained. "An imperial megafortess said to be impregnable."
Noctis sighed deeply to himself upon the realization of what that meant, and how that made things even more difficult than they already were, which wasn't helping anyone at all. Least of all Prompto.
"With Prompto and the Crystal inside it..." The thought of what Prompto could be going through filled his mind still.
All Noct wanted was his best friend back. Damn Ardyn, damn the Crystal, damn everything. Nothing could matter at all until Prompto was safe and sound in the care of his friends. Friends who loved him, and would never hurt him.
"What goes in, must come out." Gladio stated plain. Crossing his arms with a serious case of resting bitch face, denoting his more than serious demeanor.
"Yeah, and believe me it will." Noct sighed, sinking back into his thoughts, blocking out any resemblance of reality from his mind and surroundings.
"I'll get Prompto out of there if it's the last thing I ever do. Him and the Crystal both. And he'll be alive. Gods, please let him be alive... If anything happened to him... I don't think I could ever forgive myself..."
The thought of his best friend being hurt, it pained Noct's heart to even consider that a possibility. Too many people had been hurt already because of his duty as the chosen king. He couldn't bear to see anymore people he cared for harmed because of him... especially Prompto. He was so... innocent. And so precious to the other three guys, that if he was hurt, Noct wasn't sure any of them would be able to handle it very well...
"Noct, are you listening?"
Noctis returned from his thoughts, looking up at Ignis with a confused yet surprised look on his face, since he in fact, hadn't been listening at all. Despite knowing that Ignis and Gladio had been discussing important subjects while he had been wallowing in his thoughts.
"Huh? What's up?" Noct asked, making an attempt to focus back into reality, but in the silence between their spoken words Noct was tormented by the echoing cries of his best friend. The thought of Prompto scared and in pain all alone, in a dark place crying out for their aid, it plagued him to no end.
Quickly shaking his head, trying to shake away the agonizing cries conjured by his imagination, Noct focused back on the shield and the adviser as Gladio's deep and gruff voice cut through the cold moment of silence.
"Look, we know you're worried, Noct. Iggy and I are too, but we need you to focus." He counseled, looking upon the young king with a sightly softer expression on his face than he had before. "Y'know, I get it. I know this isn't easy to deal with and well, it's less than ideal. But these are the cards we've been dealt. The best thing we can do is keep our heads in the game and play our hands the best we can. Prompto's gonna be fine, but for now we have to keep moving forward. Unless you've forgotten what Iggy said already."
Noct could never forget. He'd heard those words more than once in his life. From Ignis, and many years ago, those same words he heard from his father the day he met Ignis for the first time.
"A king cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences, and never looking back."
The voices of his father and Ignis ringing in tandem inside his mind, Noctis sighed, a spark of conviction returning to his eyes as he looked upon the oldest members of the group.
"How could I forget?" He questioned, his voice full of an aura of seriousness and determination while he envisioned rescuing his best friend and reclaiming the Crystal. He would do whatever it took to save Prompto and return him to their side, where he would be safe and cared for. Then together they could save the world, and then they would all be safe. "Besides, he's right. I have to keep moving forward..."
"Aptly put, Noct." Ignis responded, offering a soft smile to his young friend. "Everything will turn out alright, but we must persevere through these dark times."
"Alright. Then we better get moving quickly once we get to the ca-"
Before Noctis could finish his sentence the train shook violently, the screeching sounds of metal scratching on metal as the train was knocked out and then returned to it's place on the tracks, jolting the friends about in the car in a quick moment before it was over.
"What the hell was that?" Gladio questioned, steadying Ignis who had nearly been jostled from his seat. "You okay, Iggy?"
"Yes, Gladio, I'm alright." He answered, nodding slightly as he felt for his cane. There was no doubt in his mind that something was amiss, and they would need to get moving. Grasping his hand around the slender rod as he discovered it lying at his feet under the table, he slowly stood, nodding at Gladio to assure him he was fine.
"Attention all passengers, it looks like we're under attack!"
"Dammit!" Noct scoffed, quickly grabbing the table as the train violently shook once more. "C'mon we gotta go!"
The three friends hurried out of the car, Noctis leading the way with Gladio behind monitoring Ignis, making sure he didn't fall behind.
"Shit!" Noctis thought as tens of little Imps appeared before them.
Extending his arm to summon his sword, Noct's eyes widened as nothing appeared.
Not even a single spark of magic.
Frantically thrusting his arm forward in a vain attempt to conjure anything at all, he turned to the older men, internally having a small panic attack.
"M-My weapons are stuck!" He called out, earning a wide eyed look from Gladio for a moment before he charged forward, kicking away the Imps as the glass windows shattered, opening the way for even more deamons to enter.
"Go!" Gladio shouted, quickly doubling back into a small sprint, passing Noctis and grabbing Ignis's empty hand as he passed, not willing to let him run around without being able to see in a situation like this.
Within seconds, Noctis followed suit.
The three sprinted down through the cars, desperately trying to outrun the deamon hordes pursuing them.
"Gladio, slow down!" Ignis called, struggling to keep up in Gladio's haste. Despite how nimble he typically was, Gladio's adrenaline powered sprinting was becoming difficult to manage as he was pulled along behind him, losing all traction he may have somewhat had before Ignis nearly tripped without using his cane to quickly prop himself back up. "I can't keep up like this!"
Gladio's eyes narrowed as he continued barreling through the cars, knowing Noct was able to keep up fine at this speed. He was more concerned with Ignis, not ignorant to his dear friend's plight.
Taking no time to consider any other course of action, Gladio gripped Ignis's hand firmer, thrusting his arm forward, effectively propelling the blind man in front of him. Quickly scooping him up before he passed him by, Gladio secured Ignis in his arms, holding him close to his chest as he and Noctis continued to race to the car holding the Regalia. She was their only chance for escape now.
"G-Gladio!" Ignis stuttered in surprise at what had just happened in about seven seconds, caught completely off guard by the slightly older man's actions. Ignis felt his cheeks heat up as he was held securely to his dear friend's bare chest. Blushing wasn't normally something Iggy did, but now wasn't the time to focus on that, he realized.
"Sorry, Iggy, but we've gotta keep moving!" Gladio asserted, keeping a firm hold on Ignis so he wouldn't slip out of his grasp.
There was no time to stop when the deamons were in hot pursuit. But thankfully, they had managed to put some distance between themselves and the deamons, enough hopefully to get the Regalia moving without any more problems.
"Get in, quick!" Noctis called as the Regalia entered their sight, sprinting to the driver's seat, and practically throwing himself inside to start the motor.
Leaning over to the passenger's side, Noct pushed the door open as quickly as he could, only being a few seconds ahead of Gladio and Ignis.
Gladio reached the Regalia in haste, appreciating that Noctis had already opened the door since he wouldn't be able to easily with Ignis in his arms. Quickly checking to make sure the deamons weren't too close behind, he turned back to the Regalia, gently but swiftly sitting Ignis down in the passenger's seat and closing the door before hopping into the back seat.
"Get us off this train!" Gladio fired out, checking to make sure Ignis had his seat belt on, not willing to risk his safety any more then the situation already had.
"Hold on!" Noct fired back, flooring the gas as the Regalia sped out of the train and into the tunnel, speeding down the tracks as quickly as he could while doing his best not to crash and burn immediately. Narrowing his eyes in anger as he realized they had made it to Gralea, Noct pushed the Regalia as hard as he possibly could.
They were so close now...
"We're almost there, Prom! Hang in there!"
Everything was dark.
The air hung heavy all around him, and his whole body hurt. Prompto's cries had long since faded into silence, the periodic electrocutions and the pure exhaustion he felt certainly didn't do anything to help him, and the burning pain he felt from his stab wounds and undoubtedly seared flesh only serving to subdue the young blonde even faster. The fear he felt from being trapped in the small, nearly pitch black chamber continued to make his heart race and his breathing hasten, it was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet. In truth, he wished he had. And that when he woke up he would be safe with his friends again.
But even that misfortune seemed to be too fortunate for him.
"Please... please let me out..." Prompto had long since leaned against the back wall, using it to keep himself standing as there was hardly any room for even that much in the cramped chamber. His eyes had begun to fade, from both fear and torture he had been forced to endure, as well as there being hardly any air in the small chamber. After all, they were designed to hold beings that didn't need it.
Prompto stood still, trying to bear the pain his body held, only, he had never been in so much pain before.
"Noct… please get me out..."
As if Ardyn was still listening to him even then, once more the device clasped tightly around Prompto's slender neck rang out with a small series of beeps before he felt the burning sensation in his neck as it slowly spread to the rest of his body. He couldn't tell if he had cried out like before, his mind was becoming hazy and it was difficult to concentrate. But the power of the electrocution siphoned the strength from his body, collapsing as far down as he could in the incredibly tiny space.
Prompto slammed his forehead into the chamber door as he fell, unable to stop himself without putting pressure on his wounded shoulder. Everything was spinning when he looked back up, trying to steady himself again so he could properly stand.
"Are you really so sure they're coming?"
Prompto stiffened at the sound of Ardyn's maniacal baritone. His voice was muffled slightly by the door separating them, but Prompto could still hear every word. His heart dropped in his chest at the thought of what Ardyn was implying.
What if they weren't coming...?
"I mean, If your dear friend Noctis so callously pushed you off of that train... can you really be sure he'll come to rescue you?" Ardyn chuckled, clearly enjoying the pain he was inflicting on the poor boy's heart. "I certainly doubt that."
"Y-You're wrong..." Prompto countered. His voice was weak from his scorched throat, but he was loud enough for Ardyn to make out on the other side of the door. The thought of his friends not coming for him hurt him, but what hurt him more was the idea that if they did come for him, he could be dead. The desire to survive and see them again, that's what kept him going so long. Struggling against the restraints binding his wrists together, he pounded his fists against the door in desperation. "They're coming! They'd never leave me here!"
"Oh, you poor boy." Ardyn sighed, placing a hand on the chamber door for a moment before offering a small grin. "You simply don't understand what it's like to be betrayed by those you hold dear."
Clicking a small switch in his left hand, the chamber door opened as Prompto went to pound it again. Without the barrier to stop him, Prompto fell to the ground, slamming hard against the concrete floor.
"But you will." Ardyn continued, kneeling down beside the young blonde, taking in every single wound he had inflicted upon him. Taking a fistful of dirty blonde hair, Ardyn lifted up Prompto's head. His face was positively stained with blood, and his eyes were filled with pain and fear. "Your friends aren't coming for you."
"Don't c-count on it." Prompto growled weakly, glaring at his captor with a newly lit fire in his eyes. Despite what Ardyn hoped for, Prompto wasn't broken.
At least not yet.
Mustering up an ounce of bravery, Prompto spit in Ardyn's face, the fire in his eyes intensifying. Ardyn in turn glared himself, frowning deeply for a moment before smashing the blonde's already damaged face into the ground below him, restarting the flow of blood from his already broken nose. Earning him a small cry from the wounded gunner.
"No. You shouldn't count on them." Ardyn fired, still with his deceptively calm decibel. Nearing the boy again, he stopped when he was close enough to whisper in his ear. "Even if they did come. Do you really think they'd accept you for what you really are?"
Prompto tensed at those words. Now that he knew the truth about his origins, he feared what Noct and the others would think... and worried they wouldn't want him anymore...
"Don't think for a moment that they won't find out." Ardyn pressed his knee down on Prompto's back, effectively pinning him to the floor, causing him deep pain in his arms which were trapped under his chest by being bound in front of him. A pained whimper escaped the younger man's lips, not daring to try and squirm out of Ardyn's grip if only to avoid causing himself any more pain. "But perhaps revealing that little tidbit can wait until after I've drained the life from your eyes."
Ardyn chuckled deeply, smirking as he saw tears roll out of the blonde's eyes. The pain from his stab wound in his shoulder being put under the pressure of being pinned by Ardyn proving too much to bare under these circumstances.
"I would very much like to see the agony dear Noctis will feel, knowing that your death was on his hands. Before I tell him what you really are - I'm sorry - were."
"G-Get off of me...!" Prompto pleaded, his eyes screwed shut as he did his best to fight against the pain running through his body.
Ardyn frowned deeply, and brandished the blade concealed by his coat. Holding it firmly in his hand, the silver glinting blade trained on the pained blonde's exposed form below him.
"I could just as easily end your miserable life right here and now." He said flatly, shifting more of his weight down onto the blonde, more than ready to kill him and silence his pathetic whining. "And then what would his majesty have left to find if he thought someone as weak and insignificant as you was worth rescuing? A cold, lifeless corpse."
Ardyn chuckled darkly, relishing in the younger man's pain.
"That is if he was coming at all."
Before Prompto could even begin to voice an objection, Ardyn spun around, his blade coming down, swiftly piercing the skin of the gunner's left leg.
Prompto cried out, preparing himself for even more pain, doubtless there would be more. Ardyn grinned menacingly, grabbing the younger man by the neck and picking him up off of the ground, turning him to face him. Brandishing the blood-soaked blade in his right hand, Ardyn slashed Prompto's cheek, a slow flow of blood falling through the broken flesh as the little gunman choked for breath with Ardyn mercilessly squeezing his neck. His eyes dark, cold, and narrow as he peered into Prompto's own wide, terrified eyes.
"...L-Let me... g-go...!" Prompto choked out, his already weak voice becoming weaker with hardly any air to support it.
Ardyn's grip only tightened, however, spurred on by the iron smell of fresh blood. The blonde's sight blurred, the edges of his field of vision blackening and his hearing becoming muffled and echoey, as if he were stuck underwater. Prompto felt reality slip away from him quickly without the ability to successfully breathe, fear permeating through his very soul.
"I... I-I can't die... not like this!" he thought, trying desperately to get even the smallest breath through his throat but to no avail. "Please! Ignis! Gladio...!"
Prompto felt his body go limp in Ardyn's grasp, his eyes became heavy, fighting to keep them open. Trying desperately to stay awake, Prompto used the last of his strength as everything around him slowly faded away.
"...Noct... please... help me..."
Gralea was exactly the way Noctis had expected it to be. But considering that he was all alone now with no weapons or magic, Noct was decidedly less than thrilled. After running for their lives on the train and racing through the tunnel to even get into the city, Noctis had been separated from Ignis and Gladio after a train car had fallen and blocked them off from each other.
"Dammit." Noct scoffed under his breath, shaking his head as he made his way to the door allowing him access to the lower levels of the fortress. "Of all the times to get separated... It just had to be in the fucking ultimate deathtrap of an Imperial fortress."
He sighed heavily, taking a quick glance at the ring he now wore on his middle finger. So many people had died or were hurt because him and that ring. And now, it was the only protection he had at all in this place. Much more than Prompto had, he reckoned. At least he had the ring, and Ignis and Gladio had each other to watch out for them, but Prompto… he was at the mercy of a madman, and he had been since the moment his body left the train to Tenebrae.
"I'm sorry, Prompto." He whispered to himself, looking around the dank and eerie space around him. "I'll find you, I promise. I'll kill that bastard and I'll avenge everything we lost that day. I'll avenge my father, and Luna, and Ignis... and I'll get you out of here, whatever it takes."
Thinking about his best friend in peril again, Noctis shook his head quickly, trying to rid himself of the dark images that filled his mind, shaking away the tormented screams of the normally lively and laughing photographer.
Noct clenched his fists, glaring at nothing as he pushed on, thankful that no deamons had yet appeared again. Anger seething through every fiber of his being as the image of Prompto in the hands of Ardyn slipped through his mental defenses, Prompto's eyes wide with fear and pouring out tears, his body battered, bruised and stained with blood. And Ardyn's smugly smiling face he beat the poor boy more. Nothing would be able to hold Noctis back if that thought had been a reality.
"Whatever it takes."