Enchanted [Final Fantasy XV]

❥ chapter VII

Just then, Prompto chimed in, "I wonder, though ... Why would a teleportation spell cause us to dream of each other?"

Noctis sat up a little straighter. "Good question."

You raised your hands in a defensive manner when the Chocobros looked at you questioningly, expecting an answer. "What're you looking at me for? Like I already said, I didn't even know magic exists in my world until just now, so how should I know anything about the effects of spells?"

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter," Gladiolus said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "What does matter is that you're here now. You got any idea how to return to your world?"

"No." It wasn't like you planned on returning anytime soon, anyway. "If there wasn't a red, leather-bound book anywhere nearby when you found me earlier"—you took note of the four young men shaking their heads—"then I guess the spell book stayed in my world. Meaning I can't look up a spell to get back."

"Am I right in assuming that you don't know the spell by heart?" Ignis asked.

"Unfortunately not. I cast it for the very first time yesterday, and even then, I was only blindly following the instructions." Not to mention that there was no teleportation spell written in the book to begin with. You sighed. "Looks like all I have are my clothes."

"Speaking of which ..." Noctis piped up. "Wait a sec." Reaching inside a pocket of his cargo trousers, he fished out a smartphone—your smartphone, the sight of which brought a relieved smile to your lips. "Here you go."

Immediately after taking your phone from him, you checked whether it was still working and intact, which it was, thank goodness. "Thanks a bunch! I was wondering where it was. I was afraid it got left behind in my world or lost in the desert somewhere."

"Nah, don't worry. It just fell out of the pocket of your hoodie when I—" He interrupted himself, looking abashed all of a sudden, and averted his eyes.

You quirked an eyebrow at him. "When you ... what?" you asked.

"What's the matter, Prince? Cat got your tongue?" Gladiolus wrapped an arm around Noctis's shoulders with a big smirk on his lips. "C'mon, tell her what you did. You got nothing to be embarrassed about ... or do you?"

Levelling a withering glare at his Shield, Noctis shook off his arm. But that was the only reaction Gladiolus's tease got out of him; otherwise, he remained silent.

Once it became clear that Noctis was not going to finish his sentence under any circumstances, Ignis answered your question in his friend's stead in a calm, matter-of-fact way, "After I had determined the cause of your faint to be heat exhaustion, Noct had the presence of mind to remove your excess clothes lest your condition worsened."

"Oh, I-I see." You felt warmth crawl up your neck. Not only did the red-hot blush on your face deepen when your eyes met Noctis's by chance, but you also detected a hint of pink on the Prince's cheeks as well. "Thank you."

"No problem," he mumbled.

Gladiolus burst out in roaring laughter, which didn't exactly help ease Noctis's or your embarrassment, especially since it drew the attention of some strangers in earshot. "See? That wasn't so hard, now, was it?" He jabbed his black-haired friend in the ribs with his elbow, drawing a grunt of pain from him.

"In any case," you said in a desperate attempt to change the topic, "now all I have are my clothes and my phone. That's something at least."

Without missing a beat, Noctis jumped to your assistance, just as eager to talk about something entirely else. "So, what you're saying is that you're stranded here?" he asked as he discreetly tilted his head in a grateful nod.

"Pretty much."

Prompto, Ignis, and Gladiolus shared eloquent looks, which they then directed at Noctis. The four of them proceeded to look at each other in complete silence for several long moments, during which you glanced back and forth between them in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. They seemed to hold an entire conversation without saying a single word out loud.

Eventually, Noctis threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, fine! Whatever!" he exclaimed and reclined in his chair with a deep, resigned sigh. "We don't really have another choice anyway."

Grinning from ear to ear, Gladiolus clapped him on the back. "Right you are. Okay, it's settled then!" He turned to you and announced, "You'll be coming with us!"

You blinked at him, still confused—probably even more than before. "Huh? To where?"

Once again, it was Ignis who enlightened you. "We have just departed from the Crown City of Insomnia and are now heading for Altissia, the capital of Accordo, where Noct is to wed his childhood friend Lady Lunafreya, the Princess of Tenebrae."

"Oh, congratulations," you said, smiling, but Noctis merely gave a noncommittal hum in response. "And you guys would really take me with you? Are you sure that's alright? I mean, you are probably on a pretty tight schedule. I'd just be dead weight. You got more important—"

"Nonsense!" Gladiolus cut you off, waving your objections aside. "Nothing's more important than helping a damsel in distress. You think we'd just go on our merry way and leave you in the lurch? Well, think again!"

Prompto flashed you a bright smile. "Yeah, you're part of our team now!"

"You needn't worry about our schedule either," Ignis reassured you. "We've taken the possibility of a delay into account—"

"Like the Regalia breaking down."

"Indeed." Ignis cast a reproachful look at Prompto, but it went completely unnoticed by him. "As I was saying, we have planned our journey with a few days to spare in order to be on the safe side, should something happen. Though we do, of course, want to reach Altissia as soon as possible."

"I'm sure—no, I know we'll figure out a way for you to get back to your world in the meantime, just you wait and see!" Prompto declared, as confident as could be. "You'll be back home before you know it!"

To be completely honest, you had been secretly hoping that the Chocobros would let you go with them to wherever they were headed, since they were the only friends (or at the very least acquaintances) you had in this world, and without them, you would be up the creek. But you were surprised that they went so far as to allow you to accompany them on their entire journey and not just part of it—not that you minded, not at all.

Gladiolus drew you out of your thoughts by asking, "So, how's that sound? You're coming with us, right? And just so you know, we won't take no for an answer." He playfully winked at you.

You laughed lightly. "Well, you don't leave me much of a choice, do you?" you responded, shaking your head in amusement. "Thank you so very much." You regarded the four of them with a warm and sincere smile, which they all returned with a smile of their own.

"You're more than welcome!" Prompto warbled.