A Prophecy (Final Fantasy XV)

Eleven

The room faded into a dimly lit state after the royal arm's light dimmed. I tightly gripped Prompto's hand as we all faced Cor, waiting for his next instructions. I wondered what was going through Noctis' mind.

"That's not the only power your forebears left you. Your journey's just begun. Another tomb lies close by. I suggest you head there next," Cor says, walking around the statue and towards the door. He pushes it open, and we all follow him outside, welcoming the now night sky. "There are tombs scattered across the land. All are on dangerous ground, I'll go with you for the time being. Not only to help but to get a measure of your strength."

"I never thought I'd ever be able to fight alongside my father," I joke as we walk back towards the dirt path. Cor glares at me for a moment before facing the front again.

"Very funny, dear daughter of mine," he sighs heavily. "By the way, Prompto won't be going anywhere anytime soon. You don't need to hold onto his hand for dear life."

I gasped softly as I looked down to see mine and Prompto's fingers still interlocked. I looked up at Prompto, and both our eyes widened. Our faces went red instantly, and I quickly snatched my hand from his, looking away due to embarrassment. I power-walked up to Noctis just to get away from Prompto and my father.

"So, just how many of these 'powers' are out there?" Noctis asks Cor, hastily changing the subject. I looked at him with gratitude, and he just nodded quickly.

"There are thirteen known royal arms, each enshrined in a royal tomb, though we know the location of only a few," he explains as he walks ahead of us slightly, leading us towards the next tomb. "I've enlisted the help of the hunters. They comb the land in search for the lost tombs,"

"Where's the one nearby you mentioned?" Noctis asks.

"Keycatrich Trench. We know there to be a crypt deep inside the tunnels."  Noctis remains silent as a pack of sabertusks ambushes us.

During the walk to the next tomb, many daemons appeared due to the darkness of the night, but we all managed to take care of them rather quickly, especially with the aid of Cor and his Katana. After each fight, he would praise the guys for their fighting skills while throwing in some words of wisdom, making sure they wouldn't get ahead of themselves.

"Prompto, you alright?" Cor asks him. Prompto cleared his throat as he dusted himself off.

"Uh, yes, s-sir. I'm fine sir," Prompto stutters. Cor shakes his head as we continue on the path.

"You don't need to be so nervous around him, ya know?" I say as I walk beside him, behind the others.

"Can you blame me? I idolize the guy, and now he's here with us, with me crushing on his daughter, wondering when I can steal another kiss from her," I instantly blush at his comment.

"You want to 'steal' another kiss from me?" I say, placing my hand on his wrist, causing us to stop walking.

"Well, yeah. It's hard to do it with your father possibly catching us,"

"True," I say as I let his wrist go and go on my tiptoes, pecking his lips before running to catch up to the others.

"Not fair!" he calls out, but not loud enough for the others to hear.

"Long years ago, we waged a fierce battle here against the empire," Cor explains as we stop at a large field filled with the Niflheim army. Large cargo ships and crates were scattered around, and giant robots stood motionless as the soldiers marched on patrol. "It all went to ruin, and after that, the empire moved in like it owned the place."

"Er, how do we get through all that?" Prompto asks, filled with nerves.

"Take 'em head-on, or sneak up from behind. The choice is yours," Cor says, touching his katana.

"I'd prefer to sneak," I suggest. Cor looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

"You're staying behind that rock. There are too many of them for you to handle." I grumble and sit on the ground behind the rock, sulking.

After a long but easy fight, Cor whistled indicating it was now safe for me to join them. I run towards them, meeting them outside the entrance of Keycatrich Trench. As we took a few steps inside the dark and scary cave, with the only light into it coming from our flashlights Cor stopped us and spoke.

"Here's where we go our separate wats. Take this key. It unlocks the doors to the other tombs." Cor tosses Noctis the key, and he catches it in his hand and looks at it. "Seek them out and lay claim to the power they hold. You'll need it."

"And what will you do?" Noctis asks.

"Keep an eye on the Niffs. Find out what they're up to. But you should focus on your own task," Cor answers. As he made his way to the exit, he flagged me down, and I approached him with the four men watching.

"Let me guess, you want me to go with you instead?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"No. Watching the four of them in combat eases my mind about your safety." I furrow my eyebrows, confused. "You can stay with them as they continue their journey or come with me. The choice is yours, Azura."

"I want to stay with them. I feel like Noctis needs me now more than ever." Cor places his hand on my shoulder.

"Stay safe, my daughter," Cor kisses my forehead softly. "Also, is there something going on with you and Prompto?"

"Father," I groan. Cor places his hands up.

"Just curious. It's your life and your decisions." I nod at him, hoping this conversation is at the end. Cor sighs before turning and walking away. I face the guys and rejoin them.

"Here we go," Noctis says as he faces the entrance that ran deeper into the dark cave.

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