Rest in Peace [Noctis Lucis Caelum]

VI

We spend our lives
looking for reasons to stay
but sometimes leaving is the only thing
that allows us to stay strong

It was late morning by the time you returned home from your overnight stay in the palace prison. Throughout the whole journey back, Ignis' words lingered in your mind. Did that seriously happen? Everything honestly felt like a nightmare. You still felt extremely confused at the sudden request, no demand of having you working at the palace. Why did the king want you to work in the palace in the first place? Moreover, why weren't you allowed to refuse? After what just happened between you and his grace, wouldn't it be in his best interest to keep you out of the palace walls? Groaning in frustration, you began to rub your temples with your fingers. A headache was starting to form all these questions that were flooding into your mindset. This was all too confusing for you to comprehend.

Shaking your head, you cut yourself from your trance. Think about it later [Name]. You should be happy that you're home. You said to yourself in an attempt to draw away from your thoughts.

However, you couldn't bring yourself to be glad, for the fact that you were finally home. After all it wasn't going to be long until you were to be sent back to the very place where you were just locked up in —a week does go by very quickly. Though you weren't exactly going to be locked up in a cell, you still felt as though you were still chained down as the king's prisoner, despite this so called 'release'

Too lost in the thoughts flooding your head, you hadn't realise how long you'd been standing outside your apartment A heavy sigh escaped your parted lips, you reached into your bag, to pull out the keys to open the door. However before you were able to insert them into the lock, the door swung open, causing you to jump in fright. You looked up to see a very flustered and stressed Fidelis staring down at you.

"Oh thank god you're here." the brown haired male gasped out.

"Wha—Hey!" However before you were able to question he took hold of your arm and dragged you into the apartment. When you stepped inside the small living room, you immediately caught notice of a catatonic Luca lying on the couch. He wasn't moving but it was clear that he was still alive. He was blinking and breathing, and he wasn't frozen stiff; he just couldn't move.

"Fidelis? What happened?" You dashed to your little brother.

"I don't know." Fidelis replied. "He was acting odd ever since breakfast. He was fine for a while, but he suddenly collapsed without a sound."

You pressed your hand against his to compare the temperature with your own. The fever was still there, but the temperature was a lot lower than when he first got it.

"I made sure he took the medication when he woke up." Fidelis said, as if he read your mind. "I checked his pulse, temperature and everything but it was all fine. I asked him if he was hungry or tired but he wouldn't respond."

Suddenly Luca came back to reality as if nothing happened.

"[Name]! I missed you!" Luca shot up from his lying position threw his short arms around you, catching you by surprise.

"Luca?" you blinked. Though you were glad then he somewhat returned to normal, he was abnormally happier than usual to see you. You were only gone for a day.

Fidelis observed the two of you. He was relieved of course, but at the same time he was also worried. Unlike him, you weren't with your little brother for the whole day, so you didn't see or know what the young boy was going through while you were gone.