Inner Daemons (Final Fantasy XV Fanfic)

Chapter I

"But I don't wanna go to school, Mama!" Valerie watched as her daughter clung to her leg. "I wanna stay home with you!"

"Now, Angel." Valerie leaned down, running a comforting hand through the girl's crimson hair. "Everyone has to go to school." The child looked up at her. She kneeled down to face her, smiling kindly. "There will be plenty of other kids there to. You'll make lots of friends and have a wonderful time."

"Really?"

Valerie placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Angelica, everything will be fine. Everyone is nervous about their first day of school. Now come on, get your backpack and let's go."

Angelica snatched up her backpack and took her mother's hand. The two left their home and got into the car. It was a short drive to the nearby school, and Valerie was soon leading Angelica into the building and to her classroom. Inside, at least a dozen other kids her age were playing with toys, coloring, and just having fun. A woman wearing glasses with brown hair fixed up in a ponytail approached the two.

"Good morning," she greeted with a cheery smile. Her gaze went down to the child attempting to hide behind her mother's leg. "And who might you be?"

Valerie gently pulled her daughter out from behind her. "This is Angelica. Sorry, she's a bit nervous about her first day."

The woman bent down and took Angelica by the hand. "Well hello, Angelica. No need to worry. We're going to have a great time today."

Angelica smiled lightly. Valerie crouched down and said, "Now, Angel, you have a good time. I'll be back to pick you up after school, okay?"

"Okay, Mama."

Valerie kissed her daughter's forehead and stood up. She waved to the girl and left the room. Angelica looked all around at the other kids. None of them paid her a bit of attention, and the teacher hurried over to keep a boy from climbing on her desk. Not knowing what to do, Angelica quietly went over to a vacant area where a pile of building blocks laid. She slipped off her backpack, sat down, and began stacking a few blocks.

"Hey, can I play too?"

Angelica looked up, seeing a brown-haired boy standing in front of her with a friendly smile. "Uh, sure."

The little boy sat beside her and picked up a block. "My name's Henry. What's yours?"

"Angelica," she answered. She was beginning to loosen up at having someone talk to her. "But you can call me Angel. That's what my mama calls me."

The two began stacking up the blocks. They talked about all kinds of things as they constructed a grand building. "It looks like the Citadel!" Henry cried joyfully.

"That's where my mama works!"

"Whoa, really?!" the boy exclaimed.

She nodded. "Yep! She's a cook! I wanna work there with her one day!"

"I wish I could work at the Citadel! Then I could meet the king!"

The pair had become fast friends, talking and laughing together. Angelica had made her very first friend, and she couldn't be more thrilled. Henry got up and rushed off to grab a milk carton. Meanwhile, Angelica continued working on creating a small city around the block-made Citadel. After a moment, her concentration was broken by rapid footsteps behind her, followed by a hand gripping her shoulder.

Angelica instantly reacted, a strange instinct taking over her. She grabbed the person's arm and twisted it. There was an audible snap followed by a shriek of pain. Angelica released the person and whirled around, seeing Henry now writhing on the floor, clutching his arm as he screamed and cried. Angelica realized what she had done and backed away as the teacher and other children gathered around.