~Zodia's POV~
After what Noctis told me, all that anger and sadness evaporated along with my tears. Whatever the others had said to him surely changed his mind and attitude. "I'll thank them all later," I note to myself.
Deciding to walk to our destination, we left the Regalia behind. As our trek continued, my thoughts raced to the day Insomnia fell and I learned of my ability to control all twelve zodiac. Having no details behind how the power works, I'm hoping I will be able to call upon at least one zodiac to help with the Behemoth.
"I wonder..." I mumble to myself.
"Wonder what?" Prompto asked, making me jump a little. "O-oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud," I snappily reply, trying to hide my stutter. Prompto leans in closely and inspects my face. Praying to the Six above, I hope he doesn't pick up on my lie. When he shrugged off my words, I sighed in relief. I placed a hand over my racing heart and took a deep breath.
My thoughts were interrupted by a low growl and the sound of trees snapping in half. We all froze in our steps, listening closely to the sounds around us. "The hell?" Gladio cursed.
"Something's amiss," Ignis exclaimed.
"C'mon," Gladio said, beckoning for us to continue. Following the sounds, we head deeper into where the monster resides. The only obstacle in our path were snapped trees. No monsters resided in the area besides the Behemoth. Our surroundings are slowly beginning to vanish behind a thick fog. We pushed through until our eyes spotted a small crawl space.
"Noct!" Gladio yells, pushing my brother back. He gestured for us to follow him through the small space. I went after Noctis while Ignis and Prompto were behind me. Peaking through one of the many openings in the crawl space, I saw the Behemoth.
"Hold up," Gladio said just above a whisper. We all came to a halt, listening and watching the giant monster only inches away from us. "Deadeye-- the name says it all," Gladio said, pointing to his closed right eye. Once the Behemoth looked away, Gladio made sure to take caution. "Let's move."
The bodyguard made it to the other side, but the three of us were stopped when the Behemoth blocked our path with its large muzzle. The creature sniffed a couple of times and let out a deafening roar. Instinctively, I covered my ears from the thunderous sound. Seeming to lose interest, the Behemoth removed its muzzle and stomped away.
"Here we go," Gladio said as we all reached the other side safely. Prompto released a heavy sigh as if he was holding his breath the whole time. "It's weak on the right-- no eye, no horn," Gladio states.
"We'll stay in range until we can exploit its blind spot. Exercise due caution," Ignis said.
"The fog's gotten thicker. Who knows where that thing went," I comment.
"Seriously, does nature hate us?" Prompto asked.
"Merely another obstacle," Ignis replies. The blonde groans and jumps in fright when he steps on a twig. He reached out and grabbed onto me with a shaky hand. "S-sorry, scared myself," he admits. I laugh and pat him on the arm. "Don't worry about it, Prom."
Reaching an area with much denser fog made the hair on the back of my neck stand on-end. Noctis was about to take a step forward, but I quickly grabbed and pulled him behind a rock. "What are--"
"The Behemoth is using the fog as a coverup," I whisper. Just as those words left my mouth, the tail of the beast slashes through the fog. "We've got the beast in our sights," Gladio said in a low voice.
"But no plan of attack. The Behemoth should be heading back to its lair, where we can catch it fully off guard," Ignis states.
"Yeah, as long as we stay on guard ourselves," Noctis adds.
"Let's just take this one step at a time. We'll follow it through the fog with caution and let it lead us to its lair," I exclaimed. They all agree and we stalk the beast. All the rocks located around us provided sufficient cover for our stealth through the dense fog. After minutes of stalking, the Behemoth finally returns to its lair. The five of us slip through a small crevice to reach the lair of the beast.
"All in a day's work," Gladio said in a strong tone as we leaped over a fence. Ignis had caught me safely in his arms when I had jumped over the fence after him. Thanking him, he smiles and we continue forward. The fog has cleared and the bright sun above beats down on us harshly. We descended to the lower level and turned the corner. Gasping, I spotted the Behemoth on a small perch, glaring down at us.
"Are you kidding me?" Noctis groans. The monster lets out a thunderous roar and jumps down. Ignis threw his daggers at the Behemoth as it made its way over to us. Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio joined the fight and didn't hold back their attacks.
"This is gonna take awhile," Noctis grumbles.
"What, you worried?" Gladio asked with a slight chuckle.
"You wish," Noctis cheekily responds.
"The odds are against us," Ignis chimes in.
"That's not gonna stop us," Noctis chuckles.
"Noct, use fire magic to detonate the oil drums when its near one!" I shout at my brother, cutting the others off. He does as I said and causes the Behemoth to fall on its side, roaring in pain as the others delivered powerful blows.
"Nicely done, sis," he compliments. I just smile and take a few steps back as the Behemoth drew closer to my position. All was going well until Prompto was knocked back by the Behemoth's tail and caused him to land on his leg, resulting in the blonde to limp in pain. Gladio and Noctis were worried for him and got distracted.
"Don't lose your focus!" Ignis shouts at them. The two were easily caught off guard by the beast and had to take a breather.
Rushing through all the names of the zodiacs, I call upon one name who could help them with the struggle. "Aquarius!" I shout. The same rune appeared under me as when I summoned Taurus at the Citadel. My midnight black hair whipped around my face as the force of the wind increased. Blue crystals manifested and formed the zodiac, Aquarius.
With the water carrier she held, the zodiac wandered the battlefield, healing everyone of their injuries. When they all saw Aquarius, their eyes widened as big as saucers. Then, their eyes snapped towards me.
"Guys, I'll explain later. For now, we've got a Behemoth to worry about!" I shout at them. Without a word to me, the four returned to the fight. I noticed Prompto's limp was gone and they all had their energy back. Aquarius returned to my side and smiled at me. "Thank you, Aquarius," I smile back to her.
"I will always be here to help, Daughter of the Zodiac."
With those words, she vanished into thin air. Hearing what she called me brought tons of questions, each one racing through my mind.
"Ain't got much life left in it," Gladio suddenly said, knocking the beast back on its side.
"Let's finish this," Noctis replies while switching to his javelin.
"Show no mercy."
"Gladly."
Exchanging one last conversation, the four slay the Behemoth. The monster wails in pain as its body crumbles to the ground. The impact of the corpse caused the whole ground to shake. Sighing in relief, I lean against the nearest rock.
"Alright, we did it!" Prompto jumps for joy.
"With some unexpected help," Gladio said, his eyes landing on me. I tensed under his gaze, worried that they all would be frightened or mad at me. Ignis was the first to my side and only asked one question. "Are you alright?"
I nod, closing my eyes in exhaustion. Since I have not yet learned to control the zodiac, the ability requires more strength. Hopefully, I'll be able to control the power flow soon and not have to worry about exhaustion after every summons.
"Whatever it was, I feel great!" Prompto said, clearly trying to cheer me up. I send him a small smile, which he gladly returns. Noctis and Gladio came over and stared down at me with questioning gazes. "What was that, Zodia?" My brother puzzled. Feeling a little uncomfortable from their presence, Ignis picks up on my behavior and pushes them away gently. "Give her space."
"Can I explain everything once we're back to the outpost?" I beg. They nod and we leave the lair of the dead Behemoth. Ignis didn't leave my side for a second as we walked to the outpost. Back safely, Noctis and Prompto went over to Wiz and reported our successful hunt.
"Y'all did it-- you took down Deadeye! The area's safe again, an' we owe it all to you. On behalf of the locals, I give you my heartfelt thanks," Wiz said.
"So, about the Chocobos..." Prompto starts with an eager tone. Wiz looked at the blonde with a huge smile. "Our birds're at your disposal. You can rent them any time you like."
"Woohoo! C'mon, Noct, Zo, let's go for a ride!"
"In a minute, Prom. I promised to tell you what happened back there with Deadeye," I exclaim.
"You summoned Aquarius, correct?" Ignis asked. I nodded and began messing with a strand of my midnight black hair. The nerves were building up and I was fearing what they would think. Taking a deep breath, I slowly began explaining what happened.
"Before he was killed, Father said I possessed a power that would heal my illness slowly as I used it. He didn't get to explain what the power was. All I know is that I have the ability to summon the twelve zodiacs."
"Who did you summon before?" Gladio asked.
"Taurus. He helped Father, but it wasn't enough to keep General Glauca at bay. After Taurus vanished, I was already being carried out of the Citadel."
"He never mentioned--"
Noctis was silenced by the sound of his phone ringing. Pulling it out of his pocket, he immediately took the call. "Yeah?" Listening closely, I could hear Cor's voice on the other end. During his conversation with the Immortal, Noctis suddenly glanced at me. "Yeah, she's here," he told Cor.
After a few minutes pass, Noctis hangs up, his eyes glued to me. Feeling worried, I took a step towards my brother. "Noct, what is it?"
"The marshal wants us to meet him at Coernix Station. He wants to talk to you, Zodia."
"Hopefully, he'll have some answers about my powers," I said.
"So, to Coernix Station?" Prompto chimed in.
"Let's not keep the marshal waiting," Ignis states. We all get in the Regalia and Ignis drives us to our next destination. Arriving, we spotted Cor near the caravan. Once he spotted us, the marshal slowly approached us. His eyes immediately met with mine. Bowing, Cor began to speak. "I am glad to see Her Majesty made it out safely. Forgive me for the sudden summons."
"Cor, the formalities are really unnecessary. Also, the proper talk doesn't suit you at all," I laugh. Cor raised his head and smiled. "Kind as always." His smile soon turned into a frown. Sensing his behavior change, I tried to ready myself to hear what he had to say. "I've been informed you have learned to summon the twelve zodiac. Who have you been able to reach?"
"Taurus and Aquarius. Those are the only two I have called upon."
"It seems you're grasping the power of the zodiacs much quicker than I thought."
"Cor, please explain."
"It would be better to show you. Follow me," he said. The five of us exchanged glances as Cor led us away from Coernix Station. A few miles from where we left the Regalia, the marshal led us into a dense part of Duscae. We pushed our way through thick foliage and soon were greeted by a strange stone door with strange carvings.
"What is this place?" Noctis asked.
"This..." Cor glances at me, "Is where your lineage and prophecy begin, Zodia."