Gladio slams the truck door shut, dropping down from the driver's side with ease. Prompto helps Ignis out of the vehicle. Noctis sets up a fire, merely eyeing my bare collarbone before setting the logs aflame. He can make a good guess as to what happened to my magic abilities. Silently, Gladio helps me set up the chairs, though I can tell his eyes are locked on the frame of the fallen city in the near distance. Noctis requested that we set up camp together one last time. Prompto and I nearly collapsed into a puddle of tears at his phrasing.
After the chairs are in place, Noctis sits in one carefully, his blue-gray eyes never once leaving the leaping flames of the fire. I sit between Gladio and Ignis with a clear view of Prompto and Noctis nearby. It feels like hours that we sit there in silence. Swallowing the lump of fear and grief in my throat, I react out toward Ignis's lap and take one of his hands in mine. He doesn't pull away, merely tightening the grip between us with a gentle, comforting squeeze. Finally, Noctis breaks the silence.
"The five of us around a campfire. How long's it been?"
"Hmm... an eternity," Ignis replies softly, leaning toward the fire but never once letting my hand go. There's another long pause as Prompto throws his head back against his seat, staring up at the stars.
"So, yeah." Noctis sighs. He stares long and hard at the fire, trying to piece his words together. "I, um..." Prompto leans forward with his elbows on his knees, fingers clasped tightly together.
"Out with it," Gladio demands gently, his eyes holding a softer gaze than I think I've ever seen them possess.
"I just..." Noctis huffs, looking up at us finally with his hands clenched into fists. "@#$%&*, the @#$% is this so hard?" Gritting his teeth, he forces himself to scan over every face. "So, I... I've made my peace. Still... Knowing this is it..." Prompto's chin trembles as his eyes meet Noct's. "And seeing you here, now..." Gladio stares down at his lap, arms rested across his thighs with a tension that matches nothing here. Noctis's voice cracks. "It's... more than I can take." A tear streams down his face and I have to tear my eyes away, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I made a mistake looking away. Prompto sniffles, brushing his wrist against his nose. Gladio wipes at his cheek where the slightest glint of a tear rolls free. Ignis refuses to look up, but his grip is only getting tighter. Prompto finally speaks up.
"Yeah. You're #$%^ right it is." He looks up toward his king. In the background, Gladio takes a deep breath, staring up at the sky.
"Huh. You spit it out," the king's shield says, his hands clasping the armrests of his chair helplessly like he's lost at sea and this is his only lifeline. Ignis straightens, sighing.
"It's good to hear."
"It's... Probably too much for me too, Noct," I choke out, despising the odd tone my voice takes on as I speak through a tightened throat. No one says anything for a long time. The crackle of the fire, the rough surface of the rock, the chill of the night wind... Gods, it's all so beautiful. It's guaranteed this is the last of these things Noctis will ever feel. I'm glad he's made his peace with his purpose but... that doesn't mean I have to. Not yet.
Ever since we were children, just two opposite ends of the spectrum that couldn't stand each other, I admired his bravery. He was a brat, to be sure, but a courageous one. I never once doubted his will, his leadership. I watched him grow up, watched this group I call my family assemble and fall in love with each other. Not in a romantic way, but in a way where I can lean on any of them when I need to, and one I would most definitely lay down my life for. The babbling sarcastic prince has grown up, ready to fulfill his purpose and my heart is breaking further with every passing second. It's time for all of us to grow up. After all, we might not be seeing tomorrow.
"Well..." Noctis starts, standing up. "What can I say?" His voice is broken, wavering.
Prompto finally breaks down, clasping a hand over his mouth to stifle the sound of his sobs. Ignis's jaw clenches and Gladio forces his gaze to stay focused on his king, as it always has. A rag-tag team of rich kids who grew up so close to their king they can't even accept the fate they knew was coming all along. I just never knew it was so soon. He's so young. Why couldn't he enjoy life first? Noct never got the chance at achieving true happiness. There was always something stopping him. Noctis smiles for half a second.
"You guys..." Another tear slides down his cheek. "Are the best."
I choke on an unforeseen sob and the tears come before I can stop them. I rip my hand from Ignis's and cover my eyes. I'm not a pretty crier. It's all tears and loud sniffles and bizarre choked noises that erupt at unpredictable moments when I can't breathe. Ignis sighs, closing his eye and clenching his teeth together even harder. I know he won't cry; I wonder if he even wants to. Always so hard as stone. Noctis swallows hard, turning his eyes onto the hard ground and clenching his pale hands into fists.
"And you're really not making this easy."
"I'm sorry," I bawl out, bitterly laughing at the sound of my own ridiculous state.
"Don't apologize," Noctis shakes his head, tears pooling his eyes when he gives me a slight smile. "I'm just not brave enough to go all in."
"I'm not..." I choke on my own shuddered breath of air. "I just can't... Gods, I don't want..." I can't continue any further before emotion takes over again. I hate myself.
"Rayne," Prompto pleads, fruitlessly swiping at his face as more tears replace those he removes.
Seeing he's getting nowhere, he stands and drags me to my feet, throwing his arms around me. He's not a pretty crier either, drenching my collar with his tears. I couldn't care less. Gladio's there in almost an instant, enveloping the other half of my body and resting his hands against Prompto's shoulder blades. In mere seconds, Ignis and Noctis have joined our spontaneous group hug, all tied together by Gladio's broad grasp once he moves to let them in too. It's all warm breath and something trickling down my neck and Noctis murmuring nonsense as he shudders against his own urge to succumb to the pain we all bear.
"Astrals, I love you guys," I breathe, clinging to Prompto just a bit tighter.
"I love you guys too," Prompto laughs. Slowly, they all pull apart. I take a deep breath, pulling myself together. I turn around to face Gladio, to maybe even crack a joke. Instead, I find the same puffy eyes and red spots the rest of us bear. I laugh against the lump in my throat, reaching up the end of my sleeve to wipe at the remaining wet streaks on his cheeks. They've already welled back up in those gorgeous amber eyes.
"G-Gladio, please, if you start, I'm not going to be able to stop and..." I relapse into torturous grief, only to be crushed against his shuddering chest.
"You g-guys are r-r-ridiculous," Prompto stutters, forcing a laugh. Noctis smiles, watching me cling to his shield like he's mine. We can share.
Finally, after several long moments of rocking back and forth and fighting tears, we break apart, Gladio chuckling when he sees the wreck I've become. I punch his arm weakly.
"Don't you even start. Everyone here's a mess, and that's not excluding you."
"Are we prepared now?" Ignis asks carefully, tilting his head to the side. His voice sounds odd.
Nodding, I start heading toward the truck. "Why not leave our stuff here for the next travelers to use?" I suggest upon seeing Noct's confused stare. "Another act of goodwill from the king and his men."
"Sounds good to me," Prompto shrugs, running to climb inside the cramped truck. It's no issue, really. The feeling of my knees pressed to Ignis's isn't unfamiliar. Had it every time Noct drove the Regalia. Gods, that beautiful car... Sometimes I pretend I'm there again, the wind pulling at my hair and the sun burning my face. I pretend I'm back in the good old days.
Gladio slams the driver's door shut, taking a deep breath before turning the keys in the ignition and hitting the gas pedal. I hope Signum and Iris find a new ride to Insomnia once it's safe. Shutting my eyes, I lay my head against Ignis's sharp shoulder and lock my fingers between his once more. I can't sleep; I don't want to. I'm too scared of what I'll see. Of what I won't see. I merely keep my eyes shut and go along for the ride for now. Every bump resonates through my bones, every thud echoing through my head, every daemon's shriek causing goosebumps to ripple across my skin. I'm only a ragdoll, tossed about in the sea of life's will. I lost my oars in the last few storms, lost my raft in another shipwreck. For now, I merely drift, ready for death if it should come to drown me. I'm ready.
All too soon, the truck shudders to a stop, the roar of its engine dying down as Gladio takes the keys out of the ignition. Just as it was the whole ride, the vehicle is eerily silent. Not with tension, not with dread, not with terror. It's purely a moment where we sit and absorb the senses surrounding us in our last moments of peace. Of quiet. And then Noctis opens his door, leaving us no choice but to follow. We might as well get this over with.
The entrance to the city is flooded with debris, littered with cars and cones and shattered glass. Despite the wreckage we thought we saw from a cliff the day Insomnia fell, the city is certainly salvageable. All plant life has died, all metal has rusted, and all concrete has split, but at least the towering black buildings remain. In the distance, the crumbled white stone of the Citadel looms. I can't help but feel terrified and relieved to be here all at the same time. Gladio grunts, resting his enormous blade on his shoulder.
"Home, sweet home," he grumbles, a light smile taking to his lips.
"Yeah, at long last," Prompto sighs, taking a deep breath of air. It's not the same as it was before, when it was flooded with people and pollution, but it's better than any air I've tasted otherwise. Home may be with these guys, but it's only sweet in Insomnia.
"What we've been waiting for," Ignis adds gently. Even he can sense the difference in atmosphere. It's like the powerful, pure magic that flowed through the skies is now polluted.
"She's a hot mess," I huff, kicking at a stone and resting my hand on my hip.
"Sure is," Prompto nods, staring up at the looming buildings ahead. "And I'm ready to have her back."
"Next stop: the Citadel," Gladio mutters grimly, adjusting the massive blade on his shoulder.
"Yeah," Noctis breathes, leading the way further into the city. We're hardly into the depths of the northern downtown area before the hissing of MTs catches our ears.
"This is it—give it your all, guys!" Noct shouts, rushing toward the bots without hesitation.
"Yeah," Gladio nods. Prompto grins, whipping out his gun.
"You got it!"
"With pleasure."
"I'd add my own two cents," I grit, striking down hard on a soldier's solid metal form, "but I'm too busy doing my job."
"We can't all be as fast as you, Rayne," Ignis replies smoothly, expertly launching a dagger right past my head into the chest of an MT.
"Show off," I huff, stabbing my blade through the soldier's body where I know that little glass life-piece will be.
Gladio blocks several rapid-fire shots from an imperial magitek, allowing Prompto to rush forward with his Auto Crossbow. The deadly sharp bolts sever wires and block passages until the twitching, smoking bot explodes, sending debris and fire flying.
"That's the way!" Ignis calls, kicking an MT square in the face to knock it back. Gritting my teeth, I sprint toward him from where I am, heading straight for a lifted chunk of road I could easily use as a ramp.
"Iggy!" I leap upward from the peak of the slope, catching the spear the advisor hurls my way halfway through a flip, slamming the tip of the lance through the top of a bot so hard pieces of cement fly up around me. "Sweet," I laugh, handing Ignis his spear. He merely smiles, shaking his head.
"You doin' okay, Specs?" Noctis asks, approaching as the last MT sparks beneath Gladio's crushing blow.
"I don't need sight to sense what's around me," Ignis replies, pushing his shades up.
"We haven't together like this in ages," Gladio comments, his sword bursting into a shower of sparks as it dissipates.
"Really takes you back, doesn't it?" Noctis smiles, heading down the street in an easy jog.
"We may have struggled before, but now nothing can stand in our way," Prompto grins, running after him. Noctis frowns, tossing a glance over his shoulder as the rest of us catch up.
"Ignis, can you... sense light?" the young king asks.
"To a degree, yes," Ignis answers dutifully.
"So when dawn breaks, you'll know it."
"I should."
"Good to know."
A massive daemon obscured by the darkness interrupts our conversation. It's all I can do to throw a quick golden shield up as I dive in front of Noctis, blocking the extremely powerful blow the monster sent our way.
"Be careful out here," Gladio warns, dragging Noct behind a wall of concrete.
"Aw, how nice of you," Prompto coos, diving behind the same cover. Impressed by the durability of my new attire, I join them. My leather jacket definitely would have torn at the elbow.
"Shut it," Gladio growls, peering over our cover. "We can't take that, not now. Let's go around."
"What do you mean we can't take it?" Prompto protests. "We...!"
"He means we can't take it," I snap. "The longer the darkness has been out here, the stronger the daemons get. They evolve with time. This one must've been here from the very beginning."
"Around we go then," Noctis nods, sprinting around the corner of the building to our left with his retinue hot on his heels. Immediately, Ignis gets uneasy.
"I sense trouble."
"You sense right. Nice, Iggy!" Prompto praises, pulling out his gun. Ahead, another one of those spider-woman hybrids blocks the road.
"No time for compliments," Ignis replies sharply, readying his knives.
"Yeah, I got work to do," Noctis shrugs, warping straight into battle. Gladio grunts.
"We might not even get him to the Citadel in one piece if he keeps this up."
"He'll be fine," I laugh, running for the thin joints on the daemon's petal-like legs.
My cuts are clean and strong, Ignis's fire burns well, and Prompto's shots never miss. The daemon is down in a matter of minutes. I don't have to worry about good old Iggy anymore. Now I only pray that we can fight the rest of our way through the city without failing.