Prompto was ripped from his sleep, torn away from his dream and back into the harsh reality. His leg ached in pain and his whole body sore and worn. His mouth opened like a cave, huge and taking in oxygen as he yawned and cleared his eyes. The Chocobo was still loyal at his side, curled up and awake under the morning sun.
The fire was still warm as embers and ash still glowed lightly under the charred wood. Chirping birds filled Prompto's ears and the smell of damp summer air rolled in. He looked around. Empty. He wasn't far from the others, but they could have been anywhere and there was no way they would find him.
A light hum of the Killer Wasps were heard in the distance and the occasional splash of jumping fish echoed in the trees alongside the river. Prompto slowly stood up and grabbed a large branch from alongside him to use as a walking stick. He limped to the edge of the river and stared in, his reflection looking back at him. He was still himself, but he felt different, his body broken and mind destroyed because of who he was deep inside. His hand punched the water, causing it to ripple and his face distorted. A fish got startled and jumped onto the dry land, flopping about helplessly.
"I don't usually take advantage of the weak ones... but I really am hungry..." Prompto spoke to the fish.
His hand grabbed it and picked it up. It still wobbled about, taking its last breaths.
"I'm the weak one too my friend. Desperate times causes desperate measures."
With no mercy anymore, Prompto looked off into the distance over the river whilst adjusting his hands on the body of the fish. His stronger hand positioned behind the fish's neck and the other in front. In one quick motion he snapped its neck and twisted it off, revealing the bones and guts inside.
"We all die in the end." His eyes focused back on the fish. He threw the head into the river and watched it float downstream for a while before sinking beneath the surface.
He limped back to the camp and inspected the fire. It wasn't worth the effort to relight it, so Prompto grabbed his gun and jacket and hopped onto the Chocobo. The fish was raised into his mouth as he took a bite out of it raw, ripping it from the host and grinding it under his teeth.
The Chocobo continued onto the road and Prompto looked back at a memory of his.
The boys were sat at a table in the citadel, planning their trip before they headed off and out of Insomnia. A large map the size of the grand table was in front of them, revealing every single Nook and Cranny of Eos.
"The world out there is very different to that in here. It's dangerous and we will require to use our survival skills." Gladio explained.
"Wouldn't it be a good idea to get the feel for the lay of the land?" Prompto swirled the map with his index finger.
"It would be an ideal idea, but we don't have the time." Iggy responded.
"We should only be driving from point A to B anyway. Any other stops will be decided on the journey." Noct added.
Ignis sat on the table.
"However, if something were to happen, we require a meeting place. If anyone gets split up we should find a centralised town or village near a river."
Prompto smiled.
"So we can follow the river right? Will always take us to some civilisation and fish locations."
"I see you did listen in my lectures after all.." Ignis was proud.
"I knew that too." Noct lied in a humorous way.
"Of course you did." Gladio stared at him.
Ignis coughed. *ahem*
"Sorry. Continue...."
"Based on the map we should decide on one of these locations."
"How about there?" Noct pointed at the map.
"Coernix Bypass?" Gladio read it out.
"Hey Noct... isn't that not too far from where your... accident happened?" Prompto looked up at him.
"Yeah. This was the closest town back then..."
When Noct was a child, him, his father and mother both were outside the city walls. Noct was supposed to be protected, but he was ambushed by a large demon known as Medusa. She rarely came out at night, so it surprised many and her power was too great of that of the King himself. Noctis watched his mother get slaughtered by the demon, and Noct left paralysed and immobilised. It took a while for him to walk again, with the help of the Oracle Lunafreya.
"Coernix Bypass." Prompto repeated.
"Understood." Ignis nodded.
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The night was also a long one for Noct, Iggy and Gladio. They awaited anxiously for the brainless horde to give up. This was an army of empty and lifeless bots, not humans. The slamming door eventually stopped and the purr of the Empire's engines were heard overhead as they were picked up and sent back to Gralea.
Noct was the first to wake up. His neck was still supported by the makeshift brace made of Pillows. He adjusted it as his neck felt better, but sore, going against Ignis' advice. Sitting on the bedside table was Prompto's phone. Noct picked it up and held it in his hand for a while.
"Please, dear God tell me you're safe." He whispered.
The phone still worked but was very low on battery and the cracks in the screen made it difficult to see anything. Noct turned it on, a white screen lit up his face. His lock screen photo was unsurprisingly a picture of him and Noctis and his passcode was easy to guess. Noct unlocked the phone and went to his contacts, the last known phone call was the many attempts of Noct calling him in Lestallum. He was about to turn off the phone until something caught his eye, an unsent voicemail from Prompto to Noct that was supposed to send whilst Prompto was trapped in the motel last night. The prince's hands were shaking, but he pressed play.
"Hey.. hey Noct, Iggy... Gladio. If you're listening to this it means I'm probably dead. My message either got to you because I sent it in time... or you're listening to this on my phone. I'm sorry that I left you... I feel like I'm no longer a part of the group. If you're looking at my corpse right now... I'm sorry... I either couldn't take it anymore, or the Empire already got to me. If my body isn't here, then I've probably been sent home to be destroyed, or dismantled. The sick bastards. Good luck Noct. You were always there for me."
The phone clicked and the message ended.
The message Prompto was supposed to send, but chose not to because he wanted to live and be stronger. He chose not to die, but to be strong for the rest of the group- for Noctis.
Noct however couldn't have known that this message was not meant to be heard and supposed to be deleted because Prompto changed his mind. The prince broke down in fear that Prompto was gone. His weeping alerted the two sleeping.
"N..Noct?! Is everything okay?" Ignis rushed to his side.
"Prompto.." were the only words he could let out.
Ignis noticed the phone in his hands, he tried to take it, but Noct's grip got tighter and tighter. It was the only thing he had left of his best friend.
Gladio looked to the floor in sadness. He noticed Prompto's blood had now seeped into the carpet. There was however something else. Very faint bloody footprints followed and led to the window where there was a prominent bloody boot-print on the wall under the windowsill.
"Iggy... you didn't step in blood did you?.." Gladio slowly spoke.
"No, I don't think so, why?" Ignis looked at his shoes.
He walked alongside Gladio and looked at the footprints.
"What?...what is it?" Noct tried to look, still holding back the rest of his tears.
Iggy and Gladio parted so that Noct could see what they were looking at from his position. He noticed the footprints.
"Are those... Prompto's?"
"The MT's behaviour is odd... but I don't think they climb through windows. I think this was Prompto." Iggy looked closely at the size of them and the amount of blood.
"He's hurt, but his leg is probably causing him more distress."
"How can we find him?" Gladio looked out of the window.
Noct looked out too, noticing the river.
"He's a smart kid. I bet he followed the river..."
Ignis nodded. They all took a moment to think.
"Coernix Bypass!" Noct shouted.
"What?" Gladio was confused.
"The meeting place! If we got separated." Noct explained with hope.
"Do you think he has remembered? He can barely walk... how is he going to get there?" Iggy wasn't agreeing yet.
"He's going to be there! I know it."
"It's worth a shot..." Iggy had no choice but to keep hope.
"Noct is in no shape to travel." Gladio disagreed.
"This is life and death for us all. Prompto is the key to controlling the Loose wired MT's... remember? And he's my best friend." Noct Clenched his fist.
"We leave tomorrow then. It will take him a few days to get there without a car." Ignis spoke.
"Fine." Noct took a breath of relief.
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Raindrops slowly descended from the sky and rested gently in Prompto's blonde hair and the Chocobo's thick feathers. The journey was sore and tiring, but the destination was peaking on the horizon.
The Route was silent as most of the area had been recently evacuated due to the fall of Insomnia and the Empire's takeover of the land. Some of the only sounds heard were the wet patter of the Bird's feet and the sound of rain against the surroundings. It was calming for once. Occasionally Prompto's stomach growled as it begged for proper food.
The Empire had left this part of Eos for now, most of the soldiers died in Altissia or were sent after the boys in Old Lestallum. This made
it quick and easy for him to slip through the once guarded checkpoint.
Prompto swung his legs off of the bird and hopped onto the ground. He felt that it would be unkind to bring the Chocobo in as there was very little food and space. It was an emotional moment between the two as he developed a bond with the animal to replace his loneliness. Prompto's arms wrapped around the Chocobo's neck and he hugged tightly, burrowing his face into the warm feathers.
"Thank You." He cried.
The embrace was over and he brushed his hand from beak to tail of the bird, his fingers weaving in and out of the layers of comforting feathers. The bird enjoyed it and called out loudly with its unforgettable noise as a way to say goodbye. The boy watched as the bird slowly crept into the nearby forest.
Prompto squeezed through the very small gap left in the abandoned Checkpoint's gate and he walked into the small town. There wasn't much to see, but there was essentials such as a gas station stocked with supplies, a diner, caravan, abandoned weapon shop and watchtowers.
He staggered towards the glass door of the diner as his leg burned in pain. The door swung upon with a light push, unsuspecting Prompto who thought it needed a whack to open, he tripped inside and onto the pinball machine. The power was not working properly, but there was enough power left somewhere to allow the neon blue light of the diner eerily flicker on and off constantly.
The diner had only been left for a week or so therefore the remaining food would still be safe to eat. Prompto crawled behind the counter and rummaged for food. It wasn't as appetising as the usual meals served in The Crow's Nest, but it was good enough. He held the can of meat and vegetables in his hand whilst he searched for an opener.
The Can was quickly opened and Prompto collapsed back up against the wall behind the counter. His hands were scooping up the meat and vegetables and he shoved it in his mouth, it looked like he hasn't eaten in weeks.
The food went straight to his stomach and filled him up pretty quickly. With the hunger helped, the pain in his leg and the long journey, Prompto was exhausted and he quickly fell asleep in the diner.
Noctis, Gladio and Iggy left that night and travelled through the dark with the help of the modified headlights Cindy had installed to shoo away any demons. This ensured that the Empire wouldn't follow them in the light of day in the morning. They arrived at Coernix Bypass pretty quickly after a few hours, but were cautious to enter as they didn't know whether the checkpoint was still in operation.
"Don't drive too close, they might see our headlights." Gladio spoke to Iggy.
"I know, I know. I'll park up over there out of the way for now." Iggy drove the Regalia into a lay-by not too far away, but out of sights.
"I didn't see anyone... but you can never be sure, we can't afford a fight right now." Gladio squinted again to see if he could work out whether there were any Soldiers.
"What if Prompto's in there?" Noct worried.
"If he's in there he's either smart or stupid. We can't tell whether the Empire is here. It is too dark and risky right now." Ignis was calm.
"I could go alone and scout the area?..." Gladio suggested, opening the door already.
"No! you're not leaving the car... the best thing we can do is stay here tonight in the Regalia. We will be safe and then find out tomorrow if anyone is inside."
They each hesitantly agreed and managed to fall asleep.
The rising sun woke them up as there were no curtains or blinds, but it worked out well as they had a clear view on the Checkpoint. There were no soldiers at the gates and it looked as if the power was down.
"Looks clear to me." Noct's voice was raspy.
Noct went to open his door, but was disrupted by Iggy.
"Wait! Can you hear that?" There was a quiet hum in the distance like an Empire's ship, but the boys couldn't see it anywhere.
"Must've been nothing." Noct looked at the sky.
He Jumped out the car with his neck still in a brace and Gladio grabbed his side, supporting his walking. They slowly approached the gates.
Prompto was awoken by the sound of the Empire's ship, but it sounded much more louder as if it was above him, which is strange considering the other three should've only heard it louder too as they were a matter of meters away.
He was sleepy and tired but he gripped his gun and pointed it at the gap in the counter. At first it seemed his mind was playing tricks on him, but he lowered his gun after hearing a familiar voice.
"Prompto? Hey, Prompto you here?" Noct's tone was heard worrying for the missing boy.
Prompto remained silent for a minute, but he had to speak out, he was going insane after not speaking to anyone for a few days.
"Noct? I'm in here!" Prompto cried out to him.
The sound of the glass door whipped open and Prompto swallowed hard as he heard Noct's boots against the hard floor, step by step. Something wasn't right.
Prompto watched as Noct's legs passed on one side of the counter, but quickly changed by the time it walked to the other side. The person wore maroon trousers and black boots and walked much elegantly. Prompto was already gripping his gun and had his finger on the trigger.
"My dear boy, look at you all injured and alone." Ardyn bent down, offering a hand to Prompto. He ignored it and tried to shoot him, but without even pulling the trigger, Ardyn managed to disarm him and throw his gun across the floor. Sweat rolled down his face.
"You look nervous, I thought you've been wanting to die this whole time? I'm just doing you a favour." Ardyn placed a knife to his throat.
"Not by your hands." Prompto spat back, but his fear broke through and he replied with tears and sadness.
The sharp blade was placed deeper against his throat, blood began to run and the surface was sliced, removing the threads of skin holding him together.
The actual sound of Noct's voice was now heard as the three had entered the station. Prompto tried to scream, but Ardyn grabbed his mouth shut. Never had fear like this washed over him, his eyes were large and filled with tears and his breathing was rapid and shallow. Prompto struggled with his whole body, but Ardyn raised his finger to his mouth to gesture him to be quite and made a light "shhh" sound.
Prompto was bound and tied so he couldn't move or shout, his leg still in agony and his neck slowly dripping with crimson. Ardyn walked out the building with a fake hologram of Prompto as a way of persuasion.
Gladio rushed forward as soon as he saw Ardyn, but was quickly shouted at by Iggy as they saw Prompto walking alongside him.
"Prompto!" Noct shouted, trying to escape Iggy's grasp who was holding him up.
"Don't move or your friend here will get hurt. It looks like my boys did a good job on you though." Ardyn glared at Noct.
The real Prompto desperately tried to struggle from his ties, but was only making it progressively worse.
"I will make a deal. Your ring of Lucii for your friend." Ardyn reached his hand out.
"The ring? For what purpose you can't even use it it will cast you out!" Gladio spat.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way it means the king is without his power." Ardyn admitted, he had a plan.
Noct looked down at his hands and touched the ring, but then he noticed his other ring that matched Prompto's glowing brightly, meaning that one of them was in high distress and in a fatal situation. This seemed obvious at first as Prompto was in the arms of Ardyn, but after Noct looked for a while there was a missing detail, no ring.
"He wouldn't take the ring off." Noct whispered to himself and then spoke to Iggy.
"This isn't real. Prompto isn't real, it's an illusion."
"How do you know?" Iggy whispered back.
"It's not there and if it were, it's not glowing like mine." Noct revealed his ring to Iggy.
A silent plan was formed and Noct was going to go with Ardyn's plan knowing the truth and catch him out at the last second, but the real Prompto has second ideas.
He managed to escaped his ties and he literally crawled out the building like a zombie of sorts, aiming his gun and shooting the fake him. Ardyn ran at the vulnerable Prompto and picked him up from his neck and placing him on his feet. The knife was being placed deeper into his throat.
"You make the deal now!" Ardyn screamed.
Gladio stepped backwards as he didn't want to accidentally get Prompto killed.
"Don't do it, Noct." Prompto whimpered like a Puppy.
There was silence and screaming all at the same time as chaos swirled the atmosphere. Noct smirked as he came to a decision. His finger circled the ring on his finger and he slowly began to pull it off.
"Noctis..." Ignis didn't want to interfere, but disliked his decision.
Noct pulled his arm away from Iggy and slowly attempted footsteps on his own without support. His ring was now off his finger and in his hand. Ardyn placed his hand flat and the ring rested gently in his palm. The exchange was made. The Chancellor kicked Prompto away from him and then he disappeared laughing. The two fell into eachother weak and injured.
"What did you do?!" Prompto was crying.
"What was best." Noct also cried.
The other two stood in total shock of the moment.
"Why?..." Prompto looked up at Noct.
"We have stronger powers than the God's now."