Rayne Drops (FFXV)

XXXII) Losing It All

I sleep like a rock until Ignis pulls into a gas station to refill the Regalia's tank and gently shake Noctis awake to drive. My eyelids force themselves open, my body pulling itself straight on its own. I can see the two talking through my foggy window, Noct's sleepy grin followed by a chuckle from Ignis. They're relaxed, genuinely happy. Iggy, you're too good to the kid.

Ignis settles in the back as Noctis starts the car, neither of them entirely unaware of Prompto's sleeping form. I reach around the blonde's sleeping form, grabbing my earphones from the glove compartment and plugging them into my phone. Ignis sighs, staring out the window as we take off down the highway. I turn down my phone's brightness, hooking it up to the car charger and opening my messages. I shoot Arma's phone a quick text and stare up at my older brother's name that's spelled out across the top of my glowing screen. Taking a deep breath, I shake my head, turning the device off and tucking phone underneath my thigh. Not yet. I still need more time.

But I don't let myself feel what I've been avoiding the past year. It's all been bottled. Insomnia, Arma, my father, Wyn... all of it. Nothing's been set free. I'd rather keep it that way. So instead of feeling, instead of turning to the willing ear beside me and spilling all my frustrations out in a stream of choked sobs and pleas, I turn up my music and close my eyes, absorbing every note, every rhythm, every word, even if they mean nothing in the long run. Because what really does matter in the long wrong?

It's hours later that Noctis pulls the car to a stop, catching my attention. I rip my earbuds out, waiting for him to explain why we've stopped in the middle of the road. But then I see it. A magitek engine has parked off the side of the road, an armor and several MTs blocking our paths. Ignis sighs, having yet to fall asleep, and nods toward Prompto. The blond jerks awake at Noct's touch, instantly spotting the imperials and groaning.

"Aw man. I couldn't have woken up to pancakes or something?"

"You up to fight or not?" Noct asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, just gimme a sec."

"Well, that second's up," I huff, swinging my door open. He sighs, opening his own door to follow us out.

Stepping a safe distance away from the car, I summon a lightning spell to my hand. Lining up my shot in the dim light of the sunrise, I throw the sparking ball, the electricity bursting once it meets the ground in the middle of the soldiers and sends several jerking to the ground. Noctis warpstrikes right into the fray, targeting the black armor of the second wave of MTs. The rest of us follow quickly, meeting the rushing soldiers halfway. These aren't like any we've met before; the imperials upgraded.

This becomes more apparent as the battle rages on. My muscles ache from all the fighting, and yet, the MTs don't seem to be wearing down. My lightning strikes down seem to be affecting them for some reason. Prompto winds up using the last potion after a particularly hard blow to the head. I can't seem to catch my breath, not even after I manage to take two out with Ignis. The armor seems to have awoken, spraying its missiles left and right, knocking us all over the place. Fortunately, they didn't up the ante on this one. The armor crashes to the ground within mere minutes. We've gotten a little too good at that.

I redirect my attention to the MTs, slamming my blade into their armor with all my might. It merely bounces off like rubber every time. Frustrated, I force fire into my blade, jamming it into its joints. Sparks fly, but the only damage done is the metal elbow that snaps across my jaw, leaving me stumbling backward unsteadily. Gritting my teeth, I jump back in, ignoring the throbbing in my jaw and firing a bullet straight into its glowing red eyes.