The Sole Star (Final Fantasy XV Fanfic)

Chapter XLVIII

"It's simply astounding!" Sania exclaimed, full of excitement over her discovery. "At first, we all simply thought it was a problem with the monsters! But with closer observation, I found that a multitude of the wildlife in the area were competing for dominance! It's thanks to these little amphibians that I was able to figure it out!" She nodded to the couple of colorful frogs on her table.

"So, it's a problem for most of the creatures in the area," Noctis stated, getting the gist of it. "But do you have any idea what's causing it?"

"I'm afraid I can't say for sure, but there's some sort of power source that's attracting them," she explained. "Readings have shown a tremendous amount of energy radiating from the area. And this isn't like those ruins, no, this is much bigger."

"Interesting," Ignis muttered, thinking over the facts.

"Thanks for all your help, Sania," Gladio said.

"It was no trouble at all," she replied with a smile. "I live for these kinds of things, you know."

"We'll check it out," Noctis said. "See if we can find anything."

"You all be careful now!" Sania shouted to them as they walked away.

"So, there's some kind of funky energy that's making the monsters go crazy?" Prompto questioned. He laughed a bit. "Sounds like a video game story plot."

"It is very peculiar," the advisor said. "If it isn't the ruins of Steyliff emanating with energy, then what could it be?"

Noctis shrugged. "Dunno. That's why we're gonna check it out."

The group got into the car and drove down to the Vesperpool. They saw many monsters fighting amongst each other, just as before. But they were careful and managed to avoid the battling creatures as they looked around the area. They couldn't find anything out of the ordinary though. They wondered what could possibly be the source of all the chaos. They stood around at the nearby haven, trying to think things through.

"Odd that these things just started happening recently," Lorelai said.

"Indeed," Ignis agreed. "Which means that this sudden occurrence is relatively new."

Noctis sighed with frustration. "Yet we can't find the source anywhere."

"Must be something we're overlooking," Gladio added.

"Sounds like you could use a little guidance." Everyone whirled around upon hearing the familiar voice. Ardyn smiled at them and pointed to the northwest. "You'll want to have a look over there, at that end of the lake."

Gladiolus and Ignis stood protectively in front of the others. "What makes you so generous all of a sudden?" the shield inquired.

"Just offering some necessary assistance," he replied. "So I figured I'd give you a light push in the right direction."

"A light push, or a rough shove?" Ignis said, wary of listening to the man. "How do we know this isn't a trap of sorts?"

Ardyn faked a shocked gasp. "I'd never!"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "You've still been tailing us this whole time? Why do you care about helping us with this, unless..." Her eyes widened slightly. "C-Could it be...?" Her friends all glanced at her with confusion. "Is it... Luminis?"

Ardyn chuckled. "Such a clever girl."

Lorelai swiftly shook her head. "Forget it! I won't go there!"

"Oh, but have you forgotten about the monster problem?" Ardyn asked. "Isn't it your duty to take care of things such as this?" Lorelai angrily clenched her fists. "Go on, then. Do your job, hunter. Personally, I think you'll quite enjoy the trip. I'm certain you'll find it to be quite... enlightening."