Zodiac (Final Fantasy XV)

|•XXXVIII•|

~3rd Person POV~

Now finished with dinner and thanking the old man properly for the silver chain earlier, Ignis headed to the cabin for the night along with the others. A few rumors he heard from other passengers were swimming through his mind as he closed the door behind him and placed the grimoire on the small table in front of the window.

"Are nights really getting longer?" Prompto asked.

"Without the Oracle to keep the Starscourge at bay, the darkness festers," Ignis replies.

"But Luna's not dead. How is that possible?" Noctis inquired.

"Iggy didn't tell you?" Gladio asked. Ignis shook his head, confirming the shield's question. "In order for Lady Lunafreya to heal completely with the zodiacs, they had to strip her of her title. She no longer is the Oracle. Eos is without one."

"B-But Zodia did it to save her life! Instead of losing both the Oracle and Lady Lunafreya, we only lost the Oracle," Prompto defends the princess.

"I... I really need to thank her once she returns," Noctis smiled through a few tears.

"We all do," Ignis corrects.

"Yeah, she saved Altissia and us from whatever Ardyn was planning," Prompto said.

Gladio smiled and leaned against the wall beside him. "Never knew the princess had it in her."

Ignis closed his eyes, a smile carved across his face. "Indeed. She is brimming with surprises."

Gladio clasped Ignis on the shoulder with his hand, directing his smile towards the strategists. "You've got yourself a keeper. I... want to apologize for what I said to you at the hotel. Prompto was right. I shouldn't have said it in such a harsh way."

Noctis and Prompto gaze on in disbelief. The blonde flew up with a dramatic gasp, his sapphire irises trained on the shield. "I-Is this real life?"

Noctis flew up next to his best friend and stared at Gladio, as well. "It can't be..."

A dramatic pause interrupted the two before they shouted in unison. "Gladio's apologizing!"

The brute sighed with a roll of his eyes and unlatched his hand from Ignis' shoulder. "Oh, brother..."

Prompto scrambled around to grab his camera and take a picture of the momentous occasion. Once the picture was taken, Noctis peered over Prompto's shoulder to see the final result. "Gonna need to title it "The First Apology of Gladiolus Amicitia". Zodia'll love this!"

"Never heard the big guy sound so sincere before," Prompto said, saving the picture. "Anyone who sees this picture can tell the look on your face is genuine sincerity."

Gladio couldn't deny that he had a little difficulty with the apology, but all that mattered in the end is that Ignis forgave him, which the tactician did in his own silent way. That was good enough for Gladio. He climbed to the top bunk on the right side of the cabin and sighed before closing his eyes. Prompto and Noctis crawled into the bunks on the left side of the cabin. Ignis claimed the remaining bunkbed under Gladio's.

Crawling atop the sheets, Ignis stared up at the top bunk, deep in thought. One of his hands gravitated towards the skull necklace that rested against his collarbone. His mind dips into another memory that was one of his happiest but also one of the most frightening.

***

"Happy sixteenth birthday, Iggy!" Zodia cheers as she handed him a small silver box that was decorated with a golden ribbon. He accepted the present from the thirteen-year-old princess with wide eyes. Ignis was shocked to see the gift and wondered how she got it if she wasn't allowed to leave the Citadel.