After the Light (FFXV)

Chapter 1

He sunk to his knees, beneath the pouring rain, and released an agonizing cry so loud, it echoed throughout the apocalyptic streets of Insomnia. Ignis knelt beside Prompto, wrapped his arm around him, and held him close, while shedding several tears of his own. Gladio, refusing to look back at them, lifted his face to the sky, allowing his tears to blend in with the raindrops running down his face.
     After ten long years, smothered in darkness, the daemons were finally fading as the light returned to the world. They had dreamed of this day for a long time, but in those dreams, there were four of them, victoriously watching the world return to normal. Though three of them remained, all was not lost. They didn't fail. They were exactly where they were meant to be. With this in mind, Gladio returned to his comrades, held them in his arms and cried with them.

      One year later, outside what was named The Tomb of the Light, Prompto and Ignis waited patiently with their backs to the long set of marble steps leading up to the tomb.
"How have you been?" Ignis asked.
"Not terrible. I've definitely seen better days." Prompto answered.
"The feeling's mutual. However, it is our job to rebuild, and keep his memory alive."
"Sometimes remembering is the hardest part...but forgetting would be a million times worse." Prompto said as he wiped away the tears on the verge of escaping his eyes.
Gladio soon joined them with his younger sister, Iris, who held a bouquet of white flowers. They approached Ignis and Prompto.
"Sorry we're late." Her voice was breaking, but she pushed herself to hold back the tears.
"Don't worry about it." Prompto smiled, trying to hold back his own tears.
"We haven't been waiting long." Ignis reassured them.
Together, they walked up the steps and approached the tomb. They bowed, and then Iris rested the flowers in front of the door.
"Hey, Noct. How's the other side?" Prompto asked, trying to keep his spirits up.
"I imagine he's resting well." Ignis said.
"As long as we continue to do our part, he'll be fine." Gladio added.
       Iris bowed to the tomb, then retreated to the bottom of the steps, where she bursted into tears. Gladio sighed before he bowed, and then turned towards the steps.
         "Don't be long. We've got work to do." He said before following Iris.
     Ignis bowed soon after, and then proceeded down the steps. Prompto rested his hand on the door and closed his eyes for a moment.
         "We'll make you proud."  He opened his eyes, and finally allowed his tears to stream down his cheeks. He took a few steps back and bowed, but his attention was immediately drawn to movement in his peripheral vision.
          "Umbra?" Prompto kneeled as the dog approached him. "Came to pay your respects too?" He asked with a smile, petting Umbra's head.
        It wasn't long before Prompto's smile faded and his eyes lit up. He looked to the door of the tomb, and then back at Umbra, who was staring at him.
        "Are you joining us, Prompto?!" Ignis called from the bottom of the steps.
        Prompto remained silent for a moment before saying, "Go on without me! I'll catch up!" He held out his hand, and Umbra placed his paw on top of it.

       Later that evening, Prompto and Umbra looked out to the ocean from the top of the lighthouse at Cape Caem. He took several pictures of the sunset before the elevator doors opened, and Iris joined them.
       "Hey. Thanks for coming." Prompto said.
       "No problem. What's up?" Iris responded. She gently patted Umbra's head before leaning on the railing, beside Prompto.
        "Right before you guys left this morning, Umbra showed up. Ever since, I've been doing a lot more thinking than usual."
        "...About Noct?" She asked.
      Prompto nodded his head, and then started going through his old pictures. Iris turned her attention to the pictures, and her heart sank. She had always wanted to join Noctis and his friends on their adventures, but was unable to for various reasons. She remembered traveling with them for a short time; a memory that she would cherish forever.
        "I wanted to call the guys, but I know they're busy. I should be too, but..." 
        "I get it. It's hard on them too. I think over-working themselves is part of their way of coping. I think we're all guilty of doing so from time to time. Especially on days like today."
        "Yeah...but what if we didn't have to go through days like this anymore?" He asked as he lifted his head away from the camera. "What if we could get him back?"
         "Prompto..." she began.
        "Hear me out. Umbra has the power to take us back through time. He's done it before."
         "Are you serious?!" She looked down at Umbra, who was laying on the ground, still gazing out to the ocean.
         "Yeah. It was a way for us to handle any unfinished business before moving forward. From what I remember, the damage was a lot worse than what we got during the time he was gone. That Adamantoise was no joke. And there were powerful daemons that escaped from deep within the dungeons."
          "The Adamantoise? I remember hearing that it woke up, but that was after you guys left for Altissia...and I remember hearing it was defeated. I know the damage was bad during those ten years, but nothing caused by the Adamantoise."
          "Only the four of us went back. We were back in our younger bodies, but we agreed to never mention time traveling or anything about the future. We left it in our subconscious, and blended in with the minds of our younger selves." Prompto looked at his camera again.
         "...So, you're saying we should go back and...try to save Noct?" She asked as she looked down at the ground far beneath them.
         "Saving him would be the best outcome...but even if it ends with us just being able to talk to him again..."
        Iris thought for a moment, still staring at the ground. She knew time travel was tricky and risky, but the idea of seeing Noctis again tempted her to go through with it. Tears fell from her eyes, all they way down to the ground below. Like Prompto, she found herself feeling so vulnerable she would do anything to make the pain disappear. Iris didn't like feeling desperate or helpless. She had always been strong and independent, and deep down, she knew it was wrong to erase all their years of hard work, for their own selfish reasons.
         "Not long before we went to face Ardyn, Noct told me something. He told me to hold on to the people I love, or I'd lose them forever... But he never said what to do when your loved ones force you to let go... Or maybe I just didn't do enough to keep my grip on him." With his arm laying across the railing, Prompto lowered his head and pressed his forehead against it.
         Iris raised her head, wiped her eyes and said, "Let's do it."
        Prompto lifted his head, and his face lit up. "Really?!"
       Iris nodded her head. "I don't know if we can convince the others, or if they'll talk some sense into us..."
       "But there's no harm in trying." Prompto couldn't help but smile. He felt one step closer to reuniting with his best friend.

       Two days later, Prompto and Umbra walked through the market of Lestallum with Ignis, who had just finished grocery shopping. Prompto carried both bags, while Ignis walked with his hands free.
        "What did you want to discuss? You sounded frantic over the phone." Ignis asked.
        "Sorry about that. I can't say it here, there are too many people. Mind taking a walk outside the city?" Prompto suggested.
        "Just don't drop my groceries." Ignis responded.
        They soon left the city, walking slowly through the tunnel that was well-lit by the sunlight bursting through the arches. Prompto explained his plan and recent conversation with Iris.
       Ignis immediately stopped, which forced Prompto and Umbra to stop. "Are you mad?!"
        "Maybe. But come on, Iggy. I still remember when you explained the vision Pryna shared with you in Altissia. You were willing to drop everything to save Noct, but he convinced you that we needed to keep going."
        "And he was right to do so, otherwise all of our sacrifices would've been for nothing. Let this go, Prompto." Ignis demanded.
         "I understand; but what if there's a way for us to be at this point in our lives with Noct? You were following orders, but you know as well as I do that you wanted to find a way to save his life. You gave up your sight for him. Why not give this a shot? You know if there was another way to change Noct's fate, his father would've taken it, as well as any of us." Prompto persisted.
         "I can't argue with that, but meddling with time always has consequences."
          "We took the chance before. So many more people are alive now because of it. Noct deserves to be one of those people."
       Ignis sighed as he pushed up his visor sunglasses to rub his eyes. Noctis' fate was something Ignis knew he couldn't protect him from, though he desperately wanted to. As his former advisor, with Noctis leaving the future of Lucis partially to him, Ignis wanted to dismiss Prompto's idea. As his childhood friend, Ignis wanted to keep an open mind. Thinking back on what he'd seen within the last year, Umbra's appearance was no coincidence.
        "Don't make any decisions right away. I will think about it. Have you spoken to Gladio?" Ignis adjusted his glasses, and then let his arm fall at his side.
"Not yet. Iris is tracking him down." Prompto answered just a moment before his chocobo themed ringtone sounded off on his phone. "That might be her."
Ignis took a bag from Prompto, allowing him to take his phone out of his pocket. He looked at his phone, confirming that Iris was calling, and then he answered.