After the Light (FFXV)

Chapter 6

       The following night, Gladio, Prompto, Noctis, and Ravus traveled in one of Niflheim's airships. They were on their way to Gralea to find Ignis, who agreed to join Ardyn rather than stand by Noctis. They knew that Ignis would never betray them, but Gladio and Prompto wished he had told them his plan.
        While Noctis was worried about Ignis, part of him was heavily concerned for the Ring of the Lucii. He had passed out after defeating Leviathan, and then Lunafreya appeared to him in what felt like a dream, to tell him she fulfilled her destiny, and goodbye. She had given him the ring just moments before sinking into a beautiful abyss of Sylleblossoms.
          "Your friend has the ring." Ravus reassured them. "He's a fool if he tries to use it."
"He won't. If not for him, Ardyn would probably have it." Noctis said defensively.
"And if not for you, my sister would still be alive." Ravus snapped.
Noctis turned away. He knew Ardyn was the one responsible for Luna's death, but he still felt guilty.
Prompto and Gladio remained silent. Losing Ignis was not an option. Prompto began to wonder if they had already messed up. What if we were supposed to save Lady Lunafreya first? He ran his fingers through his golden locks, trying to convince himself that it would all work out.

Iris and Cindy stood waiting at the station in Tenebrae. The replica Regalia had been parked elsewhere. They could hear the news about Altissia on a nearby radio, and see the people at the station were mourning the loss of Lady Lunafreya.
Iris wanted to call the guys to make sure they were okay. With several missed calls from Monica, Dustin, and Cor, part of her knew it was best to call Gladio first and explain. The other part knew her brother would be pissed, and wanted to avoid the conversation. He hasn't called. Maybe he doesn't know yet... Or maybe he's... Iris didn't want to think that way. Before she could put her phone in her pocket, she received a phone call from Aranea.
Iris answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, kid. Listen, you're gonna have to go on without me. My hands are tied at the moment." Aranea's voice was low.
"Are you okay?" Iris asked.
"Doin' just fine. What does Tenebrae look like?"
"It's fine. We spotted a couple airships not too long ago." Iris and Cindy searched the sky. "There are more heading our way."
"Then you don't have a lot of time, kid. Get to the Fenestala Manor. It stands out, so you can't miss it. I'll be there as soon as I can. Good luck, kid."
"Okay. Be careful."
They ended the call, and then Iris explained the plan to Cindy.

Cindy moved the flying car as close as possible to the manor. She kept the car low enough so it simply looked like a car on the road to the airships. Iris jumped to a small balcony from the car and then peeked through the glass door.
"It looks clear." Iris said, turning back to Cindy.
"Sure you don't wanna wait for Aranea? I've gotta land somewhere, and I might not be able to get in." Cindy was heavily concerned.
"I'll be fine." Iris reassured her. "I'll try to lay low until Aranea shows up, and I'll keep in touch."
Cindy nodded in agreement and then flew the car away. Iris turned to the window and checked inside again. Seeing no one was there, she kicked a large hole into the glass, reached in and unlocked the door, pushed it open and then entered the room. She immediately crawled under the grand piano and hid behind a large vase that stood between the piano and the window. Just in case someone's here and heard the glass break.
           After a few minutes, she crawled out of her hiding place, and then cautiously wandered the home of the last Oracle, who just died in Altissia. I just broke into her house. She became overwhelmed with guilt, and felt a very eerie chill down her spine. It's all for Noct. This is to save Noct. Nothing against the Nox Fleuret's. Iris had a crush on Noctis since she was very young, and accepted the fact that they would never be together.
        It still stung to hear that Noctis was going to marry Lunafreya, but she never once wished for Lunafreya's death. She didn't know her personally, which led to her wondering if the current break-in would've angered her. I'm sure if she could, she'd save Noct too. I hope she understands.
           Iris stopped outside an open door, pressing her back against the wall. Nervous, she took a moment to prepare herself. After taking a deep breath, she peeked into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of a young woman with blonde hair staring out the window. For a second, she thought it was Lunafreya.
          "I know you're there." The young woman said, sensing Iris' presence.
           Iris cautiously stepped into the room, and the young woman turned around. In the face, she looked like a combination of Ravus and Lunafreya. If anything, she could've been Lunafreya's fraternal twin. Her hair was more of a sandy blonde and she had purple eyes, compared to Lunafreya's golden hair and blue eyes.
          "Who are you?" The young woman asked.
           "My name is Iris. You're not-... Are you...Lady Lunafreya?
          "No. My name is Stella. But I understand why you'd think I was Lunafreya."
          Iris looked around the room, and quickly realized that it had belonged to Luna. Her eyes locked back on to Stella's and then she asked, "Do you live here?"
          "No. I lived in Cartanica. I remember...there was an attack. I watched my father die. My mother was badly injured. She told me...that I was adopted...and to come here for answers. There was no time to save her."
         "I'm sorry to hear that." Iris said sympathetically.
          "I don't know what it is I'm supposed to do while I'm here. My mother said that my last name is...Nox Fleuret. So I guess...this is where my birth family lived?... Why are you here?" Stella had her guard up, but she didn't feel threatened by Iris.
          "I'm not your enemy. I was sent here to find you." Iris stepped a little further into the room.
          "Really? Who sent you? You're just a kid."
          "It's complicated. A friend of mine said he saw you in a vision and believes you can help us save the King of Lucis."
          Stella's face lit up, and then she said, "...Noctis."
         "Yeah..." Iris nodded.
         "I've seen him and heard his name in many of my dreams. Lunafreya as well... They're a lot like me." Stella sat on Luna's bed. "Those dreams started when I was a kid. I don't remember much; just that my parents told me I almost died."
         Iris paced slowly around the room. She wanted to talk more, but after everything she just heard, it was best to leave with Stella and ask questions later. Her phone vibrated and then she checked it. It was a message from Cindy.
        Looking back at Stella, Iris said, "We need to leave. NOW."