After the Light (FFXV)

Chapter 19

In the snowy mountains of Niflheim, a man stood before a frozen lake. He was dressed in a long coat, with a hood that shaded his eyes, and a face mask up to his nose. The snow fell lightly in the night, and there was a mild breeze.
A woman, also dressed in a long coat, approached him, but stood a few feet behind him. She wore ski goggles and a scarf that covered her mouth and nose. Her long, dark chocolate colored hair, lightly covered in snowflakes, hung over her shoulder in a thick braid.
"Everything is running smoothly, I presume?" The man's voice was colder than the ice.
"Yes, sir. They're ready for the next step." She nodded.
         "Excellent. And the ring is safe?" He held his hand out to the side.
         She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black bag. She took a step forward, opening the bag, and let the ring fall out into his hand. The ring was a twin to the Ring of the Lucii, but it was white, with a black crystal in the center.
          "It's perfect. Hand it over to one of our subjects. We have a soul to catch, and a gate to open." He held the ring between his fingers and dropped it back into the bag.

        Stella sat on her bed in the girls' motel room. Iris was sitting on the couch, playing solitaire on the coffee table. She started playing with her hair while watching Iris play the game.
        "Where's Aranea?" Stella asked.
        "I don't know. She didn't say before she left." Iris answered, placing down a card.
       Stella moved to the corner of the bed, closest to the coffee table, and leaned forward. "I think we should go to the dungeon with the guys tomorrow. I know you want to go."
       "Yes, but my job is to make sure you're safe." Iris reminded her.
        "So that automatically means we have to stay behind? There's strength in numbers. Did they forget that we all fought in Insomnia together?" Stella waved her hands over the cards to stop Iris from playing.
         Iris sat back and folded her arms. She wanted to help, especially after her experience in the last dungeon. Still, she had her doubts. I'd probably just be in the way. She tightened her fist, feeling her blood boil at the thought. The last thing Iris wanted was to be a burden on anyone.
         "They're just being protective." Iris said as she stood up and went to the other bed.
        Stella leaned back. "And what about you? Don't you want to protect them?"
"Of course I do. It's just-.." Iris sighed. "It's not that simple for me."
Stella didn't say anything. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder. I don't want to be the one holding her back. She stood up, ready to speak, but Iris had passed her and opened the door to leave the room.
Prompto stood in the doorway with his fist up, ready to knock on the door. He grinned, opening his hand to wave. "Hello, ladies."
"Hey, there." Iris greeted with a forced smile.
Stella smiled. "Hi. Are you here to tell us you guys have changed your minds?"
"Oh no. I tried to argue on your behalf, but they really put their feet down. They're especially worried about you, Iris." Prompto said.
Annoyed, Iris shook her head in disbelief and walked around Prompto. Going out for a walk was better than exploding on someone who didn't deserve it. She rushed down the steps, heading for the exit, when Noctis opened the door and entered the motel. They were in each other's way, which forced them to stop.
         "Sorry." Iris stepped aside, trying to hide the anger in her voice.
         "What's wrong?" He asked.
         "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, your highness. Have a good night." She answered before stepping outside.
          Noctis sighed as he turned and held the door open. "Don't take it personally, Iris. We think it's best if you sit this one out."
           "Because of what happened to my brother? I understand having to stay behind, but don't use my pain as an excuse." She snapped.
           Noctis stepped out and closed the door, keeping his hand on the doorknob. He knew what she was capable of, and that she was a lot tougher than she looked. She wasn't a woman who needed saving, and he admired that. She was someone he could count on to keep things under control at times when he couldn't.
"Who brought it up? You or him?" She asked.
"He did, and I agreed with him." He answered.
"That's not fair. Protect Stella. You guys couldn't even tell me the real reason." She complained. "I had to hear it from Prompto."
"All right, then wait here because I need you and can't risk you facing that same fate." It took him a minute, but once he realized what he'd said, he felt his heart in his throat. He almost wished he'd said we, instead of I.
          Her face softened a little, but she felt confused. His words gave her butterflies, but she couldn't understand why that was his reason. Her thoughts ran wild. Does he know how I feel? Is he asking me to wait- no, you're probably just taking it the wrong way. She wanted to look away from his piercing silvery-blue eyes, but as always, she was too lost in them.
Noctis felt frozen. His heart raced, partially because he was embarrassed. Turning his attention to something else, or simply looking away, was his way of running or hiding from those feelings. To his surprise, he didn't. His mind was focused, and that slight regret in his choice of words had faded. As if something clicked within him, he decided it was time to stop running.
Studying every inch of her face, he stepped away from the door, moving closer to her. A cool breeze blew her hair back, as her face softened and her cheeks turned red. Her eyes burned bright under the warm light above them, and her slightly parted, peachy-pink lips glistened. The sight made his own face heat up. He didn't know where all those feelings came from, but they weren't going away, and he was giving in to them.
Her heart was beating out of her chest. The guy she'd loved since she was a little girl, was inches away from her. His hair fell slightly forward as he looked down at her, and it flowed smoothly in the breeze. His eyes were so sharp, clearly focusing on her, yet his expression was sweet. Why's he looking at me like that? ...I'm dreaming. Heh. Yeah, that's it.
He gently raised her chin, "I don't think I'd be able to handle it. You're too good a person."
        Noctis wasn't wrong. Iris had always been kind to him, even at times when he came off as cold or unappreciative. She was always thinking of him, even throughout the last year that she'd spent traveling back and forth between Lucis and Tenebrae. For him, ten years inside the crystal made him really appreciate the people in his life; making it harder to let her go when she was ready to leave Lucis.
His hand brushed lightly against her smaller, softer hand. Iris was so nervous, she moved her foot, as if to take a step back, but he had taken her hand in his. It all seemed too good to be true, and she wanted to go before it became a nightmare.
"Stay." He said softly.
That last word should have referred to tomorrow's plans, but he meant it for that particular moment. Tomorrow was so far in the back of his mind, it was practically falling out. He knew he should have let her go, but he couldn't get enough of the lilac scent that stained her skin. His hand traveled from her chin, to the side of her face; running his fingers through her flowing hair as he pushed it behind her ear.
She leaned in just a little bit closer. ...Just wake up, Iris. This isn't really happening. Right?... Her eyes started to close.
Noctis went for it; his lips just barely brushing against hers, when he stopped. Something seemed off. Her breathing had stopped, and her eyes weren't moving. There was no wind. The world around them was silent, and the atmosphere felt strange. It all seemed too familiar to him.
"Well she's lovely, isn't she?" A very cold man's echoing voice questioned.
Noctis pulled away with widened eyes, and started looking around, recognizing the voice as Ardyn's. Time stood still. He stumbled into the door, and quickly turned, only to find a frozen Prompto was in the process of opening it.
"Thought you would've still been hung up on that boring blonde who liked to pass notes with you, but I guess we all have to move on at some point. This one suits you." The man said.
"Where are you?!!" Noctis shouted angrily, as he moved away from the motel. He summoned his new gun blade and continued searching the town for Ardyn.
"Careful. You wouldn't want to strike the wrong person again, would you? I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk." The man assured him, though it was far from convincing.
"Then show yourself!!" Noctis commanded.
"Why? I love this little game of hide and seek. Do your friends want to play?" He teased.
"You stay the hell away from them!!" Noctis immediately rushed back to the main road, and saw that Iris and Prompto were still at the motel.
       "My, my, so angry. Perhaps I should come back another time. How's tomorrow?" The man asked.
        Noctis turned around, and looked on the rooftops of the town's small buildings.
       "I'm sure the oracle and your little girlfriend can keep me entertained." The man's voice sounded so clear, coming from the motel.
         Noctis looked back and saw the man standing beside the entrance door of the motel, still in his long coat and hood. Noctis warped straight to him, and had he not vanished, the blade would've gone right through his chest. Instead, the blade went through the wall of the building.
         "Noct?!" Iris called out.
         "Whoa! Watch out!" Prompto shouted, shutting the door as he backed up.
           Noctis pulled the gun blade out of the wall, and Prompto peeked outside shortly after.
          "Dude, are you all right?" Prompto asked, finally coming outside.
          "Ardyn is here." Noctis answered, glaring as he continued looking around for Ardyn.

         
          The following rainy morning, Noctis and Prompto stared out the windows of the regalia as Ignis drove. They could see Aranea's airship flying in the distance. Gladio glanced out the window, seeing the ship, and then went back to reading his purple book. Prompto soon turned his attention to his phone, while Ignis picked up his coffee and took a sip.
         Noctis leaned against the window, still watching the ship, and unconsciously brushed a finger against his lips. He'd sent the girls back to Lucis, figuring that was the safest place for them, though he'd hoped that Ardyn wouldn't go after them first. Just the thought made his heart sink into the pool of guilt he was already drowning in.
He didn't have a chance to talk to Iris about last night, not that he knew how, but it seemed right. He let out a low, discouraged sigh. It didn't matter. Whether they spoke or not, Ardyn still saw them; learning that someone else inhabited Noctis' heart. To make matters worse, Noctis had no idea how to tell Gladio that his sister could've been in more danger than what they were expecting from the dungeon they were traveling to.

         On the airship, Stella was sitting against the wall, and drifted off to sleep.

She found herself back in the field of Sylleblossoms, and Lunafreya stood beside the tree, facing her. Stella took a step towards her, but stopped when she saw someone appear on the other side of the pond. She started running towards Lunafreya, and as she got closer, the person appeared to be a daemonic Prompto. Her eyes widened and she short-stopped. The daemonic Prompto held out his hand, revealing the white ring on his finger.
"Lunafreya, look out!!" Stella shouted as she started to run again.
Lunafreya looked back and saw the daemonic Prompto. She could feel herself being pulled towards him, and she stretched her arms out. Stella did the same, hoping to catch her, but once she reached the tree, it was too late. Lunafreya was trapped inside the white ring, and the daemonic Prompto smirked before vanishing.
The man in the long coat appeared in daemonic Prompto's place, and removed his hood. He looked like a younger version of Ardyn, and his hair was shorter.
        He smirked. "Tell the king that Cain is looking forward to our next meeting." He tossed his hood over his head and vanished.