After the Light (FFXV)

Chapter 20

Noctis used his hand to shield his eyes from the hot sun, as he trekked through a desert in Cartanica. Prompto held his vest over his head for shade, and stumbled in the sand. Gladio swung his shirt over one shoulder, with a large bag over the other, and had all of his hair tied back in a ponytail. Ignis walked ahead of them, looking at a compass and a map.
"Of all the days to be sunny. What happened to the wind and rain?" Prompto whined.
Gladio groaned. "Don't start complaining. It'll only make things worse."
"Iggy! Are we there yet?!" Prompto continued whining.
"Keep it up, and you won't be making it there." Gladio snapped, ready to swing at him.
"Okay! Okay. Just calm down. No need for violence." Prompto moved away from Gladio, to the other side of Noctis.
"We should be almost there!" Ignis yelled back to them.
Noctis opened his water bottle and took a gulp. He scrunched up his face, disgusted by how warm it was. He shook his head and sighed. At least it's water.
Perfectly in sync, Gladio and Noctis took their phones out and checked them for missed calls or responses to their texts. Realizing that they had no service in the middle of the desert, they groaned and put their phones back in their pockets. It had been a whole twenty-four hours since the group separated. The girls should've been in Lucis before the guys started crossing the desert.
They finally stopped walking at the top of a massive pit. Below them were the ruins of what was probably a very beautiful city. There were sailboats and gondolas sticking out of the sand. Some of them were buried so deep, only the triangular ends stuck out.
"Incredible!" Prompto pulled out his camera and started taking pictures. "How long do you think it's been like this?"
"Centuries or more. My guess is that it was a city very much like Altissia." Ignis assumed.
         "And there's a dungeon somewhere in here?" Gladio folded his arms.
         "Yes." Confirmed Ignis.
          "I see a haven! Let's set up camp!" Prompto had never been so happy to go camping. He preferred to sleep on a bed, in a hotel.
          "I agree. We should eat something and rest before we start our search." Ignis said.

By the cooler evening, Noctis and his friends explored the ruins, in search of the dungeon. They were scattered, but still in each other's sights. Noctis started heading back to the campsite when he heard a bark. He turned around and saw Pryna sitting in the sand.
"Pryna." He said pleasantly.
She turned and started running, and he followed. She ran to a gondola that was resting on a hill, and climbed into the boat. Noctis slowed down to a jog, and then walked. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio soon joined them.
Prompto gasped. "Hey Pryna!"
Pryna sniffed the floor of the gondola and then approached Noctis.
"That's probably blocking the door." Gladio said, before stepping onto the gondola.
Gladio summoned his giant sword and plunged it into the floor; striking it repeatedly until there was nothing left. He turned his flashlight on, revealing the entrance to the dungeon.
"This is it!" He called back to them.
"Good work, Pryna!" Prompto said happily as he patted the dog on the head. "Royal Tomb, here we come!"
Gladio entered the dungeon, followed by Prompto and then Ignis. Pryna sat down as Noctis stepped onto the gondola. He heard another bark, and when he turned around, Umbra was sitting next to Pryna. He had a thick blue rope around him with a little bag attached to it.
He knelt down in front of the dogs, opened Umbra's bag, and took out the folded piece of paper.
"Noct?!" Ignis called, standing on the Gondola.
"Hold on!" Noctis called back as he unfolded the paper.

Noctis,
Sorry to contact you this way. I know this was something you and Lunafreya shared. We're all fine, and we hope you guys are doing well. We lost service for a while, and when we got it back, you guys weren't answering us. The man you thought was Ardyn; his name is Cain, but he looks like a younger Ardyn. I can explain it all better over the phone or in person, but keep a very close eye on Prompto. If he starts acting weird, it's probably not him. Be careful.
Stella