Final Fantasy XV Oneshots

Whirlpool

Day Four - Prompt: One of them is missing.

SPOILERS AHEAD! Duh?

Time Period: Just after the fight with the Leviathan (end of Chapter 9).

AU: Aqua!Ignis (instead of Ignis it was Gladio who had the conversation with Noctis after he woke up)

Whirlpool

Noctis was leaning against the rail at Altissa's dock, looking out at the water. Gladio and Prompto walked by lethargically behind him, glancing over at him sadly. Noctis sighed and turned around, analyzing at his friends. "Where's Ignis?" He asked near quietly.

Gladio seemed to have a tension increase in his body slightly. Prompto let out a soft shaky breath, breaking eye contact to look down at the ground instead.

"He's- been missing for over 24 hours..." Gladio began hesitantly. "He's gone..." He shut his eyes and tilted his head downwards.

Noctis's breath hitched loudly. "N-no...he can't be..." He whispered. His face showed pain. He started to grow louder, "No..! No!" His hands became balls of fist. He turned back around, agressively throwing his hand down on the wooden rail. "No!"

By now Prompto had already let a few tears fall. He wasn't the only one to cry, as Noctis started practically right after. He was leaning on the rail again, his head hanging over the sea. Tears fell the few meters into the water, the little droplets having the water shimmer a lighter blue for a moment.

Prompto ran up to Noctis and hugged him tightly. Noctis turned back to accept his hug and cried onto his shoulder. Gladio stepped forward, paused, but then took the final step towards his friends and patted their backs gently.

XV XV XV XV XV

The three had set off on their boat back to Lucis as the sun was beginning to set. They'd been off in silence for twenty minutes as the sky darkened slowly. It was then the three started to feel water droplets that were more than splashes of the water beneath them. Gladio looked up, "looks like there might be a storm."

"I hope not." Prompto replied, looking all around curiously.

As a few more short minutes passed, the rain and wind grew worse and the sky grew darker. Prompto noticed something up ahead. He ran to the front of the boat, pointing outward. "Guys! L-Look!"

Gladio and Noctis ran up to look. "Oh my god... That's a whirlpool!" Noctis exclaimed.

Gladio ran back immediately to try and redirect the boat. As they drew closer to the whirlpool in the meantime, a tall male figure floated out of the center of the whirlpool and hovered a few meters above the water.

"Is that...?" Prompto started.

"Ignis." Noctis finished. "No it can't be..." Noctis began to question what he was seeing. But it had to be him. He had his hair down and wet and he wore no glasses, but his figure was exactly like Ignis's. "Don't let Gladio turn!"

Prompto nodded to Noctis and started running to the control booth. "Glad-!" The boat started to rock with a strong force of water splash against it. Prompto had fallen, water splashing over his head. He looked back to see Noctis laying on his back just at the edge of the boat. "Noct!" Prompto forced himself up and started running back towards Noctis.

Another forceful wave of water pushed itself against the boat, this time from the opposite side. This sent Noctis rolling to the other side of the boat and Prompto back to the ground.

Prompto got on his knee, looking up with wind and a light mist blowing in his face. He squinted and watched the man over the water start to raise his right arm. "I-Ignis!" Prompto began shouting. "Stop!"

Alas, he didn't stop. After raising his right hand, he raised his left. After doing that a blanket of water began to rise in a circle all around the boat, creating a dome. After the dome formed, he glided into the dome and down towards the boat. He gently landed himself on the deck, surely being Ignis.

Noctis tilted his head up, looking over at Ignis, and Prompto who was on his knees two meters in front of Ignis. "Ignis..." He said softly, starting to push himself up off the ground.

Prompto stood up and looked Ignis in the eye. He could tell he wasn't the same Ignis anymore. He walked forward, putting his arm out towards Ignis.

Ignis took a step back, causing Prompto to stop in his tracks. "You musn't touch me." Ignis stated, shaking his head.

"W-why not..?" Prompto questioned, his eyebrows furrowing with sadness.

"Your lungs and your veins..they'll flood with water." Ignis explained calmly.

By now Noctis was standing beside Prompto. Tears began to fill Prompto's eyes. "Ignis..!" Prompto started, thinking this was all just unfair. "What happened..?"

"During the battle, I fell in the water..."

Ardyn forces his hand upon Ignis's throat. He smirks and roughly swings Ignis towards the edge by the water. Ignis goes flying, falling far into the water.

"I went under. The sea took me with the Hydraen's shed blood and I lived. But I'll never be the same again..."

"C-can you stay with us..?" Prompto asked softly.

Ignis hesitated, shaking his head. "I can't."

Prompto exhaled sharply. "But..But why..?"

Gladio was calmly approaching from behind. "He'd be a danger to us all if he did."

"So what now?" Noctis replied, a numbness to his voice.

"I can get you back to Lucis past this storm safely, but that'll be the end." Ignis explained calmly.

"All right then. Let's get going." Noctis declared, still numb but taking responsibility. "To Lucis."