Final Fantasy XV - In The Dark

Prologue

It was cold, dark and damp. I had no clue where I was and I felt a dull pain all over my body but it seemed to be more prominent in my lower abdomen. I didn't think much of it at first. It was probably my son moving around as he had gotten much more active in the recent months. He was getting stronger by the day and was due in a little less than four months. My focus switched to my limbs which felt stiff and heavy. It was as if I hadn't moved in decades. I flexed the fingers on one hand as a sort of test and found my joints were quite sore. Not exactly painful but not comfortable either. When I got more blood flow throughout my limbs I managed to push my stiff body up into a sitting position. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark now and I did my best to observe what little I could see of my surroundings. I felt the ground beneath me. It felt like a damp stone floor which was cold as ice. I felt around and could feel the very familiar fabric of my husband's clothes. I scooted closer and felt around for his face which I cupped gently with both hands. "My love, are you awake?" I asked but I got no response. I began to panic when he didn't respond to any of my attempts to wake him up. We were both in a dark, unknown place and the last thing I wanted was for him to never wake up. I tapped his face a few times in desperation which finally got him to make a deep throaty groan. I sighed in relief when I finally heard his husky voice.

"Beloved, I am trying to sleep..."

"My darling now is not the time to sleep. Open your eyes. Look at where we are." Even though I could barely see him I knew that he had opened his eyes because I heard a confused mumble come from his lips. "I don't know where we are but I can only assume your brother is to blame."

"That my dear, I have no doubt. Only he would do such a thing considering recent events..." We both made a move to stand but the pain came back in a sudden burst which caused me to let out a loud gasp. One hand supported me from falling on the ground while the other shot right to my stomach and when it made contact I felt sick. "My beloved, are you alright? Did he kick again?" I didn't respond. I couldn't. There was something very wrong. My stomach didn't feel nearly as big as it was before. I gently pressed down in a few places and found that my brain was not playing tricks on me. My stomach was too flat for someone who was only a few months away from their due date. I quickly lifted up my shirt and ran my fingers over my skin. From the bottom of my belly button all the way down, past the waistline of my pants was the scar tissue of an incision. The truth hit me like a train. I had lost my baby. I was no longer pregnant. I felt a clump in the back of my throat as I tried to control my emotions. Time felt as if it slowed down and my head began to spin. I couldn't tell what was up and what was down and being in the dark didn't help. I heard the faint sound of Ardyn calling out my name which sounded distorted as my head kept spinning. So many things were going through my mind but the most important one was: what happened to my baby?

"Ardyn..." I finally managed to choke out but it was so weak I was afraid he couldn't hear me but he did. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders to help steady my swaying body while his free hand grasped mine. I squeezed it with as much force as I could muster in my weakened state. I braced myself before I explained the situation. "The baby...the baby...we...we lost him..." My chest tightened as I spoke those words. Saying them out loud made it real. It wasn't just a thought anymore. It was put into words and they were words I never wanted to say. When I did the room went deathly silent. Not even our breathing could be heard. We were both holding our breaths. We were afraid to make even the smallest sound because if we did we were afraid of what would happen. We were both squeezing each other's hands so tightly that both of our knuckles must have been white as snow.

"No..." He breathed out after a very long time. He sounded uncertain so I took his hand and placed it on my stomach to show him that I was indeed telling the truth. The truth the both of us wished was just a nightmare. The moment his hand made contact with me I could hear him gasp. The sound echoed off the walls. The gasp sent chills down my spine. "No...No, this can't be!"