A Heart Of Fire (Final Fantasy XV)

Chapter 23

About halfway on the trip, Ardyn decided that it would be best if we all stayed the night at a trailer next to a pit stop. Of course, we were hesitant and insisted on continuing the drive to the Disc, but Ardyn managed to convince us otherwise. Besides, Ardyn seemed intent on sleeping in a bed tonight. Also, he may claim that he can take us directly to the Disc of Cauthess, but who's to say he's not leading us into some trap? We don't know a thing about the guy, other than his name, and yet he seems to act like he knows us pretty well.

Although I wasn't comfortable with sleeping with a total stranger, we had no other choice if we wanted to get to the Disc.

We were back on the road again the next morning, and this time Iggy was our driver. He said he didn't think it was wise to let Noct drive with his random migraines, and after I had told him that I wasn't feeling so hot myself, he offered to drive us the rest of the way. So I sat in the back with Noct and Gladio while Prompto and Iggy sat in the front.

While Prompto was talking with everyone else, I propped my elbow on the edge of the car door and stared out into the wide-open fields, filled with boulders, bushes, and wildlife, as well as a few mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful day out today. Not too hot, a cool breeze, and a few clouds here and there. I closed my eyes with a soft sigh and let the wind blow against my face. I had nearly dozed off after a while, but then I heard someone calling my name.

"Helloooo~Earth to Raya!"

My eyes shot open, and I was suddenly bombarded with three flashes of light in my face.

"Haha! Gotcha!" Prompto cheered as he quickly began looking over his new pictures on his camera.

"Think you could have warned me next time?" I groaned as I tiredly rubbed my eyes.

"Sorry, Raya, but those were the perfect shots right there! The lighting was perfect, and I thought that it'd make for some good pics!" he responded enthusiastically.

"I thought it was bad manners to take someone's picture without their permission," I retort half-jokingly. I began rubbing the bridge of my nose and looked up to catch a glance at Prompto's dejected expression. Apparently, my tone made it seem like I was agitated and made him think I was upset with him.

"Oh...sorry," he apologizes.

"No, I'm sorry," I said with a grin. "I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm just feeling a bit drained right now."

"We've noticed," Gladio says, joining in. "You've been looking a little tired since this morning. You feeling alright?"

"I guess I didn't sleep very well last night," I said, leaning my head back against the headrest. Might have been from sharing a room with that guy last night.

"Raya told me she wasn't feeling well this morning, so she asked me to drive for today," Iggy says.

"You think you're coming down with something?" Prompto asks me.

"No," I shake my head, "I think I'm just a bit tired."

"Well, try and get some rest on the way there," Gladio suggested. "Can't have you falling asleep in the presence of the Archaean."

"Yeah," I chuckled, leaning my head on my arm on the door, "I think I'll do that." With that, I closed my eyes to try and get some sleep for the remainder of the drive.

But no matter how much I tried to relax and fall asleep, my body refused to listen. Iggy was going easy on the driving, and the guys did their best to keep their voices low so not to disturb me, but I couldn't get myself comfortable. Maybe I was coming down with something. And what perfect timing, too.