Zodiac (Final Fantasy XV)

|•XVII•|

~3rd Person POV~

In Lestallum, Prompto contacts Noctis while Ignis carries Zodia to Iris' room on the second floor of the Leville. Luckily, the young Amicitia was able to spot him just as he climbed the stairs. Gasping, Iris opens the door quickly and helps Ignis lay the princess on the bed.

"What happened?" The young girl asked with a shaky voice.

"A former Niflheim scientist," he simply replied. If he went into details, Ignis knew he wouldn't be able to control his emotions. Iris picked up on this and decided to drop the subject. There was another matter on her mind, choosing to speak of it instead. She tried to control her sobs but failed. "While you guys were gone, the empire... the empire came looking for you. Jared tried to stop them, but... they killed him."

Ignis froze hearing the news. His hands that were reaching for an elixir stopped moving completely. The green eyes behind his spectacles widened in shock. No words came from him as he replayed Iris' words in his mind. The advisor was about to ask a small question, but the door flew open and Prompto stormed in. This was enough to snap Ignis back to reality and return to aiding the princess.

"Prompto, go check on Talcott with Iris," he said without looking at them. The girl grabbed the blonde's arm and dragged him out of the room. Ignis knew he could help Iris comfort the young boy while he tended to Zodia. Once the two were gone, the royal advisor found what he was looking for and held it above her body. The elixir shatters, covering Zodia's unconscious form with a faint glow. The bruises and deep cuts all over her body healed within seconds, which brought relief to the tactician.

After making sure all her wounds were healed, all he could do now was wait. Pulling a chair up next to the bed, he sat down and couldn't help but watch over her with worried emerald eyes. One of his hands found her delicate one and held it gently. Her chest rose with even and deep breaths, reassuring Ignis the worst has passed. In a whisper, he kept apologizing over and over again. Deep down, he felt it was his fault she was in this state. He felt he should've been able to protect her during the incidents at the Disc a few days ago. But, in his head, Ignis could hear her voice telling him it wasn't his fault.

A few hours pass by before the door opened with a worried Noctis and Gladio on the other side. "How is she?" The prince asked.

"Stable. The worst is over," Ignis replies in a low voice.

"What about that Empire bastard who did this?" Gladio asked with a growl of disdain.

"Dead."

"Did you..." Noctis started.

"Yes."

Ignis was not one to beat around the bush. He didn't cut corners and told them the truth about killing the Niflheim scientist with his own two hands. Gladio was the first to speak after his confession. "Good. Bastard deserved it."

"One thing he did mention intrigued me," Ignis admits.

"What's that?" Noctis crosses his arms and leans against a nearby wall.

"When Zodia fell, her spine was fractured to the point of certain death. Veniol siphoned her blood to acquire a healing agent only the zodiacs entail."

"So, the only reason she survived the fall was because of the zodiac blood in her veins," Gladio said as he analyzed the information.

"Can we... can we not talk about how I almost lost my sister?" Noctis begged with sorrow.

"My apologies, Noct," Ignis replied sorrowfully. The younger boy shook his head and sat on the foot of the bed. "I'm just glad you got to her before that bastard killed her."