The next two weeks proceed about as normal as Vanitas can imagine. He spends his days hanging out with each of the guys in turn; going to the dentist and farmers market with Ignis, shadowing Prompto during his shifts with the Crownsguard, visiting with Gladio and his family, and in general bothering Noctis for absolutely no reason.
The King has made it a point to spend all of his free time with Vanitas whenever possible, and the two of them can often be seen attached at the hip as a result. Some of the castle staff have even secretly started referring to Vanitas as ‘the little prince’ in a fond manner whenever he is following after Noctis.
Vanitas himself isn’t quite sure how to feel about that, but he supposes that there are worse things to be called.
One evening, after one such normal day in the Citadel, Vanitas awakens late into the night. His blue eyes snap open, breathing heavily from haunting memories as his vision adjusts to the now familiar shapes of the nursery. After a few moments, Vanitas settles back down in his hiding spot in between the toy chest and the dresser.
He’s taken to sleeping in this room full time, though has done so reluctantly.
He just can’t explain it. This room just feels wrong somehow, but Noctis was adamant that Vanitas should have it from now on.
‘No.’ Vanitas had complained on his third night in the Citadel, grabbing hold of the doorframe to the nursery and stopping Noctis from carrying him to bed.
‘No?’ The King asked, confused.
‘Don’t put me in there.’ Vanitas said, clutching the wood further.
Noctis was silent for a moment.
‘You’d rather sleep in my room?’
‘No.’ Vanitas frowned. He didn’t mind co-sleeping with Noctis, but even he could acknowledge that it probably wasn’t a good option for the long term.
‘Then what’s the problem?’ Noctis ignored Vanitas’s clutching of the door frame and walked into the room, leaving the tired child scrambling to hold onto something to stop him.
Vanitas doesn’t answer Noctis’s question as the King turned on the fish night light by the door and cast the room in a soft blue glow.
‘Van?’ Noctis called with a frown.
‘It’s for your future kid, right?’ Vanitas asked bitterly.
His words caused Noctis to look at him, but Vanitas was hiding his face behind his dark hair.
‘I don’t have a kid, Van.’ Noctis said simply.
‘Not yet.’ Vanitas looked at Noctis, the two of them staring each other down for a few moments before the King sighed.
‘Van, I want you to have this room.’ Noctis assured him as he set Vanitas down on the bed. ‘It’s yours, I promise. No one else’s.’
Even now, a full few weeks later, Vanitas still isn’t entirely sure of this notion, but he did end up reluctantly agreeing to use the space. Ever since then, the room has been converted to one more suitable for his age. The crib was removed, along with the changing table, play pen, rocking chair, baby books and blocks. There is still a colorful plethora of toys, crayons, books, and stuffed animals, but Vanitas has stubbornly left all of them untouched, including the stupid bed.
Just looking at it leaves him with a bitter, hollow feeling in his chest that he can’t explain.
So, Vanitas has started sleeping under it instead, or wedged in the closet, or behind the bookshelf, or in the spot he currently is now. Thankfully, though he is sure the guys have noticed his behavior by now, none of them have commented on it.
For that fact Vanitas is exceedingly grateful at least.
Vanitas tosses and turns in his hiding spot for a few minutes, before begrudgingly acknowledging that sleep will not come for him anytime soon. With a huff, he gets up and looks towards the door leading to Noctis’s.
There is no light shining through the crack under the door, and if he listens intently, he can hear the telltale sound of snoring.
Not wanting to disturb the King, but feeling restless all the same, Vanitas quietly exits his room and pads into the living area of the royal suite. It’s dark, with only the light from the high moon shining in through the massive floor to ceiling windows.
Vanitas marvels at it for a moment or two before heading towards the locked door.
He’s been told before by Gladio that safety is not a problem when it comes to the royal suite.
‘The windows are bullet proof, there’s always guards outside, and the door has a keypad and a lock to get in and out. Ain no boogeyman ever gonna get in here.’
That was all well and good for anyone trying to enter the suite, but a huge pain in the ass whenever anyone wanted to leave. For Vanitas himself it was a nightmare. No one has told him the code to the door, and it’s not written down anywhere either. What’s worse, without his keyblade he’s reluctantly come to realize that he simply can’t open it on his own.
Vanitas stares up at the offending door in disdain. He wants to move, to walk and explore to clear his head of the fog it’s in. Back when he was isolated in the Keyblade Graveyard, he could spend hours walking or running to clear his mind far into the dead of night. He even continued to do so when he was here on Eos. The guys used to refer to it as his ‘midnight walks,’ and they were never a problem until they suddenly were, back when Xehanort found out where he had been hiding.
Now though, there was no option to do that. Not if he wanted to wake Noct or endlessly search around again for the key code. He could send an Unversed under the door to hack it open from the outside, but then there were the guards to deal with.
Either way, Vanitas was unfortunately stuck.
Vanitas lets out a breath of frustration, but acknowledges that he can’t really blame the overprotective system here. Noctis is literally King, he needs to be protected, especially when he’s sleeping. There’s no getting around that. And Vanitas has already been stolen away once before. Obviously, no one would ever want to repeat that, Vanitas himself included. But still, the urge to move and clear his head is stubbornly strong tonight for some reason, and it straight up sucks being stuck in one place.
Reluctantly, Vanitas resigns himself to going back to bed before a sudden idea strikes.
‘Wait. Dark corridors…’
He hasn’t tried it since his rebirth. There hasn’t been a need to. But his powers of darkness have not waned in this new body, and his connection to his Unversed is still as strong as ever.
Perhaps the corridors might work. It was worth a shot anyway.
Vanitas closes his eyes in concentration, focusing on the deep darkness pooling in his broken heart, before holding out a hand and inwardly calling to the shadows.
With a flourish, darkness pours to life in front of him, swirling in an oval to form a portal.
‘Yes!’ Vanitas whispers with a grin and pokes his head into the corridor, finding that it leads to an empty hallway near to the elevators and safely away from any guards outside the royal suite.
Vanitas steps through the corridor, allowing it to quietly disperse behind him in a puff of dark smoke. A feeling of fatigue washes over him, reminding him that his body does not have much of a capacity for magic anymore, but Vanitas ignores it.
He will gladly take that price if it means he can have a little freedom. In fact, he cannot keep the impish grin off his face as he resolves to take a stroll, happy to have gotten his way.
With full intentions to return to the royal suite before he’s missed, Vanitas keeps to the shadows, avoiding the occasional guard or servant. He wanders the silent halls of the Citadel, venturing curiously into rooms he’s never seen before. There’s a full gym on the ground floor along with an indoor track and specific training areas. There are also other amenities including a small theatre, wine cellar, and pool out back, along with many seemingly empty rooms and a whole new wing of the Citadel looking to be in either reconstruction or expansion.
When he’s had his fill of looking around the place about an hour or so later, Vanitas finds himself in the throne room. He’s only been in here a handful of times, usually to pick up Noctis after a hard day’s work, and there’s unfortunately never been enough time to truly look around. Vanitas takes in every detail of the room now, ascending slowly towards the Lucian throne with curiosity. The seat is empty and ominous as Vanitas stares at it.
‘So, this is where it happened, huh Noct?’ Vanitas lets out a breath, placing a hand on the throne before hoisting himself into it to look out into the empty room. ‘Where you died…’
‘It would appear so.’
The sound of a sudden voice has Vanitas startling, and he turns to his right, very quickly catching sight of Noctis standing there in his Kingly Raiment.
With the realization that he’s been caught, Vanitas begrudgingly gets down.
‘I wasn’t doing anything.’ Vanitas grumbles.
‘I’m sure you weren’t.’ He says. ‘Isn’t it past your bedtime?’
‘For the last time, I don’t have a-‘ Vanitas looks up and his words die in his throat when he truly sees the person in front of him.
He looks like Noctis, but clearly isn’t. This person is older, with grey hair and an even greyer salt and pepper beard. His eyes shine with age and wisdom that far outreach Noctis’s years.
‘Hey… You’re…’ Vanitas scrunches his eyebrows.
‘Regis Lucis Caelum.’ The man introduces himself with a fond smile. ‘I’ve heard you’re a friend of my son.’
‘How’d you hear that?’ Vanitas asks suspiciously.
‘You’d be surprised how the walls of the Citadel have ears.’ Regis hums.
Vanitas tilts his head questioningly.
‘Aren’t you supposed to have kicked the bucket?’ He asks with condescension. ‘Or am I dreaming?’
‘No. I can assure you that you’re not dreaming.’ Regis says simply.
‘So I’m talking to a ghost?’ Vanitas crosses his arms.
‘Is that so surprising?’ Regis asks, leaning into the cane he holds in his right hand. ‘From what I understand, you’ve also conversed with the Astrals as well.’
‘Keeping tabs on me, old man?’ Vanitas huffs.
‘If that’s what you would like to call it.’ Regis looks Vanitas over with curiosity. ‘I wanted to simply introduce myself to the little one my son thinks so highly of.’
‘Okay first of all,’ Vanitas starts, looking up at Regis. ‘I’m not little.’ He snarks, even though his full height doesn’t even come close to Regis’s knee. ‘Second of all, I highly doubt that. How do I know that this isn’t some kind of trick?’
‘A trick?’ It is Regis’s turn to look confused.
‘There’s no way in hell a ghost would show up before me just to say hi.’ Vanitas scoffs. ‘Let alone the ghost of the last King. How do I know you are who you say you are?’
After all, he’s never actually seen a picture or a portrait of the late King Regis, so even though the guy clearly looks like Noct, it could still easily be faked.
Regis looks the child over with a contemplative expression, as if he can see right through to his very soul. Vanitas tries not to squirm under his intense, wise gaze.
‘You are highly mistrusting of others, I see.’ Regis acknowledges after a few moments.
Vanitas scoffs angrily.
‘Had a lot of practice. So what?’
‘All the more reason I am intrigued that you formed an impeccably strong bond with Noctis over so short a time.’ Regis ponders, rubbing his bearded chin with contemplation. ‘Though, I suppose I should humor your request to prove my identity. From what I understand, Ignis and Noctis have been searching for a particular document; Noctis’s birth certificate.’
‘Yea?’ Vanitas says slowly, wondering what the dead King is getting at. ‘They’ve been looking for it since the First Dawn. Were gonna draft up a new one or something.’
‘There is a secret compartment of the throne.’ Regis gestures towards the seat. ‘Simply push the hidden button on the right arm.’
Vanitas raises a brow, stubbornly not moving to do so.
‘Go on then.’ Regis encourages. ‘You’ll find I’ll be of no help.’
He moves to touch the throne for emphasis to his words, and his hand goes right through the black and gold marble, causing Vanitas to startle.
‘Guess you weren’t kidding about the ghost thing.’ Vanitas mumbles, processing what he just saw. Keyblade wielders can do all sorts of extraordinary things, but sticking your whole arm through a solid object would be something new.
‘Indeed.’ Regis smiles then nods to the throne.
Vanitas obediently takes a seat once more, searching for a hidden button on the right arm. He eventually finds it with some trial and error as it is smartly camouflaged and barely the size of his pinky nail.
Surely no one would find it if they didn’t already know it was there.
Pushing the button causes a hatch to pop open on the opposite arm of the throne, and Vanitas pulls it down to peer at the prizes hidden inside. There’s plenty of documents, along with pictures and various boxes of what he can only guess are heirlooms or jewels.
‘So? Am I considered trustworthy?’ Regis prods as Vanitas finds the document in question before closing the hidden door with a click. The lines of the hatch are only barely noticeable once placed back together.
‘Sure. Whatever, old man.’ The child shrugs before yawning deeply.
By now it’s gotten very late into the night, well past 3 in the morning, and a sudden wave of tiredness befalls Vanitas now that their conversation has taken a lull.
‘So that’s really all you wanted? Just to say hi?’
‘Just that.’ Regis hums, ‘I won’t keep you any longer then.’ He turns to hobble down the stairs with his cane.
‘Will I see you again?’ Vanitas asks, slipping off the throne in favor of searching for a hiding spot. There is one just between the back of the throne and the wall, half covered by a dark navy tapestry. Vanitas easily wedges himself into the space, resting his chin on top of his arms as he sleepily watches Regis walk away.
‘I’m sure you will.’ Regis turns back to him and smiles, his form fading into the moonlight. ‘Until then, sweet dreams Vanitas.’
Noctis yawns the next morning, barely mumbling a hello to Ignis as he stumbles blindly into the kitchen in search of coffee.
‘Good morning.’ Ignis greets him back, smirking at the dazed look in the King’s eye. ‘Still asleep?’
‘Just about awake.’ Noctis answers in kind, neither confirming nor denying the claim.
‘If so, then please make yourself useful and wake Vanitas, would you.’ Ignis turns to the coffee machine to pour Noctis a cup.
‘He’s not up yet?’ Noctis raises an eyebrow. Vanitas is usually not a morning person, but ever since his rebirth he’s always been both up and down with the sun.
‘Sleeping in.’ Ignis states. ‘Seems your habits are rubbing off on him again.’
‘Guilty as charged, I guess.’ Noctis hums and turns towards Vanitas’s room. It’s quiet and dark inside as he opens the door. ‘Van? C’mon. Time to rise and shine.’ He yawns again, stretching his back as he goes to the window to open the curtains.
As light pours into the colorful room, Noctis looks towards the bed, but is unsurprised to find it empty. It’s no secret that Vanitas hates that bed for some reason, but neither he nor the others have been able to figure out exactly why.
Instead, he gets to work checking every nook and cranny where the child would usually be hidden away to sleep. As each spot comes up empty, though, Noctis’s fatigue slowly fades into something more frantic as a bad feeling comes over him.
‘Van?’ Noctis calls, looking under the bed once more. ‘Vani?’ He looks in his own room for good measure. ‘Vanitas?’ He calls again, his voice louder now as he goes into the study, but there’s no sign of the missing child there either.
By this point he’s gathered Ignis’s attention, who walks in after him.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘He’s gone.’ Noctis says, trying to keep his voice even as he looks around the study, pulling his chair back and checking under the desk.
There’s no way that anyone could have snuck into the royal suite last night. He knows that, but still, something doesn’t feel right.
‘Spread out.’ Ignis says, immediately taking stock of the situation. ‘I’ll check the bathroom and guest rooms.’
The two of them look through the rest of the royal suite, leaving no stone unturned, but still there is no sign of Vanitas. By now, both of them are on edge, neither one saying a word as they reconvene back in the disheveled living room empty handed.
The door suddenly jangles as the rest of the retinue let themselves in.
‘Mornin’ guys!’ Prompto greets them with a smile, before frowning as he sees the look on their faces. ‘Yeesh, what’s eating you? Looks like a tornado ran through here.’
‘We cannot locate Vanitas.’ Ignis says, deigning not to beat around the bush.
‘What?’ Gladio furrows his brow. ‘But I just checked in with the guys outside. No one’s been in or outta here all night.’
‘That’s what we’re trying to figure out.’ Noctis runs an anxious hand through his dark hair.
He’d been so stupid. He should never have let Vanitas continue to sleep in hidden places. If he had left the suite, he could be literally anywhere right now.
Or worse, maybe he hadn’t left on his own?
That thought caused Noctis to tense with barely concealed rage.
‘Try not to panic. He can’t have gotten far.’ Ignis assures. ‘I’ll connect with the IT division and check the security cameras. Gladio, Prompto, you both get to work rallying the Crownsguard to check through the Citadel.’ He orders, ever the strategist. ‘Noct, you should get ready for the day. You have a formal audience within the hour with the Accordan emissary.’
‘Right.’ Noctis sighs, watching as the others quickly set off on their chosen tasks.
It takes him a few moments to force himself to walk back to his room to get dressed.
The time for the formal audience comes by quickly, yet there’s still no sign of Vanitas. Gladio and Prompto have basically rounded up the entire Crownsguard stationed in the Citadel to be on the lookout, with many attendants hearing about what is going on and deciding to lend their aid as well.
It just goes to show that while he hasn’t been here for very long, Vanitas has already won them all over with his brash, boyish charm. While the thought of Vanitas being so beloved by the inhabitants of the Citadel would be comforting on any other day, today Noctis feels as if he’s going to go mental any minute now as he heads into the throne room. Both this room and practically every inch of the building have been combed through from top to bottom and it’s as if the kid has vanished into thin air. Ignis has been having trouble with the IT department to top it all off, as apparently their staff is not available this early on weekends and the next available representative has been rushing to get here from their home all the way across the city.
The King sighs as he ascends the stairs to his throne.
Where even could Vanitas be? Why had he left? Was it not his choice? It couldn’t be that old asshole again, right? Vanitas had said he was dead.
Noctis’s wandering thoughts stop in his tracks when he hears the nearly inaudible noise of something shifting behind his throne.
There, on the floor, is Vanitas. The child is tucked away securely, nothing but a few spikes of dark hair visible against the dark marble and tapestry. He’s effectively camouflaged from any passerby quickly taking a glance into the room to find him, and it was by exceedingly lucky chance that Noctis had heard him in the first place.
Noctis lets out a relieved breath, pulling the tapestry away and putting a hand on the arm of the throne to steady himself.
‘You little brat.’ He says, watching Vanitas sleep. ‘You’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?’
Vanitas, of course, do not answer. In fact, he doesn’t even stir as Noctis carefully scoops him up and takes a seat on his throne.
The door to the room opens then, and Ignis quickly enters and approaches Noctis. He’s looking over something on his phone, listening to the words through an earpiece rather than scanning them with his eyes. It’s by doing so that he unconsciously catches sight of Vanitas.
‘Where did you…?’ He asks, flustered.
‘Right here. Behind the throne.’ Noctis sighs, accepting a stack of documents from Ignis with his free hand while the other holds Vanitas close.
‘Good gracious.’ Ignis sighs, exasperated.
Neither of them has any time to speak further, though, as there is a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of the emissary.
‘Give Vanitas here. I will return him to the suite.’ Ignis says quickly, reaching out towards the child. After all, it wouldn’t be proper to accept their guest like this.
‘He’s fine.’ Noctis begs to differ, though, only holding Vanitas tighter. It’s quite clear that he won’t be letting the child out of his sight anytime soon.
Ignis can only sigh with defeat.
‘Honestly… You two…’
It’s sometime later when Vanitas eventually starts to stir. The audience with the emissary had gone swimmingly. They neither asked nor cared about the child sleeping in the King’s arms, more interested in saying their piece for the formal address so that they could settle into their Lucian accommodations. There will be more to discuss with them later after the weekend for sure, but for now Ignis was satisfied.
In all of the commotion, however, none of the guys had ended up eating breakfast, and were currently set about having a late brunch when Vanitas awakens.
The child lets out a small noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan as he stirs, distantly recognizing as if through fog tinted awareness that he’s currently cradled in someone’s arms. He puts a hand against them, pushing himself away from whoever they are.
‘It’s me.’ Noctis’s voice calls, patting Vanitas on the back gently.
In response, Vanitas only hums and settles back down once more, clutching his small arms around the King’s neck in a lazy embrace.
‘Oh that’s cute.’ Gladio comments from somewhere nearby.
‘More like utterly adorable!’ Prompto can be heard next along with the telltale snap of a camera.
‘Don’t take pictures of me while I’m eating.’ Noctis complains.
‘I’m not taking a picture of you.’ Prompto snarks. ‘I’m taking a pic of Vani, duh.’
By this point, Vanitas finds the strength to open his eyes, seeing that he’s practically clinging to Noctis like a koala as the King goes about eating his breakfast. The other guys are all sat around the table near them, enjoying their own food in the dining area of the royal suite.
‘Back with us, Vanitas?’ Ignis asks. ‘You’ve been sleeping for a rather long time.’
Vanitas only blinks owlishy, before humming and burying his face into the King’s shoulder once more, clearly unwilling to get up.
‘Vani, you’re gonna kill me with cuteness I swear!’ Prompto gushes.
‘Rather makes you forget the trouble he put us through this morning.’ Ignis concurs.
‘What?’ Vanitas asks, his voice muffled against the fabric of Noctis’s shirt.
‘You nearly gave us a heart attack, brat.’ Noctis says, his tone leaning somewhere towards fondness but still coming off as very clearly disapproving. ‘Just what were you doing in the throne room?’
‘Yea and how the hell did you leave the suite without anyone noticing?’ Gladio prods. As head of Noctis’s security, he’s been quite ticked off all morning about a potential hiccup.
Vanitas lifts his head, the last of his tiredness fading away as he tries to get down, clearly wanting to avoid this topic of conversation. Noctis isn’t having it, though, and tightens his hold, no longer afraid of bothering the lingering wound on Vanitas’s back now that it’s healed up.
‘Oh no, you’re not getting away so easy.’ Noctis scolds, keeping his hold unyielding but not painfully so. ‘Answer the question, Van.’
‘Tch, didn’t mean to actually fall asleep out there.’ Vanitas grumbles. ‘Just sorta happened.’
‘That’s not an explanation, shorty.’ Gladio points out.
‘We were talking, and I forgot, okay?’ Vanitas sighs, rubbing a frustrated hand over his face. ‘I couldn’t sleep last night.’
‘Who were you talking to?’ Noctis prods.
‘Me and-’ Vanitas look up at Noctis and the words instantly die in this throat. ‘Uh…’
How could he tell Noctis that he saw the ghost of his late father last night? Surely, he’d think it was some sort of joke.
But then again, Regis did show him that compartment, so maybe…
Thankfully Ignis comes to the rescue before Vanitas can say more.
‘I have the footage from last night.’ Ignis sighs, clearly disapproving of Vanitas’s babbling as he reviews the video on his phone. ‘Seems you left the suite through a dark portal.’
Vanitas clicks his tongue.
‘Yea.’ He says, not trying to deny the claim.
‘I didn’t know you could still use those things?’ Prompto raises an eyebrow.
‘Neither did I til last night.’ Vanitas mumbles. ‘Didn’t wanna wake Noct, but you know how I get when I can’t sleep.’ He admits, pulling away from the King as much as he is allowed.
‘Did you leave the Citadel?’ Noctis asks. His voice is unreadable to Vanitas, causing the child to look up at him.
‘No.’ Vanitas shakes his head.
‘I can see that.’ Ignis scrubs through the video footage. ‘Though, the question remains Vanitas, who is it that you say you were conversing with?’ He turns the phone around, showing the footage of Vanitas by himself in the throne room. ‘There was no one else with you all night.’
Vanitas snaps his mouth shut, refusing to answer.
‘Got an imaginary friend or something?’ Gladio asks.
‘Maybe. What’s it to you?’ Vanitas says, his voice gaining an edge. A defense mechanism from years of being pushed too far.
Everyone at the table can see right through it.
By this point Noctis has heard enough and he allows his grip on Vanitas to relax. The child quickly takes this opportunity to get down.
‘Never do that again.’ Noctis says firmly. ‘Next time wake me up.’
Vanitas opens his mouth to protest, but Noctis isn’t finished.
‘That was not a request, Vanitas.’ He scolds, his tone hard and disapproving. ‘You nearly gave all of us a heart attack. Did you forget what happened the last time you went missing?’
‘I…’ Vanitas starts, his body instinctively going tense in response to being reprimanded. He forces himself to relax though, reminding himself that this is Noctis he’s dealing with.
Not Xehanort. Noctis will never be Xehanort.
He looks over each of the guys in turn. All of them have some degree of disappointment on their faces as a direct result of his actions. Vanitas takes a step back in response, not knowing how to react.
‘I… Sorry.’ He mumbles, something awful bubbling up in his chest.
He furrows his eyebrows, trying to will it away as it threatens to bring tears to his eyes. He hasn’t felt such an overwhelming emotion since the day of his rebirth and it hits him hard.
In the end, he excuses himself to his room to get himself together.
While the guys have accepted Vanitas’s apology, there is still an awkward air about the five of them for the rest of the day. Noctis, though normally not as busy on Saturdays, does not shy away from completing work that could have easily waited until Monday.
Vanitas isn’t stupid, and he can put two and two together that Noctis wants to avoid him after what had happened this morning, which is just as well. Vanitas doesn’t want to see Noctis right now either, unwilling to experience that overwhelming emotion again from earlier.
Instead, he makes himself busy spending quality time with Prompto.
By now, Vanitas has gotten quite comfortable shadowing Prompto through his Crownsguard timetable and he finds its very interesting to watch the blonde practice his skills with firearms at the shooting range or do patrols throughout the city.
Vanitas has already met a lot of the Crownsguard through these ventures, and thankfully none of them have been put off by having a child sit in on their sessions. Quite the contrary as Vanitas makes for entertaining company. He’s never afraid to throw criticism or snarky comments, after all, and the jabs he throws can be downright hilarious to hear from such a small child.
‘Woah, I’d be more impressed with a literal potato.’
‘If that was a fight, then it was the most boring thing I’ve ever witnessed.’
‘I’m gonna die of old age before you two get it together.’
Vanitas’s fast-growing repertoire among the Crownsguard was further aided by the opinion of the Marshal himself, Cor Leonis. Vanitas had heard about Cor back in the day, but never actually had the chance to meet him until now. He’s a very gruff man, the strong silent type of cliché, with an interesting myth attached to his name.
‘The immortal huh?’ Vanitas asked. ‘So what? You survive a couple stabs or something?’
‘Perhaps more than you’d imagine at your age.’ Cor said, face unreadable and stony.
Vanitas wasn’t intimidated, though.
‘What about magic? Or bullets?’ Vanitas raised an eyebrow.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Cor said, something in his tone amused.
‘I would, that’s why I asked.’ Vanitas scoffed. ‘Or what? You wanna go toe to toe? Right here? Right now?’
Cor in fact did not want to go toe to toe with Vanitas, who found out very quickly that the Marshal has a soft spot, especially for children. Cor personally ordered special child sized earmuffs when Vanitas first showed interest in the shooting range, and was never opposed to letting Vanitas tag along during any training sessions or patrols. He even sometimes would sneak Vanitas a snack or two when no one was the wiser.
But that was their little secret, though.
Cor was unfortunately nowhere to be found today following Noctis and Vanitas’s spat this morning. Vanitas is currently watching Prompto and a few other guards practice their shots from the observation room. Normally this was one of his favorite past times, as he would often don his earmuffs and go down there to heckle the guards while they shot their rounds, or endlessly try to persuade one of them to let him have a turn.
Today though, Vanitas wasn’t feeling up to interacting.
He sighs and drops his chin forlornly onto the table.
He’d spent so long this morning suppressing that overwhelming feeling that bubbled up in his chest. So much so that now he effectively feels nothing at all. It’s like there is a haze over his every thought and action, as if he himself is in slow motion while the rest of the world goes on without him, and all he wants to do is be alone.
There is no emotion in his heart for the first time in his life. It’s an entire mental and emotional shut down. And while Vanitas can recognize that this is not a good thing, especially not after what that doctor had told him, right now he simply doesn’t care.
The door to the observation room opens, but the child doesn’t look up, too lost in the haze.
‘What’s that look for, Vanitas?’ Cor asks, taking a seat beside him at the table.
‘Hi.’ Vanitas greets him, unable to look up from the spot on the floor that his tired eyes have unconsciously trained themselves on. Even saying that simple word is a great effort.
‘I take it Noctis gave you a talking to this morning.’ Cor puts two and two together, sharp as a tack.
‘You heard?’ Vanitas asks, voice without emotion.
‘Of course. Who do you think were first called in to join the search for you?’
Vanitas’s eyes flicker to Cor and then back down again.
‘Sorry.’ He mumbles, but it feels hollow somehow.
‘Don’t beat yourself up, kid.’ Cor says. ‘Though, this incident should only tell you how important you are to the King and those around him.’
This time, Vanitas turns to look at Cor fully, taking in his words.
‘I didn’t mean to worry him.’ Vanitas frowns.
‘His worrying is not a bad thing.’ Cor explains. ‘Though, I’d have to advise against making a habit of it.’
‘Right.’ Vanitas mumbles, earning an affectionate pat on the back from the Marshal before the man turns and leaves him to his brooding.
The rest of the day goes by unbelievably slowly. Vanitas barely got a wink of sleep when Prompto dropped him off in the afternoon at Jaida and Poppy’s place for a nap. Instead, he’d merely watched the television through a dazed gaze, barely reacting when Jaida had put her hand to his forehead with worry.
When Gladio eventually stopped by, he hadn’t seemed all too concerned with Vanitas’s behavior.
‘Probably just sulking.’ Vanitas could hear Gladio’s voice faintly from the kitchen. ‘First time Noct ever had to put his foot down with him.’
Is that what this was?
Noctis had never been cross with Vanitas before, not even close, so that could be the reason for his odd mental state all day.
Still, something about that explanation hurt.
So what? Noctis told him off so now he’s moping?
That didn’t sound anything like his usual self at all. Really, it’s only been a few weeks and already he’s fallen so far from who he used to be.
He can’t stand it.
Dinner comes with no sign of Noctis or Ignis, though Vanitas does notice that there is a new keypad on the royal suite door, as well as a whole new door in general. Vanitas can distantly sense that there is something magical about it, too, though he’s unable to decipher exactly what it is.
It’s mostly just a slap in the face to see it and know that the guys do not trust him anymore.
Prompto joins him for dinner, toting a takeaway bag from somewhere in the city, but Vanitas doesn’t feel much like talking so their meal is spent mostly in silence.
The two of them are hanging out on the couch, Vanitas watching the TV and Prompto playing some game on his phone, when Vanitas decides to head off to bed. It’s not his normal time, far from it actually, but he doesn’t fight the urge, too disoriented by the day’s events to stay up any longer.
‘Noct texted that he should be back soon.’ Prompto pipes up though with a frown. ‘Sure you don’t wanna wait up for him?’
‘No thanks.’ Vanitas declines, eager to be alone.
The darkness of his room is inviting, and Vanitas shuffles over to one of his usual hiding spots, before abruptly stopping. He had heard earlier from Prompto about how Noctis couldn’t find him in this room, and how they had to look all over for him in every nook and cranny of the Citadel.
It probably… would have been a lot easier for them if he didn’t hide.
Vanitas frowns at this notion, scrunching his brow as he looks towards the bed. It looms there innocently as Vanitas reluctantly gets in and hides himself away under the dark covers, trying to force himself to be comfortable.
About twenty or so minutes later, Vanitas hears though a numb haze how Noctis returns home, and listens to the low hum of the King’s voice as he talks with Prompto. Eventually, the sound of the front door opening and closing can be heard as Prompto takes his leave for the night.
The suite is silent for a few minutes after that, only the sound of Noctis shuffling around in what sounds like the study, before footsteps come to stand outside his door.
Vanitas is completely submerged in the covers, hiding in the darkness, but he still flinches a little bit as a small sliver of light envelops the room when Noctis peeks the door open. The King stands there for a moment or two, more than likely noticing that Vanitas is awake.
Neither of them says anything, though, before Noctis sighs and quietly shuts the door.
Vanitas lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as he hears Noctis retreat for his own room and settle in for the night.
The next morning Vanitas resolves to act as if nothing happened. He gets up as normal, feeling that the fog from yesterday is thankfully gone, and goes to greet Ignis, who is making waffles.
His food choice causes Vanitas to pause. Ignis is normally not one to make unhealthy dishes. Not without a special occasion. The few times that he can remember Ignis making such food was when Vanitas first joined the retinue, then much later after that rather nasty fight during a hunt, or more recently when Vanitas was reborn.
Ignis himself had mentioned once that he’s not usually very good with words.
‘It is my hope that my actions, namely my cooking, can do the speaking for me.’
Knowing this, it’s obvious to Vanitas that Ignis is trying to offer some comfort over the disaster that was yesterday.
‘Good morning Vanitas.’ Ignis greets him casually.
‘Hey.’ Vanitas says, proceeding to take his normal seat at the island counter to watch Ignis work. ‘Long time no see, I guess. I barely saw you yesterday.’
‘Noct and I put our noses to the grindstone and finished some work that had been looming, as well as some future tasks.’ Ignis explains. ‘Both he and I should be relatively free today. He had mentioned wanting to spend some time with you in particular. Seems he wants to clear the air.’
At this admission, Vanitas sits up straight in his seat.
‘Uh… yea?’
That is not what he expected to hear at all.
‘Yes.’ Ignis hums, his tone soft. ‘Perhaps you could wake him? These are almost done, and Prompto and Gladio should be along soon.’
‘Okay.’ Vanitas agrees, though takes his time heading to Noctis’s room.
Was that really the reason why Noctis was so busy yesterday?
The thought causes him to furrow his brow with confusion.
Vanitas knocks on the master bedroom door, not bothering to be quiet. As he opens the curtains, Noctis doesn’t stir, nothing more than a lump in black satin covers.
‘Noct.’ Vanitas calls to him, peering over the edge of the tall bed. Unfortunately, Noctis is situated right in the middle, so it’s impossible to shake him awake with this vantage point.
Begrudgingly, Vanitas hauls himself up onto the bed and half walks half crawls to the center.
‘Hey, get up.’ Vanitas calls again, toeing at the King’s side. ‘C’mon, Ignis made waf- ah!’
He’s cut off mid-sentence as a hand grabs onto his foot and pulls him down.
‘Five more minutes.’ Noctis complains, holding Vanitas as if he were a teddy bear.
‘No way.’ Vanitas complains, squirming.
He’s fallen for this sort of trick before back in the day. Very few things can get between Noctis and his sleep, and they’ve all fallen victim to his stalling shenanigans before. Except now, Vanitas is even more at risk it seems with his current stature.
‘Get up, lazy ass.’ Vanitas shoves him. ‘Let go.’
‘Nah.’ Noctis hums.
Vanitas distantly catches onto the playful side of his voice but it’s already too late as he’s suddenly tickled with no warning.
‘Hey!’ Vanitas laughs, squirming even more. ‘Cut it out, Noct!’
‘You’re the one that decided to bother me.’ Noctis says with no mercy. ‘You brought this on yourself.’
‘You suck!’ Vanitas laughs harder, rolling around with Noctis under the covers. He tries to shove the King off or tickle him back, but Noctis seems to have nerves of steel and doesn’t react with more than a few chuckles.
This is the scene that Ignis walks into a few minutes later, with both Noctis and Vanitas red in the face.
‘While I’m glad that the two of you have ‘made up’ so to speak,’ Ignis starts, adjusting his glasses. ‘If you could both refrain from howling like chimpanzees this early in the morning, it would be most appreciated.’
‘He started it!’ Vanitas gapes in betrayal.
‘Shouldn’t have woken me up then.’ Noctis counters with a yawn.
‘Regardless, I am finishing it.’ Ignis sighs. ‘Breakfast is ready.’
True to Ignis’s word, Noctis’s schedule is free for the entire day, minus a few phone calls he has to take after breakfast. The King had left it up to Vanitas to pick what they should do, and the answer seemed pretty obvious.
‘Why not go fishing?’ Vanitas shrugged. ‘Literally been years since I saw you cast a line.’
‘Sounds like the perfect plan to me.’ Noctis had grinned.
‘Vani, you’re encouraging his fishing addiction.’ Prompto teased. ‘Pretty soon we’ll be left with a fish junkie for a King.’
‘If you can think of a betta plan, be sure to drop us a line.’ Gladio teased, earning him a glare courtesy of Vanitas for his trouble.
‘Don’t you dare start with those stupid puns.’ Vanitas hissed.
‘I thought it was quite punny.’ Ignis said.
‘Stop!’
When Vanitas had mentioned fishing, though, he had thought maybe they would leave the city to do so. Perhaps take a short trip to some lake or pond, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he and Noct ventured to the nearby community park. It spans for a few miles, and in the center is a pond with designated fishing spots. Vanitas had passed through it during his first day in Insomnia when he and Gladio fed the ducks, and it was a tranquil spot as any for Noctis to fish, he supposed.
Noctis is set up on one of the docks, both he and Vanitas sitting together on folding chairs. Behind them, Gladio and Prompto are on duty guarding their King, with Ignis on track to visit them later with a picnic lunch once he has settled over a few things. Cor is here also, along with Monica and another Crownsguard member named Dustin. They are a bit farther away from the dock, keeping watch in normal street clothes should any threat arise.
‘Quite an entourage you got.’ Vanitas comments absentmindedly as Noctis casts his line.
‘Perks of being the King I guess.’ Noctis shrugs.
Vanitas tilts his head, contemplating a question in his head. He still hasn’t brought up who he had been talking to that night in the throne room.
Now seemed like as good a time as any.
‘Was uh…’ He hesitates to ask. While Vanitas has never had any parental figure before, he does remember how Noctis confided in him just how much it hurt to lose Regis, and doesn’t want to bring this up in the wrong way. ‘Was your dad always this protected too?’
‘Oh yea.’ Noctis hums, not hesitating to answer. ‘When Dad was King, there were always tons of people around him. Guards, reporters, admirers you name it.’ He says, before his face falls. ‘But then we lost a lot of people in both the war and the Endless Night. Not just soldiers but civilians too. Nowadays people are more focused on rebuilding their own lives rather than wondering what I’m doing.’
Vanitas looks Noctis over, seeing his expression clearly for what it is.
‘You still blame yourself for all that.’ He comments.
‘For the war, no. But everything with the crystal, yea. Some days are better than others about that.’ Noctis sighs, reeling in his fishing line before casting out again in another spot. ‘I’m trying to lead the best I can, to make up for not being here. I want to give them the space and support they need to rebuild everything they lost.’
‘So you’re more of a laidback King. Letting people do as they like.’
‘I guess you could say that.’ Noctis shrugs.
‘…Your dad like that too?’ Vanitas asks hesitantly.
This time, Noctis looks at him out of the corner of his eye with suspicion, but answers anyway.
‘He always put Lucis and his family first. The people came second to him.’ Noctis explains. ‘While I don’t blame him for that mindset, many didn’t agree with him back then.’ He sighs before sitting up straighter as there is a pull on this line. ‘I want to put the people first. Spend time with them, learn who they are, and the ways they live. I know now they have to be the priority. Lucis itself is nothing without them.’
‘Guess that’s a good mindset. Can’t say I agree though cuz you know I hate people.’ He says cheekily, causing Noctis to laugh.
After a few minutes, the fish is hauled to shore, and Noctis looks at Vanitas curiously as he notes it down in his fishing log.
‘Why the sudden interest in my dad anyway?’ Noctis’s tone is more curious than accusatory as he lets the fish go back into the water.
‘I don’t know, I never met the guy.’ Vanitas tries to play it off. ‘Cor brought him up a few times. Said it’s uncanny how much you look like him.’ That part wasn’t a lie. Cor was apparently part of Regis’s retinue, and his name has come up once or twice in casual conversation.
Noctis sighs, reaching back into his most precious memories.
‘Yea, I look more like him now that I’m older.’ He strokes his beard as he sits back in his chair. After a moment, he takes out his phone. ‘Should probably have a painting of him done or something. There used to be a lot of them in the Citadel, before Ardyn tore them all down.’
Noctis grimaces, clear disdain in his words as he mentions that guy’s name. Vanitas had heard about Ardyn a little bit when he was venturing with the guys, but to his friend’s great relief, both he and Vanitas never got the chance to meet face to face.
‘I have a picture of him somewhere.’ Noctis flicks through his phone before handing it over to Vanitas. ‘Here.’
Vanitas takes the device, before sucking in a breath as he sees the former King. Regis looks exactly as he had in his ghostly form that night; grey hair, salt and pepper beard in all.
There is no denying it now.
‘I gotta show you something.’ Vanitas manages to say. ‘But just the two of us.’ He says, casting a wary glance at Gladio and Prompto who are casually chatting just a few feet away.
Noctis only raises a suspicious eyebrow as he agrees.
After a few hours of leisurely fishing, Ignis arrives to join them as promised, toting a basket filled with their lunch. The sun is warm as the five of them set up on a blanket overlooking the water’s edge and Vanitas rolls to lay down on the soft blanket once he’s had his fill, listening to the chirping of birds and the breeze against the trees as his friends talk amongst themselves nearby.
This feeling of being here, being close to them again under the sun brings about a nostalgic place in his heart. One he never forgot when he was toiling away under the control of Master Xehanort.
Vanitas relishes in it, letting himself relax completely in his friend’s shadows.
‘Taking a nap?’ He can hear Noct ask as a hand gently runs through his black hair.
Vanitas only hums before nodding off gracefully into sleep.
They pack up their impromptu picnic once the golden light of midday starts to bleed into sunset. All is well as they converse as normal, throwing jokes and puns every which way as they drive back to the Citadel with their entourage.
As they enter into the main entrance, though, an odd feeling overcomes Vanitas, causing him to look down the long hallway to the left of the lobby.
There’s a woman there. She looks rather distraught and is hastily making her way towards them with what looks like a baby bundled in her arms.
Cor is the first to notice her. With one precise hand signal, he and Prompto stalk forward to speak with the woman and assess the situation. All the adults are on edge by her presence and understandably so. No one is supposed to be in the main area of the Citadel right now besides authorized personnel, as it’s not open to the public on Sundays.
From this distance, Vanitas can’t hear what is being said. Instead, he watches Prompto in particular, knowing that the blonde is still learning the tricks of the trade to one day fill Cor’s shoes. Watching him try to do so now and take the lead in this situation is interesting to say the least as the two of them work together to decipher who she is and how she got here.
It seems Prompto’s efforts are getting nowhere, however, and Cor’s approach is even worse as the woman starts crying and motioning towards their group. Cor says something to her, and she grows more distraught and hysterical, trying to move past them only to be stopped as Prompto holds out an arm to block her way.
‘We’d better go.’ Gladio says, nodding towards Dustin and Monica, who both incline to stay behind as backup.
‘Right.’ Noctis turns to head out with Gladio and Ignis to the elevators, before noticing that Vanitas is not following. ‘Van.’ He calls.
Vanitas, though, is rooted to his spot. That feeling, that weird itchy pull that he felt towards Ignis a few weeks ago is back and stronger than ever. It’s annoying as hell, and fills him with a sense of dread he hasn’t felt in a long time.
No, not since he was staring down his own death twice at the hands of Ventus.
‘Something’s wrong.’ Vanitas says, not taking his eyes away from the scene.
‘Prompto and the others will take care of her.’ Ignis assures. ‘For now, we best-‘
‘Not like that.’ Vanitas shakes his head. ‘I can feel it. And it’s pissing me off.’
He moves to wander towards the woman but is stopped as Noctis grabs his hand.
‘Van, we don’t know her. She could be dangero-‘
By this point, the woman has strongarmed her way closer to them, and her voice can be heard clearly as she shouts at Cor and Prompto with desperation.
‘Please, I need help for my daughter! I heard there was a child here that can cure illnesses! You have to let me see them!’
At the woman’s words, both Noctis and Gladio instinctively step in front of Vanitas, hiding him from view as Dustin and Monica take off to help Prompto and Cor. Vanitas is irritated by being so blatantly protected, though. He scoffs and tries to move around them, but Noctis still has hold of his small hand and is refusing to budge.
‘Let go, Noct.’ He protests, trying to pull free.
‘Don’t even think about it shorty.’ Gladio says sternly. ‘This is a security nightmare. How the hell did she even get in here?’
‘I suggest we head upstairs.’ Ignis concurs. ‘And quickly.’
‘Seriously?’ Vanitas frowns.
Noctis sighs.
‘Van-‘
‘Ignis,’ Vanitas ignores the King and turns to his advisor instead. His free hand is rubbing at his heart, right over the uncomfortable, itchy feeling. ‘She’s bothering me for help, like how I healed your eyes.’
Ignis lets out a breath in response, hesitating as realization sets in. Vanitas had told him about this feeling before, about an uncontrollable urge to remove the injury to his eyes.
‘I… understand, Vanitas, but-‘
Ignis is cut off, though, from another heartbreaking plea from the woman.
‘She’s going to DIE! Please, I’m begging you!’
By this point, the woman is beyond consoling. She has fallen to the floor and is sobbing over her child as Prompto, Cor, Dustin and Monica surround her, not knowing what to do. Prompto looks towards them, his face heartbroken. From his gaze alone Noctis, Ignis and Gladio can tell that the woman means no harm, and that she’s telling the truth.
Gladio is the first to fold and move out of Vanitas’s way. His face is slack and far away, likely thinking of his own daughter. Noctis takes a moment or two longer before he lets his grip on Vanitas loosen.
Once he’s free, Vanitas wastes no time answering the pull in his heart and quickly goes to the woman, with the King, Shield, and Hand following close behind.
The woman looks up as Vanitas approaches.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ He asks, tone not exactly friendly as he has an annoyed look about his face. Now that he’s closer, the itchy feel is downright unbearable, and he wants to get this over with as quickly as possible.
The woman takes in a shaky breath, wiping her eyes.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know!’ The woman says. ‘But she can’t breathe!’
Vanitas looks at the baby squirming in the lady’s arms. She’s wheezing, struggling to breathe with her little face scrunched up in pain. He lets out a breath and summons darkness to his fingertips before reaching out for the baby. He taps his finger against her face but moves on as whatever he’s looking for isn’t there. Instead, he pulls away the blanket that she’s wrapped in and taps on her chest.
He can feel the darkness of her illness there, in her lungs, begging to be removed. Vanitas focuses on it and pulls it out with ease just like he had done for Ignis.
Once he’s finished, the baby, who was just now hacking and struggling to breathe, instantly calms. All the adults in the vicinity listen as she breathes deep breaths, and color slowly returns to her little face. They each in turn look at Vanitas with shock as he holds the darkness in his hand before letting it dissolve harmlessly into the air.
‘You’re welcome I guess.’ He says with a shrug, putting his hands in his pockets.
The woman looks her daughter over, watching her like a hawk as she breathes properly again. The light has returned to her small eyes, her illness no longer showing through.
‘You miracle child.’ She looks up at Vanitas with awe. ‘Blessed oracle! How could I ever repay you?’
The lady then reaches out for Vanitas. Prompto steps in between them, though, allowing Noctis to scoop Vanitas up safely into his arms. The King ignores Vanitas as the child squirms and protests at being suddenly manhandled, and has a hard expression for a moment or two, clearly disliking the woman’s words.
‘Allow them access to the medical wing. Get a pediatrician on standby.’ He says to Ignis, who nods and whips out his phone. ‘I hope that everything is alright with your child.’ He offers to the woman, his voice kind as he gives her a polite smile. ‘But if you’ll please excuse us.’
‘Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you.’ The woman says and bows her head, but Noctis is already turning away with Vanitas in tow, heading towards the safety of the royal suite.
When Ignis and Prompto come upstairs sometime later, they bring good news with them.
‘The baby is completely cured.’ Ignis says, his tone unsurprised. ‘The doctors could find no fault at all.’
‘Yeah, turns out it was pneumonia.’ Prompto explains with a grimace. ‘Really really bad news for babies. If she’d gone on much longer without help, then well…’
The room falls silent for a moment, letting the gravity of that situation sink in as they all turn to Vanitas. The child himself says nothing, though he does have a contemplative look on his face.
‘The doctors office she normally attends was closed, so she took a chance on a rumor and came to the Citadel when she felt something was wrong.’ Ignis nods. ‘Apparently, she is the new wife of one of the Crownsguard. This was her first time in the Citadel, hence why no one recognized her.’
Gladio sighs, having gotten a similar text from Cor not too long ago. He’s clearly unhappy with this situation, but if the woman is the wife of a Crownsguard, she would have access to enter the residential area of the Citadel. From there entering the main section of the building would not be so hard if someone was desperate enough.
‘So hey not to break the mood or whatever,’ Vanitas pipes up from his spot on the couch. He appears tired, just as he had after healing Ignis’s illness, but exhaustion has fortunately not overwhelmed him just yet. ‘But what’s an oracle?’
‘Right. You would not know.’ Ignis says. ‘An oracle is an individual who can cure those afflicted by illness or injury. They also are the only ones able to commune with the Astrals. On rarer occasions, I have heard that some of them can even commune with the dead as well.’ He places a hand to his chin thought. ‘Traditionally, oracles are women, but occasionally the power has fallen to men when there are no women in the lineage to take up the role.’
‘Lady Lunafreya was the last oracle.’ Prompto explains. ‘But since she and the rest of her family passed away, well… there hasn’t been one since.’
‘Oh…’ Vanitas furrows his brow, trying to understand. ‘Then why’d that woman call me one?’
‘I suppose you may fit the description to some extent, what with healing people afflicted by ailments.’ Ignis muses. ‘But you’ve hardly been communing with either spirits or Gods.’
Vanitas sucks in a guilty breath, causing everyone to stare pointedly at him.
‘Yea… about that.’ He says sheepishly with a grimace before looking towards the King. ‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Noct.’ Noctis lifts an eyebrow, but says nothing, allowing Vanitas to continue. ‘I sort of talked with the ghost of your Dad the other night.’ Vanitas just comes out and says it, seeing no reason to beat around the bush at this point.
‘…What?’ Noctis asks, bewildered.
‘Oh, so that’s what you were doing on the cameras.’ Prompto hums, instantly believing him. ‘And well, you did talk with Shiva, and you mentioned some dragon thing when you were first reborn.’ He looks to Noctis as well. ‘Could have been Bahamut you think?’
Noctis appears at a loss for words along with Ignis, while Gladio lets out a low whistle.
‘Woah. That sounds like puzzle pieces lining up to me.’ He muses. ‘Some new prophecy or something?’
‘Don’t even joke about that.’ Noctis says sternly before turning to the child. ‘Alright Van, no more secrets then. Tell us everything.’
‘Right.’ Vanitas gets down from his perch on the couch. ‘I have something to show you.’
Bonus Scene:
‘A miracle. Truly.’
‘A blessing. Bestowed by an Astral.’
‘Perhaps Eos has a new oracle?’
Cor listens to the doctors and nurses making a fuss all around him in the hospital wing of the Citadel. He and Prompto had brought the woman and her child here swiftly, but it was a moot point by now.
There is nothing wrong with the baby that the doctors could find.
Seems the illness is gone, simply vanished at the hands of Vanitas.
‘Strange.’ Cor says to Prompto as they leave the hospital wing. ‘Who knew Vanitas was capable of something like that?’
‘Oh yea.’ Prompto hums, not making eye contact. ‘Sure was weird right?’
Cor looks at him with suspicion.
‘You know something.’ Cor accuses. He’s spent a lot of time with Prompto over the years both during and after the Endless Night. It wasn’t hard to figure out when he was hiding something.
‘Well uh,’ Prompto hesitates, knowing he’s been caught. ‘Let’s just say if I did know something, that it would be divine intervention?’
Cor looks at him for a few moments, using that stare of his to look into other people’s souls. What he finds there in Prompto’s is not enough to decipher this mystery, however.
‘Well, whatever the cause, this is going to cause an uproar.’ Cor says, looking back towards the wing where other patients have now tuned into the staff’s chatter and are spreading rumors amongst themselves.
‘A massive one…’
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
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