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Yawning and stretching, Noctis stepped out of the caravan into a bright, sunny day. He saw Prompto taking photos on the Balouve Bridge, spotted Gladio chatting to the only woman in sight, and noticed Ignis inside the gas station. Content to bask in the sunlight, Noctis headed over to the car. He checked their gas – fine for now. He was about to hop in the backseat when Prompto came jogging over.
“Morning!” Prompto called, cheery as ever.
“Morning,” Noctis said. “Get some good shots?”
“The sunrise here is beautiful. You really missed out by sleeping through it,” Prompto said.
Noctis thought he’d seen enough sunrises since leaving Insomnia to last him a lifetime, but he didn’t need to tell Prompto that. Instead, he looked at the images Prompto had captured. They were stunning. “You’re definitely gonna have a career in photography once this is over,” he said.
“Wow, you think so?” Prompto asked.
Noctis smiled. “I know so.”
Prompto’s face lit up. “Thanks!”
“Good morning, Noct. Nice of you to join us before brunch.”
Looking over his shoulder, Noctis saw Ignis approaching, a large bag of supplies in his arms. “Got everything we need?” he asked.
Ignis handed the bag over. “You can make yourself useful and create some new Curatives while I drive us to our next location.”
“Which is?” Noctis asked.
“The Insomnia border,” Ignis said. “I’ve heard some very odd rumours about it lately, and I think we need to investigate.”
“What kind of rumours?” Noctis asked, rummaging through the bag and mentally planning what he needed to create.
“Of a teenage boy fighting daemons there, using bizarre magic that seems to summon entire vehicles out of nothingness.”
Noctis stopped his rummaging. “What?” Had Ignis suffered a head injury?
Ignis frowned. “Don’t look at me like I’m under a Confusion effect. Like I said, they’re odd rumours. But I’ve been hearing them for a few days now. I think we’d best look into it.”
After the long drive, they pulled in at Hammerhead to catch up on the latest stories about the mysterious fighter. Shortly after Takka finished telling the tale of an old-fashioned steam train racing out of the sky, Noctis heard footsteps approaching. Turning, he found himself looking at two kids, a girl and a boy.
“Excuse me,” the redheaded girl said with a slight, apologetic bow. “I wonder if you could help us.”
Noctis nodded. “What’s the problem?”
“We can’t find our friend,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “We heard that he’s here, but we don’t have a way to get to the city people talk about. Insomnia, I think?”
“Insomnia’s not safe,” Noctis said.
“We can handle it,” the other kid said.
Noctis looked at him, saw the tension in boy’s body, the way he clenched his fists like he’d punch his way through whatever stood between him and his friend. That was a good way to get himself killed.
“Leave it to us,” Noctis said, nodding to his friends. “If your friend’s out there, we’ll find him and bring him back. You just need to wait here.”
“But –” the boy started.
Noctis shook his head. He wasn’t about to let two kids fight, even if he got the feeling they were definitely capable. There was something about them, something different. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was. It felt like magic, but that wasn’t possible… “If we miss him, he might come here.”
“Right,” the girl said. She smiled so brightly, Noctis couldn’t help smiling back. She turned to her friend. “I keep telling you it’s no good if we all go running off and get lost, Riku.”
He slumped. “Kairi, he’s not as strong as he was. He could be in real danger.”
“He’s alright,” Kairi said. “Lost maybe, but I’m sure he’s okay.”
“I don’t like it,” Riku said.
Noctis got the feeling the pair might go on for a while. And Riku was right; their friend absolutely was in danger if he was anywhere near Insomnia. “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Sora,” Kairi said. “You won’t be able to miss him.”
She dug into her pocket and pulled out a phone. Tapping on the screen, she showed him a photo. Noctis saw Riku, Kairi and another kid. One with a grin that could outshine even Prompto.
Yeah, he was gonna be unmissable alright.
“Okay. We’ll be back. Stay here and try not to worry too much.” He looked at Riku, silently willing the kid to not do anything stupid like try and walk the path to Insomnia. The desert would be far less forgiving than any daemons. “Look after each other.”
Kairi nodded. “We will.”
Noctis left the diner, his friends following him. They headed back to the Regalia, refuelled and ready to go. Noctis took the driver’s seat. He had a feeling they might need a bit more speed than Ignis’ more sedate manner of driving.
“Are you sure they won’t try and follow?” Prompto asked.
“I don’t think you need to worry,” Ignis said, tapping his glasses up his nose. “I doubt Riku will go against Kairi.”
Prompto laughed. “She definitely had him under control.”
“Weird that she wasn’t sure what the city’s called,” Gladio said, sliding into the back seat.
“Yes, I noticed that too,” Ignis said. “Thoughts, Noct?”
Noctis wasn’t sure how to explain the feeling of magic he sensed in the pair. “Let’s just find this kid. Then we can make sure they get someplace safe.”
“Lestallum?” Prompto suggested.
“That’ll be a tight squeeze,” Gladio said.
“Oh, I’d be happy to wait behind in Hammerhead to make space,” Prompto said.
Gladio laughed. “I bet you would.”
Noctis drove on, the sun setting faster than it should have. No one spoke as they closed in on Insomnia. Noctis knew they all shared the same pain being this close to home. The music fell silent and no one spoke. The night drew in, the Regalia’s headlamps cutting through the darkness. Noctis kept his eyes locked on the road, knowing his friends watched the surrounding areas. If anything came for them, they’d be ready. And if they saw the lost kid, they’d be ready to grab him too.
Then, Noctis saw it; the checkpoint back into Insomnia. But he was quickly distracted by something else. And someone else too.
“Is that him?” Prompto gasped.
“He’s gonna get himself killed,” Gladio grunted.
“What is he fighting?” Prompto asked.
“I’ve never seen daemons like it,” Ignis said.
Because the kid was surrounded on all sides, a sea of strange, jittering daemons closing around him. Worse, there were a few familiar shapes among the tide; Noctis spotted several Reapers and even a Mindflayer. No way could this Sora kid manage all of them alone. No one could.
And then something else appeared. Something huge.
“Holy crap, that thing’s bigger than an Iron Giant!” Prompto gasped.
Noctis slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop. They all got out. That kid would die if they didn’t do something. The newest daemon looked like a giant man, towering several storeys high, albeit one with a giant, heart-shaped hole in its torso. Its fist swung out, aiming at the boy.
“Noct!” Ignis said.
“On it!”
Noctis warped, his blade intercepting the blow before it could hit the boy.
“Oh!” the boy gasped. “Wow, thanks!”
Noctis pushed the daemon back. He spared a second to look at the boy. Yeah, this was definitely the absent Sora. He looked shattered, body shaking. But he still had that grin, even if it did look a little more ragged than it did in the photo. And then Noctis realised something else.
The kid’s – Sora’s – weapon.
It looked like a key. A giant key.
A Mindflayer took a swing at him. Noctis parried the blow. “Listen, we need to get out of here.”
Sora nodded. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry, I can do it.”
Noctis didn’t have a chance to disagree. Sora pressed a hand to his chest. Light exploded beneath his feet. Noctis felt the magic before he saw it.
Saw, as the rumours said, a giant train rolling out of the sky.
Sora leapt aboard and Noctis watched, dumbfounded, as the kid and his train sent daemons exploding into the air in multicoloured bursts. The daemons fell, even the giant one, disappearing into clouds of black and purple dust.
“Holy shit,” Noctis said.
The magic faded. Sora landed next to Noctis. He bent over double, his weapon disappearing, like he’d sent it into an Armiger. Noctis frowned. That wasn’t possible.
“Hey!” Prompto called out. Noctis saw his friends running over. “Are you guys okay?”
Looking back to Sora, Noctis saw just how young he was. He panted for breath, but he tried smiling. “I’m fine!” he called back breathlessly.
Noctis saw immediately that he wasn’t fine at all. Sora held one arm around his ribs, and he could see telltale streams of blood running from his head. “You need to sit down,” Noctis said, watching how much the kid wobbled on his feet.
“Yes, that was quite the fight you just had,” Ignis observed.
“I can’t believe you took those out by yourself! With a giant flying train!” Prompto said. “That’s crazy! How did you do that?” He looked at Noctis. “Did you forget to tell us you had relatives?”
Except Noctis didn’t have any relatives. And this kid’s magic seemed different. It came from somewhere else.
Sora laughed. “What? Those Heartless? Nah, those are… they’re…” And without warning, his eyes rolled back and he folded.
Noctis grabbed him before he could hit the ground. He took in Sora’s clothing, saw patches where it was ragged, torn and bloodstained. He’d been in one hell of a fight before they’d found him. Noctis’ fingers reached for a pulse and found one, rapid and thready. Without thinking, he pulled a potion out of the Armiger. He broke it over him, and watched the wounds heal. But Sora didn’t awaken. Noctis looked up at his friends. “We need to get him someplace he can rest.”
“I think we’re going to have to risk camping nearby,” Ignis said. “If we’re attacked on the road back to Hammerhead, we might struggle to protect him.”
“Okay,” Noctis said. He looked up at Gladio. “Would you?”
“Yeah, I got him.” Gladio bent down and lifted Sora out of Noctis’ arms. He glanced at Noctis. “This kid’s got some serious explaining to do when he wakes up.”
“Yeah, starting with where he got those boots!” Prompto said. “Do you think I could pull off anything that yellow?”
“Yes,” Noctis, Ignis and Gladio replied.
An hour later, they were at a haven. Sora remained unconscious, tucked into a sleeping bag in the tent. Noctis called Cindy, asking her to pass on the good news to Riku and Kairi. “Tell them he’ll be okay.”
“I sure am glad you found him,” she said. “That poor girl’s practically sitting on that boy to keep him from skedaddling out of here.”
“We’ll be back as soon as the sun’s up.” He glanced into the tent. Not a peep. The kid was out, and it looked like he’d be staying that way all night long.
“Gotcha, Prince. See ya’ll first thing!”
He joined the others at the fire, gratefully accepting a plate of food from Ignis.
“It’s strange,” Gladio said. “That kid’s small, but he’s built like he’s been in a lot of fights. More than his friends.”
“He’s too young to be a Hunter,” Prompto said.
“They all are,” Gladio said. “Dave would never employ them.”
“And Sora, at the very least, can use magic,” Ignis said. He looked over at Noctis. “What did you sense?”
“That his magic isn’t the same as mine,” Noctis said. He lapsed into silence. What was it he’d sensed from Sora earlier? Magic, sure, but something else. Honestly? Noctis would say it was like a warm light, powerful and strong.
“We’ll find out where he’s from when he awakens,” Ignis said. “And then we’ll reunite him with his friends.”
“Where did his weapon go?” Prompto asked. He looked at Noctis. “Your dad didn’t recruit little kids into the Kingsglaive, did he?”
“No,” Noctis said. He glanced back at the tent. Surely no one would make a kid that young fight. “And did you see that weapon?”
“Not really,” Prompto said. “I was kinda distracted by the great big hulking daemon thing. And then a freaking train came out of nowhere and blew things up with fireworks.” He chuckled nervously. “I didn’t hallucinate any of that, did I?”
“His weapon looked like a key,” Noctis said.
Prompto snorted. “Like in that RPG we played?”
“I’m serious!” Noctis said. “That kid fought with a giant key.”
“Did you see him fight? That was some next level shit he pulled off.” Gladio asked. “He must’ve had some training. Maybe his parents are Hunters.”
“You don’t think they died out there, do you?” Prompto asked.
“I hope not. I’ll call Dave, see if he knows anything,” Gladio said. He got up and walked to the edge of the haven, talking quietly into his phone. When he came back a few minutes later, he shook his head. “Dave has no idea who he is. None of the Hunters have kids, and he definitely doesn’t employ any this young. But he said people have reported strange train sightings for at least a week. All of them in this area.”
Noctis glanced at the tent again. Sora had been fighting out here alone for a week? How was that possible? Noctis frowned, torn between concern and curiosity. He knew Sora would live, but he also really needed to know how he’d come to be where they’d found him, fighting whatever the hell that daemon had been.
And he wanted to know why he could sense such a deep, powerful light nestled deep within Sora.
The sun rose across the desert landscape. Noctis stirred, awake early for once in his life. They’d all opted to sleep outside, leaving the tent to their guest.
The kid. Sora.
Noctis sprung up. He should make sure Sora was okay. Looking around, he saw no one else was awake.
Except their newcomer. He sat up in the tent, stretching and yawning widely. Noctis got up and went to him. “Hey,” he said. “You alright?”
Sora blinked at stared up at him. He frowned. “Where am I?”
“You were injured,” Noctis said. “You passed out and we brought you here.”
“Oh.” Sora yawned again. “Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s not a problem. Your friends asked us to find you. Riku and Kairi?”
“Riku and Kairi are here?” Sora asked. His eyes lit up. “They came for me!” Then he frowned. “They are gonna give me the longest lecture ever about all this.”
“Don’t worry about that yet,” Noctis said. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Sora said. He smiled ruefully, scrubbing at the back of his head. “I guess I overdid it. I really shouldn’t be here.” He peered out of the tent. “Wherever here is.”
“You’re just outside Insomnia,” Noctis said.
“Insomnia?” Sora asked. “Oh boy, I’m really not where I’m supposed to be. I need to go.” He sprung up. “Whoa. Dizzy.”
Noctis grabbed him. “Listen, you need to take it easy.” He helped him sit back down. “You want some breakfast?”
Sora’s stomach growled. He laughed brightly. “I guess I do.”
“Just stay here. I’ll get you something.”
“Thanks. Oh, I’m Sora!” He laughed. “Although I guess my friends already told you that.”
“Yeah, they did. I’m Noctis. You can meet the others later.”
Sora nodded. “Thanks for saving me, Noctis.” He cocked his head to a side. “That’s kind of a weird name.”
Noctis shook his head. Where did this kid and his friends come from? Noctis knew outside of Insomnia his face wasn’t so well known, but his name wasn’t exactly unheard of…
And what kind of a name was Sora anyway?
“You pretty much saved yourself,” Noctis said. “Your magic is powerful. I’ve never seen a Summon like that.”
“Oh, the train? Yeah, that’s new,” Sora said, grinning. “These things kinda just happen to me. It’s a really long story.”
Noctis glanced over his shoulder. The others had yet to awaken. “Can I ask you something?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“Sure.”
“Your weapon,” Noctis asked. “Was it really a key?”
“Huh? You mean my Keyblade?”
Keyblade? “I guess that’s what I mean,” Noctis said. “Where did it go?”
“Go?” Sora cocked his head to one side. “It didn’t go anywhere.” He held out his hand and in a flash of light, the weapon appeared. “See?”
It really was a key. Its surface was marred by countless dings and scratches. How many battles had Sora fought? Words failed Noctis.
“And that giant monster was a Heartless. The little ones too. But I’ve never seen those creepy skeleton looking ones before,” Sora said. The Keyblade faded away again. “Anyway, I think they followed me when I was on my way back to Yen Sid’s tower. I only took a sidetrip to check on my Dream Eaters, but I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere because suddenly here I was in your world – ah! I uh, I mean… Um…”
“My world?” Noctis asked.
Sora blushed bright red. “I’m not supposed to meddle.”
Noctis smiled, settling himself more comfortably on the ground. “You’re not exactly the first otherworldly person I’ve met.”
“I’m not? Oh, okay then!” Sora smiled, looking relieved. “I’m sorry the Heartless followed me. Especially those nasty looking ones.”
“They’re ours,” Noctis said. “We call them daemons.”
“Right. They’re kinda scary. I guess there must be some kind of darkness here, because the Heartless really like it. They feed off it.” Sora pulled his knees to his chest. “I really messed up this time.”
“There was darkness in my world long before you arrived,” Noctis said.
Sora looked up at him. There was a strange look in his eyes, like he could see straight through Noctis. “You’re fighting it, right?”
“Right.”
“With all your heart?” Sora asked.
That was a strange way to put it. But Noctis figured it was fairly accurate. “Yeah. With all my heart.”
Sora’s stomach gurgled again. He chuckled. “I don’t actually remember the last time I ate anything.”
“Noct?”
Noctis looked and saw Ignis was up. “Morning.”
“I take it our guest is awake,” Ignis said. “I’ll start breakfast.”
Ten minutes later, everyone was awake, introductions were made and they all sat around the fire. Sora had inhaled three plates of Ignis’ eggs and was well on his way through a fourth.
“So, how old are you?” Prompto asked.
“Fifteen,” Sora said. “No. Wait.” He put his cutlery down and counted on his fingers. “I was fourteen, then I slept for a year so I guess I turned fifteen... but that was a while ago so maybe I’m sixteen now?” He laughed. “I might be sixteen. I dunno. I lost track.”
“How do you forget how old you are?” Gladio asked.
“No, wait, back up. You said you slept for a year?” Prompto looked stunned. “Wow, even Noct can’t match that!”
“Don’t tempt me,” Noctis muttered into his coffee cup.
“That daemon you fought last night –” Ignis began.
“Heartless,” Sora corrected.
“Oh, forgive me,” Ignis said. “Heartless. We’ve had reports of numerous sightings in that area. What can you tell us about them?”
Sora swallowed another forkful of eggs. “I get the feeling they’ll leave when I do.”
“Leave?” Prompto asked. “Where are you gonna go?”
“Back to another wo –” Sora blanched. “I – er – I mean…”
Noctis turned to the others. “Sora’s not from this world.” Which meant his friends weren’t either. But they weren’t Messengers. They were a little young for that. And too human.
“Really?” Prompto asked. “Wow!”
Sora sighed. “Donald’s not gonna be happy. I’m not supposed to meddle.”
“Just spit it out,” Gladio said. “Where are you from and why did we find you taking on a Heartless alone?”
Sora nodded. “Okay, but you gotta keep it quiet.”
“Our lips are sealed!” Prompto said.
“I’m from another world. And I use my Keyblade to stop the Heartless to keep every world safe. It kinda got complicated and I wound up here by accident, but I promise I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“Another world?” Gladio asked. “Tch. And I thought Noct’s deal was crazy.”
Sora looked at Noctis. “What’s your deal?”
Gladio laughed. “He’s definitely not from around here!”
“Huh?” Sora asked.
“Wait, are you saying there are other worlds out there?” Prompto asked.
“Yeah,” Sora said. “More than I can count.”
“Mind. Blown!” Prompto gasped.
“Other worlds,” Noctis said. “That’s incredible. And you’ve been to all of them?”
“No, not all of them,” Sora said. “Not yet anyway.”
“You’re pretty impressive!” Prompto said.
Sora blushed. “Thanks.” He looked to Noctis. “I guess I’m interrupting something. Maybe I can help! That’s what friends are for, right?”
“That’s very kind of you, Sora, but I think perhaps we’d best return you to your friends so you can return to your own journey,” Ignis said.
“Oh! Right! Man, Riku’s gonna be so mad. But Kairi’s definitely scarier.” Sora stuffed the last of his breakfast into his mouth and jumped to his feet. “I guess I better go say sorry.”
“Might want to put on your boots first,” Noctis said.
Sora squeezed into the backseat between Noctis and Gladio. Noctis couldn’t help but smile at the kid’s amazement. His joy was infectious. He was so bright and happy about everything. He and Prompto swapped selfie tips, trying out each other’s phones. Meanwhile, Noctis struggled to wrap his head around the idea that this happy kid was the same lethal weapon they’d found last night.
“Your world is so big!” Sora said, staring out as the desert landscape whizzed by. “Wow!”
“So some worlds are smaller?” Prompto asked.
“Well, every world is just a small part of something much bigger,” Sora said. “That’s why my friend always said. But I think yours is a huge part of something much bigger.”
“Sounds complicated,” Gladio said. “We’ve got enough problems here on Eos without worrying about every other world out there.”
Sora laughed. “That’s why I’m here. Leave everywhere else to me.”
“That’s a lot for one kid,” Noctis said.
“I’m not a kid! I’m sixteen! Maybe…” Sora looked thoughtful. “I really need to work that out.” He sat back and nodded to himself. “Riku will know.”
“You really slept for a year?” Prompto asked.
“Sounds amazing,” Noctis said.
“Yeah. I lost my memory and it was the only way to get it back,” Sora said. “Not that I remember that happening.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “Y’know, it sounds pretty crazy when I say it out loud.”
Noctis shook his head. What kind of a life did this skinny kid live? Noctis had one world of troubles, but Sora had worlds of trouble. It really put things into perspective. Noctis thought of his science teachers back at school, the ones who’d debate the possibilities of alternate realities. Sora’s existence proved them right.
The drove wore on. Sora fell quiet, and not too long after, fell asleep. His head thudded against Noctis’ shoulder. For all his excitement, he was still recovering. Noctis made a note to give him another potion when they reached Hammerhead. He wanted to help Sora any way he could. It seemed so wrong to put so much responsibilities on such young shoulders.
“Noct? You okay?”
Prompto’s voice pulled Noctis out of his thoughts. “Yeah, fine.” He looked ahead, spotting Hammerhead on the horizon. It didn’t seem right to send Sora back out into the worlds when he needed to recover.
Worlds. How did one kid deal with worlds of trouble?
With all his heart. A smile flitted across Noctis’ face.
Ignis slammed on the brakes without warning. Noctis grabbed Sora before he could roll out of his seat. Looking up, Noctis saw more of those strange creatures.
Heartless.
A sea of little shadow creatures blocked the road to Hammerhead.
“Looks like they don’t need it to be night-time,” Prompto said.
Gladio got out of the car. “Let’s do this.”
“Right.” Noctis nudged Sora. “Hey. Wake up.”
Sora jolted awake. “What? What’s happening?”
Noctis nodded to the road ahead. “Your Heartless are back. Feel up to a fight?”
“Yeah.” Sora vaulted out of the car, Keyblade appearing in hand. “Let’s do it!”
“Don’t do anything reckless. If you feel rough, fall back. We can handle this,” Noctis ordered.
Sora laughed. “Is that what you’d do?”
Noctis shook his head.
“Then we better clear them out!” And with that, Sora took off running.
Instinct told Noctis to stay close to Sora. He was younger and barely recovered. Still, he could fight. His attacks were smooth and powerful. Noctis wasn’t leaving him alone though, warping so he was close by in case something happened. The Engine Blade cut through the Heartless, their strange bodies dispersing into smoke. Looking over to his friends, Noctis saw they weren’t having any trouble either.
But there were a lot of Heartless. And the damn things kept spawning, scrabbling out of nowhere.
“This feels like it’s never gonna end!” Prompto shouted, using his Bioblaster to send the Heartless reeling.
“They do seem especially tenacious,” Ignis observed.
“Who cares?” Gladio grunted. “They’re not exactly tough.”
“Sure, these guys aren’t,” Sora said. “Wait ‘til you meet their big brothers and sisters.”
“I’d rather not,” Ignis said.
A booming voice shot through Noctis’ head. Crap, that still hurt. Sounded like Titan wanted this finished as much as Ignis did. Fine. “Titan’s incoming!” Noctis yelled before summoning the giant god himself.
“Whoa! That guy’s huge!” Sora gasped.
That was the last voice Noctis heard until Titan finished trashing fields of Heartless. When the rumbling finished and the ground settled, the Heartless were a memory. Noctis wiped the sweat from his brow. He had a bit more stamina after Summoning now, but it still left him weary. Not that he’d let it stop him. He turned to the others. All standing. All unhurt.
Sora stared at him, mouth hanging open in amazement. “Wow!” His Keyblade disappeared in a flash of golden light. “That was amazing. Who was that big guy?”
“Let’s have this discussion at Hammerhead,” Ignis said. “We should get to safety while we have the chance.”
“Oh! Right!” Sora bounded over to Noctis. “Was that a Summon? Yours are way bigger than mine.”
“Yeah, but you have that big, shiny train!” Prompto said, pulling out his camera and snapping a photo. He laughed when Sora struck a pose. “The Astrals aren’t nearly as much fun.”
Noctis snorted. Astrals? Fun? Not so much.
They jumped back in the car, Sora chatting excitedly to Prompto who was perfectly happy to give him the lowdown on all things Astral related. Noctis felt his usual post-Summon drowsiness coming over him, so Ignis took the wheel.
“Are you okay?” Sora asked, eyes wide with worry.
“Yeah, don’t worry,” Noctis said. “Ignis never trusts me behind the wheel after Summoning.”
“I’d rather not risk you driving us off the road,” Ignis said.
“Wait, you’ve done that?” Sora asked.
Noctis flushed. “Once. When I was learning.”
“Twice.” Gladio fake sneezed.
“Twice?” Sora gasped.
Noctis groaned and sank in his chair.
“Don’t worry. My ship was eaten by a whale one time.”
“Whoa, a whale?” Prompto turned in his seat. “Tell me everything!” He laughed. “You’re like totally out of an RPG!”
“A what?” Sora asked, head tipped to one side.
“Ah, nothing, don’t worry about it,” Prompto said. “Tell us the whale story.”
Exhausted though he was, Noctis couldn’t nod off with Sora chatting away, bouncing as much as he could in the confines of the car. And Prompto kept up with Sora, the pair of them matching each other’s enthusiasm for, well, everything. Noctis sat back and just watched the pair chattering. It was like the meeting of minds. Two rays of sunshine. Noctis looked over Sora’s head to Gladio. Gladio smirked and shook his head. Yeah, Sora and Prompto were a pretty overwhelming combo.
At last they reached Hammerhead. Ignis hadn’t even parked the car before Riku and Kairi ran out of Takka’s diner.
“Sora!” They both cried out.
Sora leapt from the car and into his friends’ arms. They fell into what Prompto declared to be a cuddle pile and he snapped a few pictures for them.
Riku was the first to pull free, bopping Sora on the head with his closed fist. “Don’t do that again.”
Sora scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. “I didn’t exactly mean to do it this time.”
Kairi squeezed his hands. “You’re hurt.”
“Nah, I’m fine now, thanks to these guys.” Sora turned back to Noctis and the others. “I owe you guys big time!”
“Just get home safe,” Gladio said.
“Easier said than done,” Riku muttered.
Prompto snorted. “Ohmigosh, Noct, he sounds like you.”
Noctis rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “Is there anything else we can do to help?”
“We’ve got it from here,” Kairi said. “Thanks for everything.”
“Take care out there,” Noctis said. Pulling a potion out of the Armiger, he handed it over to Sora. Noctis recognised someone carrying a burden. He dug deep for words that would rather remain unsaid. “You can do this. Even when you think it’s too much, stand tall.”
Taking the potion, Sora looked up at him. For a moment, he didn’t smile. With his back to Riku and Kairi, the mask slipped a little. His eyes shimmered. Noctis ached for him. This one boy, who’d told them about a world inside a whale, had so much resting on such slim shoulders. Noctis reached out, placing both hands on Sora’s shoulders like he needed bracing. He noticed Riku and Kairi staring in surprise, so Noctis lowered his voice so only Sora could hear. “Sometimes, you have to believe in yourself as much as other people believe in you.”
Without warning, Sora threw his arms around Noctis, hugging tight. Noctis heard the telltale click of Prompto’s camera. Ignoring that, he patted Sora on the head.
“You too,” Sora said. “You gotta stick with your friends.” He released Noctis. The smile was back in place. “Okay, guess we’d better get going.”
“Wait,” Noctis said. “One other thing.” He wasn’t sure why, but something told him to pull one last item out of the Armiger. In his hand he held his Carbuncle statuette. “Someone to look over you. I get the feeling you’ll know what to do with this.”
Sora took it. “Thank you,” he said. He summoned his Keyblade, but it looked different. It took on a softer, blue colour, the tip stylised into jagged ruby points, the handguard looking like dreamy clouds. And on the end of the keychain, Noctis saw Carbuncle. “I promise we’ll take good care of each other.”
Noctis knew that he would. Stepping back, he and his friends watched as Sora jogged over to Riku and Kairi. The three of them summoned Keyblades, light shining at the jagged tips. They raised them to the sky, a giant keyhole appearing.
“R. P. G,” Prompto whispered.
Moments later the trio disappeared in a flash of golden light.
A strange feeling came over Noctis. He pressed his hand to his chest, a newfound warmth nestled in his heart.
Gladio nudged him. “Not gonna faint on us, are you?” He mimicked Noctis, pressing a hand to his chest as daintily as a man his size could.
Noctis walked away, headed for Takka’s. He needed something to eat.
And maybe a few minutes to wrap his head around this new found connection he had to a strange kid from another world.