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The fire burned low. With dinner long since finished and the glow of the campsite’s protective barrier casting a soft blue over them, Gladio didn’t bother to feed any more wood into the flames. There was no need - the night was warm and balmy. Noct and Prompto were huddled into each other across from him, shoulders pressed together as they scrolled through something on Noct’s phone. The little screen lit their faces with a light that felt harsh compared to that of the wards. Ignis was finishing up what little cleanup their dinner required.
It was peaceful and familiar. Until Gladio broke the silence.
“Too bad we had to stop here, but at least we’re away from the road,” he sighed and scratched the back of his neck, his eyes directed toward the Regalia some distance away where they’d parked on the roadside.
Prompto’s head lifted, his expression sharp. He had picked up on the way Gladio was speaking, his tone obviously casting for someone to listen. “What do you mean? Why’s it too bad?” Ignis covered a soft chuckle. Beside the blond, Noct tipped his head back, grinning.
“What, you haven’t heard about this road?” Gladio asked. His eyebrows rose in perfect feigned surprise. “It…well, it has a reputation.”
“Oh wait. This is that road?” Noct asked. The phone’s light disappeared as he locked it and put it down. “The one with the girl?”
“I’m pretty sure.” Gladio sighed and looked around as if reassuring himself that the wards were still in place, even though they were all still bathed in blue. “I’m just glad that we haven’t run into her.”
“Why?” Prompto squeaked. He leaned closer into Noct, who patted his head sympathetically. Ignis watched them as he repacked the dishes.
“We should drop it, Glad. Talking about stuff like this when we have to camp-“
“Oh, no no no! Now you’ve started. I won’t be able to think about anything else if I don’t know what happened!” Prompto looked between them, his face scrunched up with stress. His expression made Ignis feel a little cruel for not interrupting, but Prompto was such an easy target that he couldn’t escape all their teasing.
Clean up finished, Ignis settled back in his chair next to Gladio, steepling his fingers in a thoughtful pose. He even furrowed his brow for extra effect. “Do you really think it wise to discuss this? Speak of the Devil and he shall appear,” he said, hoping the soft hesitance in his voice would feel ominous.
“There’s a devil??” Prompto’s voice jumped an octave, and Noct laughed.
“No, no devils. Just a ghost.”
“Like that’s any better!” Prompto squeaked.
Gladio shook his head, his expression dark. “It’s not. It’s not better at all.” He sighed, giving himself an air of weariness. This was his intention, Ignis knew. “It happened, what? Fifty years ago?”
“Fifty seven,” Noct offered a little too enthusiastically. He caught himself and cleared his throat. “I remember hearing people talk about it-“
“How? You weren’t around back then.” Prompto frowned. They were losing him, and Noct scrambled to explain himself.
“Of course! Of course not! But it was like…the a-anniversary! The fiftieth, I think.” The prince’s ears turned red as Gladio gave him an exaggerated glare before Prompto turned back to him.
“Yeah, it was the talk of the town. Of course, that’s also when you started hearing stories of what happened more recently.” Gladio said as he leaned forward, his elbows settling on his knees. The orange glow of the fire pushed away the blue of the barrier’s light on the planes of his face. “It was fifty-seven years ago, on this same stretch of road, that a young girl was killed.”
“She was?” Prompto’s eyes widened as he leaned right in, unable to help himself.
Gladio nodded sadly. “She was young, only seventeen, when a handsome stranger came to town. She was smitten, they say, although her family always thought that something wasn’t right about the stranger. She refused to listen.”
“Such is young love - always convinced it knows best,” Ignis said. He leaned in as well, propping his chin on one hand as he listened.
“She thought it was love. A few weeks went by and this stranger told her, ‘run away with me.’” His voice dropped, deepening into a husky impression of a mysterious stranger. “‘When the moon is full, we’ll go by its light, following the road to our happily-ever-after~’”
“But they didn’t.” Noct spoke up, but Gladio was too into the storytelling to let someone else take over. He jumped back into the tale before Noct could steal his spotlight.
“She snuck out, the silver moonlight her only guide through the forest as she found her way to the road. He said he’d meet her there. She knew he’d keep his promise. So she waited.” His voice softened. “And waited.” He dropped it to a whisper. “And waited. Suddenly - a sound behind her!” Prompto and Noct both flinched as he raised his voice again. Noct was stifling laughter as well as he could. “It was the stranger! She ran to him, arms open, but as she approached, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small dagger.”
“Oh, no!” Prompto gasped, completely pulled into the story.
“Yeah, it was bad. She was moving too fast. There wasn’t time to stop. She ran right into it.” Gladio paused, letting his words sink in. “She died, right there in the middle of the road.” Another sigh left him, just as theatrical as the first. Prompto was still leaning forward attentively, but his bright eyes were shining a little more than usual.
“I can’t believe it. That’s so unfair.”
Ignis shook his head. “Life often isn’t fair, Prompto. I suppose that makes the good parts of it all the better.”
“You forgot, Gladio. What were people saying?” Noct settled back in his chair, wiggling a little to get comfortable.
“Oh right!” He leaned forward again, his voice dropping. “Even in death, the girl realized she had been betrayed. Her heart broken, she swore with her last wisp of consciousness that she wouldn’t let him forget what he did to her. He abandoned her there. Now, when the moon is full, people say she appears to young men who dare to take that road alone. But she doesn’t just appear, oh no, she makes sure they never forget her for the rest of their short lives…lives that she herself takes.”
“And that’s why we’re camping down here!” Noct said brightly. His cheer broke the ominous atmosphere and they all straightened in their seats.
Prompto’s eyes slid to the side as if he could see the road from his seat. It was lost to the darkness but the moonlight shone against the roof of the Regalia in the distance. “We’re here because of the barrier. Right?”
“That too. It’s a convenient safe spot.” Noct stretched his arms over his head before getting up. “This seems like a good time for bed.”
“What! You guys are tired already?” Prompto squeaked. Gladio grinned.
“Yeah, pretty bushed. Safety in numbers, though, Prom. We’ll be fine.” He kicked dirt at the fire, beginning the process of smothering it. Noct crawled into the tent and started rearranging their sleeping bags. Prompto followed, now guaranteed to be staying close to their sides until morning. He peeked out through the tent flap nervously, eyes still searching for the road.
Ever prepared, Ignis began checking the inventory for breakfast, making sure they had everything. They’d stocked up last time they passed through town, but it looked like they’d need to shop again soon.
He paused, a bottle of ketchup in his hand. Something was missing…there was tea, coffee grounds, and filters… Damn.
He was out of Ebony. The sleek cans were nowhere to be seen. While he wasn’t one to complain when certain things were unavailable, Ebony was the lifeblood of his mornings and he would not stand for this.
He dropped the ketchup back into the cooler, annoyed. “Gladio, I’m running out. I won’t be long.”
“Really?” Gladio paused, stooping to duck into the tent. “It’s dark.”
“I’m just going to the gas station we passed. It’ll be fine. Anyway, if either of us could qualify as getaway driver, I think it would be me.” He swung his jacket on, ignoring the disapproving scrunch of Gladio’s eyebrows. His keys clinked against his phone in the pocket. “Like I said, I won’t be long.”
Ignis knew it hadn’t been the best idea.
Don’t split up at night . It was one of the primary rules they’d agreed on when this trip started and they all had been more than willing to follow it. His fingers drummed the wheel anxiously, eyes skimming the road as it rolled gently past. He’d silenced the radio, leaving his ears open to the telltale rumble of a daemon rising from the pavement. So far, nothing. The miles both ahead and behind were empty and dark.
He glanced at the box in the passenger seat. The Ebony cans inside were hidden in shadows, but tempting all the same. His hand lifted, hovering above the wheel before settling back in place. A drink would not help his nerves like he wanted it to. Best to save them for the sluggish mornings he knew would come.
Ebony was always so tempting…Maybe just one. He glanced away from the road, lifting his foot from the gas pedal as he fumbled one hand in the darkness and snagged a can of his only vice.
The car jerked suddenly as the driver’s side wheel bounced up and over something. Throwing the can back into the box, Ignis shot upright and slammed on the brake. Everything lurched forward. The box crashed loudly into the floorboard as cans of Ebony scattered. Ignis swore.
There hadn’t been anything in the road. Unless an animal had darted into his path at the last second? Wouldn’t he have seen that? The worn leather of his gloves creaked softly as his hands tightened on the wheel. That had felt bigger than an animal. Much bigger. He stiffly moved to angle the mirror until it reflected the red glow of the tail lights on the road behind him. There was nothing there.
He had to be sure. The silence that fell when he cut the engine fell over him like a suffocating blanket. Getting out was stupid, but if it really hadn’t been an animal that he hit…he had to be sure. Hesitantly, he opened the door, triggering the insistent bell to remind him that the lights were on.
The instant he set foot on the pavement, Ignis felt vulnerable. The sound of insects met him, and his ears strained to hear past them, still alert for daemons in the dark. Nothing seemed out of place. Carefully, he paced around the car, the crunch of gravel harsh against the night sounds and the now distant ding of or the door alarm.
The road behind was clear, tire tracks the only indication that anything was out of place. The tail lights cast the pavement behind in a dull red glow, and he stepped to the edge of the shadows where he stood for several long, tense minutes. Darkness swallowed the road behind.
“Must’ve run off. Poor thing…” He had to have hit a rabbit or something. There was nothing else it could have been but an animal, surely. Ignis took a moment to straighten his clothes and smooth away imagined wrinkles. He felt unsettled by his nerves, and the gesture soothed him somewhat.
She was watching.
The thought came suddenly, rendered more unsettling without Gladio’s teasing grin delivering it. Ignis rolled his shoulder, trying to shake the strange feeling that was creeping up the back of his neck. There was nothing. Not in the shadows, not staring him down from behind, nothing. He stepped resolutely toward the car, his eyes on the door he’d left ajar. It was his imagination. Nothing was behind him.
A vague shape moved just on the edge of his vision, and Ignis whirled toward it. Again, his eyes met darkness just past the pool of light. He continued to inch toward the car. What had he been thinking, venturing out alone like this? He wasn’t so sure now that there was nothing there. Did an animal stalk him from just out of sight? Was it a human? An unfriendly local who saw him as an easy target? There was no telling, and here he was with no one to watch his back.
Another flash of movement to his left, farther from the car. Almost as if on cue, there was the sound of a step behind him, and Ignis whirled, summoning a dagger into his hand. He struck out with the blade turned aside, unwilling even then to risk harm if it wasn’t needed. The flat of the blade bore down on empty air.
“Damn!” He skipped back easily, putting distance between himself and the shadows. It didn’t make sense to him. Why was he so anxious? He could feel the cool night air weave into his hair, icy as it wound down his neck like searching fingers. His heart rate had jumped as badly as he had. He'd been in plenty of dangerous situations without Gladiolus or his other partners but it was different this time. It felt…wrong. The momentum from moving back carried him as he hustled back to the car door and dove inside, yanking the door closed behind him, paying no heed of it nearly catching his fingers as it slammed.
The silence of the car fell over him like a shield, muffling the sensation of being watched. His nerves began to settle and he frowned as he squirmed into place behind the wheel.
You’re being ridiculous. Probably nothing more than an opossum and you’re scared? Arm of the king, indeed … His friends would have never let him live it down. Despite wishing he’d brought someone with him mere moments ago Ignis didn’t fight the flash of relief at the thought that they weren’t there. How many campfires would that story have been told around? How far would it have spread? A smile pulled at his mouth at the thought. A man had a reputation to uphold, after all, and it looked like he would be keeping his intact. A satisfied little hmph! left him, and he reached over to pick up one of the tipped cans.
When Ignis straightened in his seat, someone was standing in the headlights. He paused, his brow furrowing. The figure blurred. He blinked hard and shook his head. It was still there. She was still there . A woman , he thought. Yes, he could see the hem of her gown catch and shift in the breeze, although the woman herself seemed to be just close enough to the darkness that his eyes had trouble focusing on her. He could guess where her profile turned aside and stared into the trees.
It was no wonder he’d felt eyes on him. He didn’t know how long she’d been standing there, but he knew it had to have been since he stopped. She appeared to be unharmed, her clothing starkly contrasting against the dark behind her. The sight was reassuring. If he’d hit her, she’d have looked much worse.
Ignis opened the door again and stepped out. “Miss? Are you alright? I’m sorry if I startled you, but perhaps my stopping is fortunate. If you need a ride…” His steps faltered. The woman didn’t acknowledge him as he approached slowly and stopped, leaving a comfortable distance between them. “I don’t recall any homes on this road. I could take you to the gas station, perhaps? Or if you’d like to call someone…”
She turned away from him, staring intently toward the road ahead of them. Something about her silence was unsettling. Her stillness made him feel as if they were waiting, poised at the edge of a precipice. A sudden move and he would drop. “Miss?” She looked up again and he followed her gaze to the moon overhead. It was nothing more than a shard of light waning against the dark sky.
Ignis frowned, the uneasy feeling welling over him even more strongly than before. He looked back to the woman to question her again. She was gone.
Reflexes sent him stumbling back a few steps as he looked wildly around him. He would have seen her moving away from him, or heard it, at the least. The few seconds he’d looked away couldn’t have been enough for her to escape into the trees. The only explanation was that she had literally disappeared. That was ludicrous.
Wasn’t it?
Cold fingertips brushed the back of his neck. The hair on his scalp stood up as if the touch had sent a wave of cold rolling across his skin. She was behind him. He knew without a doubt that she was there, waiting for him to turn. He did so as if transfixed, his wide eyes meeting the woman’s own. They stared through him, seeming impossibly large against the small frame of her face. Ignis’ feet tangled as he stumbled away and he fell back, arms flung out to either side in surprise. He hit the pavement hard, pain erupting through his head. Stars scattered over his vision as it blurred.
The woman loomed over him. The stars faded and his sight went dark.
“-gy! Wake up!” Ignis came to himself sluggishly, aware that hands were on his shoulders and shaking him gently. The sun pierced through the pain in his head like a hot iron and he groaned as he threw an arm over his eyes and sent his glasses clattering to the pavement. “Iggy?” Noct’s voice was laced with worry. Ignis felt his hand move into his hair, probing for bumps. “What happened?”
“I’m fine. Just a bump…”
“Like hell! You’re bleeding!!”
He pushed Noct’s hands away and sat up slowly. It was morning, not long after sunrise by the look of the sky. The Regalia sat silent, fuel run dry by idling most of the night. Prompto was peering at him from over Noct’s shoulder, worrying at his lips with his teeth. Gladio frowned behind him.
“Dude, you’re alive! When you didn’t come back…” Prompto shook his head and dropped down next to Noct. “Sorry we didn’t get here sooner. It’s a long walk, you know?”
“No, I understand. It’s fine. I’m fine.” He waved their hands away and climbed unsteadily to his feet. His head was spinning.
“Doesn’t look like it. I’m driving us back,” Gladio declared. “We need to find someone to take a look at you.”
“I’ll head back to the station and get us gas to get moving again,” Prompto offered. He was looking between the three of them, his eyebrows furrowing together. Gladio nodded agreement and the sunny blond set off at a jog in the direction Ignis had been traveling. Noct was trying to convince Ignis to let him help him to the car but was continually being shrugged off.
“Come on, you’re obviously not okay,” he was saying as he followed his friend. “What even happened?”
Ignis stopped. He turned slowly, still unsteady, and looked back at where he’d been lying in front of the car. A small, dark stain marred the pavement where he’d struck his head. “I thought I hit an animal. When I got out to check…” The woman flashed through his mind, her wide eyes staring through him. “I must have misstepped.”
Gladio stared at him before lowering his gaze to the stain as well. “Hell of a misstep.”
“Yes.” Ignis slid into the passenger seat. The morning was bright and as he relaxed into the seat the night before began to feel far away. He was not going to think about it anymore. “Hell of a misstep, indeed.”