The prince and his friends were traversing the woods around the Chocobo Post. After taking a detour to see the birds, as per Prompto's request, they were now tasked with hunting down a behemoth named Deadeye that'd been spooking the chocobos. It would definitely be a more difficult hunt, but they were getting pretty used to hunting monsters and daemons alike.

Though they all still had things in the backs of their minds. After they read about Insomnia's fall in the papers, the mood had dropped, and they grew worried for everyone in the city. They had discovered the truth from Cor - that King Regis was indeed dead, but they later got a call from Iris that confirmed her safety.

But there was still one person they had yet to hear anything about - Angelica. She hadn't contacted them and Iris hadn't seen her either, leading them to assume the worst. Noctis and Ignis were the most impacted by it, having known Angelica longer and been closer to her than the others. Even though Ignis hid it well, he was immensely afraid that the girl had been killed, and wished with all his might that he was wrong.

The sounds of trees falling and the low rumbles of a growling beast caught the attention of the four. They were close to the Nebulawood now, and Deadeye was nearby. The behemoth had noticed them and angrily charged toward them, growling and roaring. They all darted out of its way, summoning their weapons.

"Deadeye," Gladio said, noticing the broken horn and blind eye. "The name says it all."

"Focus on its right side where it's weakest!" Ignis shouted, making sure his team heard him.

Prompto hung back and began shooting. Noctis warped up to the beast's face and sliced his sword through its muzzle. Deadeye roared and swiped the prince down with its claws. Gladiolus and Ignis began focusing on its legs, dodging and attacking, hoping to knock the monster off its feet. With Prompto still shooting, Noctis started warping around the beast and slashing away at it.

Deadeye let out a pained and angry roar. It suddenly spun around, swiping its tail and knocking away its attackers. The behemoth then pounced on the nearest one, which was Noctis. The prince was pinned beneath Deadeye's claws, helpless as the beast snarled down at him.

"Noct!" his friends screamed, jumping up and getting ready to stop the monster.

But before anyone could move, Deadeye suddenly jerked its head up and looked off to the side. It grew silent briefly until the others could hear what the behemoth did. The sound of a vehicle, a motorcycle, to be precise, was becoming more and more audible. All looking in the direction of the sound, they caught sight of a blur of black and yellow. In the next instant, someone on a motorcycle sailed off a large rock and right over Deadeye.

"Angel!" the boys all yelled, recognizing the redhead on the bike.

After landing, Angelica spun the bike around, revving it up as Deadeye released Noctis and turned its full attention to her. It charged toward her and she rode straight toward it in return. Right as the behemoth raised its claws to attack, Angelica flung a throwing knife right into its left eye, blinding it and throwing off its aim. Angelica slung the bike to the side, successfully sliding right under the beast's claws.

Sliding off the bike, Angelica summoned her daggers and sliced them straight through Deadeye's stomach. The now blinded beast roared in pain and flailed about in an attempt to defend itself, crushing the motorcycle underfoot. But as soon as the girl slid out from under the monster, she leapt up onto the behemoth's shoulder and plunged a dagger straight into where an artery was located, then leapt away.

Deadeye immediately began to slow as it bled profusely from its throat. After a bit more struggling, the beast collapsed, its life fading. Angelica casually approached the beast and yanked her dagger free. She slung off the excess blood and retrieved her throwing knife before letting her weapons disperse into dozens of tiny crystals. She then took a moment to wince and clutch her arm, the sudden movements having painful consequences on her injuries.

But as soon as she turned, she was met by the shocked expressions of her friends. "Angel, you're alive," Noctis said in disbelief.

The girl smiled lightly. "The last time I checked. It's good to see you all. I'm glad you're safe."

Prompto was grinning with glee. "We thought you were dead!"

Gladio smiled. "Glad you could finally join us."

Ignis immediately fixed his gaze on her bandaged face and arm. "But it seems even you didn't come out unscathed. You're wounded."

Angelica instinctively placed a hand over her bandaged eye, hoping to conceal it. "Just... minor injuries sustained in the battle. I'm okay though."

"And..." Noctis began, thinking over his words carefully. "What about... Miss Val?"

Instantly, Angelica's smile faded and a cold, slightly angry look replaced it. "She's dead, along with many others."

Noctis lowered his gaze to his feet. "I'm sorry."

"Let's not stand around out here," the shield said. "Let's get back to the Chocobo Post."

The group walked back. Angelica waited by the caravan while the boys reported their success to Wiz. They then returned to the girl. Angelica sighed and said, "Well, now that I've completed my task, I guess I'll be on my way."

She turned to leave but Prompto was quick to interject, "Hey, you just got here! You can't go running off!"

Angelica turned to face them as Gladio asked, "What do you mean 'completed your task'?"

"It was the king's final request that I find you and make sure you were safe," she explained. "Now that I've done that, I'm off to complete the next."

"What are you talking about?" Noctis asked, not the only one confused. "Where are you going?"

"To Niflheim, of course," she answered matter-of-factly. "I'm going to settle the score."

"That would be suicide!" Ignis argued. "You'll get yourself killed!"

Angelica crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "So what? I'm not afraid to die. I'll do whatever it takes to make them pay. They stole everything from us, and I'm going to kill them all for it."

The dark, vengeful look in her eye frightened them. They all remembered what Valerie made them promise years ago and finally understood what she had meant about Angelica having a darker side. It wasn't hard to tell that the redhead was furious and hungry for revenge. But they all knew that becoming a monster in the process wasn't worth it. It wouldn't be healthy for her to obsess over slaughtering her foes.

"B-But how are you gonna do that?" Prompto questioned, hoping to find a flaw in her plan that would convince her to stay. "They literally have an army! There's only one of you!"

"I'll have the element of surprise," she explained. "Stealth is what assassins live for. I'll pick them off one by one. And even if I die in the process, at least I'll have taken down a majority of them."

"You really mean to slaughter them all in cold blood?" Gladio asked this time.

Angelica chuckled darkly. "It's not like I've never taken a life before. Murder is within my occupation."

"Best of luck leaving Lucis," Ignis said. "No ships are available to leave port."

"Then I'll just have to sneak into a Niff base and steal an airship."

Noctis had had enough of her one-track mind. "Angelica." He placed his hands on his hips and gazed at her sternly. "You serve my family, so I'm ordering you to stay with us."

Angelica's anger faded and she stared at him in shock. "Noctis..." She could tell he was dead serious. She growled lightly in frustration. "But I... I have to go. Someone has to make them pay for what they did."

"Oh, they'll get what's coming to 'em," Gladio responded. "But running off on a suicide mission ain't gonna cut it."

Prompto smiled and went over, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, you just got here. We've got a lot to catch up on." Angelica winced at his arm touching her wounded shoulder and pushed him away.

"Not to mention treating your injuries," Ignis added.

Angelica looked to each of them. She knew they wouldn't allow her to follow through with her objective, at least not at the moment. Plus, she couldn't disobey the prince she lived to serve. She finally sighed in defeat and shook her head.

"I suppose you're not giving me much choice." She smiled lightly. Her dark, enraged expression was gone, and she once again had the usual calm, composed look they knew best. "Looks like I'm joining you guys for the time being."