He couldn't tell how long had passed. It could have been minutes, hours-- longer? His body ached with cold and with the stress of being pinned in place like an insect for so long; the cuts and bruises he'd accumulated along the way to coming here and from his capture throbbed at first with the frantic beating of his heart before they numbed out with cold too. Eventually, it all melded together. The terror came back around to frustration, doubt, and finally a blankness that felt like the cold had seeped not just into his bones but into his mind to leave it grasping at nothing and wandering, helplessly replaying the moments that had brought him here.

When Ardyn appeared again -- too suddenly, without a sound -- Prompto wasn't asleep. His eyes were open, but he did not look entirely aware in that first moment either, disoriented and drifting. He gave a start when Ardyn's smile floated into view, too-close. And then a violent jerk and a yelp of shock at the noise.

It made his pulse spike so suddenly, his head spun, ears ringing, senses abruptly overwhelmed. It was another moment before his mind could catch up enough to realize what, exactly, it was in Ardyn's hand so close to his face. This time, he couldn't even muster a comeback.