Author's Note: All chapters have had their edits/updates. I may go back over them again someday, but that will be in the distant future other than fixing any minor errors that are pointed out to me.
Me: I finally redid this.
Lloyd: Bum.
Me: Shut up. Be nice to me or I'll sic my ninja monkeys on you.
Lloyd: The hell...
Me: *sighs* Kratos, read the memos. *Hands memos*
Kratos: Kids. Fine. *Reads off card* 'First off, sorry for not getting this up sooner. Second, Anna has two Angelous projects, but I'm skipping the Ranch Visit. This basically picks up where the other version left off. I will eventually re-type the other version, but this is the tenth version of this one.'
Me: Okay. Now let Lloyd finish it.
Kratos: *hands to Lloyd*
Lloyd: 'I changed Anna's weapon. Disclaimer: I own what I own, which is not Tales of Symphonia'... I hate you.
Me: Ha ha, I tricked you into saying the disclaimer. On with the story!
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
'This is not good.' Anna thought, taking another step back. The wind lifted her medium length brown hair as the soldiers in front of them advanced a little closer.
They were cornered and outnumbered five to five hundred. If that wasn't bad enough, two of them couldn't fight. One was an infant, not aware of what was going on, and the other a protozoan, charged with protecting the infant and young five year old basic spell caster.
The environment was not in their favor either. The family had been forced to back onto a steep plateau-like area, the cliff edge dangerously close behind them. A dense, lush, beautiful forest surrounded the outline of the clearing, but that didn't help either as it was too dense to run through.
"Well Kratos, it looks like we gotta fight." Anna said as she drew her hook blades.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'll see if I can get them to back down." Kratos said quietly. He took a few steps forward and raised his voice. "Now is your chance. If you want to surrender, I suggest you do it."
"Hahaha! We were about to tell you the same thing. You must be pretty stupid to think you could take all of us on." One of the soldiers yelled. His armor and uniform was a bit different from the rest of the army's, signifying he had most likely been named leader of the large platoon.
Kratos narrowed his eyes. "Humph. You must not recognize me." He said as he drew his Flamberge and pulled out his sapphire wings. Using speed faster than the human eye could trace, Kratos disappeared. Before anyone could draw a breath, before anyone could even blink, the front row of Desians were dead, their throats slit as they crumpled to the ground. Kratos reappeared in the same spot as before, flinging blood off his blade.
"Ah, I see. You're Kratos, an Angel of Cruxis. One of the Four Seraphim and the Angel of Death. Am I right?" The leader asked.
"Somewhat. I am no longer of Cruxis. But I am still the Angel of Death. Do you still wish to face me, or will you surrender?" Kratos said.
"No matter how powerful the adversary, numbers will always be a factor. And right now, the numbers are in our favor. So we will face you and carry out our mission. ATTACK!"
"Well Anna, you were right. We've got to fight." Kratos said as he put his wings away and charged towards the advancing Desians. He knew in a prolonged fight such as this, he would need every last bit of stamina he had. The power his wings granted weren't a luxury he could afford.
"Yes. Lloyd, stay hidden and back us up!" Anna yelled charging in.
Lloyd said nothing as he crudely drew in the mana around him. "Fireball!"
A few fireballs ignited in front of the young boy before they went sailing toward the Desians. The harsh scent of burning meat and cloth filled the air as the flames engulfed the soldiers they came into contact with. It seemed to work well enough, so Lloyd stuck to that.
"Atta boy Lloyd." Anna praised a few moments later after Lloyd set the Desians that were attacking her ablaze. She jumped to avoid the attack that was coming at her from behind, and the Desian slashed at the one she had been fighting. Anna back flipped and hooked her blade around the soldier's neck. As she landed, his head went rolling.
The brunette ducked when she heard the whistle of a sword cutting through the air. She used her sword to hook the ankle of her attacker and jerked. As he fell, Anna used her other sword to catch his neck and beheaded him.
Kratos faced many more than Anna. They had surrounded him so that he was in the center of the circle, attacking him in a 'Bull in The Ring' fashion. Still, they were no match for the mighty angel, who parried and countered, sidestepped and outmaneuvered the Desians, making his art look like a dance.
With a quick swipe of the Flamberge, he eliminated any Desian within his reach. A few of the Desians wised up and broke off from the fight to go after Lloyd when they finally realized the small boy was somewhat of a threat.
As soon as they were within ten feet of the boy, Noishe stepped in between them and lowered his forequarters, body tense and ready to pounce. His lip curled up, revealing his pearly white fangs as a low growl emitted from his throat.
The Desians, however, ignored him. As they got closer, their throats were ripped out by the green and white blur. Lloyd, meanwhile, contemplated switching to the lightning spell his father had spent so much time and effort to teach him. "Hey Daddy, can you help me?" Lloyd finally asked.
Kratos quickly made a path through the Desians and stood in front of Lloyd. "Anna, Noishe, cover us!" Kratos commanded.
Anna stopped her battle and did a single large back flip, landing gracefully on her feet beside Noishe. Kratos and Lloyd gathered up some mana for the spell. Anna was repeatedly performing Hooking Shockwave while Noishe tore out the throats of anyone lucky enough to make it through.
"Sacred powers, cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls! Rest in Peace Sinners!"
"Lightning, make a storm!" The mana of the two spells collided, amplifying Lloyd's meager magic as they combined.
"Judgment Storm!" The two cried in unison.
A thin beam of light fell from the sky, connecting with the earth. It quickly increased to the size of three or four trees combined as lightning coiled about it, instantly disintegrating anyone it touched. Then the column shot out bolts, striking down more of the Desians as Kratos and Anna resumed complete offense. Lloyd started charging mana for his next spell. "Aqua Edge!"
A couple of water blades materialized in the air, slowly falling to embed themselves into a couple Desians. It wasn't grand, and since Lloyd's forte wasn't water, he hadn't expected much. The Desian ranks had been thinned, that was for sure. Kratos and Anna were having a bit of an easier time, but there were still a lot.
Lloyd switched to a different field of spells, looking for something that worked better without the aid of his father. "Stones, break their bones!" Lloyd sincerely hoped he remembered the words he had found to work with the spell.
He smiled happily in accomplishment as the earth began to glow beneath a group of Desians waiting for their turn to fight Anna. The ground beneath them tore up from as it was forced upward, pelting the Desians with stones hot from friction and mana, knocking the men away from his mother.
Anna swung her hook swords with the curved edge away from her, leaving deep slits in the throat of any Desian they touched. Kratos was slashing furiously, creating gashes that allowed the entrails of his adversaries to spill out.
Some of the Desian mages got an opportunity to cast and took advantage of it. Their efforts were rendered useless as Lloyd counter casted, meeting their spells with basic ones of his own to trigger the effects before they could reach his parents. This gave Kratos and Anna the time to take out the last of the mages before continuing their fights.
Lloyd started charging mana once more. "Powers of wind—" Lloyd stopped when a loud yelp pierced the air.
He looked over to see a giant gash on Noishe's side as he laid on the ground, whimpering. Lloyd quickly resumed the chant so he could tend to the poor creature. "Give me— ugh." Lloyd grunted as something blunt connected with the back of his head just hard enough to knock him forward.
Lloyd turned around to face his attacker, but found no one. He got up and walked to the bush where Selean was hidden to check on her. She was alright, as she was still sleeping peacefully. Lloyd went over to Noishe to treat his wounds, taking out a vial filled with a red jelly-like substance Kratos had given him. He opened the bottle and began rubbing the gel on Noishe's wound, just as he'd seen Anna do with a wound of her own before.
Once he finished, the large animal stood up, shook his fur out, and went back to his post. Lloyd stood to return behind the bushes when he was roughly lifted off his feet by a hand around his neck. His hands flew to it in an effort to loosen the grip as he glared at their owner.
"Let me go Kvar, you bastard." Lloyd demanded quietly as he glared into the blond haired, blue and black clad half-elf's red eyes.
"Now why would I do that?" Kvar asked, just as quiet as he tightened his grip ever so slightly. "You know, it's not nice to call people a bastard. Your filthy parents must not have taught you any manners."
Lloyd took one hand off Kvar's and held it in front of his face. "Fireball."
Three fireballs shot from Lloyd's hand and hit Kvar's face. Kvar immediately dropped Lloyd as he clutched the burns on his face. Lloyd tried to get away, but Kvar took out his staff and whacked the boy across the head, opening a large gash across the back of his skull and knocking him unconscious.
Kvar unleashed a bolt of lightning at Noishe, knocking the protozoan out once more. He smirked as he walked towards the bush Selean was in. Kvar woke the infant as he picked her up by her small neck. The baby started crying, unable to comprehend why she was in pain. Kvar went over to Lloyd's unconscious body and picked him up in the same fashion.
"Men, cease the attack." Kvar ordered. The Desians stopped, and Kvar continued. "Inferior beings, how much do these pathetic maggots mean to you?"
Anna and Kratos turned to face him and stared in shock. "No! Let them go, now! Don't hurt them, please." Anna begged.
"If you do anything to them, I'll kill you." Kratos growled through clenched teeth as he raised a tightly balled, purple gloved fist.
"Hmm. I'd say they mean a lot to you. Well, you see, they're too young to perform any experiments on, so what good are they!" Kvar said as he threw the Aurion kids off the cliff.
"LLOYD, SELEAN!" Anna yelled as she fell to her knees, sobbing. Kratos immediately called forth his wings, flying toward the cliff edge. He was met with a shockwave just before he could dive off the edge that exploded, repelling him back. An intensity of emotions unlike the angel had felt before ripped through the man as he sealed his wings again.
Kratos rushed forward to start a new battle with Kvar, fueled by pure hatred and white hot anger. One of the remaining Desians took advantage of this and approached Anna, who was still sobbing on her knees. He grabbed her wrist removed the Exsphere they had placed on her right hand before Anna's pained cries filled the air.
Kvar let off with a smirk, allowing Kratos to face Anna and watch in horror, unable to move, as his wife transformed. Her skin turned green as she grew bigger. Her form started changing as a series of sickening crunches from her bones shifting and growing was heard. Her eyes turned to red circles. Long claws grew out of her now hammer-like arms.
Once the transformation was complete, she stood up, swinging a massive arm at the Desian who had removed the Exsphere, sending him flying off the cliff. She trudged forwards towards Kratos and drew her other, still Exsphered, arm back.
Anna swung at Kratos, who stood still, shock and horror rooting him. At the last possible second, Noishe landed in between them and took the blow for his master. He let out another yelp as he was sent sailing over the cliff as well.
Anna drew her arm back again to swing. "Anna, please, don't. Regain control of yourself." Kratos begged.
She started to swing, then stopped and clutched her head. Ugh...Kr... Kratos... kill me...
"Anna?" He asked.
Please kill me.
"But, Anna...I..."
Kratos, please. This...this is damnation. I can... hardly control myself.
"Anna, I can't."
You must. It hasn't been for more than a moment, but...but I know I can't go on like this.
"Anna..."
I love you Kratos. And I know I must die here... That's why you must kill me. I'd rather die at the hands of my beloved then at the hands of Kvar.
"Anna. If that is... what you truly wish... then I..."
Yes, please Kratos.
"Anna, I love you." Kratos said. His body began to tremble as his breathing escalated to hyperventilation. With a pained yell, he finally forced his arm to move, sheathing his sword in the mutated body of his beloved, eyes closed and tears streaming down his face.
Hot blood splattered over Kratos' face, body, and his blade as the Exbelua fell. She started glowing before her mana exploded. With the last of her strength, Anna directed the force toward Kvar, catching the Desian off guard as her other Exsphere was sent sailing over the edge of the cliff. Kratos dropped to his knees as several Desians rushed over to Kvar before warping their leader away.
As the mana dissipated from the fallen beast, Anna's human form, pale and bloody, was revealed. Her glassy brown eyes focused on her hysterical beloved. "Kratos… I don't want you… to blame yourself." She breathed weakly.
Kratos shocked eyes snapped to her. "Anna? How? Your mutated form exploded. How are you still alive?" He worked his arm under her shoulders, lifting his wife onto his lap.
"I… don't know. Maybe it was… those special Exspheres." Anna paused as she inhaled sharply. "Kratos… I don't have any strength left. I'm going to die soon. But I… I don't want you to blame yourself."
"Anna, if it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened." Kratos said sadly.
"No Kratos. I… I would have died anyway. Thank you, truly. You gave me love and happiness… I even got a family. I don't regret meeting you… I don't regret our time together." Anna closed her eyes as her breathes became shallower. "I don't have much time left. Promise me… promise you won't blame yourself. So I can rest peacefully."
"Anna..." She opened her eyes, revealing the watery, glassy brown orbs. "Very well."
"Thank you." Anna raised a weak, shaky arm to cup Kratos' cheek, pulling downward. Kratos leaned down, meeting his wife's cold lips in one final kiss."I only have one regret… I wasn't able to protect and raise my children… Please find them. Protect them for me, and raise them to be heroes that will purge discrimination… and the Desians from these worlds."
"Of course, Anna." He told her, placing his hand on her cheek.
Anna closed her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. "I'll always love you." She whispered.
"And I will always love you too." Kratos replied as the last of the rigidness in Anna's body faded away. Kratos could no longer feel his heart in his chest. It had been ripped out and destroyed. All that remained were an overwhelming swirl of emotions too big for his body to handle.
He gently placed Anna back on the ground before rising to his feet, his legs a little shaky on his way up, and faced the Desians.
"Anna, I will avenge you, and carry on your will." Kratos said as a dangerous spark ignited in his eyes. The Desians knew they were doomed. They had awoken the anger of the Angel of Death. But they prepared to fight anyway.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
With Lloyd, several hours later.
Lloyd stirred around, raising a hand to his aching head. "Lloyd!..."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lloyd: Bitch.
Me: Bastard.
Lloyd: Damned hormonal pre-teen.
Me: Dumb ass teenager.
Kratos: The fic is over. Lloyd, you're grounded for using such foul language. Apprentice, you're in trouble too. I'll think of your punishment later.
Me and Lloyd: Aw, come on.
Me: Well, I guess we had it coming. *Turns to readers* So? Was it better? Worse? Or the same? Review!
Next Chapter: Saved
EDITED: 5-18-16. Changed to be more realistic as opposed to having five year old Lloyd being a foul mouthed, high level spell casting master. A few other changes were made to create consistency with the rest of the story as well as to improve the quality of the writing. I left Lloyd calling Kvar a bastard just because Kratos and Anna would refer to him as such, and little kids will refer to things the same way they hear their parents referring to them. As a note, muse conversations will remain untouched, as I find the growth I see in them amusing and would like to leave them as a personal reminder of my growth over the years.