A/N: Update 2014
I have finally grown as a writer to where I don't hunger for concrit as much as I used to. Feel free to review if you'd like, but that's entirely up to you. :)
Also, I've had some requests to continue this story so I was thinking of doing so. Just be patient, I have a lot on my plate right now, but I will add another chapter at some point. I also changed the first sentence, it drove me nuts. Enjoy!
Mithos's Subliminal Messages
By Baby Kat Snophlake
"A group without a leader, is a group subject to failure," Mithos stared down at a large mismatched group of sleepers who had found their resting places on the floor in the house of the Tethe'allan dwarf, Altessa. None of them knew of Mithos's secret, that he was really their enemy who was trying to turn the Chosen of Mana, Colette, into the perfect host body that would eventually become his sister's life vessel. Instead, they believed that he was Genis's newfound and fellow half-elven friend. He stepped lightly over the bodies he planned on ignoring, and tiptoed to the one person he was currently interested in, Colette's favorite friend, Lloyd Irving.
Lloyd rolled over in his sleep, still snoring loudly, completely unaware of what Mithos was planning on doing. Said villain bent his knees to sit on his upraised ankles and stared with a broad grin on his face.
"Oh, Lloyd… Lloyd…" Mithos carefully dropped his knees to floor so he could lower his face closer to Lloyd's ear. "I think… that you… are a hypocrite…." He grinned when Lloyd moaned, making a half-hearted attempt to swat in front of him as if a fly was buzzing near his face. Mithos stole a quick glance around to make sure that no one else was awake. Satisfied that they were not, he returned his attention to his victim. "You claim that you want to save the world without a sacrifice… isn't that correct?" He paused waiting for Lloyd's reply, to make sure that the boy really was listening to his subliminal messages.
"M…n… yeah…" Lloyd mumbled carelessly, reaching up to pull his pillow closer to his shoulders to get comfortable again.
"How can you say that want to save the world without any sacrifices?" Mithos bent closer to Lloyd's ear to make sure his whispering was quite clear. "When you are sacrificing lives every… single… day…?" Lloyd rolled over again, obviously having a hard time with this line of questioning.
"What do you mean?" He sighed, hardly realizing he wasn't dreaming.
"The creatures, Lloyd, the animals who reside in the forests, and the grasslands… the grasshoppers, the rabbits, wolves, and zombies. Did you not say that anyone who was born deserves to live?" Mithos licked his lips eagerly. Lloyd moaned some more, as he fiddled with his pillow trying to regain the comfort he had lost minutes before.
"Well, they are monsters…"
"Monsters?" Mithos repeated in his low whisper. "How can you say that like there is a difference between monsters and anything else alive? Why are monsters so different?"
"They… hurt people," Lloyd started to shiver. Mithos hoped that it was visions of the battles the Chosen's group had faced before this moment and all the whimpering and bloodshed that resulted from it.
"You hurt people," Mithos reasoned. "Genis hurt people, why… if it wasn't for the both of you, Marble would still be human… not to mention… alive… right? And what about Regal Bryant? Kratos? And even Sheena has hurt before… In fact, you are ALL murderers…." He paused, enjoying watching Lloyd squirm, struggling with his blanket to keep warm. Somehow, Mithos made him feel quite chilled and deathly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry!" Lloyd muttered, louder than Mithos appreciated. He covered the boy's mouth with his palm and shushed him softly while he looked around once more to make sure no one woke up. A few people stirred, but as far as he could tell, they were all still in dreamland.
"Are you telling me that these monsters are not sorry for their behavior? How do you know they even know it's wrong to kill? And even so, how can you justify all of your acts with apologies? With words that cannot bring back the dead?" Mithos's whispers became more fierce as he continued to watch Lloyd whimper and squirm beneath his palm. "And Yggdrassill? What about him? In order to save the two worlds, you have to sacrifice HIM too! Doesn't he deserve to live?"
Lloyd raised his hips to fight against Mithos's palm. He really wanted another chance to explain his actions, but then again… this voice talking to him was right. They had all planned on killing Yggdrassill, and they HAD killed so many monsters for gald and for merely standing in their way. Finally Mithos lifted his hand to let Lloyd speak.
"But we are trying to save the worlds, and those monsters and even Yggdrassill are hindering our progress!"
"Have you thought that maybe what you are doing might make matters worse?" Mithis hissed, causing Lloyd to cower into a ball. "Maybe what Yggdrassill is doing really is saving the world."
"But he's… killing so many innocent people…."
"You are doing the same thing, aren't you? Killing… innocent people…?" Lloyd cried out, throwing his arms around as he sat up, waking to full consciousness. Mithos changed instantly. He hurried to grab Lloyd's shoulder to shake it. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice streaked with concern. Lloyd, gasping for breath while his heart practically beat out of his chest wasted seconds before replying.
"I had a… nightmare… that someone was telling me we were wrong… We were… sacrificing so many lives on our journey… because of us, so many people have suffered needlessly." Mithos sighed, smiling.
"But Yggdrassill's the one hurting people." Lloyd paused for a moment. "The people who have been hurt because of us, were actually hurt by Yggdrassill. If we kill him, those people won't have to suffer anymore." Lloyd stood up.
"No! We can't sacrifice another person! Not even a monster!" Because of this, most of the rest of the group woke with a start, wondering what was going on.
"Not even a monster, Lloyd? Jeez, you really are stupid!" Genis yawned, pushing the covers off his upper body as he sat up.
"I'm not stupid, Genis. I'm a hypocrite! How can I say that everything that was born deserves to live when we are killing creatures every day! I refuse to take part in another battle that will mean we will sacrifice another living thing's life! Forget it!"
"Then how are we supposed to save the world?" Genis replied simply, but angrily.
"Why don't you figure it out? You're the genius one here." Lloyd stared at his feet.
"Because you just can't reason with the insane, and you, my friend, are becoming insane. I think it pointless to keep arguing about this. And if you so insist on saving the world without sacrificing anything, you can think on it for a while in Meltokio's prison cell. Anyone object?" Genis looked around at all the stunned facing glaring at him.
"Why Meltokio? And why a prison?" Genis's sister, Raine, asked.
"Because he can't break out of it, and he needs to be somewhere where he won't interfere with our mission. He's obviously not going to help us, and he's so bull-headed, he might not allow us to stop the monsters and even Yggrassill from killing."
Mithos hid his smirk behind his hand as he buried his face. He couldn't believe how well it worked.
"Yeah, I like that idea! I don't have to worry about him bothering my hunnies!" Zelos clapped happily in his corner, remembering how Colette always seemed to be more concerned with Lloyd than with Zelos. And now if he could get rid of Raine's younger brother, he wouldn't have to worry about her using him as an excuse for not joining in with Zelos's ideas of fun.
"I suppose you're right," Kratos muttered, as much as he didn't like it. "We can't have one of our own preventing the rest of us from protecting ourselves from creatures who WILL kill us. I vote with Genis."
"Yes, me too!" Zelos repeated.
"Yeah, I suppose," Raine agreed sadly.
"This is looking good!" Zelos glanced ecstatically at Lloyd who seemed to have fallen asleep again somehow.
"Yeah…" Mithos added in a forlorn voice.
"See? This is perfect, we're all in agreement!" Zelos stood up stretching, getting ready to help drag Lloyd's butt into prison.
"I… I'd rather not…." Colette whined in a soft voice.
"Then you can stay with him, Colette, until you are needed on the mission." Mithos suggested.
"But she's always needed!" Genis replied.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause trouble!" Her shoulders drooped sadly as she stared at her wringing hands in her lap. "Okay, let's leave him in Meltokio."
"Wait, what?" Lloyd suddenly found himself being dragged out the door of Altessa's cabin, and forced into binds on Noishe's back. "What's going on? Wait! Stop!"
"Goodbye Lloyd! Straighten up your thinking while you're there will you?" Genis waved along with Raine, Colette, Regal, Presea, and happiest of all, Zelos. "Take good care of him Mithos, I'm trusting you!"
Oh, I will, all right…. Mithos thought to himself as he held tightly the ropes that held Lloyd captive. I will take VERY good care of him….
Like or dislike? Just let me know what you think, good or bad. Thanks!