…Genis saw his opening, and quickly launched a single massive fireball at Yggdrasil's blind side. It reached it's target and exploded into Yggdrasil's side. Staggering from the hit, Yggdrasil dropped to a knee, grunting. Teleporting into the area in a burst of darkness, Pronyma appeared.
"Lord Yggdrasil!" She gasped. Spying Genis, she shouted "You little brat! Die for your impudence!" An obsidian orb of dark mana appeared in her right hand and she fired it towards a deer-in-headlights Genis.
Oh no Genis moaned.
Before death reached him though, Yggdrasil rushed towards Genis and took Pronyma's attack for him! Something was rocked away from Yggdrasil's body and to the side, but Genis did not take a closer look. Instead he gazed in shock at the panting Yggdrasil.
"Lord Yggdrasil?" Pronyma gasped. Staggering up from the ground, Yggdrasil gave one last glance at Lloyd, Genis and the others and simply teleported away from the scene with Pronyma.
Lloyd immediately rushed to Genis's side.
"Genis! Are you ok?" Lloyd looked at him with concerned eyes. Genis, who had previously been frozen in fear, collapsed to the ground but looked at his human friend with grateful eyes.
"Y-yea Lloyd…I'm fine."
Raine, who had also rushed over, took her little brother in her arms and sighed with relief. She was puzzled by Yggdrasil's actions however.
"Why would Yggdrasil save Genis though?" Lloyd said, expressing the same puzzlement Raine felt.
"Darn good question, but the important thing is getting out of here before Mr. White Pajamas decides to come back!" Zelos cried.
"You're right…we're out of here!" Lloyd stood up from Genis's side and the group started to make their way out of the Tower of Salvation.
Genis, however, suddenly remembered the object that had been tossed from Yggdrasil's body and quickly made his way over to it. Picking it up, his eyes widened in shock. It was Mithos's flute. Did this mean…no, that was impossible!
--
After their escape from the Tower of Salvation, the group decided to crash at Altessa's for the night.
Altessa and Tabatha greeted them warmly, as did Mithos. While the rest of the group said their greetings to them, Genis made his way to Mithos.
"I have to ask…", he thought.
Spying Genis making his way to him, Mithos grinned.
"What's up, Genis? What have you been doing?"
Genis almost stumbled over his words, but managed to get them out.
"M-Mithos…we're friends, right?"
Mithos blinked.
"What are you talking about? Of course we're friends!"
"And friends…never hurt each other, right?"
"Of course not."
Genis stared at him a little bit, causing Mithos to fidget.
"I'm going to bed…bye Mithos." Genis finally said, before making his way towards his bed.
Mithos watched him go, with a strange expression on his face.
"Don't betray me, Genis."
--
Later at night, Genis woke up in a cold sweat.
It must have been that dream involving the Mayor of Iselia again he thought with a moan.
What was wrong with him? He hadn't had that nightmare since they rescued Lloyd at Triet. Thinking about the Mayor, he felt a flash of anger.
That stupid human! Even when he's in another world, he still bothers me!
I bet he wouldn't say those things about half-elves if he faced Yggdrasil! he thought.
Then he blinked in surprise. Where had that thought come from? Like Lloyd says, Yggdrasil's a madman! After all, Yggdrasil's trying to create an age of lifeless beings!
But his motive is to end discrimination though…end it in people like the Mayor.
Genis's sharp mind began to dig deeper though. The underlying concept behind the Age of Lifeless beings was to create a world without discrimination. Perhaps Yggdrasil had gone through the same taunts and shame from humans as he had, and simply had had enough.
Genis started to go back into the past, thinking of the taunts he had suffered from the other boys at Iselia…the looks of loathing that had been shot his way from the adults.
Even on this journey of theirs he hadn't been safe. He remembered the shame of being named as a half-elf by the female half-elf they'd met in Asgard.
Most of all, he remembered being arrested for being a half-elf in Tethe'alla. Rage burned in him as he remembered the caste system in Tethe'alla that forbid half-elves from going anywhere with a special chip.
Bitterness spread through him as he realized that humans would never accept half-elves as equals. Oh, there were some, like Lloyd and the rest of the group, but nobody that mattered in the government. There would always be laws preventing half-elves from being accepted…
Genis started tearing up, but angrily wiped the tears away.
Humans have caused me to cry too many times!
Genis gave an angry sigh.
I want a world without discrimination...that's what I truly, truly want...
Genis blinked.
Isn't that what Yggdrasil wants?
He was about to try to fall asleep again, but a yell outside caused him to pause. Had that been Lloyd?
His bedroom door slammed upon, to reveal a tense Raine.
"Something is happening outside."
"Raine, I heard Lloyd's voice! He's in trouble!"
"Then we have to help him. Help me wake the others!"
Racing through the house and ignoring their friend's sleepy queries, Genis and Raine quickly gathered their comrades. Strangely, Colette was not in her bed and they could not find her. Deciding she might also be outside, the group ran outside to see what was going on. Altessa and Tabatha, also awakened, followed at their heels.
Greeting their eyes was a small warzone. Bodies of Renegades soldiers lay strewn in front of the house. Kratos was lying unconscious in a heap being cradled by Lloyd and Colette, and Yuan was on the ground, being kicked by…
Mithos!
"…and if it weren't for my sister's last wishes, you would most certainly be dead, Yuan. I'll have to settle for locking you up for eternity!"
Mithos let out a cruel laugh.
"Mithos, what's going on!" Genis cried.
Noticing the group for the first time, Mithos frowned.
"I'm teaching a traitor a lesson." Mithos glanced down at Yuan again and gave him another swift kick.
"So it's true…you're Yggdrasil…" Genis said sadly.
Mithos gazed at Genis.
"You always were smart Genis. You figured it out, I'm Yggdrasil."
Mithos closed his eyes and opened his arms to the sky. A pink light engulfed him, and feathers floated up around him. When they faded, Yggdrasil stood in his place.
Meanwhile, Lloyd put down Kratos and growled in rage. His exsphere glowed with power, brighter than it ever had before.
"You…BASTARD!"
Quick as a blink, Lloyd unsheathed his blades and slammed the ground. Power surged from his exsphere and was channeled through his body and out the blades, and a Fierce Demon Fang more powerful than anything he had ever released rushed towards a surprised Yggdrasil.
Mithos grunted with the impact and staggered.
"Where did he get this power? Is his exsphere that powerful…?"
Lloyd looked over at his friends fiercely.
"What are you waiting for! We're ending this tonight!"
Sheena, Raine, Zelos, Regal, and Presea snapped out of their shocked state and rushed with Lloyd to the glaring Yggdrasil.
In a flash of darkness, Pronyma and a battalion of angel warriors teleported in front of Yggdrasil in a protective formation.
"You're right boy, this is the end! For YOU!" Pronyma shouted.
"Shut up!"
The group of Lifeless Angels and the group of Salvation clashed with a thunderous roar.
--
Genis watched with conflicted eyes. He wanted to fight and help his friends, but he also wanted to confront Mithos.
"Where are you…" he muttered.
Light flashed at his side.
"Right here." Mithos teleported in, in his child form.
"Ahhh!" Genis screamed, stumbling backwards.
Mithos caught his hand before he could fall completely backwards, however, and pulled him back upright.
"Heh…watch it Genis."
Genis glared at him.
"What do you want? You tricked me Mithos, you said we were friends! I was happy when I thought I had gained my first friend my age, but you took advantage of me and gained my trust so you could spy on us!"
Mithos smiled.
"Yes, I did."
Genis growled.
"Then I have to—"
"Our friendship wasn't a trick, though."
Genis blinked.
"What?"
"I won't lie to you Genis. Well, not this time at least. You showed me, a fellow half-elf, kindness from the very moment we met. I almost forgot my sorrows for Martel in our time together. I came to think of you as a true friend. Remember when Raine got sick with a fever? You and I went to find the cure for her together, and we solidified our friendship on that mountain."
A little of Genis's anger started to melt away.
"You really think of me as a friend, Mithos?
"Really."
Genis shook his head.
"B-b-but look at this!" he spluttered, then gesturing with a hand at his friends fighting the angels. "You're hurting my friends! You think we can still be friends after what you've done?
Mithos frowned.
"What am I supposed to do, Genis? They're trying to kill me, and end my plans to end discrimination throughout the world with the Age of Lifeless Beings. Look what Lloyd did to me."
He gestured at his right side, where Lloyd's attack had hurt him. It was burned looking, with the flesh exposed and cracked.
"I'm not going to just stand and let them ruin my vision. To end suffering and discrimination in the world, the Age of Lifeless beings must be initiated!"
Genis didn't know what to say.
"Listen, Genis. I'll tell you why I'm here, talking with you right now, and not fighting your friends. Remember what you told me at the mountain when we were getting Raine's cure? If Lloyd and I got in a fight, you would join my side. I know from our talks together that you hate humans and their foolish discrimination as much as I do. So, why not join me now, and we'll end it…together."
Ice went down Genis's spine.
"But that would be betraying Lloyd…"
"He and the rest of the group have betrayed you from the beginning, Genis, with their goal to stop me. They're trying to stop me from ending discrimination, and fulfilling Martel's last wish! If they succeed, you will never be happy in this world of hate and discrimination. Do you think that humans will ever really leave you alone? Their idiotic hate is too deep-rooted within them to ever be eliminated by words."
Genis grappled with his thoughts.
He's right…humans will never change. I've seen the hate and discrimination everywhere…it's common even in people my age. I'll never be free!
He remembered his earlier rage.
Humans have caused me to suffer my whole life!
Mithos extended a hand to Genis, expecting him to take it.
Mithos can end it all...the hate...the discrimination...I want a world without discrimination. Where everyone is equal. And it can be real...with theAge of Lifeless beings.
Genis frowned.
That doesn't mean Mithos is right in everything he does, though. I could never kill as easily as he does. Even if it's to end discrimination…killing without so much as a thought isn't right.
Rage briefly flared up in him again.
Discrimination against half-elves isn't right!
Genis still could not bring himself to ever think to kill as easily as Mithos.
An idea came to Genis though.
Maybe…I can change Mithos. Maybe…well…we're friends…he'd listen to me…of course he would…we listen to each other…I can change him! Everybody will become a lifeless being…but nobody will die. I can change him! I know I can!
Genis looked Mithos in the eye, and grabbed his extended hand.
"I'll join you, Mithos."