"DADDY! MOMMY!"
"LLOYDEN! Daddy said to stay here!"
"But Mommy, Nixi!"
"No, Lloyden!"
"LLOYDEN! NO! THE CLIFF!"
"LLOYDEN! MOMMY! NOSHEY LEMME GO! DADDY! NO! LEMME GO~!"
"NIXIIIIII!"

"GAH!" A boy with brown hair sticking every which way bolted up in bed, panting. "Not that dream again…glowing…bluer than the sky…a sword made of fire…Noishe…and…" The brunet teen sighed and looked at his hand, the gently glowing, cloudy blue gem seeming to pulse. "Mom…who were we? Is Dad alive? And who's…Nixi?" It gave an extra-long pulse, just as it did every time he mentioned that name…or that other name, the one that belonged to him, but that he never told anyone, not Dirk, not Genis…not even Colette.

"Ach, Lloyd, it's time ye were gettin' up! It's a long walk through the forest and Noishe's gone run off again." A short man with a brown head of hair and beard and extremely bushy eyebrows was standing at the top of the steps, yelling down the hall. Lloyd could just see him out his open bedroom door.

"I'll be right there, Dirk! Wait…AGAIN!?" Lloyd ran to the door, snagging the frame to hang off it and swing at the end of his arm. "That's what, third time this week alone? I wonder what's got him so interested…"

"Ah, well, yeh never know with his type. He keeps this up an' yeh could end up with the dragon comin' home 'stead o' the dog!" Dirk chuckled as he thumped down the stairs.

"Dirk~! That's not funny! He eats enough as an Arshis already!"

"Ach, stop yer whinin', Boy! At least then he'd probably no' be afraid o' tha monsters any more! Hurry up or there won't be any breakfast left fer yeh!" As Lloyd went to check his speed on the other side of the doorframe, he heard, "An' don' be hangin' on tha lef'-!" He crashed to the floor, the entire plank that made up the inner left side of the doorframe lying on the floor beside him. He sat up, shaking his head, and leaned the plank against the wall just inside his bedroom and turned down the smaller set of stairs to the back room downstairs.

"Yeah, I should probably fix that. You got a san-" Two pieces of toast with a fried egg and some extra-crispy bacon in between was shoved into his right hand and a bag with books, papers, and a pretty glass pot of dusty blue ink carefully wrapped in rags thrown over his head, where he caught it, setting it down next to his feet before trying to secure two sword belts around his waist one-handed, bolting huge bites of his sandwich down dry.

Sandwich eaten, swords belted on, and bag across his back, the red-clad nineteen-year-old yelled a goodbye to his foster-father and ran down the path that led to the village…Iselia…home of the Chosen.

Dirk hammered at the folded bar of steel on the anvil, arm raising and falling in a steady pace, sparks and bits of molten slag falling to the ground. As he paused to wipe sweat off his forehead, he heard the sound of stone on stone – his door knocker. "All righ'! I hear yeh! Be there in a momen'!" The sound stopped as he put the cooling iron to the side of the forge, where it wouldn't heat up or cool down too much. He opened the door to his workshop and looked up with a start – the man in purple looked like his foster-son. He recovered fast enough that most people wouldn't have noticed…but this man did.

"I apologise for the intrusion, and having startled you, but I am on my way to Iselia. My name is Kratos Arving-Aurion, a mercenary and current acting head of the Arving family and business. I have come to offer my services to the Chosen's party as a guard and guide, and have a gift from the Arving family to the Chosen herself. I am looking for stabling for an Arvinger and the horse I am to give to the Chosen, and last I came there was no stabling in the village. I can pay for the stall I need. I would normally not ask a stranger, and leave the horse with my partner at the stables outside the forest, but she is currently occupied with choosing horses that might suit the Chosen's party from the herd near the edge of the forest." Kratos kept his eyes locked with Dirk's, the Dwarven ability to see lies in the eyes of others assuring him the man was being truthful.

"Ah, aye, come in. Would you like juice, beer, tea?" The nod at 'tea' had Dirk swinging the kettle over the cooking hearth. "Normally tha' stall is occupied, but yeh can 'ave tha use o' i' fer a day 'r two. No charge. I'm afraid Ah can' offer yeh a place teh sleep, bu' it's no' jus' me." The man narrowed his eyes at that, just for a minute, before shock and…yes, hope, crossed his face.

"A boy, about nineteen, brown hair, by the name of Lloyd?!" Kratos slumped, tears at the corners of his eyes, at Dirk's nod. "My son…he's alive…how?! And…a woman…no…I thought not. She couldn't have survived…but thank you. You raised my son, took him in. I want to ask you a favor Mr.?"

"Dirk. Jus' Dirk. The boy – yeh'll be takin' 'im with yeh?" Kratos shook his head. "WHY THA EVER-LIVIN' 'ELL NOT?! 'E's been 'opin' fer years yeh'd come an' find 'im. Yeh'd jus' LEAVE 'IM 'ERE?!" Dirk slammed a heavy, gloved fist into the table as the kettle behind him screamed.

Kratos sighed, slumping further. "The Chosen's journey is difficult, and dangerous. I won't lose him, not now that I know he's alive. When the Regeneration has been completed, I will come back for him. Please, Dirk, for the love you have for him, don't tell Lloyd who I am. Don't tell him anything…why that look? Please, tell me…"

"Yeh're no' gonna like this. There's no way Lloyd won' come with yeh. Colette, tha Chosen, is 'is bes' frien', one o' two. 'E's been trainin' an' workin' mos' of 'is life fer this." Dirk shook his head. "There's no way 'e'd let 'er leave wi'ou' him." Dirk sighed, filling a teapot from the now-silent kettle. "If you can keep him from leavin' with yeh, can keep 'im 'ere, I promise tah tell 'im nothin'. BUT! If yeh canno' stop 'im, then Ah wan' yeh teh tell 'im." Dirk took his glove off, offering his hand to shake.

Kratos clasped the offered hand. "It is an agreement, then, Dirk. Thank you. You have given me and my daughter back a part of our lives we thought lost. I should hurry. The Oracle is due when the sun is highest. I'll need Wargames. He'll find his way back. Thank you for looking after Lloyd." Kratos stopped at the door when Dirk shoved a hot flask into his hand. "Ah, tea. Thank you, Dirk. I will be back tonight."

"Remember tha deal." Dirk narrowed his eyes. "Ah'd still prefer yeh tell 'im. 'E's not unintelligent, despi' 'is grades. 'E'll figure i' ou' event'ally. Safe journey, Mr. Aurion. And it might interest yeh teh turn right down tha house when yeh leave. Ah gave Anna a good grave."

"Thank you, Dirk. I will."

As the door closed, Dirk picked up the iron that would become a sword and heated it again, and as Kratos led his horse across the bridge, away from the house his son grew up in, he heard the steady sound of hammering once again.

"Lloyd! Watch out!" He turned towards the voice, his eyes finding Colette's as the spiked ball of the morningstar swung down at the end of its chain. It couldn't end like this!

There was a sound like sharpening kitchen knives on each other and a ground-shaking thud. Lloyd turned to face a dark purple swallow-tailed cloak edged in greyish-purple, the red-haired man wearing it turning as he did so. "Woah! Thanks, whoever you are. I'd have been dead if you hadn't showed up. We'd all have been dead."

"Hmm. And you are…Lloyd? Stay back." With that the man in purple flipped backwards over the giant, landing on his feet as he thrust a dagger from his boot-top past the furred armor and into the large man's spine before flipping back and slashing under the boar-tusked helm, through the throat.

As the giant man fell back, a broad, black-haired man called a retreat before turning to face the newcomer. "Damn! I didn't think you'd show up. This isn't the last you'll see of us!" He then turned and ran after what remained of his force.

"Heh. I would expect nothing less." The red-haired man retrieved his dagger before turning back to the three teens and the older woman they had been defending. "I am Kratos Arving-Aurion, a mercenary and acting head of the Arving family and business. I came to offer my services as a guard and guide to the Chosen and her party, and bring a gift from the Arving stables. I will not accept personal payment, the further details of which I can discuss at a later time. I would be happy to escort the Chosen One to accept the Oracle as protection against the monsters now infesting this temple. I assume this is the trial?"

The grey-haired priestess nodded. "Please, be of service. I must ask you, however, to take these two into the Temple with you. They already have pledged their strength to the Chosen for this Trial."

Kratos sighed. "Very well. A mage and a twin-blade wielder would be welcome company. May I ask your names?"

"You gave your name, so I shall give you ours! I am Lloyd Irving. The Mage behind me is Genis Sage. The Chosen is Colette Brunel, and prefers to be called by her name, not her title. Thank you for your assistance." The young man in red gave a short bow in the Dwarven style before breaking out in a grin. "Come on, guys! Into the Temple! This is so much better than learning about this in class! Hahah!"

Kratos shook his head, noticing Genis doing the same. "This isn't a field trip, Lloyd."

"Hey, don't be such a downer!"

"Mr. Kratos?" The blonde girl's speech could only be described as chirping. "You mentioned a partner. Why is your partner not here?"

"You may have noticed the abundance of spider monsters in the Temple. She is…not a fan." Kratos sighed, dropping his face into his upraised palm. "She has a rather pervasive shriek."

Lloyd scratched the back of his head with a gloved hand. "Per…vasive?" He linked his hands behind his head and scrunched his eyes shut, thinking. "That means – in this case anyways – that it's loud…and…digs into your head, right? WOA-!"

Colette and Genis flinched, waiting for the thud as Lloyd hit the ground, but it never came. They opened their eyes to see Kratos holding Lloyd up by both elbows. "Keep your eyes open, Lloyd. If you don't trip, you'll walk into a monster. And to clarify, it means – in this case – perforated eardrums."

"Oh. Ow."

"Guys, look!" Everyone looked to where Genis was pointing. A pedestal stood on an elevated area of flooring, accessible only from below the glass platform. "That must be the Sorcerer's Ring that unlocks the barrier! But…there are holes."

There were indeed gaps in the pathways below. "I think I could jump the smaller ones, but…that big one leading to the Ring looks too wide to jump." Lloyd looked around. "Hey, look, those piles of stone look worked! I think they might be…Colette!"

Kratos pulled the girl back just before a head-sized piece of stone bounced off the glasslike floor where she had been standing. "They're golems. Genis, do you know a wind spell?" The large, vaguely humanoid stone monster slowly walked towards Colette, who ran to the back of the group. "Lloyd-"

"I know, this guy will mangle even good Dwarven steel! Block only!" There was a clang as the golem's fist collided with Lloyd's crossed blades, before a hiss of air caused the twin-blader to duck and spin out of the way.

"Get 'im! Wind Blade!" As the golem curled into a stone cube, Genis stared at it. "That was…too easy."

"Here comes another one!" Colette's warning let Lloyd block another fist, Genis tripping backwards to make room for Lloyd.

"Take this!" Kratos' sword swept towards the golem as he released a spell. "Wind Blade!" Blades of whistling air took chips out of the stone monster, pushing it back as it curled up into another cube. "Quickly. Push them through the holes!" The blocks dropped neatly into the large trench below, leaving small, easily-jumpable gaps. The golem that was assembling itself out of another stone pile crumbled.

They walked up the stone staircase, but slowed as Lloyd voiced his unease.

"That was almost too easy." Lloyd shook his head. "It was just a few spider monsters and these block-golems. Wait."

He stopped at the top of the stairs and carefully reached out with a loosened glove, his fingers back in the palm. A moment later the cloth hit something solid in the air. There was a crackling sound as the red canvas was singed black at the tip of one finger. The barrier glowed, the crest of the Mana Lineage seeming to hang in the air for a few seconds before fading.

"Colette, that's you, I think. Nothing in this temple would have been designed to harm you or your family."

The blonde walked forward, holding out her hand. When it connected with the barrier the crest hung in the air a second before the whole barrier seemed to shatter into shards of light. They hit the ground with a series of chiming sounds, and the ring on the pedestal raised an inch off the stone. Colette picked it out of the air and put it on her index finger.

"Now we can unseal the door! Come on! Le-AAH!" The girl nearly fell down the stairs, but was halted by a red glove grabbing her shoulder and hauling her back.

"Colette, you need to be careful! One day someone's going to be too late to grab you!" The silver-haired mage stalked past them, nearly stomping down the stairs, jumping the first gap before the rest of them followed him.

"I'm sorry. I really should be more careful, especially around stairs."

The two swordsmen sighed, and Lloyd mumbled something about apologies.