"Lloyd Irving, wake up."
"Hmm?"
"Lloyd!"
Bam! Before Lloyd even had time to react a hard, wooden object sailed across the room and hit him in the face, squarely between the eyes. It was undoubtedly thrown by Professor Sage, the marksmanship was incredible from years of tossing things at Lloyd with deadly percision in order to wake him from a trance. The cloud of dust parted and Lloyd opened his eyes. Laying on the floor at his feet was an eraser for the chalkboard and two buckets brimming with water in his hands. He looked up at Professor Sage, now standing before him with her hands on her hips and a displeased, but not entirely suprised, look on her face.
"How do you manage to sleep standing?"
"Oh, Professor Sage," Lloyd said pathetically, "I-is class over now?"
She gave an exsasperated sigh and turned away. "Nevermind. Someone else can answer the question." She paced up along the row of desks. "Genis, how about you?"
A young boy, possibly no older than twelve, stood up and turned his full attention to the front of the room, where Professor Sage was now standing. The school at Iselia was small, with only one classroom and one teacher. Students of every age were placed together, so Professor Sage often had to seperate the class into groups and give mini-lessons to each of them. There were no worries about this though. Professor Sage was brilliant. Lloyd remembered being highly impressed by her ability to recite every Dwarven Vow off the top of her head. He had been raised by a dwarf since he was three and yet even he hadn't memorized every single vow.
"Mithos, the hero, brought an end to the Ancient War on the holy ground of Karhlan." Genis recited his answer perfectly and sank back into his seat.
"Correct. Afterwards, Mithos formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians, whom caused the war."
"But the desians came back!" Lloyd called from the back of the room. "And now they're causing everyone to suffer!"
Professor Sage rolled her eyes. "We covered that in class last time, Lloyd. Do you remeber? When Martels seal upon the Desians weakens they return, just like they have now."
"I... I knew that." Lloyd felt his face turn red with embarassment. "I just forgot."
"Today is the Day of Prophecy. This means that the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel." Raine shifted her gaze to another student. "Now, Chosen One, Colette."
The girl with long blonde hair sitting in the second row rose up when she was addressed.
"Yes, ma'am," she chimed in a cheerful voice.
"Tell us about the journey of World Regeneration."
Colette took a deep breath and began her lecture.
"It is a journey to seal away the Desians. The Chosen One receives the oracle from the Goddess Martel and Cruxis, then sets out on the journey of Regeneration. They travel across the world to unlock the five seals and slowly become an angel. Upon passing this trial, the summon spirits that protect the world awaken and Mana is restored. The Desians are then sealed away by this power."
Colette finished with a content sigh and turned to sit back down. For a moment Lloyd and her locked gazes. She smiled at him. One of her warm, friendly smiles. Colette had been with him as long as he could remember. She was his first friend in Iselia, and one of his best friends, even to this day. He could almost get caught up again in reminicsing about their past, but he preferred not to be the target of another wayward chalk brush again.
"Correct." Professer Sage crossed her arms and nodded approvingly. "I suppose we should expect the Chosen herself to know that one. Mana depletion is the cause of all the current droughts and food shortages." She wrote on the board now as she spoke. "It is said that this is caused by Desians consuming vast amounts of mana in their human ranches. The purpose of world regenration is not only to revive mana, but to defeat the Desians as well. Now, for the next qu-"
A bright white light filled the classroom, bursting through the large glass windows like a cascading waterfall. Lloyd dropped the buckets he was holding to cover his eyes. There were shocked gasps and a few screams in the classroom, and the scraping of desks and chairs against the wood floor as some students scrambled to find shelter under the furniture. It lasted only a moment, and then a dreaded silence filled the classroom. Students peeked up from the floor, wide-eyed. Colette stared balnkly out the window. Lloyd cursed when he saw the puddles of water forming on the floor from the spilled buckets. He looked up at Professor Sage, waiting for her to come running up to him shouting and ready to dish out one of her notorious punishments. Instead she stood at the front of the classroom. Her mouth was agape and she was holding her breath.
"Wh-what was that?" Lloyd was the first one to speak.
"Thats..." Colette's voice would be inaudible on a regular day, but the silence of the room made her words crystal clear.
Professor Sage cleared her throat. "Everyone stay calm. It seems the oracle has arrived." she grabbed her rod from against the wall and ran for the door. "I'm going to check on the chapel. Everyone stay here and study on your own."
"Wait!" Colette stood and called after her. "I'll come with you!"
"No, Colette. If this is the oracle then the priests will come here for you. Stay here."
Before Colette could even reply Professor Sage had darted out the door, an almost maniacal gleam in her eyes. She was more excited for the oracle than the Chosen One herself, it seemed. Colette bowed her head and sat back down at her desk, resuming her studies.
Lloyd felt the itch of adventure within him. The Journey of Regeneration, defeating the Desians, the Trials of Martel; they all seemed like such exciting things. Certainly they were more exciting than sitting around in a tiny, stuffy classroom all day and just reading about heroic deeds from dusty old textbooks. Wouldn't it be something to actually be there to see the World Regeneration happening instead of just learning about it secondhand? Lloyd gripped the handle of one of his twin blades, sheathed and strapped to either hip, and squeezed it tightly. It was something he always did when he was thinking. Especially when he was thinking about going against Professor Sages orders. While the other students feared and admired her, Lloyd always enjoyed to break the rules every once in a while. It was something exciting to keep from the same old routine every day. He needed excitment in his life. He needed action. He needed adventure. Lloyd didn't simply just want to go to the chapel and travel with Colette on the journey of World Regeneration. He needed it. He also needed to protect Colette from the dangers she would inevitably face. She was his dear friend and the world was filled with monsters and Desians.
Lloyd rose to his feet again and with excitment, scurried towards the classroom door. He took one last glance backwards to make sure no one was watching and made a break for the hall.
"Lloyd!"
He stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't even noticed Genis watching him from across the room. He probably anticipated Lloyd trying to leave. He cursed himself for being so careless.
"Yeah, Genis?" Lloyd turned to face his friend.
"Where do you think you're going? Raine said to stay here! If you leave she'll get mad."
"I want to see what happens when Colette receives the Oracle." Lloyd explained. "They always tell us about World Regeneration and the Day of Prophecy, but no one tells us what really happens."
"But my sister said to study by ourselves and stay here..."
"It's research," Lloyd remarked in a casual tone.
"That's just an excuse!" Genis fumed.
"So? An excuse is an excuse." Lloyd turned to Colette. "Hey, Colette! You coming with us?"
Colette turned her head to Lloyd and looked at him with a confused face.
"Us?" Genis muttered. "Who said anything about 'us'? I'd rather not get beat up by Raine again."
"Come on Genis," Lloyd prodded, "We're best friends, after all!"
"Fine! Whatever. But don't blame me when you get another chalk stick to the face." Genis sighed.
"So, where to?" Colette appeared at Genis' side.
Lloyd and Genis sighed in unison. Colette wasn't exactly the brightest candle in the batch. She had always been spacing out and doodling pictures of dogs in class, but she was never punished by Professor Sage like Lloyd or Genis. Their teacher always used violence rather than words to deal with the boy students in her class.
"Where else? That light!" Lloyd pointed out the window. "You're directly involved in all of this, so aren't you at least a little bit curious?"
"Hmm..." Colette cocked her head. "Are you curious about it?"
"Of course I am! That's why we're going to go see it!"
"You," Genis corrected.
"Shut up, Genis." Lloyd glowered at him.
"Well, I guess if you're curious about it then I'll be curious about it, too!" Colette smiled.
"See? Dwarven Vow number four: Don't depend on others, walk on your own two legs!" Lloyd recited the vow with a sense of pride in his voice.
"Then I guess you can stop asking me for the answers to your homework then." Genis nudged Lloyd's arm.
"I said shut up, Genis!"
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The normally peacful and flower scented air of Iselia was charged with a forgien energy. People were usually going about their business in town, but today the roads were completely empty. Every door was locked, and shutters had been slammed shut on each window. The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the wind in the trees, heralding the warm spring afternoon. Lloyd and the others scanned the village, looking for any sign of life. The place almost seemed to be a ghost town.
"It's so quiet..." Genis remarked, nearly whispering as if not wanting to disturb the silence.
"I wonder where everyone is?" Lloyd took another look around.
"Colette?"
A man with blonde hair and a large nose approached the group. He had a look of worry plastered all over his face. He looked at Colette and his expression worsened.
"Father!"
"Frank, where is everyone?" Lloyd asked.
"They've retreated to their houses. The Desians came through town shortly after the light of the oracle and headed straight to the temple."
"The temple?" Genis' eyes widened, "But Raine is there!"
"Phaidra was there preparing for the oracle as well. I've been worried sick about her." Frank hung his head low.
"Grandmother..." Colette uttered. "I have to go help her."
"I'll go with you." Lloyd insisted.
"Lloyd?" Frank cocked his head, "You by yourself?"
"I'm going too!" Genis added.
"Well... I suppose." Frank still sounded unsure.
Lloyd figured this would happen. People would doubt his ability to protect Colette. After all, even though he had taught himself how to use dual swords over the past eight years, he had never really had to fight anything more dangerous than the occasional wolf. Right now the world was plagued with monsters because of the decline in mana, but the city watch of Iselia usually took care of them, and monsters barely ever travelled the woods where Lloyd lived. It seemed that the human ranch wasn't just imposing to people, but to wildlife as well. Everyone avoided that dark forest.
"Frank, trust me. Colette is my best friend. I won't let her get hurt." Lloyd placed a hand over his heart in promise.
"Alright." Frank sighed in defeat. "Please be careful."
Lloyd turned to the northern gate and looked beyond the trees that surrounded it. Beyond there the Martel Temple waited for them. Everyday visitors were forbidden from entering the sacred place. It was to protect the Cruxis Crystal that sat in the altar at the very top floor of the chapel. If the oracle truly had arrived, then that meant that the crystal was the one to emit that brilliant light. Lloyd could feel his hands trembling with excitment. He bodly stepped forward, the others following behind them. They didn't match the confidence Lloyd had, but they would refuse to sit back and let him go alone.
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