Three months after returning from the Journey of Regeneration. Things are slowly going back to normal, and the two worlds are slowly becoming one, though tensions between Sylverant and Tethe'alla are still very much present. Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine have all one again assumed their roles in Iselia.

Lloyd

The clouds were looking quite interesting right now. In fact, anything was looking more interesting than this lecture that Professor Sage was giving the class about why it was important to memorize the multiplication tables. After experiencing everything he had in the months prior, none of this school stuff seemed so important to Lloyd anymore. Life skills was what was going to get someone like Lloyd ready for the world, not the whole two times eight equals fourteen thing. Or was it sixteen?

Lloyd sighed softly and realized mere milliseconds later that that was probably a bad idea. Turning towards Professor Sage for the first time today, he saw the chalk flying at him full speed, and was barely able to get out of the way of the projectile. It brushed past him, but the force of his sudden movement to avoid it caused him to fall off the side of his chair and onto the floor, resulting in a room of shaking heads. "Sorry!" Well, I would be more embarrassed if this was the first time. Professor Sage looked irritated, no fuming, as he got back into his seat. And as soon as she had become red in the face with teeth barred, she went back to her normal scholarly state.

Colette, who sat in front of him, turned around quickly and smiled at him, one of those smiles he got when he did something goofy. Lloyd smiled back and he decided to finish class that day without further injuries.

Colette, Lloyd, and Genis walked out of the schoolhouse together, as they usually did.

"You know, I'm getting kind of sick of school." Lloyd said. "I'm nearly eighteen, why am I still learning times tables? I should be out doing things."

"Didn't do enough things during the Journey of Regeneration?" Genis teased with a grin. "Besides, you know Raine would hunt you down if you stopped coming to school before she was through with you."

"I don't think Professor Sage would enjoy hunting so much. It just seems so cruel!" Colette commented matter-of-factly.

Lloyd and Genis gave each other knowing looks, before continuing conversation.

"The world needs help coming together as one. Maybe I'd like to go around and help out with that, you know? I mean, we may have brought the world physically together, but we should also bring the Sylveranti and Tethe'allan people together." Lloyd felt like it was his duty to finish what they started. It didn't feel right to just be sitting around while Sylveranti are being oppressed by the Tethe'allans.

Genis and Colette seemed to ponder this for a moment. Lloyd was right, as usual, but it wouldn't be so easy as to just pack up and leave. They had just nearly returned from their last journey that had changed the world forever. Most would say that they were ridiculous for wanting to go back out into the ends of the earth again, but it was hard for Lloyd to live in a world that still felt divided. And whether he liked it or not, Iselia didn't feel so much like home anymore.

Lloyd had been changed forever on the expedition that combined the world into two. There were still thing that he could not fathom, and certain things he did not want to remember. Yet, that journey is what shaped him, and made him stronger, and though it was hard, he did not regret it one bit.

"That's a great idea, Lloyd!" Colette said enthusiastically.

"It is, but honestly, how are we alone going to help bring the Sylveranti and Tethe'allans together? They don't want to associate with each other. The Tethe'allans think we're barbarians!" Genis looked unsure of this plan that Lloyd was formulating.

"Well we'll just have to figure that out on the way. Show them that we're intelligent people too…" said Lloyd, before being rudely interrupted.

"Says the guy who gets chalk thrown at him for not paying attention in school." Genis said with a smirk.

Lloyd grabbed Genis in a chokehold and gave him a nougie, their laughter causing Colette to laugh as well.

After walking Colette and Genis home, Lloyd walked back to his own home and found Dirk chopping some wood outside.

"Boy, can you help me with this?" Dirk called to his son. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Sure thing, dad."

It felt weird to call Dirk dad. Lloyd had grown up knowing that Dirk was not his biological father-he was a dwarf, and Lloyd human, though he had had no one else in mind as his father. But he had been faced with many more things on the Journey of World Regeneration than he had thought. Who he thought was just a quiet, harsh mercenary who was hired to help Colette on her journey turned out to be so much more. Kratos Aurion, his father. He was technically Lloyd Aurion, the fact of this still was hard to comprehend.

But it wasn't just that he was his father, but that he was also an Angel. As in one of THE Angels that helped shaped the world. 4,000 years old, stuck physically at 28 years old, with powers far beyond any normal human. He risked everything to be with Anna Irving, his mother, a mere human, because he loved her.

But he killed Anna.

I understand that it was…necessary. I understand that she had turned into a monster, and went after me, but the pain of her death will always haunt me, even if I don't have that many memories of her…

I do miss her.

Lloyd started sawing at a large piece of wood.

"You look troubled, son."

"Just thinking about mom again." Lloyd said very straightforwardly.

Dirk made some kind of noise of response, and looked over to her grave just feet away from them.

Life was so painfully complicated. A Seraph father on Derris Kharlan and a mother killed by a Seraph because of a Cruxis Crystal Exsphere. There were times where Lloyd wished his life could be normal, but then he realized he may not have been able to meet the others he loved without the prior turnout of events.

He often remembered that he didn't need a biological mother and father to have a family. He had Dirk, Genis, Colette, Zelos, Regal, Presea, Sheena…even Professor Sage, among others. In a way, Lloyd was lucky to have so many good friends around him to support him.

Dirk looked like he was thinking of something to say to help comfort him, but comforting wasn't his specialty. Lloyd wasn't exactly sure if he wanted- or needed to- be comforted at the moment, so he finished up a large share of the work quickly and went up to the house.

Later that night, he laid in his bed, absentmindedly stroking the only physical piece of his mother he had left. The exsphere, which he had on numerous occasions considered taking out, was as much as a part of him as his heart or lungs were. "Goodnight mom." Lloyd rolled over on his side. More quietly, he said, "Goodnight…Kratos."