This piece is an excerpt from the multi-chapter story I am writing, tentatively titled To Achieve Salvation. It will focus on Zelos' character post-game. The story will not be finished for quite some time, so I wanted to get a bit of writing out there so I don't look like a total mooch by being subscribed to a lot of stories without anything published. Constructive criticism is welcome and highly appreciated, since this is my first piece.

Running-Excerpt from To Achieve Salvation

Despite his best efforts, Zelos could feel his hands tremble from nervousness as he trudged up the bleak stairs of the abbey. Finally, after months of wrangling with the king and the church, he was able to secure Seles' freedom. He had sent a letter with the good news to her as soon as it was confirmed, and then made haste to the abbey. Now that he was here, however, his eagerness had evaporated, and he could feel dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

It had been a while since he had last seen his sister; in fact, he hadn't made a visit since the regeneration journey. He couldn't bear to face her before. But now that he had something to offer her—something to make her proud—maybe he could convince her to come home with him. Perhaps they could try to end the disconnect that had separated them since their youth. And maybe Seles could love him again.

He slowly ascended the last flight of stairs and arrived at the plain-looking door that led to his sister's room. Steeling himself, he straightened up and gave a tentative knock on the solid wood.

"What?" came an irritated voice from the other side of the door. Zelos opened it a crack, observing his little sister bent over, packing a few last things into a final box. Upon hearing the door creak open, the quarter-elf stood up, turning around as she let out an irritated huff.

"Tokunaga, I told you that I'm almost don—" At that moment, Seles caught sight of the red-haired figure in the entryway. Her eyes widened in surprise, but then narrowed into a glare. "Big Br—Chosen One! What are you doing here?" she accused, her voice taking on an even sharper edge.

Zelos entered the room and responded with one of his trademark grins. "Can't a brother come to celebrate the good news and see his little sister off?"

The younger girl crossed her arms and scowled. "Well, maybe you should have bothered to visit me when I was stuck here. I might have actually appreciated the company of someone as annoying and irresponsible as you if that were the only option."

The angel internally winced at her response, but maintained his exterior; there were no cracks in his facade. He opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by his younger sibling.

"Unless…" Seles whispered in an uncharacteristically timid voice, wringing her hands and shifting her weight back and forth in an awkward manner,"Did you come to…return the crystal?" She made eye contact with him briefly and then lowered her gaze to where the gem was affixed to his chest.

Zelos' heart sank at her words. There his sister stood, looking for all the world like the anxious five-year-old he had met and grown to love, demanding what he could not bring himself to tell her. He still remembered the day he gave her the crystal. They were both broken, reeling from the loss of their mothers and childhood innocence. On the verge of being forced apart, he handed her the crystal.

"This is a charm," he had said gently. "I want you to keep it since we're siblings."

In the few times he had seen her since, he had noticed that she kept it close. Although he knew that she hated him, he liked to think that she kept it to remind her of their bond, of the closeness they once shared. And now he was ripping the last of those memories away, taking something else important from this girl who had lost so much.

Yet he couldn't give the crystal back. Thanks to his scheming and spying nature, he had been turned into an angel. If he unequipped the crystal, he was resigning himself to death. It should have been easy to mention that, to tell her the truth. Surely she would believe him. Yet Zelos could not find it in himself to confide in her. He couldn't help but feel that she would hate him more than she already did if she knew everything. After all, he was pretty despicable to himself.

Zelos was used to running; running was safe. Falling back on familiar patterns, the chosen leaned back with a casual smirk, folding his arms behind his head.

"'Fraid I can't do that, darling," he chirped.

Seles straightened up, affronted. "And why not?" she hissed.

"Um, you know…chosen stuff," he finished lamely.

"But you…you promised…" she whispered. Then suddenly, the wide-eyed, unguarded look she sported earlier was no more. Gone was the close sibling whom he had entrusted his crystal with long ago, the expression on her face now as broken as their vow. "You should leave."

Zelos panicked. Somehow maintaining his casual exterior, he whined, "But I just got here! Besides, aren't you coming back with…" he trailed off.

The sickly girl seemed to have grasped his meaning. She looked away uneasily before staring at him again, jutting out her chin. "I'm going off to Sybak to further my studies. There isn't a semi-decent library in this hell-hole. The coach should be here any minute."

"Oh…well, have fun then," the chosen replied. Ignoring the emptiness filling up his chest, he brightened his expression and stated, "Make sure you say hi to all of my intellectual hunnies there. Tell them I miss them!"

He turned around and began head out the door, bumping into a harried-looking Tokunaga. "She's all yours," he said as he walked out of the desolate abbey, the sunshine outside doing nothing to abate the gloominess he felt within.

He was too far away to hear Seles whisper, "I know you'd be happier without me…but you could've at least pretended you wanted me to stay."