Serenity
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"Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"
"I think the answer is that a circle has no beginning."-Luna Lovegood(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Kratos looked down at Meltokio, the city looking rather small from his position on the mountain. He had always found this a quiet place to think. It wasn't the terrible silence that was forever permeating Derris-Kharlan and it wasn't the bustle of everyday life. It was peaceful here, and few people knew about it. Kratos could actually only think of two people who had ever known about this place and one of them was now dead.
The auburn-haired man had heard the many things that were going on in the city below. The many decrees against half-elves, the death of the red-haired Chosen's mother, the Pope's strange rise to power and the other dozen things that civilians liked to talk about. He had wanted to see the city that Mithos had said was getting rather modern and popular. He had been right about one thing: Meltokio certainly had a lot of people and a good quarter of them were in the slums. He had stopped by a small deli near the slums and gotten himself a sandwich, hungry for something. Kratos didn't need to eat, but he liked to. Sandwiches had always been a favorite of his, especially the ones with roast beef in them. He would have to visit that little deli more often.
Despite his indifferent face when he had been told of the new half-elf decrees, he had been quietly steaming with anger. All these years and not a thing had changed. Now as he sat underneath the small tree on the ledge, he was pondering as he ate his sandwich. Kratos thought about the human heart and Mithos's plan and he realized that not a thing would change. It was the nature of all humans, and elves and those caught in between that they would always find something that was wrong with somebody else. Their looks, their clothing, their mannerisms-anything. It wasn't people's blood that needed to change, but their hearts, and Kratos doubted that that would ever change.
Courage to change the things that I can
Kratos was going against everything he had clung to for the past four thousand years. He walked the streets of Sybak, a small town in its own right. He himself had never liked this city. It reminded him more clearly of the discrimination because of the universities here. Half-elves were more abundant here, used for research and experiments.
He had been reading up on the information for Aionis and the other ingredients for the Ring of the Pact, and was still mulling things over when he had met up with Lloyd and his friends. There was Tethe'alla's Chosen back there, a slight spark of recognition in his eyes. He almost missed a small pink-haired girl standing by Sheena. She had probably been part of the Exsphere experiments, judging by her lack of reaction. They had been suspicious, which Kratos thought was only natural. Still, he once again put up the apathetic mask and had told Collette to remove the Key Crest Lloyd had made for her. She had rebelled and he simply turned his back and kept walking.
Kratos hoped they would forgive him one day. The seraphim had to play the part if he wanted all the ingredients and if he wanted to give them time to find the Summon Spirits.
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Kratos deflected a swift blow from Lloyd, actually having to concentrate this time around. Lloyd hadn't been neglecting his training. He moved the twin swords like they were made to move, as one sword, not two. One movement was always part of the next one, resulting in a whirlwind of steel.
It was a few hours later when he spoke to Dirk and told Lloyd that he had gotten stronger and had injured him worse than Kratos had originally thought. Lloyd would have to go without him to face Mithos. After they had flown from sight, Krato had sat wearily on the steps of Dirk's house, beginning to feel the millennia creep up on him. When the dwarf had asked him why he was resting outside, Kratos had replied, "I want to see the change in the sky this time. There's going to be a change in the air when they defeat Mithos and I want to feel the newfound serenity."