Red Snow Purged

The night air was frosted over, left cold and bitter by more than the weather. No one should have been awake in the bustling winter town of Flanoir. A soft snow was falling, gently padding the world with a cushion. Indigo skies absorbed the orange lanterns hanging in the streets, merrily keeping guard over the sleepy world. And indeed, the world was asleep to everything—the night, the dangers of winter, and the faint miasma of death.

He had promised himself not to interfere. His power should not be used again to alter fate, not anymore. However, outside of himself, there were his other identities. He was a father, a leader, and a mercenary all in one. The leader told him that this would be going against his old alliances and could endanger his purpose, and the mercenary told him not to throw his emotions into this matter. However, the father's argument was the most compelling of all. It told him that his son was in grave trouble, and that he had a duty to protect his child.

Kratos Aurion finally assumed the position he was meant to be. He was supposed to be a father, and he would prove it through means of the mercenary and the leader. Moving through the land of dreams and sorrows, he was no more than just a shadow in the night. He paused to watch the snow fall on, wondering if his decision was right.

Past the stores and medical offices, Aurion walked to stand in front of a great cathedral. Its stone walls were smooth, growing up endlessly into the sky. Pillars were grandly carved, bracing the church against its own beauty and weight. Purple and blue stained glass windows reflected the aura of the night and the man in front of itself, occasionally winking with a yellow or red piece. It was a beautiful place, but it harbored many evils. This is why Aurion had to purge it and make it pure again.

Aurion grimaced, "The highest always have the furthest to fall." From what he had gathered, the church was practicing inquisition rituals and beatings once more. No bodies had been found, but the church perpetually smelt of coal and blood. Even the church's own members were afraid to attend service there. He felt only pity for them, and for the unfortunate caught within the cathedral.

He looked up. Someone had jumped from the steeple!

It was like watching a swan fall to its death. A beautiful girl had leapt out from the top of the cathedral, diving gracefully with arms swept out. Aurion had no second thoughts. With a majestic flutter, he sprouted blue wings and soared into the air. He caught the girl, almost knocked back by the force of her descent. After he stopped to comprehend all of this, he gently flew back down and slid the girl to the cold snowy ground.

"Chos—Colette," Aurion addressed the girl, "Are you alright?"

Colette Brunel could have easily saved herself by flying, since she was as Aurion is—a human that evolved into a pseudo-angelic form. However, as he quickly noticed, she was missing the very thing that allowed her to do this. Her red Cruxis crystal was missing from its crest on her throat. It became evident to Aurion that she meant to kill herself as he looked over the wounds all over her graceful body. Knife cuts, whip marks, bruises from a blunt object; all of these were present. Even her blue eyes ached with pain.

Brunel cried into his purple shirt, shuddering, "I'm a coward." He wrapped his overcoat around her, trying to comfort her. She kept hiccupping, "Don't go in there. They tricked us all. They'll..."

"Hush," Aurion cradled the girl, walking away from the view of the church. He waited in an alleyway next to an item shop, waiting, "There is nothing to fear. It will be okay."

Aurion was not foolish enough to believe it could do this without some help. In hiding stood his brooding partner. The man was not all that thrilled about assisting Aurion with his personal agendas, but his friend had pleaded long enough to drive him into helping. Arms crossed and cape folded over his shoulder, the blue-haired man glowed with an aura of impatience. He was less than happy to see what Aurion had brought with him.

The man simply known as Yuan frowned, "Kratos, what is it now?"

"Get this girl to the inn," Aurion slipped him a satchel of coins, "Take care of her. I'll have more coming to you, so get a large room."

Yuan took the girl with great care, gently holding her under his own cape, "If it means this much to you."

Aurion did not like the cross remark, "It means the world to me. Doing this..." He couldn't imagine the consequences, but he was ready to take them, "Yggdrasil will know finally that I am not on his side. I hope he chokes on what I'm about to do."

"I'm only doing this because I feel this is what Martel would want," Yuan snarled, reassuring himself. "Do your best."

"Same to you," Aurion was short on sending Yuan on his task, but he did appreciate what the man was doing for him. That's why he didn't have him come in and fight with him. Aurion was apprehensive who or what he might find inside the cathedral, and he was afraid of whom would be dead or need to be. He then gently told Brunel, "He will not hurt you. Don't come for me."

With that cold remark, he left both his friend and the angel girl to fight. He carefully approached the cathedral doors and pushed them open. The heavy oak bent to his wishes, opening to a warm and relatively innocent sanctuary. Monks and nuns lined the pews, murmuring in prayer. They did not notice their visitor, nor the blast of cold air he had brought with him. It was as he was invisible. Aurion appreciated that about the devout—nothing earthly ever seemed to bother them.

To keep in hiding, he snuck into a pew in the back and began to kneel. While he was praying, he began to make notes about the church. There were two doors next to the table sitting in the front, and yet no one seemed to enter or exit them. He couldn't see blood, but he could smell it. It was mostly obscured by the scent of coal, so he knew there had to be a furnace or a fireplace around somewhere. Grimly, he considered that it could be used for burning evidence.

"Sir, can I get you anything?"

Aurion looked up, and his heart panged a little. There was a young girl staring at him, dressed in little better than street clothes. He knew most of the attendants of the church should be robed, but this was not the case here. Her blue eyes were large, hiding some shock. Aurion didn't like the looks of this—the girl's name was Presea Combatir, and he knew her as one of Lloyd's friends. It seemed that not even the children were spared from imprisonment in the cathedral.

"Yes," Aurion whispered, bowing his head, "An explanation would be a good start."

Combatir frowned, softly speaking, "I will get Genis. We need to talk."

Aurion nodded, and let the girl go on her way. As he continued faking to pray, he noticed some of the nuns looking at him. He happened to glance up to his left and see what they were interested in. Above his head was an ornate glass window of one of the four angels of Cruxis. Well, actually, himself. In the Martel religion, the church was aware of the presence of the four high seraphim, but they portrayed them as guardians of the people. It was amusing to be sitting next to his own mythological image, a proud and handsome warrior wielding his sword against demons and malevolent spirits. He passed the nuns' curiosity off as nothing and kept on with his act.

Combatir returned shortly with Genis Sage. Both had brought him sacramental objects so that it looked like he was making a private confession. They beckoned him to follow them into a hidden confessional box off to the side, where they could talk without being spied upon. He appreciated their cunning.

Sage was the first to ecstatically greet Aurion, "Kratos! How did you find out?"

"There were rumors among some of the population of Iselia that one rogue church had begun to offer sacrifices to Martel," Aurion explained, "This of course is not ordained by any doctrine. It's unusual."

Combatir seemed surprised, "How did such news get across to Sylvarant?"

Aurion decided, "I suppose through the Renegades. I asked Yuan about it, and he confirmed it for me."

Sage was shocked, "Yuan's here?" He almost couldn't believe that two angels of the previous Cruxis alliance would actually work together again.

"Yes. He has escorted Colette to the inn of Flanoir," Aurion detailed, "She was severely injured. Do you know anything of this?"

Combatir hesitated, and then spoke for the duo, "The church originally captured both her and Zelos from our party. Raine, Genis, and myself foolishly broke off from the party one night to find them, but instead were caught. Later, Regal came and tried to barter our freedom. I do not know what has become of him. Then, they found Lloyd trying to spy on the church and threw him into the chambers below us. Sheena..."

"We haven't heard any word from her," Sage sighed, "We hope she's still all right."

Aurion slowly ran through all of this information, slowly beginning to piece the situation together. He nodded after some time, grateful for what they could tell him. He thanked them, "I appreciate your help." He then thought again, and asked, "Is there anything else I should know?"

Both Sage and Combatir nervously glance at each other, not sure what to do. Sage seemed to surrender something, nodding sadly at Combatir. She frowned, knowing whatever they were planning was the right thing. She responded, "Go downstairs. You'll pass a furnace room, and then you'll enter several corridors with prison cells. Lloyd is still alive, so...you should concern yourself with saving him, first."

"Is there anybody that has died?" Aurion seemed shocked with her response. It was like both were afraid of something happening, but wouldn't tell him.

Sage corrected him angrily, "There won't be, if you get our friends all out of here by tonight! Otherwise..." He couldn't confess what was on his heart.

Aurion accepted that. He knew better than to challenge any more information out of them. Getting up, he nodded his thanks, "All right. I will be going down. In the meantime, I wish for you to leave this place. Go to the inn. Yuan will be expecting you."

"Leave? But if I leave, they'll—", Combatir was flustered by his orders, "No. We'll go." She obviously knew more than she was telling Aurion, but she couldn't bring herself to telling it. If he was successful, then it wouldn't matter anyway. Covering her doubts, she told Aurion, "Here. Drink this wine. It will look suspicious if you don't take it."

He took the wine cup from her and quickly drank it, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to intoxicate him. The two children escorted him out of the confessional, returning to their station to put the chalice back. Aurion continued moving past the nuns and monks, hiding in the pillars and shadows until he made his way to the door leading down to the furnace. He watched as the two children slowly made their way to the door, and then calmly exited. Good, he thought to himself, it is best that the children are not involved in this.

He quietly opened the door to the furnace room, and stepped into the fiery hells it held.

/***/

Author's Note:

Everyone has to have a Kratos story. So, this is my Kratos story—a dark, angsty little number peppered with the occasional Japanese sentence or two. And later on, blood and ass kicking. Somebody's gonna get smote!

Next chapter will pick up some steam. Literally. Hope you are enjoying so far!