A/N: here's the next chapter! Quite a bit longer this time. Lots of Yuan, and a bit of Kratos and Yggdrasill too (and oh god, I hate writing about their clothes). Yay! Enjoy. :) (Also, if anyone doesn't quite understand the switch to 3rd person POV, the first chapter was only in 1st person so that you might be able to understand what Skye was really like. The rest of the story will continue in 3rd person POV unless there are flashbacks. Thank you.)

Disclaimer: Still don't own ToS. Boohoo.

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What allows us, as human beings, to psychologically survive life on earth, with all of its pain, drama, and challenges, is a sense of purpose and meaning.
-Barbara de Angelis

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Yuan is sitting at his desk in his office in Welgaia wondering exactly why he had received reports that Ozette had been destroyed. He was not aware that Yggdrasill had any plans of doing this, but knows that he must have, because no one else in Cruxis would have done it, and no one outside of Cruxis was currently capable of the feat. With magitechnology weapons long gone from the worlds, humans wouldn't have the power to destroy the village, and the elves wouldn't have a reason to. He supposes that it may have been because of the madness that Yggdrasill is prone to at times, but he's never gone so far as to destroy a town yet, no matter how small or unimportant it is.

There's a flash of light, and Yuan knows that Yggdrasill has appeared in his office. "Yggdrasill, how many times have I told you, there's a door on that wall for a reason?" Yuan says, not looking up from the reports on his desk.

"I do not have time for doors," Yggdrasill scoffs.

"Yggdrasill, you have been living for over 4,000 years and will probably continue to live indefinitely, I believe you have all the time in the –"

"Yuan, I have no time for your ramblings, help me with this," Yggdrasill orders. The teal-haired man looks up to see the blond half-elf carrying an unconscious girl over to the couch in the corner of the room. She has silver hair in her face and is obviously injured judging by the blood and various bruises covering her body. From her unusual mana signature she must be a half-elf, but there seems to be something else strange about her, as well. He's not quite sure what to think of this new development.

"… And why have you brought an unfamiliar, injured girl to my office, today? This is certainly unusual for you, I thought for sure brunettes would be more your type," Yuan says sarcastically, not happy about the cleaning up he'll have to do later.

"Healing magic is not my strong suit, and I cannot find Kratos," Yggdrasill replies, slightly annoyed at Yuan's sarcasm.

Yuan comes around his desk and takes a closer look at the girl. He realizes that she's older than he first thought, probably around nineteen or twenty. She's petite, and he supposes that when that is combined with her current unconscious state, she would seem younger to just the passing glance. He makes note of her injuries and says to Yggdrasill, "She seems to be beyond the point of Kratos' healing abilities anyway. She looks close to death. Once again, Yggdrasill, why have you brought her here?"

"That doesn't matter right now, all you need to know is that I have. She may be of some use to us, and I would like to explore that potential. However, what we need to do right now is find some way to fix the state that she is in. There were… unexpected complications in my retrieval of her," Yggdrasill replies.

"Well if you desire to save her then we need to act quickly. Neither of us is proficient with healing, so you take care of her wounds the traditional way, and I'll go track down Kratos. We'll figure out what to do from there when I find him. For now, you can take her into my room and lay her down on the bed," Yuan says, walking out of the room.

"What does he take me for, a doctor?" Yggdrasill mutters under his breath. He looks down at the girl, not even knowing what the first thing he should do for her is. He decides he'll do as Yuan says, and take her to a place that is more easily maneuverable. He picks her up again, and carries her into the adjacent room – Yuan's bedroom. After setting her down on the bed he decides that he should probably clean her wounds so he can see exactly what's wrong and if anything is still bleeding. He goes to another room to retrieve a warm washcloth and when he comes back he starts working on her wounds. The girl doesn't even stir – she's out cold.

After a few minutes of this Yuan returns with Kratos. Yggdrasill isn't particularly surprised – Yuan always knew Kratos and his habits better than himself. It wasn't a surprise that Yuan could find him with almost no effort at all. Kratos walks over to the bed and begins to inspect the girl, both with magic and physically. He notices her strange composition of mana, but decides not to comment on it. It's not important right now.

"Most of these wounds are not life-threatening on their own; however, the combination of them all is a serious thing. She also appears to be concussed. How long has she been out?" he asks.

Yggdrasill thinks for a moment. "About an hour," he replies.

Kratos nods. "And there have been no signs of her regaining consciousness?"

"No."

"… I see," Kratos replies, continuing with his inspection, and the little bit of healing that he can do. "I'll need to undress her to heal the rest of her wounds and bandage them."

Yggdrasill and Yuan nod, and walk out of the room. They'd like to let her keep as much dignity as possible, and it's not as if the two haven't seen a woman before. Kratos continues with what he was doing, and when he's finished he covers her with the blanket. He doesn't bother with redressing her – her clothes are ruined anyway. He can order some of the lesser angels to find some clothes and redress her themselves later. He walks back out to the office where the other two are waiting.

"If she hasn't stirred within another hour or two, we'll need to think of something else – I've done all I can," he says softly. "In the meantime, why doesn't someone tell me why she's here in the first place?"

"That is not for you to know, yet," Yggdrasill replies.

He looks to Yuan for an answer. The teal-haired man shrugs, as if to say I haven't a clue.

"I see."

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2 Days Later

Kratos ends his inspection and walks out of the bedroom. Yggdrasill had ordered some of the lesser angels to tend to the girl, and Kratos was only needed to go check on how she was doing every few hours. There seemed to have been no change in her condition, and he needed to tell the other two men that it was time to try something else. He had something in mind, but he didn't entirely like the idea of it… He didn't want to submit someone else to the same fate as them, but if she was truly important to some plan of Yggdrasill's, there was really no choice. Even if he didn't bring it up, the other two would surely think of it on their own.

"Kratos, what is your opinion on what we should do with her?" asks Yggdrasill.

Kratos mentally apologizes to the girl for what he is about to say. "She's not going to heal on her own. I think there is one way to save her, but…" he trails off.

"What is it?" Yuan asks, curiously.

"We could give her a Cruxis crystal and induce the angel transformation process. She would become one of us, rather than one of the lesser angels this way, but I can see no other way, and if she is truly important to some plan of yours, Yggdrasill…"

"We'll do it," Yggdrasill says in a tone that leaves no room for argument.

"Very well," Kratos replies, quietly. At least since she shows no signs at all of waking up any time soon, she won't have to feel the pain of the transformation, he thinks.

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Skye opens her eyes for what seems like the first time in awhile, but instantly closes them again. Everything is so bright that it hurts. She decides to wait on that particular sense of hers, and uses the others to make a guess at where she is. She's laying on something soft, it seems. There's a pillow underneath her. It must be a bed, but it doesn't feel like hers… It doesn't smell like hers either. Not that it has a bad smell to it, but it's strange. It smells like someone else. After a moment, she decides to try opening her eyes again, this time opening them slowly, and squinting into the room, before opening them fully. She notices a man across the room from her, and she must have made some small noise because he turns around and looks at her.

"Ah, so you're awake. How do you feel?" the man asks. She takes a moment to look at him before answering. He's wearing a small smile on his face, as if to convey to her that he doesn't mean her any harm, and his green eyes are not unkind. His long teal-colored hair is tied up and draped in front of one shoulder. His green eyes are looking over her, as if he's checking over her condition. He's fairly tall compared to her average height, probably around a little over 6 feet, maybe 6'1" and slender, but you can tell that underneath the clothes, there would be muscle definition. His body type possibly suggesting that he's made for speed more than power. His clothes are mostly white, with accents of gray, red, and gold. He wore white pants and a long-sleeved shirt, with a type of armor that looked easy to move around in. The armor was mostly red, but had gray accents and a gold trim. It had matching gauntlets and greaves. His shoes also matched, and he wore a cape that was gray with a red inside and a gold fringe at the bottom edge. He looked like the type of man who was prepared for anything that may come his way.

"Who are you?" Skye asks warily.

"My name is Yuan Ka-Fai," the man, Yuan, replies. "And yours?"

"Skye Vidall," she answers. "I would introduce myself properly and stand to shake your hand, but I'm not sure I can at the moment," she admits with a shaky laugh.

"Don't worry about it."

Starting to feel a little awkward, and still not understanding where she is, or why this strange man is here, she decides to get straight to the point. "Where am I, exactly?"

"Currently you're in my bed," he replies with a small smirk. "As for where this place is, you will need to wait for an explanation from Yggdrasill. He will be better at explaining because he's the one who brought you here," he finishes, before walking out of the room. "Don't worry about getting up, I'll be back in a minute with some fresh clothes for you," he calls over his shoulder.

Skye decides to take this opportunity to inspect the room. She sits up and swings her legs out of bed, but doesn't take the blanket off, because she has noticed she doesn't have much clothing on. The walls and floor are the same exact shade of white, but there is a soft light gray rug in front of the bed. The bed is pushed up against the western wall, it's headboard touching the wall, and there are small end tables on either side. There's a wardrobe against the eastern wall with a desk on the left of it, and a bookshelf on the right. There's a potted plant in the far right corner of the room, and the door leading out of the room is to the north of her. Behind her is a mirror. The whole room is very neat and organized. The strangest thing about it seems to be that there are no windows.

Not long after she finishes looking the room over Yuan returns carrying some clothes over his arm. "You've lost a bit of weight since you first arrived, but these clothes should fit you well enough," he says as he hands them over.

"Thank you," she says sincerely as she takes them. "Could you…?"

"Of course," he says quickly. "Just call when you're done changing. We'll see if you can walk and then decide whether you can go to Yggdrasill or if he should come to you."

Skye nods and Yuan walks out of the room making sure to shut the door behind him. She takes the blanket off and attempts to stand. Her legs are shaky, and they feel weak; however, she can still stand up. She spreads the clothes out on the bed and looks at them. There is a sapphire blue tank top, a light grey jacket, a pair of pants that match the jacket, some under-clothes that are the same sapphire blue as the tank top, and a pair of plain black leather boots. She gets dressed looks at herself in the mirror, turning around a couple of times, and realizes that the clothes actually fit nearly perfectly.

Rather than calling for Yuan, she decides to simply walk into the other room on her own. Yuan is sitting on the couch across from the doorway, and she walks part of the way over to him and stops. "Thank you for the clothes. They fit perfectly. I actually quite like these colors as well."

"Good. I've informed everyone that you're awake. Are you ready to go see Yggdrasill?"

She nods. "Then let's go," Yuan says as he begins walking out of the room. They begin walking down the hallway and she realizes that it has the same basic color scheme as Yuan's bedroom and office. Everything is just white and gray. She thinks that it's a bit… lifeless. Most places have some sort of distinctive energy about them; maybe it's a bit like a hum that just makes you feel that people live there. This place… It just didn't feel like anything at all.

They continue walking, turning a corner every once in awhile. "Yuan?" she asks.

He stops walking and looks back at her. "Yes?"

"Who is Yggdrasill?"

Yuan is a bit shocked at the question, but he doesn't let it show. What kind of girl doesn't remember the man who saves her life? He thinks it's a rather memorable event… But perhaps she just never learned his name. "Yggdrasill is the man who brought you here. I'm positive that once you've seen him you'll recognize him," he explains.

"…Alright," she says, and they continue their walk. They come to a door that Yuan opens and steps out. When Skye walks out the door, however, she gasps. "The sky…!"

"Relax. Everything will be explained soon. Keep walking," Yuan replies, sounding a bit irritated. She realizes that Yuan hasn't even paused in his pace and she quickens her walking to catch up with him. He doesn't seem concerned about the strange purple color of the sky, so she figures it can't be anything immediately threatening to her.

After some walking through this strange city-like place they come to a strange circle on the ground. She stops to look at it and realizes that Yuan is already standing in the middle of it looking expectantly at her. He holds out his hand and she takes it and walks into the circle. Immediately a strange sensation envelops her, and she closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them she's in a new place. She can no longer see the strange purple sky and they seem to be in some sort of castle-like building.

They walk up a flight of stairs and through a large door and seem to be in the "throne room" of the castle. It's more a place of broken pillars and stone floor. The top halves of the walls have crumbled down, and there is no ceiling. The sky is showing again. They continue walking and come to a blond man sitting on the "throne" with a red-haired man standing beside him wearing a mostly white outfit with many belts criss-crossed across his chest. The red-haired man also has a couple of belts on each limb, and a cape that is sort of V-shaped. There torso area of the outfit is a dark purple, and there are areas on the sleeves and legs of the outfit as well as the underside of the cape that are a lighter shade of the same purple color. He looks to be around the same height as Yuan.

The blond man stands up and walks over to her. The way he walks is... graceful. It's the only way Skye could describe it. The man is also very regal looking, and his pace is slow and relaxed, footsteps quiet. He is well-muscled, but not overly so, and not like a fighter. He has broad shoulders, though not quite as broad as the red-haired man's, and a narrow waist. He's a bit shorter than Yuan and the other man, probably standing around 5'11" and he's also wearing white, but his clothes are more like a one-piece suit. They are form-fitting, but not enough that they would be uncomfortable or hard to move in. The long sleeves are edged in a gold trim at the bottom, as are the legs, and the v-neck cutout going down to mid-chest. His blond hair is worn down, and very long, but looks to be well-taken care of. It is very neat, as opposed to his red-haired counterpart's almost shoulder-length, spiky style. His bangs hang over to one side of his face, but not messily, and not hiding his features. "I am Yggdrasill," he says as he comes to a stop in front of her.

"Skye Vidall," she replies with her name as well.

"What do you remember of before you arrived in Derris-Kharlan?" he asks.

Well at least now I have a name for this place, she thinks. "I… I don't remember much," she says.

"That's to be expected. What I want to know is what you do remember."

She closes her eyes and thinks for a moment. "My memory is… fuzzy. I can remember looking up at the stars… and… fire? I think so. Also, there was… pain. I was afraid. People were screaming… and… and…" she trails off.

"Wait," she says softly. "I..."

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"What's eating you?" he asks with pale gray eyes full of concern.

"…Nothing," I reply. When he's home, sometimes we like to sit outside and watch the sunset, it's just something we've always done. Today, there's a gentle wind, sending its fingers through the leaves. He sighs and runs a hand through his short silver hair.

"Come on, Skye. I know that look…."

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"…What kind of brother would I be if I couldn't even tell when my little sister is lying to me?" He says with a small smile.

"The kind that knows how to mind his own business," I say, poking him in the side. He gives a small chuckle.

"Well that just wouldn't be my style, would it?" He asks, giving me a small shove…

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"…Point taken," he says. "Maybe it's time to get out of Ozette for awhile… For both of us."

I widen my eyes in shock. "Did I hear you correctly? I think you just suggested that you'll take me with you when you leave tomorrow."

He grins at me and replies, "You heard right, then…"

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"…Can you honestly admit you'd be happy if you had to stay here the rest of your life?" he asks.

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The flashback ends. Skye collapses to her knees. "No… My brother… I… Mistral!" she cries. Tears pour down her face, and she forgets that there are other people around. All she can think about right now is the fire, the collapsing building, the village burning, and her brother's probable death.

She feels a hand come down on her shoulder, and remembers that there are indeed other people around; she's not alone in the room. She quickly stands up and apologizes. There'll be plenty of time to cry later, when she's alone. "I-I'm sorry. I had forgotten where I was," she says, wiping the tears from her face. Yuan removes his hand from her shoulder.

A determined look comes to her face. "Yggdrasill," she says. "I remember, right before I lost consciousness, you said that you could help me. It's obvious that you held up your end of the deal, since I'm here right now. What can I do to repay that debt?"

Yuan is impressed. She composed herself rather quickly, and is now moving onto more practical things. After all, tears don't help anyone. Yggdrasill, too, is pleasantly surprised. He didn't know that she was so honorable; he thought he might have to persuade her to do what he wanted.

"First, let me start out by explaining the situation," he says. "Do you know about the Church of Martel?"

She nods. It's common knowledge. Did he think she was an idiot?

"Then I'm sure you're familiar with the journey of the Chosen," he continues. "This journey, while under the premise of regenerating the world, is actually a process of reversing the mana flow between the two worlds: Tethe'alla and Sylvarant."

"Two worlds…?" she questions.

"Yes. I suppose I should start at the beginning then… In short, 4,000 years ago, during the Kharlan War, the heroes Mithos and Martel Yggdrasill, Yuan Ka-Fai, and Kratos Aurion had split the two warring countries – namely Sylvarant and Tethe'alla – into two separate worlds with the power of the Eternal Sword granted to them by Origin. This was done in order to preserve the remaining mana in the world that was quickly being used up by the magitechnology used in the War…"

"But those names -" Skye starts.

"Yes," Yggdrasill interrupts. "We are over 4,000 years old."

He exchanges a look with Yuan and brings out his wings. This prompts Yuan to do the same. "Do you understand now? The power of our Cruxis crystals allowed us to become 'angels'. Through the manipulation of our bodies' mana, we no longer age. We can even change the very way we look," he explains, switching to his 'Mithos' form, and back again.

The red-haired man walks over to continue the explanation. "When you lost consciousness and Yggdrasill brought you back here, you were in a coma for a month and a half. We could find no other way of getting you to heal and awaken, so we had to give you a Cruxis Crystal and induce the angel transformation as well," he says. "You're one of us now."

She looks at him in disbelief. "I don't have wings."

This is what she chooses to focus on? "You do. Close your eyes and concentrate on the mana in your body, and imagine it extending out of your back… Open your eyes. See how simple it was?"

She twists around and looks behind her. Sure enough, there are wings there. They are a sapphire color, and they sparkle a bit.

"How is this possible…?" she mutters.

"That's the power of the Cruxis Crystal," Yuan answers her this time.

"After the worlds had been split, we formed Cruxis in order to ensure their continued existence, and also to watch over the Chosen ones, and guide them on their journeys when needed." Yggdrasill says.

She is quiet for a moment, thinking about how to phrase her next question. "Okay… Alright, knowing all of this, what is it that you want from me? I'm certainly no 4,000 year old hero like everyone else in this room."

Yuan lets out a harsh laugh. Yggdrasill gives him a look before answering her. "What I want from you is for you to serve under me. From today on, you will be the Fifth Seraphim. You will follow my orders, and perform duties similar to those of Kratos and Yuan…"

"Then so be it."

Everyone is silent.

"I owe you my life, and if my service is what you require for me to pay back that debt, then consider it paid."

Kratos is the one who speaks this time. "… You realize that you're going to live indefinitely from here on? You will no longer die from natural causes, and it will be nearly impossible for someone to kill you. You will not age, and everyone you've ever met or cared about will be gone from the world long before you."

"I realize that… But what else do you expect me to do? My only family is gone, my village is destroyed, and I'm a half-elf. There's really nothing for me left…" she says sadly. "So if I can take this life, and turn it into something useful for the ones who gave me this second chance, then I'm willing to do that. After all, who can be happy in a life without purpose?" she says quietly.

They are all quiet for a few moments, deep into their own thoughts. Yggdrasill is the first one to speak. "Then your training will begin tomorrow. Though Cruxis may be powerful, we still have enemies. I can't let you die before your debt has been repaid, now can I?" he says with a small smirk.

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A/N: Well, thanks for reading if you made it this far. :) I know I'm not a great writer, but I've just started and things will hopefully get better. (Reviews will help me be a better writer as well, leave me some constructive criticism!) Have a nice day, lovelies! :D