Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. It belongs to the fine folks at Namco.

A/N: This came partially out of frustration because there are no Forcystus fanfics, partially because of a quote from ToS and because I love the "what if"'s. Be warned lots of spoilers. I mean it's about Cruxis and Desians afterall.

The Good Aurion

Chapter II: Fine Returns and New Honors

The next few days in Welgaia, after the trip to Tethe'alla, continued without incident. His father came and went within the city to attend to his duties leaving Lloyd to wander the facility without company. It was not that the city was empty. It was far from it. Angels busily but lazily traveled to and fro. But angels were hardly company. They rarely spoke with him or hadn't since he was old enough to mind himself. One of the reasons, the next incident was so odd. "Young Lord Aurion."

Lloyd looked up. Remiel, a mid-ranked angel, was hovering several feet away from him. "What is it?"

Remiel snorted at the young human. "Young Lord Aurion, your father has asked that I instruct you to see to a desian report that is in the Tower of Salvation."

Lloyd sighed. He was playing escort for Lady Pronyma he supposed. "Tell Lord Kratos, I'm on my way." Lloyd said and headed off toward the transport.

Remiel snorted again. "...inferior being..."

Lloyd heard it but kept walking. Remiel's opinions were nothing to pay much mind to. He was notoriously rude even to his other angels. He wasn't a high ranking angel, barely higher than Lloyd himself and he had little rank outside of his father, hardly something noteworthy. Lloyd traveled via the teleports of Welgaia from level to level. The city was designed with angelic travel in mind and doing so by foot was often tedious. It took almost an hour but he finally arrived on the main transporter of Welgaia which led to the surface.

"Your business, Lord Aurion?"

Lloyd was adjusting his Cruxis wear as he waited for the guard angel. He looked up promptly and tried not to smile. Professionalism, Lloyd, professionalism. "I have a meeting with one of the desian Cardinals in the Tower of Salvation on the side of Sylvarant."

"Yes, Young Lord Aurion." The angel said and activated the port. "Hope you are successful, Lord Aurion."

Lloyd nodded and stepped onto the transport. The transport activated near instantly and within seconds he arrived on Earth, Sylvarant Earth, below. He looked up. "Forcystus!"

The desian was standing on the lower platform. "Lloyd?"

Lloyd ran off the platform, jumped down from the higher platform and embraced the older man. "Forcystus, it's been forever!"

Forcystus pried the overzealous boy off with his good arm. "Well, well. You've certainly grown up."

Lloyd almost grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah, a full member of Cruxis now. Honors and all."

Forcystus looked over the boy walking around him then stopped and smiled. "Ah..." He said laughed and hugged the smaller Cruxian picking him up off the ground. "That's great, Lloyd. That's great. Just don't lose your sense of humor like your father."

Lloyd grinned. "I don't think I could ever be as serious as dad."

Forcystus laughed and put the boy down. "So you're the welcoming committee. I needed that."

Lloyd cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

Forcystus smiled and ruffled Lloyd's hair. "Nothing you have to worry about."

Lloyd frowned. It was just like Forcystus to treat him like a little kid. "Why are you at the Tower?"

Forcystus smiled. "I have a meeting with Lady Pronyma. I guess it's your job to escort me."

Lloyd smiled and stood up straight. "Well then, 'Lord' Forcystus, I will escort you to Lady Pronyma. I have to warn you though. It's going to be a little bit of a pain getting there." Lloyd sighed. "Welgaia isn't exactly built for anyone but the angels."

Forcystus squinted a little with confusion but followed Lloyd onto the transporter. The look at his face seemed to explain it all. Forcystus was shocked or maybe more amazed. "So this is where you live."

"Yeah, this is home." Lloyd said his hands behind his head.

Forcystus cocked his head as he looked up and down Welgaia. The city was a series of hovering platforms, moving floors, magical roads and half elves everywhere. The city didn't buzz like a normal city either. It had a peaceful, if not somewhat lifeless, feel to it. "Pronyma is here?" He said looking back at Lloyd.

"Yeah, I'll have her summoned." Lloyd said walking right past Forcystus. "I'll ask Uriel to..." He turned back at Forcystus who appeared anxious to walk on the bridge of nothing but mana. Lloyd sighed and walked back across to him. "Come on." He said grabbing the other man by the wrist and pulling him over.

Lloyd continued on into the heart of the city. The angels flew gracefully above ignoring them entirely. "The angels are half elves."

Lloyd smiled. "Yep. Besides dad, of course. Everyone in Welgaia besides me and dad are half elves."

Forcystus continued to look from side to side. "It's nice here, isn't it?"

Lloyd grinned. "Yeah, I'll have to show you the swords I got when you're done with your meeting."

"Swords?"

"Yeah, Lord Yuan, he's one of the Four Seraphim like dad, recommended that Altessa, that's a dwarf in Tethe'alla, make a pair of swords that have mana conductors on them. The mana conducts allow when I fight for me to use magic."

Focystus's eye widened. "Really?"

"Yeah! Everyone in Cruxis can use magic so they had the swords made. Lord Yuan's brilliant like that. Dad can too but that's because of a process he went through." Lloyd looked up. "Okay, we should be able to summon her here."

Lloyd walked up to the small console and pushed a few buttons. Forcystus approached looking over Lloyd's shoulder. "So this is the kind of magitechnology you have up here."

Lloyd nodded. "We're so close to Derris Kharlan that mana isn't an issue up here." A screen appeared out of thin air causing Forcystus to jump. "Lord Aurion requests a summoning of Lady Pronyma for a meeting with Lord Forcystus."

The angel on the screen nodded. "Yes, Lord Aurion. Lady Pronyma will be waiting on the third level meeting room.

The screen disappeared again. Lloyd turned away from the console and started walking down a corridor to the far left. "Come on, she'll be waiting."

Forcystus followed wearily. "You certainly have grown up. I never thought I'd hear you talk like that."

Lloyd grinned over his shoulder. "Yeah... I guess it is kinda weird. But.. that's what they expect of me."

Forcystus nodded. "The son of Lord Kratos of the Four Seraphim can't be a kid forever, I suppose."

"I'm not a kid." Lloyd scolded.

"Oh really?" Forcystus said smirking mischievously. "I recall a certain kid escaping from a certain ranch and into a certain human village."

Lloyd blushed and frowned at him. "I was ten and you were an awful sitter."

"You were an awful sittie." Forcystus said irritably. "You kept running away on my left side. You know I can't catch you with my bad arm."

Lloyd laughed to himself. "You should have thought of that before saying yes to playing tag."

He snorted. "Do you know how dangerous it was going into that village? You know how dangerous humans can be and you were unarmed."

"I didn't have any trouble."

"That's because they didn't know who you were."

Lloyd shrugged. He couldn't blame Forcystus for being concerned. He knew the nature of his species. Even his own father had gone against Lord Yggdrasil's wishes when he had courted his mother. It was in their nature he supposed and more than likely in his as well. "I guess."

Lloyd entered the elevator. It was uncomfortably silent. Forcystus looked over at him out of the corner of his eye. Lloyd stood quietly with his arms crossed. Forcystus nudged the younger man with his robotic arm. "Hey,"

Lloyd ignored him.

"Hey." He nudged him again and again.

"What?" Lloyd looked over irritably.

"Lloyd, you know I wasn't talking about you. But those villagers are dangerous and you were just a kid. You don't know what they'll do." Forcystus ruffled Lloyd's hair. "Not everyone has the upbringing you had."

Lloyd sighed and pushed Forcystus away. "You really think that's all it is?"

Forcystus shrugged. "I guess. I've never known you to act like other humans and what else could it be."

The elevator stopped and the two left into a corridor. Angels fluttered back and forth. Some seemed to look over for only a second or so. Lloyd noticed more than Forcystus. Forcystus was used to stares Lloyd supposed. "The meeting room is this way. Lady Pronyma will be waiti..."

Lloyd stopped a little short. Kratos was standing in the corridor watching Lloyd. After being noticed, he approached him. "Continue."

Lloyd turned back to Forcystus. "Th-that's the meeting. Lady Pronyma will be waiting. I... wish you success, Lord Forcystus."

Forcystus shot him a sympathetic look. "Thank you, Young Lord Aurion." and entered the meeting room.

"Very nicely done." Kratos said solemnly. "It isn't often that a desian Grand Cardinal comes to Welgaia. There must be quite the situation in the declining world."

"I thought you gave me the errand because of my previous encounters with Lord Forcystus?"

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "He used to sit for you." Kratos turned forward again. "I'd hardly see that as previous encounters."

Lloyd tried not to blush. That was stupid. "Why did you have me run the errand then?"

Kratos turned to him. "Because you're a native of Welgaia, have experience with navigating without the aid of flight and... you've been showing a lot of dedication. You were most capable is all. It wasn't a personal biased for Lord Forcystus. He had no choice in who escorted him."

Lloyd pushed back blushing again.

"However that isn't important. We've been summoned."

Lloyd groaned. "To Sylvarant again?"

Kratos hit his son on the back. "Stand up straight."

Lloyd looked up confused. "What is it?"

"We've been summoned to Derris Kharlan. I have a meeting with Lord Yggdrasil and..." Lloyd looked up with confused anticipation. "And you do as well."

Lloyd swallowed hard.

"Now don't be nervous. You'll be fine but follow some rules." Kratos said grooming his son. "Only speak when you are spoken to. Bow when you enter. When you are addressed, walk forward and kneel. Don't look up unless to speak. Don't argue. Also try to remain calm, he doesn't like mana influxes."

Lloyd swallowed hard again as they reached the main transporter. He took a deep breath. "Y-you don't think he's angry with me do you?"

Kratos shook his head. "I sincerely doubt it. Are you ready?"

Lloyd nodded quickly. He had to admit that he was still nervous but he hoped that it didn't affect his mana too much.

Kratos and Lloyd continued on to the transport. Derris Kharlan wasn't as Lloyd had expected at all. He had always imagined the homeland of the Elves to be a lush garden of a city. He imagined vast grasses and plants that could not be sustained by the mana of the Earth or by the toxic environment of war and hatred. The reality was almost the exact opposite. The relics of a once grand city seemed to be hovering on the loose and wild mana. It appeared that the mana itself would one day completely consume the remnants of the Elven city.

Kratos didn't seem to notice. He grabbed Lloyd firmly by the arm and flew upward. Lloyd hadn't flown with his father in almost eight or nine years now. He had been much smaller then and had clung to his back. This was all together different experience. Kratos was only holding onto his son's arm leaving him dangling without a grip. His hand was opposite to Kratos's arm so he couldn't grab on even if he wanted to. He was limp and all together helpless as he was quickly being pulled upward.

Kratos stopped almost ten minutes later and hovered above the platform releasing his son who was doubled over from a head rush. He fluttered to the ground and retracted his wings. "Come on, we're almost there."

Lloyd got up wobbly. "Please try not to do that again."

"This way."

Lloyd followed his father who was now well into a brisk walk. Lloyd followed through a pair of large doors and to a transport. "It's a lot further than I thought it would be."

Kratos looked at his son. "Derris Kharlan is a big place, Lloyd."

The transport activated almost immediately racing the two Aurions to Yggdrasil's castle. The castle was another ruin flowing in the vast sea of mana. A throne sat and upon it Lord Yggdrasil. Lloyd bowed quickly with his arm tucked tightly at his side. Kratos was not as rigid but still bowed low to the half elf. "You summoned us, Lord Mithos." He approached the long haired man and knelt. Lloyd had never seen his father kneel to anyone.

Yggdrasil rose from his throne. His gaze was one of the most intense Lloyd had seen. He had been told not to stare but he doubted he could. He then spoke. "Yes, there is a crisis in Sylvarant. Someone has been interfering with the journeys of the Chosens. A Chosen of Sylvarant hasn't completed a journey in over five hundred years now." Yggdrasil paused and made what seemed like a frustrated sigh. He turned back to Kratos quickly. "I want you to accompany the group of the Chosen. Make sure that she is not killed. Pretend to be a mercenary."

Kratos nodded quickly and rose. He left quickly leaving Lloyd alone with the leader of Cruxis. Lloyd made a small feeble sound for his father. He didn't think anyone heard it. "Lloyd."

Lloyd looked up quickly, moved forward and knelt. "Yes, Lord Yggdrasil?"

Yggdrasil turned to the boy and stared for a moment. Lloyd was too scared to look up but he could feel his eyes. "I've noticed a great deal of improvement in you young Aurion." Yggdrasil paused. "You've always carried out your missions, you obey orders, attend your lessons. You are a model member of Cruxis."

Lloyd blushed with his head still down.

"You are no longer a child. Take this."

Lloyd felt a burning sensation on his sternum for a moment. He looked down. An exsphere. His head shot up to Yggdrasil. "I-I'm being given an exsphere."

Yggdrasil smiled slightly. "Yes when your mana accepts, you'll have your wings. I suppose that will make it far easier."

Lloyd nodded and began to get up.

"However,"

Lloyd stopped and turned on his now half kneel. "Yes, My Lord Yggdrasil?"

"The meeting with you was not concerning your exsphere. If that were all, I would have let Kratos have the honor. There is a larger problem. There is deception to Cruxis at the Iselia Ranch. I want you observe. I want you to go to the ranch as a member of Cruxis and stop whatever interworking there is."

Lloyd appeared somewhat shocked. "Why of course, Lord Yggdrasil. If anyone is deceiving Cruxis, I'll find and report it."

Yggdrasil smiled. "You are dismissed, Young Aurion."