Chapter 2: "This is Raven"

Two people entered Iselia Forest completely unnoticed. The male looked about 28 years old, and the girl 17.

"Kratos, where are we going? I mean you never did inform me." The brunette Angel looked at his blonde companion who asked him that question. It had been after a long silence they'd been traveling in for so long. Thinking about the answer to her question for a couple seconds he continued walking in silence. Kratos could sense the teenager's dark brown eyes starting up at him. Finally he decided to tell her.

"There is a house nearby, more of a cottage sort really." Kratos stopped speaking as they found the trail again. Somehow they had fallen off course a while ago and Kratos had to find there way back. He very well could have flown him and the girl to the dwarf's house, but the child didn't quite know about his ability yet. She only knew of her own strange powers due to the black exsphere.

At the ripe age of one and a half the girl had been experimented on. They had taken her away from her heart broken parents at that age and took away the rest of her childhood. When the girl was 5 they infused the black exsphere onto her back. That too had been experimental.

"Whoa…what happened there?" The girl's voice brought Kratos out of his thoughts. Apparently they had stopped just outside the Iselia Ranch. Kratos crossed his arms across his chest and said, "Lloyd Irving destroyed that and many other Human Ranches in his journey of 'saving the two worlds'. I hadn't realized how close we are to his house, come along Raven we mustn't dawdle."

Raven…it wasn't the name her parents had given her, but the ones the 'Desians' had when they spoke of her. Her experiment was dubbed 'The Raven Project' and she had supposedly just picked up on it after hearing them call her Raven for so long.

Hearing a high whistling noise Kratos looked around. Looking towards the sky as a last resort he saw two Rheards zip through the sky, one red and one blue. They were heading North-West, Lloyd's house! Wondering who it was Kratos tried to get a better look.

His angel eyes saw a flash of silver hair on each of the flying devices, and he even thought he saw brown hair flying back too. Walking a couple steps forwards Kratos spoke to Raven, "Come on, we must hurry." He wasn't sure who it was on the Rheards, but it looked like Raine and Genis along with a little girl who he didn't know.

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Minutes later Kratos and Raven walked out of the woods and saw to their amazement the 'cottage'.

"I thought you said it was a cottage, not a big house, Kratos!" Raven said while crossing a bamboo bridge.

"I suppose Lloyd's done some remodeling", said Kratos in his usual slightly cold voice. Walking up to the front door he looked around. He had noticed something that chilled his bones.

"There is fresh blood on the frame", his words were now filled with worry. Reaching for the door knob Kratos wondered if just walking in would be the best thing. His worry over powered his common sense and the Mercenary pushed open the door to a seemingly empty house.

"Lloyd? Dirk? Raine? Genis?" He called out for those who he figured would be here. When no one answered his call Kratos unsheathed his double sided sword and motioned for Raven to stay where she was. After the blonde girl nodded to show that she would stay put Kratos slowly made his way around the ground floor. He planned to go to the top floor after making sure everything was safe around here. A couple minutes later Kratos saw that everything was safe down on the ground floor.

"Do you hear something up there?" Came words from the blonde teenager Raven. Kratos stopped walking around to listen to what Raven asked about. He didn't hear anything right away, but then heavy boots scraping across the floor above them were noises that came to his ears. Quickly he made his way up the stairs and saw a door to his right where there used to be an open room. That wasn't the only change to this house upstairs. Directly in front of him where there once was a balcony there was a children's room.

"When did THIS happen?"

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"When did THIS happen?" Lloyd heard a voice just outside the room he was in. Looking over at his sleeping son and exhausted daughter he worried for their safety. Quickly and quietly Lloyd unsheathed both of his swords from his hips.

The father heard someone in the corner near the bed stand up. Lloyd quickly looked back to see Genis, his young half elf friend standing up and looking at him with questioning eyes. Lloyd merely raised a finger to his own lips trying to balance a sword in his hand.

"What's wrong Kratos?" Lloyd then heard a girl's voice speak his father's name. Throwing caution to the wind now Lloyd lowered his weapon and walked over to the door frame that of his children's room.

"Kratos?", Lloyd looked at the man who was his father, yet never really fathered him

"Kratos what are you doing here? What about Derris Kharlan?" He could remember that the reason he hadn't seen his father for the last 13 years was because the 'Angel' had to stay on Derris Kharlan, another world, so that it wouldn't crash into their world.

Lloyd didn't notice he girl who Kratos with until, suddenly with a flash, he remembered there had been a girl's voice that had alerted him to who was there.

Looking out into the hallway Lloyd asked upon seeing the blonde teen, "And who is this?"

"This is Raven…"

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OK this is Chapter 2…please read and review! As always Constructive criticism is always helpful!