A/N's: hello once again loyal Kranna fans! Thank you for the reviews! ;) you know the more i get the faster i update... meh I only updated because iworked so hard on this chappie and well i felt like updating... anyway on with the story!
Disclaimer: I dont own TOS... or Procone from Golden Sun...
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Chapter 3: Shambles
Anna, Kratos and Noishe had been in Hima for almost a week now after a three day walk from the ranch. Kratos had been a little jumpy lately, Anna found, as he went outside every morning to the top of the mountain and seemed to scan every single cloud for some kind of presence. One morning she finally decided to ask him. She walked up behind him quietly. She suddenly kicked a rock by accident and the sudden noise put Kratos on high alert as he unsheathed his sword and swiftly pulled it up to Anna's neck. As soon as he realized who it was he blushed slightly and turned back to looking at the sky.
"Well geez, trying to give me a heart attack or what?" Anna exclaimed.
"I apologize for startling you. I thought you were an enemy. I hope you know better than to sneak up on me now so that i don't do it again," he replied calmly. Anna shivered at his calmness.
"How can you be so calm all of the time like this? I mean right now I'm scared out of my wits...but you seem to have your head in the clouds." Kratos did one of his famous "...". "Oh that reminds me... i came here to ask why you've been looking at the sky so much."
"We're being followed by someone by the air..." Kratos replied. Anna gasped.
"By who? Is it a Desian? It is an enemy or a foe?" she blabbered on with even more questions and didn't stop until Kratos looked at her and put his hand up.
"I don't know yet, Anna. It appears that they aren't using a Rheaird so i can't trace them." Anna nodded.
"I guess we'll have to go soon then?" Kratos nodded.
"It'll be safer that way. I'm sure that the Desians are done searching Asgard and Luin."
"Searching...?" Anna breathed as her heart skipped a beat and she clutched the exsphere that held her sister's conscienceness.
"Is there something wrong, Anna?"
"Do you think... no... Kratos, can we please head to Luin now? I would really appreciate it, I mean.. I only wish to check on it and then we can move on to Asgard," she told him hastily.
"But isn't the town of Luin where you were born?"
"Yes but... I promised my mother that Isabelle and I would protect it and now that Isabelle is gone... I must protect it myself..." she replied as she looked away.
"Anna..." Kratos said slowly as he allowed her name to just slide off of his tongue. He turned his back on her again. He couldn't get attached to her. Yuan would probably drag him off right now if he were there but Kratos had never felt this way before. Whenever she smiled one of those sweet and happy smiles, one filled with emotion he could feel his heart swell with warmth. Whenever he looked into her soft brown eyes, he felt as if he was lost in them. Kratos shook his head. What was wrong with him these days? He put an arm on her shoulder and made her turn to face him. "We'll go to Luin and... I'll help you protect it as well... if that is what you wish." Anna smiled and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you!" she told him gratefully as she ran back to the Inn to gather her their few belongings. Within the hour they were on their way to Luin.
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Flashback
"... A023, Isabelle and D813, Kaylie into the other room..." was Kaylie heard as she shoved out of the room by two Desian guards. They had tied up the other girl, Isabelle and carried her into a large room. The two Desian guards let go of Kaylie and allowed her to walk inside herself as they threw the other girl into the room. Kaylie turned and looked at htem, puzzled by how the treated her.
"Why are you being so kind to me?" she asked in her cute, child like voice. The Desians laughed.
"Becuase you're a half-elf, like us! We can't treat a little half-elf kid like you bad unless you worked with humans!" one of them told her.
"Are humans bad?" the half-elf asked quietly as Kvar came in.
"Yes, they are horrible fiends who dream nad think of nothing but war... Tell me young one... what is your name and where are you from? How did you here?" Kvar asked her.
"My name is Kaylie. My parents were killed by some people from Ozette. Then those people abandoned me at these rocks. At night during a full moon a strange portal opened beneath me and i ended up somewhere near a place called Palmacosta... then some of these Desian guards dragged me here... A few days later someone came and released me and I fled to Luin with some other prisoners. I was going to go to Asgard the city of ruins but they betrayed me and the others... I don't know who to trust anymore." Kaylie had broken into a fit of tears. Kvar embraced the girl in a hug.
"There, there Kaylie. I know how you feel. The same thing once happened to me. So you've seen the true side of humans have you? hmph but i doubt that you've seen their true form have you Kaylie?" The little girl shook her head. Kvar stepped back and snapped at one the guards.
"Remove A023's Key Crest," Kvar ordered as the guards moved towards Isabelle. Isabelle stuggled against them, then turned to Kaylie.
"Kaylie! Listen to me! Not all humans are bad but there...are those who just can't accept those who are different! But.. Kaylie please... don't do what this mad man says! You mustn't sink to his level. Please... you know that other girl? The girl that was sent...uh... to the research compound? Please if you run into her don't kill her! She's all i have left besides Luin. Kaylie you mustn't give in and give up! You can still-" she was suddenly shoved to the ground as her exsphere was removed. Kaylie stared, then gasped as the scene unfolded before her eyes. Isabelle began to swell as her skin turned a sickly green. Her arms grew longer with large claws. She broke the chains around her wrists as she grew.
'Kaylie kill me... kill me before i kill you... and save my sister... please!' Kaylie heard in her head as she stared at this new Isabelle... a monster who roared loudly as it clawed at the Desians surrounding her. Kaylie fell backwards as Kvar tossed Kaylie a long sword.
"Do you see, Kaylie? This is the true form of humans! They are all monsters! The exspheres only expose them for who they are! Do you understand now Kaylie? Do you understand why they all must be destroyed? Becuase they will destroy our world if we don't destroy them!" Kvar shouted to her as Kaylie suddenly got trhe message Kvar was trying to tell her. He wanted her to kill Isabelle... kill this monster that was Isabelle. Kaylie grabbed the sword and put it above her head as Isabelle swung one of her arms at her.
'Kaylie please just kill me... there's no point in me living anymore for once i am like this there is no cure so please just kill me...' There was Isabelle's voice again. Kaylie was positive that Isabelle's true self was still alive...but in order to save her she had to kill her. Kaylie held the sword. She was brought up to respect life and all those living it. If someone requesting that they kill them for a good reason... then she would do it. Kaylie thrust the sword forward before Isabelle could strike her down. Isabelle suddenly returned to normal as her mana slowly left her body. Isabelle's limp body collapsed onto Kaylie, who held her close.
"Hmph...what a pathetic inferior being. I'll just let her sister know that her conscienceness was absorbed. It's not the truth but who cares... she's just an annoying, pathetic inferior being. Kaylie! Dispose of Isabelle... I have no more use for her," Kvar said as he left with the remaining Desian guards. Kaylie still held Isabelle.
"Kaylie...thank you..." Isabelle managed to whisper as tears fell down Kaylie's face. "I guess you believed me over Kvar then huh?" she said as she coughed blood onto Kaylie shirt. "I'm sorry for this. But please grant my two last wishes...make sure that my sister gets away from here...if she returns please get her out and save her... and my last wish... tell me your life story... before I die... please?" she asked weakly. Kaylie smiled.
"Technically that's three wishes but alright." Kaylie set Isabelle down. "I was born in the village of Ozette in a world called Tethe'alla. Tethe'alla is a world that entertwined with this world, Sylvarant but the two worlds can't see each other... but they do affect each other...although i do not know how. Anyway, Ozette was basically a small village on a giant tree. It was an old tree though but it protected the small village from the elements. The village people of Ozette shunned my family becuase of me... but my parents never cared.
"My father was human, while my mother was an elf. My father was a great man. He took me out to see the imperial city of Meltokio many times. We met some nice people called the Wilders. I know that Ms. Wilder is pregnant and is due in another 3 months. She was always kind to me. My mother was a great elf too. She taught me healing magic and many different spells. She even gave me her own bird, named Procone. She's a very big bird now so i let her fly around on her own but she always comes when i summon her. One day, when i turned 5 in human years... the villagers killed my father... I was enraged with them all. But my mother begged for me to forgive them...and i did. It took me a couple of months to get over it. But my hatred soon turned to sorrow, then to pain...and then to forgiveness and happiness. I was soon happily visiting Meltokio again with only my mother. Being with the Wilders again made me happy even though Mr. Wilder was a bit weird sometimes. I remember Ms. Wilder smacking him sometimes for a strange comment that I didn't understand.
"The following year, at night when i was coming home from playing with Procone by myself... the villagers burned my home... and killed my mother... they were going to kill me when a dwarf helped me and instead convinced the villagers to let him take care of me himself. I didn't believe that he would kill me when i first walked into his home. There was a strange girl there named Tabatha... she spoke like a robot. but she was very kind. The dwarf then told me that I had to come here... to Sylvarant in order to live. I would be killed otherwise without my mother to help sheild my mana type from others who could sense it. Only the Wilder's knew that i was a half-elf in Meltokio..." Kaylie stopped as she felt Isabelle go limp on her lap. "Isabelle...?"
"How sad... I feel so sorry for you... I'm sorry that you had to see that side of humans..." Isabelle whispered. "heh... thank you, Kaylie... I never would have known that there were two worlds if it weren't for you... to think that I've discovered a huge secret of the world... Kaylie tell...m...my..s...ister...that I'm...s..orr...y." Isabelle went completely limp as her breathing slowed and came to a stop. Kaylie put her body on the floor in front of her. She had allowed a soul to leave this world in peace. She clapped her hands together and began to pray...
End Flashback
Kaylie woke with a start. Of course she remembered her promise to Isabelle to look after her sister. She didn't trust Kvar. She felt an evil force from him when he gave a hug. She shivered at the thought of his sadisticness. Kaylie may be a half-elf but she believed in all creatures. Procone stirred next to her and awoke as Kaylie boarded her back. Kaylie looked down at the bird emotionlessly.
"Please let us continue. I see them leaving the village... they are headed in the direction of Luin. May we rush over there to make sure that the Desians aren't causing the small town any trouble, please?" The bird let out a loud shriek before flapping it's powerful white wings into the sky towards the direction of Luin.
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Kaylie and Procone sailed over Luin. Kaylie stared at the small town shocked as a flood of sadness overwhelmed her and took her. She fell off the great bird and landed in a flurry of angry flames and debris. Procone, not really used to having someone fly on her back sailed above the burning village helplessly. Screeching loudly for her beloved rider which had fallen off her back.
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Kratos and Anna arrived within three days of persistent riding. Noishe was exhausted as he slumped to the ground when Anna and Kratos walked the rest of the way towards Luin. Anna fell to her knees in complete tears when she saw her hometown that she had sworn to protect along with her sister. She buried her face in her hands as she allowed the tears to flow down her face. Kratos, leaving Anna to deal with her swirling emotions, decided to search the area for any survivors. He ran into the town and found a large white bird amoung the rubble which seemed to be weak with hunger. Kratos, feeling sorry for the thing and having a soft spot for large animals that seemed to be something normal but they weren't, gave it some food from his packs. The bird gratefully took his food and squeaked a thank you as it tried to stand only to fall again. But then the bird stood and began awkwardly wandering through the rubble digging through charred and burnt wood. The bird tore through bodies of humans and screeched loudly into the air before beginning it's search again. Kratos, feeling slightly naseaous left the bird to search for whatever it was trying to find. He went back to Anna who was staring at Isabelle's exsphere.
"I'm so sorry, Isabelle. I couldn't protect Luin. I couldn't protect mother... I couldn't protect you! I'm such a failure!" Anna whispered to herself. She was ashamed. She heard Kratos coming and looked up at him. "Kratos, you may as well just leave me here to die... that's what deserve for what I've done." Kratos kneeled down and put his hand on her chin to make her look up.
"Anna, i would never leave you unless i was sure that you'd be safe. It's not safe for you here so i cannot leave you. And you tried your best to protect this city, Anna. Didn't you want to go to Asgard in order to prevent Luin from becoming like this earlier?" Anna nodded but didn't seem to feel any better. "Anna, do you know what the name Luin means?" Anna shook her head. "It means to be destroyed. This city once had a different name before the Knarlan War but after it was destoryed and rebuilt it was named Luin. So Anna, I promise you... this city shall be rebuilt again. But next time it will only grow. And once it is destroyed again, it will only be rebuilt again... stronger than ever. Trust me," Kratos said as he embraced Anna. She cried into his chest.
After a while Anna decided to look for any survivors with Kratos, just in case he had missed something. She noticed the giant white bird standing over something.
"What is that?" she asked slightly fearful.
"I'm not sure but i do believe that it doesn't mean us any harm," Kratos replied as they approached the bird a little slower. The bird took notice of them and stood aside. Before the bird was a little, blue-haired girl who seemed to be badly hurt and unconscious. Anna rushed to the little girls side and looked up at the bird then at Kratos.
"Kratos, I think the bird wants us to help this little girl." Kratos nodded.
"Stand aside..." Kratos replied as he began chanted his spell. "I won't let you die... Healing Stream!" A strange pool of water surrounded the girl and quickly disappeared after it had healed the girl. She was now free of burns. The girl came to consciousness and sat up slowly. The great white bird squeaked happily. The girl stood up and faced Kratos and Anna. When her eyes fell upon Kratos she gasped.
"Aren't you... Kratos of the Cruxis' Serphim?" the girl asked as Anna glared at Kratos.
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Me: yay cliffie! ... I think...
Anna: hello there Ana...
Me: Hi Anna... boy is this awkward or what? we basically have the same name except it's spelt differently...
Anna: yeah i guess...
Me: So what brings you to...well me?
Anna: Are you going to kill me?
Me: Meh i dunno yet.. I may kill you and then not kill you or soemthing...
Anna:...?
Me: You'll see...
Anna: Review and she'll update.
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Preview: Chapter 4: Angelic Emotions
"Kratos, how dare you betray me!"
