GAAAHHH... I'M SO SORRY! I never expected it to take this long, I knew what I was gonna put, I knew where I was gonna start, where I was gonna stop, but but but so much happened... I have no reason but to just take your wrath. D:

You know what, you know what LIFE HAPPENED D:

I own nothing but Nathan.

I'm really sorry, it's short but I just wanted to let you guys know I'm not... you know... dead. But I promise to get the next chapter up before next year...

Please enjoy!

'Ow… my head… W-what happened? Did I hurt myself? Did I fall? Why can't I remember anything bef-'

He bolted upright. At least, as far as he could with his wrists bound. The cufflinks clanked with the sudden movement, and his memory returned to him as quick as lightning.

He had been attacked from behind. By who, he didn't know. He opened his eyes and stiffened: he didn't recognize the place he was at at all.

'Could it be Fath- Kvar's office?' He bit his lip and squirmed a little, getting a feel for how much slack was between the cuffs. 'Why did he bind me….?'

His blood suddenly ran cold. 'What if… he knows?' His eyes widened and he shuddered in fear as the realization of that possibility sunk in, struggling harder to push himself up to his feet. 'That's the only reason, RIGHT? I gotta get OUT OF HERE!'

He bolted into a run, but immediately stopped in his tracks when the teleport pad close by him started to glow, signaling someone's arrival.

'Shit. I'm screwed! That's the only possible answer! What if all this was for nothing? No!' He shook his head, trying to clear it. 'C'mon, you can get out of this...'

He backed up as adrenaline started to pour into his veins.

'My swords! Where are my swords?'

After quickly looking around he saw them, and he jumped once in order to bring his arms in front of him from behind his back so he could at least be able to wield his swords better. But before he could run towards them, he was frozen in place as he felt a presence behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Nathan felt his blood turning cold once again. 'That voice…'

"You've gotten into so much trouble; we wouldn't want you getting into more trouble, now would we? Be a good boy and just lay there," Kvar instructed, firing a lightning bolt to knock Nathan backwards as he slowly walked towards him.

Nathan grunted as he was forced backwards from the attack, stumbled, and then fell to the ground. He glanced warily at the four Desians standing just behind his father, and looked even further behind them to see three of his father's Energy Stones buzzing with life. He swallowed nervously.

"It's time for your punishment, Nathaniel." With a furious scowl, Kvar looked over his shoulder at his underlings. "Get him."

Nathan struggled to get back up to his feet and tensed up as the Desians and Energy Stones readied for battle. A battle that could very well kill him.

"F-Kvar! Please! Wait! I-I'm sorry! Just-" Nathan suddenly froze when he saw the elated grin that Kvar was now giving him at his fearful tone of voice, sending cold chills throughout his body.

He was not going to beg or plead for his life. That bastard killed many, many innocent people. Rage exploded inside him like a raging fire at the thought.

'Just... let me help them... one way or another.'

He looked at his swords across the room with longing as the three Energy Stones floated forward while the Desians stayed obediently by Kvar's side. Nathan stepped back into a defensive stance as the floor underneath one of the Energy Stones started to glow. At once, the Energy Stone completed the spell and hurled the bolt of electricity at Nathan. He gasped in both shock and pain when the bolt struck him in the chest, bringing him down to his knees as electrical pulses rippled across his skin, making him gasp in both pain and shock at the strength of the spell.

"Too wrapped up in your thoughts to dodge? Or do you just not care?" Kvar gazed dully and seemed to almost smirk when he saw the burns forming where the metal shackles touched Nathan's wrists. As the spell died, Nathan began to attempt to slowly shrug off the sparks of electricity and recover.

But Kvar would have none of it. "Again."

Another bolt of electricity was charged and launched towards Nathan, and this time, a scream ripped out of his mouth when the spell struck him. When this spell died, he fell forward, gasping and panting in pain.

Kvar stepped over to him and grabbed a handful of hair, yanking Nathan's head up painfully to look his son in the eyes as the consciousness in them started to slip away.

"More punishment will come later, Nathaniel. Just wait until I'm through with you. You'll be wondering why you ever thought of betraying me." Kvar slammed Nathan's head down, chuckling dryly when the man fell unconscious. "Worst mistake of your life."

With narrowed eyes, he turned around towards the Desians and ordered, "Go on! Find the intruders! Figure out how they got in!" All but one Desian remained, staring at the unconscious, slightly sizzling man at Kvar's feet.

"Get on with it!" Kvar snapped. The Desian straightened, flinching from his reverie and hurried off. Kvar then left the room as well.

'I'll deal with him later.'

Nathan's eyes flickered open. He stiffened and breathed out a crisp groan of pain and felt something warm and wet on his hands. Ba-dump... He began to breathe quicker, the feeling wasn't familiar. He turned and strained to look at his wrists- while in the process, feeling how sore he was- and shuddered a little when he saw blood staining the cloth on his back. He stiffened. 'B-Bl...' Trembling he searched for the source, he hated blood. After a momentary struggle, he saw the wounds on his wrists, the cufflinks had rubbed them raw and were bleeding. He took a deep shuddering breathe as he calmed himself. 'It's my own... t-that's good then...' No one... was hurt. Slowly, he looked around and saw that he was in the same room as before. There was the soft hum coming from the computers, the sound he'd grew to love- his favorite sound even- but currently despised, was enough to bring him back out of the frightened mind.

But now isn't the time to lose yourself, he thought as he sat up. Aside from himself, the room was empty, and the warp pad wasn't glowing with activity. He was trapped. He pulled his lip into his mouth and nibbled it anxiously.

He glanced around again, and saw that his weapons that had been on the floor across from him before were no longer there. Sitting up, he tried to access his situation, but only began to slip into a panicked frenzy. He began wracking his mind, trying to clear the fog. 'Come on! Remember how to turn the warps on! Hell man, we helped design it!'

Wait a minute.

We?

He fell back, purposefully crashing his head against the floor. His vision swam for a moment before clearing. He started to stagger up before anyone came. As he sat up straight, he stretched the ache out of his bones the best he could with the shackles on.

He heard a sudden whir and looked at the warp pad in dismay as it purred to life.

'Crap...' He thought as Kvar appeared with three other Desians.

"Sir... you have a notice from Pronyma..." A Desian passed him from behind, one he had not seen until now. Nathan paled at the fact: he'd been there the whole time as a sort of watch, and he had not even noticed him.

"News on the boy?" Kvar asked, heading over to the controls. The buttons clacked as he typed some codes in.

"He's faded in and out of consciousness." Nathan closed his eyes when he saw the Desian turn, feigning that he had lost consciousness again. It worked. "Looks like he's out again."

Kvar sighed deeply. "Weakling."

Nathan heard several footsteps moving, and then the warp pad activating. Nathan heard a few sounds, and strained to listen.

"Can't say I didn't warn you~" A shrill giggle pierced his ears, causing him to flinch a little.

'P-Pronyma...' He slowly opened his eyes. Sweeping the room, he relaxed a little to see her form hovering above the projector, and that all of the Desians that were previously in the room had left.

"Even for such a project with years of planning, I knew that in the end it would not work for you," she said.

"Quiet, Pronyma!" Kvar ordered.

The woman cackled and continued to taunt him. "Twenty years? Of what? Precious, wasted effort you could have spent on the perfect Desian. Instead, he became a cowardly technician! A miserable failure!"

Kvar gritted his teeth and growled. "I've gotten better technology in the years I've used him than in the fifty years I've been working this ranch!"

"Then what of the non-aggression treaty?" Pronyma asked.

Kvar chuckled. "Just a peace of mind to keep the humans from snooping. And it worked until that bastard and his wench came along..." He clenched his fist. "But in the end it was worthless."

Pronyma laughed a high pitched giggle before looking over to Nathan and noticed him awake. "Hm, I wonder how long he's been awake."

Kvar looked over. "No matter, he won't be for long." He then frowned and tapped his foot. "Tell me the real reason of your visit, Pronyma."

The warp pad started to glow, and Nathan glanced at it. Three people appeared: the tall auburn-haired man, the boy dressed in red- the one named Lloyd- and the woman with raven hair. His eyes widened in recognition and he felt a rush of unfamiliar emotions. 'T-They're here! The people from earlier! They're actually here! But… why here?!'

Lloyd stepped forward, his fists clenching. "I've finally found you, Kvar."

Nathan's eyes widened at the tinge of rage slipping into the boy's voice. Pronyma chuckled. "Hmm, so this is Lloyd." She shifted her weight, nodding to herself. "I see, he does bear resemblance."

Kvar turned to Lloyd. "So, you've come." He then turned back to face Pronyma and resumed his conversation as if they weren't there. His body seemed to clench, his fists and jaw tightening. "Don't change the subject! I've realized what you've been doing! You're stealing from my angelus project!"

Pronyma swayed a little, her lips curling up in feigned innocence. "Whatever do you mean? This is the first time I've heard of it."

His eyes narrowed into a glare at her. "I expect no less from a sneaky wench who usurped leadership of the Five Grand Cardinals!" He started to chuckle in a mocking manner. "Prepare, Lady Pronyma! For once I retrieve the exsphere back from this inferior being, I will become the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals!" He rubbed his hands together, as if picturing what he said next. "Oh yes, and when that does, you will be begging for amnesty!"

"That doesn't matter, but I heard from a little bird that Rodyle has talked you into joining his schemes." Pronyma brought a hand up to her face, cupping her chin and resting her elbow in the palm of her other hand. She looked over at the people standing at the warp again. "But it would be best not to deceive Lord Yggdrasill for too long." She started to laugh before the hologram of her disappeared.

Kvar scowled at the projector and cursed a few words before turning to face the three people at the warp. "Enough, once I retrieve that exsphere on your hand, the suspicions I'm under will be all but a distant memory."

A hatch in the wall opened and the three Energy Stones from earlier floated out to surround Kvar.

"Get ready," the auburn-haired man said, drawing his sword.

And just like that, the four exploded into battle.

~~End Chapter~~

So yeah! Next chapter, Battle with Kvar, and Nathan joins the group! Or not!

Who knows.