Adriannu255: I am so sorry about the wait. I had work combined with writers block…and being hooked on doing almost nothing but watch Lord of the Rings all day didn't help. I sincerely hope this makes up for the long wait! Again, I apologize!
Note: Bold is flashback.
Disclaimer: Same as always.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4
"Wow…" Lloyd looked around in awe. "I've never seen so much snow!"
Kratos had decided to give Lloyd a break after training for quite a long time. He took him to Flanior…teaching him how to fly on the way there.
"It's always snowing here," Kratos commented. "This is actually the place where you were born, if you care to know."
"What?" Lloyd looked shocked. "I was born in Tethe'alla?"
"Yes," Kratos smiled and nodded. "I brought Anna to Tethe'alla after I married her and we stayed here. You were born a little over a year later."
"Wow…but why did you guys return to Sylvarant? Mom died in the Iselia Forest, right?"
"We were found by one of the Five Grand Cardinals, Rodyle. He wasn't searching for us; he just knew that Kvar was." Kratos looked up to the sight-seeing terrace. "He told Kvar where we were three years after we had arrived. We travelled around Tethe'alla and eventually made it to the Otherworldly Gate, another link between the worlds. We made it through and travelled as quickly as we could to the Iselia Forest, to get a Key Crest made for Anna. I had heard about Dirk and knew he would be able to help. With a Key Crest the exsphere would be useless to Kvar. But we were cornered and…"
"Yeah… I… I know the rest…" Lloyd looked at his father. "Thanks for telling me, Dad."
Kratos smiled at his son.
--
"Alright, I think I'm getting the hang of this," Lloyd said excitedly. It was the fourth day of training and Lloyd was finally getting close to casting his first spell. His angelic senses were becoming evident. He was able to sense mana like the elves and half-elves, making his spell casting a little easier, and he was hearing better and seeing farther.
"You had a lot of sparks that time, so give it another go," Kratos smiled.
Lloyd took up a casting stance and a purple spell circle appeared beneath him. He then pointed his finger toward an invisible target, as he had done continuously over the last few days, and shouted, "Lightning!" A bolt of lightning came down and struck the ground melting the snow away leaving only charred earth behind to be covered by fresh snow. "I did it!" Lloyd shouted happily.
"You cast your first spell. Congratulations, but you still have a lot to learn. Learning the basics will be enough for Lord Yggdrasil, for now. Even he knows that level two spells can take their toll on a beginner so we'll hold off on those."
"Alright…" Lloyd got over his excitement at the mention of his new leader's name. "I guess I should get started on the next one?"
"Cast Lightning a few more times successfully and then we'll start on Wind Blade…"
As this was happening, the rest of the group was on the other side of the world, with two new companions, travelling across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge.
"Alright it's time for me to decide everyone's nicknames!" Zelos, the red-headed, perverted Chosen, shouted. "Genis is Brat, Colette is Miss Angel, and Presea is Rosebud!" The females stared at him blankly while Genis glared at him furiously. "And Raine is Super Ultra Cool Gorgeous Beauty!"
"No," Raine stated flatly.
"Oh," Zelos looked bewildered. "Her Highness, then?"
"Zelos if you're going to call me something other than my name, make it something normal," Raine sighed.
Genis snapped, "My sister is 'The Professor' alright?" He was tired of how carefree Zelos was in this very serious situation.
Lloyd was gone, taken by Kratos in the Tower, and they had two lifeless girls, one speaking monotonously, the other never speaking at all, only defending herself when in danger.
"'The Professor'? Hm…" Zelos smiled. "The Bewitching Female Teacher! Heheheh!"
Raine hung her head, "I give up…" and continued walking.
"Alright, Professor Raine it is!" Zelos declared happily.
"Whatever…" Raine could tell this was going to be very stressful.
As they continued in silence Raine thought over what she overheard in the Tower…
"What do you mean 'considering who my father is'?" Lloyd stared at Yggdrasil, completely lost. "Are you saying that you know my father?"
Yggdrasil turned to Kratos. "Well, Kratos, will you tell him? Or do I have to tell him for you?"
"…If I may, I could take him to Derris-Kharlan and tell him everything there?"
"That is fine with me," Yggdrasil glided to where the rest of the group stood. "Take him and tell him everything he needs to know. I will take care of his friends."Yggdrasil approached smirking maliciously.
Lloyd's father is more than likely Kratos. Lloyd may not have caught on, but it was obvious from the way Kratos acted in the Tower, and what that…Yggdrasil said leaves little doubt. If that's true, Lloyd probably thinks we're dead. He might be a member of Cruxis by now. She was extremely troubled by that thought. Even though he is harsh, I don't think Kratos is cruel enough to let his son die.
Lloyd's resolve had to have been weakened by the thought of them being dead. He was easy prey for the angels…
"What's wrong Raine?" Genis asked, noticing her troubled expression. "Still worried about Lloyd?"
"…" Raine's answer was a single nod. She had expressed her thoughts to Genis and Sheena after waking up in the Sylvarant Base, including her suspicions of the bond between the two swordsmen.
"Raine, you said it yourself," Genis continued. "Kratos won't, intentionally, let anyone harm Lloyd. Even during the journey, we could tell he cares about Lloyd."
"I guess you're right, Genis," Raine sighed and closed her eyes. "Worrying isn't going to help," she reasoned with herself.
"You guys always get so depressed when talking about that Lloyd kid," Zelos said, suddenly being serious. "Were you guys close to him, or somethin'?"
Genis turned to him, with a cold, but sad, stare, "Yeah, we grew up together, but he was taken by Cruxis in the Tower of Salvation. We don't know what happened to him after that…"
"Oh…" Zelos looked away, but then smiled. "There's the end of the bridge!" He then broke into a run, and everyone followed, continuing their journey to Sybak.
Adriannu255: Well, how was it? I'm desperate to know. Since the next update will (hopefully) be sometime in late July, everyone have a great Fourth of July! My second favorite holiday! FIREWORKS!! YAY!! (My brothers turned me into a pyromaniac…)
Ja mata!
