Disclaimer: I've written three chapters in one night, please don't judge me. I'm so tired. I need caffeine. Send help. I own nothing except the things that I do. Everything else is Namco's probably.

Song: Part 1: Disciples of the Mist – Legend of Legaia OST

Part 2: Repose – NieR OST

Chapter III

Pursuit of Truth

He was running again. He was always running. The rapid footsteps of his pursuers echoed throughout the narrow corridor, just far enough behind that they'd never catch him. He was tired of running. It seemed to him that he ran more than he did anything else, which he was not particularly proud of, but he had no time to dwell on the flaws in his own character. His current focus was the most important thing in the world, and everything else could wait until a later time. He was almost there, so close now… if it hadn't been for that kid in red and his friends causing such a commotion, he'd have never found his way through this labyrinth of a facility to his target. He mused about someday thanking him. He was so close now… so close. Anticipation rose in his chest, and for an instant he was distracted by his own bloodlust—so distracted that he didn't notice the Desian archer who had rounded the corner to his left until he felt the arrow pierce the flesh on his left shoulder. A cry of pain and rage escaped him as he fell, but he quickly regained his footing, startling both the archer who had shot him and the two Desians who were following him.

"What the-?" the archer gasped, but was silenced by the blade driven through his chest before he could finish his sentence. However, he had caused enough distraction that the pursuers had caught up to his assailant.

No more running. It ends now.

"Die, you little bastard!" He was thrown into a wall before he could turn around and face his attackers. Unfortunately for him, the wall had been made of glass, and he suddenly found himself on a conveyor belt carrying human prisoners to their ill-fated destination. Fury rose in his chest as he saw the state they were in, but he reminded himself there was nothing he could do for them for now. The Desians who had attacked him leapt through the shattered glass after him and pushed the prisoners out of the way as they chased their bloodied prey. His arms and face were bleeding badly. There must be dozens of glass shards embedded in his skin… He dodged as many of the prisoners as he could, but it made little difference as his pursuers struck out at them every chance they got.

He lurched as the moving conveyor belt made a sharp turn into a room where large mechanical arms began to pick the human prisoners off the line and place them into metal canisters, flailing them about as if they were little more than ragdolls. He leapt out of the way as one made to grab at him, and his pursuers did the same. Turning, he cried out and hurled himself at the attackers. The Desians lowered their weapons in surprise, and he caught them both in the chest with his arms, as the three of them crashed through the glass wall, into a large, high ceilinged room. The force of the landing knocked the wind out of the Desian henchmen, leaving them coughing and gasping on the ground, while he neatly rolled off of them and leapt backward, readying himself to draw his sword once more.

"Well, now, what have we here?" came an arrogant voice from in front of him. "Not one, not two, but three invasions of my ranch by filthy inferior beings in a single day. Imagine that." His head snapped up.

"You." he snarled. Kvar sneered, approaching him with his hands clasped behind his back.

"So," he said snidely, his lips twisted into a cruel grin. "You've decided to grace me with your presence after all. And here I was thinking you weren't even going to show up." He drew his sword and pointed it at the Grand Cardinal's throat.

"Where is she?" he said, his voice dangerously quiet. Kvar laughed.

"Oh come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?" he sneered. "That's really quite rude of you, you know." The Cardinal's face twisted into shock as he suddenly found a hand clasped tightly around his throat.

"Where is she?!" he demanded, tightening his grip. "WHERE IS SHE?!" Kvar shoved his assailant away, grin quickly reappearing on his face.

"You're too late, you know." he said, snapping his fingers. Two drone-like machines appeared at his sides, their bodies crackling with electricity. "She's already been adapted into the project." Fury and horror exploded in his chest and he leapt at the Desian Grand Cardinal with a roar of anger. Kvar parried his blow and laughed as his drones bombarded the man with lightning, staggering his movements. Several of Kvar's henchmen entered the fray, and before long, the man was overpowered.

"You won't get away with this." the man hissed at him. Kvar laughed as his men dragged the struggling man away. He ordered them to throw him outside, as he'd already surpassed his quota for prisoners this month.

"I refuse to lose another successful subject." he said quietly. "I will not let you take her from me."

The heavy silence that had fallen since the escape from the ranch felt as though it was suffocating Kratos as the sun began to sink below the horizon. The horrible truth about the Exspheres they had been using seemed to have drained the ability to speak from each of his companions, and each of them had a haunted look about their eyes, as though they were experiencing the horrors of their Exspheres' creation firsthand within their own minds. The ruined house they were once again sheltering in was cold despite the fire Kratos had lit in what remained of the fireplace, and he saw a violent shiver run through Genis' body. The young half-elf was staring at the glittering stone on the back of his hand. Finally, Sheena spoke.

"…I can't believe Exspheres are made from human lives." she whispered, holding her Exsphere before her. Genis removed his own and clenched it in his fist.

"This is Marble's life…" he said sadly. Another moment of silence passed, then Lloyd detached the Exsphere from the back of his own hand angrily, raising it to the air as if to toss it away.

"Arrgh! This…thing!" he said, his voice anguished. Colette approached him, placing a hand gently on his arm.

"Lloyd, wait." she said softly. "What will you accomplish by taking that off? It's not just an Exsphere, it's also your mother's life, remember?" Lloyd closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"But these things make a mockery of human life." he protested. Kratos stepped forward.

"And we would have lost long ago had we not had them." he said calmly. He knew all too well the pain his son must be enduring, but he forced himself not to think of it. If he did, his own doubts would rise up again, along with the guilt he felt for his hand in the Exspheres' creation process. They were Cruxis' doing after all… Lloyd glared at him.

"Don't you think I know that?!" he spat. Kratos regarded him.

"Do you really?" he asked, crossing his arms. "If you throw away that Exsphere away now, do you think you can finish this journey?" Lloyd sighed, then brought his arm down, looking at his Exsphere sadly.

"…Yeah. I know. Without these things, we're just a bunch of weak humans." he relented. "We can fight because we have these, I know that. But Exspheres exist as a result of taking someone's life!"

"And?" Kratos replied. "Those people didn't become victims because they wanted to. But I doubt they would want to be thrown away after being turned into Exspheres." Lloyd didn't respond.

"My opinion may not matter much because I don't use an Exsphere," Colette said. "But I believe the Desians will defeat us if we throw ours away now. And if that happens, more people will lose their lives to these stones. " She clasped her hands in front of her. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want this journey to be meaningless." Kratos nodded.

"Colette's right." he agreed. "We can throw away the Exspheres at any time. But right now, we must carry the weight of the hopes and dreams of those victims, and fight for their sake, as well as ours. Didn't you say you weren't going to hesitate anymore?" Lloyd remained silent for a moment, then sighed and squared his shoulders. He turned to Kratos.

"Yeah." he said finally. "I hate to say it, but you're right. Mom's regrets and wishes dwell in this thing. To prevent creating more victims like Marble and my mom, I'm going to help Colette. I will fight for both myself and my mom who lives on within me."

"…Yeah. Me too." Genis said. "I'm going to fight on Marble's behalf as well."

"People are sinful creatures." Raine said softly. "Life survives at the cost of another. Then we must continue to bear the burden of our sins for as long as we continue to live."
"Life survives at the cost of another?" Sheena sounded incredulous. "I don't know how to say this, but I don't think there's a way to justify the lives sacrificed to make Exspheres. They have to be stopped at all cost!" She reluctantly returned her Exsphere to its Key Crest on the back of her hand, then wrung her hands awkwardly. "Will you… will you take me along with you? Now that I know, I…. I can't pretend like nothing happened. This is too cruel!" Kratos looked to Lloyd and Colette. He still didn't entirely trust the girl from Tethe'alla, but it would ultimately be their decision whether or not she would accompany them.

"Well?" he asked. "What do you want to do?" Colette smiled and put her hands on Sheena's shoulders.

"Of course you're welcome to join us!" she said cheerfully, as though she'd already forgotten the dark conversation that had just taken place. Lloyd nodded.

"…Yeah. You did save us and all." he agreed.

"Do as you wish." Raine said, looking at Sheena thoughtfully. "I'll trust you for now." Sheena gave a half smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, evidence that the truths she'd learned tonight were still heavy on her mind.

"Thanks." she said. "I've used up all of my Guardians, but I'm sure I can still be of use to you." As she spoke, Genis stifled a wide yawn. Rained looked at him.

"It's getting late, and today was a hard one for all of us," she said firmly. "Let's get some rest, and decide what to do next in the morning." Lloyd eyed Colette out of the corner of his eye, fully aware of her new inability to sleep, but said nothing, instead wishing the others a goodnight and settling down to sleep in their makeshift shelter. Kratos took his self-assigned position outside the door to the house, preparing himself to keep watch for the night as he ran through the day's events in his mind. He had calmed himself considerably since they had returned to Luin, but still his frustration with the fact that Kvar was still alive battled with the logical part of his mind that told him he should be glad that they hadn't wasted more time than needed at the Ranch. He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall, his lip curling in a wry smile as he remembered thinking that this was going to be a simple assignment when Mithos had first relayed it to him. How naïve he'd been. After a few minutes, he heard the door behind him creak open and he turned his head to see Raine emerging from the ruins of the house.

"Everyone but Colette is asleep," she said quietly. "It seems the day's stress took its toll on them." Kratos nodded.

"You should rest as well," he replied, turning back to his night watch, scanning the area as he did so. "I'm sure they aren't going to let this go so easily. We'll need our strength." Raine sat on the step beside him.

"I wish I could," she sighed. "But the truth about the Exspheres… " She looked at the back of her hand, studying the glimmering stone that was set there. "I can't begin to imagine the horrors that the people who lost their lives to these stones must have endured. And to think we've been using them all this time without a second thought."

"There is no way we could have known," he said, knowing that when it came to himself, that was a lie. "And it's too late now. There is no hope for us to finish this journey without them." Raine sighed once more.

"Yes, you're right of course." she said, running a weary hand over her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "What a cruel world we live in." Kratos made a noise of agreement. A cruel world indeed. Raine looked at him. "You know the truth of what lies at the end of this journey, don't you?" she asked. Kratos' heart jumped slightly, but he quickly calmed himself. Her question had caught him off guard, but he noted that she sounded more curious than accusatory.

"About the Chosen's sacrifice?" he asked, hoping for clarification. Raine nodded.

"So you do know." she said. She looked up at the stars, spattered across the sky. "If only there were another way. Colette shoulders such a heavy burden with her title… she's just a sixteen year old girl. Just a sixteen year old girl like you'd find anywhere, and yet she has the weight of an entire world resting upon her. No one should have to carry that burden." Kratos remained silent. Raine's words were bringing forth the doubts that he couldn't shake from his mind, and he was far too mentally exhausted to deal with them right now. The quiet of night settled upon them once again, punctuated only by the sounds of crickets and the light crackling of the fire within their makeshift shelter.

There was no sign of the eyes tonight, which Kratos was thankful for. He was beginning to tire of the constant riddles and talk of stars mixed with obvious amusement at his expense, and so he considered a night without the little pest to be nothing short of a blessing.

The peace did not last long, however. Out of the darkness from the direction of the Ranch, uneven footsteps crunched across the dirt, accompanied by the sounds of metal dragging across the ground and the light clinking of armor. Kratos stood swiftly, drawing his sword and holding it ready, while Raine followed suit, grasping her staff tightly behind him. The sounds slowly grew louder, and soon ragged breaths also became audible. A human silhouette became visible in the darkness, staggering through the village, slowly moving toward them. Kratos' body tensed, ready to strike, making no sound to alert the stranger—assuming they had not already been spotted. The seconds ticked by as the figure drew closer, but before either Raine or Kratos could do a thing, the door creaked open behind them, revealing Colette, who stated she'd heard the footsteps as well. Light from the fire spilled through the open doorway, illuminating the figure that approached them, causing it to stop in its tracks. Kratos took a step forward, holding his sword out as an unspoken warning as he studied the man who stood before him.

The expression of surprise on the man's face suggested that he had not previously taken notice of them, but it quickly became one of distrust. He was tall and thin, his skin appearing ghostly in the pale light. He was breathing heavily, one hand held tightly over a large wound his chest, which was bleeding profusely. The portions of his flesh that were visible were heavily bruised and covered in shallow wounds, the light armor he wore was dented, his clothes bloody and torn. He was dragging a broadsword across the ground behind him, and it too was bathed in blood. He took a single step forward with a heavy limp and appeared as though he were about to raise his blade, before his shaking legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed in a heap on the ground with a groan. Kratos glanced behind him at the others with one eyebrow raised, then strode forward and nudged the man with his foot. The man moaned slightly but remained motionless. Sword still held ready, Kratos looked back at Raine and Colette.

"What should we do with him?" he asked them. Raine joined him at the man's side, face pensive.

"He's badly injured," she noted. "These wounds are fairly deep. He could be in danger if he doesn't receive treatment for them quickly."

"He could be an enemy," Kratos pointed out. The Chosen's influence was rubbing off on the others. They were all far too softhearted for their own good.

"Yes, he could." Raine agreed. She crouched next to the man's body, examining his injuries. "These appear to be genuine, but I wouldn't put it past Desians to resort to this level of trickery to have us let our guard down." Colette made her way to Raine's side.

"But what if he's innocent, Professor Raine?" she said, worry evident in her voice. "We can't just leave him out here to die. Please, Professor!" Raine stood up and regarded Colette seriously.

"Colette, listen to me." she said firmly. "We were put in a very dangerous situation today, and barely managed to make it out alive. The Grand Cardinal we saw today has a lot of motive to pursue us, and this could be a trap set by him to catch us off guard. We can't make a decision like this so carelessly." Colette grasped Raine's arm and shook her head.

"Professor Sage!" she pleaded. "Can't we at least make sure he'll survive? We can't just let him die because we don't trust him." Raine sighed and glanced up at Kratos.

"What do you think, Kratos?" she asked him wearily. Kratos looked down at the unconscious man again, then he sighed as well.

"Do what you will." he conceded, knowing full well that he would not be able to change the Chosen's mind. "But do not let your guard down so long as he is here."

End Chapter III

Pursuit of Truth