Eastern Coast of Ozette
That Following Morning
"I told you, I'm fine." Raine sighed for the tenth time that morning, glancing up into the worried eyes of her husband as a mix of annoyance and fond exasperation bubbled inside of her chest. Slowing down her pace towards the forest, she reached back to slide her hand into his and continued in a much softer voice, "It was a glancing blow to the head that gave me a very mild case of retrograde amnesia, I recovered my memory and am perfectly fine Regal. There is nothing wrong with me."
"You scared me." Regal admitted quite bluntly, frowning as he turned his head away from her so she couldn't read the exhaustion in his expression. It had been a very long night after her timid confession, he hadn't slept for even a minute. She'd spent a good hour crying over the loss of her mind, and he'd slipped her into bed when she had worn herself out and simply passed out in his arms. She had woken with some confusion during the night, and much to his relief and surprise, her memory had returned. Though it had taken a few minutes of explanation on how she had even gotten to the hotel in the first place, after the pieces had been presented to her, she'd dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand.
Feeling her fingers twining themselves in his, he let out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding in, and turned his face to hers. Her eyes were wide and apologetic, as they had been when she'd confessed having no memory of who he was. Wincing, he squeezed her fingers and continued quietly, "I don't believe I can lose you, Raine. As selfish as it sounds... I'm afraid it's the only truth I know."
"You won't lose me." Raine sighed softly, having halted now and standing at his side. Standing on tiptoe, she brushed her mouth tenderly against his cheek and murmured, "I'll be okay. The important thing to focus on now is getting to Ozette so we can let Presea and Genis know what happened to our comrades."
"Yes..." Regal agreed quietly, taking a deep breath in an attempt to ease the pain that was growing there. He carefully flexed his hands, eyes narrowing as he took in the surrounding edge of the forest that hid Ozette and Mizuho from their gazes. They were only a few feet away from the entrance to the Gaoracchia Forest, and despite knowing that little would pose a threat to them in the case of monsters, he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. "We should proceed with caution... It is very likely that our enemies are awaiting our arrival in the forest, or even in the village itself."
"Very true. It's at times like this that I wish I knew more than a handful of offensive magical spells." Raine muttered quite sourly, holding her staff close to her chest as the two of them neared the wild growth of forest. She resisted the urge to move closer to Regal as the darkness enveloped them both, then she froze in her spot when the silence fell over them. Blinking in confusion, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness that covered the forest even during the height of the morning, and she whispered, "Why is it... so quiet?"
"It is eerie." Regal muttered wearily, his body tensing for a fight even though he could sense no presences of enemies around them. The silence was deafening, a strange thing for the forest that once teemed with wildlife and monsters that would viciously attack any traveller who stepped foot in their home. He could clearly remember the weeks of travel that the forest had swallowed in their past journey, the monsters had made travel slow and painful. Eyes narrowing in the darkness, he sidled closer to Raine and hissed into her ear, "Be on your guard. There is something here."
Raine stiffened and her hands tightened on her staff, holding it protectively in front of her chest as the very air seemed to crackle with tension. Eyes widening, she realized that the air was indeed crackling, and her hair stood up on end, a sure sign that electrical magic was being used, with them as the target. "Oh my– Regal!"
Regal sensed the same charge the moment she opened her mouth, and without a thought he yanked Raine into his arms and began to focus his mana. He felt her doing the same, and none too soon did a curtain of dark violet energy surround them and the ground began to heave under their feet. "BASTION!"
"FORCE FIELD!"
Two green spheres materialized around the two just as the electricity snarled into action. The ground shook fiercely while the charge blasted holes in the ground and destroyed the wildlife that inhabited the violet circle. Raine swore under her breath, looking around hastily in an attempt to see the magic-user that had attacked them as the spell began to die out. She could hear Regal cursing as well, his mouth pressed against her ear as he held her protectively in the midst of the shields.
Seemingly knowing that its targets had protected themselves, the electricity gave a final hiss of frustration before disappearing altogether, the earth coming back to balance. The violet curtain disappeared, and the two heros broke apart, ready for another attack that would come from any angle.
The blow came from behind but Regal had moved quickly too, hitting the ground and rolling over onto his back, left foot raised to take the blow of the heavy axe in the middle of his greaves. Sparks flew as the axe drew back against the crystalline covers of his Dynast greaves, but Regal hadn't finished and sprung to his feet, lashing out in a roundhouse kick that connected with his enemy's middle. The axe went flying out of their grip, and Raine reacted immediately this time, striking out with the blunt end of her staff to down their attacker before whirling the rod around and placing the sharpened edge to their neck.
Raine breathed heavily, glancing worriedly towards her husband, eyes silently asking if he was injured. Merely shaking his head, he instead stared at the dark-clothed figure that lay under Raine's mercy, physique hidden by the shadows of the forest. Raine spoke evenly but the malice in her voice could not be hidden as she warned their enemy, "Don't move or I will kill you."
"Professor Raine?"
Raine blinked, confused, and her hold on the Crystal Rod loosened in her surprise. Regal looked just as stunned as she was, and he stared at the enemy at their feet. Presea lay completely still on the forest's floor, looking up at them with an equally surprised expression. Immediately Raine withdrew her staff, helping her comrade to her feet, murmuring apologetically, "I'm sorry Presea, we didn't know..."
"We attacked you first, it should be us who apologizes." Presea replied with a wave of her hand, glancing over her shoulder. Her left hand held her stomach where Regal had kicked her but she was ignoring his look of guilt, cupping a hand around her mouth and calling into the darkness, "Genis, it's alright! It was Professor Raine and Regal, it wasn't the Desians! You can come out now with Orochi!" A few moments later, the two in question appeared from the deeper recesses of the forest, Genis leaning heavily on Orochi's arm, his left hand still clenched tightly around the handle of his kendama. Immediately concerned, Presea dashed to his side and took his arm from Orochi, asking worriedly, "Did you reopen the wound in your chest, Genis? You shouldn't have cast such an advanced spell."
"Genis, you're wounded?" Raine asked softly, her voice breaking as she took notice of his bloodstained shirt and the weariness in her younger brother's face. She stepped forward hesitantly, worried that embracing him would only cause him more pain. He smiled at her, face brilliant with cheer at seeing her, and she forgot herself. Hurrying forward, she embraced him tightly, nuzzled against his cheek and murmured softly, "I'm so sorry..."
Presea turned her head away politely from the scene of sibling love, watching Regal's fond smile with one of her own. Nodding her head apologetically towards the duke, she spoke levelly, "I'm sorry for attacking you like we did, we've been quite wound ever since we were attacked in Ozette. Orochi was to escort us to Altamira so we could find you and explain what had happened to us and hopefully find out more information about Sheena and Lloyd."
"You know about Sheena's condition?" Raine questioned curiously, then she glanced towards the stone-faced Orochi and nodded in understanding. Sitting her brother down, she gently peeled back his clothing to examine his wound, frowning a little when she saw the severity of his injury. Her expression drew a dark look from Presea, and this worried her. Shaking her head as she lay Genis back so she could attend to him herself, she said firmly, "It seems like we both have some explaining to do so we can catch up with what has been happening the past week."
Genis let out a quiet breath as his sister began to channel her mana into his half-healed wound, easily healing the lasting damage that the others hadn't been able to fix. Sighing with some relief, he explained the story to the waiting couple, only pausing for a breath or to let out a curse when his skin pulled just a little too much under his sister's experienced hands. Ending the explanation, he sighed quietly and muttered, "We were on our way to find you, but I guess now we can just head straight to Meltokio and see Zelos, Colette and Sheena."
Raine's eyebrows furrowed together, and she forced her words to wait in her head as she examined the wound she had been working on. He would be scarred for life, and the thought made her wince but she was grateful that her talents had enabled her to heal the lasting damage that the healers before her hadn't been able to fix. Pulling her brother's shirt down over the wound, she helped him sit up then said quietly, "So this Auin and the woman, Tasogare, correct...?" She looked over to Presea for confirmation, and the lumberjack gave a quick nod, her lips tightening into a frown as Raine continued, "There is internal discord in our enemy's ranks, that at least is a pleasing thought. The message that Auin delivered is one that we know well however, it was left in George's blood in Regal's office."
"George is dead?" Presea asked sharply, eyes widening in shock when she looked from Raine's grave expression to the sadness haunting Regal's dark eyes. Gritting her teeth, she fought to control her anger and sadness, finally letting out a low breath mixed with several dark expletives. Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms and spoke in a dark voice, "So this message is definitely from the Desians then, and the attacks were to get our attention."
"They definitely did that." Genis grunted sarcastically, wincing when he stretched too much and the pull of his fresh skin warned him not to move. Rubbing at his forehead, he shook his head and glanced around at his comrades, trying to clear his pain-filled mind to grasp at the facts. "They killed George, burned down your house, tortured Sheena, attacked Zelos and then attacked us, all to get our attention? They know how we work then, they're trying to get us angry. What if they're trying to get us to gather in one place so they can kill us there? They've got the power to do it, the fact that we're barely alive now proves it."
"I don't enjoy the idea that I'm only alive due to their mercy." Regal muttered venomously, watching as Raine scowled in agreement. Presea looked downright furious, however her anger was muted by her concern for Genis as she aided him to his feet, her hand straying protectively on his shoulder when he stumbled. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, Regal looked over at the silent Orochi and asked quietly, "Has Mizuho heard any whispers of the Desians regrouping?"
"No, we have not. From what we know, when your group broke up the remaining factions of Desians, that was the last we'd heard of them." Orochi replied negatively, though his expression was hidden by the blue mask he wore across his face. Dark eyes flashing in the shadowed forest, he continued fiercely, "It is a shame on our village that our chief and Lloyd went missing without our knowledge, but it does give us a clue to our enemies. They are intelligent enough to know the value of information and are keeping very silent."
"We're heading in blind, which only makes this more dangerous." Raine sighed quietly, also getting to her feet. Her fingers and toes felt numb from her spell-casting, and she clenched them absently to get the blood and mana flowing again. Turning to Orochi, she said gently, "I think it is best for you to return to Mizuho. Sheena is in good hands, and it's imperative that you and your village has their ears open to make sure that nothing slips past us again. We cannot afford to be deaf again if the stakes have risen."
Orochi paused, clearly wanting to argue, but the half-elf's logic wasn't something he could deny. He turned to Presea, the one who had first requested his company. She nodded apologetically, clearly siding with Raine, and the ninja simply nodded in resignation. "I will report to Vice Chiefs Igaguri and Tiga on my return immediately. Gods willing, I will also return to Meltokio sometime soon in the future to check in on our Chief's status. My thanks for allowing me to return home."
Raine nodded while the others said a hasty farewell, and she watched in silence as Orochi disappeared into the depths of the forest, the darkness swallowing up his form in seconds. Turning to Regal, Presea and her brother, her hand tightened on her staff as she spoke firmly, "I'm still not certain about all of us travelling to Meltokio, if our enemy wants us to reassemble it would be best to do the opposite. However, from what Zelos wrote to me, Sheena is in need of healing and I want to get to her as soon as possible and time isn't our ally."
"Why not split into pairs?" Presea suggested, drawing the curious gazes of her friends. Gesturing to the still unsteady Genis, she explained calmly, "Professor Raine is right, it's dangerous for all of us to go to Meltokio together, if that's what our enemy desires. Professor Raine and I can venture to Meltokio, retrieve Sheena and Zelos, then leave to a more isolated area, while Colette, Genis and Regal go somewhere else until we decide what to do then."
"As sound as that is, I would rather not separate after everything that has happened. There is more safety in numbers." Regal disagreed sharply, eyes narrowing as the sight of his home in flames flashed in front of him. He had no desire to be out of arm's reach from Raine again, and while he understood the worry that strained on them all, he would go with his instincts on this decision. "We should stay together for protection, who else can we trust but ourselves?"
"As much as I hate to say it, Regal has a valid point... It was dangerous to be separated before, no doubt it will be as dangerous now." Raine murmured unhappily, frowning as she took in the cold expression on Presea's face. While she hadn't strayed from Genis' side, she noticed that the lumberjack wasn't looking directly into his face, a familiar look of shame and guilt weighing her down. 'I wonder if she blames herself for what happened to him... It seems like her to do so...' Coughing silently in an attempt to avoid asking the question that burned on her lips, she turned to Genis and asked softly, "Are you sure you're fit to travel? I may have healed the damage but your body will be in pain for a while..."
"I can travel Raine, I've been beat up worse than this." Genis waved off her worry, his eyes flashing ferociously as he clenched his fists. His chest did ring out with pain when he made a sudden movement, but he was beyond caring about the muscle memory that hurt him. Grunting quietly under his breath, he added aloud, "Though it'd be nice if we could use the Rheairds instead of walking all the way to Meltokio."
"If we take to the air we won't run into any enemies on the ground at least." Presea offered, clearly concerned that the travel would worsen his already fragile condition. She turned beseechingly to the physically older members of the group, but didn't dare to say any more, worried that Genis would take offense because of her concern.
"That is true..." Raine let out a soft breath of resignation, she knew that she didn't have the strength in her to argue with Presea's concern, especially when she felt it so violently herself. She knew already that giving away their location wasn't exactly something to fret over, the Desians had planned all of this and she didn't doubt her suspicions. Hands raised, she turned to the lumberjack and asked quietly, "Do you have your Rheairds?"
"Yes, the both of us do. I assume the same for yourself and Regal?"
"Yes."
"Then let us go."
Meltokio
Sheena knew she would get scolded horribly for her actions, but she couldn't help the weariness in her legs that demanded motion. She had been denied freedom for much too long, and even if it was for her health she wasn't going to sit in bed and behave. So the moment Colette and Zelos had left her to her own devices, she'd gotten to her feet and began stretching, testing out the endurance of muscles long since forgotten about.
Her body felt thin, remarkably weak in this strange half-state she was in. It disgusted her to know how much strength she had lost during the months of torture she'd endured, though she understood how it had happened. She stared bitterly at her legs as she stood on them, clenching her hands slowly, examining each finger as it stretched then curled. It was almost a thrilling thing to watch her body move so freely, without restraint.
She let out a little breath, hobbling over awkwardly to the window, watching the outside with a wistful smile. The last few months were a blur to her, she barely remembered how she had been caught, the darkness of her prison had been absolute. The fresh air looked oddly enticing, and the ninja sighed softly as she allowed herself to accept the inevitable. She would never be able to look at the world the same way she used to.
Her chest ached with a familiar pain that had nothing to do with the wounds that Zelos had treated just a few hours before. Her eyes burned with tears that she refused to shed, but even then her hand raised to rub at them anyway. 'Lloyd...' Coughing because her throat closed, she grit down on her teeth and continued to stare out into the city street. 'I'd give anything to know that he's alright, that he's breathing... Dammit... Why did they let me go, and not him? That... that angel..'
It was dim but it was still there in her mind, the memory of strong arms hoisting her into the air and wind whipping through her hair as someone raced across the land with her. She'd opened her eyes only once, and stared up hazily into a pair of surprised honey-coloured eyes that calmed her anxiousness in the middle of her suffering. A gentle hand that prodded her injuries and a quiet voice that was absent of emotion but held meaning in the ancient nuances of her speech.
"My apologies."
'Why did she... apologize?' Sheena frowned and closed her eyes, pressing her fingertips against her temples as though she could force the answer out. Nothing happened, not that she expected it to, and the ninja shook her head in annoyance. Gritting her teeth together only intensified the pressure in her head, warning her that she was pushing her limits already. 'Dammit, why can't I remember?! Anything might help me find Lloyd again...'
Her hands slammed down loudly on the windowsill, her frustration reaching its peak in the midst of her emotional upheaval. Her mind was spinning with memories that she couldn't reach, and through the dance her heart clenched tightly inside of her chest until fresh tears sprung into her eyes. She could hear him yelling for her in the back of her mind, ordering her to run in a pained snarl that she just couldn't obey.
She slammed her hands down a second time, closing her eyes tightly to stop her tears from flooding freely over her face. Her heart ached fiercely and she was furious at her mind's betrayal. Lloyd was gone and she had no idea what was happening to him, and only her memories would allow her to find him again, to make up for leaving him alone. Yelling hoarsely, she balled her hands into fists and pressed them angrily against her temples, "Dammit Sheena, remember! Remember for Lloyd's sake! They're in here, why can you just remember!? DAMMIT!"
"Stop it."
Sheena whirled as quickly as her injured body would allow, and was surprised to see Colette standing in the doorway, her expression firm. Somewhat abashed that she had been overheard, the ninja quickly turned her face away from Colette's, swearing inwardly over her lapse in control. Hugging her arms around her stomach, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cold glass of the window in a vain attempt to soothe her frustration. The mark on the angel's face burned into Sheena's mind, reminding her harshly that she had caused the injury to the girl who had spent a near week at her side, tending to her injuries as dutifully as a mother.
"Sheena, look at me." Colette's voice was gentle as ever, but there was a strange new tinge of rarely heard anger in her tone. Sheena hesitated for only a moment, then she turned from the window to see the weary expression of her younger comrade, the girl she had shared everything with during their journey. Colette's eyes blazed with fire, and she spoke slowly, almost as if she had been rehearsing for this moment, "Stop blaming yourself. Lloyd would hate to see you doing this to yourself. Zelos told you already that you probably won't remember where you two were held because of the sedation you were under, so just stop this. It won't do you any good to continue making yourself upset."
Sheena swore quietly under her breath, wincing as Colette's words struck her chest and increased the aching in her heart. She was right, her mind wasn't blurred enough by the pain to deny the logic, but she couldn't accept it at the same time. Hugging herself all the tighter as if it could stop her from falling apart and to her knees, she knew only one thing that kept her sane and she whispered shakily, "I want to find him. I have to, I have to find him... because I..."
The blond angel sighed tiredly and walked across the room to Sheena's side, winding her arms soothingly around her waist. Though Sheena didn't return the embrace, Colette hugged her anyway and murmured softly into her hair, "You're in love with him. I know you are, and it's okay. We're going to find him Sheena, and you can be together again. You have to have faith in this and you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. They let you live for a reason, and you're going to keep on living to find Lloyd. It will be alright."
"How can you think like that? What keeps you so optimistic?" Sheena whispered back gruffly, angling herself so she could dry her face without moving Colette's arms from around her. She savoured this friendly hug and the comfort it gave her, and even though she knew her tomboyish facade had broken down a long time ago, her pride demanded she try to remain indifferent.
Colette let out a soft chuckle and then slowly led her away from the window and back to the bed, using silence for an answer that she may not have had. When Sheena had settled back on the edge of the bed, Colette sat down beside her and folded her hands in her lap, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful frown. "I don't really know why I'm being so optimistic either... I guess it's because I have to be. I know Lloyd, I grew up with him, he's strong and I don't doubt that he'll find a way to survive. Just like how you're strong too, and you're here and okay. So I know that things will work out."
"I don't get you Colette..." Sheena mumbled softly, shaking her head but somehow the words had brought a smile to her face. The blond angel smiled in return, and her hand, which had placed itself overtop of her own, squeezed gently. Letting out a sigh that she hadn't known that she was holding in, she scratched absently at her neck, her voice thoughtful, "But I guess that's what I like about you, the fact that I don't totally understand you. That, and you're a bit too nice for your own good."
"I'm not..." Colette's voice faded into an inaudible murmur, and when she saw Sheena examining her with worried curiosity, she raised her hands and pasted a smile onto her face. "It's nothing." She abruptly changed the subject when Sheena raised a disbelieving eyebrow, wanting to banish the concern, "Are you hungry or in pain anywhere? Zelos said he's ready to give another shot of First-Aid if you need it."
"No, I don't want to push the idiot any further. He's been exhausted." Sheena replied with a shake, frowning as she thought of the dark shadows that had begun to form under Zelos' normally so cheery azure-coloured eyes. Though he never made a point of complaining about it, she knew that his constant healings were taking a toll on his body. He barely gave himself enough time to replenish a quarter of his mana before he was at it again, attempting to soothe her pain. What made it the worst was to watch him struggle so fiercely and get next to nowhere. Many of her superficial wounds had recovered thanks to his spells, but the breaks, fractures and muscle damage had barely even begun to have been touched upon. "I can manage until Raine comes, and even if she doesn't, I don't want him healing me again."
"Zelos won't like that..." Colette mused quietly, but she couldn't find it in herself to urge Sheena against the decision. She had been becoming increasingly worried for the angel's health, he rarely ate and spent almost the past week or two pouring over any documents that even mentioned the words healing in them. A stab of guilt rushed through her stomach, and she winced at the pain. 'I love them both so much but I... I don't want Zelos to get any worse, but Sheena needs treatment...'
"Zelos doesn't like a lot of things, he can deal with me being bull-headed for a few days." Sheena waved off the comment with a roll of her eyes, then she halted her speech when she caught sight of the troubled expression that Colette was wearing. Raising eyebrows, she was unsure of what to do to pose her worries. While their relationship had never been awkward or secretive, after the past few days she had begun to worry that Colette had, or was, growing to resent her. She began chewing on her lower lip, frowning deeply when the thought caused another stab of heartache. 'Damn my stupidity.'
The silence seemed to stretch on for forever, neither female knowing what to say and mulling over their internal worries. Sheena was burdened with the guilt and gratitude that struggled for dominance inside of her, and she had no idea how to reach out to the girl that she cared for so dearly. Colette's face was a mask of troubled anxiety, and she dug deep in a desperate attempt to find words that would organize her thoughts into coherent speech. Neither of the two had a chance to unburden themselves however, interrupted when Zelos' voice called for them from behind the door.
"Colette, Sheena, Yuan is here. He wants to talk to you two. Apparently he's got news for us about Lloyd. You better come downstairs quick, I don't think it's good news."
Asgard
Ruins of Balacruf
Tasogare was silent as she took in a deep breath of the cool night air, her honey-gold eyes casually searching the dark velvet sky. She could hear nothing but silence from where she sat, perched elegantly on top of a fallen piece of the ancient temple that had once housed the spirits of the wind. Her fingers absently stroked the hilt of her sword, and she closed her eyes as though she could simply fall asleep.
A gentle clinking noise caught her attention however a few minutes later, and immediately Tasogare turned stiff. Turning in the direction of the sound, she faced the man-made hole in the left wall where she had sent her partner inside a few hours beforehand. A figure appeared a few moments later, holding a small sack over their shoulder before they came fully outside. The angel's lips twitched into what could have resembled a smile, and she called conversationally, "So I take it you found what you were looking for?"
"Thirty-seven Exspheres and twenty-three Cruxis Crystals. Sixty in all." Lloyd answered her robotically, and with a flick of his wrist he sent the bag sailing upwards towards the angel. She caught it by the neck casually, weighing it expertly before she placed it down gently on the rock beside her. She looked down on him with that same sadistic expression, and he bristled instinctively. Fighting the urge to snarl at her, he instead bowed his head and waited for her next cruel chain of commands.
"You hid them quite well if there's only a double-digit amount in each cache." Tasogare mused casually, examining the angry expression that her forced partner was wearing. She wouldn't admit to being pleased about the situation either, but unlike him, she had long come to terms with her own identity. She was a monster of her own making and was quite settled with herself. He remained silent, refusing to reply to any and all of her barbs. Ignoring his attitude, she continued as though she was making her own soliloquy, "I assume that the temples aren't the only places that you used in order to hide your collection, but that of course means that it'll take even longer to find and recover the crystals..."
"I'll lead you to the caches but you better keep up your end of our deal, angel." Lloyd hissed at her, eyes flashing bloodlust. There was simply no reprieve from his hatred, and what was worse was the fact that the both of them knew it. As well as he understood his position, no amount of threatening, pain or enticement could make him enjoy what he was doing.
"You already killed a man, Irving, even if we didn't keep to our part of the bargain, you would without a doubt return to us." Tasogare replied in a bored tone, waving a gloved hand in a vague gesture. She could almost feel his gaze burning holes into her back. Rolling her shoulders back lazily, she added with quiet deadliness, "There is no return from bloodied palms, I assumed that you and of all of your band would know of this fact already."
Lloyd clutched his hands into tight fists, closing his eyes as he absorbed the blow to the still-fresh wound. Thankfully, the angel said no more, as if she knew that her point was made. In the weeks that he had been chained to her side, he had learned of her cold intelligence, and it made the warrior weary to know that his captor was quite adept at what she did. His strength returned and his weapons on him, he had fancied the idea of duelling her, however too many risks kept his swords sheathed at his waist.
"A wise choice, I'm quite impressed with you. You're not as rash as you were when you began your journey." Tasogare's voice was sincere, but the note of mocking laughter rang out loud and clear in Lloyd's ears. He looked up to meet her steely eyes and received a surprise when he saw that there was a genuine respect there. "You know me well enough to make the decision not to fight me, because I will not show you mercy. You're a tool, and tools don't fight their masters."
"I'm nobody's tool. I'm going to be your killer, and you better remember that!"
"Keep living with that goal in mind, and one day you may very well end up bringing about the end of my very long life." Tasogare chuckled softly, without that usual hint of mockery. His furious gaze pierced her indifferent one, and she was reminded quite violently how strong he truly was. He had nearly broken her ankle after weeks of cruel and uninterrupted torture, and now he was at full power and she knew he had the strength, and will, to kill her. "However, today isn't that day, so you'll need to hold back that volatile temper of yours. Sixty crystals aren't enough for one day, so we'll depart immediately."
Lloyd let out a soft grunt of a sigh, cringing as he dug through his mental map to find the closest cache of crystals to the ruins. Forcing his face to be stone so not to show the pain he felt at selling out all of his hard work, he answered her coldly, "Then Thoda Geyser is our next destination. There's a big store of crystals at the seal." He caught her eyes gazing behind him to the seal that they had just desecrated, and his mind spun thoughtfully. 'The Summon Spirits are free again now that... Sheena's gone. Is it possible that Tasogare will make pacts with them for Yggdrasil?'
Tasogare sensed his curious eyes on her hands, and instinctively she clenched them into fists and looked up to meet his eyes. The hatred still remained as clear and hot as ever, but she could also see the burning desire to question her there also. Deciding to sate his curiosity for the sake of her own boredom, she asked flippantly, "What is it you want? Shall I explain something to you about our master's plotting?"
He bristled at the plural use of Yggdrasil's mastery, but he ignored it since she was offering to give him answers. Part of him was hoping wildly that he could somehow use whatever information she could give him, but he already knew that it was reaching for hope that didn't exist. She would tell him nothing of supreme use, she was dutiful even if she was cold. Deciding that he wanted the answers anyway, he gestured to the ruins and the seal that lay underneath the stone and asked, "Why did you leave the seal alone? Couldn't you make a pact with Sylph?"
To his surprise, Tasogare looked quite amused by his suggestion and chuckled quietly to herself for a few moments before she gave him an answer. Shaking her head mildly, she fixed him with an honest stare and answered him lightly, "You overestimate my abilities Irving. I have no knowledge of pact-making, and even if I wanted to, it would be impossible. I forfeited my ability to use elven magic when I underwent my trials to become an angel, a very long time ago. Yggdrasil does have an interest in reestablishing pacts with the Summon Spirits, however I would play no role in this."
'She can't cast magic?' Lloyd blinked in confusion, watching her face as she turned her back on the seal and started adjusting invisible creases in her clothing. Her words made little sense to him as he flashed back to the training he had watched his father and later, Zelos, preform during their months of travelling. Both the old angel, and the Tethe'allan Chosen seemed perfectly capable of using magic to their advantage and hadn't mentioned once about a forfeit for angelic abilities. 'That doesn't make any sense. And she mentioned "trials"... was she a Chosen that was a failed vessel for Martel a thousand years ago?'
'Who is this angel?'
AN
O.M.G. What has it been, like a month or two since I've updated? Jesus! Writer's block is the BIGGEST pain in the ass, EVER! (Goes to hide under a rock for a few days) Ughn. I cannot believe this bullshit. Life, for me, lately has been one big troll after another, and I'd like to attribute that to my lack of updating but that'd just be making up an excuse. Meh. I will apologize for it but writing can't be rushed and though it fails, it's the truth of life, at least for me. So thank you for taking your time and being patient with me, and hopefully getting over this huge hill will give me a chance to continue onwards with lesser bumps in the road!
PS: Another set of apologies, but no reader replies this time around, next chapter though, promise!
Sky
