Chapter Nine
Sospes
Solid ground just felt boring now.
Sara emptied that leather pouch of its remaining contents, and fed Iona a great handful of jerky that was accepted with much slobber and vigor. With one final scratch beneath her chin, the dragon was back off into the wilderness with her two companions, and Lloyd, Genis and Colette were all waving them farewell.
The city loomed ahead. It appeared deceivingly bright and cheerful from the outside. Between the front gates and the Chosen's group was a mile-long stretch of familiar path, beset on either side by occasional thickets of trees and brush. They began hiking along it once again, only in the opposite direction this time.
No one spoke. The only sounds were their steady footsteps crunching the leaves and twigs littering the trail. Not knowing what the Desians were up to was almost worse than knowing.
Lloyd's thoughts kept drifting back to Iselia. He glared down at the dry earth, but all he really saw were flashes of burning homes… the Desians' smirking faces as they laughed at him. Laughed, like he were a joke, just a fly to be merely swatted out of their way. And that horrid, mutated flesh of what had once been a loving, kind human being…
Bile rose in his throat. He scowled, his chest on fire. Acutely, he was very, very glad of his gut's decision to bring them all back here.
"Those damn Desians," he murmured. Colette was beside him, and her small face filled with worry when she looked up and saw the pained, embroiled expression he suddenly wore. "If they cause trouble in Palmacosta, they're going to pay!"
Raine turned to him, obviously concerned. She stopped walking entirely while the others did the same. Her voice was soft, yet clear and stern. "Lloyd, calm down. What's wrong?"
He shook his head and closed his eyes. "When I left Iselia, I swore I'd never let the Desians have their way again!"
Kratos watched the boy carefully. "Losing your cool will only lead to poor decisions."
Oh, that was soooo typical, wasn't it? Calm and collected Kratos, who always thought he was so stupid...!
Lloyd's eyes flew open, wild and furious. He cocked one fist back and aimed it straight for the man's face. "Oh, just shut up!"
Colette gasped, bringing one hand to her mouth. Kratos was made of steadfast stone, unflinching. He stared down at Lloyd with narrowed, challenging eyes.
"Lloyd," Raine began calmly. "Your feelings are always honest and pure. Nevertheless, that's no reason to treat your comrades this way."
That same fist now hung trembling at his side. "But… I…"
"We are worried about Palmacosta, but we're also worried about you." Raine waited a few seconds, silently, until he was able to meet her gaze. Beside her, Sara, Genis and Colette all nodded their agreement. "Understand?"
Worried… about me? That blazing fire in his heart eased. Rage hollowed, shame and guilt replacing it. His tense shoulders slumped.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that," he admitted quietly.
Raine smiled a little. "...That's better. But am I the one you should be apologizing to?"
Lloyd bit back the sigh he wanted to breathe. His feet slowly shifted, and he turned to face the mercenary, who stood before him as an unforgiving, royal-blue mountain. Everything in him screamed for his eyes to stay mercifully focused on the dirt beneath Kratos' boots - but Lloyd steeled himself, forcing them to meet his.
"...Kratos. I was wrong. ...I'm sorry."
To Lloyd's complete surprise, there was nothing demeaning or scolding in Kratos' expression at all. If anything, it was just shy of pride.
"I take no offense," he said factually, and then he had turned away, leading them all along the path once more, the pointed tips of his cloak trailing behind him. "At any rate, let's keep going. We'll move quickly, but carefully."
It took Lloyd's throat a few seconds to begin working again. Now he was very confused, because at any other time, he was sure Kratos would have unleashed an implacable torrent of wisdom at him…
He blinked, then nodded resolutely, though Kratos couldn't see it. "...Right."
Palmacosta's port sat completely empty and silent. Unlike their last visit, there were no fishermen unloading cargo, or warships preparing for launch. The market was lifeless, and no succulent smells could be found in the air. Even the seagulls seemed hesitant to cry out, like the air itself was heavy and cursed.
All this instantly set the Chosen's group on edge. The streets were vacant, too, and every one of their footfalls seemed to produce deafening echoes that bounced off the outer walls of a nearby shop or inn. If not for the geographical similarity, Palmacosta could very well have been located in an entirely different location.
Genis scowled, his eyes searching for any sign of the normal life they'd seen before. "I don't like this…"
"Me neither," Lloyd agreed, his lips pressed together in a nervous, wavering frown. "Where is everyone?"
Just then, a chorus of shouts could be heard erupting from the downtown plaza at the city's heart. They didn't seem to be cries of celebration or victory, but rather a dark mixture of voices crying out in terror.
Kratos, whose steps had before been cautious, now strode forward with fearless confidence. One hand rested at its ubiquitous place on his sword's hilt. "Be on your guard. Our battle could begin at any moment." He remained solidly in front of Colette, while Lloyd and Sara were at her sides, blades and claws brandished and waiting. Raine followed directly behind her, and Genis beside his sister.
That fearful sound of many voices was back again, creeping unnervingly closer as the Chosen's group stalked deeper into the city. At last, they rounded the final corner and approached the small stone bridge that led into the main plaza.
A sea of heads greeted them, all facing away towards the plaza. A crude wooden stage had been erected just before the sacred front doors of the Martel temple, several meters high and with a tall, single-beam overhang. Though it was difficult to see, whatever was on its platform had the crowd's undivided attention.
Colette noticed it first, her face paling, her giant cerulean eyes becoming even moreso with horror and shock. Raine and Sara were next, wearing similar expressions of disgust and trepidation, while Lloyd and Genis looked on in utter disbelief. Kratos had his garnet eyes narrowed, his mouth pulled into a bitter frown - because this was not a mere stage on which the Desians were giving speeches warning of destruction and death. It was a gallows - a sickening, old-fashioned rig meant for the display of public execution. And it had already been painstakingly set up for its first victim.
Cacao, Chocolat's mother and owner of the quaint item shop they'd visited before, stood bent and withered in the middle of the platform. A rugged, thick rope had been fashioned in a noose around her frail neck, one end tied securely above her to the wooden beam. She looked rough and absolutely exhausted; that simple, pretty shawl around her shoulders was tattered and askew, while her blue tunic beneath was frayed in several spots and darkened with what everyone hoped were not bloodstains.
Icy dread gripped the Chosen's fluttering heart. Her breath caught in her throat, where one hand went to, her delicate fingers tracing along the shining surface of her Cruxis Crystal. The other reflexively reached for Lloyd and gripped a fistful of his sleeve for stability and comfort.
In some cruel twist of fate, Cacao now stood on top of where Colette had a few days earlier, when she'd offered her morning prayers to the Goddess. The Chosen wanted to speak, or at least utter some sound of protest… but found that her voice, much like the color from her cheeks, had vanished.
From the far end of the plaza came a storm of heavy footfalls. A group of three Desians strode forward, and although many others stood guard beside the waiting gallows, these newcomers were dressed differently, in intricate outfits that spoke of a higher order and greater powers. Two of them wore peculiar headdresses made from shining metal spires and rings, brandishing long gold and silver staffs of the same material. The third was clearly the leader - a bulldozer of a man with armored steel boots and a head of angry red dreadlocked hair that was pulled back in an explosive ponytail. His face was ragged and smug, with scars running across the bridge of his nose and over one protruding eye ridge. Deep-set, nearly black eyes glinted deviously as he walked ahead of his peers, his gait assertive, his broad shoulders squared and pulled back proudly.
Lloyd instantly hated him. He found himself taking a step forward, only to be stopped by the gentle tug of Colette's small hand still holding onto his sleeve.
"Out of the way," one of the soldiers bellowed. "Lord Magnius approaches!"
Several members of the audience, who had heard that name but never before had a face to put it to, shrank back in fear. One young man cowered beside his family, trembling, and swallowed hard as he muttered, "Magnius… from the eastern ranch…?"
Magnius' steps halted abruptly. He turned around slowly, raking his glare across the gathered crowd like the swing of a broadsword before settling it on the hapless man who had spoken. His obsidian eyes narrowed, that hardened, scarred face pulling into an abhorrent scowl.
"That's Lord Magnius, vermin." In one movement, his hand clenched around the man's throat, raised his flailing body into the air, and crushed his neck like a mere collection of twigs. His body was tossed back to the feet of the screaming family, landing with a thud like a useless laden sack.
Genis' knees weakened. He half-collapsed against his sister's side and tried in vain to not notice the way that man's head was now bent at an entirely wrong angle. "He… he just…"
"Don't look anymore." Raine buried her hand in the boy's hair, turning his head away, though her own was fixated forward. "Just… don't look."
Magnius continued on. He paused at the stairs to the gallows, turning his eyes now to Cacao, who refused to look at anything but the contrarily beautiful, clear-blue sky.
"This woman defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refused to provide us with supplies," another guard announced. He lifted one arm, slicing his sword through the air. "Therefore, while the designated death count has been exceeded, we have been granted orders to carry out this woman's execution."
Lloyd's insides felt like grinding, frigid rocks. He grit his teeth and growled through them. "Dammit! Why isn't the city militia doing anything to stop this?!"
Beside him, a member of the audience spoke up sadly: "Most of them are out on training exercises right now. The rest have… already been killed."
"They must have waited for this chance," Sara ground out. Her fingers kept curling and straightening in a rage-fueled, anxious cycle. "Soulless bastards."
Suddenly, over the nervous hum of the crowd, a sharp, frantic shout rended the air: "Mom!"
The sea of warm bodies parted as Chocolat flung herself forward, elbowing others carelessly out of her way. Her russet eyes were wide and furious. She stumbled forward and out of the crowd, and would've bounded up the gallows stairway if not for the pair of Desians that cut her off. She skidded to a halt before them, heaving for breath, hands clenched into fists. Cacao stared down at her daughter from her morbid throne, tense and horrified.
"Stop right there, woman!" One of the soldiers sneered, using his metallic staff to shove Chocolat in the shoulder. "If you interfere, we'll make you suffer in ways that will leave you begging for death."
"You think Governor-General Dorr will let you get away with this?" she spat.
"Dorr?" Magnius approached, grinning darkly. "Don't get your hopes up, woman."
Chocolat bristled and opened her mouth to retort - but it slammed shut again instantly. Magnius had one hand lifted in the air, his finger cocked and ready in a signal to his henchman beside Cacao on the gallows stage. Chocolat's breath caught - her panicked eyes fixated on that one finger, willing it to retreat, or better yet, cease to exist at all.
The air grew eerily still. Silence hovered ominously. There was a shuffling off to the side, and then the whizz of something sailing through the air - Magnius' left eye twitched, a near-imperceptible flinch, as a small rock impacted his temple. Its clatter to the stone ground was louder than the greatest clap of thunder.
Magnius slowly turned. A young boy stood out among the crowd, his outstretched arm still lowering to his side.
"You," the Desian breathed, teeth clenching. "Disgusting little vermin!"
The boy paled, but stood firm. He seemed to flood with resignation, his youthful face suddenly aging into something ancient and worn. As Magnius took a step towards him, he closed his eyes.
But the pain never came. There was a chorus of startled voices, and the swift slicing of twin blades through the salty sea air. When the boy opened his eyes once more, the first thing he saw was a bright flash of red - a mere blur before it settled into reality and formed a solid shape.
Lloyd's body had reacted before his thoughts. He glared down at Magnius, breathing hard. The Desian had been forced back several steps, a gaping slash now spanning across one shoulder that he reached up and touched in utter disbelief.
Lloyd's companions were instantly behind him, poised and ready, teetering on the edge of action. Raine's hushed voice was at his ear, though her eyes kept fixated on Magnius as his soldiers helped him to his feet and began tending to his wound. "Lloyd, stop. Do you want to turn this city into the next Iselia?"
"It's not the same," Lloyd muttered resolutely. He shook his head, blades still waiting before his chest. "This city doesn't have a non-aggression treaty with the Desians. How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world when we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?!"
"Lloyd's right," the Chosen agreed, looking back and forth between her friend and Raine desperately. Her hands were balled into fists and held beneath her chin. "I won't just stand here and let this happen!"
One of the soldiers narrowed his eyes in recognizance as he stepped towards Lloyd. "...You! You're wanted criminal #0074, Lloyd Irving!"
Magnius laughed, a smirk crawling through his grimace. "Well, now. So you're that boy with the Exsphere. Heh, this is perfect!" He flung out one hand, jabbing a finger at Lloyd. "After I take that Exsphere from you, they'll make me leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! Get them!"
That pair of Desians with the staffs sprung into action, the ground beneath their feet bursting with churning, glowing emblems. A trio of fireballs, white-hot and dripping flames, shot out from the tips of their staffs and straight at Lloyd - but he heard that familiar swish-click! of a kendama, and Genis was before him, blocking the spells. Each fireball impacted his Force Field harmlessly, shattering into tiny, rolling globules of flame that petered out on the stone ground.
Genis smiled smugly. He tucked his kendama once again into the rear waistband of his shorts. "Amateurs."
"Dammit," Magnius hissed. "You worthless idiots! Enough of this. Let's see how this affects your abundant morale: I'll take care of that woman first." At last, he signalled the waiting hangman.
The trap door beneath Cacao's feet fell through. The rope tightened mercilessly around her neck and she inhaled a strangled gasp. The crowd screamed, mortified. Her head craned, chin up, her legs flailing uselessly. The rope swung side to side like she were bait on a lure.
"No!" Colette shouted; her chakrams came out instantly. She spun and launched one with practiced skill towards the gallows. It sliced cleanly through the swaying rope. At the same time, Sara lunged forward and caught the free-falling woman securely in her arms. She made short work of Cacao's remaining binds with her claws, and then Chocolat was frantically embracing her mother, patting and pressing at her neck for any signs of further damage. Cacao simply stood there, breathing in and out slowly, savoring the feel of air passing once again through her throat.
Magnius blinked. "What the…?!" Fuming, he stalked towards the mother and daughter - although he didn't make it halfway before Kratos' gleaming sword had given his other arm a matching wound. Magnius groaned in pain, collapsing to one knee, unsure of which arm to cradle or favor now that both were screaming at him.
Kratos straightened his broad back as he returned his blade to its scabbard. His arms folded across his chest, that sharp jaw tilting defiantly. "...Let us respect the wishes of the Chosen."
Every eye found its way to Colette, who was putting away her chakrams and watching Cacao and Chocolat with a relieved smile. A low hum of chatter whispered through the crowd.
"The Chosen?"
"...She is the Chosen?"
"The Chosen has come to save us!"
Raine ignored them. She glanced from her brother to Kratos, then Sara and finally to Lloyd. "Do you all realize what you're doing? Now this city may be attacked just like Iselia…"
Lloyd met her gaze steadfastly. "That's right! And I know full well what I'm doing. I won't repeat the same mistake again." For a moment, Raine released a comforted sigh - but then Lloyd spoke again: "I'm going to destroy the entire ranch!"
"Lloyd," she said darkly. "That's insanity."
"Uh," Sara started, frowning. "I'm on your side, Lloyd, but… Raine's right. A ranch is nothing to scoff at."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "They're only really after Colette and me, anyway. And besides…" He turned to his blonde friend. "We have the Chosen on our side, the savior who will regenerate the world! Right, Colette?"
Kratos' garnet eyes thinned. He watched the way Colette tried to smile, a painful comparison to Lloyd's proud, hopeful grin.
"Yup," she said brightly. "I'm going to fight for everyone's sake."
"Oh, lady Colette," a bystander shouted, his voice wavering in awe. "The great Chosen of Mana!"
Raine threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh. "I give up. You're all hopeless."
Sara pouted, fists on her hips. "Hey, I agreed with you!"
"But," the Professor continued begrudgingly. Though her back was turned to Lloyd, she glanced at him over one shoulder. "I'll help, since I'd be worried about you otherwise."
Lloyd breathed an ecstatic laugh. "Professor Sage! Thank you!"
By this time, Magnius seemed to have gathered himself. Though his wounds were still raw and bleeding, he stood solidly, growling through gritted teeth. "Damned little… enough of this crap! I'm leaving them to you." He turned away, shooting Lloyd a furious glare. "Get rid of them!"
Those two staff-wielding Desians stepped forward, followed by another with a sword, and a final one with a long leather whip. Their metallic boots made grating scraping noises on the stone ground, strangely loud over the humming, hushed voices. The sword-wielder lead the others. The tip of his blade shone in the sunlight, outstretched and pointed straight between Lloyd's determined eyes.
"How dare you lay a hand on Lord Magnius," he growled. "You're all dead!"
Kratos' sword returned to his hand impossibly fast. "Lloyd. Sara. Each of you take a magic user. Cover one another. Genis, focus on the one carrying the whip. His armor is weak to magic. I will take care of the leader. Raine, Chosen - you know what to do."
Colette's wings burst forth from her back, glittering brilliantly. Her tiny hands clasped together at her breast and she closed her eyes. Her feet lifted a few inches off of the ground, and she hovered in the air over swirling circles of holy light. Translucent feathers rained all about her as she began muttering a spell: "Holy wings, I beg of thee to reveal thy glory…" The crowd, though many had fled and the rest had backed up quite a distance, watched her silently, transfixed.
Genis was in front of her, beginning a spell of his own, the red ball of his kendama soaring and snaking expertly before him. Lloyd and Sara were like forked lightning, splitting apart to flank the swordsman and the whip master in a beeline for the others. They impacted simultaneously, Lloyd's blades screeching against the Desian's staff while Sara leapt over her target entirely. He tried to turn, defending himself with his weapon. Sara landed, crouched low, and shot forward with one hand, slashing her claws across his thigh. He stumbled backwards just as Lloyd unleashed a flurry of thrusts and slashes at his own foe. The teen's Exsphere gleamed brightly. His eyes hardened, and he took in a quick, steadying breath before lunging straight ahead with one blade, shouting "Sonic Thrust!"
The Desian flew backwards. Sara spun, catching her foe's staff in the spikes of her gauntlets and sending it thudding to the ground. The soldier with the sword came at Kratos rather clumsily; the mercenary parried with ease. Genis at last unleashed his spell: "Wind Blade!" (coincidentally, the one he'd been trying to practice) and the air came alive around the last Desian, slicing and whipping at him with invisible razorlike edges.
The Chosen opened her eyes at last, alight with an amethyst shine. "Angel Feathers!" From each of her shoulders, a pair of missile-like feathers erupted. Each one shot forward, overtop of her companions' heads, trailing sparks through the air like a fireworks display. One by one, the projectiles homed in on their opponents, piercing cleanly through cloth and flesh. The battle ended just as Colette's small white boots settled back to the ground, her golden hair once again falling into place along her back. She let out a breath. Her wings flickered and vanished.
There were still a handful of soldiers left, but rather than pick up where their comrades had left off, they bolted in the opposite direction and after Magnius. The crowd erupted in cheers, several citizens approaching Colette and falling to their knees before her, hurriedly offering an endless array of praise and blessings. Bright, cherry red bloomed across her pale cheeks. She smiled sheepishly, mumbling "Oh please don't"s and "It was no trouble"s that drowned in the vast sea of admiration.
"Finally!" Lloyd was grinning proudly as he watched her. He returned his blades to their sheaths. "Colette gets the kind of praise she deserves. None of this stupid assassin or impostors stuff."
Genis was smiling too. "Yeah, it's kind of nice! This is how she should be treated all the time."
Cacao and her daughter slowly approached the Chosen's group. Chocolat had one arm around her mother, who was once again beaming with purpose and kindness, her harrowing ordeal at the gallows seeming a mere memory.
"Thank you so much for your help," Chocolat said brightly. "If you hadn't come, then… I don't know what would've happened to my mom."
"The Goddess has truly blessed us this day," Cacao agreed. Though it was difficult given her injuries, she bent forward in a reverent bow. Colette's eyes widened and she instantly helped the older woman stand back up. "Please, don't strain yourself…"
Kratos sheathed his own sword, and Sara stepped up beside him, a strange, inquisitive look on her face as she watched the others. "I… just don't get it."
His eyes narrowed. "Get what?"
"If the 'Goddess' really blessed them… why was she almost hung to death?" Sara shook her head, her freckled face darkening in thought. "Do they just forget about that part? Like it doesn't matter?"
Kratos sighed. Colette was now awkwardly shaking hands with several citizens, looking a bit overwhelmed. "It is human nature to turn positive experiences into perceived reward for suffering, regardless of how the experience came about."
Sara continued to watch them intently. "A reward, huh. Do you think Colette believes that?"
"...Those who suffer the greatest perceive the greatest reward." He paused, his features softening just slightly. "I think it is she who believes it most of all."
Cacao set down a wooden tray on top of the Chosen's table. Its simple ceramic teacups and small matching saucers rattled softly. The smile never left the older woman's kind face as she picked up a steaming kettle from the nearby stove, and began dutifully pouring fresh tea into each cup. Much to Colette's chagrin, and after much more insisting, she and her group had finally acquiesced to a returned favor from Chocolat and her mother in the form of a simple brunch. Well, Lloyd and Sara didn't take much convincing, really, considering an offer of food was involved.
"Thank you. You really didn't have to do this," Colette mumbled for the millionth time. She herself sat at the head of the table ("Oh, you mustn't sit anywhere else, my lady!"), while the others joined her around its edges.
"We may as well enjoy ourselves," Raine said, relaxing back into her chair. "We don't know how long this peace will last. This doesn't happen to us very often."
Lloyd wiped his mouth once more with his soft linen napkin. "Those croissants were delicious! Thank you!"
Cacao nodded. "It was our pleasure."
"Yeah, absolutely," Chocolat agreed. She took all of their empty plates one by one, stacking them with practiced ease. "I don't know what I would've done if they'd murdered my mom as well…"
Genis swallowed the last bite of his food with a painful gulp. "...'As well?'"
Cacao's tea-pouring faltered just slightly, sending a few drops spilling over the edge of one cup. She frowned. Hastily, she used one tip of her apron to dab up the mess. "My husband volunteered for Governor-General Dorr's army… and was killed in battle against the Desians. And my mother was… taken to the ranch."
The Chosen's head lowered respectfully. Those of her friends did the same.
Genis stared down at his hands. "I'm very sorry."
"It was Grandma that originally founded this shop," Chocolat said. "We have to protect it - not just for ourselves, but for Grandma's sake, when she returns."
"Don't lose that," Sara murmured thoughtfully. "Keep hoping for her. I'm sure she appreciates it."
Chocolat nodded resolutely. She set her stack of dishes in the sink and wiped her hands. "I'm sorry, but I'd better get going soon." Her eyes flicked to a clock on the far wall. "It's almost time for the next Asgard pilgrimage."
Lloyd's brow furrowed. "Asgard pilgrimage?"
"I work at the Church of Martel travel agency." Chocolat paused. She quickly pulled her chestnut hair back into a ponytail. Her gaze shifted out the window, to the spire of the temple in the distance, reaching above all the other structures and towards the sky. "...But it's not like I believe in Martel or anything."
Cacao gasped. Thankfully she'd finished with the tea, or it likely would've ended up everywhere. "Chocolat! How can you say such a thing?! And in the presence of the Chosen herself…?" Colette slumped down in her chair, wanting to disappear.
"I know, I know," Chocolat sighed. This was obviously a conversation that had happened many times before. "I'm grateful for the Chosen. But… Martel didn't protect Dad or Grandma. Even this time, it wasn't Martel, but the Chosen and her companions that saved you!" She shook her head. Her eyes were hard, earthen steel. "How can anyone believe in a goddess that sleeps while we suffer?"
Colette stood suddenly, as if she'd been launched from her seat. Her sheepish demeanor had vanished and was replaced with one of confidence and purpose. She met Chocolat's eyes evenly and with an earnest nod that swayed her thick golden hair. "I understand. But I still think Martel exists."
Chocolat was speechless for a few moments. "You… think so?"
"I'm sure of it," Colette agreed adamantly. "She exists inside you and me." Cacao was nodding too, a bit tearful.
"Well, if the Chosen says so…" Chocolat let out a breath and smiled a little. "I'll at least try to believe."
An elated grin bloomed on Colette's gentle face. "That's all I could ever ask. Thank you."
Lloyd still seemed a bit puzzled. His fingertips absently fiddled with the dainty handle of his teacup. "Are there really people that want to go on a pilgrimage right after what just happened here?"
Kratos gracefully set his own down onto its saucer after a sip. "It's after events like this that both those with and without faith feel the need to go on a journey in search of salvation."
"That pretty much sums it up," Chocolat confirmed. She began slipping on a dark green vest over her tunic, with a company patch hemmed into the breast. "Our tours tend to be largest just after a tragedy. Pilgrimages have a way of taking people's minds off all the bad things."
"I'm sure the fact that they're doing something to please Martel helps as well," Raine added. "Gaining the Goddess' favor could surely never hurt."
Last to be worn was a burlap satchel, which Chocolat slung over one shoulder and across her chest. She shrugged, finding Colette's gaze again. "Maybe one day I'll be able to join them as a follower instead of a guide."
"I hope so, Chocolat," the Chosen said brightly.
"Well then, I'm off. Thank you all very much." Chocolat offered one last wave over her shoulder as she left the room and trotted down the stairs.
Kratos drained the rest of his tea and stood silently. "We should be moving on as well."
"Of course." Cacao bowed gratefully, this time managing to hide her wince. "May the rest of your journey be full of many blessings."
Remarkably, the streets and canals of Palmacosta had returned completely to normal, that buzz of chatter once again mingling with seagull caws and the constant swishing of water. Lloyd couldn't decide if this was a good or a bad thing, really. Part of him marveled at their strength to move on from such a disturbing event. But their ability to do so undoubtedly came from practice, and he found that revolting as well as simply sad.
The Chosen continued to receive stares and praise as she and the others headed back out of town, once again set on their northeastern course. In truth, she was glad to be leaving. She enjoyed the fact that she'd brought hope to the city, but it also put enormous pressure on her thin shoulders, of which there was already plenty. It seemed hard to walk. She straightened her back, mentally chiding herself for letting it slump again.
They all walked in silence for awhile before Sara finally spoke. "Okay! So…" She clapped her hands once then rubbed them together, grinning hopefully. "We should head back to that House of Salvation, right? To get the statue?"
"The state of Spiritua, yes," Raine corrected with a nod. "We need to return our focus to releasing the seals. Right, Colette?"
Colette stared down at her boots. She didn't seem to hear the Professor, and instead kept plodding steadily forward. Lloyd nudged her in the shoulder, his eyebrows wiggling playfully. Her head snapped up, her lips forming a small 'O' of surprise before she smiled chastenedly. "Oh, uh… um… I'm sorry. Yes, we need the statue so we can see the Book of Regeneration."
"Then our course is set," Kratos announced. The plains stretched endlessly ahead. His fingers drummed steadily against the hilt of his sword. "...Again."
