AN: Look who's updating on time? Well okay I never had a set update schedule - mostly just updated when I got a couple chapters ahead. Either way, here you go nice and early. This one is a bit of a large one - but I'm quite pleased with what's happening. The plot is finally starting to roll forwards (if only just a little bit). Also updated the previous chapter; just fixed a minor plot-hole so no big need to reread unless you're keen on pointing out my flaws. Annnyways, enjoy!
p.s. if you have any questions regarding certain things contained within this chapter I may or may not provide answers, depending on whether or not it's plot related. Some things will be explained later on.
Disclaimer: I still don't own this guys. Seriously. Promise. Cross my heart.
It wasn't until Colette had placed her hand on upon the stone and they were walking into the Temple that Lloyd realized someone was following them. Just as the trail disappeared, he turned his head to see Noishe blocking Sheena from entering in after them. The animal had rode across with Lloyd on the way here. He turned his gaze to Kratos, who was also watching the scene.
"Should we do something about that?" Lloyd asked.
Kratos shook his head, "No, she has no way of getting across now that the bridge is gone. We should hurry in, however. The others might worry."
"You're right..." The brunette murmured, but a feeling of discomfort still sat heavily in his stomach.
Heaving a sigh, Lloyd turned around to face the cavern they'd entered. However, what his eyes found was not a cavern, but a man-made cave carved into the wall. He could tell it was made by humans not only by the limestone statues that covered the area, but also by the beautifully smooth walls.
"C'mon you two!" Genis called from a floor below them, "We found the way out!"
With that, Kratos and Lloyd followed the stairway down and into the next room over.
It was almost two hours later by the time they reached the warp pad, the group having spent the majority of their time running back and forth to change the function of the Sorcerer's Ring. However, a feeling of nervousness fluttered in Lloyd's stomach as he faded into existence inside the seal room. The floor was completely covered in mist, and the walls just barely visible even with Lloyd's enhanced vision. It was rather eerie looking.
"I can barely make out the altar ahead." Colette murmured, taking a few steps forwards.
Kratos put out a hand to stop her, eyes narrowed, "Be careful, Chosen. We are not alone."
Lloyd whirled around in time just to see the assassin step out of the mist. How had she followed them in?! He growled, unsheathing his swords and moving to attack. But he was stopped by Kratos, who's eyes weren't even on the assassin, but behind her. In the distance, close to the altar, three dark shadows could be seen.
"The seal guardians?" Raine spoke softly, as to not alert the creatures, "But how? We haven't approached the altar yet."
"Trying to attack the Chosen must have angered Martel." Kratos commented.
The assassin had just enough time to dash out of the way when the monsters attacked, charging all of them.
"Maybe not!" Lloyd yelled as he dodged a swipe from one of the mermaid's claws. He slashed outwards with his left sword, slicing into the thick flesh of the beast. It didn't seem perturbed as it continued to swing wildly at Lloyd with unending fury. With a yell, he unleashed a wave of mana towards the being, managing to damage it enough to stop attacking.
Just as he was about to go in for the kill, a flash of purple was in front of him. Lloyd threw up his swords to block the oncoming attack, but was surprised to find that nothing happened. He lowered his swords just in time to see the corpse of the mermaid disappearing in a bloody mist. Had the assassin actually helped them?
With the help of their enemy, it wasn't much longer before the fight was over.
As the last monster disappeared, Lloyd turned to the woman, "Who are you?! Why are you helping us if you're trying to kill us?"
She was about to respond when a bright light filled the room. The light faded to reveal a woman who appeared to be composed completely of mana. She wore a long blue gown that ran past her feet and onto the floor behind her. Her blue gaze was focused on the assassin - the intensity something even Lloyd thought he'd have a hard time matching.
"Who are you? Why have you come before me?" The being spoke in a soft yet intense voice, "If you desire to form a pact, I cannot. I am one who is bound to Mithos."
Raine raised an eyebrow, "A pact? So you must be a summon spirit."
The being nodded, "I am Undine, the Spirit of Water."
"But there are no pact-makers here." Raine spoke up again, "Unless you have something to say." Her gaze landed on the stranger, eyes narrowed.
The assassin's eyes were wide and fearful, hands clenched in fists at her sides, "I don't know anything about this!" Her gaze narrowed in determination, "I was just hired to kill the Chosen."
Undine shook her head, "No, you are a pact-maker. I am able to tell who has the ability to form the pacts." The blue spirit's head tilted in confusion, "And yet you say you know nothing. Does this mean you do not desire a pact?"
"Wait! You said Mithos." Lloyd called out, "Do you mean Mithos the Hero?"
"I do not know. Only that his name is Mithos." The woman's eyes narrowed, looking back towards the said pact-maker, "Now, you who possess the right of the pact, what is your name?"
The assassins gaze met the floor, looking uncomfortable, "I...I am Sheena." Her eyes suddenly filled with determination as she looked up at the Summon Spirit once more, "However you say you already have a pact? What does that mean?" Sheena tried to ignore the stares from the others behind her. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but maybe if she could get this spirit on her side she could finally kill the Chosen.
Undine nodded, "Yes. I cannot form two pacts at once."
"Couldn't you just..cancel the old one?" Lloyd questioned, still on edge with the assassin so close, but he was intrigued by this whole thing and that generally won out over his own instincts.
Kratos nodded, "Technically, yes. If the old pact maker has broken his vow." The auburn haired man turned to look at Sheena, "If you truly were a Summoner, you could request an annulment of the old pact."
Sheena stared at them with wonder. She had been previously planning to kill them, and yet they were still giving her advice. Albeit they were probably going to fight after this, however...it was kind of touching to have support in this, even if it was unwillingly given, "Alright." She turned to look at Undine, cards in hand, "I am Sheena! I request that thy annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me!"
Undine narrowed her eyes, "Very well. But first I must test your worth. Raise your weapons."
And like that, the spirit charged.
Colette let out a yell, raising her chakrams, only to receive a glare from Raine.
"Don't forget she tried to kill us." Raine commented, arms crossed.
The Chosen shook her head, "I know that, but we can't let her fight on her own! Not after she helped us beat those monsters. Please, Professor!"
Raine let out a breath, eyes closed, "I suppose. But don't be surprised if we're forced to fight her afterwards."
Having won her battle of wills, Colette smiled brightly and released her wings, flying towards the spirit. She let loose one of her chakrams, slicing through the flesh of Undine. However at the last moment the being changed its arm to water, so by the time the ring came back to Colette's hand, it was soaking wet.
Lloyd stood back, watching the fight. He wanted to pretend that he hated the assassin - no, Sheena. But something in him couldn't bare to let the group fight on their own. So he lifted his swords and charged into the fray.
It was almost unbelievable how strong the spirit was, but with the six of them working together, the battle was soon over.
Undine knelt on the floor, and would have been panting had she been human. Impressed with their power despite the fact that they had seemed to be enemies before hand, she stood and smiled, "Very well. You have passed. State your vow, pact-maker."
"Right now, at this very moment people are suffering. I vow to save those people." Sheena stated, eyes aflame with determination.
"Understood. I pledge my power to you, Sheena!"
With those words, there was another flash of light, and a gem appeared in Sheena's outstretched hand. The ninja turned to face the group, hoping that they wouldn't expect a fight now. She was tired, and out of breath, and probably couldn't even lift a card to defend herself. But she would have to, if they chose to attack her.
"So it seems you truly are capable," Raine commented, "..fascinating."
Colette clasped her hands together, staring all of them down worriedly, "Um, before we decide what to do next, can I pray? I don't want to fight in front of father."
So as Colette knelt at the altar, Lloyd made it his personal mission to watch the assassin. Although they had all just fought together, and helped each other out, there was still the chance she might try something. However, just as Remiel was going back to whatever hole he crawled out of, the mist around the ninja seemed to thicken. As he realized what was happening, Lloyd dashed forwards, but the woman was already gone.
"So that was...something." Genis said as they made their way out of the temple.
Lloyd nodded, a hand on his chin, "I wonder why she didn't try to use Undine to kill us? Or how she even got in in the first place?"
However as they exited the dungeon (which as it turns out was easier to leave than to enter) Lloyd noticed that something was wrong with Colette. Her face seemed a little pale and she looked like she was about to -
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the Chosen toppled over, eyes rolling back in her head.
"Colette!" The brunette yelled, running to his friend.
Raine was already at her side, tucking a blanket under the girls head, "It's the disease again." The half-elf gestured for them all to begin setting up camp as she tended to the angel. There was a pause, the only sound being the shuffling of items being laid out. Then Raine spoke again, "I've decided to call this illness the Angel Toxicosis."
"You mean this has happened before?" Lloyd questioned. He hadn't left their side.
"Oh yeah that's right, you were out cold the last time this happened," Genis spoke up from where he sat trying to light the fire, "To answer your question - yes. But you shouldn't worry too much, after a good night's rest Colette's back to her usual self." Around them Genis could see various other travelers setting up small campsites. Many were people who'd crossed the ocean too late to go back now.
"Ah, okay." Lloyd murmured. He heaved a sigh and proceeded to help set up the camp.
During dinner, Lloyd took one or two bites of his food and then set the plate aside, finding he didn't have much of an appetite. It was slightly disconcerting, but he played it off in his mind, trying not to worry about it. Standing, he moved towards his sleeping bag - having finished what he could of his meal. Due to the fact that there were others nearby, he thought it best not to remove his coat as he moved to his sleeping bag to lay down. It meant a whole night of laying there, wide awake, wings tucked awkwardly against his back.
Still - he had a farce to keep up.
Hours later, footsteps sounded near Lloyd's head, causing him to sit up.
"You should be asleep, Lloyd." Kratos commented as he sat down by the younger.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "Yeah but you and Colette are still up."
The mercenary resisted the urge to let out a small chuckle at Lloyd's resemblance to Anna at this moment. He could remember a time when the woman was still pregnant and he'd been trying to convince her to get some rest. With a grimace he locked those thoughts away in an iron box and tried to focus more on the present.
"Yes but I am on watch, and the Chosen isn't feeling very well." Kratos stated, "You will not be of much use to us if you do not get your rest."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lloyd responded, and pushed himself back under the covers, "Goodnight, Kratos."
The mercenary's response was to get up and walk away.
Lloyd's eyes tracked his back as the man sat down once again near the edge of their campsite. With a sigh, the brunette rolled over and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and readying himself for a long sleepless night.
In the distance, Raine watched the two with a dark gleam in her eyes. Genis lay next to her, peacefully unaware of the exchange. There was something between those two that she just couldn't put her finger on. And then there was Lloyd's outburst from earlier that day. She could have sworn she'd heard him yell dad. But that would mean he thought, or knew, that Kratos was somehow his...with a sigh, she decided she would mull over the issue more tomorrow. After all, she still needed rest, unlike three of their party members.
Lloyd sat himself up just as everyone else was beginning to move around. As he'd predicted he hadn't slept a wink that night. However he still pretended to be groggy, hoping that it would be enough to fool the others into thinking he had. A glance towards Colette told him that she hadn't slept at all either. She wasn't touching the breakfast in front of her either.
He frowned and stood, deciding to confront her about it.
"Good morning, Lloyd!" She greeted cheerily as he approached.
He smiled back, "Hey, Colette." Sitting down by her, he let his face relax, "Do you mind if I talk to you for a moment?"
"Uh, sure!" Colette looked slightly confused, but still her cheerful self, "What is it, Lloyd?"
The brunette paused, wondering how he should go about asking her. He didn't want to come right out and say it and scare her away. Especially if he wanted to be able to have someone to confide in. His wings twitched nervously, hoping that the words he chose would be the right ones, "Have you been feeling differently lately?" He questioned, watching her face.
"W-what do you mean?" Colette responded, chuckling nervously - eyes shifting around as if she were uncomfortable, "I feel fine!"
Lloyd silently cursed, and shook his head, "Nah, nevermind. It's not that important." With that he turned and moved to sit closer to the campfire. He couldn't risk pushing it right now lest he actually frighten her and lead her to not talk to him anymore. Either way it was something he could always bring up later.
"You're not touching your food, Lloyd," Raine questioned moments later after having watched the brunette push the food on his plate around. She'd witnessed him doing the same thing the night before, "are you feeling alright?"
Lloyd nodded, "Ah, yeah! Sorry I'm just lost in thought. That Summon Spirit thing was really something wasn't it?"
Raine noted silently how quick to change the subject he was, but didn't comment. She could tell there was something wrong, something that Lloyd wasn't willing to share just yet. Still, she kenw that Lloyd was smart enough not to hide life threatening issues. She'd let him get away with it this time, "Yes. It's very rare to see such sights nowadays. I'm surprised that Sheena knew how to Summon."
Kratos nodded his head, "Yes, I had believed the art was lost long ago."
"Speaking of which, how did you know so much about it, Kratos?" Lloyd questioned, setting his plate down - it appeared as though his appetite had not returned since last night.
"I've read a couple books." The mercenary stated with a shrug.
After receiving a couple of suspicious stares, Kratos stood and tossed the remains of his food into the grass. He tucked his dishes into a sack and turned to face the others - who had followed his lead, "We should get moving. If we want to return to Hakonesia Peak by evening we need to leave now."
Soon they were on their way.
It was about afternoon by the time they reached the House of Salvation that marked the halfway point to Hakonesia. Lloyd sighed and sat down on one of the stairs, head in his hands. The others were around - Raine stood talking to one of the priests, Colette was somewhere outside petting a dog, Genis was upstairs polishing his kendama, and Kratos was...somewhere.
Blinking, Lloyd removed his face from his palms and looked towards the ceiling. Every time he'd tried to eat anything today his stomach had completely rejected it. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry, it was almost like he couldn't eat at all. It was freaking him out because now he couldn't eat or sleep, two things essential to human life. Is this what it meant to be an angel?
He pushed himself to his feet, deciding to take a walk and hopefully clear his mind a bit.
Lloyd walked aimlessly, lost completely in his thoughts. His mind wandered over the events that had happened within the last couple months. What had happened at the Iselia ranch, the oracle, becoming an angel, finding out his real father's identity - there was so much and he marveled at how far he'd come since he left the village. Running a hand through his hair, he forced himself to focus on his surroundings.
It was then that he realized he was no longer near the House of Salvation. Somehow he'd ended up in a forest of some sort.
Flowers dotted the empty spaces between the trees. Each petal was a different color, some colors that Lloyd had never seen before. There must have been thousands - no, millions of them. They filled the air with a sweet scent that put Lloyd completely at peace, clearing his mind of all of his worries.
As he kept walking, he eventually found himself in a clearing. This time instead of multi-colored flowers, there were only crimson. It reminded him of a large pool of blood, but his mind felt so at ease that not even this seemed unsettling to him. The smell of cinnamon wafted through the air, and Lloyd felt a smile creep onto his face. The brunette sat down, and eventually fell onto his back, staring up at the blue sky...
It felt as though he had blinked, but the next time he opened his eyes, Lloyd realized he was no longer in the clearing. Or even the forest, for that matter. He shot up, quickly scanning the area for any presences. It seemed as though he were alone, but somehow he'd been taken out of the forest and back to the House of Salvation. Or near it, to be more precise.
He sat about one hundred feet away from the building, completely unscathed.
Mind racing with unanswered questions, Lloyd pushed himself to his feet, blinking as a wave of nausea swept over him. It was like he had been drugged, but he was pretty sure he'd been alone in those woods. Still, something or someone had moved him. But why had they bothered to bring him back at all? The only people who followed him were usually after the bounty on his head.
It was then that he felt an itch on the back of his neck. He brought his hand up to scratch at it, and let out a small noise when he felt something hard there. Hesitantly, he rubbed his fingers over the surface. It felt like a gem, or a diamond. Further examination revealed that it sat in a crest, much like an exsphere. But what in Martel's name was it?!
"Lloyd!" A voice in the distance broke him out of his thoughts.
Lloyd looked up to see Kratos and Genis running towards him. Quickly he adjusted the collar of his coat to hide the mysterious gem and moved his hands to his side.
"Where have you been?" Kratos growled, anxiety evident in the way his breathing hitched when he saw that Lloyd was alright.
"Oh, uh.." Lloyd trailed off, trying to think of a plausible excuse, "I went for a walk and lost track of time. Sorry guys."
Genis raised an eyebrow, "You decided to take a walk for what, seven hours?" The half-elf shook his head, "I bet you fell asleep somewhere and just now woke up to come back. Good job, Lloyd."
Thankful that Genis was so gullible, Lloyd let out a chuckle, "You know me too well, Genis."
Kratos coughed, reminding them that he was there, "Well now we have to stay the night here, thanks to your charade, Lloyd. You can be in charge of setting up the sleeping bags."
Lloyd nodded, trying to look hurt.
He'd thought that maybe no one had noticed - but he could feel Kratos' eyes on him the entire way back to the inn.
TBC