Chapter 10: Within the closed darkness, I felt the presence of light
"Our means of survival is in these hands" – Sidonia no kishi by angela
He was like a stiff board when the Desians dragged Lloyd's motionless body into their base. While he wished that he was crying crocodile tears, in truth he was terrified. It took every bit of his will power not to quiver in fear. When the red of his friend's outfit disappeared behind the metal doors, Genis let it all out.
"Why am I even here? Lloyd was the one who made me come along! What will happen to me now?" he cried out as dramatically as he could without pushing it. He wiped his tears away while trying to avoid having his knees buckle. The Desian guards looked at each other uncomfortably.
"They didn't ask for him. Do you think…?" The other shrugged before they waved the boy off.
"Alright, alright. As a fellow kinsman, we'll let you go. So, get out of here."
Genis looked up in pretend surprise.
"R…really?!" he exclaimed. The guard on the left seemed worried.
"You sure it's okay to just let him go?"
"What can a kid do?"
Genis smiled. "Thank you, mister!"
He waved before running off and hiding behind a sand dune, far enough away to be mostly out of hearing range. He was ecstatic to see Noishe bound right up to him, having followed them from Triet. Immediately, he began to think of a plan. Should he just try to find Colette? He still had the map and the chance that they were near some old desert ruins that Raine had once mentioned in class were relatively high. At the very least, it would be a good place to start searching and they shouldn't have been in the area for too long yet. However, they also left Anna behind in the city. She would be terribly worried, and if he didn't find Colette and Raine before they returned to town it might be problematic.
He looked around when Noishe froze and whined, sniffing the air. Genis frowned when he couldn't see anything that would warrant the beast's reaction.
Suddenly, she was there. He had simply looked over his shoulder once again and she had appeared when a brief gust of wind had forced him to blink. No footsteps in the sand lead to her two feet, nor had there been much wind since Genis could remember. If she didn't walk, then how did she travel? And how did she reach them so fast?
She was tense and alert. The air around her was thick with energy, causing Genis to shiver. Having never seen her in this state before, he was unsure about how to approach her.
His cover was quickly blown when Noishe decided to run around the sand dune and startle Anna out of her thoughts. He sheepishly followed rubbing the back of his head. She gasped and held a hand to her chest upon recognition.
"Genis! Thank goodness you're okay! What happened? Where's Lloyd?" she asked. A mix of relief and worry could be heard in her voice.
"I'm not quite sure. Desians were putting up wanted posters of Lloyd and we were looking at one of them. Suddenly they were behind us, Lloyd and I were captured but -"
"It's okay. I can guess the rest but where's Lloyd? Did you happen to see where they took him?"
Silently, he pointed in the direction of the base.
"They dragged him inside and let me go. Noishe found me, and then we found you."
Anna sighed and glared in the direction of the facility that was currently holding Lloyd hostage.
"Guess we need a plan now huh? Hmm… Do you still remember roughly where those ruins were? The ones you looking for on the map earlier." At the boy's nod she continued, "Great. Head in that direction and try to find Colette and the others. If you ride on Noishe, he should be able to lead you in the right direction and-"
"Wait, aren't you coming with us?"
Anna shook her head. "I have to save Lloyd. I can't just leave him there."
Genis gave her an incredulous expression. "You plan on going in there… by yourself?" Her response was simply to start walking towards the Desian base. Genis immediately dashed in front of her. "Are you crazy? How are you supposed to save him by yourself? I don't care how good a mercenary you are, there's no way you can go in there alone!"
She glanced to the side. "Stand aside, Genis. I - "
"No way! Lloyd and I...," he tensed and lowered his head, staring down at the sand. "Lloyd and I made a promise. We promised to protect Colette on her journey. It's not the same if it's just me or him! But between the two of us, we won't make it and Lloyd would never forgive me if I let you go on your own!" He looked up and locked eyes with her. "We need their help but most of all, we need to work together. It's the only way we can guarantee we'll rescue him."
The two of them stared each other down for a few moments, neither wanting to withdraw their choice. However, Anna eventually closed her eyes, sighed and shrugged, and Genis smiled in response.
He felt weightless as he stared straight ahead blankly. The exspheres were warm but not intensely burning. A bright white light slowly formed to a person before him. Whoever they were, they were calling out, but he couldn't hear. He tried to speak or walk towards them, but found himself paralyzed. However, slowly but surely, the voice grew louder and louder.
"..-better or for worse, I won't turn away. Stay safe, Lloyd."
He opened his eyes and sat up, startled. After a few deep breaths, he observed his surroundings only to discover that he was in a cell. As his memories caught up, he muttered a curse word. I've done it now. I've actually been captured by Desians…
As he stood, he realized his cell was relatively small with only two or three steps between the prison bed and the metal bars that marked the door to his cage. He leaned against the cool bars, noticing two guards down the hall chatting to each other.
"-finally caught that kid. Sucks to be him."
"I almost feel bad for him. Heard he's up for execution soon."
Lloyd's stomach flipped at those words and his knees grew weak.
"Execution? W...what the hell?!" he muttered to himself. His surroundings grew dark as he sat on the edge of the bed. His muscles tensed and he suddenly found himself gasping for breath.
We will not die in here. Not another ranch. Not again.
The crystal on his left hand began to pulse. He covered it with his right hand trying to hold it back.
Release your true power Lloyd. Why do you hold yourself back?
"You're not me, damn it!" he exclaimed through clenched teeth. He barely noticed the guards checking on him through the metal bars.
I am now you. We share the same power. And we're getting out of here.
The pulsing increased. His hands and skin felt like they were on fire. Energy was building up inside him and he had no idea how to control it. He yelled out at the top of his lungs.
He awoke to the sounds of sirens. His nose twitched at the burning smell that hung around the room. He coughed as he stood, attempting to wave the smoke away. Debris littered the floor causing his steps to make crunching noises. His whole body ached as he pushed himself out of what seemed like a massive hole in the wall. Black and light blue-green feathers lay scattered among the debris. Eventually, he discovered a charred chest. Luckily for him it wasn't locked, and opened after he knocked the wreckage off that had landed on it. He was ecstatic to find his equipment. The alarms were still ringing loudly as he escaped the room, not noticing the charred Desian corpses that were scattered near what was his cell.
The next room was much larger and very bright. He gaped at the futuristic looking walls and pillars.
"...he should be in over here!" a voice shouted from beyond a door across the room. Panicking, Lloyd jumped down to a space in the middle that dipped below the floor and held his breath. Two more Desians emerged from the hallway and looked around, seemingly confused.
"Where'd that kid in red go?"
"Not sure. Think he actually managed to get outside?"
The other guard shook his head. "Nah, doesn't seem like it. Sensors didn't detect anyone leaving that way. If you ask me, I think he got caught up in that blast along with the others."
Caught up in the blast…? He frowned to himself and looked down at his exspheres. Strangely enough, there were rather inactive. Nonetheless, it would explain the debris and the hole in the wall, but how? Why couldn't he remember it happening? Thinking back, all he could remember was preparing to fight off the Desians in Triet. Genis… His heart sank with worry. What if Genis had been in that room? He tried to push those thoughts away as the Desian guards prepared to leave.
"Oh right. This room uses that mechanism." A series of strange noises occurred and Lloyd heard a click. "Sheesh, why'd they have to make it so complicated?"
"Let's just keep looking for that kid."
Once Lloyd was sure they were gone, he climbed out from the hole in the floor and looked around. Nearby, there was a weird apparatus, glowing blue. However, purple fog seemed to hover around it. With curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out to touch it, only to snap his hand back when the sorcerer's ring reacted to it. The once red jewel was now a light blue and radiated the same purple fog. He lightly touched it and jumped back as a ball of lightning shot out.
"Cool…" he whispered to himself in awe. Once he got over the now transformed sorcerer's ring, he observed the room and realized he was no longer alone. Robots hovered over dark blue pads on both sides of the room. He slowly approached one on the far right side, observing it curiously. Calmly and somewhat unconsciously, he reached to touch the strange piece of machinery, only to find himself paddling backwards as it whirled to life and pointed a canon at him. With his heart pounding in his ears, he rapidly attempted to draw his swords only to have it shot out of reach. Without thinking, he held up the hand with the ring, and a ball of electricity collided with bot. It fell to the floor, landing over the pad as it lit up.
As he retrieved his sword, Lloyd thought for a moment before running to the other robot. He electrocuted it immediately and smiled to himself as he heard a click in the door and it opened up.
"Alright, time to get out of here!" He ran down the hall, trying to avoid more canon firing robots and guards a like. As he searched for a possible exit, he couldn't help but feel like the place was a little strange. For one, he had not stumbled upon any other human prisoners since he had escaped. They could be kept somewhere else in the building but at this point, it almost seemed unlikely. The other thing was that it didn't smell like the Iselia ranch did. That ranch had always smelled of the body odors of several human slaves, and the scent of their sweat and the occasional smoke from whatever they produce in them which often drifted down the cliff into the forest. This shiny place smelled clean and metallic.
"There he is!" A guard shouted as Lloyd turned a corner. He stopped in his tracks and turned down another hallway.
He ran in through the nearest door into a room and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. Between whatever caused that burst of energy and fighting off those odd floating metal guns, then running from the patrols, he was tired out.
"Just what kind of ranch is this…" he muttered to himself.
"And just who the hell are you?"
Lloyd stood straight, suddenly aware that he hadn't quite escaped yet. He locked eyes with a blue haired man in fancy armor and a cape dramatically draped over his back. Something ignited in his memory, but it felt distant. There was something familiar about the man before him but he could not put his finger on it. His wistfulness was quickly replaced by surprise when the man shot a ball of electricity at him from his palm.
You'll need to do more than that.
Without thinking, Lloyd held out the hand burdened with the Cruxis crystal. A green shield formed around him, deflecting the attack. He blinked and looked around with a blank expression. The man in front of him rubbed his temples and sighed.
"You must be Lloyd, aren't you?" he queried.
Regaining his confidence, Lloyd smirked and shrugged. "Give me your name, and I'll give you mine!"
The man laughed. "You certainly have guts!" Blue, as named by Lloyd, took a few steps forward and examined him for a moment. "Hmm. I see the resemblance." The swordsman tried to take a step back only to realize he was already against the wall. Only then did it dawn on him that he may have locked himself into a corner. All that awaited outside the room were more Desian patrols, and here he was with his back to the wall and face to face with who he assumed was the leader of the place. His hands rested on the hilts of his blades as he stood defensively. Blue simply shrugged at his stance.
"Thank you for blowing that hole in the prison area by the way," he accused sarcastically. "I suppose it needed some renovations. I am a bit curious nevertheless. How did you do that exactly?"
His smirk only grew in response to the hesitant look on the boy's face but he chose not to reply.
"You don't know how that happened, do you?"
Lloyd clenched his jaw and glanced sideways, curiosity urging him to ask about it. He tore through his memories, trying to understand how it had happened all while Blue took another step forward.
"The security cameras caught it all, Lloyd." Blue's smirk fell as a strange, eerie feeling tickled the swordsman's heart. "Somehow, you used your exsphere to cause an explosion powerful enough to break through a hallway and take out two guards, yet you don't seem to know how it happened. I wonder who you could hurt if I just send you back to your pare-,"
"I would never hurt Mom or Dad! What the hell do you know anyway?" Lloyd retorted as he did whatever he could to avoid his fear showing in his voice. Blue chuckled and shrugged again.
"Well for starters, I know why you have two exspheres, not to mention what that Cruxis crystal of yours is capable of." His eyes lit up as his curiosity spiked. He subconsciously took a step forward.
"How do you-,"
The alarm suddenly blared and Blue sighed. Guards outside were yelling and footsteps quickly approached them. The door slid open and the Desian from the Martel Temple ran in preceded by two guards. Blue stepped aside, allowing Lloyd to take the opportunity to move forwards while drawing one of his swords and watched both of them suspiciously.
"Sir, we've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!"
The words seemed to go over Lloyd's head entirely as the scenes at the temple flashed before his eyes.
"You… you're the Desian that attacked Iselia!"
Botta turned his head slightly. "So. You're Lloyd. It's quite… amusing that you managed to find your way here specifically."
Blue rolled his eyes. "Botta! I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be at risk if they see me here."
"What of the Chosen?"
"… I'll leave that to you." Something in Blue's tone caused Lloyd to grip his weapon.
"Understood."
The man turned to Lloyd and smirked. "Lloyd. If you can manage to avoid mentioning me to anyone, next time we meet I'll tell you everything I know about your exspheres."
"Wha- How will I know where to find you? How do I even know I can trust a Desian like you anyway?"
"That's up to you. In any case, I'm sure we'll meet again." With one last nod to Botta, he turned and walked out the door on the other side of the room. Lloyd stepped back with his sword still out. The hulking man merely stared him down, though to Lloyd's surprise, it didn't feel menacing. It felt more determined, almost like the man before him stood there with a strong sense of purpose. However, he immediately turned as the door slid open and Colette, followed by Lloyd's parents and Genis, burst into the room. Colette was overly relieved.
"Lloyd! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?" she called out. Lloyd smiled in response.
"He looks fine," Kratos stated, even if he did look like he might have been worried. Anna rolled her eyes.
"We don't know that yet. But I do know that I have one hell of a bone to pick with this lug!" She pointed accusingly at a smirking Botta.
"You guys all came for me?" Lloyd questioned.
Genis jokingly sighed and shook his head. "Of course we did. You don't really think we'd just leave you here, do you?"
Botta held up his hand. A small ball of light appeared above his palm, then quickly expanded into a large sword. He swung it down towards the ground and Lloyd watched as red and brown fog hovered around it.
"Perfect timing!" he roared. "I'll take all of you on at once!"
Kratos raised an eyebrow, remembering the man's eager to leave strategy at the Martel Temple once he had arrived. Yet, even with him and Anna present, he suddenly wanted to stand for the fight. Making a mental note of his observation, he drew his sword as well.
"Get ready!" he called out. Anna paid no heed to the warning as she burst forward with her rapier drawn and effectively cut Botta and the other guards off from Lloyd. As they clashed together, Lloyd rushed to the sides of his friends to fight off the guards, while Kratos kept an eye on the situation and casted First Aid. The guards fell relatively quickly, allowing the others to back up Anna. Botta seemed to be wearing down as he parried off another of Anna's blows, until the edge of his sword lit up and he swung it around so quickly it knocked Anna back into a wall. The others held their places, expecting him to dash towards them, but instead he held his ground and chanted.
"Earthly fangs! Rage against those whom dare to defy thee!" Lloyd was mesmerized as brown clouds gathered around him then suddenly surrounded him and Colette.
He's casting on us! Move!
His exsphere burned and his heart raced against his chest. Time moved slowly. That was when he noticed that his body moved of its own accord. He watched through his own eyes as he let go of one sword to point his palm at Colette. The crystal pulsed. Lloyd tried to yell out and warn her but found that he couldn't force himself to speak. No, no… no! This can't be happening. It pulsed again, stronger this time, just as a circle appeared beneath them both. Anna was still pushing herself up from the wall. Kratos and Genis glanced over to them, the latter with wide frightened eyes.
"Stalagmite!" Colette found herself and Lloyd suddenly blown backwards by a powerful gust of wind. The two of them tumbled across the room as the spell completed. Gigantic pointed rocks surged from the ground, forcefully chucking Lloyd's dropped dual blades across the room towards them. They landed just a few feet from them.
Finding that he could control his body again, he pushed himself up and nudged Colette.
"Colette… Colette! Are you okay?" He didn't realize he was holding his breath until she also pushed herself up and nodded at him with a beaming expression. He exhaled with a shaky relief. Genis ran towards them.
"Are you two alright?!" he exclaimed.
Colette smiled brightly as she dusted off her clothes and stood. "Yep! Looks like we managed to dodge the spell."
Still shaken, Lloyd stood as well, scratching the back of head nervously. "Guess we got lucky somehow."
Genis simply stared at them both as Lloyd picked up his weapons. "Come on. We should back up Mom and Dad." He charged forward, followed by Colette. The mage followed as well, but at a distance, carefully watching Lloyd's movements with suspicion. The moment went by quickly. He had noticed Lloyd's strange choice to drop his blades suddenly. He must've planned on at least pushing Colette out of the way. Yet, even with that intention, there's no way that would have caused them to fly across the room like that.
The fight didn't last much longer after that. Botta had tried another fancy ability, Decimation Field, which only succeeded in getting Kratos to back off. Anna quickly took his place until eventually he was overwhelmed. His sword broke from the stress of battle and he found himself overpowered. Surrendering, he respectfully placed what was left of the sword on the carpet.
"I underestimated your abilities." Anna stepped forward to cut him down, only to have him escape through the door behind him. She was about to give chase, until Kratos put a hand on her shoulder. Lloyd walked up to the door, and discovered that it refused to open for him.
"Isn't this…," said a familiar voice. The group whirled around to find Raine examining the hilt of Botta's broken sword. The escaped Desian forgotten, Lloyd grinned.
"Professor!"
"Ah, Lloyd. Genis told me what happened." She glanced at him regrettably. "I apologize for the trouble he's caused you." To her surprise, Lloyd shook his head.
"No. I'm the one that dragged Genis into all of this. I'm sorry."
Anna pat her son on the back. "Come on. We should get out of here. Raine, you secured our escape route?"
"Yes. I opened it up just now. Let's go."
Without another word, they followed Raine through the base and found their way out to the entrance without much hindrance. As the desert sun hit them, they were greeted by a whining beast.
"Noishe!" Lloyd called out. "You came too?"
Anna chuckled. "Come on, Lloyd. We should return to Triet. We can talk there."
Once they returned to Triet, they huddled together in one of their inn rooms. Raine explained how Anna, Genis, and Noishe had tracked them down and told them about Iselia and Lloyd's predicament. The conversation led to Anna giving Lloyd an earful for running around enemy territory with no knowledge of his surroundings to which her son sheepishly apologized for. Afterwards, Raine asked about exspheres and the possibility of using one. To her disappointment, Kratos explained that not only were they difficult to find, but also dangerous to use without a proper crest. She then mentioned that she had also claimed Botta's hilt for research purposes, held out her hand and allowed the others to view the odd sphere that she had managed to pull out of it. To their surprise, it was an exsphere.
"I guess most Desians do tend to carry them," Genis commented.
Lloyd frowned as Raine rolled the crystal in her hand. "Yeah but, it doesn't look like you can use it right now. The key crest looks like it took a lot of damage. We'd have to replace it."
The professor frowned and began searching through her pack. Colette tilted her head slightly with bright eyes.
"Dirk taught you a lot of what he knew about exspheres, Lloyd?"
"That's right. If only the charm on this key crest was damaged I might have been able to repair it but, there's no hope for it at this point," he explained.
"Can't we just make one?" she asked innocently.
Kratos shook his head. "As I mentioned, key crests are made by processing inhibitor ore, then engraving a special crest into it. It's a secret art known only to the dwarves."
"I can engrave the crest but, only Uncle Dirk can process the ore."
Raine then dumped several old-looking items onto the floor in front of them.
"Do you think any of these could be used in its place?" she asked.
Lloyd gaped at her. "Where were you keeping all this junk?" He received a smack on the back of the head immediately and earned a meaningful lecture on the historical importance of the items before them.
Ignoring them, the others looked over the objects. Colette and Anna quickly gave up, both unsure of what to look for, though Anna shared Lloyd's disinterest in them. Nevertheless, Kratos picked something out, an old charm hidden among the other things. He held it out to Lloyd, who rushed to examine it.
"Wait. This… Professor, this is a key crest!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"The crest is rather worn. It's unusable like this," the older man told them, though Lloyd chuckled.
"Maybe it is right now, but I can fix that." The younger swordsman turned towards his professor and gave her an eager thumbs up. "Don't worry, Professor! You'll be able to equip that exsphere tomorrow!"
Her anger forgotten, Raine smiled brightly. "Really?! Thank you, Lloyd! I would really appreciate it."
They chatted together a bit longer before retiring to their rooms for the night. Colette had a room to herself, while Raine and Genis shared one together and Lloyd stayed with his parents. Anna chose to patrol the town for a bit to make sure Desians hadn't followed them from the base earlier. Lloyd, finding himself full of energy, worked diligently on the charm for Raine's key crest all while his father kept an eye on him from a chair nearby.
"It's kinda strange," Lloyd stated suddenly. Kratos leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"What is?"
"Usually, just being around either Genis or Raine while they used magic was pretty difficult. Yet ever since I left Iselia, I've barely noticed. If anything, I feel better now than I have in a while."
Kratos was silent for a few moments as he rubbed his chin, pondering Lloyd's observation. "I don't know if your mother told you this, but ever since you were a child, you were sensitive to mana. However, it might be because you've been fighting and using what mana you have around you that it's reduced your sensitivity quite a bit. Don't think it means that you shouldn't be cautious of it, but it's good that it isn't affecting your ability to fight."
Putting down his tools on the night table he was working on, Lloyd chuckled sadly. "She probably has told me, but there's a good chance I just can't remember it right now."
His father straightened as Lloyd stood abruptly. "Lloyd?" He relaxed a little as Lloyd threw him a proud smile.
"Professor's key crest is done! I'll go deliver it to her."
He nodded. "I see. Make sure you rest once you get back."
"Yeah, I know," Lloyd replied nonchalantly as he walked up to the door. As he reached for the door knob, Blue's words echoed in his mind.
"Well for starters, I know why you have two exspheres, not to mention what that Cruxis crystal of yours is capable of."
He frowned to himself. Would his parents hide that from him? Certainly there was a lot he couldn't remember from his childhood, but they had always treated it as an unexplained phenomenon. Besides, he remembered the important things, otherwise they would have told him, right? What else could that blue haired Desian freak know that his parents wouldn't have told him? That being said…
"Hey, Dad," he started hesitantly. "Why did I have to have two exspheres?" He kept his eyes trained on the door, but he heard his father lean back in the chair.
"It was necessary. At the time, that was all we knew."
Once he realized his father would say nothing else on the topic, Lloyd sighed quietly and left the room. Even as the door closed with a gentle thud behind him, he refused to believe that his parents would keep important secrets from him. He shook his head to clear his mind of it, lightly tapped his cheeks and continued to Raine's room. Her room was just up the stairs, next to Colette's. He climbed them quietly, and slowly opened the door to find Raine writing notes in a book by candlelight.
"Oh! Professor, you're still awake?"
She looked up from her work. "Yes, I've been organizing the data we've collected about monsters. And what are you still doing up at this hour?"
"I was fixing your Key Crest."
She lightly pushed her work aside and stood. "You know, Lloyd, you shouldn't overexert yourself too much. It's going to be a long journey. It's okay if it takes a little longer to fix."
"So, are you saying it's okay for Genis and me to come along on this journey?"
"Wasn't that your intent from the beginning?" Raine smirked. "Stop pretending."
Lloyd chuckled nervously as he handed over the crest. "Well, I finished your Key Crest, so here. You can ask Genis how to use it."
"You finished fixing it already? Thank you, Lloyd!"
As Raine happily examined the crystal that rested on her palm, Lloyd wandered over to a sleeping Genis.
"Geez, that's some impressive snoring," Lloyd commented under his breath. Watching his friend sleep reminded him of their fight with Botta earlier. He knew that Genis didn't buy their excuse after he and Colette had barely managed to dodge that spell. At the same time, he wasn't sure of what to say. He knew that he wasn't the one controlling his body at the time. Could it have… been…? He clenched his fists. Was it possible? Ever since that mysterious incident, his other voice had been silent. At the very least, it hadn't turned out like that explosion earlier, reinforcing the idea to him that he would never be able to hurt his friends or family. Feeling a little more confident, he wished the Professor a good night before heading out.
He approached the stairs, then stopped abruptly as he heard a door close from downstairs. He patiently watched as his father walked out of the inn. Even though he knew his father was probably just checking on his mother, curiosity immediately got the better of him. He quickly but quietly followed him out of the inn. As soon as he stepped outside, he could hear his mother chuckling. Hiding on the steps that lowered towards the inn doors, he peaked through between the railings and eavesdropped on his parents as they gave a whining Noishe attention.
"...gades seem to have given up on him for now. At the very least, they don't seem to be watching us," Anna stated. Noishe licked her hand, causing her to chuckle again. "We should be able to head to the seal of fire tomorrow without any problems."
Kratos gave her a funny look before staring in Lloyd's direction. He ducked and held his breath.
"Of course," she began, raising her voice, "As long as someone gets up on time tomorrow. It sure would be a shame if a certain eavesdropping brown haired child were to wake up to a bucket of cold water tomorrow morning!"
Lloyd sighed and stood straight, seeing that his parents were watching him. Rubbing the back of his head, he climbed the inn steps and walked up to them.
"I guess you heard me leave the inn?" Lloyd asked sheepishly.
Anna crossed her arms proudly. "I'm your mother. I just know when you're up to no good, like eavesdropping on your parents."
"Heh, sorry. And… sorry for worrying you guys earlier. I should've been paying better attention and -," he started but was cut off by a hug from his mother, and a pat on the shoulder from his father. Their hug was brief, and she held onto his shoulders from arm's length.
"There were definitely some mishaps today. But we made it through. I'm sure that there are many things you learned after today's events. To be honest, I was a little bit proud that you gave those guards a run for their money."
Lloyd's expression brightened. "Really?"
"Don't let it get to your head, Lloyd," Kratos reprimanded, only to get nudged by Anna. Sighing, he continued, "While you did make mistakes, it's obvious that your fighting skills have improved. That being said, you need to learn more about yourself and your opponent. Understanding your skills will help you fight the enemy more effectively. Fighting against enemies who utilize poison, magic or special abilities… the difference between knowing and not knowing those dangers and how to avoid them is immense. Merely swinging your sword is not enough. You mustn't forget that learning also leads to strength."
Lloyd nodded proudly. "Right, Dad! I won't forget!"
Anna sighed. "You can't just give out compliments for free huh? There's always a lesson attached to it."
"Hmph. On a journey like this, learning everything you can is imperative to not only our success, but our survival."
Anna put her hands on her hips. "That's right! You know what else is important? Sleep!" She pointed to the inn and nodded at Lloyd. "Which is where you're headed. Martel forbid you wake up late. We're heading out to the seal early so I hope you've enjoyed your late night."
Lloyd sighed in defeat and shrugged. "Alright, alright. I'll go." He gave his parents a hug before returning to the inn. Surprisingly, he yawned as he entered his inn room, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
The night passed quicker than he had expected. For once, he had no dream like encounters with his mysterious dark other self. All he could remember was someone urging him to awaken as the morning sun was rising. As he opened his eyes now, the nagging figure was back with a greater ferocity than before. In response to it, he pulled the blanket over his face and rolled over. However, they were having none of it.
"Lloyd! For the sake of Martel, wake the hell up! I woke you up over an hour to get ready and you went back to sleep? Everyone is already waiting in the lobby! Lloyd! Are you listening?"
The blanket was ripped away from at such a great speed, he rolled off the bed and landed on the floor.
"Ugh, what the... Mom?"
"It's about time! Do you think we're still at Dirk's house? We're about to leave. Hurry up and get ready! Colette may wait for you all day, but we're not going to let her."
His mother huffed as she walked out of the room and slammed the door. Finally realizing he over slept, Lloyd cleaned himself up and met with the others outside. Kratos sighed and Raine gave him a stern look for his tardiness as Lloyd apologized. Then, the six of them discussed their plan and checked their supplies.
"Well, it seems as though we're finally ready to head to the seal," Kratos stated with a hint of relief.
Colette clapped her hands together. "Yes! I'll do my best!"
Raine pulled out their map. "The seal should be in the desert ruins to the southwest of here. We were relatively close to it yesterday."
"Cool! Let's go check out that seal!" Lloyd pumped his fist out in front of him while Genis and Anna sighed.
"Yeah, Lloyd. We'll see just how long you keep up that enthusiasm," his mother stated. Lloyd grinned.
"I'll be fine! Just you wait!"
Lloyd was not fine. The desert was hot and even after finally getting inside the temple after Raine's incident, it was even hotter inside. Even Noishe refused to follow them in and opted for running all the way back to Triet, where he had shade. They were climbing what Lloyd hoped was the last flight of stairs after quite a bit of fighting and torch lighting. At the very least, Lloyd received a new pair of blades.
"I think this is it!" Genis called out suddenly.
Lloyd looked up excitedly and jogged to catch up. At the top of the stairs was a purple circular pad, similar to the one in the Martel Temple. They each took some gels and healed up before stepping onto the warp pad one by one.
They found themselves in a spacious, empty room. At the far end, on the opposite side of the warp was a shrine like apparatus. They walked up to it and looked around in an attempt to figure out what to do next. Raine was in awe of the whole place.
"This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!" she exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
Lloyd coughed as quietly as he could, trying to see through a haze of red fog. He knew it was the same fog that he usually saw, but it was different in the temple, not to mention especially thick in that room. Luckily, he was only a little light headed. As Raine was the last one to step onto the apparatus the air around them changed and the shrine began to light up.
"Ah! What the?!" Genis yelled out as he pedaled back, away from the lights that now rose from the center of the apparatus.
"Everyone get back and prepare to fight!" Kratos barked out. Lloyd and Genis ran a short distance just behind Kratos and Anna. Raine and Colette stood on the other side of the room. Fire spewed from the shrine as a massive roar echoed through the temple. As the fire dissipated, a huge flaming black and red tiger like beast with spikes for a mane graced them with its menacing presence. Following it were two smaller versions of it, though they seemed to float with only two feet and no forearms.
"Could it be…?" Raine muttered to herself. "The Ktugach and Ktugachlings spoken of only in the ancient scriptures… Beasts of fire that guard the flames of the fire spirit himself."
"Lloyd! Distract the smaller ones. Genis! Use whatever ice magic you have available. Anna! Keep them from casting spells from a distance. I'll hold off the big one," Kratos yelled as he rushed forward, blade withdrawn.
Anna pulled out her bow and bound elemental ice to her arrows. With patience, she loaded her bow and waited as the situation unfolded. The smaller ones only seemed to cast Fireball but were often interrupted by Lloyd and Colette. When they missed the occasional cast, Anna would loosen her arrow and load another, before Genis could be interrupted or the others, injured.
Before long, the Ktugachlings were down, which left only the flaming spiked beast. While it was difficult to get close to, Kratos and Lloyd were managing, with Colette and Genis' help. The problems began when it started to cast. As Anna applied pressure from a distance with her ice arrows, it once casted Explosion around her. However, she was able to quickly dodge it and continue attacking. At one point, she struck one of its eyes. It roared angrily and shook like mad, causing its tail to whip very quickly. Kratos dodged several whips, but Colette managed to get caught by one and found herself colliding roughly with an unsuspecting Genis. Lloyd turned his back on the beast in worry for his friends, resulting in him getting caught in the whip going back. With a yelp, he was tossed farther from the group, into a wall. Anna lost her focus then, lowering her bow and unconsciously walking towards her son. He was okay, he was getting up while leaning against the wall. Kratos consistently attempted to keep it distracted and turned away. However, too soon after the last cast, it casted Explosion for a second time. But it didn't attack Lloyd like she expected it to.
It was attacking Colette.
"Genis! Colette! You have to move!" Raine shouted, horrified as the two were only just getting off the ground and both were exhausted from the heat and the constant battling. Anna turned around and froze.
I won't make it even if I run. But I can't reveal myself here… Neither of us can! She ran anyways as the red circle appeared beneath the two children.
Before her eyes, they were blown backwards, out of the completed spell. She stopped in her tracks amazed at the miracle that just had transpired when suddenly, it began to look all too familiar to the so-called miracle that occurred in the Renegade Base. She turned to see Lloyd, breathless and exhausted, using one of his swords to hold himself up with one eye closed. The other was on the ground. Lloyd had his open palm pointed towards his friends and his arm fully extended. However, there was one thing that threw her off.
His eyes weren't brown. They looked black.
She shook her head and blinked a few times. When she looked again, his eyes were brown and he was picking himself up and getting ready to get back into the fight as Raine healed him. She hoped that she wasn't the only one who saw that and if she was, then her mind had made the whole thing up.
Regardless, she returned to battle, just like the others and finally, the fight was won. The Ktugach fell and disintegrated into fire mana, returning to its shrine. The apparatus fully activated, and Colette approached it as the ceiling lit up and she offered her prayers.
"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"
Remiel appeared before them once again. Anna felt her expression form into a glare as his met with everyone who stood in the room, and rested on Lloyd's a little too long for her comfort.
They're keeping tabs on us… she thought to herself and glanced at Kratos, who also appeared displeased.
Nevertheless, the conversation between the Chosen and the Angel of Judgement continued, until she 'blessed' with wings. Pink fragments of mana spread from her back, like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon for the first time. Anna frowned, knowing how painful it was on her body. Yet Colette didn't let it show and she began to hover above the ground, her wings gently fluttering behind her.
"The angel transformation will not be without pain. Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."
"I humbly accept this trial."
Remiel nodded and continued, "The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar."
"Yes, Lord Remiel."
With that, Remiel vanished and Colette hovered down until she once again stood on her own feet. She took a deep breath before turning back to her friends and smiling. Lloyd and Genis were incredibly excited.
"Whoa, Colette has wings!" Lloyd shouted as Genis jumped up and down.
"Uh-huh! And look, I can put them away too!" Just as the words left her mouth, her wings disappeared. Genis just kept jumping.
"That's so cool!"
"Look look!" Her wings appeared again, but this time, they fluttered faster and sparkled as they did.
Leaving them to their antics, Lloyd rushed over to his parents and Raine, gushing with excitement.
"He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a ship right?! Hahaaa! I can't wait!"
The other adults looked at each other with worried glances.
"A ship huh," Raine started. "I wonder if any ships are sailing with the way things are right now."
"That's right. High seas are dangerous these days with the monsters returning. We'll have to head to the coast," Anna replied.
"It seems then that we'll be crossing the Ossa Trail. We might as well head to Izoold in that case, and find a ship to Palmacosta. They often deliver fish between them," Kratos explained.
Lloyd called out to Genis and Colette. "Okay guys, we get it already. That's enough."
"Okaaaay."
Weary, but excited for next step of their journey, the group exited the seal room, and found their way out of the temple with only a few tussles. The sun was already setting, and the desert was already beginning to cool. Then, Colette fell to her knees, looking incredibly pale. Her friends were the first by her side, with Raine behind her. Anna sighed, knowing what was coming next.
"Hmm. Her lips are turning purple. We should seek a doctor immediately," Raine stated as Kratos shook his head.
"It's probably best to setup camp and let her rest here. Remember the angel's words. The angel transformation process requires her to overcome a trial."
"She's probably better off just resting here instead of seeing a doctor then," Anna chimed in, already taking out supplies for a camp fire.
Colette frowned, disliking the sad and concerned atmosphere. "I'm… fine," she responded weakly. "I'll be okay after a little rest. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
Lloyd rolled his eyes at her. "Stop apologizing all the time, you dork! It's not like you can help it, being suddenly turned into an angel and all."
She sighed sadly, glancing down at her feet. "You're right. I'm sorry."
The group collectively sighed but began to setup camp, while Colette sat and rested.
Camp didn't take too long to organize. The sun eventually dipped below the horizon just as Genis served bowls of chili. Every time Colette coughed, Lloyd couldn't help but glance over at her guiltily. Suddenly, reaching into his back pocket, he remembered something.
"Hey, Colette. I know it's kind of late now, but here's your birthday present!" He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and held it out to her, only to see that the main part of it, the charm, had broken off. They both stared at it sadly.
"Oh no… it's broken."
"I wonder when it broke… I'm sorry. I'll make you a new one."
She smiled warmly. "Thanks. And… I'm sorry I keep causing trouble for you."
Lloyd rubbed her back gently. "Don't worry about it." Quickly, he glanced down at her bowl, only to see that it was still more than half full of chili. "By the way," he started slowly. "You haven't been eating much. Are you still feeling sick?"
Hesitantly, she shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. I just don't have much of an appetite." She coughed abruptly, and Lloyd pat her back.
Raine tsked. "Lloyd, don't push her."
"Yeah, Lloyd," Genis chimed in, "Colette is delicate, unlike you."
Throwing his friend an ugly face, he turned back to his sick friend. "I'm sorry, Colette."
She shook her head and waved him off. "No, no. It's okay. I'm fine really." As she coughed again, Lloyd was beginning to wonder who she thought really believed that. "Uhm, I'm going to take a walk. Just to clear my head a little."
Lloyd offered to join her but was quickly shut down and teased by Genis once Colette was out of sight. Instead, he sat in front of the fire, waiting patiently for her to return, though he ended up being consumed by his thoughts like flames consume wood.
Was life always this unfair? Why was it that the most loving and the kindest people were the ones left to suffer the most? What could he have possibly done to deserve the blessing that she hadn't received with her own?
Why didn't I suffer through the same trials she did when I gained my wings?
Next:
Chapter 11: In your eyes. In your words. In your silhouette from behind
A/N's: Some huge hints this chapter! Hope you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving weekend! (in Canada at least...)
Till next time! -LF