A damp cloth being dabbed onto his forehead woke him. He opened his eyes, glancing up in confusion.
"...Colette?" he murmured, pushing himself up.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to wake you," Colette apologised.
"Don't worry about it. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Well, Mr Dirk said you were ill, so I came to help look after you."
Lloyd shook his head. "I'm fine. He's just worrying too much."
"You don't look very well, Lloyd. You should rest for today," Colette said, looking worried.
Lloyd hesitated, then smiled. "I won't be up long. I got attacked by a mermaid last night, but she was being controlled by Yggdrasil like you were when we rescued you, so I just want to make sure she's okay."
Colette looked surprised, then nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll come with you," she offered, the two of them heading down together.
Lloyd blinked as they walked into the living room. It was decidedly more crowded than he was used to, with Zelos, Sheena and the girl sat awkwardly on the sofa, Genis lounging on one of the other chairs, and Dirk desperately trying to convince Raine not to make breakfast.
"Ah, Lloyd! How are you feeling?" asked Genis, straightening.
"I'm fine, honestly," Lloyd sighed, then looked at the girl. "Nice to meet you, miss. Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you. I apologise for attacking you last night; I was not in my right mind."
"It's fine. What's your name, by the way?"
"Presea."
"Well, Presea, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. What do you want to do now?" he asked.
Presea glanced down at her hands, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. I was searching for my sister, but...I'm not sure how long I have been under Yggdrasil's control. I also have no clue as to where she would be."
Lloyd nodded. "Well...how about you stay here for now? We'll be heading into the ocean soon anyway, so you could look for your sister while we're there," he suggested.
Presea blinked. "Are you sure? I do not wish to intrude."
"Dad?" Lloyd called, and Dirk poked his head out. "Is it okay if Presea stays here for a bit?" he asked.
Dirk considered, rubbing his chin, then nodded. "Sure, s'fine by me. We have plenty o' room, af'er all," he grunted before turning back and giving a slight screech as he saw Raine about to tip something into the food.
Lloyd grinned at Presea. "See, it's fine! So, do you want to stay?" he asked.
Presea nodded slowly. "So long as you do not mind, I would like to stay, yes," she replied.
Lloyd gave a quick nod, then feigned a yawn. "Ah, I'm beat. Wake me up if you guys need me, okay?" he said, waving quickly to Colette before trudging back upstairs.
"Shall I bring some food up for you, Lloyd?" Colette asked, looking up at him.
"No, it's okay. I'll get something to eat later," he said, before heading into his room and closing the door.
Finally away, he gave a brief gasp of pain, clutching at his shirt. It felt like heat was searing through him in waves, constantly burning him. He stumbled over to his bed, curling up and quickly falling asleep.
"Be careful ou' there. Ya ne'er know what's gonna try and eat'cha," Dirk warned to the group. Raine looked a little nervous, but Genis quickly soothed her.
"We'll be fine. See you soon, Dad," Lloyd said, turning to the group and motioning vaguely. They all quickly dived into the water, Lloyd joining them, and watched as their tails appeared. Colette gave a happy twirl, and Lloyd grinned before motioning for the three mermaids to take the lead.
They'd come more prepared this time, and a few of them now had packs around their waist. They had a few extra pendants for if anyone lost one, as well as healing items. Colette, Raine and Genis also had straps for their weapons, which had been adjusted slightly with collaboration between Sheena and Dirk so that they could be used effectively in the water.
For the last couple of days, Raine, Genis and Colette had been practising swimming with their tails, and were now rather adept. Though they weren't as fast as the others - mostly due to the lack of extra fins that helped the others cut through the water - they were able to keep up a higher speed for longer than before. Lloyd was proud with how quickly they'd learnt, and though deciding to keep an eye on them if they did have to battle, was certain they could hold their own.
As the day wore on, and evening began to draw close, they rose to the surface. They'd decided to sleep on land at night so that if anyone did attack, they would at least have a little trouble and the group could get back to water. They would also have one person on watch for a few hours before swapping, meaning that no one would be able to sneak up on them.
Sheena quickly located an island and they swam towards it, pulling themselves onto it. Colette, Raine and Genis removed their pendants, their legs returning, and quickly set about getting camp together. The others had to wait until their pendants dried off, or in Lloyd's case when his tail dried.
A little while later, the group were crawling into the make-shift shelters they had made. Lloyd had opted to take first watch, and still sat next to the fire, gazing into the flames listlessly.
When he was certain everyone was asleep, he gave a little whimper and pulled his legs to his chest, burying his head in his arms. He didn't know why, but pain had been a constant factor these last few days. Even while he was asleep he could feel it, and his dreams were odd and distorted. It took all his strength not to lag behind while they were swimming, not wanting the others to worry.
He just couldn't figure out why. He wasn't injured, he wasn't ill, he didn't even have a fever. He looked a little pale, but that was it. And yet the pain was constantly getting stronger.
A few hours passed with him simply in this position, unwilling to move. Suddenly he heard movement and stiffened, moving to a more relaxed position and glancing around. He blinked as Colette stepped out of her tent, giving a quiet yawn before smiling as she spotted him and joining him.
"How are you?" she asked as she sat. It was something she was practically always asking him.
"I'm fine. What are you doing up though? Aren't you tired?" he asked.
Colette shook her head. "I'm fine. What about you? You look exhausted."
"Really? Well, I'm fine. Maybe I'm just getting less sleep than my body likes; I haven't exactly been able to sleep through classes recently," he said with a grin.
Colette giggled, then brushed her hair back. "Well, why don't you go bed? It's my watch now anyway," she said.
"Are you sure? I don't mind if you want some more sleep..."
"I'm sure, Lloyd. Go on, get some rest," Colette urged, lightly pushing him. Lloyd hesitated, then nodded, smiling.
"Just call me if you need me," he said as he walked to his tent and went inside.
When he was inside, Colette waited until he had gone still before touching her pendant. "...If you're fine, then why does it burn?" she mumbled, frowning lightly.
They'd been at it for three days already, and yet they hadn't bumped into any mermaids - at least, not ones working for Yggdrasil. Lloyd was pretty confused, honestly; hadn't Kratos said that Yggdrasil wanted them dead? And they were nearly at the capital, as well...None of this felt right.
They were nearly at the capital now, and Lloyd brought the group to a halt. "Alright guys, it'll be better if we rest for tonight and then attack the capital tomorrow. We'll need our strength," he said.
The others nodded, swimming to the surface. As they started their normal routine, Lloyd gave a quiet sigh, running a hand through his hair. Maybe it would be better to get an early night tonight; if he was too tired, he wouldn't be much use the next day.
Suddenly he gave a gasp, flinching, and grabbed at his tail. The others looked at him in confusion, but he quickly waved off their concern, eyes searching for the source. This had felt...different, somehow.
His gaze caught something out of place and he looked at it, paling. Slowly, making sure the others couldn't see, he brought his tail round to him and looked at the edge, gently poking it. He held back another flinch, biting his lip.
The scales were turning black, and practically crumbling off. He gazed at it a moment, then back at the others before making up his mind.
"I'm just going to do a quick scout. I'll be back soon," he said before diving into the water.
He quickly hid, watching, and a moment later Sheena dived beneath the water. She glanced around, then shook her head and went back up, pulling herself out.
Lloyd sighed in relief, pressing his back to the rock and sinking slightly. He gazed at his tail, ignoring the rising pain as the black slowly spread across it. Finally he leant his head back, closing his eyes.
...Whatever was happening, it was killing him. And it was spreading quickly as well; he probably wouldn't even last until the evening, let alone the next day. He was angry, but he was also very, very tired. The others were capable; they could probably beat Yggdrasil without him. And at this rate, they'd have to.
His mind wandered to Kratos and Noishe. Where were they? He had honestly expected to see them by now. He'd kind of wanted to ask Kratos more about his mother...
'No, Kratos is nice. He has a soft spot for humans, too. In fact, he married one and had a baby! But they died a long time ago...Kratos got very sad, but I think he's happier when you're around because you look like Anna.'
'Anna?'
'His wife.'
Lloyd's eyes snapped open, and he went still. Oh, no way. Kratos was his dad? Either that, or he just happened to have a wife called Anna and a friend called Anna, both of whom had been humans and drowned with their children - or, everyone had assumed they had.
That was too unlikely. Lloyd gave an annoyed sigh, running his hand down his face. He couldn't have figured this out before he was about to die? Would have been nice to know, at least...
He had a vague vision of a mermaid grabbing one of the pendants made from his scales and smashing it before pain ripped through him and he screamed, curling up. He sat there for a moment, panting heavily, then slowly opened his eyes to gaze at his tail. The black had spread up a lot further now, about to where his knees would have been. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes again, determined not to think about it.
...So, Kratos was his dad? That was kind of cool, actually. He liked the older mermaid, even if he had kind of abandoned them. Then again, Yggdrasil seemed like the type of person to threaten him with something. That would explain some things, of course; then again, maybe Kratos had just wanted to work for him again. Lloyd didn't really know much about him, after all.
A hand was suddenly on his shoulder, someone shaking him, and he opened his eyes, looking up. He gave a vague smile as he saw Kratos' panicked expression; he was so out of it that he was imagining him now, huh? And it looked like Noishe was there too...what a weird dream.
Then darkness clouded in and he fell back, feeling as if he was flying even as he hit the ground.
A/N: Dun dun dunnn! Oh noes! What's going to happen to Lloyd? Will he be alright? Will he survive?!
Find out next chapter (or the next couple at least) :3
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