Cat-Alin: Hmm, no commentary on how Lloyd was tied up half of the chapter. Does that mean you guys are used to me tying guys up? Not that I do it often ..
Shihna: Cat-Alin doesn own Namco, nor Tales of Symphonia, nor the Animation. If she did, there would've been more Kratos Screentime.
Cat-Alin: AND I MADE A MISTAKE!!
Shihna: What?
Cat-Alin: I just checked .. I forgot the whole part with the otherwordly gate .. I thought it was AFTER Shadow .. argh, comes from not playing ToS for a while .. damn Radiant Mythology. Sorry for the mistake and the big gap that's actually in the story .. I'll try my best to fill it!
The seraphim looked at his son, waiting for some sign that he was starting to regain consciousness but the boy only slept.
Kratos frowned, remember what Genius had said.
'What Lloyd had done' .. of course, he knew that Lloyd had attacked his friend .. strangled him.
But luckily, only for a few seconds .. but Lloyd had looked so serious .. so .. beserk, while doing it.
Like a wild animal was inside of Lloyd and had finally forced it's way outside. What was going on with his son?
Perhaps .. perhaps it was the angel transformation.
Kratos stroked some strands of hair out of Lloyd's face.
"You're a half-angel .. perhaps I shouldn't have forced the transformation." he sighed. "Your wings would've revealed themselves through time .. and your senses would've gotten better. Even if I hadn't interfered."
"Mh .." Lloyd grumbled and turned around, using his left hand as a pillow.
Kratos smiled and left the chamber with fast steps.
"You!"
The angel flinched and bowed to the seraphim. "Yes?"
"I want you to watch over the boy in these chambers. Report to me, when he has awakened."
The angel bowed and stood itself next to the door, while Kratos headed for the teleporter.
"Haaah? Kratos?"
The angel stopped and turned around, seeing the bright firey head of the Chosen of Tethe'alla .. in Sylvarant.
Zelos signaled something and the rest of the group followed him close to Kratos.
"How's Buddy?"
"Pardon?" Kratos asked, thinking what Zelos was asking.
"How's Lloyd doing?"
"Is he alright? Is he hurt?" Collet asked, her eyes growing bigger with every word, filled with worry.
"He didn't wake up." Kratos answered, realizing how that sounded. "Yet."
"And where is he now?"
"Derris Quaran."
"And he's fine there?" Refill asked, growing suspiscious again. "All alone, in a weakened condition?"
"I ordered some lowly angels to watch over him. And they know they'd better follow my orders .." he added in a dangerous tone. Which indicated that, if something was going to happen to Lloyd, those angels would be in deeper creek without paddles than they could imagine.
"Genius, I have a question." Kratos said, looking at the blue eyes of the half-elf.
"Y-yes?"
"You and Collet, and Refill-san, have known Lloyd a long time, so you should know. What's his favorite dish?"
Refill was a bit surprised that Kratos didn't know that. He was his father after all. But it was understandable that he didn't know it. Those two haven't seen each other for almost fifteen years.
"Mmh .." Genius thought. "Well, actually, Lloyd eats everything."
"Except for tomatoes." Refill added.
Kratos couldn't help it and smirked a bit. His son had the same dislike in taste as he did.
"But he does like to eat meat .. but why is that so important?"
"He's probably going to be hungry when he wakes up." Kratos answered, with a shoulder shrug. "So, better get something now."
Kratos set off after a tiny word of goodbye, flying over to every city he could find and getting several foods that he thought would get Lloyd's appetite.
"It's your fault .."
Shut up!
Collet looked at him, her bright blue eyes moist. Her mouth covered by her hands.
"You mean .. you .. lied to us?"
I didn't! I swear I didn't!
"Pretending to help us save the worlds, while being in contact with our enemy, I'd call that lying!" Refill spat at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
I didn't want to lie! It's just that I-
"Be quiet!!" Both of the women yelled that and Collet turned away disgusted.
"And I thought we could trust you!"
You can .. Let me .. explain ..
Too hot .. it was getting so hot, wherever he was.
His shirt was clinging to him, it was too small and choked him .. his breath was going faster, gasping for air, starting to panic. He needed help or else he'll ..!
Collet looked at him again, doubtful, but the usual worried look in her eyes.
Collet .. help me, please ..
"I .. I hate you, Lloyd!" she yelled and started to scream when several decaying hands grabbed her by the hands and legs, pulling her down into the earth. "Lloyd ..!"
Collet ..! He .. he needed to save her! Needed to reach her!
C .. Co .. C-
"COLLET!!" the boy shot up, his arm extended in front of him, grasping air.
He was covered with a sheen of sweat, the blanket was halfway on the floor and his hair more toussled than ever.
He sighed and tried to relax, his hand over his eyes, when the door opened.
"Lloyd-sama? Kratos-dono wanted me to give yo-"
Lloyd flinched, not counting on another one's presence and glared.
"Stay away!!" he yelled, instinctively extending his hand over to that direction.
He felt a burst of hot air from his hand and watched in horror how the angel got thrown back against the wall and the body pressed into it, like a pressure was on him, and the body finally giving in.
The teenager stared at the bloody mess on the floor, then at his hand, which looked normal to him.
He put his head on his knees and shivered terribly, wanting it all to stop.
To wake up and realize that he was in his old bed at the dwarf's place.
Dirk calling to him that he was late again for school.
That the whole journey of worldregeneration never happened!
"Lloyd-sama?" another angel entered and stared at the mess and the causer of the mess. "Wha-"
Lloyd stared at the new angel and it had the same face as the recenly deceased one, like it came back to haunt and moch him. Make him feel guitly about what had happened. Which he was.
"Don't .. look .." Lloyd mumbled, trembling even harder and looked just plain scared. "Don't look!!"
Kratos entered his own chambers, putting the two big paper bags full of food on the bed and sighed. Going to every city in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla to get any kind of food he could find wasn't something he usually did.
He stepped towards the doors that were seperating his and Lloyd's chambers from each other and frowned, when no angel was there to watch. He went in and stopped dead in his tracks.
The two angels that were supposed to watch over Lloyd and tell the seraphim when he had awaken were on the floor, both just a crumpled lump of blood, flesh and feathers.
And on the bed, a tiny, pitiful little rolled up lump of person in a red pyjama was Lloyd, trembling so hard that the bed shook.
"Lloyd ..?"
"Who-!?" Lloyd yelled, rolling over and throwing something.
Kratos formed the barrier around him in time and the vase bounced off and crashed on the floor. Both, son and father, looked at each other in horror. The teenager rather from what had happened and that he had almost hurt his father, Kratos more shocked on what he'd seen.
Lloyd seemed to lose completely control. The corner of his mouth dropped down, his chin wobbled, his teeth were clenched.
Kratos held a finger and stepped outside for a moment, grabbing the first angel he got.
"I want some angels in Lloyd's chambers, cleaning up. And no word of this to Yggdrasill!" he hissed, the angel nodded and the seraphim quickly hurried back to his son, sitting on the bed.
The second Kratos was on the bed, Lloyd flung himself on him and just cried, Kratos holding him tight, like the boy was about to split in two.
"It's my fault!" Lloyd yelled between heavy sobs and sniffs. "They just came and I didn't expect anybody and I don't know what happened and they just died and were lying there and I got scared and-"
"It's okay!" Kratos said in a hard voice, his hand running a bit through Lloyd's hair. "You don't need to explain anything."
Lloyd had finally started to calm down a bit and he felt like he had drained himself out. Kratos gave him a pat on the back.
"Take a hot bath." he said. "And relax."
Lloyd nodded and slowly broke off the hug and tapped over to the bathroom, his head hanging low.
He turned the handles, blue and red, and held his hand underneath the strong stream and frowned.
He turned the hot-red handle even more and waited for the water to get hotter.
Still nothing.
So he had finally lost his sense of feeling. How weird. He had still been able to feel his father's warmth in the embrace and how his hand was running through his hair.
Although, now that he thought about it, it felt like it had stopped towards the end.
Why hadn't he noticed that? Perhaps he thought that his father had stopped the hair-caressing.
And .. when would he lose his voice. If at all? He wasn't supposed to become a soulless being. Unless Yggdrasill was trying to make him into a marionette.
Wasn't he that already, actually? Doing his bidding .. although he had managed to keep Collet as far away as possible ..
He sighed and just let the tub fill and started to undress.
Got in and turned the water off, absentlyminded staring at the foam covering most of the water surface.
There was acutally no way of escaping Cruxis.
His father had proven it. He had tried to run away, ran into his mother. They had rough, but most likely happy years, but in the end .. Cruxis had cornered them, his mother had died. And his father was back in their league, as the seraphim he had been beforehand.
And now he got caught up as well.
Caught.
Forever.
In the organization he had thought was holy .. and found out that it was just a phase, all done to resurrect one person.
What about the hundreds of Chosen that had been going on their journey of worldregeneration and got killed, because they hadn't matched Martel's Mana-signature!? What was the meaning? Hundreds or possibly thousands of victims, just to resurrect one person!? If Martel was really that great as the history books and legends said she was, would she want to come back to life, although her path would be plastered with corpses?
"Lloyd!"
The teenager jumped out of his thoughts. Kratos was knocking on the door and, after receiving no answer, he opened it and came in.
Looked at his son.
"You've been in here for an hour and haven't done anything?" he seemed to notice and sighed. "And your hair would need washing as well .."
"Mh .." Lloyd looked back onto the foam.
Kratos smirked a bit and took off his gauntlets and sat on the edge of the tub, filling a plastic basin with water, splashing it on Lloyd's head.
"Dad ..?"
"Mhm?" The seraphim squirted some shampoo onto Lloyd's head and washed his hair.
".. I can't feel anything anymore." the boy said, regretting that he couldn't even feel how his father was running his hands through his hair quickly.
"So your transformation is almost complete."
"Mh ... am I going to lose my voice?"
Kratos frowned, rinsed Lloyd's hair with another splash from the plastic basin and repeated the shampoo part.
"Why should you?"
"It's part of the angel transformation, isn't it?"
".. It is. But I don't think that you will lose your voice."
"Why not?"
"It's actually so, that the Chosen is the only one who'd lose her voice. The Chosen's supposed to become the vessel of Martel." he explained. "Besides, all the angels you see here have their voices."
"True .."
Kratos looked at his son, latter's head hanging low, and started to worry about him
Perhaps it would be better for him to choose which side to be on. Of course, he'd choose the side of the Chosen .. and they would become enemies again. Even if he would be seperated from his son again, he'd have to accept it. He had forced him into Cruxis.
"Genius wanted me to tell you something." the seraphim remembered and Lloyd flinched at his' friend's name. "He's not angry or holding any kind of grudge against you for what happened."
Lloyd took his hands from out of the water and stared at them, the fingertips were already wrinkly from the water and he snorted.
"Yeah .. I attacked .. and almost killed him."
"He's not angry. He may not understand why you did it, but he forgives you." Kratos said, rinsing Lloyd's hair again, the suds from the shampoo running down Lloyd's shoulders into the water, making it even foamier. "You've got a very good friend."
Lloyd was quiet, but bit his lip.
"A good friend .. but what a friend am I, wanting to kill him?" he said finally.
Kratos frowned, not knowing what to reply. Lloyd stared at the foamy water surface and finally lowered his head, until it was completely underwater.
He wanted to stay underneath, but got pulled up after a few seconds, rather roughly.
"Lloyd, have you gone crazy??" Kratos asked, worry and anger in his voice.
"I must be!" Lloyd yelled at him, staring into his eyes. "I wanted to kill him! That wasn't any reflex I had at that moment, even if he startled me. I seriously wanted to kill him! Wanted to see his mouth gasp for air while I tied the string even tighter and see how the light left his eyes!! What kind of friend does that!? I am a piece of shit for trying that!"
Kratos stared at him in surprise and sighed after a while.
"It's probably just anxious. You're confused because you don't know if your loyalty is with Cruxis or your friends." he finally said and put a small towel on Lloyd's head. "Get dry." and he left.
Lloyd finished rubbing his hair dry and stared around the bathroom, only wearing some underpants. He couldn't wear his pyjama anymore since it was in need of a wash, the clothes Dirk had made him weren't very comfortable anymore and he wasn't going to put his Cruxis Clothes on again.
Then he saw a pair of very dark blue, almost black, pyjamas on the floor.
He put them on.
They were a bit too big for him. But they smelled rather familiar. They probably belonged to his father.
Lloyd left the bedroom and saw Kratos still in the room, looking at him.
"A bit too big." he smirked. "But you're still growing."
Lloyd nodded a bit, he still felt so drained, and sat back down on the bed.
"Here."
The seraphim held a bowl full with what looked liked clumpy cream puff.
"Dad, you know that I can't eat anything anymore." Lloyd said, but took the bowl from him. "Was is this, anyway?"
"Grated radish with crushed ice cubes and honey." Kratos said and sat down on a chair he pulled over to the bed. "And even if you don't feel hungry, you should eat something. Otherwise you'll never get strong enough again."
Lloyd sighed and resigned, eating a few spoon fulls of it.
It slipped very easily down his throat and although he couldn't taste anymore, he thought that it'd probably taste very sweet and cool, thanks to the honey and the ice cubes.
After the few spoon fulls, he sighed.
"Dad, really, I can't eat anymore." he explained and Kratos shook his head and took the spoon from him.
"Come on, open up."
"Dad, seriously .."
"If you don't eat, I'll force feed you." Kratos said and he was serious.
Lloyd resigned. He felt too tired and weak that he didn't care. So he let Kratos feed him, like he was still a one year old.
About halfway through the bowl, Kratos let him be and told him to better sleep. Sleep and good food was the base for relaxing and regaining strength.
And Lloyd lay back down in the bed, realizing that the sheets had been changed, and closed his eyes. It was ridiculous. He was an angel, to about 75 percent now, and couldn't sleep anymore!
Kratos got up and wanted to leave, when Lloyd grabbed his cloak.
"Dad," he mumbled. "since you've already treaten me like a child most of the day, why not tell me a good-night-story?" It was, of course, a joke. But only a bit. He didn't want some stories like the girl with the wine and cake or the girl that needed so much beauty-sleep, that she was practically a ghost when she woke up.
Kratos smirked and sat back down. "What do you want to hear?"
"Hmm .." Lloyd thought and put his head on his father's lap. "Tell me about mom. I don't remember anything about her."
Kratos smiled and put a hand on the boy's head and thought about where to start.
And while Kratos told him about how his mother was, Lloyd felt like he could sense the warmth of his father and could see his mother in front of him, the smiling face, like on the picture Kratos had shown him.
Next time Lloyd opened his eyes, he was alone and it seemed unusally dark and he felt like he was soaking in magma.
He sat up slowly, holding his head. He had really slept for a while, it seemed. And, yes, he had more nightmares where Collet was being dragged down into the earth and the others ones mocking him and telling him how it was his fault .. but not as many as before.
Lloyd wanted to go drink some water, his throat felt dry as sandpaper, and threw the blanket off.
And gasped.
Black, swirly snakes were wrapping themselves around his ankles, and the biggest one growed upwards, defying gravity, until it was about the height of Lloyd's eyes. And it grew it's own eyes, big white ones, without a pupil and a slit opened beneath them and grined.
Surprised ..?
What else could he be?
You're weak.
Perhaps.
Not perhaps. You are. You keep changing your side, until one of your trusted ones gets killed.
He wouldn't let them be killed!
Then why are you not with them?
Because .. of his .. father .. maybe ..?
Your family is important to you?
Of course!
Even more imporant than your friends?
How could Lloyd answer to that? The grin of the slit grew even wider and it showed tiny, pointed teeth, glittering purpleish. Probably poisonous.
Look below ..
He looked.
The swirly snakes were crawling up his legs now, tying them together. And new ones sprouted everywhere out of them and crawled higher and higher.
You .. DIE!!
The grinning slit grew wider and jumped at him, biting his neck.
"Ahh!!"
Lloyd bolted up, a few washcloth falling on his lap.
His vision was a bit blurred and he felt dizzy and hot.
"Lloyd?" a comforting hand touched his back. He felt it. But how? "Sorry for waking you."
Lloyd turned around quickly, seeing Kratos and realized, what a mistake the quick movement was.
A surge in his stomach climbed up his throat and he threw a hand over his mouth. Just in time, Kratos quickly handed him the basin from before and Lloyd releaved his stomach in it.
Several minutes he threw up in it, clenching his hands on the rim, trying to get tiny breaks where he could get some air. When his stomach finally seemed to be empty from everything, Lloyd leaned his head on the rim, panting. Kratos gave him a fresh, wet, washcloth and Lloyd wiped his mouth, coughing.
"Better now?" Kratos asked, taking the basin and left for a few seconds to empty it.
Lloyd didn't know if he felt better now after throwing up or worse. He tugged at the blanket, it seemed to heavy - like it was made from steel, and stared at his ankles. No black swirly snakes or anything like that around him.
He got up and sat back down, trying to get the room to stop spinning. When the spinning stopped to a certain degree, he got slowly back up and tapsed over to the bathroom, longing for water to wash his mouth out.
Kratos was putting the now cleaned basin on the floor, when Lloyd staggered in and grabbed a cup from a cupboard, filling it with water and letting it drip into his mouth and out again.
When his mouth felt not that sour anymore, he sighed.
"Better lie back down, or you'll hit your head on the floor." Kratos said and half-way guided Lloyd back to the bed.
"What the heck is wrong with me?" he wondered, even his voice sounding weak.
"Fever."
"I'm an angel - almost - shouldn't I be immune to this stuff?"
"Apparently not." Kratos said and showed him the thermometer, in case he wouldn't belive it. 39.9 degree Celsius.
Lloyd thougth it over and it seemed to make sense. He did feel rather hot and weak, and his vision was blurry. And he was sweating a lot, he should probably change again.
Like Kratos had read his thoughts, he handed him his Cruxis Clothes.
"No way."
"Yes way." Kratos countered. "They're not only the only ones you have, but they are snuggly, warm and very comfortable, especially if you're trying to sleep."
Lloyd was so surprised that Kratos had used the word 'snuggly', that he changed without really thinking about it.
And he felt really much warmer when he had the black-red clothes on. He lay down in bed and then sat back up again, the pillow behind his back.
"I can't sleep anymore." he said, although he was afraid of sleeping. When he slept, he'd just have more nightmares.
"So you're just going to sit here, thinking how miserable you feel?" Kratos asked.
Lloyd sighed.
"No .. No." he mumbled and looked around the room. And then looked at his father. "Read me a book with angel language? So I learn more?"
Kratos looked surprised, Lloyd wanting to learn out of his free will was something very different. He got up and took a book from one of the shelves and sat back down, reading it out loud, while Lloyd was sitting there, listening with his eyes closed and trying to remember any new word he didn't understand.
"Perfect." Kratos praised his son.
Lloyd had just repeated every new word he had heard and got them all right.
If Refill would've heard it, she would've cried tears of joy.
Lloyd smiled. He was starting to be happy about learning new things. And he liked it especially, when his father was praising him.
He noticed a sphere like orb in the corner.
"What's that?"
"The device I used to keep watch over you."
"It shows what they're doing?" Lloyd asked, referring to the group.
"Yes."
Lloyd looked restless and curious. He would love to know what they were doing.
Kratos smiled, got up and pushed the sphere orb closer, activating it.
The group was resting in Palmacosta's Inn, Refill was standing in front of the door, trying to calm everyone done. Shihna was upset about everybody sleeping in one room, because of 'the danger', which meant Zelos.
"Quiet now!!" Refill yelled and cleared her throat when it was finally quiet. "Not more long, guys. And then the worlds will be save from Cruxis."
"You say 'not more long', but we're still not very close." Shihna threw in. "We don't know where that 'Linka Tree' is. Or Asuka, for that matter."
"No worries. We heard that Nova's supposed to be close to the Hakonesia Pass for a few days. So, we rest and fly over, hearing what he can tell us. He is a zoologist, he should know .. maybe. And he travelled a lot."
"And if we find the tree, how to find Asuka?"
"Well .."
"I'm sure, when we find the Linka Tree, we'll know what to do!" Collet cheered everyone on.
Lloyd sighed. It was nice hearing everyone's voices again, but he felt guilty inside.
Kratos, on the other hand, looked worried.
"What's wrong?"
"With how many spirits have they got pacts?"
Lloyd thought.
"Gnome .. Celsius .. Volt and Undine .. I think they were talking about Fire and Wind while we were at Shadow .. but other than that, I don't know." he finally said, remembering how he had lost it at the altar.
".. They were in Triet."
"How do you know?"
"I got food in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla and I ran into them in Triet." Kratos explained. "So, they probably had formed a pact with Ifrit already. And Sylph .."
"But if they already had six pacts, the worlds must've reacted. And we would've noticed that .. right?"
Kratos shook his head "We wouldn't notice. Derris Quaran is too far away." and he looked back at the sphere.
"Come within the vicinity of the girls' beds, Zelos, and I'll show you the power of the six spirits!" Shihna snapped at the Chosen, who grinned.
"I hear ya, Sweetcheeks."
Shihna growled, while Refill sighed and seemed lost in worried thoughts.
"Well, that explains." Lloyd sighed. "Only one more pact."
Kratos was pondering.
"I'll be right back." he said and left Lloyd.
Lloyd sighed and lent back onto the pillow and his gaze fell onto the sphere. It was still active, showing how Genius was cheering Shihna and Zelos on, who were in a fight again, and Collet trying to sooth it.
He sat up and scooted to the edge, staring at it, pulling his knees up and resting his head on it.
What would he give for being with them right now.
Without the horrible nightmares torturing him, the fever, the secret he was keeping from them.
He put his hand on the sphere and noticed that he could change the perspective. So, he moved his hand around, until he was in close view of the fighters and the cheerers. Shihna seemed to be winning, since she had given Zelos a nasty hit with her cards, a bright red mark on the Chosen's cheek.
Collet went and looked at the mark, only shrieking, when Zelos flung his arms around her and wanted to kiss her. Another hit from Shihna for that. Regal took the matter in hand and put a salve on the Chosen's cheek and slapped a bandage on it, while Presea was just watching and Refill furiously writing something.
"Dammit."
Lloyd started and looked up. Kratos came back and looked frustrated.
"What's wrong?"
"The Coresystem isn't done yet." he said and explained to Lloyd what the coresystem was doing.
Lloyd nodded, having completely forgotten about it. Then he got an idea.
"Dad, you go ahead to the light seal and catch them off before they make a pact." Lloyd said. "I'll stay next to the coresystem computer and tell you the result as soon as it's out."
Kratos looked a bit surprised and then nodded.
"Very well."
The seraphim led his son to the coresystem computer.
Lloyd sat on the chair and stared at the huge screen, a bar on it saying 57 percent for an order.
"Here." Kratos gave Lloyd a tiny headset and the boy put it on. "When it's done, just tell me what the result is." The seraphim himself attached something to his right ear, which looked like a headphone.
"You can count on me." Lloyd smirked a bit and lent back on the chair, waiting, since it was the only thing he could do. Kratos nodded one last time and left.
Lloyd had no idea how long he was in the room and waited, yawning once or twice.
He couldn't fall asleep! If he did, he'd probably wake up when it's too late and his message would be too late.
But the fever was getting at him again .. his vision got blurrier and he shook his head.
He had to stay awake!
He looked at the screen. 61 percent.
Maybe .. a little nap .. would be okay ..
No! He had to stay awake!
Lloyd pinched his cheeks and pulled his hair. He felt it! And it was keeping him awake! Perfect!
Lloyd sat up with a start.
He had fallen asleep! Dammit! The screen was already on 100 percent and a message in angel language was on it.
He read it .. and didn't understand anything! But he had gotten the whole language just recently!
He should be able to read it! Why couldn't he even recognize a 'Koban' or an 'Eron'?!
Lloyd tapped the headset quickly.
"Dad! Dad, you there?"
No answer.
Dammit!!
The door slid open and Lloyd didn't move, afraid to see what it was.
"Too late."
The screen went black and Lloyd could see the person behind him without turning around.
Yggdrasill.
"T .. Too late, Yggdrasill-sama?" Lloyd finally brougt out, his voice traced with fear.
"Yes. It was a disaster what happened."
Lloyd held his breath. What disaster? Because of the final pact? Just what had happened!?
And .. what about his father?
"Don't worry about Kratos." Yggdrasill said. "I've taken care of him. A horrible risk for me, but it went fine."
T-Taken care of him .. what did he mean? The chair shook with Lloyd's trembling.
"Oh, don't worry. Nothing disgusting I did." Yggdrasill and made an 'Ah!' noise. "There is somebody I'd like you to meet. Come."
Lloyd gulped, looking down onto the keyboard, not daring to turn around or look up.
He didn't want to see who it was.
If it was his father or not.
"Not very polite to not look at your friend." Yggdrasill mocked him. "It's a pleasant surprise."
Lloyd slowly lifted his head, staring at the black screen. Another figure, small than Yggdrasill, was standing next to the leader.
".. Collet!!" Lloyd turned around and stared at her.
Her head was hanging a bit low and her eyes looked black, rather than the bright blue they usually were.
"Collet?" Lloyd asked, starting to get scared. "What's wrong? Hey!"
Yggdrasill smirked.
"It's your Collet, yes. And not." he said. "You see, although that disaster struck, it all went well. You know why?"
Lloyd bit his lip, too scared to answer.
"Exactly, because I got my hands on her!" Yggdrasill put an arm around Collet's shoulders, who didn't move a muscle. "You see, we took off the keycrest you had made for her and-"
"She .. lost .. her soul .. again?" Lloyd brought out, realizing it and trembled even more.
"Exactly!" Yggdrasill clapped his hands and put his arm back around Collet's shoulder. "Now, Collet dear, do you recognize him?"
Collet lifted her head a bit, looking at Lloyd with her blank eyes.
Lloyd felt very uncomfortable with such a dark, gloomy Collet. He had always preferred the happier one.
She nodded her head.
"Ah, now .. You have something to tell him?"
Again, she nodded.
"Well, then," Yggdrasill said and gave her back a pat. "Do it."
Collet stepped a bit closer, Lloyd tried to back off, but he was right up to the coresystem computer.
She looked at him and opened her mouth.
"You .. it's all .. because of you." she said. "That disaster .."
"I .. I didn't want it to happen! Definitely not!" Lloyd protested, trying to think of a way to get Collet back to her old self and how to run away, both of them, from Yggdrasill.
"And .. that I've been taken." she continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "And now, because of you .. I'm caputerd .. and Mr Kratos is .." her voice broke.
Oh no .. if she was like this, he sincerely hoped she wouldn't say it out loud.
He didn't want to know!
"Your fault .. everything .." Collet mumbled and put her hands underneath the stiff cloak from her clothes. "And I heard everything .. you lied to us .. and have been working for him .." Her head nodded a bit towards Yggdrasill.
"I .. I didn't want to." Lloyd stuttered. "Really not. I .. I just became an angel to .. walk around in Welgaia .."
"You lied .. and lied .. and lied .." Collet mumbled, gripping something and her hands appeared again. A knife with a jagged blade in her hands. "It's all .. your fault ..!"
She lifted her hands, angry tears running down from her blank eyes.
Lloyd didn't know if the situation was scaring him more or if it was this opposite of the Collet he knew.
"Collet .."
"You lied .. and it's your fault that I .. and Mr Kratos .. and it's your fault that Sensei, Genius and the others ..!!"
Oh no, he didn't want to know!
"Collet!"
"It's your fault!!" she screamed and her hands flung down quickly, the point of the blade towards Lloyd's chest.
DON'T!!
"Ah!!" Lloyd bolted up, looking around, frantically looking for something.
He was alone.
The screen! He turned. The screen was saying 85 percent.
So he .. wasn't too late. No disaster struck .. nothing happened .. yet.
"Lloyd?"
Lloyd jumped a foot and looked around, until he remember the headset.
"D-Dad?"
"What's wrong? You yelled."
"No-Nothing .." Lloyd said, trying to calm down again. "I fell asleep .. and had a nightmare."
Kratos made a worried noise, but seemed to accept it.
Lloyd decided that sitting was too dangerous, he could fall asleep again, so he stood up and started walking around the room.
Bi-beep! Bi-beep!
Lloyd walked over to the screen. 100 percent and a text was appearing, like typed, underneath.
The boy sighed relieved, he could read it. He read it quickly.
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"The system is done."
"What's it say?"
Lloyd repeated to him what the text said.
"Well, that's bad."
"I thought so, too." Lloyd agreed. "So, what to do?"
"I'll try and persuade them to stop. If we're lucky, they'll even agree to release the pacts they made."
Lloyd sincerely hoped that they would do that.
"Here they come."
"Good Luck."
Kratos turned towards the group, them running up the last flight of stairs.
They stopped on the light bridge, when they saw him.
"Kratos!" Refill said.
There was a silence, nobody knowing what to do. Kratos wanted to tell them about the pacts, when Genius looked eager at him.
"Any news from Lloyd?" he asked, everybody wanting to know.
Kratos sighed quietly.
Maybe telling them what they wanted to hear would sooth them and agree to everything else.
"Yes, he woke up."
The others sighed in relief.
"How is he doing?" Collet now asked, looking worried.
"He's doing fine. He's still a bit weak and is resting." Or at least, he hope he was going to do that next.
Lloyd frowned, going back to his chambers.
He couldn't help it. He was too worked up and sat in front of the sphere, watching the others.
Kratos was staring at a blue-haired man .. but where were the others?
He changed the view and saw that Regal and Shihna were just vanishing in the teleporter.
So they hadn't listened! Dammit!
"Why are you still trying this, Yuan?" Kratos asked.
Yuan ..? Wasn't that the man that had wanted to take him with on the Fooji Mountains?
"It's the only way it'll work."
"So you'd do anything to fulfill it. Even if it means that the worlds will die!?"
"They won't die!!" Yuan yelled. "They are dying, if it's not stopped!"
What the heck were they talking about!?
Lloyd frowned and gasped, when his father and Yuan started to fight.
He had to help him!
Lloyd got up and held his head for a moment. That damn fever ..!
But that wouldn't stop him.
He dashed out of his chambers and ran to the first teleporter he saw and gave in the coordinates.
Once back on Sylvarant, he exited the Tower of Salvation, remembering for a second how everything had started here and revealed his wings, flying north to the Tower of Mana.
A few times, he had to stop in midair, biting his lip. The fever was such a nuisance! It weakened him and made him slow.
He wanted to land on the roof of the Tower, even if he'd run into the others there first, but a barrier stopped him. Maybe that's why the others didn't use the rheairds to land on the top.
Lloyd cursed and flew down, entering the Tower the human way.
He raced up the stairs, shutting his eyes whenever he felt dizzy, either from the fever or the constant curve the stairs were doing.
And, finally, when he saw the first lightbridge over him, he saw the figure of his father.
"Dad!!" he yelled.
Yuan and Kratos didn't seem to hear him, instead they noticed a bright light coming through the tiny windows and raced onto the teleporter.
"Dammit .." Lloyd cursed again and used his wings to fly the rest up.
Halfway up though, there was an earthquake and the tower shook tremendously. A giant block of the ceiling dropped directly onto the teleporter, blocking the enter and exit from the altar.
Lloyd frowned, thinking how they others were going to leave, when another part of the ceiling fell onto the floor right in front of him and crashed.
The tower was going to collapse!!
Lloyd then raced the fastest way he ever could've done on foot with his wings and escaped the tower, just when it started to sink.
He looked up and saw several rheairds and two pairs of wings flying off, landing a bit of a distance from him. So there they were. He raced towards them, taking his wings back in.
"I know that!" Yuan snapped.
Kratos ignored him and turned towards the group, but Zelos interrupted him.
"Wait a minute, so this giant tree that's mutated from the Eternal Seed is going to destroy Sylvarant." he asked and Kratos nodded. "And Tethe'alla?"
"They'll probably have huge earthquakes, but it's fine right now, since-"
"Collet's regeneration journey pulled the seed closer to Sylvarant." Refill finished and nodded. "I see .."
"But .. if we don't stop it, the whole world, and Tethe'alla later on, will die." Collet said and looked at everyone. "Isn't there a way to stop it?"
"No." Yuan said instantly.
"What!?"
"The Tree is still getting mana from some source. As long as the source still exists, the Tree will continue to grow and won't get stopped."
"So we first have to find the source, before thinking about stopping the Tree?" Refill asked.
They two men nodded.
Lloyd got closer, but decided to hide behind a rock, listening.
Why not go to them? Maybe Sensei would ask him several questions.
He wasn't ready for that. And too weak.
A source for the Tree ..
"The Ranch!" he called out, too late realizing that he said it out loud.
Instantly, Kratos was next to him and smirked a bit.
He pulled him by the scruff of the neck to the others.
"Lloyd!" Collet called out and flung herself onto his chest. "You're alright!"
Lloyd tried to steady himself and .. again .. he felt like he wanted to hurt her!
"Eavesdropping isn't a good habit, boy." Yuan snapped.
"What was that about the Ranch?" Refill asked.
Lloyd peeled Collet from himself.
"The Ranches. The human ranch of Iselia. It's so chok full with mana, the Tree is probably lapping it up." he said.
"So, infiltrating it and destroying it would stop the Tree from growing."
"But how are we going to destroy the Tree then?" Genius asked.
Lloyd managed to sidestep slowly to Kratos and leaned a bit on him, feeling dizzy again.
"You okay?" Kratos whispered.
"Fine. Just the fever .."
"You should lie in bed."
"And let you have all the fun?" Lloyd grinned and steadied his voice. "Use Tethe'alla's Spirits."
"Pardon?"
"The elemental spirits. From Tethe'alla. Remember when you told us about Magnetic Poles, Sensei?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes, but Tethe'alla and Sylvarant are opposites. They'd just strengthen the Tree."
"No, they won't."
"Please, Lloyd!" Refill snapped, starting to be very cross because of the situation. "Stop talking such nonsense or I'll have to grade you even lower!"
"No, Sensei, see. Tethe'alla and Sylvarant are opposites." Lloyd explained. "So, in fact, Yes, they will combine themselves. But since Tethe'alla's elemental spirits and Sylvarant's elemental spirits are the exact opposite from each other, the powers won't be able to last long and destroy each other."
Silence kept on going and Refill's chin fell.
And tears of joy burst from her eyes.
"Oh, Lloyd .. You learned something! I'm so happy and proud of you!"
Lloyd laughed embarassed and rubbed his neck.
"Then I'll summon the spirits." Shihna said. "But how to get enough power and distance for it?"
"The Mana Cannon." Yuan said. "We made Rodyle built it. It should power the spirits up even more."
"Yeah, what happened to Rodyle?" Lloyd wondered, looking at his father.
"He'd been trying to get us in, but they killed him." Kratos answered quietly.
"Best if we split up. Shihna, you go with the Renegades." Kratos said and nodded over to Yuan. "We'll go to the Ranch and shut it down."
"Wait a minute, aren't you our enemy?" Genius asked, looking suspisciously at Kratos.
Lloyd flinched.
"Perhaps. But Cruxis wants that Tree stopped as well. And I've been to the Iselia Ranch several times. I know the way."
So they departed.
Inside the Ranch, Kratos worked on the computer, showing them a display of the Ranch.
"Shouldn't we release the prisoners, if we shut this Ranch down?" Collet asked.
"It would be a very good idea, but .." Refill sighed. "we have to hurry and stop the manaflow. And no idea how fast that Tree is going to grow before we finish both."
"Better split up." Lloyd sighed, leaning against the wall.
Damn fever .. it was getting worse.
His vision was still blurry and everything was starting to get shifted and torn apart.
It felt like he was in a non-stop nightmare. He was just waiting for the black snakes circling his legs.
"Your fault, Lloyd!" Collet called out.
"What?" he asked, looking up suddenly, scared that they had caught on.
"Your idea, Lloyd!" Collet said, smiling. "It's perfect!"
They discussed who was going to rescue the prisoners and who was going to shut down the manaflow.
Lloyd, Kratos, Refill and Presea were going to the manaflow, Regal, Genius, Zelos and Collet to the prisoners.
The two groups were discussing where the prisoners could go and where to meet up again.
So hot ..
He felt his head. It was burning up. He could feel it.
And the spinning just wouldn't stop.
Maybe if he .. sat down .. just for a moment.
"Lloyd ..!"
Kratos was gripping the boy's shoulders, holding him up.
Lloyd did his best to keep his eyes open, but he liked to put his head on his father's shoulder and just sleep.
But he'd best not.
"I told you, you should be in bed." Kratos warned him, speaking lowly so the others wouldn't notice anything.
Lloyd felt sick again.
Here he was, in a ranch, working for Cruxis and doing stuff for Cruxis.
But he wanted to save the worlds, not Martel.
He was sure that Martel was a nice person, but one person wasn't as much of a sacrifice as two worlds.
He hit himself mentally for thinking that.
Wouldn't it mean that sacrificing Collet as Martel's vessel would resurrect Martel AND save the worlds?
He was sure that Yggdrasill .. Mithos, would agree to giving both worlds a lot of mana, once Martel was resurrected.
Then he thought of his mother.
What would she say? Would she be proud of him? Or ashamed?
Dad told him that Anna had always wanted a peaceful world. He was, sort of, working for that.
But he wasn't doing much.
Perhaps .. she was a real angel and was looking at him right now. Crying over what her son was doing ..
Lloyd felt neauseasious again.
"Dad ..?"
"Mh?"
"What .. What would Mom want?" he wondered, clenching his teeth and surpressing a trembling. "Would she .. want me to destroy the ranches? Or would she want me to ..?"
He couldn't think of anything right now. His head felt like it was filled with water.
".. Anna loathed the time she had to spend in the ranch." he said, remembering his dearest. "And she felt angry, whenever she thought of all the other people still trapped in the ranches."
Lloyd listened, trying to get a straight thought.
His mother hated the ranches.
And he didn't find them very useful, either.
Perhaps it was nothing that was good for Cruxis.
And it didn't help the others very much, but ..
"Alright .." Lloyd said and got up, grinning at his father. "I'll do it. For Mom!"
Kratos looked surprised and nodded then, ruffling his hair.
Somehow, making that descision, he felt much better now.
He didn't feel that guilty anymore.
Sure, he still felt guilty for lying to his friends.
But, a straight thought made him feel better.
Not a huge web of whats or ifs in his head.
"Lloyd, I was wondering," Refill said when they were following Kratos to the mainroom. "why are you wearing different clothes than before?"
Lloyd flinched, he hadn't thought of that!
"I had some fever and my clothes were drenched, so I changed into some clothes I saw."
Refill nodded and they got into the room.
The leader, Forcystus, was waiting for them.
"And here you finally are." he said and grinned even more when he saw Lloyd and Kratos. "Rather obvious why you are here. But that you would go back on their side was pretty obvious, Lloyd-chan!"
Refill and Presea frowned, Lloyd paled and Kratos just glared.
"Lloyd, how does he know your name?" Refill asked.
"R-remember what Genius told you about the attack on Iselia?" he redirected, since it was a time where Forcystus had found out his name.
"But seeing the time you've spent with him" Forcystus went on, his head nodding towards Kratos. "I seriously thought for about a minute that you'd stay loyal."
"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked him, and grabbed his swordhilts.
"Obvious, isn't it? But then again, if those two weren't here," this time he pointed at Refill and Presea. "you would be acting and talking very differently to me. Isn't that right, Lloyd-sa-"
"I'll kill you!!" Lloyd yelled, charging forwards, his swords pointed together, as if he was going to strike clearly through Forcystus.
Forcystus, though, stepped aside and whammed his cannon arm into Lloyd's face, the boy sliding onto the ground.
The leader of the Iselia Ranch stamped his foot hard on Lloyd's chest.
He sure felt that!
He gasped for air, trying to wiggle free somehow, but it was like that man was made of Platin.
Kratos, Refill and Presea started to charge at him, but Forcystus just laughed.
"Play with them for a while!" he said and several floating stones rushed towards them and started to attack the others.
Forcystus grinned and bent down to Lloyd, who was struggling to brake free.
"Poor little one" he grinned. "chained to the floor by a subordinate."
Lloyd stared at him, relieved that the clashes from the fight were so loud that they drowned out anything Forcystus said, so they wouldn't be able to hear it.
"You know, even though you are great Kratos' son, the newest, the fifth seraphim. What an honor." Forcystus said and laughed. "But to be honest, I hate you! Such a cocky little bastard, you and your idealistic thinking. What a joke!"
Lloyd growled and grabbed Forcystus' ankle, trying to move it. It was getting rather hard to breathe.
"Does it hurt? Good!" the leader grinned and stamped even harder, Lloyd gasping for air. "Seriously, the way you think, it would be better if you joined those fools over there" pointing at Presea and Refill "and try to change the worlds. And, be happy, they changed the worlds. They made them worse. The Tree is going crazy. It's going to change the surface of the worlds. Perfect, isn't it? Go back to them and let yourself get killed!"
"If the Tree isn't stopped .." Lloyd said, clenching his teeth and getting so much air as possible. "Martel will .. disappaer .. because of the lack of mana-Argh!!"
Forcystus had stamped him again.
"Now, why did you have to remind me?" he sneered. "You see, if you get killed, your mana and that of the others could be sacrificed to Martel-sama. Except for that blonde Chosen of yours, you know, the one you like so much. She'll live as Martel's vessel. Isn't that nice of me to let her live?"
"You .. sick bastard .." Lloyd gasped, when he saw a black swirl around Forcystus, inclined with a green spark.
His .. mana?
How could he see it.
Long he couldn't think, since Forcystus smashed the tip of his cannonarm onto Lloyd's forehead and made him completely immobile.
"You know, 'Lloyd-sama', I think once I've got you out of the way, I will become the next seraphim. I have done so much for Cruxis, while didn't do anything!" Forcystus' expression turned into a grotesque feature. "You just became a seraphim because your Daddy is one. And I don't think Yggdrasill will mind. He'll be so proud of me. I mean, apart from Pronyma, I am the last living Cardinal."
Lloyd kept staring at the mana surrounding Forcystus.
It looked rather like the swirly snakes from his nightmares.
Perhaps .. this was a nightmare! And he'd soon wake up screaming, finding himself in his Cruxis Bed.
The last pact not made yet and the Tree still just a Seed, containing Martel's soul.
"Wouldn't it be great for you to leave Cruxis?"
Lloyd's heartbeat stopped for a second.
"Going back to your friends and forgetting everything that had happened?" the Cardinal mocked him. "It can be done. Believe me. I have done it several times. I mean, I assissted Kvar in his Ranch a few times. Made some of the really useless inferior beings into believing nothing happened and let them free. Of course, a few months later, they'd turn into beasts. It's natural."
His head was aching so much, it felt it was tearing up ..
"You know who the next one was going to be, before she escaped?"
Lloyd's eyes grew wide.
"Exactly. Your mother. Now, what would she say if her son was in the organization, that had caused her death?" the Cardinal smirked and then covered his mouth with his normal hand. "Oops, my mistake. She actually died because she was with your Daddy over there. If your Mamma had stayed, she would've lived longer."
His mother ..
What would she say?
Here he was, in that organzation, with his father, trying to do in his best friend from childhood.
Who was he really loyal to? Cruxis? His friends? Himself?
If his head would stop hurting so much, just for a second ..
If he'd go back to his friends .. how could he forget?
He was an angel.
He had Aionis in his body.
He had changed since the beginning of the journey.
"Oh well .. I'll just bump you off now." Forcystus said in a matter-of-fact voice, shrugging his shoulders.
His cannonarm opened up, showing a mutated arm with a opening at the end. It started to glow.
Cruxis .. his friends .. himself .. for his mother's sake ..
"Bye-Bye, Lloydie-poo."
His head was feeling worse, like it was going to peel off the skin by inches.
His grip tightened around Forcystus' ankle and his body trembled.
But not with fear.
With anger.
With hatred.
And ..
And .. the wish to kill!
Lloyd yanked his arms and Forcystus' foot got off his chest, the rest of the Cardinal falling onto the ground.
The boy got up quickly, holding his head, even the others, who had destroyed every flying stone - except one - watched.
"How dare you .." Lloyd growled, his voice sounding much deeper and fiercer than before.
Forcystus stared at him, frightened by the sudden powerboost Lloyd had gotten.
"Up!!" the boy commanded and the Cardinal followed.
Lloyd took out one of his swords and pointed it at Forcystus.
"Are you .. going to kill me ..?" he asked, scared.
Lloyd just nodded his head over to the edge of a wide shaft, going downwards. The mana was definitely comming from over there.
Frocystus stood his ground.
"Move!" Lloyd commanded and slashed at Forcystus, cutting a fine scratch on his left cheek. "For every step you won't take, I'll hack off a piece of your body. Now, move!"
Forcystus went to the edge, standing on the little piece of ground that looked like a plank.
"Go on." Lloyd said, standing behind Forcystus, the tip of his blade prodding the Cardinal's back.
Forcystus took tiny steps, until he was standing just before the fall.
"Aren't you going to move?" Lloyd asked, grinning fiercely. ".. FINE!!"
He slashed and a deep cut spread over Forcystus' back and the Cardinal fell into the manashaft.
Lloyd smirked triumphly and stared at the keyboard of the tiny computer next to him.
Swiftly, he typed on it and the shaft stopped to glow.
"Lloyd ..?" Refill asked, scared by what she had just seen, but also impressed, in a certain degree.
"Lloyd-san? Are you alright?"
Kratos grabbed his son's shoulders and frowned.
Lloyd's eyes looked positively red and he had a queer smirk on his lips.
"Lloyd, get a hold of yourself!" Kratos yelled, not angry but full with worry of his son and gave him a hard smack on the cheek.
"You damn bastard!!" Lloyd yelled, grabbing Kratos' cloak. "What kinda father are you, hitting your son!?"
And after he had yelled at Kratos, his eyes got unfocused again and he sank down to his knees.
"Well, he's back to normal."
"Then why is he unconscious?" Refill asked cross.
"He's not unconscious." Kratos said and pulled Lloyd up, who grinned in a dreamy way, like he was high on something. "He's just sick."
They left to recrute with the others. Refill and Presea decided to stay quiet about what they'd seen.
"You guys, there you are and you're all alright-Oh dear Martel, what's wrong with Lloyd?" Collet asked worried to pieces.
"Nothing, just a fever." Kratos calmed her down and shook Lloyd a bit.
Lloyd grumbled and held his head.
"Dad, I think I need a .. a .." he couldn't find the word. "an Icebag! Yes, that's what I mean, an icebag. And more clothes, I think. Damn those nightmares .." the last being a mumble to himself.
"Fine, just don't faint again." Kratos said and Lloyd nodded vigorously.
They were wondering where to bring the now-free prisoners, when a laugh came from inside.
Forcystus was leaning heavily against the wall and grinned.
"I'm a Cardinal of Cruxis. I don't die that easily, you little bastard!" he yelled at Lloyd.
Lloyd frowned, not remembering of course what had happened, when Forcystus' cannonarm opened again and he finally shot a blast at Lloyd.
"Lloyd!" Collet screamed and threw herself infront of him, getting a full blast and part of her clothes ripped off.
"Co-.. What ..?" Lloyd stared at the green scaleskin.
Cat-Alin: I've been writing on this chapter all day!
Shihna: All the time?
Cat-Alin: Yeah .. except the break to finish 'Lord Edgware dies' from Agatha Christie.
Shihna: Cat-Alin doesn't get any money for mentioning any product or famous person's names!
Cat-Alin: Damn right! Oh, I'm so tired. I should go to bed. Good night, everyone!
Shihna: Good night, Binky-boy. Dear Readers, a review, please?
Cat-Alin: Oh yes, the grated radish with crushed ice cubes and honey I got from volume 6 of 'Skip Beat!'.