Cat-Alin: Yay, everybody loves Psycho-Lloyd! Why is it that people love psycho-people?
Shihna: Does it matter?
Cat-Alin: Uh, a bit. I mean, I LOVE to give Lloyd all that trouble, but I do have to turn the story around still ..
Shihna: Cat-Alin doesn't own Namco, nor Tales of Symphonia, as a game or the Animation. If she did, Yuan would've flipped his ponytail a lot more.
Cat-Alin: Ah, call me a fetishist, but I think that looked hot!
The green scaleskin ..
He had read about it somewhere. Just recently.
But where?
He couldn't remember!
Where? It was something important in a certain legend.
He was shaking Collet, trying to get her to respond. His father belting out commands.
"Chosen, get off of that man! Genius, send the message, or else it'll be too late!"
Collet opened her eyes in all the confusion and Lloyd sighed relieved.
"Lloyd .. are you hurt?" she asked.
"No. Thanks to you."
Collet smiled and then seemed to notice that her close was torn and the green scaleskin visible.
She quickly sat up and covered the shoulder with her hand.
"Don't look!" she hissed.
Lloyd frowned, remembering how he had yelled that just a few days ago.
"Collet-"
"I said, Don't look! It's disgusting!!" she shrieked, wanting to go on, but the machine was beeping.
"The Tree has disappeared and is now back in it's seedform." Yuan's voice came.
Lloyd frowned, wanting to ask, but he would blow his cover completely. So, Kratos knelt down.
"If the Tree is gone and the Seed save, Martel is safe as well?"
"Must be great news to you. .. I wish it were different .."
Lloyd frowned even more, remembering ..
So, Yuan was Martel's fiancé?
He remembered how his father had told him that Martel had been engaged.
And how Mithos had hated that.
But he never said that Yuan was the one .. but that meant that Yuan was the leader of the Renegades, Cruxis' enemy. Aside from his friends.
Then .. Yuan used to be a friend of his father's?
That aside, everything was safe now ..
Lloyd looked at Collet, who was still trying to hide her decoloration.
"Collet .."
"It's .. disgusting .." she whined, trying to hide the tears, but Lloyd knew they were there. "It's horrible .. Isn't it?"
Lloyd shook his head, still trying to remember where he had seen that before.
"Don't lie to me." she said, turning away. "It's so disgusting .."
Lloyd stepped closer, wanting to comfort her.
"Stay away!!" she screamed and fainted, the boy catching her.
"Let's go to Iselia." Refill said. "Collet needs to rest. Besides, the prisoners need a place to stay for a while."
Genius was quiet, remembering the exile he and Lloyd had gotten, but the boy nodded, wanting to pick Collet up and carry her, but only made it halfway, the fever giving him a wave of dizzyness.
Kratos placed a mantle around Collet and picked her up.
On their way to the forest, Regal and Zelos took care of the monsters in front, Presea the ones in the back, while Refill and Genius tried to treat the minor wounds on the way, the rest in the village. Kratos was carrying Collet and Lloyd was carrying a little girl of about four years old.
The mother was too weak from the imprisonment and one of the Desians had broken her arm recently.
Lloyd frowned.
"Something the matter?" Kratos asked.
"Mhh, not really. I just feel weird to be carrying her."
"How so?"
"Well .. agewise, I could be the father."
Kratos chuckled, then laughed out.
"Lloyd, you amuse me every time." he said. "Agewise, we could actually be brothers."
"Yeah, but you're actually-"
"Sh!" Kratos hushed him up quickly, lowering his voice. "If they find out my true age, Refill will trace me like an experimental subject and find out about Yggdrasill."
"And he wouldn't like that .." Lloyd said, nodding.
Collet was lying down in her room, the others on the lower floor, sitting at the table - except for Kratos and Lloyd - talking to Phaidra.
"The Tower of Salvation disappeared?" Zelos frowned.
"Yes .. after that earthquake, it faded away."
"Poor Collet .." Presea mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked, who had recently gotten some pill from his father. Something against fever, or so he said.
"They'll accuse her of failing and bringing Sylvarant's devastation."
"Yeah .." Zelos sighed, but then grinned. "But it happened before that Chosens didn't make it."
"But they're all dead." Phaidra put in. "And Collet is alive."
Refill, who had been very quiet, looked at Lloyd.
"Lloyd, come with me for a second."
The boy frowned, but nodded and followed his teacher outside, both sitting on the fence.
"What is it?"
"I'd like to get some information about you - you know, the Aionis we put in to you."
"Mhm?"
The half-elf woman took out a notepad with questions on it.
"Well, I know by now that you have rather violent phases, I assume that's from the Aionis?"
"Perhaps .. I never really thought about it."
"Anything you feel when those phases come? Like a bloodrush, twitching in your arms or anything like that?"
"Mh .." Lloyd thought, holding his head. Whatever his father gave him, made him worse. "The heartbeat gets faster and stronger, rather painful even, Migraine as a side-effect afterwards. Sometimes a black-out."
"I take it that your immune-system got worse, seeing as you got a fever? You're usually the health in person."
"Could be."
"Anything that has changed for you, since you got the Aionis? Appetite, sleeping-cycle?"
Lloyd hesitated for a minute.
If he would say free out that he didn't have any appetite anymore and that he actually didn't sleep before he got the Aionis, she'd know he's getting the full angel transformation.
"Very little or no appetite and sleep disturbed by realistic nightmares."
"What kind of nightmares?" Refill asked, her hand flying over the pad while she was writing.
".. Dreams of real situations that have gone bad and end up with me being killed."
Refill frowned and sighed.
"Oh well, this will do for now. But if there's anything else, tell me."
The whole group, except for Kratos who stayed behind, decided to walk around the village, seeing as the half-elves and the boy hadn't been there for a long time.
They noticed a mass of people, all arguing around and when the Mayor saw them he saw red.
"This is horrible! The Ranch destroyed even though we have a treaty, the Tower of Salvation disappering and you bringing in the Chosen, unconscious, and several other people, some from the ranch!"
"I see you haven't changed." Genius mumbled, crossing his arms, growling.
"And on top of all, you two aren't elves, you're half-elves!" the mayor shouted. "I bet you brought the Desians to this place!"
"What!?"
Lloyd held his head, taking a deep breath. All the shouting was giving him a migraine and he had hated the mayor from the beginning.
"And you two have been exiled!" the mayor pointed a finger at Lloyd and Genius. "How dare you come into this village?"
"Oh, shut your fucking mouth." Lloyd finally said.
Everyone stared.
Lloyd was usually one who didn't swear - except for "bastard" or "dammit".
"What did you say? Have you forgotten who I am?" the mayor growled and, in return, Lloyd glared at him.
"Yeah, you're a big pump-ass bafoon, that's what you are." he said. "You exiled us, because Genius and I were at the Ranch - we admit that freely - but for a rescue and we had been tricked beforehand. You keep shoving all the responsibility onto 'the Chosen' and if one thing goes it's, of course, the Chosen's fault. Why not do something on your own for once?"
The mayor gaped.
"B.. But we're powerless."
"No, you're not." Lloyd said, uncrossing his arms and counting off. "You could give the prisoners from the Ranch a place to stay for a while; give the Chosen some encouragement or a little help if it's possible from you and stop relying so much on somebody else. Do something on your own. It's not that hard."
"But that doesn't alter the fact that those two are half-elves! They should be banned!" the mayor fussled, getting redder in the face.
"But .. Genius is the cleverest kid in the whole village. He can calculate several things at once and fast." one boy, who had been a student of Refill's, said.
"And Refill-sensei may be a bit scary when it comes to studying time, but she's always very pleased when you know the answer." a girl said.
Refill bit her lip and hasted away, Genius going after her, worrying.
Presea nodded.
"What you are actually doing, is blame people for their race or family. They can't help it."
"See?" Lloyd said, smirking. "Everybody, even the kids who don't understand why half-elves are so feared and discriminated, have understood much better than you did. It doesn't matter at all, who or what you are. Do what you can and everyone will accept you."
".. Mayor, they're right." a village woman said. "We're going to give the people from the ranch a home, until we built something up for them in the village or helped them to their homesteads. And no matter what you say, we'll do it."
"And besides," an elderly woman said, who smiled widely. "Now that the ranch is empty, we don't need the treaty anmore. We're free from the Desians."
The mayor looked around, looking red and then huffed.
"Fine! Do what you want!" he snapped and went away.
They were looking for Refill and Genius and found the two of them at the remains of their burned down house.
"Why did you run away, Ojou-sama?" Zelos said and rubbed his hands together. "I was so looking forward to you making a toothpick out of that guy."
"I'm not gonna waste my time with bafoons like him."
"Aww .."
"Lloyd, thank you." Genius said.
"What for?"
"Well, for going at the mayor like that."
Lloyd shrugged his shoulders.
"I just can't stand intolerant people like him." he mumbled and turned around to see his father. "Excuse me for a second."
He went to the seraphim and grabbed his collar.
"What the heck did ya give me in that pill!?"
"A pill chok full of vitamin c, b, a and several other ones, as well as calcium."
Lloyd sighed, not bothering why he felt so shitty still.
"Anyway, Phaidra suggested to go to Dirk. He's a dwarf and supposed to know a lot of sicknesses."
So, they went through the forest again and came out of the other side.
Dirk listened to the story they had to tell him and nodded.
"As interrresting as it may seem, I'm sorrrrry. I don't have any idea what kinda sickness it could be. Betterrrr ask a dwarrrrf in Tethe'alla." he finally sighed. "But you arrrre all welcome to stay forrrr the night."
"I'll decline politely." Kratos said and left the house, Lloyd following him.
"Hang on, Dad. There's something I wanna talk about."
Kratos looked at his son and took out his wings.
"Fine. Follow me."
Lloyd quickly took out his wings as well and followed the seraphim through the skies, until they got to the top of a grassy hill, several miles away from Iselia or Triet.
"What is it?" Kratos said, who was sitting next to Lloyd.
Where should he start?
Actually, he shouldn't even bother asking. It was obvious that it couldn't be true.
Why should he even worry about?
But .. somehow he just had to ask the question.
Maybe he feared the answer ..
"Well .. when we were in the control room of the ranch .. you know that Forcystus pinned me down."
"Mhm." Kratos went, a very displeased and threatening growl in his voice.
"Well .. he mocked me," Lloyd told him, but noticed how whiny it sounded. "but I don't care about that! Um, well, he then said .. um .."
Kratos cocked his head to the side.
"Well, he said something about Mom." the boy stuttered. "He was supposed to hypnotise her, or something like that, in believing that nothing happened to her in the ranch. And would let her free."
".. Yes?"
"I know it sounds weird, but I know that even if he had managed to do that, Mom would've died. I mean, repressing the memories of the ranch don't make the exsphere disappear."
Kratos nodded.
"Forcystus also said something like that. But he then said, that .." the boy took a deep breath, ready to say what he wanted to ask. "that Mom actually died because she was with you."
Lloyd stared at the green grass underneath his white, belted boots, didn't dare to move or to breathe.
".. That may be true."
Lloyd gasped slightly and stared at his father, who was looking down, lost in his thoughts.
"You see, I met Anna on Sylvarant shortly after she escaped the ranch. And I had been running from Cruxis for a while already, so I don't know if what Forcystus told you was true. I never heard of that."
"I told you that we travelled around, always in fear of Cruxis catching us. Of course, Kvar caught us close to Iselia." Kratos told him. "And I've been haunted of the thought that, if only I had left Anna alone, helped her to a city and left her then, she would've still be alive."
Lloyd was too shocked to say anything. So it was true! His mother had died because of his father.
"After a while, I calmed down and thought again. Yes, Anna died at the age of twenty-six, because her exsphere was removed before she had gotten a keycrest." the seraphim said and smirked a bit. "We had actually travelled to Iselia, because we heard that a dwarf was living there, who could make a keycrest for her."
"But you got caught beforehand."
Kratos nodded again.
"So, in a way, she did die because of me. If I had used my wings to fly us to Iselia and search for the dwarf, we would've been done in time. But .. I had stopped using my wings or any kind of my angelic skills a few years ago."
"Why?"
The seraphim looked over to him.
"Because you were born."
"Me ..?"
"I told Anna that it would be best for you to never know the truth about Cruxis, the Desians or anything of that. I wanted you to stay as pure as you were when you smiled the first time at me."
Lloyd grew very red around the cheeks of this compliment from his father and Kratos smiled.
"So, in order to keep you from knowing, I kept my wings hidden the whole time, practiced my swordsman skill even further, so I could defeat the angels sent by Cruxis without my angelic power. Thus, when we travelled it was by foot and therefore slower."
"Is that what you think is the reason? That Mom died?"
"It's very likely the reason. But, as I said, I started to think it over again and again." Kratos said, and crossed his fingers with each other. "And I finally thought that it was for the better, that Anna had left the ranch or had met me. And you."
".. How so?"
"Well, living in the ranches isn't very easy, you can imagine that. Anna was always quiet about the time she had spent in the ranch, but a few years afterwards, she told me what was happening in them and how much she loathed it. And then I realized, so many years later, that if she had stayed in the ranch, she still would've died. Perhaps earlier, perhaps later. Maybe even more painful than she did. So, she may have died by my fault, but I think, or at least hope, that she would forgive me for it."
Lloyd was speechless.
The whole thing was already sad, but the more he thought that, if his mother hadn't escaped the ranch, she still would've died. Never meeting her father and, therefore, Lloyd himself not being born at all.
"Lloyd," Kratos said and put an arm around Lloyd's shoulders, pulling him closer. "I know a lot of people wouldn't believe me, if I said this, but .. I loved your mother dearly. And I still do. Of course they say that angels lose any feeling they have, but, well, love is one they can never lose."
Lloyd nodded, getting red in the face.
"And I'm happy to know that, although Anna and I shared very little years together, with each other and you, I remember her saying to me that since she met me and had you, her life was like paradise. She was happy while the happiness lasted. Okay?"
He ruffled through the boy's hair and Lloyd nodded, trying not to cry from movement.
"Hang on a sec" Lloyd said and frowned. "why can I feel touching and so again?"
"Because of the fever?"
"Huh?"
"You're not fully an angel yet, so you can still get sick and all. The fever lowered any signal from your Cruxis Crystal, so the angel transformation has stopped. So, you can feel until your fever is gone."
"So I won't be able to feel anything anymore, once I'm healthy again?"
"Yup."
".. Then I wish I'll always have the fever." Lloyd said, pouting and Kratos laughed.
They landed softly on the terrace of Dirk's house.
It was quiet and already night.
Lloyd wanted to get in and lie in his old bed, but Kratos stopped him.
".. A goodbye hug?" Lloyd grinned and hugged his father, who chuckled. Lloyd could feel it and rumble in the seraphim's chest.
"Sort of." Kratos said and ruffled through Lloyd's hair. "Lloyd, there's something I want you to do."
"What?"
"Leave Cruxis."
"What?!" Lloyd tilted his head up to look at his father.
"Leave Cruxis. It's not good for you."
"But, Dad .. you know that's impossible." Lloyd countered, frowning. "I mean, you ran away from Cruxis for, I guess, four years and you got forced back in."
Kratos continued to ruffle his son's hair, his eyes having no message in them.
"It'll work out for you. I promise." he whispered and kissed Lloyd's forehead. "Go to bed and sleep. You need rest."
The seraphim wanted to take flight again, but Lloyd grabbed his cloak and growled.
"I am not going to leave Cruxis!"
Kratos frowned at his son.
"Lloyd, don't you understand? Your whole personality is changing!" he snapped, trying to talk sense into the boy. "Those nightmares your having - Cruxis' fault; your urge to kill your friends - Cruxis' fault. And it all is because your personality is too different. You're too loyal to both sides, you're torn between the paths in front of you. Get it into your head, Lloyd, please!"
Kratos put his hands on his son's shoulders and looked pleading into his face.
"Don't try to stay loyal to Cruxis. Go back to your friends, save the worlds, forget everything that has happened! I don't want to see you suffer .."
Lloyd stared at his father, who let his head hang in dispair.
"I know that you want my best for me." he finally said. "But, Dad, I am going to stay in Cruxis."
"Lloyd!"
"I am going to stay in Cruxis!" Lloyd snapped, looking dead-serious. "Because I won't let you stay in it. Either we both go out or we both stay."
Kratos was surprised and finally, after the first shock, he smirked.
"Fine .. I knew you were a stubborn one when I first saw you." he said and patted Lloyd's shoulders. and left.
Lloyd sighed and went into the house, lying down in his old bed.
His father wanted him to leave .. but that was impossible.
Cruxis was either a life-time or death organization.
And Lloyd had been serious.
If either of them was to leave, they'd do it together or stay in it together.
Even if it meant that Lloyd was continuing to lie to his friends.
And he'd probably end up killing one of them ..
He was flying.
He knew this place. It was Derris Quaran.
Lloyd didn't recognize the clothes he was wearing. It was a kind of white robe that got tied up around the waist with a wide, golden sash.
Although Lloyd had only been once down this glowing path, he knew it led to Yggdrasill's room.
But why he was going over there, he didn't know.
He flew up to the ceiling and watched the scenery below.
The flowery seed, the Eternal Seed was resting in it's place, Martel tied to it.
Yggdrasill turned around and smiled sinister.
Kratos had just entered.
"What is it, Kratos? It's not often that you ask for an audience in the middle of the night."
The seraphim clenched his fists and stared at Yggdrasill, not bothering to bow down or anything like that.
"Lloyd is going to leave Cruxis."
What?
"Pardon?"
"I said, Lloyd is going to leave Cruxis. He will no longer do your bidding or any request of yours. He's free now."
Lloyd flew down to his father, indignated.
Dad, I told you, I'm going to stay or we both go out! Hey, listen to me!
Yggdrasill looked taken back .. and then laughed.
"Ah, Kratos, you amuse me every time. Lloyd leaving Cruxis." Yggdrasill clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Ridiculous! You know the punishment that those get, that want to leave. I mean, you got it yourself eighteen years ago."
"I know." Kratos said, his voice as steady as a rock. No wavering or trembling.
"So, if the boy wishes to leave, he shall come here and get the punishment."
"He's not coming. I told you, he's left Cruxis and will not come back."
"He will still receive the punishment!"
"He won't! I'll take it for him."
Yggdrasill's catlike eyes widened and then he laughed again.
"Remember the pain you were in, for months as far as I remember, the first time around?"
Kratos was silent.
"I don't think that you'll survive, even you, who has the Aionis completely absorbed in his body."
Kratos remained silent and then glared at Yggdrasill.
Lloyd looked quickly between the two, wondering what to do.
"Get it over with."
"Very well .." Yggdrasill said, shrugging his shoulders.
Don't!
Yggdrasill held his stretched hands towards Kratos, Lloyd hurrying infront of his father to catch the punishment, whatever it was, but didn't feel it.
Instead, Kratos flinched and started to yell his lungs out, kneeling onto the floor and shaking with unseen pain.
Dad!!
"Lloyd, Lloyd, wake up!"
The boy opened his eyes quickly and panted heavily.
He was drenched in sweat once more and he looked to the side.
Everyone was up, staring in his face, the closest being Refill, Collet and Genius.
"Lloyd? You hear me?" Refill asked. "You had a nightmare."
Mechanically, Lloyd shook his head.
"That .. no dream .." he muttered and sat up, his Cruxis Clothes sticking to him. "I .. need to .. go .."
"Lloyd, where are you going-stay here!" Refill bade him, seeing how he opened the door to the terrace and a cold breeze swept in.
That was definitely no dream. Kratos' scream was too real for that.
Perhaps his mana had left him to show him that he had to rescue his father.
"Lloyd, you've got forty degrees fever, you can't go. Let alone fly!"
Lloyd stretched his wings, took a deep breath.
He knew it. He could fly. His wings were aching for it and Lloyd had a destination to go to.
He lept off and flew over the forest, his friends - and even distinctly his adoptive father - calling out for him.
He had to go.
And he had to hurry-damn that fever. It may be great to feel again, but it was more of a bother than help.
Lloyd still had the image of his father kneeling on the floor and yelling in his mind.
Faster! Faster!
He urged the fastest speed out of his wings, felt a curve going along his side and then it got dark.
Cat-Alin: This is such a weird story now.
Shihna: So?
Cat-Alin: I'm seriously thinking how I'm gonna make everything work out. And I think .. yeah, the group met Mithos after Shadow. Or else, Lloyd would've met him before ..
Shihna: And that would've been bad?
Cat-Alin: Well, yeah.
Shihna: Dear Readers, reviews, please?