Me: Hey everyone, and welcome to the next installment of Difference in Destiny!
Lloyd: *pokes the authoress* Who are you and what have you done with appreintice?
Me: Huh?
Lloyd: You're updating at a relatively regular pace. You can't be the real appreintice.
Me: *flails* Be nice! I actually want to finish this story and write some mini-sequels eventually. I own nothing. And I want to apologize in advance, but this time, I'll just be finishing up what was left in the outline of the last chapter.
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Chapter Twenty-Four: Misfortune Part Two
"Doing what's right is no guarantee against misfortune."— William McFee
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Lloyd finally exhaled from the cover of the thick trees, leaning back against a nearby trunk. As far as he could tell, none of the Desians had pursued him over the cliff, but he did not dare stop until he had made it what he felt was a safe distance into the forest. Pain pulsed through him, emanating from the teen's legs. He knew nothing was broken, but the fall had seriously jarred him.
The brunet knew he could not linger long. Besides the threat of the Desians finding him, he did not want to risk Genis and Taiyo coming back to look for him if he did not show up to their rendezvous point quick enough. Lloyd took another moment and a few deep breaths to steady himself before pushing off the tree and setting out the direction they had come from.
A short distance from the small wooden bridge leading to Dirk's house, Lloyd caught sight of his silver and orange haired companions. "Thank goodness you're alright." Genis sighed, tension visibly melting from his features. "I'm sorry Lloyd. If I hadn't insisted we go to the Ranch, none of that would have happened." The brunet shook his head.
"No, we did the right thing. Let's go ask Dirk about that Key-Crest." Not wanting to give them any time to protest or go on further, Lloyd strode past them, hoping they would fall in behind him.
"Are you okay? You're walking kind of stiff." Taiyo stated. Lloyd froze in his tracks.
"I'm fine. I got a little jarred when I landed. Let's go ask Dirk about that Key-Crest now. The sooner we can get that made for Marble, the sooner we can get back to everyone else." This time, Lloyd did not give them the chance to press further. He quickly closed the distance, stiff but silent, between the three of them and Dirk's house. Genis and Taiyo scrambled to catch up with the shinobi as he rapped on the door.
The front door opened rather quickly, stifling what little chance the younger boys had to ask for clarification. "What are ya doin' back already Sonny?" Dirk inquired, swinging the door the rest of the way open.
"I know you just made me a Key-Crest, but we need you to make another for us." Lloyd told him. The dwarf raised a skeptical eyebrow at the teen.
"Another one? What for?" He asked.
"A friend of ours has an Exsphere without a Key-Crest. That's dangerous, right?" Lloyd explained. Dirk's eyes narrowed on the teen.
"Desians are pretty much the only ones ta use Exspheres. If ya have a friend who has an Exsphere, then they woulda have to taken it from a Desian and should already have a Key-Crest. So just who do ya need this Key-Crest for?" Dirk demanded, suspicion thickening his accent further.
"It's his sister." Genis cut in. Lloyd glanced back at the boy, whose desperate blue eyes caught his for only a moment. "Their Exspheres belonged to their mom, and when she was killed, they took her Exspheres. They didn't know how important Key-Crests were then, and his sister put on hers without the Key-Crest since it was broken. We forgot to ask you to make it the first time we were here with everything that was going on."
"Ah, I see." Dirk responded, his suspicious glare softening somewhat. "Why did she not come with ya if she needed a Key-Crest?"
"You remember that giant dog that was with us?" Taiyo asked, taking a step out from behind Lloyd. "He could only carry the three of us, so she chose to stay behind to help protect the Chosen." The last of the suspicion faded from the dwarf.
"Al'ight. I'll make the Key-Crest for ya." The stocky man decided.
"Hey, do you think you could show me how to do it? I'm somewhat familiar with crafting. That way, if this ever happens again, I can fix it." Lloyd requested. The boys were caught off guard when Dirk roared with laughter.
"Sonny, do ya really think ya have what it takes as a human ta do dwarven crafting?" Dirk inquired after he calmed down enough to coherently speak again.
"You can do anything if you try, right? I guess we'll find out if I can or not." Lloyd shrugged. The last of Dirk's laughter left him.
"That's dwarven vow number sixteen. You might just have potential, Sonny. Let's see what'cha got." Dirk turned to go back into the house, and Lloyd followed him in. Taiyo turned to Genis.
"That was some really quick thinking." He complimented.
"Well, we couldn't tell him that we're helping a prisoner at the Ranch. He might not be too willing to help us break the non-aggression treaty." Genis explained. With just a nod and no further words, the boys entered the house.
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In Iselia, the Next Morning
It had been a late night with Dirk. Though it had taken Lloyd several tries to successfully carve a functioning Key-Crest, the teen finally succeeded. With the moon as their only light, the trio made their way through the forest to Genis and Raine's house in Iselia. Noishe and Corrine had rejoined them at the Iselia entrance to the forest. The giant dog provided a comfortable spot for Lloyd to rest while Genis slept in his own bed and Taiyo in Raine's.
The small group had already packed for the return trip after eating breakfast and currently waited for Genis to double check the house before locking it up. "So now I get to go to Sheena, right?" Corrine chirped up hopefully.
"Give us just a little longer, Corrine. After we go meet with Colette's parents, you can go back. They may want to send her a message since it's been so long. I know I would." Lloyd told the small creature. The fox spirit sighed, drooping his tails.
"Fine. But we should hurry up and go." Corrine huffed. With impeccable timing, Genis rejoined them as the little fox finished his complaint.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." The silver haired boy apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He looked over at the brunet shinobi. "Are you sure you're going to be okay to head out after we see Frank and Phaidra?"
A huge smile immediately spread across Lloyd's face. "Yeah, I feel a lot better actually. After your amazing cooking and getting some sleep last night, I'm feeling pretty good." The teen beamed. Genis returned the smile, rubbing the bottom of his nose to hide it.
"I guess I am a pretty good cook." The mage agreed. "We should get going if everyone's ready."
"Actually, do you care if I stop by my house while you guys go see Frank and Phaidra? I wanna see if dad's tried to leave a message for me yet." Taiyo requested. Lloyd and Genis turned to him.
"I don't see why not." Lloyd shrugged. "You're just giving them an update on Colette and the journey, right?" Genis nodded.
"Yeah. That should be fine. We'll meet up at the village gate, okay?" Genis decided. Taiyo nodded to show his agreement, and the trio set out, quickly parting ways after Lloyd instructed Corrine and Noishe to go with Taiyo, unsure of how Colette's family would react to them.
Lloyd and Genis quickly arrived at a two-story house tucked away in the northeast corner of the village, the older teen following the silver haired boy up the small staircase leading to the structure. The young mage knocked on the door, taking a step back to wait in front of Lloyd afterwards.
After a moment, the door opened to reveal a blond headed man. After the light of recognition sparked in his eyes, his face fell. "Oh no. Don't tell me…" He trailed. Genis' eyes widened as he frantically shook his head.
"Colette's okay. We had to come back to Iselia and wanted to give you an update on her before we left to rejoin her on the Regeneration Journey." Genis hastily informed him. "I'm sorry Frank. I didn't even think about what coming here without Colette would look like to you guys." Frank waved him off, sighing as relief washed over his features.
"No, it's quite alright. Please, come in. I'm sure Phaidra will want to hear about how the Journey is going as well." Frank said, gesturing for them to follow as he retreated from the doorway. Genis went in, Lloyd following close behind. The room adjoining the small entryway hosted a large table surrounded by several chairs, in one of which sat an elderly blonde. "Phaidra, Genis has come to let us know how Colette's Journey is going."
The woman glanced up from the paper in front of her, a small, warm smile spreading across her face. "How wonderful. Who's your friend?" She asked, her gaze shifting to the brunet teen. Lloyd opened his mouth to respond, but Genis beat him to it.
"His name is Lloyd. We met him and his companions after the Desians destroyed this town called Luin. We teamed up to rescue the people of the town and have been travelling together ever since. They decided to help protect Colette on her journey." Genis informed them.
"That's very nice of you. I cannot thank you enough for helping my granddaughter." She beamed. Lloyd looked down, rubbing the back of his head as he muttered a sheepish 'don't mention it'. "I would love to hear about how the Journey has gone so far." After assuring them that Colette seemed happy and healthy when they left, Genis launched into a retelling of their journey so far, starting with when he and Taiyo caught up with Colette and the others, leaving out Lloyd, Sheena, and Selean's assassination attempts on Colette, and ending with how they ended up back in Iselia.
"It seems everything is going relatively smooth then. That's good." Frank commented after Genis finished.
"Yes. Perhaps Colette will finally be able to give this world the Regeneration it so desperately needs." Phaidra agreed. "So where do you plan to head from here?"
"Well, we don't kn—" Lloyd started, cutting off as a not so distant boom roared through the air, shaking the entire house. "What was that?" The shinobi spun around to look out the nearby window, but the well-vegetated trellis directly outside of it blocked his view of the village outside.
"That didn't sound good." Genis responded, his apprehension clear in his voice.
"No, it didn't. Come one, Genis. We need to go see what's going on." Lloyd told him. Genis' eyes visibly widened.
"Y-yeah." He stuttered, hesitantly taking a step after Lloyd, who was already at the door.
"Please be careful." Phaidra bid them as Lloyd yanked the door open, racing out it. Genis, clueless of what to say, walked out without a word. He nearly ran into Lloyd, who had stopped just outside the door. When Genis looked past Lloyd, the same paralyzing shock overtook him.
Fires had overtaken the village all around them, consuming the buildings and trees surrounding them. They caught the retreating backs of a group of Desians headed for the next section of the small village. Lloyd suddenly gasped, turning to face Genis. "Genis, where does Taiyo live?"
"He lives south of here." Genis muttered absentmindedly as he took in the destruction around him. Horror shot through him as he suddenly turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, we have to go find Taiyo. I bet the Desians are here because we were at the Ranch yesterday."
"I think you're right." Lloyd cringed, looking down. "Damn… Let's get going, Genis. We need to find Taiyo and stop the Desians." The teen set off, face and stride set in determination. Genis scrambled after him.
"Lloyd, we can't take on the Desians by ourselves. They'll murder us." Genis frantically told him, his voice shaking.
"I can't just stand by and watch the Desians murder people because of me again. You don't have to join me, but I refuse to do nothing." Lloyd didn't say another word as he continued in the directions the Desians had gone. Genis stopped in his tracks, staring after the shinobi.
"Lloyd, I'm not brave like you." The boy said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists. He shook his head after a moment before running after Lloyd. When the two arrived in the next section of the village, yelling around a building that had not been set ablaze drew their attention.
"Stay back! I won't let you burn down our house! Dad has to have somewhere to come home to!" Taiyo cried, bringing Lloyd and Genis' attention to where he laid on his back in front of the house, boomerang gripped tightly as Noishe and Corrine stood between him and the advancing Desians.
"Shaddap!" One of the advancing Desians yelled. "You think you can stop us from judging this pathetic village for breaking the treaty?" The Desians that Lloyd and Genis had followed to the area ascended the small staircase to the house to join their companions.
"Hey, he's one of the inferior beings from yesterday!" One of the new Desians exclaimed. "Seize him and take him to Lord Forcystus at the village gate. I'll take care of the house." Genis looked over at Lloyd, but the teen was already gone. He leapt at the base of the small elevation, landing in front of Taiyo with his swords drawn.
"Leave him out of this." Lloyd growled through gritted teeth. "He had nothing to do with what happened yesterday. I'm the one you're looking for." The brunet leveled one of his blades at them, quickly examining the four soldiers in front of him.
"You're Lloyd!" One of them gasped. "Lloyd Forcystus will be pleased when we deliver you and your Angelous Pro—" Lloyd dove forward, quickly thrusting his blade through the Desian's chest.
"Quick, Taiyo, get up. You and Genis need to get out of here." Lloyd commanded, blocking an incoming sword swing with his free sword as he yanked the other out of the Desian impaled on it. The younger teen scrambled to his feet as Noishe lunged at the whipmaster, knocking him to the ground.
"I can't just leave you here by yourself to fight the Desians." Taiyo protested as Lloyd deflected another sword swipe, the echo of which was swallowed by the crackling flames around them.
"I'll be fine. There's no reason for you to get involved." Lloyd responded as he jumped back to avoid the spear thrust of the last Desian. As the soldier fell through with his momentum, Lloyd dashed forward, but was forced to duck and roll away from the sword wielding Desian.
Movement in the corner of his vision caught Taiyo's attention, and he looked over as the Desian Lloyd had struck down raised his crossbow from the ground, taking aim at the brunet teen. "Watch out Lloyd!" Taiyo warned as he tightened his grip on his weapon, jumping forward and holding his giant boomerang up to cover them just as the bowmaster pulled the trigger, launching the arrow at them.
It deflected off the metallic weapon, finding its mark in the front door of the house instead. Wide eyed, Taiyo quickly readjusted his grip to slam the bladed boomerang down on the Desian, smashing through his helmet. "Thanks Taiyo." Lloyd said mid-dodge from the sword and spearmen's dual onslaught.
"I promised Selean I wouldn't let anything happen to you. We'll get through this together." Taiyo told him he turned with Lloyd to face the remaining two Desians.
"Fireball!" Genis cried. Though the giant masses of flames hit their intended targets, Lloyd and Taiyo were equally shocked by the sudden attack. Lloyd, however, snapped out of it quickly enough to deliver the finishing blow to the soldiers' throats before they could recover. The young mage joined the older boys at the bottom on the stairs as they sheathed their weapons. "I'm sorry guys. I shouldn't have hesitated so long."
"Don't worry about it." Lloyd told him, looking over at the path on the other side of the small clearing. "The village gate is that way, right?" Genis and Taiyo slowly nodded. "Let's go put an end to this so we can rejoin the others." Without any further words, Lloyd and Taiyo set off, Genis trailing hesitantly behind them.
Most of the population of the city seemed to be waiting by the town gate. Desian soldiers blocked the exit. "Where is Lloyd?" One of them demanded.
"There isn't a Lloyd in this village!" A large, gray haired man yelled back at them. "You have no business destroying our town!"
"We'll burn this entire village to the ground if that's what it takes to flush him out! We know he's here!" The same Desian responded. Lloyd broke into a run, quickly closing the distance to stand between the soldiers and townspeople.
"Stop this!" The teen demanded, clenching his fist. "This town didn't do anything wrong. There's no reason for you to hurt these people."
"Of course there is! This city is guilty of breaking the non-aggression treaty by contacting host body F192 and attacking our guards!" The Desian retorted.
"I'm not from this city. If you have a problem, settle it with me, not these people." Lloyd said, reaching with his right hand to grab the hilt of his sword.
"You might not be, but Genis Sage and Taiyo Komiya are." Everyone in the clearing turned their attention to the tall green haired man striding through the ranks of soldiers outside the gate. He came to a stop in front of the Desian that had been speaking.
"Lord Forcystus." He said as he bowed his head, taking a step behind him.
"They could burn along with this village for all I care. But I needed you alive, Lloyd, so I could retrieve your Exsphere." Forcystus continued without acknowledging his soldier.
Lloyd quickly drew his swords, stepping back and preparing himself to spring into action. "This is all that remains of my mother. You're not taking it from me without a fight." The teen growled.
"I thought you might say that. Therefore, I prepared a suitable opponent for you. Men! Let's introduce them, shall we?" Forcystus said, turning toward the edge of the forest. Two more Desians, each pulling the end of a thick robe, emerged from the thickets, a giant green form clad in scraps of brown cloth trudging along behind them.
"W-what is that thing?" Lloyd stuttered, lowering his guard as he took another step back. No one responded as the creature balked to a stop, drawing in a clawed, club-like arm before swinging at the two Desians yanking on the end of the rope, sending them flying. The rest of the soldiers scrambled out of the way, leaving a wide path between the now free monster and Lloyd.
It turned it's single red, round eye on Lloyd before covering the distance between them with a clumsy yet rapid stride. It raised its arm again above Lloyd, revealing a small blue stone on the back of its mutated hand. Unlike with the soldiers, the monster did not get the chance to strike. A massive object flying through the air collided with the beast and sent it recoiling. Several feet away, Taiyo caught his returning boomerang. Genis joined them, clenching his kendama firmly in his hand. "I don't have a good feeling about this guys." Lloyd muttered.
"It's coming back!" Genis cried, raising a trembling hand to point past his companions. Lloyd turned back toward the monster as it slammed its arm into the ground, stumbling as the resulting shockwave hit him. "I-It's really fast. If you can distract it, I can hit it with magic."
Lloyd nodded as he steadied himself. "Alright, Genis. I'll hold its attention. Taiyo, keep your distance and attack if you see an opening." The teen immediately hoped away as Genis took a deep breath before he began bouncing the tama between the side cups of his kendama, gathering mana as an earth rune began to materialize beneath him. Taiyo broke off from him, running in the opposite direction of Lloyd. He shifted his grip on his weapon, preparing himself to throw it.
Lloyd ran in front of the creature, swords at the offensive as he dove forward. The monster was quick to respond, wildly swinging its arm out and forcing Lloyd to disengage. He slid across the ground, dust flying up around him as the creature lurched forward. Taiyo lifted his bladed boomerang of the ground, running forward a few steps to gain momentum before winding back and throwing his weapon.
It hissed through the air, grazing across the giant green creature's back on its return arc. The boomerang flew past Taiyo, wedging itself in one of the trees a few feet behind him as the monster rounded on him. Fear held the orange-haired teen in place as the monster began its charge. Lloyd dashed after it, launching himself off the ground. "Tempest!" He cried as he spun through the air, striking the head of the beast with his blades as he sailed over it.
He landed smoothly in front of Taiyo, but immediately was on the move again. As Lloyd led the hulking creature away, Taiyo regained his senses, running over to the tree line to work his Bladerang out of the wood.
Lloyd stayed on the move around the creature, not daring to engage and potentially leave himself open without any back up. Dodging the monster's club-like arms wildly swinging at him was more than enough for the shinobi to focus on. "Pancake time!" The brunet glanced back at Genis, who no longer bounced the tama between the cups of his weapon, as the ground beneath him and the creature started rumbling. Lloyd swung his sword, sending a shockwave of energy at the monster before leaping back, putting as much distance as he could between them. "Grave!"
The ground beneath the giant erupted, knocking it into the air before more spikes burst up around it, impaling its mutant green form. The monster was left reeling as the stalagmites crumbled, and Lloyd seized the chance, charging back in. "Beast!" He rammed his shoulder into the creature, projecting his energy at it as his blade ripped through its torso, sending it sailing back toward Forcystus.
The green haired man watched as the monster slid to a stop, gritting his teeth when it did not stir. "I should have figured she would be no match against the power of the Angelous Project." Forcystus said, taking a few steps toward Lloyd. He grabbed the device attached to his left arm, and it began shifting. "No matter. I'll just take care of you myself. He raised his left arm as the device opened up, revealing a cannon. "I'll give you one last chance, Lloyd. If you turn over your Exsphere, I may let you live."
"You'll never get this from me." Lloyd growled defiantly. Mana sparked at the end of the cannon, forming a small ball. Lloyd watched it warily, raising his swords defensively in front of him. He dropped them, however, as the giant green monster staggered over, throwing its massive arms around Forcystus. Guttural groans pierced the air.
"Ugh… Genis… Lloyd… Taiyo…" A raspy voice panted. Genis' eyes widened.
"That voice…" The small mage muttered, slowly walking forward.
"Run… away…"
"Is… Is that thing talking?" Lloyd asked hesitantly.
"Genis… I'm so happy… I got to see you… again…"
"Marble?" Genis gasped, dropping his kendama. "Is that you?"
"Genis… You were… like a grandson to me… Thank you… Goodbye." The green creature wrapped around the struggling Desian leader as it started to glow, a large of mana gathering around them before it abruptly exploded.
"Marble!" Genis cried, falling to his knees as Forcystus collapsed. A small stone landing in front of the boy made him look up again. Nothing remained of their opponent as the remaining soldiers flocked around their leader.
"Men, gather around! We're retreating for now!" One of them yelled. A mass amount of mana congregated around the small platoon before they disappeared. Lloyd sighed, relaxing as he sheathed his swords before kneeling down next to Genis. The younger boy looked up.
"Lloyd, that was Marble… We just fought Marble, and she sacrificed herself for us." Genis said, tears running down his cheeks as he glanced back at his hand. Taiyo joined them, his boomerang strapped to his back.
"Genis, Taiyo! I can't believe you went to the Ranch!" The trio looked up to see the gray-headed villager that had addressed the Desians earlier. "You know it's forbidden, and yet you did it anyway! Look at what you brought on this village! It's destroyed because of you guys!" Lloyd rose to his feet, squaring up with the older man.
"Hey, that's enough. Don't you think he's been through enough?" Lloyd demanded, clenching his fists. The man's eyebrows knitted together.
"And you! You're an outsider! What business did you have interfering with the treaty we had with the Desians?" He spat.
"I couldn't just stand by and do nothing while the people at the Ranch suffered." Lloyd defended.
"Those people are just going to rot there anyway." One of the nearby women interjected. "There's no hope for them."
"She's right." The man agreed. "There's nothing that could have been done for those people. And now, because of your foolish actions, people in this village were hurt and killed as well. It would have been just the prisoners if you hadn't interfered."
"You humans are all the same!" Genis yelled, clenching the stone in his hand. "All you care about is yourself." Lloyd and Taiyo glanced down at him, their faces falling.
"Genis…"
"You're just a child. What would you know?" The man sneered. "As mayor of this village, I must protect the people of this village. Now that you three have defied the Desians, they will continue to pursue you. For that reason, with the power vested in me as mayor, I hereby banish the three of you from the village of Iselia!" Several of the people around them gasped.
"You can't be serious. This is mine and Genis' home. I'm still waiting for Dad to come back here." Taiyo protested.
"I'm very serious. This village will never be safe with you three in it. If you can scavenge anything from your houses, you can do so. But then, get out!" The mayor did not linger after that for the trio to make any further protests. As the townspeople gradually dispersed, Corrine and Noishe trotted across the clearing to rejoin their human companions.
"Well, Corrine…" Lloyd sighed, looking at the small fox. "I think it's time for you to go back to Sheena. Don't let her know what's happened yet. Just tell her I'm okay and ask where we should meet up. We'll wait for you here, okay?"
"Okay Lloyd. I'll be quick so we can get going, okay?" The spirit chirped before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Lloyd turned back to Genis.
"Are you going to be okay?" The teen asked the younger boy. Genis held out his hand in response, revealing the blue stone. "That's Marble's Exsphere…"
"What should I do, Lloyd?" Genis whispered.
"I think you should use it." Genis' blue eyes widened in shock. "We have the Key-Crest I made for Marble. I think Marble would want to lend you her strength to prevent others from becoming victims like her. Then, you could live for both you and her." Kratos' words had offered as much comfort as one could hope for in a situation like this, so Lloyd lent them to Genis. The mage slowly nodded.
"Yeah. I think you're right. I'll use this Exsphere to fight alongside you and Colette to avenge Marble and live the life she didn't get to." Genis decided. Lloyd stood, digging in his small pack. He came up with the Key-Crest seconds later, offering it to Genis. The younger boy slowly took it, hesitantly pressing it to the back of his hand. The Crest quickly fused to his skin, and with a shaky hand, he placed the Exsphere in it. The gentle warmth that washed through Genis caught him off guard, making him gasp as more tears threatened to break free. "I… I think this was the right choice. I can feel Marble's presence. She feels happy… like she's at peace now."
The trio jumped as the air cracked before Corrine reappeared between them. "Sheena said they're heading to Izoold. They said Genis and Taiyo would know where it is." The fox spirit reported.
"Yeah. It's just on the other side of the Ossa Trail." Taiyo confirmed.
"Alright. Are you two ready to head out then?"
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Lloyd: Okay, I'm sorry for doubting you earlier. You're definitely the real appreintice. It took you three times longer than what you promised to do this update.
Me: Don't rub it in. I do want to apologize though for how long this took. I got a little wrapped up in school, work, and my personal life. I do have wedding planning to figure into everything now as well, which I'm very excited for, but in the meantime, I'll do my best to settle into a routine to get a monthly update up. I also hope to go over this chapter within the next couple days to catch any mistakes spell check didn't, but for now, I just wanted to get something up. For those still reading, thank you so much for your patience with me. You guys are truly the best, and I would really love to hear your thoughts on the story so I can continue improving it for you. Kratos, care to take us out?
Kratos: If anyone is interested in the fanart contest, feel free to let her know in a PM or review. The poll for a future event in the story is still in her profile as well. Please review.
Next Chapter: Oppression of the Waning World