Hello again everyone. I apologize for the long time it's been since I last updated, but it couldn't be helped. I could source a bad case of writer's block, but if that had been it, I would have been lucky. No, no, for the past couple months I've been battling a computer that threatened to burst into flames, weather that threatened to burst ME into flames and me flaming them both throughout. However, the first has been temporarily rectified and the other shall do so once autumn descends, so I'm hoping for the best.
So, gratitude for everyone who reviewed, alerted and so forth, along with ImJustNutty, MenrowSpirit, Kiomori, Celestial Dream Weaver, Link Fangirl01, AngelofaWhiteNight, AyndeRod, freakyanimegal, ChibiWolf86, The RPers HELL group, Dreaming of Blue, ThePurpleRose, Kisa167, kuroXIII, DragonHeart44, CrimsonButterfly94, WhatAmISupposedToWriteHere, skye96 for both reviews, Purple Pallbearer, THE AMBASSADOR OF HUGS and Vesperia Lover for reviewing. I really love that you all take the time to give me praise and feedback. It always makes writing even more of a joy than it already is.
Now, enough of my prattle, let's get on with it.
If you think I have any ownership over ToS, you are sadly mistaken. So no suing me.
Chapter Twenty Five: Clandestine Conspiracies
Not until the moon was well past the midnight mark did Lloyd stir. His initial grunt signifying his arrival back into the world of the living was muffled by the arm he'd draped over his eyes in his sleep. Grunting again, he let his arm sag flaccidly onto the cool grass and pried one eye open. His redwood eyes scanned around in a fog as he gained more of a grip on consciousness and eventually settled on the blurry image of one angelic warlord, who had taken the opportunity to fire up his miniature compact. Kratos peered away from his accessor's screen, having felt the non- corporeal gaze settle on his face, and shifted so he could see Lloyd's upside down visage watching him from where his head laid on Kratos' thigh that much better.
"Morning." Lloyd yawned, sat up and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. Kratos sighed, shook his head and went back to his accessor. Lloyd was so exhausted, he had no idea he'd just spent the good part of four hours out for the count, not to mention what, or rather who, he'd chosen as a makeshift pillow. While deep down he found Lloyd's unconscious decision rather amusing, he opted not to let the boy in on the secret, for all that would do would be embarrass him beyond all measure.
"Lloyd, you've only been asleep for a few hours." The seraphim responded candidly, tapping the cursor pad with his forefinger. "It's still the evening."
"Oh. Er... yeah, I knew that." Lloyd's cheeks glowed pink and he scratched the back of his head in what he deemed to be an effective way to deter his blunder from the public eye. Kratos spared him another glance out of the corner of his peripheral vision, and quickly slanted his attention back to the screen. The screen blinked blue for a second and then quickly filled with text in a long forgotten language at a speed that would have boggled his mind had he not been acclimated. A long time ago, he'd not been very fond of magitechnology, but over the years he'd grown to accept there was no way he'd be able to avoid it. So, there wasn't much point in trying to live without it, though from what he saw, the people of the declining world did so well enough, but generally not with the ease of those who possessed it.
Still, as the accessor completed its loading and Kratos skimmed over the text, a deeply buried section of his soul wanted to take a hammer to it. Despite his efforts of checking the announcement boards every five minutes for the entire duration of Lloyd's slumber, there had been no sign of Yggdrasill's master plans in regards to Lloyd, or whatever he deemed them to be, so that had yielded little. The seraphim knew it wasn't the fault of the accessor in question, but that didn't assuage him much and vengeance against all things magitechnological appealed more by the second.
'Yggdrasill seems to be more secretive than I remember him to be. He's probably pulling out every stop to assure I don't become aware of his plans.' Kratos groused, his internal tone highly ill tempered. 'I don't know what offends me more, the fact he's trying to kill my only son, or the fact he thinks I'm imbecilic enough not to notice.'
"What are you looking at on there?"
Kratos attention shot to the source of the voice, who'd at some point when he was immersed in his thoughts decided to glance over his arm at the screen. Lloyd craned his neck as far as he could to see the screen in full detail, but that wasn't very far and he eventually settled to stepping behind Kratos and reading over his shoulder with his chin perched on said shoulder.
"I'm checking on the status of the Derris Kharlan core system." Kratos replied stiffly as he fought the urge to drop his shoulder and Lloyd along with it, gravity permitting.
"What's it say?" Lloyd asked curiously.
"Nothing of importance."
"Oh really?" The six year old squirt eyed Kratos skeptically and turned his eyes back to the monitor. "I bet there's tons of secrets on that page. All sorts of neat stuff."
'Actually, it's just a reminder the southern district of Welgaia is being cleaned, so everyone must migrate to the northern half if they do not want to be doused in soap.' Kratos mused sardonically as he scrolled to the top and closed the window. 'But for some reason, I highly doubt you'd believe me.'
"Hey, that's me again!" Lloyd foisted an arm over Kratos' shoulder and thrust one finger at the screen. Slightly perplexed, the seraphim followed the phalange back to the screen, which should have been blank...
... but fate had taken that moment to kick him in the knee.
It was true he had successfully exited out of the main connection page for the Derris
Kharlan Core System, but he'd forgotten about the window he'd left up lingering just behind the first panel. To top off his rotten luck, the page was Lloyd's profile. Kratos had hoped to find something of a clue to Yggdrasill's latest schemes, but like everything else to which he was privy, there was nothing of use whatsoever. Upon realizing his futility on that particular page, he thought he'd shut down the window and progressed to the next source.
Apparently he thought wrong.
"Yes, it is." The seraphim relented exhaustedly while he ran a hand through his hair. His first instinct had been to deny the claim, but he couldn't very well do that if A, he was to be honest as he could with Lloyd and B, it had Lloyd's picture on the top section of the page. The fabrication would be anything but believable. There was no point in wasting creative energy.
"I thought so. It had my picture and everything." Lloyd beamed triumphantly and let his chin sag on Kratos' broad shoulder so it gave the impression the antiquated angel had sprouted another, much more talkative head. "Hey, just out of curiosity, what's it say about me on there? Anything good?"
"Mostly a physical description, along with a brief personality profile and picture of your former self." The seraphim summarized as he quickly scanned across the page. The profile had indeed more on the boy, but Kratos didn't feel it necessary to divulge the intricate detailing of Lloyd's profile as written by Cruxis. For some reason, letting his son know that the first sentence described him as 'A spiky haired, snot nosed, abrasive punk with a penchant for sticking his nose where it did not belong' didn't sit well. Lloyd might think it funny, but he probably wouldn't like the later paragraphs saying that his wanted poster from Triet was a perfect depiction and why he had not been turned in was yet to be discovered. That alone would probably dishearten the boy, or at the very least depress him to some level.
Kratos sighed to himself as he continued letting his eyes trail down the page. Whoever wrote the report certainly hadn't been having a nice day. That, or Yuan got stuck writing the MOs again and decided to exercise his artistic license.
"... oh." Lloyd's shoulders and enthusiasm slumped.
"What was it you wished to find, if I may ask?" The seraphim inquired. It was unlike Lloyd to not have a reason for suddenly losing his vivacity, and if the times in the past were anything to go by, there was ALWAYS a reason for it. What was bothering the boy now?
Lloyd removed his weight from Kratos' shoulder, shuffled his shoes into the grass and sat down, hands clasped over his ankles.
"Does it... have anything about my parents on there?" The slender swordsman asked, his voice and eyes filled with apprehension and hope. Kratos blinked at Lloyd's sudden hope ridden request and glanced to the monitor.
"I do not believe there is anything specific entailing your father, as his dwarven clan chose to not serve Cruxis-"
"No, not Dad." Lloyd interjected, waving his hand back and forth. "I mean... my real parents."
Kratos paused his search on the database and looked up from the screen.
"'Your real parents'?" The seraphim repeated. Lloyd nodded seriously, his chestnut eyebrows tapered down in a sober crease. Kratos sat back and took in a solid breath. So Lloyd was interested in learning more of his original parents, was he? That certainly was... sudden.
The antiquated angel pinched the bridge of his nose and ran a hand through the curtain of auburn hair masking half his face. In retrospect, that really shouldn't have surprised him. Colette had hinted Lloyd would be most intrigued at the mention of his pedigree when they last spoke, as did Dirk, but for what purpose did he ask him? It wasn't as if Lloyd had figured out their connection, he'd learned that the hard way a few hours before, but to brazenly ask out of the blue? There had to be another reason as to what drove him to such a course of action.
Perhaps Lloyd hoped to find some small speck of information within the archives that Cruxis held onto for a rainy day. Kratos snorted. Lloyd could hope all he wanted, but he wouldn't find anything like that on the database. Cruxis might've liked to keep an eye on subjects who might've posed a threat, but there were no such files that depicted a play by play on their genealogies if they weren't Chosens. The genetic history of a mere human, which he was physically at the time of the archival creation, wouldn't interest them in the slightest. If there had been any special indication or note, it would have been cataloged the moment of it's creation.
Cruxis may have been sadistic, amoral and governed by a lunatic who should have long since been locked in an asylum for the mentally deranged, but if anything, it was efficient.
Besides, even if there had been such an archive, Yggdrasill would have kept the entire thing under incredibly high encryptions that would be accessible to him and him only. He had been more than sore about the whole ordeal surrounding Lloyd's origins and, if Kratos guessed correctly, he would eat his own jumpsuit before he let out the secret that he'd failed to control his own Origin Seal, who then in turn decided to add to the surplus population and with a run of the mill human no less.
'How embarrassing for him.' The seraphim snarked bitterly. A cough segwayed an intermission into Kratos' intellectualizations and his eyes quickly refocused on the boy in front of him he'd been staring at intently for the past five minutes, albeit absently. As a result, said boy had developed a moderate case of the fidgets.
"Why are you asking?" The seraphim inquired stiffly, his eyes unyielding just like the grip
he had on his accessor. Lloyd sifted a hand through his own hair, much like Kratos had done moments prior, squared his shoulders and met the seraphim swordsman's unabated gaze.
"Dad's great and all, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." The slender six year old continued warbly as his fidgets began to die away. "I really want to learn about them and if Cruxis has so much information that they can put up a profile of me, then I bet there's something about my folks in there too. If anyone knows, it's gotta be them.. er.. you guys. I normally wouldn't ask, but if... if there's a chance that thing might know something, I can't just ignore it."
Ah, so his musing had been right. Stifling a sigh, Kratos let his eyes meander back to the screen and shook his head.
"Lloyd, what you're asking for is something I do not believe the core system has in its databanks." He replied stonily while he closed another window with a swift motion of his wrist. That in itself was true. There would be nothing on the core system that Lloyd could use, or at least, nothing about that particular subject, and even if there was, Lloyd wouldn't have been able to read it anyway. So, in a sense, Kratos was telling the truth. He was just... omitting he knew everything there was to know about Lloyd's parentage.
But he wasn't lying. That was the important thing.
However, as he allowed himself another glance at his son, Kratos noted Lloyd wasn't by any means deterred by the looming prospect of no pot of information at the end of the rainbow. In fact, the seraph had, once more and without his knowledge no less, unwittingly gained a new shoulder ornament. Apparently Lloyd missed peering over his shoulder so much he'd come back to visit.
"I'll take whatever it's got, I don't care how small or unimportant it may seem, that's better than nothing. I don't care what it is, I'll take it." The skinny boy pleaded with all he had, his large blood wood orbs staring desperately into the angel's face, the wink of his petite nose now about an inch away from Kratos' own. "Kratos... please?"
The archaic angel met Lloyd's desperate gaze, silently groaned and set the accessor down on the ground, the dated picture of Lloyd still glazed on the screen.
'.. you have no idea how much you're tormenting me, do you?' He groused unhappily while the full weight of Lloyd's pleading stare bore down on him like a lead anchor. Kratos had figured the subject of Lloyd's parentage would arise at some point or another, but now that it had, he was in quite a tight spot. If he told him the whole story, details withstanding, that would be an impromptu disaster right then and there. However, if he outright refused Lloyd's questions, that would widen the valley of mistrust he'd set about to mend or worse, Lloyd would start looking for answers on his own. Kratos suppressed a shudder. No, he couldn't have that, not yet.
Still, it all came back down to what he had to choose right then. There was no maneuvering around it.
... what to do, what to do...
'If I am careful to not reveal any specific details, it should be fine.' Kratos finally concluded in his mental tango. 'He won't catch on.' In a tight situation, the seraphim had always been able to count on Lloyd's naivety in order to help him without the slender swordsman having any clue. Not even the events at the Tower of Salvation had been able to shake all of Lloyd's obliviousness to underlying messages, which he'd since employed to his advantage to drop hints here and there about what Lloyd should do next. Perhaps he could do it again if he navigated the waters of wordplay deftly. Lloyd hadn't ever figured it out before, why would he now?
"...alright." Kratos relented dejectedly as he picked up the accessor and repositioned it on his lap. "I'll... see what I can find." Lloyd broke into an exuberant grin, plunked down next to Kratos and dove a hand into the bag he'd retrieved from his home.
"Thanks, Kratos!" The slight six year old piped while his arm rummaged around in the bag, frantically searching for something. "Okay, I've got a whole bunch of questions, so-"
"Wait a moment, I'm pulling up a new page." Kratos interjected and pressed a switch on his accessor's control pad. Truth be told, all he did was hit the refresh button, but Lloyd needn't know that. He had to make it look realistic or otherwise Lloyd might get suspicious. Kratos had to play this out masterfully or otherwise the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Alright, what is your first question?" He prompted after he stalled for sufficient time to dull Lloyd's curiosity. "I shall answer them to the best of my ability."
"Hang on, I've almost got it." Lloyd returned rushedly, his arm still swimming down into the bag. "Okay, I think I just felt it, so if I angle my hand like that... gotcha." The precocious prepubescent boy wrenched his arm out of the burlap sack and dropped his newfound treasure on his lap with a heavy flump. Kratos raised an eyebrow. He couldn't quite make out exactly what was resting precariously on Lloyd's thighs, though from what he could see it was whitish and rather thick.
"What exactly is that?" The seraphim inquired while he eyed whatever it was with a healthy amount of scrutiny. Lloyd glanced down at his lap, picked up the object and gazed at it wistfully, his eyes warm, yet strangely melancholic.
"Right after we blew up the Asgard Ranch, I made a list of everything I wanted to know about my parents. I've been adding to it ever since then whenever I had some free time." Lloyd held it out for Kratos to take. "Here, take a look." Kratos gingerly took the roll of paper, which weighed more than he expected, and unraveled the top of the scroll so he could see the entire composition.
To say the list was extensive would have been to say the ocean was damp.
The text scribbled on the page covered practically any aspect Kratos could imagine a self supposed orphan would want to know about his or her heritage, along with some others he hadn't thought of whatsoever. Name and appearance he'd figured were givens, but allergies, preferred types of alcoholic spirits and even whether or not they were colorblind hadn't even entered his mind. The lists went on and on and the more Kratos read, the more impressed he found himself to be with Lloyd's attention to detail. The scroll ends may have been held together haphazardly by paste and the words may have been in a skewed hand, probably the result of improper instruction on handwriting, but his writing was legible, no splotches of ink dotted the pages, and if there had been a crossed out phrase because of a spelling error, there was only one line nulling it, not a myriad of scratches like the paper had suddenly come down with a case of itchy skin.
All in all, the list was impressive, especially given Lloyd's usual attention span when it came to the written word. Kratos snorted mentally and rolled the scroll back up into a cylinder. Clearly the teachers had been letting him slide all this time, if he was truly capable of composing something so detailed and neat. Well, Kratos would see to that soon enough.
There were no room for slackers in HIS institution of learning.
"You've put quite a lot of effort into this." The seraphim swordsman commented coolly as he dropped the manuscript back into Lloyd's arms.
"Of course. These are my Mom and Dad we're talking about." Lloyd retorted, his focus fixed on the beginning of the list. "I can't just B.S. it like it was for school. This is important."
Kratos' eye twitched.
"... charming."
Fortunate for the seraph, Lloyd absolutely missed Kratos' semi-pedantic dismay for he was too busy thumbing back to the top of the list.
"Alright, number one." The short six year old coughed into his hand to clear his throat and sat up straight like he was delivering a sermon. "What's my Dad's name?"
Kratos halted his faux search and watched Lloyd from over the top of the accessor's main screen. He'd figured something of that nature would pop up at some time, but why so sudden and more specifically, why only his father's name?
"Is there a particular reason why you specified your father's name?" The angel asked offhandedly, masking the rush of adrenaline that surged back and forth near his lungs.
"Yeah." Lloyd nodded and gestured to the list. "I originally put down 'What are my parents' names?' for my first question, but then I remembered I already knew my Mom's name, so that left my Dad. The first one is just halfway done. So, is there anything on there about him?" He asked, watching the back of the monitor like it was about to project his answer through the magic of magitechnology.
'Oh, more than I'd ever like to admit.' Kratos sighed petulantly, but he had a part to play, so there would be no voicing his exasperations. Instead, he turned back to the accessor and pressed a few keys.
"Like I said before, with the exception of the Chosens, Cruxis doesn't keep that detailed information on their adversaries. Personal information doesn't interest that of the angels." The seraphim responded lacklusterly, and let the silence fill in the rest. Even in his old age, Kratos was still astounded by how much stillness could say or at least, help set ideas into motion within people's heads. He had been vague enough to vault over the question, yet specific enough to convince Lloyd he'd been answered. After that, it was up to silence and Lloyd to draw his own conclusions. Whatever Lloyd believed afterwards was his own doing, not that of the seraphim's.
Kratos snorted. He might not have helped at all, but to be fair he still hadn't lied.
Beside it wasn't too much of a stretch to say that interpersonal information would be of no interest to the angels. After all, without a soul, not much was of interest anyway.
"So it's a no go?" Lloyd flopped his chin into the curvature of his palm and huffed out a breath of irritation while he scanned down the list. "Shoot. Alright, how about number two. What was his job?"
"Probably a profession related to warfare." Kratos let go of the accessor and folded his arms against his chest.
"How do you figure that?" The slender six year old raised an eyebrow.
"Logic. It is virtually impossible to escape from a human ranch as a prisoner. Only with assistance from the outside could break free from such a facility. Chances are very good that the only reason your mother managed to escape was because of an outsider."
"So you're saying that someone broke into the facility and helped my mom get out?" Lloyd's eyes widened to the size of Colette's rings. "Is that it? And you think it was my Dad?"
"It is merely speculation, Lloyd." Kratos retorted smoothly. "I am going by logical reasoning. That ranch was state of the art in its time. The odds of breaking out and surviving would've been astronomically small, but during Kvar's explanation, there was no mention of you living inside the facility, so that would lead one to assume that you were born afterwards."
"Okay, I think I get it." Lloyd nodded, his fist clutching a charcoal pencil he'd rescued from his pack. "So what's all this got to do with my Dad?"
"I'm getting to that. If we follow this line of deduction, you were not born inside the facility, yet you said when you were separated from your family you were three. That means there would have been a period of at least four to five years in which your mother would have been out of the grasp of the Desians."
"Wow, that's a long time." The scanty swordsman whistled.
"Indeed. Therefore, it would make sense to assume that at least one of your parents was adept at fighting, thus keeping you all from death or capture. And given from what I read in the archives about the Angelus Project, from what you've said and the information revealed at the ranch, your mother probably wouldn't have been strong enough to fend all of the oncoming Desians by herself. So, it is safe to assume another companion would have been the only candidate."
"So it was my Dad then." Lloyd beamed. Kratos' heart skipped a beat. Perhaps he'd said too much. No, at this point the only reason he was having heart palpitations was because of his own paranoia, not Lloyd's skills of deduction.
"It is only sophistry that it was indeed your father to whom we are referring. It could've been anyone." The seraphim added on in an effort to cover his tracks. Lloyd glanced up from his parchment, wrinkled his nose and snorted.
"Of course it was him. Who else would it have been?" He interjected, shoving his nose back into the paper so close that he smudged the charcoal. Kratos frowned.
"A stray soldier, perhaps." The seraphim suggested offhandedly. "Or perhaps a mercenary trying to blackmail the Desians into cowing to his or her demands. The scenarios are endless. It doesn't necessarily have to be your father."
"Oh, yeah right." Lloyd rolled his eyes, nose stained with soot. "No soldier would have risked their lives without help of their friends and if they did, there would have been a mention of it in the records of the ranch and the Professor didn't find anything like that. And, even if there wasn't, one of the towns would've had something up at least as a memorial, right?" Lloyd's pencil slipped out of his hand, but he caught it with the other, stretched his wrist back and resumed writing. "Besides, no mercenary's that stupid to take on a bunch of Desians all by himself. I failed algebra, but even I know you don't take on all those Desians alone and expect to leave with everything intact. Whoever did it was either really freaking brave, or the dumbest guy on the planet. So, if we go by my deduction, there's no one else who would fit the bill. It had to have been my Dad." Lloyd looked up from his list, brushed the rogue strand from his eyes and grinned at the seraph.
"'Cause let's face it. I had to have gotten it from somewhere." He laughed lightheartedly. "And for some weird reason, I don't think it was from Mom." Chuckling under his breath, Lloyd shook his head and turned his attention back to his list, all the while missing the shocked stare blaring at him from behind the monitor.
Kratos didn't know what to say or even what to begin to say. All he managed to do was regain a taciturn expression while Lloyd's last thought hung in the air like a fresh strand of garlic strung out to dry, his words the aroma bombarding Kratos' senses and ego.
Fine, that hadn't been his most shining hour in hindsight and... Anna probably wouldn't have done anything that brazen, but that in itself did not automatically make it so he was quote on quote 'the dumbest guy on the planet'. Insinuating such an idea was a grievous insult to his intellect, if not an outright fallacy. Before he embarked into a situation that could turn deadly, Kratos carefully surveyed the oncoming battle for any signs of a threat. Usually there were none, but one could never be too careful. Only then did he act.
'Dumbest guy on the planet' indeed.
Also, since Lloyd had no clue as to whom he was referring, the boy had no idea large bands of Desians against his father had been hardly a fair fight. In fact, he'd torn through those soldiers like a used box of tissues. They were hardly a challenge, and not even all that sporting. Lloyd simply hadn't factored that into his logic, if that could be called as such.
Though, as much as Kratos didn't want to admit it to himself, Lloyd made a decent point. That little endeavor probably hadn't been the brightest move he ever made in his lengthy career, but risks had to be taken at the time in order to ensure Kvar's perfect exsphere did not make an appearance just in time to cushion Mithos' dream of an age of lifeless beings. Besides, he had met Anna because of his recklessness and if given the choice to revise his actions, he would had done the same thing a thousand times over.
"Fine. Let's say it was your father." Kratos finally relented for the sake of moving along and away from any potential conversational land mines. "What would that change?"
"Everything, duh." Lloyd grinned, scrawling down notes on the paper as fast as he could. "If it was him who broke into the ranch and rescued Mom, that means I was wrong this whole time."
"Wrong about what?" Kratos inquired. Lloyd usually didn't like admitting he was wrong, though eventually he would, but he never looked nearly so happy.
"I was wrong because I thought he was just another prisoner the whole time and turns out he wasn't."
Kratos raised an eyebrow.
"Prisoner?"
"Yeah. After that whole thing at the ranch, I got to thinking about Dad a lot." Lloyd replied as he licked the tip of the charcoal pencil to get it to write again and continued scribbling away. "From what that scum bag Kvar said, it was practically impossible for anyone to get in or out and my mom getting that far was a minor miracle. So, I thought the only way for them to have met was... for him to have been a prisoner too." Brows creased, Lloyd set down the pencil down, inspected his notes and frowned.
"I don't really know why I thought that might be it, but for a while it crossed my mind. I didn't get enough information to really know any better, y'know? How was I to know any differently? It gave me indigestion for a week even thinking about it."
"Is that why you didn't wish to eat for a while afterwards?" The seraphim pressed, recalling Lloyd's uncharacteristic apathy towards food for roughly eight days after the events at the ranch. A spell of not desiring food mightn't have been anything to memorable for most, but this was Lloyd. He just didn't do that, not even as a toddler.
"Yeah. But that isn't the case, so I was wrong, and I'm happy I'm wrong." He continued while crossing off the first line and writing away. "I don't want my Dad to be a captive of Cruxis, after all."
Kratos closed his eyes. The mere thought of his father being held hostage by the desians had unsettled Lloyd to the point he no longer wished to eat. Perhaps it was a good thing for the time being Kratos hadn't let Lloyd know about his parentage. Now that he was smaller, it wouldn't do at all if he refused to eat. He could very easily get sick without proper sustenance. Still, the irony of the whole situation hit the seraphim like an iron hammer. While that hadn't been entirely accurate, in essence Lloyd was basically correct. Kratos was being held against his will, though not for the same reasons one might think. Of course, Lloyd didn't know that, but if he knew...
He would lose his appetite again for sure.
"Alright, so that's enough for that one. One to number three." Lloyd held up his pencil
like a symphony conductor and prodded his agenda. " "What were they like?"
Kratos opened one eye.
"What do you mean specifically?"
"Uh, like personality and stuff." Lloyd shrugged and scratched the side of his face with the blunt end of his pencil. Kratos remained silent. What exactly had possessed Lloyd into thinking that Cruxis kept a note on personalities? They didn't even do that with their own members, let alone prisoners in human ranches. In the past Yggdrasill had at one point entertained the notion of keeping track of personalities, in case impostors attempted to gain access, but that hadn't ended well. Yuan had been put in charge of that little assignment and Kratos had promptly gained the description 'An irascible, mordant curmudgeon with the personality and humor of a rock'. As he was not about to passively let him slide by with such a comment, Kratos created his own profile for Yuan, describing the half elf as a 'derisive, bombastic, self righteous narcissist with all the warmth of a blizzard in Flanoir in January'. The half elf was quick to respond with interest and before anyone realized it, the description sections in their respective archives morphed from a precaution against infiltration into an all out insult war.
Needless to say, the project was scrapped and the both of them were reprimanded. So, no, personality traits were not archived.
Regardless of whether or not the archival database held what Lloyd sought or not, this presented a challenge. He didn't feel it right to outright lie to the boy, not if he was to gain true trust, but at the same time, the entire subject of how the seraphim knew any details could spurn a line of questions that would lead into a swirling black vortex of rejection and scorn if Lloyd discovered the truth too soon. As he contemplated his next move, his outward reticence unknowingly set in motion a fog of tension, one that Lloyd was squirming under its weight.
"... Sorry. I know it's a dumb question, but I just couldn't help myself. I... I was just kinda hoping there'd be something on there about them, but I was being dumb. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." Lloyd suddenly murmured miserably while he made an 'X' next to the number three. "I shouldn't have asked. Let's go on to the next one-"
"... kind."
Lloyd's head shot up.
"What?"
"I remember reading a report about the angelus project from a while back." Kratos responded, his arms folded across his chest. "In the report, it spoke of the latest subject, A012, who was unusually kind towards most of her fellow cellmates. That may not seem to stand out, but being kind is sometimes a rarity in ranches, since most captives become bitter and ridden with despair within a few months."
"Gee, I wonder why." The short swordsman rolled his eyes, but looked back his list and beamed. "So, 'kind' huh? That's pretty cool. I wonder if she was pretty..." Biting back a pained sigh, Kratos covertly brought his hand to his chest and felt the fabric smooth over the worn bronze locket.
'I'd show you if I was able to.' The archaic angel lamented tiredly. He'd briefly entertained the notion of pulling up the records in the Desian archival system to see if a picture was available, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The picture, if any, would have been during the time of her detainment and Anna would've been scandalized at the idea of Lloyd seeing her like that. She hadn't been unpleasant looking by any means during her stay at the ranch, but any picture from that time wouldn't do her much in the way of justice. Kratos pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't believe in ghosts, but belief aside, he figured it would be just his luck that she came back to haunt him if he even tried to show Lloyd. And, knowing her, it would be loud.
"Kratos, you okay?" Kratos blinked out of his revelry to see Lloyd watching his face so close they were practically nose to nose.
"I'm fine. I was thinking." The seraphim replied, eyebrow raised. "Continue." Lloyd eyed him skeptically and kept his gaze on the angel even after he sat back down on the earth and picked up his list.
"Only if you stop zoning out like that. It's creepy." Lloyd ruffled his shoulders beneath his shirt and looked at his list. "Number four. Who do I take after, Mom or Dad?"
Kratos' internal drive perked up. Now THAT he could use the computer to find out. In fact, if his memory served him correctly, he already had done that precise thing. Without hesitation, the seraphim keyed in a few choice words and within minutes, a circle chart flashed onto the sickly bluish glowing screen.
"I believe this will tell you what you need to know." Kratos gestured for Lloyd to come peer at the screen, which Lloyd wasted no time in acquiescing. "I took the liberty of checking your original genetic makeup in the core system and apparently, 85 percent of your traits come from one side, while the remaining 15 percent comes from the other." The scanty swordsman craned his neck over the side of Kratos arm, whistled and poked the screen with his finger.
"And that makes 100 percent, right?" Lloyd asked, his collarbone resting on the side of Kratos' arm. Kratos' eye twitched again.
"And here I thought you were bad at math."
"Heh heh, don't underestimate me." The thin boy grinned triumphantly. Feeling a little dejected Lloyd had missed his sarcasm, Kratos sighed and massaged his temple.
"I'll try."
"So, which side is more... um..." Lloyd bit on the tip of his pencil in thought he was still holding for some reason and glanced up at Kratos. "You know... more... there or obvious or-"
"Are you searching for the word 'prominent' or perhaps 'dominant'?" The archaic angel interrupted with one eyebrow at a slant.
"Yeah, that's it." The thin boy nodded. "Does it say which one is more... prominent? Did I say that right? All I got were numbers and, while they're pretty, they don't do me much good."
Kratos had to stop himself from making a snarky comment insinuating numbers had never done Lloyd much good, and turned his gaze back down to the screen. It didn't take him long to relocate the chart on the page, as it was the only thing on the page sporting more than one color, but as he closed in on the notes next to the percentage numbers on physical heredity, a warm and satisfactory tingling sensation brewed in his chest and the seraph smiled ever so slightly.
"It appears that most of your physical characteristics are derived from the paternal side." He reported stoically despite the fluttery palpitations lingering in his bread box. Lloyd watched Kratos curiously, the cogs in his head turning, and after a few moments of clockwork thought, he tilted his head to an angle.
"So, you mean I take after... my Dad?" He asked, intrigue laced in between his words.
"Most likely." The seraphim conceded, finding himself rather pleased Lloyd figured it out on his own. That or he just guessed. Either way, he was still pleased. "Though these are the observations by the genetic system inside the main database and therefore could be inaccurate..."
"Lloyd, are you listening?" Kratos' gaze sharpened on the boy and frowned. Even though Lloyd was still staring straight back at him, it was obvious he was not on the same plane of mental existence. It was a prime case of 'the lights were on, yet no one was home'. At the sound of his name, Lloyd started and blinked rapidly like he had an army of eyelashes invading his eye.
"Wha? Yeah, I'm paying attention." The diminutive dual wielder tried to recover as best he could, yet only making himself appear more guilty. Kratos shot him a stony scowl. It was fine to lose oneself to one's own thoughts, and he was pleased to see Lloyd employing abstract thinking abilities, but Kratos was less than thrilled he'd chosen to do so while the seraphim was talking.
"For some reason, I doubt that. You seem more preoccupied with being smug." Kratos observed coolly. "And you just berated me for 'zoning out', as it were."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to." Lloyd rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks a tad pink. "I just got excited and kinda... zoned out. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. This is just really great news!"
"Oh?" The seraphim inquired while feigning mild interest in place of the pressing interest rising in his chest. "What makes you find it so?"
"If I look like my Dad, when I get older again, I'll finally get to see what he looks like." Lloyd explained. "See, I've never seen a picture of him or anything and chances are he's not alive either. So while I may never get to meet him, at least I'll get to see what my Dad looks like. All I have to do is get older. I can't wait!" Lloyd pumped a fist into the air and grinned into the darkness. Kratos wasn't entirely sure of Lloyd grinning, but given it was Lloyd, who was prone to bouts of unbridled enthusiasm, and his voice already seeped waves of ecstasy, it was fair to assume.
"You don't remember anything of him from your childhood, correct?" Kratos followed up nonchalantly while he let his finger move the cursor around aimlessly around the screen.
"Not really." Lloyd shook his head. "Bits and pieces, some shadows and vague memories, but not a whole lot that's specific." The scrawny six year old blew a piece of hair out of his face with a puff of breath and let his eyes fall back to the list. Kratos observed his son stare heatedly at his composition like he was expecting the words to dance about on the pages, yet his hopes of a comprehension polka were in vain. The words did nothing, as did the boy, so it wasn't long before Lloyd's face contorted in a grimace and he flopped his cheek into his palm.
"I wish I did." He muttered. "All I've got is this list and a whole bunch of questions no one's got the answer to, not even an all knowing... angel.. data base... thingy."
Kratos rolled his eyes.
"Your eloquence never ceases to astound me, Lloyd." He responded calmly, while his inner tones launched into yet another tirade over the boy's blatant lack of proper education, specifically in the realms of diction and vocabulary. 'Thingy' was almost as offensive as 'angelly', though nothing had touched that standing so far.
However, the night was young and so was Lloyd, so anything was possible at that point.
"Hey, it's not my fault I was never any good at that sort of thing with words." Lloyd protested hotly, his cheeks glowing in the moonlight. Kratos raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Then whose fault would you say it was?"
"Erm... I... I don't know, but whoever had the books last kept ripping out all of the pages and that's why I couldn't study right-"
"And an extreme case of apathy had nothing to do with it?"
Lloyd blinked.
"... That's 'not caring', right?"
"Yes." Kratos pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Oh. Then, yeah, that had a lot to do with it." Lloyd shrugged. "Still, I wish I remembered them more. Then I wouldn't have to ask so much about stuff I should already know."
"Perhaps you will not need to after a while." The seraph suggested as he shut the accessor and returned it to his wingpack. "Memories sometimes return in time."
"I hope you're right. You'd think if I was gonna have any memories pop up, they'd have done so already, but here's hoping-" Lloyd yawned a yawn that would have made Noishe proud and rubbed at his eye with his fingers. Kratos frowned for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that night. Even though he'd taken a brief respite, obviously it wasn't enough for his shrunken body to rejuvenate properly. Of course, Lloyd hadn't figured that out and was dangerously close to causing his own demise through sleep deprivation... again. Honestly, the boy was his own worst nightmare health wise.
"You should go back to sleep." Kratos suggested, his tone implying his comment was anything but. Lloyd cracked open a bleary eye riddled with eye fluid and shot Kratos a half hearted glare.
"I'm fine." He refuted, despite his body's attempt to force him to yawn a second time. "I can keep going. You wanted to keep moving after I had a rest and I can keep going."
"You will be of little use if exhausted." The seraphim swordmaster responded curtly. "You're only trying to be tough to compensate for your diminutive stature."
Lloyd's cheeks flashed pink.
"I am not! I'm perfectly... perfectly..." He yawned again. "... fine."
"Fine, hm? I'm less than convinced. Humor me and rest anyway." Lloyd glowered unhappily, but conceded and lowered himself back onto the ground. As Kratos observed him, he couldn't help but wonder if it had been the power of his own presence or that of the binding contract that coerced Lloyd into resting for a short while longer. Well, either way it didn't matter. Lloyd was listening and that was the main point.
"But I'm not tired-" Lloyd began to protest, but ceased when Kratos held a slim bottle inches away from his nose.
"Drink this." He yanked out the stopper and gestured for Lloyd to take it. Lloyd did so, but inspected the thick solution inside the foggy glass of the vial with a great deal of scrutiny.
"What's this?"
"Something to help you sleep." Kratos explained. "It's very potent, so drink it quickly."
"Okay." Lloyd replied, but the expression on his face screamed he didn't trust the solution as far as he could throw it. "It.. uh... it isn't gonna turn me purple, is it?"
"No, it only turns people orange."
Lloyd's eyes widened and shot down to the bottle. Kratos sighed.
"... it doesn't really. Just drink it."
The slender six year old scowled at Kratos, eyed the liquid again and downed it in one swallow. The instant it was gone, he shuddered, made a face of discontent and tossed the bottle back to the older man.
"Don't do that." Lloyd groused while he relieved himself of the remaining drops that occupied his face with his sleeve. "I never know why you're being sarcastic or... or..." His eyelids suddenly half capped over his eyes. Lloyd swayed from side to side and went limp. His slack body quickly gave way to the powers of gravity and he crashed onto the ground, out cold before his head hit the dirt.
'Hm... it seems the sleeping drug took effect quickly enough.' Kratos mused as he stood. 'That should be enough to keep him unconscious for the duration of the trip.' He quickly kicked ash over the straggling flames of what was left of the fire and let his eyes adjust to the starlight before turning to his unconscious charge. It wouldn't do for him to meander aimlessly in the dark with no bearings. That was more Lloyd's foray, not his.
'I hope you forgive the necessity to medicinally keep you from the world of the living.' He thought to himself as he hoisted Lloyd over his shoulder like a sack of flour and proceeded down the path to a better clearing. 'I didn't enjoy having to do so, but you must understand there was no alternative. I cannot have you be awake if this plan is to succeed.' Truthfully he wasn't sure if his strategy would work in the grand scheme, but he had a better chance of it working if Lloyd was conveniently not there in the mental sense. His plans would be forfeit if the boy opened his mouth and inserted his foot at a crucial point.
'If he wakes up during our excursion, then it will all be for nothing.' The seraphim scowled as he reached the clearing and brought out his wings. 'I wonder if I gave him enough.' The winds around the clearing were fairly turbulent, yet nothing he couldn't handle, so while the clearing wasn't the most ideal place he could have chosen for a departure point, it would have to do. He flapped his wings, allowing himself to get a feel of the conditions, ran forward and kicked off from the ground hard.
Once in the air, Kratos came to a horrible realization.
The wind had lied about being 'fairly'. A huge blast of chilly air hit him squarely in the chest and caught his left wing, throwing his entire body off balance. Kratos managed to rectify his equilibrium by compensating with his opposite wing, but once back properly in the air, he noticed his shoulder had become suddenly free of pressure. Eyebrow caulked in intrigue, the angel looked to his shoulder and his pupils dilated.
Lloyd wasn't there.
He'd dropped him.
'Lloyd!' Kratos dove back down after his son, who in his slumber was as feathery as a lead weight in water. The seraphim, flying faster than he could ever recall himself doing, snagged Lloyd by his ankles just in time for his head to graze the dirt, barely missing it by centimeters. His heart racing a mile a minute, Kratos hauled Lloyd back to an upright, or at least right side up, position and checked him for any signs of damage. Lloyd amazingly enough was unharmed, with nary a hair out of place. In fact, he was so unharmed, Lloyd's head lolled to the side and let out a supremely satisfactory snore.
'He's... still asleep?' Kratos tried hard not to gape, but as he was alone, allowed himself that brief moment of emotion.
"SKRUNK." said Lloyd.
Highly unsettled because he'd almost turned his son into a pancake, Kratos readjusted Lloyd on his shoulder, this time holding onto the boy's body with both hands and resumed his flight towards the Tower of Salvation.
'... maybe it worked a little too well.'
"What?" Genis gaped at Mithos, his eyes the diameter of a wagon wheel. "You know a way to get us back to normal?"
"Not so loud! Keep your voice down." Mithos hushed with his finger glued to his face. "I don't want this to get out."
"Why not?" The miniature mage asked, his features all in a wave of confusion. "This is great news!"
Mithos didn't answer, but gestured him to come away from the door and farther into the clearing. If the others even caught the slightest hint there was something of interest sparked within their private discussion, something in the pit of his stomach told him it wouldn't remain private for long.
"It's a little more complicated than you think, Genis. I should explain first before we go any further." Mithos gently turned Genis' shoulders away from the the house's path so they both stood with their backs to the aged and abused door and gazed up at the sky. The sky wasn't nearly as clear as most nights since a flurry of clouds had decided to make the overhead window to the cosmos it's temporary squatting spot until a wind came to the sky's rescue and evicted it.
Still, it was calming, in a sort of a foggy way and the comfortable silence between the two half elves helped ease the mood to one that would be optimal for persuasion. Or at least, Mithos expected it to do so. Even if it didn't, he felt confident in his mastery of manipulation, and while he did not generally enjoy employing it on a fellow half elf, let alone one he considered a friend, he had to do what was required of the situation.
Beside him, Genis shivered and rubbed his hands up and down on his arms. Mithos spared the smaller half elf a glance and cursed. While the air was still warmed by the summer sun, the heat had dissipated just enough for a nightly chill to sink in and apparently his counterpart was feeling the effects. He'd not noticed them as much, due to his subdued sensations, but it was a careless move to forget such an important factor. If Genis grew too cold, he would want to return inside and there would be no way Mithos could deny him without gaining suspicion. Once Genis stepped back inside, his chance would be shot dead in the heart.
He had to act fast.
"I... I have this... charm of sorts that may help you. It's a keepsake my sister gave me that can heal." Mithos stuffed a hand into the lined pocket of his trousers and pulled out a round stone. "Look at this." Quickly, he set the stone into Genis' hand and watched as the half pint half elf turned the stone over in his palm.
"It looks like an ordinary stone to me." Genis shrugged.
"I know, but look closer. See how it sparkles when the moonlight hits it?" The angel in disguise gestured to the light of the moon that barely poked through the haze and aimed a finger at the smooth surface of the stone, which did in turn glow. "That's how you can tell it's a healing stone." Genis eyed Mithos skeptically for a moment or two, but in the end shrugged and held the stone closer to his face like he was a jeweler examining a precious diamond.
"Well whatever it is, it's awfully pretty, Mithos." He complimented as he ran his fingers over the rim of the orb. "Your sister picked out a good one." Mithos' insides burned with pride over praise of his sister's taste, but the glowing warmth faltered when Genis held his hand out for Mithos to take the stone back.
"I'm happy to hear you like it." He replied with relish. "But... I want you to have it." Genis gaped at Mithos and sank his eyes back to the smooth rock.
"Me?" He repeated. "What for? This is your sister's and I wouldn't want to take it away from you-"
"My sister told me to only use it in the gravest of circumstances, but given what you've gone through, I think you should have it the most." Mithos interrupted. "And... you're the first half elf friend I've ever had and I... I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Genis looked positively touched. Mithos grinned. So far, so good.
"Wait, this is a healing stone, right?" Genis asked out of the blue. Mithos nodded.
"And this can heal most things?"
Mithos nodded again. Where was Genis going with this?
"If that's it, we should give it to Colette-"
"No!" Mithos interjected in a panic before he could stop himself, and mentally cursed the instant he'd realized his slip. "Uh, I mean, if she's really having a reaction to that keycrest thing, the stone might make it worse and whatever cure you guys find might not work on her. I don't want to risk it. It's too dangerous. So, that's why I want you to have it."
"Oh... I guess you make a good point." Genis looked crestfallen and his shoulders sagged a bit. "Okay, I understand. How's this thing work?" Mithos let out a barely concealed breath of relief. That was close, far too close for his taste and he'd have to be much more careful to not slip up a second time. He was lucky and luck never seemed to stay with him more than once at a time.
"Sis said you're supposed to wear it." He instructed. Genis blinked and looked at Marble's exsphere on his hand.
"You mean like an exsphere?"
"I... I don't know, I guess so." Mithos shrugged, and fished out the second part of his plan from his pocket. "My sister said you had to wear it with this mount, whatever that means, so if that's what you mean, they could be related." In his palm sat a flat silver shield with a dimple in the center, the perfect size for the stone to sit in. Genis took the mount, scrutinized it and placed the stone inside the dimple.
"Where do you think I should put it on? My arm?"
"Hm... how about in the middle of your chest?" Mithos suggested.
"Why there?"
"If it's under your shirt, the others won't see."
Genis scrunched up his nose in befuddlement.
"Why can't the others see?"
"I... well.." Mithos pressed his index fingers together and pretended to fidget. "I only have one of those stones, and I don't want them to get jealous because I gave it to you."
"Oh." Genis murmured and patted the part of Mithos' arm that he could reach. "No problem, Mithos, I'll hide it really well. How about... here?" He yanked down his collar expose some skin between his left shoulder blade and the nape of his neck. "Even if they see me without my shirt, they'll never think to look there. My hair'll hide it." The half pint half elf wasted little time attaching the mount to his shoulder blade and once it was secured, yanked the shirt back over the stone.
"How long until it starts working?" Genis asked, shrugging his shoulder back under his overall strap.
Mithos began to think, but after a few moments, realized that he really didn't know. He'd for the most part thought himself quite thorough, but for some reason, he'd forgotten that crucial bit of information. How embarrassing.
"I don't really know." He answered truthfully. "I think it works differently for different people."
"Oh." Genis blinked, but shrugged again and stretched. "That's okay then. If I could wait for Lloyd to finish his homework after school, I can wait for this to fix my stature problem. Chances are this'll take less time anyway."
Mithos tried to stifle a snort of laughter, but failed miserably. Hearing Genis talk about Lloyd usually set his teeth on edge, but in this vein, he didn't mind at all. In fact, the whole thought was just hysterical, if not a bit ironic. The one person standing in his way, trying to foil all his plans, right wrongs that weren't even wrongs to begin with, couldn't even finish his homework. The sheer irony was enough to send anyone into a fit of laughter.
Pretty soon Genis was laughing too and before either of them knew it, they were both sprawled on the ground, overcome with a severe case of the giggles.
"... hey, Genis?" Mithos gasped after he caught his breath. "Can we keep this just between us, so it's our secret? I only had the one and-"
"Don't worry about it, I won't tell." Genis looked over the top of his head, grinned and hopped up. "So, you up for dessert? I can smell it wafting in through the door."
"You go on. I'll be right in." Mithos declined. "I want to look at the stars for a minute. I think the clouds are letting up." Genis stared up at the sky, which was still as cloudy as before, wrinkled his nose, but didn't argue.
"Okay. I'll save you a big piece." He dismissed and trotted back up to the door, wrenched it open and shut it with a slam, leaving Mithos in the night. Finally on his own, the blonde form on the ground let out a taxed exhalation and ran a hand through his hair, which was damp with sweat. That had proven more difficult than he'd expected. He knew Genis was smart, brilliant even, but when he'd suggested giving the stone to the Chosen, the leader of Cruxis practically had a coronary. Given the chronic angelus crystallus inofficium that was messing with the Chosen's composition, the last thing he wanted to do with play with the structure any more than necessary. Best let them sort out the problem on their own and then act. Still, he'd dodged that bullet and the plan went accordingly so far, so there was that. Now it was just him and the night sky, or what he could see of it.
The night star scape was still cloudy and blurry, but the brightest stars shone forth anyway despite the looming haze smattered across the black canvas. Mithos smirked. That was just like it was to live in such a tainted world as his. A fair few blazoned through the curtain of corruption and discrimination that plagued the lands, be them Sylvarant or Tethe'alla, and the rest were covered in a thick blanket of obscurity. There was no recognition, no names, not even a wayward glance towards those nye invisible orbs. They existed, of course, but not in a way that would gain them the awe and reverence so craved by many, yet attained by few. So much like the worlds... and so much like himself.
Mithos suppressed a bitter laugh and brushed a piece of his cornhusk colored hair away from his face. No, it was nothing like him. He'd blared through the curtains of discrimination and obscurity, he'd made a name for himself, he'd gained recognition and his name had become that of legends. Everyone knew his name. Everyone. From the highest of nobles to the half elf panhandlers lurking about the corners of the slums, every single being in both worlds knew of him. He refused to be bogged down by some haze, be it clouds or prejudice.
Of course when his plan finally came to fruition, there would be no more haze and the stars would all be just as bright as the next.
Mithos closed his eyes and itched the side of his nose. If he kept dwelling on that too much, he might slip up again like he'd done before and he couldn't have that. No, he'd done all he could right then, he'd set the key pieces about the board and now all there was left to do was for the pieces to move themselves right into checkmate. The only thing he could do until he heard more was to bide his time and maybe indulge in a nap.
Hm... a nap did sound good. Yawning, Mithos shifted his weight until he was comfortable and stretched before settling down.
"Don't worry, Genis. Everything will happen soon enough and then..." The seraphim in disguise murmured as he began to doze.
"... we'll be together forever."
Kratos had been in stressful situations many times. Hundreds of times. Probably thousands. He'd faced unforeseen odds, beasts long since extinct and virtual armies of men and come out the victor. He'd done more than most men had, even when he'd been mortal, and that wasn't even including his most unusual life once he became an angelic life form. Actually, as he thought on it, stressful wasn't the word he was looking for. Maddening recklessness was probably more accurate.
Now, as he peeked around the edge where the derris kharlan teleportation device, which sat in the center of the Tower of Salvation, his anxiety was nearing the point of hindering his judgment and he didn't want to even think what it was doing to his blood pressure.
'Only one guard on the teleporter. That will make things easier.' Kratos murmured inside his head in an attempt to console himself, but it did little good. Nothing could calm his nerves, not right then. If it had been just him, he wouldn't have been nervous. In fact, he'd wouldn't have been anything but mildly annoyed he had to visit such a place rank with death. However, he wasn't alone.
He had a passenger.
Kratos tore his eyes away from the platform that connected both worlds and the lone angel guard manning it to look at his plus one. Lloyd was still out for the count, having been that way for hours thanks to the sedative, and from what the fluttering eyelids of REM sleep indicated, he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. His trip to the tower had been much quieter without Lloyd's constant stream of questions, but still that had given him time to return to his dark musings, none of which had been particularly kind on his nerves.
'If he was awake, he would probably be asking why we could even get here, what with the tower no longer appearing in Sylvarant.' The seraph brushed a few strands of chestnut hair from Lloyd's face. It had been a mystery to himself as well why the Tower of Salvation had suddenly disappeared, but according to the core system's main database, the tower was still in fact there, just not visible. Apparently the mana surge from the Tree had fried the cloaking device meant for masking the tower during a decline and had turned on of it's own accord. The latest update had been the device was undergoing repairs and they were making progress, but anyone with eyes could see it was still out of commission.
However, he need not explain anything at that moment, for the person he would have been explaining them to was fast asleep. He was just stalling. Kratos snorted agitatedly at himself and glared. He was not the type to stall, not when he had a job to do and this was no exception.
Gathering himself for a moment, the seraphim swordmaster adjusted his grip on Lloyd's tiny body, and strode into the main chamber of the Tower of Salvation, his face and continence the picture of placid taciturnity.
"Lord Kratos." The angel, who looked to be of the middle rank, saluted with all the fluidity of a rusty clockwork doll once Kratos stepped onto the platform. "It is adequate to see you."
"I need to transfer worlds." Kratos responded, stiff and cold as a statue in an ice cavern. "Ready the warp pad." He knew Lloyd probably would have accused him of being rude had he been conscious, but he was in no mood for pleasantries and even if he was, which in his opinion would be the day pigs flew, he wouldn't have wasted them on a soulless angel who wouldn't have appreciated them anyway.
"Yes, my lord." The angelic guard acquiesced, not batting an eyelash as he moved to the console and activated the mainframe so a green circle materialized on the center pad. Kratos held back a derisive sneer. Definitely a waste of pleasantries. "Should I prepare it for two forms?"
"I suppose you should." The seraph advised, his grip on Lloyd's torso tightening ever so slightly. Lloyd let out a soft snore in response, but didn't wake. Thankfully the angelic guard didn't notice because the light signifying the transport pad was at full charge flashed, taking up whatever was left of his attention span.
"The transport pad is functional." The angelic husk reported, his expression as devoid of life as his tone. "What should I classify the second being?"
'Ah, right. He needs to key in what beings are traveling where, thanks to Cruxis' new security system.' Kratos mused, remembering the message about security measures and protocol that had been released only hours before.
"As per the new protocol, I must key in what beings are traveling to which points, due to the new security system."
Kratos' eye twitched.
'I just said that.'
"Yes, I am aware of that." He responded, his tone laced with impatience and something akin to exasperation.
"Then is it a lifeless being, a test subject or a member of the Desian class?" The guard inquired again. "Please specify. The computer does not recognize such a bizarre signature."
'Of course it doesn't.' Kratos thought contritely to himself. 'There's never been anyone quite like Lloyd, but that isn't anything to which you need to be privy.' However, the angel, despite lacking a personality to detect anything too far out of the ordinary, needed an answer and declining to respond would trigger a red alert so massive he'd need the mana cannon to make an escape.
"It is an automaton replica of a human being undergoing the processes of the cruxis crystal's evolution. It is simply for understanding the further effects of exspheres on chosen hosts." Kratos explained smoothly like he'd been reciting a play he'd practiced for a month and a half. "In short, it is a humanoid research model of no importance. Pay it no mind."
"Yes sir. Would you prefer one of the angels take over the task for you?"
"No. It is too delicate to let any angels of lower rank handle. I am making personally sure nothing happens that could damage it. It is very valuable. I would not bother otherwise." Sure, he thought it sounded like a stretch, but to be fair, he didn't have a copious amount of time to plan. Most of the details had been worked out on the flight there and that was between keeping his balance, maintaining speed and not dropping Lloyd again in the process. His focus had been stretched thin as it was. Hopefully it would be enough.
"Yes, Lord Kratos." The mechanical soldier pressed the 'other' button on the console and activated the lift with the starting code. "State which system you wish to enter."
If he'd had less control of his external appearance, Kratos would've let out a giant breath of relief. It had worked. However, he couldn't let his guard down. He wasn't out of the line of fire yet, just out of range somewhat.
"Tethe'alla." He ordered coolly, though his inner temperature was boiling. Nodding once, the soulless console operator hit another button and the circle in the center glowed bright orange before settling into a warm yellow hue. Kratos recognized the color signal for him to enter the warp pad, as he'd done this countless times before, and stepped into the circle.
"Lord Kratos."
Kratos looked over his shoulder and raised one questioning eyebrow. That was odd. Usually during its routine, any angel without a soul did not speak or even acknowledge any other's presence, not while the duty was in full swing. That was a strict violation of their protocol. To add to the strangeness, the angelic guard, who was programmed to always maintain eye contact, even in the face of oncoming death, wasn't looking at him whatsoever. Its normal dead fish stare was fixed on Lloyd.
Kratos' heart flipped in his chest. Had the angel recognized Lloyd, despite his smaller stature? Had he been found out? If that was the case, he'd better be ready to battle tidal waves of angel swordians if he were to get out alive with Lloyd and himself intact.
"It is... snoring."
The angelic swordmaster blinked and glanced down at Lloyd. Sure enough, Lloyd was baying at the moon with reckless abandon, mouth agape and a line of saliva marking his cheek. Kratos shook his head disdainfully and peered back at the angel, his expression a mixture of exasperation and impatience which he hoped would deter any prior suspicions on the off chance there had been. Angels of his rank weren't that perceptive, but there was something to be said for being careful anyway.
"Yes, it does tend to do that." Kratos responded lacklusterly, gesturing to the limp boy as if he was nothing more than a puppet. "This model has a special mechanism designed to study the effects of sleeping on the brain while undergoing the parasitic effects during the ascension. Snoring is often a side effect due to underdeveloped nasal passages, as is common with many subjects." He then removed Lloyd from his shoulder and held him with his chest upwards out for the angelic console operator to inspect. Lloyd's head lolled upside down, his mouth fell open and overall he bore an uncanny resemblance to roadkill, with the exception of the snores that would have made a bull moose proud.
"Most lifelike, isn't it?"
"I do not remember the finer points of sleeping, but from the texts I have perused, yes, it is most lifelike." The angel agreed as Lloyd snored on, completely unaware he was being inspected like a taxidermy piece.
"May I now transfer?" Kratos inquired heatedly, his nerves and his patience running dangerously thin.
"Of course." The angel nodded, hit the access button and nodded again. "Have a nice trip, Lord Kratos and humanoid research model of no importance." The circle of glowing light dancing about the platform glowed a yellowish tint, shot up like a cocoon and with one final flash warped him and what was left of Lloyd away.
Once the light cleared, Kratos was pleased to see the Tethe'alla Tower of Salvation platform staring back at him. It was much the same, in fact for the most part it was the same, but some slight difference dotted the landscape, such as the differing coffins that floated about in the moat like chasm and the fact the angelic drone was nowhere to be found.
'I earnestly wish they wouldn't take everything so literally.' He mused exasperatedly, running his spare hand through his hair. 'Now then, onto business.' Making his way to the control panel, Kratos flipped a switch and quickly keyed in a security code.
"Control override initiated." The computer's mainframe interface sang into the air.
"Initiate memory wipe." Kratos commanded.
"Memory wipe initiated. All old transfers deleted." The console's voice reported again. Mildly satisfied, he made sure once more that any and all old activities had been wiped from the main computer, shut the computer down, readjusted Lloyd's snoozing position on his shoulder and strode out of the Tower as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all.
However, something out of the ordinary did occur. Something quite out of the ordinary. If he'd been one to check, Kratos would have noticed a tiny dull flash in the far corner of the platform, one that flashed a pale, pale pink up and down, again and again.
The computer flashed back to life, it's console's lights also flashing the same pink and a buzzing noise came back on the comms, signifying the speaker system was active also.
"Shut down nullified." The computer's voice interface reported dully, despite the flashing lights. "Memory tampering detected."
"Protocol six hundred eighty four activated."
Lloyd yawned and flipped over. Blinking one eye open, the thin boy stretched an arm over the side of wherever he was this time and wiped some tears of sleep from his eyes. He had slept hard, harder than he usually did, and he was never a light sleeper to begin with. Where he was he wasn't entirely sure, but the last thing he remembered was drinking something nasty that could turn him orange and now here he was, lying in a bed he didn't recognize in a place he barely recognized either. Lloyd glared at the ceiling. What was it, the fourth time he'd done that since shrinking? Any more of that and he'd start to think it a habit.
"Urgh, I really gotta stop doing that, falling asleep all the time and waking up somewhere else." He grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the side of his ear. "It's too creepy. Someday I'll fall asleep and end up at the bottom of a well, I swear."
"You had better not. Profanity is in bad taste."
Lloyd jumped and pivoted his head to the other side of the room, meeting the gaze of the auburn haired angel who'd been apparently watching him sleep. Kratos had seen fit to occupy a high backed leather chairs situated next to a fireplace and from the looks of things, he had been tending to said fire with various articles of parchment.
"How long was I out?" The skinny swordsman asked groggily whilst rubbing his eye with his knuckle.
"Approximately thirteen hours. You must still be recovering from your lack of rest."
"That or I'm growing."
Kratos raised an eyebrow. So did Lloyd.
"It was a joke. Where are we?"
"Meltokio. A room at an inn in Meltokio to be precise."
"We're back in Meltokio?" The short six year old hopped off the side of his bed. "Why?"
"I have to procure some materials and Meltokio is one of the places in which I can acquire them all in one trip." The seraph replied smoothly. Lloyd's nose wrinkled.
"So basically we're here so you can go on a shopping spree?"
"Essentially, yes." Kratos nodded, chucking the last piece of paper into the flames.
"What're you burning?" Lloyd asked inquisitively, his eyes focused on the sparks of embers that used to be papers.
"Old documents that I do not wish prying eyes to read." The age old angel replied curtly. "Your breakfast is over there. Eat it so we can be off soon."
Suddenly all thoughts of burning papers banished themselves from his mind, only to be overtaken with a much more desirable obsession.
"Awesome, food! Thanks!" Lloyd pumped a tiny fist into the air and set down upon the meal of eggs on toast like a swarm of ravenous piranhas. From his seat near the fire, Kratos observed the skinny boy devour his breakfast and judging from the look on his face, he did not approve.
"... that is definitely going to be one of the first things we work on."
"Work on what?" Lloyd asked through a mouthful of egg.
"... nothing." Kratos waved off his comment and turned his attention to the window. "Are you finished?" Lloyd swallowed the last bite of the eggy toast creation and nodded, his face smeared with egg yolk and toast crumbs. Sighing, the seraph picked up the napkin Lloyd had conveniently disregarded and, much to Lloyd's consternation, proceeded to remove the sticky yellow goo that coated the spiky haired six year old's cheeks.
"Ackpffth, what are you doing?" Lloyd half demanded half spluttered through the napkin. "I can do that myself!"
"Oh really?" Kratos asked, disbelief radiating through his tone as he relinquished the napkin and held it out for Lloyd to take. "Then do so. You weren't born in a barn."
"You don't know that." Lloyd retorted crankily, but took the napkin anyway.
"Neither do you. Now hurry up."
Lloyd wanted to shoot off another snide comment, but the glint in the old curmudgeon's eyes led him to believe there might not be much of him left should he decide to take his life into his own hands and lead mouth first, so Lloyd cleaned his face without comment. He then pulled on one shoe, then the other, and quickly followed Kratos out the door, down the stairs and out into the street of the first floor of the metropolitan hub that was Meltokio.
"Where are we going first?" The lilliputian boy inquired, trotting along behind Kratos in an effort to keep up with the older man's strides.
"Patience. You will see soon enough." Lloyd never liked it when Kratos opted for the cryptic approach, but since he was still unarmed, because someone had taken his swords when he was sleeping again, and Kratos was in one of his inscrutable moods, he'd just have to wait.
Lloyd glowered. He hated waiting.
"We're here." Kratos broke him out of his glower just in time for Lloyd to narrowly miss the door frame of what looked to be a shop. However, if Lloyd recalled, none of the shops he'd ever frequented while in Meltokio looked like this one did. He'd been to the armory and the sundries shop, but never to one with a polished oaken door and white trim framing an iron gray storefront.
"Why are we here?" He queried. "And more importantly, what's this shop?"
"You need proper clothes. Running around in one of the Chosen's old dresses doesn't suit you in the slightest." Kratos explained and ushered Lloyd inside. Lloyd scowled at being herded around like some lamb, but his eyes grew large when he saw the sheer variety of children's clothes lining the shelves and cabinets. And it wasn't just the variety that caught Lloyd unawares. It was the quality and quality usually came with a price.
"This place is pretty high end. You sure about this?" Lloyd pointed out. "There's another shop down below that's a lot cheaper-"
"Lloyd, your frugality is a charming trait in most respects." Kratos interrupted, completely unfazed by Lloyd's parsimoniousness. "However, when your clothes reflect your cheapness, that sends a less than savory message about yourself and those around you."
Lloyd blinked.
"Really? I thought that it just meant you didn't want to spend all your gald on clothes."
Kratos shot him a withering look and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It doesn't. Now, I need to speak with the clerk. Stay here and don't touch anything." Without another word, Kratos left Lloyd to his own devices and strode towards the lone clerk, a warm looking young lady, who looked more than pleased she was being approached.
"Yeah, okay." Lloyd shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged off to examine a coat on a shop dummy. It was made out of a nice, red wool with big black buttons, but even as Lloyd looked over the stitching on the cuffs, his stomach churned with guilt over spending money on anything from such an expensive shop. He knew it probably wasn't the most expensive place in Meltokio, and Zelos probably would have turned up his entitled nose at it, but for a 'backwoods bumpkin', it was still pretty high end. Too high end for him to even be in there, let alone buy anything.
"Lloyd."
Lloyd's head shot up from the stitches and he smiled at Kratos, trying to hide his uneasiness as well as he could manage.
"Yeah?"
"I am going to purchase some needed items. You will wait here." The older swordsman instructed, while the clerk hovered behind him, joined by two friends in uniforms.
"Um.. okay." The scrawny six year old shrugged. "What am I supposed to do while you're gone? Just look at stuff?" He seriously hoped not. He hadn't liked being in there for three minutes, but what if Kratos wanted him to stay there for three hours or something? That would be practically torture.
"You will be trying on clothes and getting at least three changes of clothes, one formal, two for every day wear."
Okay, full on torture.
"Three? What's wrong with just one?" Lloyd demanded incredulously. "And why do I need formal clothes?"
"You are incredibly hard on your clothing. One outfit will last you barely an hour." Kratos retorted. "And everyone needs a formal outfit, just in case an occasion spontaneously occurs. It never hurts to be prepared."
"I'm not that hard on my clothes. And I never needed a formal outfit in Iselia."
"Well, we're not in Iselia, now are we?" The elder of the pair asked sardonically while the three sales ladies crawled closer. Lloyd eyed them suspiciously, but as he thought about it, something didn't sit quite right.
"Wait, if you're so worried about my clothing choices, why aren't you sticking around to help me pick something that won't embarrass you in public?" He inquired. "What if I make a choice that's less than fantastic in your opinion?
At that, Kratos did something Lloyd didn't like. Something Lloyd didn't like one bit.
He smirked.
"I don't need to worry about that. These ladies have agreed to assist you." He gestured to the ladies, who circled around Lloyd like a pack of sharks with aprons. "Their taste will be much more invaluable than mine." Lloyd looked from one lady to the next and a rock of dread the size of a bowling ball sank in the pit of his stomach.
"What?" Lloyd's jaw dropped in disgust. "You mean... they're gonna... dress me up like a doll?"
"I will return in one hour. Have him properly dressed by then." Kratos relayed to the head clerk, completely ignoring Lloyd's protests. "I will be within range should he become a handful." The seraph then crossed the shop, gripped the door handle and glanced over his shoulder at a horror stricken Lloyd.
"Lloyd, if you run, I will know." Kratos smirked again, opened the door and strode out, leaving Lloyd at the mercy of the three women in the shop. Lloyd's eyes shifted nervously from one to the others, not sure what to expect. After all, he'd seen something like this happen to Genis once and that had ended with him wearing a weird purple and pink frilly nightmare. Lloyd groaned. He should have known laughing would cost him later.
"C'mere you cutie!" The first, a large woman with rosy cheeks and an even rosier nose cooed and ushered him towards the dressing room in the far back of the shop.
"We have some of the cutest outfits for you to try on." The second, who had been the woman behind the counter, beamed. She was pleasant enough to look at, but her voice could have haunted three rooms and a bath, so Lloyd figured people who interacted with her weren't interested in conversation.
"Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun!" The third, a woman in her mid twenties with yellow hair and bleached teeth grinned, practically blinding him with the sheen. "Which one should we try out first? Ooh, how about the one with the ruffles or maybe that lacy one!"
Wait... ruffles? Lace? Lloyd blanched, gripped onto the first thing he could reach, which was the molding of the dressing room, and held on for dear life. There was no way in this or any lifetime he was going to wear anything with ruffles, lace or any combination of the two.
"Kratos, come back here! You can't leave me like this! Don't you leave me here with them!" Lloyd bellowed frantically as the second lady pried his fingers from the door frame of the dressing room and the other two dragged him inside. "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!"
Finally, I finished. Oy. I need a nap. And a new computer. However, naps are free, so I'll take what I can get.
However, before I go, I have news. The ending theme has been announced for the United World Arc, and it's called Dare ga Tame no Sekai by Shikata Akiko, the same person who did the ending theme for the Tethe'alla Arc, Inori no Kanata and Tai no Kodomotachi, which was the end theme for the final episode. Go check it out. Okay, that's enough from me. I've got to get on the next chapter and there's no time to waste.