Many thanks to Mandrakefunnyjuice, Gijinka Renamon, Poet Bucky, and I.K.A. Valian for the reviews. The last chapter was especially fun to write, as we get to revisit a lot of old TOS themes but explain them in a new light. You'll see more of that in this chapter, with certain characters connecting and re-connecting with people that they've lost or separated from. And I'll also go back to a technique I employed earlier: the "story-within-a-story", as Gil tells us more about his wife's novel and how it links to TOS events.

As well, knowing that Winter Solstice is this weekend, I want to dedicate this chapter to I.K.A. Valian, who will be celebrating his birthday. I.K.A. has been one of my longest and closest followers, reading this story since Chapter 1, and always leaving great reviews, whether they be regarding story organization, characterization, themes, etc. I have to say he's one of the best reviewers out there. So I.K.A., this chapter is for you. Happy birthday and happy Winter Solstice!

Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. Martin Scorsese owns The Departed. Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak own Infernal Affairs.


After being cooped up in his room throughout the night and all morning, Genis finally decided to come out. He was still angry at Ricardo's revelations, holding a lot of contempt for the elves. But darn it, he swore if he stayed in the stuffy room for another minute, he'd die of starvation, or suffocation. After quickly rinsing his face of the dried tears on his cheeks, he slipped on his sneakers and stepped into the lobby.

But the second he arrived, his tired expression turned to anger, as a certain elf elder was seated at a sofa, looking up at him. "Genis…" Ricardo began.

"No, don't even start. I still don't want to talk to you guys," Genis replied coldly, giving Ricardo the hand, "I'm just grabbing some food and that's it."

Ricardo tried to follow Genis out, but was stopped by the innkeeper. "That young half-elf is still under intense stress, so I think it's best that you leave him alone for now. If you want to, maybe I'll try to talk to him," he suggested.

Ricardo looked on as Genis moved further and further away. Much as he did not like that decision, he realized that only a neutral third party could bring Genis back into the fold. Reluctantly, he nodded, taking a seat back on the sofa as the innkeeper stepped out of the door, signalling his assistant to watch the front desk while he was gone.

The innkeeper did not need to go far to find the silver-haired boy. Genis peered through the windows of each shop, looking at different prices while jiggling the money in his pocket. Because he was an elder's guest, Ricardo had been in charge of his lodging and meals. But now that he shunned the elf elders, finding an affordable place to eat had become that much more difficult. It didn't help that when he left Iselia, he brought only a limited amount of cash with him. Shaking his head, he backed off from one window and continued on his way. I just hope these restaurants have friendly owners, Genis thought to himself, I shudder to think what might happen if I entered an isolationist business.

Capitalizing on his chance, the innkeeper raced forward and caught up to Genis. "Hey, we have food back at the inn. Don't you want to come back?" he asked.

Genis glanced up with sad eyes. It was evident that he was still upset. "No, I think I'll pass, especially with you-know-who still sitting in the lobby," he spat.

The innkeeper looked blue. "Genis, I don't think you should make that statement. He's one of our elders, and he is teaching you all those mana spells. Surely you can't have such a negative view of him, can you?" he pleaded.

"It's just that the more I think about it, the more I'm starting to not like elves or humans. I mean, earlier, I felt a true sense of pride for half-elves when I found out that the mana master from the Reunification was a half-elf, and I used it to inspire myself to help the world. But when I found out what some humans and elves did to my own mother all those years ago…" Genis trailed off, feeling his tears starting to stream down again.

The innkeeper put a hand on Genis' shoulder. "You raised a good point regarding the actions of humans and elves, very consistent with some of the attitudes of the past. In those times, the rivalries between the two races, and with the presence of the half-breed half-elves, caused a lot of disharmony in the world. But then again, it's a chicken or the egg question, isn't it? Which came first, the battles or the discrimination?" he retorted.

Genis looked up with a confused expression, but the innkeeper pressed on. "I'm not condoning those who did the horrible act to your mother, but I'm not discounting the efforts Ricardo has made to the investigation either. Remember that before he began his tenure, the council was dominated by isolationists, and they were never keen on having outsiders around. I myself, being an open reformist, was frowned upon by them, and I received my fair share of criticism from their supporters." The innkeeper then knelt down, staring directly into Genis' eyes. "So I ask you this: should we continue the battles and continue promoting hate, therefore causing more battles? Or should we try to root out the discrimination by doing our part to reform those who want to listen?" he asked.

Genis opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it. He was somewhat silenced by the revelations from the innkeeper. "Ricardo did everything in his power to crack through the isolationist-dominated council, and he was willing to teach traditional techniques to you, so I think at the very least you should give him another chance. What do you say?" the innkeeper asked, extending his hand to Genis.


Meanwhile, in Exire, all was not well for Gil, as he tried to work out a plan to save the prisoners while keeping Noishe informed of Cruxis happenings. Knowing that he could not be in two places at once, the best thing he could do was to inform Noishe ahead of time, so the captain would know what to expect during the operation. "There has to be something done to deal with those captives," Gil explained to Noishe, "So when we do get those people out, we have to bring them somewhere safe."

Noishe nodded, understanding the situation. "But at the same time, if you're on the way to release the captives, nobody would be watching Rodyle and his machine. And knowing this thing will destabilize the mana of the world more than the Derris Kharlan reconnection, we might just be risking more lives here," he pointed out.

Gil put his hands to his face, rubbing his cheeks in frustration. He was under intense pressure for the last few days, knowing that he was about to make a breakthrough with Cruxis' motives and actions. But unintended events kept on hindering him, such as Zelos tailing him, the presence of prisoners, the mystery military mole, and even more information on the Cruxis mole sent into Iselia. He was so caught up in these thoughts that he had not shaved for days, with his goatee nearly covering his entire jaw line and lower face. "So what do you suggest then?" Gil retorted, annoyed.

Despite the dilemma, Noishe still recommended Gil focus on the main weapon Rodyle planned on using, and only fetching the prisoners when the time was right. "It's best that we focus on the threat to the world, rather than just the handful of prisoners. If possible, you can still scout out the military mole and ask him or her to help out, right?"

Gil sighed and shook his head. "I still have no confirmation on the identity of the military mole, but I do have a hunch as to who it may be." He glanced sideways at Noishe with an exasperated expression. "It's never easy to prioritize between the lives of a few captives and the lives of everyone on this planet, isn't it?" he asked his superior.

Noishe smiled. "That's the exact same mistake my former owner made. He made saving the world his first priority, but a lot of change is required for progress to be made. He wanted to get rid of the Exspheres to prevent races from using them to harm each other, but he never actually got to the root of the problem: people's attitudes."

Gil looked on as Noishe moved away from him. Standing above the waterfront, the former Protozoan leaned on the railing and stared out to the ocean, looking nostalgic as he continued, "If there's one thing I've learned in my experiences with the Kharlan War and the reunification groups, it's that one shouldn't base general principles like justice and equality on people's words of honour. Both groups had a set objective, only to be destroyed by those wanting to use it for personal gain. So many people died for these causes all because some fanatics saw an opportunity to spread their extremist agenda. It's pretty sad to see such heroes be diminished to villains, really," he commented.

Gil stepped up to the railing with Noishe. "Out of all your events, which one do you think did the most to put us onto the path of equality and tolerance?" he asked.

Noishe thought for a moment, and then replied, "I can't say which event was the most influential, because everything was connected. If Lloyd had not spread his idealist ideas to everyone, we wouldn't be inspired to change the world. If Raine the healer didn't travel the world to educate the people, attitudes would never change. If the group led by Sheena the summoner didn't draft the constitution and changed the laws, then those who committed acts of racism would go unpunished. So for me, everyone did their parts, and it's hard to tell who did more and who deserved more credit," he explained.

Gil could concur with that situation. After all, his wife's novel ended the exact same way. "The entire ending scene was inspired by the very events you mentioned," Gil described to Noishe, "Lionel, in his attempts to prove his abilities to everyone and show that he's a leader in the next generation, joined the army to fight in the civil war. Just like Lloyd the hero, he was the idealist with the initiative, and wanted to prove to everyone he had what it took. He ended up dying in the war, and the remaining surviving characters saw it as the end of idealism. The leader himself had died, so there was no more legacy."

Noishe looked at his friend as Gil continued the story, "Now, Lionel had wooed Olivia earlier, but Olivia refused, knowing that she was responsible to her children. But Olivia was impressed by Lionel's ideals, and wasted no time teaching these ideals to her children in hopes of having them lead the future generation. So in a sense, despite Olivia outliving Lionel, she will forever be connected to him in her children," he concluded.

"And that's why I admire you, Gil," Noishe replied, "You never seem to forget who you are and what you're fighting for. Despite all those problems, with your wife's death and Lloyd being alone, and not to mention all the times you told Chief Marshall or me that you wanted to quit and get your identity back, you always managed to right the ship. I just wish every mole we send is just like you," Noishe patted Gil's shoulder.

But just as this was said, Gil remembered a small detail that he neglected to tell Noishe. That night, when he went with Zelos into the prisoner's hold he spoke with the prisoner in the next cell. He mentioned how he was involved in the first Exsphere project, and had inserted a suspended Exsphere into a young woman from Ozette. "The Exsphere was ultimately controlling her, since Cruxis controlled its suspended functions. I heard she was perhaps sent to Iselia to work for Forcystus, so maybe she could be the mole sent into the police to spy on the SIU," Gil suggested.

Noishe nodded, realizing that this breakthrough would solve their problems. "Did you get a name for this mole? If you can tell me who it is, then I can call Captain Burton and have him check it out in his unit," he responded, anxious to hear the news.

"Yes, I did recall him referring to this person by name," Gil replied, remembering clearly what happened, "He said her name was Presea Combatir."


Mark and Sheena finally made their landing at the northern regions of Tethe'alla. After going through some old notes on Igaguri's failed attempt to tackle Volt thirty years ago, the two now had a better grasp of what to do to prevent the disaster from happening again. "It seems to me that the main mistake your grandfather made was he allowed too many people and machinery to go into the Temple of Lightning at once, leading to the mix-up of mana and making the ever sensitive Volt react negatively," Mark announced.

"So what you're saying is that we should only have a small group of people go in at once, and use limited electronics?" Sheena responded, bewildered at the finding, "How can we do that if we don't even understand Volt? Unless you have someone translating his ancient tongue, we have to have some gadgets in there,"

On and on the debate went, with Sheena still haunted by Igaguri's experience and unconfident of her abilities, while Mark insisted on preventing deaths of more people. It was not long before they reached the Temple of Lightning, and both sides were about to face the challenge of their lives. "Well, too late to turn back now. It's now or never," Mark commented as they faced the entrance. The dark tunnel snaking into the central chamber leered at them, daring them to step forward. "Sheena, are you ready?"

Sheena sighed, still nervous at the sight before her. But if conquering Volt would erase the demons weighing on her family, then she would do whatever it took. "Let's do this," she replied, "Not just for me, but for my grandfather, your parents, all the military personnel that lost their lives here, and even for Kuchinawa." Armed with only a small reader on electric mana, which enabled them to translate Volt's language, they slowly stepped into the temple and be engulfed by the darkness.

Inside, there was that humid, muggy feeling that Igaguri always spoke of when he remembered his mission. The suffocating thick air combined with the strange electrical smell made it difficult to breathe. The only light illuminating their path was the constant flickering of static electricity zapping through the air and onto the walls and sculptures. "I don't think this is any different from the first time around," Sheena murmured.

Mark looked at her nervously. This summon spirit was as much a testament of Sheena's abilities as well as his. After all, his father led the team into the temple to let his mother summon Volt, and careless management of old technology had resulted in the deaths of almost everyone inside. Although he did not show it, Mark saw this as a way to redeem his family as well. If only Kuchinawa were here to see this, he thought.

Nevertheless, the two pressed forward, moving up the narrow passageway that led them into the central chamber. As they entered, they were faced with the same fearsome sight that Igaguri and Mark's parents saw. A large pedestal set above them, with a large flight of stairs that dwarfed all those that proceeded. It was as if Volt was using this to taunt them for their ancestors' failures. "Come on, let's do this," Mark soothed gently.

But as they continued moving up, a familiar figure moved into the temple with a large team, and it was not the military. Kuchinawa already staked out the island, and had chosen this temple to ambush for strategic and symbolic reasons. He knew that Sheena was unprepared to go up against Volt due to Igaguri's failures, and it was also the place where his parents were killed. To kill the descendant of the one that caused the accident at the exact same place was justice served for him. "Revenge will be mine," he muttered to himself, "and should that traitor Orochi get in the way, he'll die here as well."


"This is the shop that I was talking about," Regal pointed out the small building before them as their vehicle pulled up to the sidewalk. Before them was in this relatively worn-out neighbourhood was an old, brick building, with an old sign hanging above the first-floor entrance. The age of the neighbourhood was reflected in the surroundings, even in the sidewalks, as a mushy sensation was felt as they stepped onto the moist concrete.

Pushing the door open, Lloyd and Raine were greeted by a strong herbal smell. Surrounding them were various herbs and medicines, most of them naturally grown. It was a strange sight indeed! Regal led them to the counter, where a middle-aged half-elf stepped up to them. "Regal, what brings you into my store?" he asked.

Regal turned to face Lloyd and Raine as he made the introductions. "This is Ellis. He's been studying herbal medicines all his life, including those only accessible to elves. I believe he has what we need to put the cure together," Regal explained.

"Regal and George already informed me of some of the materials that you might be considering, so I have all of them prepared. I'll just go to the storage room and grab them," Ellis stated. Turning on his heels, he disappeared into the back of the shop.

Despite nearing the end, neither Lloyd nor Raine appeared hopeful. It had been almost two weeks since the Exspheres were implanted. Whatever negative impacts that would happen should be occurring now, but still they had relatively little news, except for the fact that Lynn and Colette were often lacking energy, bedridden and losing appetite. "It's kind of like the calm before the storm," Lloyd described.

Regal nodded. Somewhere, deep inside, he figured that was what his friend Alicia had felt before the Exsphere turned her into a monster. Her mind slowly lost control of her body and there was nothing she could do about it. Regal was determined to put an end to this Exsphere business and prevent more suffering.

Just as this went through Regal's mind, Ellis returned with a case of several herbs. He laid the medicines out onto the bench and explained them to the group. "In essence, they all serve the same function as the unicorn's horn, But since they're naturally grown, you will not have to search out the world for unicorns or whatever," he said.

As Lloyd and Raine lowered their heads to take a better look at the herbs, Ellis kept his eyes on Raine. His eyes honed in on her, observing her every move. It was as if this fellow half-elf had something on her that amazed him. This act was not unnoticed by Regal, who stepped in to intervene. "What's so interesting?" he asked his friend.

Ellis pointed at Raine, who was fascinated by each herb. "She just looks a lot like someone that I know, that's all," Ellis replied, "I know it's unusual for me to say that, since she's from halfway across the world, but she looks a lot like that Virginia elf that comes around our neighbourhood every now and then."

Now Raine was the one who trained her eyes onto Ellis, as she heard the mention of the name Virginia. "Did you say this Virginia person was an elf?" she asked.

Ellis nodded, and Raine thought about this for a moment. An elf named Virginia that resembled her was sneaking around Exire. Could it be true? "Ellis, where did you find this Virginia? There's something important that I have to know," Raine exclaimed.

Ellis looked dumbfounded. "You have some important business with Virginia? I thought you said you were from Iselia, and you didn't know anyone from Exire."

Raine insisted, demanding that Ellis tell her everything he knew about Virginia, from the day she first got to Exire. "Virginia appeared as mysteriously as she lived her life," Ellis described, "Eight or nine years ago, that weird half-elf group made its base in Exire. They were carrying around strange technology and sometimes harassed citizens that went nearby. I had some friends who worked on the sewers, and they remembered hearing sounds of people crying for help in certain areas. I didn't think much about it until about six years ago, when that plane crash accident happened off the coast."

"Six years ago," Lloyd thought out loud, "That's the year when your grandfather and your dad heard of clues about her disappearance, and came to Exire to investigate!"

Ellis slapped his forehead. "I'm so stupid. I forgot that you're a member of the Sage family. Yes, it was a private plane that crashed, and among the victims were John and Kloitz Sage. I assume that must be your grandfather and father, as this young man just pointed out. Raine, I'm very sorry for your loss," he extended his condolences.

But Raine waved that off, insisting that they get back to the original story. "No, I already know about John and Kloitz Sage. I want to know about Virginia Sage, and what this accident did to cause her appearance in this neighbourhood."

"After the plane crash, local emergency services and the naval base took action. But as the excitement was over there, nobody paid attention to those sewers. I was just on my way out when the ground rumbled, and from the manholes came movements of earth and water. And lo and behold, an elf just came out. She looked like she exited a prison, with her clothes torn and face ragged, so I offered to take her to the police," Ellis stated.

Raine looked on as Ellis continued his story, describing how Virginia preferred to get some food and rest first. "I offered a room for her to spend the night, in exchange for me to go to the police the next morning. But when morning came, she was no longer here. She must have got wind of the news that of the crash, with the victims identified as John and Kloitz. I haven't had much contact with her after, except seeing her around the neighbourhood, snooping around, and living like a homeless person," Ellis concluded.

Raine was silent, trying to take all this in. Was this truly her mother? If it was, then what made her become like this? As she pondered this over, Lloyd raised another point. "Have you confirmed her identity at all? Did you ask her what she knew about the crash, or the so-called sewer prison that she was fished out of?"

Ellis did not divulge much, since he was in the dark about most of this as well. "All I know from those around me, and from the few times that she came by to ask for food or shelter, was that she had unfinished business to attend to here. She said she would return to where she came from the second she was done," Ellis replied in a muted tone.

Finally Raine looked up and asked Ellis. "Is there a location that she stayed for the night? A homeless shelter, or an affordable housing unit, something like that?"

Ellis thoughts for a moment, then responded, "There isn't a specific area per se, but there are places that she frequented in her stays for the last few years. Here are some of them…" pulling out a pen, he scrawled some addresses onto a notepad.


At the Temple of Lightning, Sheena stepped up to the summoning pedestal, the same one from all those years ago. For a second, Mark could see his own mother stepping up to the pedestal. He felt there was no one more appropriate to put this sad chapter of his life away than Sheena. "You can do it," Mark murmured, "I know you can."

Inside her mind, Sheena could not take her attention off history, as she realized she had this one shot to right the historical wrong Igaguri was a part of. Taking a deep breath to banish the last of her demons, Sheena was ready to proceed. "Grandpa, I'm doing this for you," she muttered. Focusing on the pedestal, she summoned Volt.

The electrical smell became stronger as a large flash illuminated the area. Mark and Sheena looked up and saw the source of their nightmares for all these years: the large electrical ball with piercing eyes and fangs known as Volt. He glared at the two before giving off some strange static and vibrations, as detected by Mark's machines below. It was Volt's way of speaking, "He's asking why we're here, and what we want from him," Mark translated, reading off the signals from the machine.

"Boy, now I sound like a broken record," Sheena mumbled, having to explain the world situation again. It did not help that the longer it took, the higher the chances for a mistake to be made. She was here to correct a historical wrong, not stall for time. But nonetheless, it was best not to anger the powerful electric summon spirit, knowing what damage he could cause. Choosing her words carefully, she described the threat the world was under, and that she was enlisting his help. "Please, lend us your power," she pleaded.

Just like in Igaguri's stories, Volt did not compromise. "I refused to give my energy to that group from thirty years ago. You two look an awful lot like those guys, and I say your justifications are just as pathetic as theirs," Volt sneered through the device.

"Now that's just taking it too far," Mark retorted, unimpressed by Volt's rebuttal, "I didn't attack his mother, what gave him the right to attack mine?"

Sheena nodded, agreeing that Volt was crossing the line. "Volt, this has nothing to do with my grandfather. Yes, I admit, he, along with Mark's parents, was involved in the attempt thirty years ago. But this is a totally different situation," Sheena insisted firmly, "The world is at stake, and all summon spirits are pitching in to help. So why can't you?" She tried not to show it, but deep inside, Sheena was getting more rattled by the minute.

The irritation and hesitation by both Mark and Sheena was not unnoticed by Volt, who was egged on to taunt them even further. "Does it matter? They showed me they weren't ready to handle electrical mana, otherwise there would be no accident. What makes you think you're ready?" Mark read from the machine. Looking up at Sheena, he could not help but say, "We're running out of options here."

"You're also running out of time," a voice behind them called out. Mark, Sheena and Volt all turned to the source, and it was Kuchinawa, with a host of Cruxis' people, "I got you where I want you, at the very place where your grandfather led that group that killed my parents. Today, they will be avenged!" he shouted, his voice filled with spite.

Mark knew that Volt was volcanic enough without enticing, and with Kuchinawa and Cruxis' goons ready to deal damage, it would not bode well for anyone. Mark waved his hand at Sheena, signalling her to focus on Volt while he stalled. "Kuchinawa, now's not the time for fights. We're at a precarious situation here, so you want to give it a rest?"

But Kuchinawa ignored his brother, and had Cruxis members start the electronic devices. Mark charged forward to halt them, only to be knocked back by Kuchinawa with a clothesline. As Mark struggled to regain footing, Kuchinawa stepped up and cruelly kicked him in the side. "You're a traitor. You promised to take care of me when we were at the orphanage, but you abandoned me," he roared as his foot violently hit Mark's ribs.

Sheena heard all the machines beeping as they powered up. From her Igaguri's stories, she recalled Volt, like all other summon spirits, could locate sources of unstable mana, meaning he would attack the location with the most instability. The last time they were here, the military surrounded the entire pedestal with their gadgets, meaning Volt attacked his surroundings. But with Cruxis gathered in a small area, it did not take a master summoner to know what that meant. "Kuchinawa, I beg of you, tell them to stop. It'll only end badly for you," she cried out from above.

"Silence! No descendant of a murderer can tell me what to do!" Kuchinawa yelled. The sizzling sound of static filled the air as the transmitters released the electro-magnetic energy, disrupting the mana around the temple. Right on cue, Volt also reacted to the disturbance. Kuchinawa rubbed his hands in satisfaction as he signalled Cruxis members to back down, getting safe ground as Volt prepared to unleash his energy. With Mark struggling and Sheena too far up the pedestal to get away in time, victory seemed certain.

But oddly, the electrical mana did not spray outward in a circle. Rather, it was a beam heading straight for the Cruxis members. The first shot zinged through like a laser, instantly hitting a majority of the members. Charred bodies dropped to the ground as the remaining people scattered, dropping their still-running machines. "Stand your ground! He won't hit us!" Kuchinawa shouted at the fleeing people. But it was to no avail, as the few survivors bolted in fear. Before long, Kuchinawa was surrounded by the machines, and Volt stared menacingly at him. Kuchinawa realized the inevitable: Volt was targeting him for the second blast. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the final blow, his fate sealed.

Surprisingly, the blast did not hit Kuchinawa at all. In fact, when Kuchinawa re-opened his eyes, he found himself on his back, with the electrical mana shot out the door. Glancing around, he could see Mark had managed to get up and tackled him, pushing him out of harm's way. He was about to talk when Mark turned away from him and looked to the pedestal. "Sheena, you have to stop Volt," he called to her, "Summon his opposite, Undine. Heck, summon all the spirits! Subdue Volt with force if you have to!"


As night fell in Mizuho, Colette was rather restless. This was in contrast to the several days before, where she was tired and had no appetite, being bedridden the entire time. Looking around, she could see the hallways of the hospital were empty. Most visitors, including her parents, had left already. Rubbing her face, she thought about using the bathroom, just to get cleaned up. It's been a little while since I got washed up properly, she thought, maybe a face wash wouldn't be so bad.

Feeling her way across the room, she managed to reach the bathroom door. Slowly but surely, she felt for the light switch and flipped it on. She had a relatively dim light to work with as she grabbed a towel from the rack and tossed it into the sink. The sound of water could be heard as she rinsed the towel, getting it moist before covering her face with it. The cool water landing against her face was probably the most refreshing thing she felt since being admitted into this hospital.

Feeling better, she put the towel back into the sink and rinsed it again. Just as she was about to place it back on the rack, she saw a strange object on her left elbow. It was marine coloured, lizard-scale like pattern with an irregular shape. Figuring that it was some lint or garbage stuck on her, she scratched it a couple of times, trying to get it off.

But it was to no avail, as the pattern seemed to be stuck on her skin. Colette was flabbergasted, wondering what this object was, and why it was attached to her. Slowly, she rolled up the sleeve of her hospital gown, revealing her entire upper arm. As the fabric peeled back, more of the scale-like substance showed, covering her entire upper arm and shoulder. Her hand rubbed against it, and instead of feeling like normal skin and muscle, it felt hard, almost like a tumour.

Then, it hit her. This was the Exsphere's effects on her. Counting the days, Colette realized that the Exsphere had been on her for almost two weeks, and the effects were finally taking its toll. Her mind clouded by fear, she could not help but scream, knowing that she was nearing the end. She charged out of the bathroom, not even bothering to turn off the lights, and headed straight for the next room, where Lynn Sage was located. "Mrs. Sage, wake up!" she shouted, barging in through the door and frantically feeling for the lights, "Mrs. Sage, something terrible is happening!"

Lynn grimaced as the lights were flicked on, caught totally unprepared as Colette aroused her from her sleep. "Colette, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Rolling up her sleeve again, Colette showed Lynn the scale-like patterns on her left arm and shoulder. "The Exsphere is starting to take its effect on me," she explained, pointing to the area, "I think it may be starting to happen on you as well!"

Dumbfounded, Lynn looked and felt all over her body, trying to locate any area of interest. Colette also looked on, when suddenly, she located it. "Right there," she pointed to Lynn's wrist, just above where the Exsphere was located. Indeed, there was a small marine-coloured spot. It was not as large as Colette's spot but it was just as prominent.

"The doctor checked us just this morning, and he didn't notice anything," Lynn replied, "so how did it get there this quickly?" Lynn and Colette glanced nervously at each other, knowing full well what had happened. Acting swiftly, Lynn slammed the button calling for help. Knowing how fast the symptoms had spread, they knew they did not have much time left, and would require treatment immediately.


And that's it for now. I already have the next chapter all thought out, so it's just a matter of writing it in the best possible way for you guys to read. Thanks for the reviews and have a great Winter Break!