Hiya!
So, here we are, at Chapter 29. I'm sorry to say that it doesn't have very much game plot in it, but I think I've made up for that by adding in some verrrrry important character development. You'll see why once you read it! I felt that this chapter was a good practice in writing original content for the story, but that doesn't mean it's not important for the plot! It sure is.
As for me, senior year is stressful already, but I feel like it's a rewarding kind of stress. I'm loving my classes and have been writing loads more lately, so that's a plus!
To answer your review, Solyeuse, senior year HAS been getting me down, but will in no way affect this story. No worries! :)
I also just wanted to take a quick moment to do something I don't do enough, and that is to thank everyone who's been reading, reviewing and putting this story on alert/favorites. I know some of you don't sign in when you review, so I can't message you and thank you, but I'm grateful to you guys as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I really appreciate it :D
With that being said, please enjoy!
Travelling across the sea in the EC was…a unique experience. It was used to carry cargo, so it was at least a steady ride. However, while it was meant to transport goods and merchandise, it was not meant to carry eight people across the sea, and so it was fairly cramped.
Raine was by far the least pleased by the arrangement. She mostly remained in the cargo hold for the duration of the trip, as being on the deck reminded her that they were at sea and when she couldn't see water, well…she could at least pretend that we weren't at sea.
I myself found the sea breeze refreshing. I sat in the open top part, laying back and letting the sun shine on my face. It was nice to not feel any immediate urgency or dread. We still had Cruxis to be concerned with, as well as finding a way to save both of the worlds, I was happy enough in taking joy at the fact that Colette was in perfect in health and we didn't have any Desians or Renegades breathing down our necks at the moment.
The only thing that troubled me was what would happen when we reached Sybak. Pierce's words nagged at the back of my mind, and I was worried what Olivia would try to do once we got there. I would have to be very careful.
Since Raine was…out of commission, I'd agreed to help Zelos with Lloyd and the others' lessons. Still in my happy, sunbathing position, I alternated with Zelos in quizzing them.
"What is 2,649 divided by 57?" I asked, throwing the number out at random. I had no idea what the answer was, so I counted on Zelos to be able to judge if they were right or not.
Lloyd and Colette began scribbling furiously on their paper, while Genis calmly worked out the problem in neat steps. He was the first to come up with an answer.
"46.4736842105," he declared with confidence.
Keeping one eye shut to block out the sun, I glanced at Zelos for confirmation. "Well?"
"That's right," he said. He'd just finished working the problem out on his own paper. "You're pretty smart for a little brat, you know that?"
"Why you –!"
"Next question," I said hastily, before an argument could ensue. "Uhh…who was the third Chosen of Tethe'alla to complete the regeneration process?"
"We're from Sylvarant, how should we know?" Lloyd grumbled, but Colette's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that's easy!" she said excitedly. "Lucia Vayer."
"That's right," Zelos said in surprise. "Colette, how did you know that?"
"I was really interested about the history of the Chosen Ones here, so I read a bit about it in your library," she explained happily. Then her expression shifted and she looked worried. "I hope that's okay. I probably should've asked, I'm sorry."
He waved his hand. "Colette, you are most certainly welcome to any room in my mansion. And I do mean any room~"
"Wow, thanks, Zelos!"
Genis and I rolled our eyes at each other.
"Okay, Lloyd," I said. "You haven't answered any questions yet, have you?"
"Uh, sure I have!"
"Nice try. Zelos?" As much as I hated to tear him away from his flirting with Colette, we were supposed to be teaching this class together. "Have any questions?"
"I'm just the math guy," he said with a shrug.
"Then ask him a math question!"
"Fine." He heaved a sigh and straightened his posture. He thought long and hard about it before coming up with a question. He wrote it down on the paper, taking several long minutes to work it out himself on a separate sheet. Satisfied he knew the answer, he handed the clean sheet to Lloyd. "There. Try that one."
I leaned over to see what was on the sheet. I wasn't so great at math myself, so all it looked like to me was a mess of numbers and symbols. Still, I knew enough to know that it was a pretty complex equation – one that Lloyd definitely wouldn't be able to figure out easily.
"Are you kidding me?!" Lloyd blurted. "I can't do this!"
Zelos shrugged. "Oh well. I guess you're just not as smart as me, huh? I figured it out easily."
Lloyd's jaw clenched. Zelos must have known that a comment like that would work on him, because Lloyd immediately began trying to figure it out. His forehead was creased with immense concentration.
"That's your teaching method?" I raised my eyebrow at Zelos. "You just make him feel stupid so he'll get angry and try to prove you wrong? Isn't that kind of…I don't know, mean?"
"Why don't you ask Raine how much he's been improving?" he replied. "If it works, then why not, right?"
I opened my mouth, found I had nothing to say to argue against that, and closed it again. "Fair point. Lloyd is so stubborn that I doubt he'll give up until he gets it."
Zelos winked. "That's the idea, princess."
Sure enough, Lloyd continued to work on the problem the entire time we were on the EC, and when it came time to get off and continue to Sybak, he reluctantly tucked it away in his bag.
"I've never seen you so focused on your studies!" Raine said happily, having emerged from her hideout in the cargo hold. The sight of Lloyd doing school work was enough to wipe away all of her seasickness – if you could call it that. It was more of a fear, really.
"I'm not gonna let Zelos make me feel like an idiot," he mumbled moodily.
Raine raised an eyebrow at Zelos, who just smiled, stored the EC in the wing pack and started walking.
We were in for a surprise when we reached Sybak. Coming from me, one might assume that meant Olivia was waiting for us at the city gates. However, it was someone equally as unwelcome who was leaving as we entered.
"Kratos!" Lloyd exclaimed. He seemed as if he couldn't decide between being shocked or angry.
Kratos stopped, only looking faintly surprised to see us all.
"Are you trying to take Colette away?!" Lloyd continued. He drew his weapon and pointed it at Kratos, instinctively moving in front of Colette. Everyone else tensed as well, preparing in case he attacked without warning.
However, Kratos looked at the sword with disinterest and held up his hand. "I have no intention of fighting you inside the city." Without warning, he drew his sword with lightning speed and struck out at Lloyd, causing him to fall to his knees with a gasp of pain.
"Kratos!" I yelled angrily.
He ignored me and, sheathing his sword, looked down at Lloyd. "You still lack the skills to defeat me."
"Don't insult me!" Lloyd spat through clenched teeth. He scrambled to his feet.
"I merely speak the truth." He pushed past Lloyd, effectively sending him back to the ground. He stopped as he reached Colette. "Chosen One. If you wish to live, you must remove that worthless Key Crest."
Colette looked surprised for a moment, but her expression soon switched to determination. "No. I'm never taking it off. Lloyd gave this to me." Her tone was final – that was the only reason she needed.
Kratos shook his head. "Foolish sentiments." With that, he was gone.
Genis stared after him looking confused. "He wasn't after Colette?"
"I guess not," I said with a frown.
"Man, what an arrogant SOB," said Zelos. "Talking as if he knows everything…"
"Hey Zelos," Sheena spoke up. "While we're on the subject of ways of talking, why don'tcha do something about the vulgar language?"
He snickered. "Hey now, at least I'm having the decency to abbreviate it, right?"
"Lloyd, are you okay?" Colette asked worriedly. "He didn't hurt you too badly, did he?"
Lloyd struggled into a standing position. Blood soaked through the front of his jacket, but just barely. It didn't seem to be too bad of a wound.
"I'm fine," he said irritably. More than anything, I think he was just annoyed at the fact that Kratos had bested him once again. Which was understandable. Kratos had this way of acting like he was so effortlessly better than you – I had dealt with this a lot on Derris-Kharlan. Any time Pronyma would ask him to train with me, he acted like he was dealing with a child.
Of course, my temper probably didn't help that any. Lloyd and I were similar that way, I suppose.
"Just what is he up to?" Sheena asked suspiciously. "That's twice he's shown up and not done anything."
"It would be wise to be cautious," Raine agreed. "For now, let's head to the inn. We'll go visit Kate first thing tomorrow."
We headed to the inn. When we got there, we settled in a common room where Raine healed Lloyd's wound and we all ate dinner. As soon as Raine was finished healing Lloyd, he pulled out Zelos' math problem and sat apart from the group to work on it. This was where he stayed for the remainder of the night.
"Amazing," said Raine. She was watching him with wide eyes. "I've been trying to get him to take interest in his school work for years. What is your secret?"
"Well," Zelos began proudly.
"Being a jackass," I finished for him in a helpful tone.
He sighed forlornly.
The next morning, we made our way to see Kate. The whole time we walked, I was on edge. I kept expecting Olivia to jump out from every corner, or worse – Pierce. However, we made it safely to the academy, and my fears were calmed.
We avoided the main entrance – avoiding arrest was a big concern. They'd surely tightened security since the last time we'd been here, in case we tried to return. Because of this, we kept walking until we reached the secret passage we'd used last time.
Kate and the other half-elf were deeply into their studies. The sound of the cabinets parting caused them to jump in alarm. Kate peered cautiously into the darkness, looking surprised and a little relieved when she realized who it was.
"It's you," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "You startled me."
Lloyd stepped forward. "We saved our friends and came back with Presea, just like we promised."
Kate's eyes fell on Genis and Raine, who were taking in the condition of the lab with looks of slight disgust.
"Yes, you're right," she said in a surprised voice. "The strange mana produced by the fusion of elven and human blood…" She looked at Lloyd, and her eyes were faintly apologetic. "You really do have half-elf friends."
"I toooold you…" I said under my breath.
"I've heard the story," said Raine. "Presea's creating a Cruxis Crystal inside her body?"
"Yes, that's correct. We call it the Angelus Project," Kate informed her.
A shocked murmur rippled over the group. The Angelus Project…that was what Kvar had been working on. It was the reason Lloyd's mother had been killed, and why they were after his Exsphere.
"T-The Angelus Project?!" Lloyd blurted in alarm. His wide eyes were fixed on the blue gem attached to his hand. "That's…that's the project my mom was involved in."
Kate's eyebrows raised in confusion. "Your mother? But who…"
She trailed off as Presea, hearing the name of the project, shook her head quickly and pushed through the group to stand at the back of the room. She huddled against the wall, shaking.
Genis reached his hand out. "P-Presea…!"
Kate stared at the girl sadly. Forgetting what Lloyd had said about his mother, she continued, "The Exsphere itself is nothing special. It just has a special Key Crest placed on it. The Key Crest delays the Exsphere's parasitic process, which can take place over a few days or up to several decades. It seems this can cause Exspheres to mutate into Cruxis Crystals."
"A Cruxis Crystal…?" I breathed.
"Is the parasitic infection of the Exsphere the reason why Presea's emotional response is so subdued?" Raine wondered.
"Yes," Kate confirmed. "We have come to conclude that it is one of the side effects."
"So she's just like Colette…" said Genis.
Colette's eyes grew big. She looked quickly back at Presea and said, "Wait, so if we leave Presea like this, what will happen to her?"
"When the parasitic process is complete…" Kate refused to meet our eyes, and could only seem to look at Presea with a guilty expression. "She will die."
"That's horrible!" Genis exclaimed in an outrage. "You have to save her! What has she ever done to you?!"
Kate flinched. "Nothing. She hasn't done anything. She just matched the compatibility test."
Lloyd seemed to re-gather his wits and approached her. "You promised. You're going to save her, right?"
"Yes, I know." She looked conflicted, but at the same time I could see her resolve. "You were telling the truth about your half-elf friends. I'll keep my promise."
The other half-elf had kept quiet for the conversation, but hearing this caused him to stare at his co-worker in alarm. "Kate! Are you sure?! If you do that, you'll…"
"A promise is a promise," she said firmly. "In order to save Presea, speak to a dwarf named Altessa who lives deep in Gaoracchia Forest."
"So there are dwarves in this world too…" Lloyd said in awe.
Kate nodded. "Yes. He and I participated in this experiment by order of the Pope."
"Sheesh, not that pathetic old man again," Zelos complained loudly. And I mean loudly for him – he was deliberately raising the volume of his voice.
"Don't call him a pathetic old man!" Kate suddenly snapped at him.
Zelos wore a look of fake surprise. "Oh, my. That's unusual, a half-elf siding with the Pope."
She held his gaze for a brief moment before flushing angrily and looking down. "I…I'm not defending him. Anyway, have Altessa repair Presea's Key Crest."
"Lloyd, can't you fix it?" asked Colette.
Lloyd looked back at Presea. "To be honest, I can't even tell the difference between this and a normal Key Crest. It'd probably be faster to search for this dwarf, Altessa. He'd have more knowledge about it than me."
"Then it's settled. Shall we head for Gaoracchia Forest?" said Sheena.
Lloyd nodded, looking troubled. "Yeah…but this whole Angelus Project thing doesn't sit well with me. Do you think there could be a connection between the Pope and the Desians?"
"I'm wondering that too," Raine admitted. "It seems too odd to be a coincidence."
"It wouldn't surprise me," said Zelos agreeably. "That asshole is always scheming one way or another." He glanced sideways at Kate, but she was no longer paying attention.
"Well then let's get going," I said. "It's still early, so we should make some distance before it gets too dark."
"Presea…" Genis hesitantly approached the girl and held out his hand to her. She cowered away from it, her shaking increasing. Her face didn't show any signs of fear, but that shaking…
"Presea, it's okay," Colette said gently. "We aren't going to hurt you. We're taking you away from this place so that we can make you better. Okay? We're going to fix this for you."
Slowly, Presea lifted her head to listen to Colette's words. They seemed to be enough for her to cease her shaking and re-join the group.
We thanked Kate and exited through the secret passage. Aside from the confrontation with Kratos, I was pleased to note that the visit to Sybak had gone by without a hitch. I'd been absently worried about it ever since my encounter with Pierce, but it appeared that Olivia had gotten tired of waiting and left.
As if reading my mind, Sheena said, "We never ran into Olivia while we were here. Do you think she was just bluffing?"
I shrugged. "She must've been." Still, I found myself looking over my shoulder in a fit of paranoia. All we had to do was make it out of the city and I could breathe easy.
Suddenly a loud and high-pitched bark sounded out through the crowded plaza we were in. The crowds parted to reveal Noishe bounding towards us, his tail wagging and tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"Noishe!" Lloyd called happily. He ran forward to greet his beloved "dog", but Noishe suddenly skidded on his heels and took off further into the city. Lloyd stumbled to a halt and stared after him in confusion. "Noishe! Noishe!"
No matter how much he yelled, Noishe refused to heed his call and kept running.
"We have to go get him!" Genis exclaimed. "Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into if we leave him?"
Normally Lloyd would be offended at the fact that Genis had questioned his pet's behaviour, but even he had to agree. "Yeah. Let's split up and go look for him."
We quickly split into four pairs and took off in the general direction Noishe had gone. I was with Sheena, who sent Corrine down a fifth path. We quickly and carefully made our way through crowded streets, doing our best to remain inconspicuous.
"It wouldn't have been a tragedy if Noishe had stayed in Sylvarant," I huffed as we turned yet another corner.
"At this moment, I'd have to agree," said Sheena. She turned the next corner ahead of me and shouted, "Noishe! Get over here!"
When I caught up to her, I saw Noishe stop dead in his tracks ahead of us. The three of us all stayed completely still, waiting for the other to make the first move. His tail twitched expectantly.
I took a tiny step in his direction, and he was off again.
"Dammit!" I yelled, taking off in a run. At least we knew we were on his path, now.
We followed him down several more streets before we finally caught up to him. He'd suddenly just stopped in the middle of the deserted street, and was now panting happily at us.
"Wipe that smirk off your face," said Sheena, panting as well. "What's the big idea, huh?"
I placed my hands on my knees and doubled over in an attempt to regain my breath. "You disappear for weeks at a time, and the one time you decide to show up, you cause trouble. What do you have to say for yourself?!"
He stared blankly at me.
"He can't talk," Sheena pointed out.
"I was caught up in the moment," I admitted.
"It's about time you showed up."
A wave of nausea rolled over me at the voice that suddenly echoed around us. No, no, no, no, nononononono –
Olivia stepped out of the darkness of the concealing alley and into the sunlight. She looked much the same as before – strong, intimidating, beautiful, and infuriatingly smug.
"You!" Sheena exclaimed, reaching for her cards.
Olivia held up her hand. "Ah. I wouldn't."
As she said this, Pierce stepped out of the alley opposite to her, leaving Sheena, Noishe and I trapped in the middle of the street. Noishe growled defensively.
"Don't fight," I warned Sheena quietly. "She's stronger than she looks."
My warning to Sheena wasn't necessary. She slowly stowed the cards back into her kimono, but I noticed that she held Undine's aquamarine clutched firmly in her hand.
"You've gotten smarter since our last meeting," Olivia observed. "I was thinking I'd have to put your arm out of commission again."
Part of what she said was true – I was wiser to her tricks this time around, and I knew that she was simply trying to get a rise out of me.
"Not necessary," I said. "Now, what's this I hear about you wanting to talk to me?"
"Oh good, you got my message." Her emerald eyes flicked over to Sheena momentarily before she spoke again. "I was hoping you'd come alone, but I guess I've earned your distrust, so it can't be helped."
I glanced back at Pierce, who smiled and waved. "Is it any mystery why?"
She laughed. "Of course not. Pierce acted out of line and was aptly punished for it. He's learned his lesson – although, I can imagine you're not only talking about that…" She trailed off, not needing to say anything else.
"You killed Devin," I said venomously. I hadn't meant to let my anger get the better of me, but her even hinting at that memory was enough to make my composure snap.
"Aurelia," she said sadly. "Dear, dear, Aurelia." She shook her head and sighed dramatically. "How unfortunate. You blame me, when it was in fact your blade that caused his heart to stop beating. Or am I wrong?"
My hand flew to my belt. Sheena's hand clamped down on my arm in an effort to stop me.
"Remember what you just told me?" she hissed in my ear. "That's just what she wants you to do."
I gritted my teeth together and dropped my hand. Sheena was right.
"What do you want?" I asked her impatiently. "We've got important business to attend to."
To my surprise, Olivia didn't respond with a witty or condescending comment. Instead, her face fell serious and she got right to business. "I suppose there's no delaying it. The truth is, there are matters about your past that I need to discuss with you."
"I'm listening," I said, making my tone expectant. Really, I was feeling anxious. What could she possibly know about my past?
"I would prefer to tell you in private," she began. She saw my face and rolled her eyes. "I said 'prefer'. I know that is something you'd never allow to happen, and I commend you for that. You'd be stupid to think you could trust me." Her voice was a bit harsher than usual.
"Glad we have that clear," I shot back.
"Watch the tone, darling," Pierce said lightly.
I paled and clamped my mouth shut. I'd almost forgotten he was there.
Olivia smirked at my frightened reaction. "And that is why he's here. To keep you from being too mouthy. Now then, have you ever wondered why Lord Yggdrasill ever bothered taking such an interest in you?"
I paused. Come to think of it, I'd never really considered how I ended up being cared for by him. It was something I'd been so used to all my life; I never had a reason to question it.
"I'm going to go with 'no', judging by the look on your face."
"He…cared for me," I defended lamely. "I never had to think about it."
"Oh, give me a break," she said, looking totally disgusted. "That's what you call caring? You really are an idiot, aren't you? I have half a mind to – "
"Olivia." It was Pierce, his voice sounding bizarrely gentle.
That was all he had to say, and Olivia clenched her jaw in an effort to control her temper. "Right. I suppose it can't be helped."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. I was beginning to grow tired of her speaking in code all of the time. At the same time, her sudden anger had startled me. The last time she spoke about Lord Yggdrasill, she'd gotten inexplicably angry as well.
"Aurelia." I could tell she was fighting to keep her tone neutral. "There's a reason he's taken such good care of you. Trained you. Treated you like a fucking princess." She dropped her voice to an eerie whisper. "Wouldn't you like to know why you were able to operate the seals?"
"Could…could you really tell me all that?" I wondered quietly.
"Yeah, could you?" asked Sheena, but she sounded more skeptical than anything.
She smiled. "Of course. Because, you see, Lord Yggdrasill never cared about you, but rather – "
"Olivia. That is enough."
My first reaction was to be confused, because I didn't remember Pierce's voice being that deep. Then I realized that it wasn't Pierce, because at that moment a tall, burly half-elf with pointed hair and a short, pointed beard had stepped into the street from behind Pierce, accompanied by two men dressed in armour.
"Botta!" Sheena exclaimed. Her free hand hovered over her kimono, ready to retrieve her throwing cards if necessary.
I gaped at him. Great, first Olivia, and now him? However, I couldn't help but notice that he didn't even look at me – his gaze was locked onto Olivia, and it was one of carefully-controlled anger.
"And just what the hell are you doing here?" Olivia snapped.
Pierce sighed. "I had just calmed her down, too. Great."
"I originally came for Aurelia," Botta replied. "However, it appears I have more trouble to deal with now that you're here as well."
"I'm the trouble? I'm trouble?!" She was practically screaming at him. "You're the fool who can't seem to understand that I'm trying to help! All you want to do is lock her up and hope the problem goes away, which we both know damn well isn't going to happen. I'm actually going to do something about it, unlike you."
Wow. I'd seen her angry, but never like this. Who would have thought that calm, pretty much emotionless Botta would be the one to get such a rise out of her by barely saying anything?
Botta had patiently allowed her to rant before replying. "What you're going to do is dangerous and unpredictable. If you're caught, Yggdrasill will surely kill the both of you. I am only trying to keep her safe."
"Can you both stop talking like I'm not here?" I finally spoke up. "What the hell are you both talking about, anyway?"
Olivia kept her glare directed at Botta. "Well, Aurelia. I was actually just about to answer that question until dear Botta showed up and decided to ruin things as usual. Botta, you just love playing the 'Protective Parent' card don't you?"
Botta froze, and his eyes widened with a shock I'd never seen in him. To see him displaying such emotion…it was odd.
For some reason, I didn't like the direction this was headed. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly.
She finally looked at me. That stupid smirk she always wore was still there, but there was undeniable rage in her eyes. The combination of the two made her look scary. A little bit insane, actually.
"After all of his attempts to lure you in, I'm surprised that he didn't try to play that card with you," she said. "After all, it seems to be his reason for everything – 'Oh, I'm her father, so I only want to protect her. It's so unfair that she's been brainwashed by the Desians and will never trust me. Boohoo'." She smiled cruelly. "Isn't that right, Botta?"
There was a thick silence that hung around us as everyone tried to process what was just said. Sheena had this blank look of confusion on her face; Pierce slapped a hand against his forehead and groaned; Botta couldn't decide whether he wanted to glare at Olivia or look stunned, so he settled on a combination of both and Noishe let out a low whine. As for me…
I had no idea what to think. Part of me wanted to believe that it was just Olivia trying to confuse the hell out of everyone, but at the same time, I could tell how much what she said had affected Botta.
"You're lying," I said, but I lacked the conviction I tried to put in my voice. "This is just another one of your stupid tricks."
"When have I ever lied to you?" she asked seriously. "I may beat around the bush and speak cryptically, but I have never lied to you."
I chewed on my lip as I thought this over. Technically, she was telling the truth. The one time she'd lied was when she said she wasn't taking me anywhere in Luin, and even then she'd owned up to it. I really, really hated her, but she never had lied to me.
But…did that really mean she was telling the truth? There was no way that Botta…I mean, was he really my…my father?
I looked to the half-elf in question for answers. He wasn't saying a word. It was like he'd forgotten how to speak.
"Tell her Botta," Olivia said in a harsh voice. "You are her father, aren't you?"
For the first time since he'd arrived, he looked at me. He looked so vulnerable, which was really out of place on his strong face.
"…Yes."
Olivia laughed and clapped her hands together. "Aha! Perfect. See? I told you I wasn't lying, Aurelia."
"No…y-you're lying. Both of you!"I started shaking. The only reason I wasn't crumpling to the ground right now was because Sheena grabbed my arm to steady me. She must have noticed how unstable I was.
"Aurelia," she said gently. "I don't want to upset you, but…I think they're telling the truth."
I shook my head. "There's…there's just no way…it's not possible…" I felt like a broken recording. All I could do was continue to stammer the same words, over and over again.
"So there," Olivia was saying to Botta, cold and victorious all at once. "I've ripped off the bandage and told your secret for you. I'll be expecting a thank-you."
"Olivia," he began angrily. "I…"
"Save it. I have somewhere to be." She motioned to Pierce, who quickly walked past us to join her. She winked at me. "I guess this will have to wait for another time. But, you're welcome for the little tidbit I did get to share with you. Later." She took Pierce's hand, and the two of them faded from sight.
That left Sheena, Noishe and I alone in the street with Botta and the Renegades.
"Dammit, Olivia," Botta cursed loudly. Now that she was gone, he found himself able to show his anger. The only thing that calmed him was a quiet word from one of his men. This caused him to look at me; his expression softened. "Aurelia."
"What?" I flinched like he was going to hit me and moved to stand behind Sheena. "What do you want?"
He looked hurt at my fear. That one movement was enough to cause something to break behind his eyes.
"Not this," he said quietly, and as soon as he spoke his carefully controlled voice began to shake ever-so-slightly. "Not for you to be afraid. You…weren't supposed to find out like this. I planned to tell you myself."
"Then you should've," I said. "You had plenty of chances to."
"I know." He looked so guilty – I felt bad for being so harsh on him, but I couldn't help it. I was a total mess of emotions right now, and I needed someone to take it out on. He seemed the most appropriate person.
"How is this even possible?" Sheena asked. While I don't think she believed he was going to hurt me, she still allowed me to use her as a shield. "Aurelia was raised by Yggdrasill. If you're really her…father, then why-?"
"If it was up to me, that never would have happened," he said fiercely. I somehow knew that he meant it. "It is because of your mother's cowardice that you ended up living the life you have."
"My mother?"
He clearly hadn't meant to say that. "Do not bother yourself over her," he said. His eyes grew dark. Cold. "She has long since disappeared from this world."
So she was dead. I'd always dreamt of someday meeting my actual parents. I was content with Pronyma and Lord Yggdrasill, sure, but deep down, it always ate at me. I'd wondered what kind of people they were. And now, here I was. Botta the Renegade was my father, and I would never meet my mother. I felt sad over someone I'd lost before I ever got the chance to meet.
"How is it her fault?" was all I could manage. "What did she do?"
He began to speak, but was cut off by a voice crying out from down the street.
"Sheena! Aurelia! You guys found Noishe!"
It was Lloyd. He and Zelos ran down the street to meet us, but both of them slowed when they saw the Renegades standing there.
"You!" Lloyd yelled. He drew his swords and was fully ready to charge at Botta, but I held out a hand to stop him.
"Stop. He isn't here to hurt us."
Lloyd skidded to a halt. "Wait, what? Aurelia, these guys are our enemies, remember?!"
"Trust me." I didn't look at Lloyd as I spoke. I continued to stare blankly at Botta.
Zelos looked warily from me to Botta. "Well then what's going on here?"
I couldn't form the words to explain what had happened. "He…um…"
"I should leave," said Botta, saving me from having to explain. "I planned on reasoning with you so you'd come with me, but I see that isn't possible right now." He motioned to the two men beside him. "We're heading back for now."
As they started to walk away, I couldn't help it. I started and reached my hand out. "Ah, wait!"
He paused and looked back at me. He almost looked hopeful. "Yes?"
There was so much I wanted to say. Despite everything the Renegades had done, in that instant, those things weren't what I remembered. I remembered when Botta offered to help me return home, and had seemed so kind. When he didn't want to fight me at the Triet Base. When he saved me from Lord Yggdrasill in the Tower of Salvation. He'd always been trying to protect me, regardless of the Renegades' goal of killing Colette or capturing Lloyd. He'd never actually done anything to hurt me. I wanted to thank him. I didn't trust him, and I certainly didn't already accept him as my father, but…I needed to thank him.
Still, as bad as this urge was, I couldn't form the words. I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open.
He must have understood me, because he nodded once before turning and leaving.
Lloyd impatiently waited until Botta was gone from sight before exploding, "What was that all about?! Aurelia, Sheena, what happened? Why was Botta here? Noishe, stop that." This last part was added because of Noishe head-butting Lloyd in the leg continuously.
"Let's just find the others and get out of here first," Sheena suggested. "We can explain it to everyone at once. Okay, Aurelia?" Her brown eyes were warm. Comforting. I found it hard to believe she'd ever been our enemy.
I nodded. Everyone started to leave, but I found my feet glued to the ground. I couldn't make myself gather the energy to walk.
"Aw, here." Zelos came over and grabbed my hand. He practically dragged me along behind him, but I didn't protest. I didn't have the will to wrench my hand away, and I knew I wouldn't be able to walk otherwise. So, I let him lead me by the hand as the four of us, plus Noishe, headed back to the city entrance to find the others.
We set up camp outside the city, along the shore. I was glad Sheena had been there with me, because I doubt I would have been able to properly explain what happened. I still wasn't completely sure what happened myself.
"So that's what happened," Sheena concluded awkwardly. "Botta…is Aurelia's father."
Nobody wanted to say anything. Even Zelos, for once, seemed to be at a loss for words.
"So all this time, he's been trying to protect you." Raine was the first to speak. She'd carefully listened to the whole story with a thoughtful expression. "By the sounds of things, he and Olivia know something about you that you don't."
Sheena nodded in agreement. "And whatever it is, it's the reason behind everything that's happened to you."
I trailed my finger through the sand absently. "We probably would have found out, had Lloyd and Zelos not shown up when they did."
"Ah, sorry," said Lloyd. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Kind of our fault then, huh?"
"Yeah, sorry," said Zelos, but his apology was a bit less heartfelt than Lloyd's.
I shrugged.
"I'm just happy no one was hurt!" said Colette. "When you guys mentioned Olivia, it had me really worried."
"Olivia acted so weird," I murmured. "She kept getting so angry, especially when Botta showed up."
"She acted hostile towards Kratos as well, right?" Raine recalled. "Perhaps there is a connection between the three?"
Speaking of Kratos, it made me flash back to when we fought at the Tower of Salvation. He spoke like he knew more of my family than just me. Had he known Botta was my father? And did he know my mother, too?
Instead of voicing these wonderings, I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. This whole thing is just exhausting." I moved some food around on my plate with my fork, but made no motion to eat it. Not even Sheena's delicious Mizuho noodles could lift my spirits at the moment. I was too drained.
"Then let's just stop talking about it for right now," said Lloyd. "If you're tired, you should be relaxing, not answering questions you don't know the answers to, right?"
I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Lloyd."
With that, everyone settled into their regular, camp time activities. Sheena played with Corrine, Colette, Genis and Lloyd worked on homework (Lloyd, of course, working on the math problem), Raine absorbed herself into a book, Presea sat staring blankly into the fire, and Zelos tried to chat up anyone who was willing to listen.
I forced some food into me and then lay on my back to stare up at the sky. Not a trace of a cloud was visible, so the stars were scattered beautifully across the sky in complex patterns. The moon was there only in a thin, sliver of a crescent.
Listening to the waves crash gently against the shore, I opened my mind to a million racing thoughts. What kind of life had my parents led before having me? Was my mother in the Renegades, or had she been a Desian? How had she died? I found myself desperately wanting to know everything. I'd never questioned what events led to me falling into the care of Lord Yggdrasill, but now, I couldn't seem to stop myself. It was like hearing someone finally mention my mother had opened this gate which held back a flood of questions.
Unfortunately, I feared these questions would never be answered. According to Botta, she was dead. The only impression of her I had was that she was a traitor who'd selfishly given me up to Cruxis. But why? What reason could she have possibly had for doing that? Did…did she not want me? Had I done something wrong? And what of Botta? If it truly was my mother's fault, then why hadn't he done anything to stop her?
I searched the sky as if the stars would somehow magically spell out the answers for me. Alas, the only thing I was rewarded with was Zelos' grinning face blocking them out as he peered down at me.
"Hi," I said vacantly. "You're blocking my view."
He sighed and plopped onto the sand beside me. "No one else will talk to me. I'm boooored."
I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. "That's because they're all busy," I told him. "Can't you find something to amuse yourself with? A hobby that doesn't involve shamelessly flirting?"
"I like to play piano," he said after some thought. "But, they're really not that portable."
"Then buy something portable," I suggested. "Like a flute or something. I think it'd be nice for everyone to hear some music once and a while."
He tapped his chin. "Huh. That's not a bad idea! Thanks, princess."
I groaned at the nickname and flopped back down into the sand.
Zelos didn't take the hint. Instead, he decided to lie down beside me and followed my gaze up to the sky. "So what are you looking for up there, anyway?" he asked.
"Answers," I admitted, "but it's not working out so well."
"Well, what kind of answers?" he pressed. "Maybe I can help~?"
I allowed a laugh to escape, but it sounded empty and fake. "Doubtful. Unless you happen to know anything about my past or my parents, because you're welcome to try, in that case."
"Parents, huh?" He stretched his arms back so he could rest his head on his clasped hands. "It's a nice thought, but you might be better off. They're pretty overrated, if you ask me."
I scowled at him. "How can you say that? You actually knew your parents." I thought back to the portrait of his mother in his mansion.
"So? I sometimes wonder if I would've been better off. Sebastian was more of a father to me than my real one ever was." He was speaking casually enough, like it didn't even bother him, but I couldn't believe he was so okay with it. Still, I found myself relating to his words. Just because I'd discovered that Botta was my biological father, that didn't change the memories I had of my childhood – memories that he was absent from.
"What about your mother?" I asked hesitantly. "I saw her portrait in Meltokio. Aren't you grateful for her?"
Zelos stiffened, and I immediately had the sense that I'd asked the wrong question. However, when he spoke, he wasn't angry. Rather, it was with an odd formality.
"My mother…was a good woman," he said rigidly. "Her only fault was having me as a son."
"Zelos…" I wasn't sure what to say. I knew I'd gotten myself into dangerous waters, and I didn't want to ask a question that would end up causing me to drown. "I'm sure that's not true."
He pulled himself into a sitting position, shrugging slightly as he stretched out his arms. Just like that, his cheery demeanour was back. "Ah well. Doesn't really matter now, I guess. Just try not to worry too hard, alright? Colette's been worried."
Sure enough, I looked over to see her frowning sadly at her paper, not really seeing the words on the page. She'd been listening to the conversation, no doubt.
"I…thanks," I said, smiling weakly. "I'll try."
Zelos nodded and hopped to his feet. "Great! Now, if you'll excuse me…" And then he was off to sneak up on an unsuspecting Sheena.
I hadn't known Zelos nearly as long as the others, but for the time we had travelled together, he'd remained, for the most part, cheerful and slightly annoying. But at that moment, when he'd spoken about his mother, I felt like I'd gotten a glimpse of a strange, other side of him. How much of that optimism was forced? I had to wonder.
I thought about his words. My entire life, Botta had never been there. And my mother would never have a chance to be. There was really no point in worrying about it, but still…
When it came down to it, what little girl didn't want loving parents to cry to? When I thought about it like that, how could I not worry? This was the thought that carried me to sleep, where I dreamed that I was blowing out the candles on my birthday cake, and my parents had gotten me a brand new doll.
Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy!
But here's my story,
Review it maybe?
...
...
...yeah I'm lame, I know.
