Mandrakefunnyjuice and I.K.A. Valian reviewed, and after a short hiatus with a broken computer, Poet Bucky has started joining us again. I have to thank Bucky for some parts of this chapter, because we had a discussion regarding Gil's full name in relation to the ancient characters. I managed to take some of her ideas and incorporated them here to make things go more smoothly. So Bucky, my hat's off to you.
Anyway, for those who have received my email, try downloading that song I recommended, and read the last chapter again, starting from when Gil noticed Marshall's body on the car, to when Chatman drives him away in the van. In my opinion, the music helps "enhance" your experience in that scene. So if you haven't tried it already, try it out. If you want the song, email me and I'll give you a link.
Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. Martin Scorsese owns The Departed. Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak own Infernal Affairs.
Presea finally stirred after that nasty attack from a group of strange people. She could have sworn that Altessa, the one whose experiment put her with Cruxis in the first place, was getting at her again. Shaking her head, she slowly straightened out her body when a cool feeling emanating from her collar caught her attention. She felt along her neck and down, and realized the top two buttons of her shirt were opened. Then finally, she reached the top of her sternum, and found a bandage covering the area. She pressed on the bandage and felt a depression in the centre. Suddenly, it hit her. The Exsphere was gone! Was that why Altessa was here earlier? He really wanted to cure me, she thought.
"Oh good, you're awake," a voice called from beside her. Presea whipped her around and saw the redhead that tackled her. He had a cast on his left wrist, which showed how strong he was, as Presea figured he must have tackled her with one arm. "Zelos Wilder, at your service," he introduced himself, "I can't possibly let a charming lady like you to get hurt with that Exsphere, so I teamed up with them to remove it."
Presea's look of relief turned into a scowl of annoyance. "No offense, but I'd rather keep the Exsphere on than be rescued by a shameless flirt like you," she retorted.
Zelos winced as Presea got onto her feet. Behind them, the group chuckled as they greeted the healed Presea. The first person she approached was the tall, marine-haired man. "Regal Bryant, thank you for everything, I heard about Alicia working in Altamira. I know how much she said she enjoyed working with you, so thank you for taking good care of her while she was there. I actually do know about her death. When the Exsphere was removed, some memories from the last years are coming back. One was from when Cruxis had me, and they told me about her," she grabbed Regal's hand, "I don't hold you responsible. If anything, it's this twisted organization bent on destroying the world."
Regal smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you, Presea," Regal replied, "I know it's hard for you to deal with her death. That's why I promised on her life that I would do everything in my power to make things right."
Presea nodded, satisfied and thankful of his efforts. Then, she moved onto the dwarf in the group. Altessa stared at her, still feeling guilty at his experiment that caused the death of Alicia, and nearly hurt Presea as well. "I know you're not ready to forgive me yet, and I don't expect you to feel a hundred percent about it," Altessa murmured, his back hunched and eyes looking at the floor, "But I hope that little gesture of healing you his at least allowed me to pay back some of what I've done."
Presea looked at him. Part of her pitied his situation, as Cruxis tended to be quite forceful in their attempts to make others obey, yet she was still angry at Altessa's at best reluctance to help, which ultimately left her with three years of lost time. "I'll try my best to look on the brighter side, but I think it'll take some time before I'm ready to make up with you," she decided, "But when I'm ready, I hope you can make it happen."
Lastly, Presea moved onto Gil. "So for the last month, you're the one I've been hunting down," she said, "And likewise, you've been trying to hunt me down."
Gil smiled. "That's the life of a mole, I guess," he retorted, "But now that you're back to normal, I guess it's time for me to show all my cards. I've made my choice, and that is to finish off Cruxis once and for all. Forcystus has harmed way too many people, and now, with the balance of the world at stake, everybody's in danger. But he still thinks I'm dead, meaning I have the advantage and the element of surprise, so I have to rely on you," he explained, "What choice will you make? Join us and contribute to police after all those years of spying, or sit out and be forever shrouded by your sins?"
Now it was Presea's turn to feel guilty. True, she deceived the police, particularly her SIU colleagues, for three years, but if she turned it around now, she might not have a job left. The police was bound to demand answers for her conduct, and that would mean at least an internal investigation. "Make up your mind quickly. We don't have much time left," Gil warned, "The world's falling apart as of we speak, and with Derris Kharlan supposedly at its closest point tomorrow, who knows what the extra mana could do."
Suddenly, Presea's head shot up. "I heard something about that from Forcystus yesterday," she remembered, "It was when I answered the doorbell and found your tape. I was on the phone with him, and he said he wanted help programming a mana connection with the comet. He said something about using the mana from Derris Kharlan as his main power source so he could make the world his own way or something like that."
"And all the more we have to act quickly," Gil replied, "I want someone to get into Cruxis headquarters while the police attacks are coordinated from the outside. It has to be done tonight because the military base from Triet is sending in troops to assist us in emergency situations. With the extra staff around, we can get police officers into Cruxis and destroy them once and for all. But Zelos has already been exposed as a mole, and I'm not exactly mobile right now, so it has to be you. This is our only chance, will you help?"
"SIU Team 1, keep on standby near the Cruxis base. Make sure nobody is coming in or out of the area, especially civilian vehicles," Captain Burton ordered, "SIU Team 2, you're in charge of the area one block north. It's expected that the location of the Derris Kharlan connector is located somewhere on the northern outskirts of town. Cut the Cruxis guys off when they come out. Team 3, report your location…"
As promised by Presea, the operation to destroy Cruxis would be on. Gil was on the field in his Audi V8, still pretending to be dead while Presea had returned to Cruxis to help Forcystus program the connection. Presea confirmed that Forcystus also believed the police mole had been killed already, courtesy of Gil and Captain Noishe circulating a report earlier suggesting the police mole was killed in the shootout the day before. "He still thinks Chatman Collins is the mole," Presea reported, "Why Chatman though?"
"He's been one of my closest friends in Cruxis, and although the few times you met him you saw a loudmouth, I truly felt he had the brains to go really far. Besides, he's always the one trying to locate the mole, so might as well make it him, right?" Gil replied on his cell phone. Turning back to the two-way radio, he informed Noishe of the current situation. "Forcystus is just about to make his entrance into the base, so get ready."
Gil put his radio down as he could hear Noishe relaying the orders to SIU. Sitting in the driver seat, Lloyd looked on nervously as he pondered his first undercover case. It had been nearly a decade since he was this close with his father, and not even two days after finding out about his identity and all that Gil did behind his back, he was with Gil cracking possibly the biggest case in Iselia history. "You really think we can make it through?" he asked his father, "We have to get it done, or that's it for everyone."
Gil looked at his son. Part of him felt his son still had a long way to go before he could become a successful person, but part of him felt proud of Lloyd at all the progress and maturation he made throughout the last month alone. "When it's gut-check time, you really don't have a choice," Gil responded, "That's the message Chief Marshall told me whenever I whined about wanting to give up. With an extremist organization like this and so many connections to dangerous equipment, can I really afford to give in?"
"So I guess this mission is partially for the chief as well, right?" Lloyd asked, "He was killed when Cruxis threw him off the building, and you're finishing the job for him?"
"It's not just the chief's death that's affecting me," Gil replied, "Many people died in this battle against Cruxis: him, your mother, Alicia, even two friends I had in Cruxis. I always say that the damages a mole gets in his career cannot be seen, and it's because the pain and suffering are internal. The psychological stress this mission on me is harder than anything else, and I'm just glad you're willing to go with me on this."
Just then, Presea called Gil again on the cell phone. "Forcystus is about to head out, so get the police units ready," she instructed Gil. Heeding the order, Gil got on his two-way and radioed Noishe and Burton. Within seconds, a series of police vehicles roared through the streets, following the Cruxis group from a safe distance. Not a word was spoken in the vehicles of either group as they headed for their destination. Presea could only look on nervously as they neared city limits, the lights fading from behind her.
They finally reached their destination as Cruxis members filed out of the vehicles and onto the grass. Forcystus had the technical crew set up his platform to prepare for the connection to be made to Derris Kharlan. But Presea picked up her laptop and headed for a different direction. "Forcystus told me that the programming for his machine works best from higher elevations, so I'm just going to higher ground," she informed the group.
When nobody objected, she sneaked off around a small hill. Discretely, she sat in the shadows, blending in perfectly with the geography. She flipped open the laptop and slipped in an internet connection card. "It's my turn to perform," she muttered to herself.
As these events unfolded, Lloyd and Gil observed from a distance. It was still in everyone's best interests that Gil did not associate himself with police yet, but to have Gil present during Forcystus' act, Lloyd was told to follow from afar and park their vehicle somewhere else. As they neared the outskirts, Gil told Lloyd to stop the Audi and kept an eye on the outside. Lloyd borrowed Gil's binoculars to zoom in on Cruxis as Gil went back on his radio and notified Noishe and Burton. "Where are you guys?" Gil asked the captains, "Shouldn't your controls van be here already?"
"We're almost there. Just give us a few more minutes," Noishe replied. Sighing, Gil put the radio down and waited patiently, eyes trained on the Cruxis crowd gathered around the strange platform. Father and son were of two different attitudes, with Lloyd all excited and anxious to teach Cruxis a lesson, while Gil seemed bored and uninterested. From the binoculars, Lloyd could see Forcystus and a few assistants wandering around the platform, pressing various buttons and switches, with lights flashing in several places. The spiky-haired teen could only wonder what the sophisticated machines were all about.
Suddenly, the silence was cut through with a shrill ring. Gil picked up his cell to answer, leaving Lloyd to look away from the platform and at his father, curious to know what was happening. After a minute or so, Gil had what he wanted. "Lloyd, let's go," Gil commanded as he put his cell phone away, "The intercepting program has been initiated and we're going in for the attack." With that, he whipped out his radio and forwarded the message to police. Lloyd turned on the engine and pulled the car away from the road.
Forcystus could not stop beaming as he realized just how close he was to his goal. He had been involved in this since the first day, when he formed Cruxis over ten years ago. He was actually recruited by an older half-elf, who had been voicing the overhaul of the world and required younger half-elves to take charge. This half-elf claimed to have been to Derris Kharlan, and came down from there with orders from a radical new leader that took control of the comet and was bent on using its mana to influence to world. With Rodyle's technological skills, they managed to set up a communication connection with the comet, getting in touch with the leader shortly after Cruxis formation.
But it was also through this decade that Forcystus' ambition grew as well. Kvar and Magnius were not interested in this radical approach, and were more interested in the money-making schemes. It was they who rejected the first calls to re-create the vision of the fallen hero Mithos, and even had the old half-elf killed off when he spoke against them. It was through this that Forcystus realized those two were not worthy, and must be disposed at all costs. It was through Gil that he managed to destroy the Cruxis branches from inside, all under the assumption that a police mole was around.
In the end, he was convinced that the mole had been taken care of, and it was one that had been with Gil when he took out Kvar and Magnius. "Chatman, always the weird one," Forcystus murmured, "How did he hide it for that long?" It also explained why there was fewer police involvement into his activities during the time he sent them to the other areas, as he figured Chatman had probably asked the police to suspend operations just to let him do his thing. "Smart move, but not smart enough," Forcystus said smugly.
"Sir, we're just about ready to start," one Cruxis member informed him. Forcystus nodded, granting permission to operate. The machine, just like the mana cannon, had a group of Exspheres powering it. Little did the police know, but Forcystus had a set of Exspheres made as well. Although there was not as large a quantity as Rodyle, it was still enough to power the machine, and send mana into space to connect with the comet.
The machine shot a bright beam of mana into the air, the beacon of victory for Cruxis, and in Forcystus' eyes, half-elves. The final step to their world would finally take place. As this happened, Forcystus could not help but think back to Gil, who had been in the Rodyle incident, and could no longer join them in the new world. Apart from his experience, the main reason he sent Gil there was because Gil was the only human in Iselia's Cruxis. Forcystus and his Derris Kharlan associate insisted that only half-elves were allowed to partake in the final move and that meant they had to remove Gil. He originally doubted sacrificing his best lieutenant, but in the end went with it. "Humans are inferior anyway, so just make use of them, and then discard them," he told himself.
Suddenly, the machine wheezed and slowed, the mana beam slowly fading to a sliver. Forcystus' hopeful expression turned into a frown. "What's going on?" the green-haired half-elf demanded, "Why isn't it working? Fix it, right now!"
As Cruxis members scurried around the platform, trying to locate the error, a series of searchlights flashed on. The Cruxis team was cornered like a wounded animal as a voice from a loudspeaker called out, "This is the Iselia police. We have you surrounded! Surrender now or we'll use force against you!"
Mass chaos ensued as Cruxis members were caught completely off guard. The police charged in like predators on a hunt, grabbing and apprehending several close-by Cruxis members. Forcystus barked out a series of orders, with some members grabbing their weapons, while others continued to fix the machine. In the midst of the confusion, the SIU and SWAT teams raced in, many with their guns drawn and ready to fire. In seconds, bullets whizzed and sizzled through the air as the two sides had an all-out war on the field. The ambush was clearly successful, and Cruxis was at a disadvantage.
"Can't you fools do anything right?" Forcystus yelled, although it was unsure whether it was directed at the Cruxis fighters or the programmers. Seeing that his men were dropping like flies, he decided to take action. Operating on his arm again, the big arm cannon re-emerged and formed, giving Forcystus the most firepower out of all the people present. Aiming at the centre of the police team, he sent a blast of mana in that direction. The large explosion created a fireball that lit up the night sky, sending people from both sides tumbling in every direction. "Take that, inferior beings!" he shouted.
Despite the setback, the police seemed determined to end the battle once and for all. Regrouping within seconds, the teams bore down at them once more, penetrating into Cruxis' last line of defence. With fighters dwindling, Forcystus loaded up again and fired, this time blowing a hole into the police's formation. As some members of the SWAT team suffered mana burns, Forcystus then decided to cast a mana spell of his own. "How about some air?" he sneered at the police as he released a series of sharp air blades. That managed to blow back whatever remaining SWAT members still standing.
Just as he surveyed the scene for more police officers, the SIU sent in a sniping unit and began picking off the technologists one by one. The pops from the sniping rifles signalled the deaths of each technologist. By the time Forcystus managed to locate the SIU snipers, his entire programming crew were on the floor drenched in their own blood. "No inferior police team can stop this," he muttered. He concentrated his mana at the hills, and surrounded it with a ball of wind, slicing and cutting at all those hiding behind there. As snipers tried to escape, Forcystus aimed his arm cannon again and shot another blast. The violent explosion sent dirt, grass, and snipers flying through the air.
Seeing the scene somewhat clearly before him, Forcystus made a beeline towards the hills on the side. Whipping out his cell phone, he dialled for Presea demanding that she took over the control on programming the platform. "If that platform's mana can't be detected by Derris Kharlan, all our plans will be wasted," he murmured angrily.
Just then, he could hear the shrill ring of a phone piercing through the night and amidst all the firing. He glanced to the side and saw Presea, cell phone in hand, get to her feet and stepping away from her laptop. She had a defiant look, which puzzled the Cruxis leader until he saw two figures march into the scene from the shadows. One was a spiky-haired teen in a T-shirt, baggy jeans and skater shoes; the other was a man on crutches, wearing a dark leather jacket, dress pants, and dress shoes. Even in the dim conditions, Forcystus could make out the identity of these strangers, especially the man with the unmistakable goatee. "Gil Irving, you're alive," he stated, shocked.
"You thought you could kill me off?" Gil retorted, "Not a chance. And now my son and I ought to get some payback for what you did to the two of us."
Forcystus fumed. "So this is it, a mutiny," he spat angrily, "You plan to betray me after all that you've accomplished here. And you," he continued, turning to Presea, "did you happen to forget you still have an Exsphere on you? Its functions may be suspended, but should I activate them, you'll be dead for sure. I still have the cure, and until I release you from the Exsphere, you're still under my control! You hear me?"
Then, Presea smiled, taking off her jacket and unbuttoned the first two buttons on her shirt. It revealed a bandage wrapped around her collar. She loosened it and showed her sternum. The Exsphere was gone! "You've been outsmarted, Forcystus," Presea told the Cruxis leader, "Gil contacted me earlier and we had the Exsphere removed. You no longer have any control over me, and that means I can do what I want now." With that, she pulled out a gun of her own and pointed it at Forcystus. "I've been asked by you and Rodyle to join the police, I guess now's the time for me to act like a police officer."
That last statement officially pushed Forcystus to the edge. Realizing that he had fallen into a trap, he seethed in anger. "No pathetic inferior beings can destroy me!" he roared. Whipping his cannon arm around, he pointed it at Presea. He prepared to fire it at her when suddenly he was thrown to the ground. Any mana that he attempted to charge in the cannon dissipated and dispersed harmlessly into the air.
Forcystus glanced up to see a certain spiky-haired teen's angry face, mirroring that of his own. Lloyd clenched a fist and clocked the Cruxis leader across the face. "This one is for my mom!" he shouted as the punch connected, bloodying Forcystus' nose.
But Lloyd did not stop there, as he untangled himself from the tackle and got to his feet. Turning around, he kicked the Cruxis leader hard in the ribs, twice. "And these are for Colette, and Mrs. Sage!" he continued. Forcystus howled in pain, rolling on the ground as Lloyd turned to his head. Their poses truly illustrated who was in the superior position, with Lloyd towering over the fallen Cruxis leader. "And this one, it's for my car." Reeling his leg back, Lloyd prepared to deal his final hit.
But it never connected, as Forcystus manage to raise a hand and held onto Lloyd's foot. Even when weakened, the large half-elf could still pack a punch, swinging Lloyd's leg around and hurling the teen onto the ground. "I have Derris Kharlan's power, that's more than you'll ever control," Forcystus growled, "You're messing with the wrong person, kid. I won't go down that easily. Three-on-one, I'll take you all down."
Just as Forcystus was about to ram Lloyd with his cannon, a shot rang out and struck his right shoulder. Wincing in pain, he turned around only to see Gil point his own gun at him. Gil no longer had two crutches, discarding the left crutch and exhibiting a heavier lean on his right crutch, the side with the broken leg, while he gripped the gun with his left hand. "I don't care much for Cruxis, but I've always said that if you so much lay a finger on my son, I'll kill you on the spot," Gil warned, his tone filled with venom, "And in case you're wondering, I can shoot with my left hand just as well as my right."
Another shot was fired, this time from Presea's gun, and hitting Forcystus' left shoulder right above the cannon. "Neither Gil or I cared much for Cruxis, since I'm forced here against my free will. If this is the half-elf utopia you're supporting, where other races are merely your slaves, then I'll fight it at all costs. In fact, that's what Gil's been doing all these years. In case you haven't known yet, Gil's the undercover cop in Cruxis for the last ten years, and his mission is finally going to end," she revealed.
Finally, Forcystus could see his fate sealed before him. It was always Gil's intent to destroy him, yet Gil was also the man he trusted the most in Cruxis. Now, with Presea healed, Forcystus truly had no card left to play. Lloyd slowly got to his feet, just in time to hear Forcystus utter one last line, "Glory to the new age of half-elves." As it was said, two guns fired at the same time, with Presea's shot hitting Forcystus right in the chest, and Gil's shot nailing him in the forehead. The Iselia Cruxis leader slumped to the ground for the last time. The threat that hounded them for all these years was finally gone.
The ovation received by both Gil and Presea were nothing short of spectacular as they returned to the police station. Police officers clapped and cheered as they strode through the offices. Lloyd could not help but admire the appreciation the police showed them, even with Presea likely to be subject to an internal investigation, and Gil was not known to be an active police officer. Captain Burton exited his office to shake their hands and congratulated them on a job well done. "Captain Noishe is waiting in his office for you. I'm sure you'll like what he has to say," he informed Gil with a wink.
Gil smiled, knowing what he meant. He gave Presea one last look before clopping off on his crutches. As he left, Burton requested that Presea surrender her badge for now. "It's only right that we go through the proper procedure," he explained, "Although under your circumstances, I'll definitely vouch for you to get your name cleared."
Presea gave up without complaint, removing her identification from her wallet and placing the card and her badge into her superior's hands. Lloyd truly felt sorry for her, as she had done so much to help Gil defeat Forcystus. Nevertheless, he had to have faith in the justice system, and hoped that Presea would regain her humanity and freedom in the end. Watching as Burton marched Presea into his office, Lloyd soldiered on, going to the other side of the floor. He went into the Major Crimes Unit, with its entrance located on the same floor, but the office actually one floor above the SIU.
Gil was at the secretary's desk, checking in with the receptionist. Despite the slow and clumsy movements with the crutches, Lloyd could see in Gil's posture and walking pace that Gil had not been happier or more upbeat. Inside, Lloyd truly felt proud as well, as this would be the first time in ten years that he got to interact normally with his father again. He observed his father for another moment or so before Captain Noishe came out of his office and summoned Gil. "I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" Gil instructed Lloyd.
The last thing Gil saw was Lloyd nodding and grinning enthusiastically, taking a seat on a nearby couch as Noishe closed the office door. Pulling out several files, Noishe explained to Gil the procedure to restore his identity. "Once I got everything into the computer, I can reinstate you into the force. Chief Marshall's computer has your file, but since both of us have the password, it's not that hard for me to access it from here," he described, "And in case you're wondering, the password's a combination of your middle name and my former owner's surname, William and Aurion."
Gil cocked an eyebrow. "My middle name I understand, but why your former owner's name?" he asked, "Aurion isn't exactly common nowadays, is it?"
"It's significant because to an extent, your name has components of both fathers of my former owner Lloyd," Noishe replied, his eyes focused on the computer as he clicked on the undercover detectives database, "Gilbert is Kratos' middle name, and your middle name William is the name of Lloyd's adoptive grandfather. His foster father is Dirk Irving, which everyone knows by now, but Dirk's father is named William. Like Dirk, he's a dwarf that specializes in crafts, and that's where Dirk and Lloyd got their skills from. It makes your full name, Gilbert William Irving, very special."
Gil chuckled. "And I assume all these stories about how the Reunification hero appealed to dwarven vows when things go bad came from these two?" he asked.
Noishe nodded, a large grin spreading across his face as he typed on his computer. "Even during those days, the dwarven vows were on their way out. But William and Dirk were two stubborn buggers, and they kept the dwarven tradition alive. William died a year or so after Dirk adopted Lloyd, so Dirk used every means necessary to teach Lloyd the dwarven vows. He even resorted to not giving Lloyd dinner if Lloyd didn't remember the vows properly. You can imagine why he became such an idealist for them."
"Do you think Kratos would be happy with the way things are in the world, even when Derris Kharlan, where he's supposed to be, is used as the source to destroy us?" Gil asked, "I assume he'll try to take action against these extremists, wouldn't he?"
Noishe shrugged. "I haven't spoken to him for centuries, so I can't say for sure. I doubt he'll be happy with those Derris Kharlan half-elves that are planning a war against us, but at the same time, with our stability and progress, I'm sure he'll find a silver lining in that." Noishe pressed the enter key and printed the documents for Gil. Stepping away from his desk, he marched to the printer to fetch the files, leaving Gil by himself.
As he waited for Noishe to return, a very disturbing development was happening back at the platform. While everyone thought it had been disabled, and police were busy taking care of their injured, the original beam of mana actually did reach the comet. The last actions by Gil and Presea, particularly the shooting of Forcystus, were seen perfectly by those on Derris Kharlan, and the leader was none too satisfied with their betrayal. Immediately, she sent a series of fighters down to the planet.
The warriors with white, feathery wings and strange looking armour materialized from the platform and appeared before the police, firing off a series of mana beams and blowing them back. The lead angel glanced around to see some police cars that already left, and beckoned his team to chase. "I'm sure the traitors are with them, so follow them at all costs. Pronyma has her set of punishments ready for them once we bring them in," he commanded, "Look for a short pink-haired woman or a tall man on crutches."
Noishe organized the files one last time before returning to his unit. Lloyd had been sitting in the waiting room, patiently as ever as the former Protozoan prepared everything that brought his father back into the force. Noishe was about to tell Lloyd the good news when the secretary interrupted him. "Phone call from the military," she stated.
Noishe gave Lloyd a helpless look as he grabbed the phone. To his surprise, it was the voice of Sheena, the summoning expert calling from the site of the Mana Tree. "I got some really strange developments here," she reported, "The Mana Tree is supposed to be destroyed, but yet we're getting increasing sources of mana from the ground. It's not the unstable kind where it's random fluctuation, but a steady stream that increases at a constant rate. The military experts are saying there may be yet another summon spirit hiding here, and suggested I call you to get some advice. Can you help us?"
Noishe racked his brain, trying to remember the events. "The original summoner had all the spirits, and then summoned Martel to make the Derris Kharlan connection. She gets sacrificed, and the summoner asked the spirits to guard the Mana Tree, and sent the most powerful one to protect the roots to ensure its survival. I got it!" he recalled, "That mana source is from Origin, who's been asked by your namesake to make sure the Mana Tree survives any threat. If the tree was to be damaged in any way, shape, or form, Origin would begin gathering mana to create a new seed of some sort. But based on the instability of the world, I've always doubted that this could be done in time."
"So what do you mean, is there another summon spirit that I have to deal with?" Sheena demanded, "How could we be missing one, especially the most important one?"
"Origin has always been hard to find, but I just never figured that he'd still be trying to keep the world together even when we're falling apart this quickly. Summon him and use all the mana possible, including your summon spirits, to restore the seed as completely as possible. We can still save the world that way," Noishe explained.
"Where am I going to get all that mana? I'm not a mage!" Sheena responded.
Just then, Noishe's eye caught Lloyd still seated there, which reminded him of the abilities Lloyd's friends gained during their stay as refugees in Tethe'alla. "Genis and Raine are mana users, maybe they can help," Noishe answered, "Contact them and…"
His conversation was interrupted by a loud explosion from his office. The blast rocked the entire unit, so much that even Lloyd and the secretary were thrown to the ground. Noishe tried to stay on his feet, but amidst the chaos, he could see several beings with wings float into his office and grabbed Gil. "Angels," he murmured. Putting the phone down, he charged forward with his gun and began firing.
The front two angels were hit as they tried to drag Gil out, but as Noishe stepped forward, the wounded angels swung their staffs at the police captain, beating him back and causing him to trip over Gil's abandoned crutches. As Noishe struggled to maintain balance and firing away, another two angels appeared and grabbed Gil. The leader of the group shot another mana blast into the office before leaving, mumbling something inaudible. From the mess, Noishe could hear the words "Derris Kharlan" being uttered.
Lloyd managed to crawl into the office just in time to see Gil screaming for help and Noishe blasting the two angels with another shot. He then stumbled to whatever was left of his window and emptied his gun, hoping to hit the angels flying away. Lloyd went to the hole on the wall as well, trying to get a glimpse. "Dad!" he yelled.
But it was no good, as the angels had carried Gil off into the night. Still stunned by the attack, Lloyd turned to Noishe and asked, "Just what in the world are those guys?"
Noishe panted heavily, his hand still shaking after all the shooting. "They're angels," he replied, "In the Reunification they're half-elves with enhanced abilities given by an Exsphere. I never thought they existed anymore. But apparently, there's more to Cruxis than that meets the eye, especially coming from Derris Kharlan."
Lloyd's eyes grew to the size of billiard balls. "Angels? From Derris Kharlan?" he sputtered, "They just took my dad up to the comet? That's impossible!"
Noishe climbed back through the rubble, over the dead bodies of the angels, Gil's crutches, and out of his office. "We don't have a choice, Lloyd," he responded, "We have to act. Call up your friends. We require all the help we can get right now!"
Just to set the record straight, ancient Lloyd's adoptive grandfather, AKA Dirk Irving's father, is named William Irving. Kratos' full name is "Kratos Gilbert Aurion" and Gil's full name is "Gilbert William Irving". And as for whether the two counterparts will actually meet...read and find out!