Angels of Cruxis
by: Fehize

---

"Wanna charge?!? Lightning Blade!" came a scream as the small, little half-elf threw his hand in the air as he summoned forth a large sword from the heavens. The air crackled as the little bolts of lightning hit the surrounding areas.

A certain wind coming forth from the dark night was blowing around through what seemed to be a battle field. There was a rush of heat as metal touched metal; as lightning arched throughout the sky. With only a few moments or rest, the sky danced with more effects than normal.

The certain wind was not normal, like the rest of the other winds that blew through these ancient ruins. It began to circle into one massive twist, arching itself on the ground before going vertical. It was a whirlwind of green air, spinning fast; attracting three small figures. Such figures began to spin, and each of them tried to stay in a defensive position as much as they could before being plunged upon the ground. One of them managed to stay upright and then brandished a golden-brown sword, curved and made with a lovely design in mind. She lunged her body forward, her feathers behind her fluttering fast to propel herself towards a figure dressed in red.

With sudden accuracy, one silver sword ripped through the wing, and the other blocked off the attack that the feathered female tried to bring forth. With a quick and happy grin, the young teenager threw the feathered figure off towards a rock where she plopped and fell limp. Two more cries rang out in the wind, but a certain white haired figure in the background howled something new, and a large stone rose from the ground, piercing one more fluttering female.

The last one held forth a bow, but she soon flew up into the sky. With the wind still rising over the people's voices, every sound that was being made could not be heard unless you dwelled among the ebbs of the flow. Aiming down, her indigo hair billowing, she sent forth a volley of arrows, thinking she was safe since she was using height as an advantage. With precision, the arrows stabbed through the sleeve of the red dressed boy, and the other almost hit the spell caster. However, just when the female was about to send out another volley, the brown-headed teenager on the floor smiled.

In a flash, green-blue wings erupted from his back as he zoomed up to her height. Stunned, the female could do nothing as a silver blade touched her neck. Sighing, she motioned she forfeited and then they both gently descended towards the ground level. The moon was already hitting the white marble flooring as well as the round seal that a certain Chosen had unleashed only hours prior.

Small words echoed from the floor. "Ah, SHIT! Yutis! WE lost!"

"Fairess, we wouldn't have lost if you only flew up ten more feet!"

Lloyd Aurion laughed slightly as he checked to see his shirt. There was a small rip from where the arrow hit him, but he couldn't feel the pain. With his two fingers he quickly pointed at himself to heal that one wound, and then took a walk over towards Genis, who was scratched here and there. With a small mutter, both were in full health relatively soon. Sitting down, Lloyd brought out a little sack with thread and needle and began to patch up their clothing in little stitches to make sure no one - not even the young Seraphim's father - could realize that they went fighting with a Summon Spirit.

"How the hell could we have won?!? He was a friggen ANGEL! He was all BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! RAY! HOLY LANCE! BAM BAM BAM! And then, there goes the little midget goin' all 'I'm gonna burn ya suckers into a big ball of DoOm!!!!'" Fairess, the one with the pink hair and petal-looking things for wings, argued.

"Well," began Yutis, the blue one, "I believe we lost decently. In fact, I'm amazed he won with only two people. Neer nerr." Obviously, she was taunting.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"SISTERS!" yelled the one in green. (Lloyd didn't exactly pick up her name.) "You outta be ashamed of yourselves. Come. We lost, now he must be allowed to set the pact. Stop acting like idiots. I'm sure that after almost 2,000 years of captivity you want to move and stretch your wings, but we have a duty to perform first!" In the background, Genis muttered something that made the red-clothed duel swordsman laugh. With a sudden quickness, the feathered member of the trio turned to face Lloyd. "Lloyd Aurion! State your means of the pact!"

Inside his mind, Lloyd was happy. He was getting his second Summon Spirit underneath his grips, and that would leave...a whole lot more left. BUT, at least he would be able to say he has at least two. "Sylph! I vow that I shall prevent people from befalling under the same fate that my mom went through, no matter what!"

"Fine," muttered Fairess as she rubbed her buttocks. Genis had landed a pretty nice hit there with his Mana. "Just don't let that elf-kid run around and zap my ass no more!"

With a swift thonking noise, Yutis slammed her palm into the pink one's head. "Fairess, shut up."

---

Sheena was beginning to run as fast as she could, spending almost no time resting before picking up the trail again to head towards the northern pass where she was certain that Lloyd and everyone else were at. Inside her heart, she wondered why Cruxis couldn't help her, or her world! But she trusted Yuan in the sense that if she killed someone from this world, her world will stay safe. Mizuho will stay safe.

And Kratos? And Lloyd? Yuan said to try to capture Lloyd. How the hell was she supposed to do that? Walk up to him? And then, if she could manage to get near him, his father would come out and show the side that she was quite sure she never wanted to see. She has heard horror stories from Lloyd when he was young; stories he thought were neat, cool, awesome, and exciting.

They scared the shit out of her.

"Sheena? Corrine wants to know if you are ok. You seem really down and stuff like that. Are you worried that you are lost?" A little bell chime was what symbolized that Corrine was following her footsteps. "Corrine says that everything is going to turn out to be alright, and that nothing would go wrong. Please understand that, Sheena! Corrine still loves you!"

A small smile formed on her face. It has been days, weeks, maybe a month since the run in with that mysterious skeleton. Outside from that, she had heard news from riders, flying on dragons, that the Chosen's group had already entered Asgard and for their last trip before heading south towards the pass north of Palmacosta.

At the corner of her eye, she could see a group of many people standing around. Hmm... she thought as she distanced herself from them. It was rather odd seeing so many people huddle together like that. One sat away from the rest of them, but the others were all laughing and teasing each other. Well, all except this one clothed dude. With a small patter of her feet, she allowed herself to get closer to them. There were many steep hills in the area, so she began to climb up one of them silently.

"-easiest amount of Gald I have made in a while, I must admit! What do you think, Lady Martel?"

"I think it's wrong, sick, and disgusting... Yet this ruby speaks for itself, sadly."

"That's the spirit, Lady Martel! We'll make you a stronger fighter yet! People will fear you and your very pointy stick!"

"Hmph. I believe we should be going sometime soon. Loido, Coletta, Jineasa, and Martel, we must get ready to go. Asgard is waiting for the Chosen."

"Krantus..." came a reply from a girl dressed in blue. Sheena snuck in a bit closer to see everyone in greater detail. There seemed to be a lady with green hair walking around next to them. In one hand, she held some really sharp looking stick. Personally, it was nothing that Sheena couldn't really handle, but nevertheless it was her mission to find the Chosen: NOT meddle around with this new and strange group of people. 'Asgard is waiting for the Chosen,' eh? Looks like I'm almost there.

Yet...Lloyd and Kratos. Those two people. Hell, even Noishe! What am I supposed to do then? Sure, for NOW it's a search and stalk method - granting I must be far away enough to not be spotted - but at the Thoda Gyser? My actual attack point? Damn all of this to hell! Why couldn't it have been a simple, one sweep kill?!? Why couldn't I only have to attack that Chosen with no Lloyd or the rock of his father!?!? Goddess MARTEL it all!

What was that girl's name again?

No way. There are fakes over here, too?

With swiftness and with a new-found eagerness, she edged her body even closer. No, she was not claiming this woman to be Martel, but there were always those few crazy-heads who claimed they were. Those crazy people tended to get a whole lot of gifts, and WAY too much credit. It was always funny to see the fakes get exposed, though. But, if she was a fake, that could mean only one thing:

The Chosen was on her way. (Or at least, that's what Sheena personally thinks. In Melitokio, a couple of 'Martels' came about to see Zelos. So, she's assuming it's happening here as well.) "Corrine. I think we should follow these people momentarily. I believe that they know more or less where the Chosen could be. At the least, they can guide us all the way towards the pass.

That Martel lady, though... She seemed to be the most intriguing of all the characters. She couldn't place it exactly with her tongue, but it was something to further investigate. She seemed really young, and oddly enough...her physical looks came actually REALLY close to the statues hanging around what Zelos - the perv - had called his "Wonderful and Enticing Church of Love!"

---

Lloyd yawned slightly as he snuggled his body closer towards his father's. Sometimes, his dad said he was 'too old to follow the same child-like manner,' but it ALWAYS made him feel all fuzzy inside, and he loved feeling fuzzy. If he could close his eyes and think really hard, he could sometimes remember a light stroke that did not come from his dad. It seemed to be gentler... But, that memory was always hard to come by.

They were spending the night nearby the northern pass that would eventually lead them south towards Palmacosta. His father said it was an ocean, but he has yet to see one up close. Colette, Raine, and Genis were all huddled around the fire, but Lloyd was happily snuggling up next to his Daddy.

Daddy. He rarely uses that word, lately. But now...it seems that he want to use it more. Dad seemed so formal, but Daddy seemed neater and much more...closer. He LOVED his dad - er... Daddy - sooooo much. Whenever he needed something, his dad was there. His Daddy was there. Be it from things ranging from a slight scratch to a worrisome thought from his child, Lloyd could tell his dad basically anything.

Yet, this Summon Spirit thing was still on the hush-hush side. He thinks he should wait a bit before explaining that to his Daddy. He didn't want his dad to know yet, mainly for the fact he was afraid of what his father would tell him. Would he be happy about it, or would he upset? Now, Lloyd was never told about how Mithos gained his powers, but he does know that his dad said it dealt with something called the 'Ruling Forces of Mana', which is either a) the ancient Khlarlan Tree (which is technically called the Kharlan Seed as it's...a seed...Yeah...) or b) something dealing with Summon Spirits. Then, there was something dealing with the Eternal Sword, but his dad never fully explained that detail to him. Oh well.

And if that was the case, Lloyd Aurion, the newest Seraphim, would be screwed over by his dad before Mithos could even blink.

Two Summon Spirits down and only too many left. As for Origin, he wasn't even going to bother with that. After all, the whole 'Dad's tied to it' ordeal isn't making the seal worth it. Come on, the Summon Spirit pacts are only 'cause he's getting bored, and fighting in Lloyd a 'la Angel is fun! And with Genis there, it's even MORE fun! (Besides, it gives Genis more practice.)

"Dad? Hey, Daddy? I got a question."

There was some silence as Kratos' eyes took a few moments to look at him. They were earlier residing among the stars hanging high above. Lloyd could only guess that his father was thinking about his mom, Anna. Sometimes, it worried the Seraphim's child that his dad dwelled upon the past so often. Sometimes, Lloyd saw the frowns and sad looks that were hidden from everyone else.

He also saw the looks that his father gives him when Lloyd does something that his mom did before.

"Ask away, Lloyd," began the Seraphim as he finally did a small hug back. It was quick, but at least it was a hug! Or something like a hug.

"I was wondering. Once the Journey is over... What ARE we going to do? I mean, since..." Lloyd kept his voice in a really low, quiet tone. Colette was still around nearby, and she could hear almost as well - or just about - as he could. 'Course, his dad was better, but that was 'cause his dad had years of experience. "Since," he continued as his brown hair moved slightly in the breeze, "she has the closest signature to Martel... Say Martel comes back. Then what? Would we start making the Age of Lifeless Beings, like Mithos wants?"

Lloyd didn't know wither he said something wrong, but his dad certainly tensed up. Mainly, the sudden change in attitude came when Lloyd had uttered the words 'Age of Lifeless Beings.' He didn't understand what was wrong, but to the stars...they knew.

They understood what was going on through a certain Seraphim's head as he turned to face his son. It was apparent that this man's child, a child who looks like any average teenager, had almost no heart for anything outside of Cruxis. The child was raised under Cruxis' hand; raised to become a good Angel. The child understood friendship, love, hate, fear, and order, but his childhood had also been one that claimed anything of an inferior race could be used. Humans and Chosens were to be tools and have no remorse.

"Lloyd...do you feel anything for what the Chosen is going to undergo?" came a soft question. The embrace of father to son had paused momentarily, and the question was making a brown-headed person wonder what his father was thinking.

"Well...she is my friend and all, but isn't she supposed to...you know...die for Martel and stuff?" It made a bit sense to Lloyd because Cruxis had always said that reviving Martel, Mithos' sister, was of upmost importance. "Sure, I do feel a bit bad for going to have to make her go through this, but it's all for the better, right? The world will be a better place! Right, Daddy?"

Silence.

---

It was morning as Raine's hair billowed in the wind. As she turned to face the sun rising over the peaks of the mountains, she made sure that everyone was safely behind her. The two Aurions were following Colette, the Chosen One, and her brother was tagging along towards the left of Lloyd. Angels... she thought for a moment. With only one major seal left before the final one located within the Tower of Salvation, they must show more of themselves. Clearly, such Seraphim could not be as strong as these two are letting on. The must be even stronger, less all of my research is indeed wrong.

"Whew! Look at that view everyone!" happily exclaimed the blonde haired teen as she ran to get Lloyd's hand. "Let's go see the top and admire the view, alright?" Without much of an answer, the Professor saw the eager Chosen grab the stunned teen by the arm even tighter as she ran towards the top. With another second, she grabbed Genis as well. "It'll be fun!"

Raine was tagging along with Kratos now, being as she wasn't exactly going to run off from the edge of the mountainside towards the tip. Besides, with everyone else gone, she could begin to pry a bit more into the 'mercenary's' head. With a little quick shuffle of her feet, she eventually found her way towards the right side of the stoic man. "So..." she began, trying to hide curiosity from her voice. "I understand that you and Lloyd have been around for a while, haven't you? I mean, traveling together and other things around like that."

His response came back in a manner that showed nothing more that could be read between the lines. "Yes, Lloyd and I have been together for a long time."

Thinking of another wise question, she probed in more. "So, apparently, you seem to be at least forty or so, right? That old man at Hima said that he recognized you, and that you haven't aged a bit. Therefore, you somehow found a way to stay young looking in your travels, am I right?"

It seemed that Kratos did not like where the conversation was going. With a quick turn, he aimed his gaze - his glaring one - at the white haired half-elf and then said nothing as he walked to follow his son. Raine could feel herself gulp silently as she stayed rooted to her spot. It seemed to be that she was still frozen by his darn glare.

I'll get my proof yet, Seraphim. If not by you, then by your child. And then...I'll ask what it is that you do. I'll ask if you have seen the Goddess Martel. I'll ask about Cruxis. I'll as to why this cycle of Chosens fail to stay permanent.

---

The view was amazing, as Anna had to admit. She was stunned by the fact that the sheer height made itself quite the viewpoint. It was also very romantic in the sense that there were so many vivid colors. Easily a make-out center had it not been for the simple fact that she was date-less and boyfriend-less. Not that she really cared, but...

Her fortelling's eye hasn't been much help, either. All she saw was a bunch of glitter. Big whooping, doopie doo.

The travels with the 'Chosen's' group were going along rather well. They have made a whole crap-loads amount of bling bling, but...sometimes she wondered where they got it from. Earlier yesterday they had run into a group of thieves who attacked and tried to KIDNAP her! With some help from Jineasa, Coletta, Krantus, and Loido, as well as her staff, they all attacked the bandits and won. When they pillaged their corpses - NOT under her 'things I like to do' list - there were a lot of precious gems and other whatnot.

"Well, I guess this is where we kinda say good-bye!" said the brown haired Coletta. "Lady Martel, your travel with us has given us much luck, but I am afraid we'll have to leave you here. Your path takes you wherever you said it does, and our takes us to Asgard." It was true. Anna had thought that she should just stay by the pass and make sure that she wouldn't miss them.

"SWEET! You are SOOO right, Colette! This view is amazing! Isn't that right, Genis?"

"It sure is, Lloyd! The colors are awesome!"

"I think so too-"

BAM! Something landed right upon Anna's beautiful - if yet, green - hair. She let out a little yelp of pain and shock as a yellow thing fell on her face as well. "Whoops. I think I tripped on something."

"Gemth offf!!!" the green haired, and very much so angry, woman yelled as she tried to kick the attacker off of her. Using her hands, she pulled off the bundle and threw whatever it was towards the ground. "Ouch!" In the background, she heard Loido and Jineasa snicker slightly as she began to dust herself off. Krantus was the only one not doing much of anything as he helped Anna get up.

"Lady Martel, are you alright?" he asked in his deep voice. (It creeped her out sometimes.)

"Yeah, yeah...Oi!" she started right away as she helped the bundle up as well. It took a while, but by then there was a little grey-haired midget and a brown-haired teen huddling around the blonde. It took a while for it to register, but it clicked. This is the Chosen! I remember her!

"Mistress Colette, are you alright?" she questioned as she heard the footsteps of two more people approaching. Make that three as some weird dog thing was coming right after the dude in spandex. Wait. That was Mr. Kratos! It was that man who thought himself really high and mighty and who didn't seem to like her talents all that well.

"Chosen, are you fine?" he asked her, ignoring the fact that she asked that question right before.

In the background, Jineasa, Krantus, Coletta, and Loido all went really quiet before Loido ran up towards Kratos. "Excuse me, but did you just say, 'CHOSEN'?!? I have you know here, MISTER, that Coletta is the real Chosen of the world, sent by the Angels of Heaven herself!"

Anna turned her eyesight from Kratos to Loido, then from Lloyd to Krantus, and then... Ohhhhhhhh... I KNEW these people were punning someone!

"Who are you?" asked Kratos as his eyesight ran the souls of everyone else over. It didn't help that his voice was having little daggers at the end of each syllable. He had yet to see her 'cause she was no longer standing next to Krantus, but still...

Loido pushed his gloves into a fist. "My name is Loido! I'm the leader of this group! This is Coletta, the Chosen of Regeneration! Over here is Krantus, our mercenary! And this is my best friend, Jineasa, our mage!" He pointed straight at the red haired man, who kept his same glare at the man who dared to do such action. "Who do you think you are, FAKES?!?"

Now, the setting was right next to a whole bunch of knights and pilgrims, as well as priests, from the Palmacosta region. With the words 'fakes' tied right next to the words 'Chosen of Regeneration' aimed at the REAL Chosen... Well, you could just tell that the people watching this spectacle were getting rather angry. How dare anyone mimic the Chosen they love so much and care deeply for?

Loido, the idiot, pulled out his double swords as Anna widened her eyes and blinked before watching Jineasa pull out her staff. "Fake Chosens will be dealt with!" they both screamed as they began to launch themselves towards battle positions.

It was going to get ugly really fast.

---

-evil laughter-
Lloyd has almost no heart.

Ahem. Anyways, yup. LATE yet again! EXCEPT, school has begun, which now equals MORE TYPING TIME! Yeah!
-begs for forgiveness once more from Beta- I, Fehize, do so solemnly swear that I will get you to Beta come next chapter! I SWEAR!

Yes. Hope you liked this chapter a WHOLE lot (or at least, kinda). In the next one, expect stuff! Yay for stuff!

As for that pairing question, it has nothing to deal with the story. I was just wondering what the crowd had thought about pairings in general to make sure that I wouldn't stomp on someone's pairings by accident. Now, personally, I like Sheelloyd and Kranna (duh), but I'm not going to force my opinions for my pairings on a story where I try to make little to no romance. Why? I hate doing romance. Especially since pairings ensue war, and that equals bad.

That's not to say no to romance. I guarantee at least one pairing. -evil snicker-

REVIEW FOR REVIEW-EATING MONSTA FEHIZE!!! RAWR!!!!!!!!