Chapter 34: Relief
Lloyd, Sheena, and Zelos had a tense flight to Hima, each with his or her own thoughts, all conversation being impossible in the rush of the wind.
An army, Lloyd thought. Joseph had put together an actual army. This was feeling like their escape from Welgaia, or that terrible journey through the Tower of Salvation when he'd thought he'd lost everyone. Admittedly, Lloyd and his friends weren't in known mortal peril, but the feeling, the feeling that the adventure wasn't fun.
Spurred by the similar depth of feeling, his thoughts drifted to Mithos. He remembered the first time he'd met Yggdrasill, when the angel had completely overpowered Lloyd, Raine, Sheena, and Genis. That had not been a good day, he remembered. His brain, lulled by the surreal sound of the wind, dug through its recollections of Mithos Yggdrasill. Shortly after Mithos' death, Sheena had asked why Lloyd had named the Great Tree after him. Lloyd's answer had been disjointed, more of a series of feelings than a concise answer, but it boiled down to: Yggdrasill saved the world. The man had kept a delicate balancing act for four thousand years, preserving the world. His tragedy had been that he'd been unable to let his sister go. Martel's life was more important to Mithos than the summative lives of all the people of both worlds.
Lloyd bit his lip. He'd just thought the word 'summative,' which he hadn't ever heard before. He'd normally be worried, but he had spent two years with the Eternal Sword and the occasional contact with its maker. "Origin?" he said aloud.
Well guessed, Sir Lloyd, the soundless voice said.
"That was you just now, right?"
My apologies.
"It's okay. But why? Or…" Lloyd felt some embarrassment, "Do you always keep an eye on me?"
I often focus on you, but rarely so fully. Origin paused. I have a question for you.
"Sure?"
Do you fully understand the power of the Eternal Sword?
"No, Origin, I don't," Lloyd admitted with a sigh. "I can't imagine everything I can do with this sword."
I had wondered. You have not demanded so harshly of the Eternal Sword, as Mithos did.
"I really don't want to hold another world by this one," Lloyd said wryly.
That is not exactly my meaning. You use the sword at rare intervals, and almost always for some minor task, such as communication, when you could do more with its power.
Lloyd had to smile. "It feels like cheating." He paused, thinking. "I could use the sword, couldn't I? I could wipe out Joseph and his whole army."
If you so desired.
Lloyd wrestled with it for a few seconds. "No. I won't. I'll give him a chance."
You are becoming wise, Origin said with a touch of pride. Mithos never attempted that merely because directing the forces involved would be difficult.
"Thanks," Lloyd said, filing that bit of information. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Yes. Do not worry for your friends. They prevailed, and even now await you.
Lloyd felt the knot in his stomach ease a bit. "Thanks!"
There was a moment of silence. I will leave you now.
"See you later, then."
Origin's parting comment gave Lloyd pause. Give my greetings to Yuan.
At Hima, people scrambled out of the way so the Rheairds could land. Zelos hid a smile as he noticed three figures helping things along a bit, including a head of purple hair that gave one straggler a constant push.
After the Rheairds were put away, the three came towards them.
Sheena laughed as a few hugs were exchanged. "You're all okay! Tell us what happened?"
Zelos saw the somber look cross Raine's face.
"Let's talk about that," Raine said.
Lloyd sat on a beam, looking at the ground. His fists clenched as he looked up at Elpida. "Dammit, Elpida! You didn't need to do that!"
The small woman, sitting across the circle from him, stood up slowly. She said in a dreadful quiet voice, "Do you know what it's like, Lloyd?"
"What what's like?" Lloyd asked shortly.
"To completely lose control. To be taken over." She was advancing on him, suddenly seeming taller. "I'm not always myself, Lloyd! This crystal I have stuck to my heart has some extra instructions tagged on! Our pal Yggdrasill saw to that, just ask Yuan!"
Lloyd found himself wanting to take a step backwards. "I—it does?"
"Yes!" Elpida took a breath. "And every time it kicks in, I feel like I lose a piece of myself! So, yeah, I looked for a way to stop that damned army without having to turn into the Angel of Charred Death! And I'm sorry if the only way I found makes you cringe!"
After a few moments of ringing silence, a few footsteps made people look around. The group looked up at Yuan as he sauntered towards the circle and sat down to join them. "She's right."
"Why are you here?" Lloyd demanded suspiciously.
"Yuan aided us in the battle," Raine said.
"You're doing well, Lloyd," Yuan said. "Almost completely by accident, you've caused plenty of problems for Joseph."
"What do you know?" Lloyd said sourly.
"Out of six lieutenants he sent out to secure Sylvarant, Joseph has two left." Yuan said.
Sheena leaned forward. "You killed three of them, didn't you?"
Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I did. They weren't expecting to run into another angel. How do you know that?"
Sheena shrugged. "Mizuho." And everyone present understood the implications of that sentence.
"Yuan, what is so special about Yuan's lieutenants?" Raine asked.
"They each have two Exspheres. One's a normal one, and the other is a Cruxis Crystal. He seems to came up with a way to use two of them and the end result is…effective. I think he pirated the idea from Magnius."
"Magnius?" Lloyd said with a snort. "He invented that idea?"
"Magnius was a barbarian, but he had a talent for Exsphere research. Before you killed him, he was supposed to be close to a breakthrough in harvesting and using Exspheres. As you can imagine, that worried the other Grand Cardinals."
"Whatever," Zelos said. "Joseph's found a way of turning out high-powered angels. We've beaten them before, so what?"
"Wait, wait…The angels have two Exspheres?" Elpida asked Yuan.
After his nod, she said, "Then he has only one left. That guy I took out back at Hakonesia peak had two of them."
Lloyd couldn't suppress a grin at that, his anger at Elpida passed. "Elpida, you rock."
"That leaves just the one he sent to Asgard." Sheena had been doing a quick count.
Lloyd's widened. "That's where Genis, Presea, and Athan were supposed to meet us?"
"Calm down, Lloyd. They're probably all right," Raine said soothingly.
Lloyd stood up and paced. "We need to go there," he muttered, fidgeting at the thought. On a though, he looked up, "Yuan, are you coming with us?"
"Why would I do that?"
Lloyd stopped in front of him. "Why do you still act like that? You don't have another weird plan that means you have to treat us like servants, do you?"
Yuan gave him a glare. "Very funny. I don't want to come because I don't really like you, Lloyd."
Elpida, beside him, clipped the back of his head with her hand. "Don't be like that, Yuan. Come on, it'll be fun!"
Yuan snorted, but prudently leaned out of way as her hand whistled past him.
Zelos gave a laugh. "Besides, you owe us one."
Yuan turned a glare on his former spy. "What makes you say that?"
Zelos gave a pointed look at the ring on Yuan's left hand.
Yuan followed his gaze down to his engagement ring. A momentary look of softness crossed his face, then his slightly hostile expression returned. "I owe you nothing."
"You never would have gotten that back if we hadn't given it to you," Sheena said.
Yuan threw his hands up in the air. "You're not going to let me leave, are you?"
Elpida gave him a little-girl look. "We love you, Yuan! How can we not when you scowl and act surly and make mysterious comments to all of us?" She put an around his shoulders. "Come with us? Pleeeease?"
Yuan's face froze for a moment, then, for the first time since Lloyd and his friends had seen him, burst out laughing. "Okay, okay." He looked around. "She still does that to people?"
Sheena nodded. "All the time."
Yuan, still grinning and shaking his head, "I'd hoped no one would ever try that on me again."
Elpida patted his back. "But wasn't it fun? Now, let's go to Asgard."