Chapter Thirty-Five: Wet

He was on the playground. Kids were yelling as they swung back and forth on the swings and out on the field some kids were kicking a soccer ball around. Will stood by the railing, the rough holes in the play structure's floor pressing into his feet, the bright noon sun glaring in his eyes.

He walked over to the slide and slid down to the sand, feeling it between his toes. Kids were running around, screaming and yelling and playing tag and throwing balls all over the place, and Will silently turned his head, looking for someone.

There she was. Ellie sat on a bench, kicking her feet back and forth. She leaned back and stared up at the sky, and Will started to walk towards her.

She looked up at him, and jumped up, grinning. "Come on!" she yelled, and then took off across the field.

Will started running after her, but it was hard without his shoes on. The field was empty now, and when he looked back he saw that the play structure was gone, replaced by endless field. Will ran on, but Ellie always remained just out of his reach. "Wait!" he yelled. "Wait for me!"

"Hurry, Will!" she yelled. "Don't let me down! Don't fail me!"

She was running ahead on the horizon and he could barely see her now. What was she running to anyway?

Suddenly, the Tower of Salvation loomed over them, and Ellie ran in through the front door. "Wait for me!" he shouted, running across the grass and right up to the open door.

"Come on!" her voice echoed back. "Don't let me down, Will!"

He ran down the path, coffins floating eerily around him. "Ellie!"

He arrived in the chamber he remembered from the game, but he was too late. Ellie hung in the air by pink wings, head tilted lifelessly to the side as she stared at him blankly with dead red eyes.

"No..." he said, staring at her in shock. "Ellie!"

Her voice resonated through the tower. "Why did you fail me, Will? I thought you said you'd protect me. I thought you were going to save me. Why did you fail me?"

"I – I didn't – I tried-" He tried to reach up to her, but she was drifting too high. No, Ellie, no, she couldn't be dead.

"Why did you fail me, Lloyd?"

"Lloyd."

He heard his name from somewhere else, somewhere distant.

"Lloyd, get up."

"Why did you fail me?" Her voice was softer now, like he was drifting away. No! He couldn't leave, he had to stay here and help her –

"Lloyd," an irritated Kratos said, shaking his shoulder.

With a groan, Will pried his eyes open and looked up at the grumpy mercenary. It was dark, the fire burned low to smouldering embers. "What...?" he mumbled, mouth dry.

"It's your turn to take watch," Kratos said. "Miss Sage is still resting."

"What time is it?" he asked. He'd taken watch before, but only early in the morning when Raine couldn't last the entire second half of the night.

"Close to two o'clock," Kratos said.

Will sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Where's Colette?"

"Resting," Kratos said. "The Toxicosis has left her in no condition to be the night watch."

Will glanced over to Ellie, lying with her eyes closed in her sleeping bag. He knew she wasn't asleep, but he'd be fooled if he didn't know. "Fine," he grumbled, dragging himself out of the sleeping bag.

Kratos lay down in his and said, "There's some coffee by the fire. Don't fall asleep."

"Yeah, thanks," he said, sitting cross-legged on the grass and picking up the mug filled with coffee. He wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but it was cold and he was tired, so it would be helpful.

'So...next up you guys are going to the unicorn, right?'

'Yup,' he said, sipping the coffee. Ack! Hot! He swallowed painfully, his tongue a bit numb. Great, that burn would last for days...

He leaned against the base of the tower, staring at the glowing embers until he looked up and he saw greenish blobs over his eyes, like what happened at the Seal yesterday. He looked over at Ellie, who was resting peacefully, and thought about what had happened. If he remembered correctly, she'd learned Sacrifice now.

'You know, I never used that one in the game.' It always had seemed kind of a waste to him, but then he rarely had Colette in the party except for this Seal thing anyway.

'I wish you'd stop calling it a game,' Lloyd grumbled. 'Maybe it is in your world, but we're perfectly real here.'

Will frowned. 'Well...yeah, I guess, but you are a game. This whole world was just created by some programmers, and then somehow it became real.'

'Did you ever think that maybe your world is the fake one?'

'Uh...no. If that was the case, you'd be playing Tales of Earth or something like that.'

'Well...I don't know. Maybe they're both real, and the game makers from your world found this world and based it on that?'

'Believe that if you want.'

Lloyd didn't say anything, until he jumped back in conversation and said, 'So, Sacrifice, yeah...Colette never used that one. I talked to her about it and apparently if the Professor had used Resurrection on her afterwards it would have worked, but nobody ever wanted to risk it!'

'Heh, I can see why. So, Resurrection can bring people back from the dead? Not just like Life Bottles, but really back from the dead?'

'Yup! Well, it can only work up to one hour after the person died. Something about that being how long it takes for a soul to reach the light or something.'

'Still, that's amazing.' He thought about how many lives could be saved on Earth if people could be brought back. Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had a great number of problems, but their healing abilities were unmatched.

'Well, not many people can use it,' Lloyd said. 'I wish there was a way so that everyone could learn it and then people didn't have to be afraid of dying anymore.'

'I think that would seriously screw things up, come to think of it,' Will said. He hadn't had any more of the coffee, as his tongue still hurt from last time. Still, he appreciated Kratos' effort. 'Think about it: if people knew they could come back from the dead, murder wouldn't be such a big deal as long as they find the body. You could kill someone to teach them a lesson and then dump them at a hospital to get resurrected. And then really old or sick people could die naturally but keep getting resurrected day after day...'

'Geeze,' Lloyd said, 'All I said was that it would be nice if nobody had to fear death, and you're dragging things down and making them all depressing...'

'Heh, sorry. Still, I have to wonder about Sacrifice and how it works. I mean, would Ellie give up her soul, or both her and Colette's? Or could she use it and survive if Colette died? Or could both of them do it at once to save two people? Or what if she used it after the one hour was up? If she can't get someone else's soul back, does she get to go back to life or is she just screwed? And what was Cruxis' motivation for giving the Chosen a spell to kill herself with anyway?'

'You're doing it again.'

'Doing what?'

'Being a nerdy dork. Look, the specifics don't matter because we both know it's a stupid, useless spell.'

'But aren't you interested in how it works?'

'Not really.'

'You're so boring, Lloyd.'

Fifteen minutes later, absolutely nothing had happened.

'I'm bored…' Will thought, staring into space.

'Now you know how I always feel,' Lloyd said.

'I hate night watch. What am I watching for anyway? Bugs sleep at night.'

'I don't know,' Lloyd said. 'Bandits or something I guess. Maybe Dad's just paranoid.'

'This is stupid. I want to sleep.'

He took another sip of coffee, which had cooled down enough to not scorch his vulnerable throat. As he was lowering his mug, he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He jerked a bit and spilled hot coffee on his gloves, and put the mug down on the grass.

It was Raine, stirring a bit. Was she waking up? Will crawled over to her as she opened her eyes. "Oh…" she said quietly. "Lloyd, you're alright."

"I'm fine," he said. "We're more worried about you."

She gave him a small smile and said, "Don't worry about me; I'm perfectly fine." She sat up, holding her head a bit. "What happened?"

"Well, the monster attacked you and you hit your head. Genis has been worried sick."

"I know that," she said. "How's Colette? What happened during the fight?"

"She's fine. After you passed out, Genis managed a really powerful Tidal Wave to wash away the enemy and then Remiel appeared. Colette is resting now – she feels sick from the Toxicosis – but otherwise we're all ok. She lost her voice, though."

Raine sighed. "It's hard to believe this is the last Seal…. I guess it always felt like we still had time, but now we're on our way to the Tower as soon as we save Pietro."

Will glanced at Ellie, knowing she was probably listening. "I guess you're right," he said. "I'm really going to miss her…"

"Lloyd," Raine said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure you're alright with this?"

"Well, of course I'm not fine with it," he said. "But I know there's nothing I can do about and the world needs this."

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid," Raine said. "You tend to lose your head when Colette or Genis are in danger."

"I won't," he said firmly. "I promise."

Raine nodded a bit, then stopped and clutched her head. Will tried not to look at how her hair was still matted with dried blood. "If you were to do something stupid at the Tower," she said, "imagine how Genis would feel, losing both his best friends at once."

"Yeah," he said. "I know. I'll keep calm."

"Thank you."

They sat quietly for a bit, and Will said, "Professor? Does this mean... do you trust me?" He didn't know how honest of an answer Raine would give him, but he'd been wondering about it ever since she'd first spoken with him outside Palmacosta.

Raine hesitated, biting her lip. Finally, she said, "I still cannot deny that there is something decidedly un-Lloyd about you."

Will's heart fell, but she continued.

"However, through our journeys you've given me no reason not to depend on you as I was always able to do back in Iselia. I'm still not certain what exactly happened to you, Lloyd, but I want you to know that I do trust you."

She gave him another of her small smiles, but her face darkened as she said, "Kratos, however...I know you and Colette like him, but I don't trust him."

"Professor..." He didn't really know what to say. How could he try and convince her to trust Kratos when he'd be betraying them in about a month?

"I can't put my finger on it," Raine said, "But I believe that man is hiding something from us. Ordinarily I would respect another's privacy, but I can't shake the feeling that his presence is detrimental to us. He also seems to have an uncanny interest in you, Lloyd. Be careful."

"Careful?" he asked.

Raine bit her lip again. "Yes. I don't know what Kratos' intentions are, but I fear they may involve you in some way. Please, be on your guard around him."

Will just nodded and said, "I will, Professor. Don't worry about me."

She ruffled his hair and said, "Oh, Lloyd, I've been worrying about you for far too long to stop now."

"Heh..."

"In any case," she said, "Would you please hand me Boltzman's book? I'm wide awake now and I should begin reading about what will need to be done."

"Yeah, sure," he said, reaching for her bag and passing the book to her along with a lantern he lit from the fire.

That reminded him of the book he had picked up, though, so he pulled it out and sat by the fire to try and make out the words. He felt someone staring at him, and looked up at Raine. "What?"

She just sighed. "I'm trying to trust you and believe you really are the Lloyd I've always known, but then you go and pull out a heavy book like that..."

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just maturing, Professor."

"I suppose." She turned back to her own book and let Will read his own.

Alright, first things first. Who was the author? There was nothing on the cover, but inside on the title page he read "Written by: ME!"

...Well that was helpful.

He flipped open to a random section and started reading. This chapter was titled "Whoa, How'd That Get There?" and seemed to cover how exactly video game worlds came to be linked to Earth.

The first video game world was Pong, the book said. This was not a very interesting world at all and I was dreadfully bored until Mario came along.

Hm... So far all signs pointed to the Wonder Chef being the author. Will tried to picture him patiently sitting down to write a book, and it just didn't work. He continued.

However, alternate worlds have existed for a really, really long time in some form or another. I've only been around since Pong, but my incredible investigations have led me to believe that the first alternate world originated in Mesopotamia a bunch of years ago.

Will's eyes widened in surprise. So there were other worlds besides just video game ones? That was interesting.

As far as I can tell, every world ever thought of anywhere exists somewhere. This is because the universe has an infinite number of dimensions, so when you create a new world in your head you're not so much springing it to life as you are building the bridge between this dimension and that one.

The fun part is that people aren't technically supposed to travel between dimensions, so when you try, the world tries to recognise you and if you dress up like someone from that world you get to take their place. I think it would be really fun to dress up as Chewbacca, just so you know. He doesn't have to wear any pants! Lucky bastard.

...Ok, ignoring the Wonder Chef's desire to walk around pants-less, this certainly did help explain a lot about what exactly was happening.

Or I could be like Donald Duck or any other cartoon animal because none of them wear pants. Darkwing Duck is a cooler duck than Donald, though, and I've always wanted to swim through money like Uncle Scrooge. I wish I was born a duck.

Ok, could they move on from ducks?

I would eat bread from old ladies but then bite their grandchildren's fingers just to be nefarious.

Apparently not. Will sighed and closed the book, not interested in reading the Wonder Chef's daydreams about being a duck.

Ellie didn't need a voice to communicate her disdain at Raine's plan.

"We're walking to Lake Umacy," Raine repeated at Ellie's deadpan stare.

Ellie just glared at her, and Will sighed. He was just glad they hadn't had to walk around questioning everybody about where a unicorn might be. After Raine announced that they needed a unicorn horn to heal Pietro, Kratos helpfully claimed to have heard a rumour in this area years ago about a unicorn being at Lake Umacy. So now they were faced with the thought of walking all the way there, and it would be at least a week long trip. Joy.

"Come on, Colette," Will said. "It's not that bad."

She pouted and crossed her arms, staring at the ground and sighing heavily.

"Alright," Will said, "Colette says, 'fine, let's get this over with'."

Ellie nodded, and the party took off.

'Whoa!' Lloyd said. 'That was so cool! Can you read minds?'

'Ha, no. I've just known her for a while.'

As they were walking, Sheena said, "Colette, what's wrong? Is your throat still sore?"

Ellie frowned, then nodded once.

Raine said, "It's nothing to worry about, Sheena, though it may take a little while for her throat to get back to normal."

"Oh, ok." Will felt a little bad about lying to Sheena. After all. She was the only person here who didn't know about the angel thing, but he'd leave it up to Ellie to tell her if she felt like it.

By this point in the journey, Will was getting used to walking all day. His feet didn't hurt so much and he was used to the hot sun on his face. Still, it was tiring. It was hot, too. Even this far north, it got hot in the middle of June, especially when walking all day long. It was nearly as bad as the Triet Desert, but he longed for the shade of trees or something. But no, all they had in the Asgard region was this accursed long grass you practically had to wade through.

After several hours of walking, Ellie had given up on going by foot and flew ahead, flying circles around their heads and gliding through the clouds. Before that, she'd been walking with Will, although they hadn't talked much and just took pleasure in each other's company.

Will looked enviously up at her, thinking about how cool it would be to have wings.

'Well, you get wings near the end,' Lloyd said.

'That's true. Do you fly a lot?'

'Er...I try. Colette's trying to give me lessons, though, because I keep crashing into things.'

'...Is it really that hard?'

'Apparently I'm supposed to be able to stop in air. I usually just brake by crashing into trees, or buildings, or the ground...'

Will shook his head. 'You're so...Lloyd.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing.'

'Hey! Are you insulting me? Will!'

"Lloyd," Raine said, slowing her pace to walk next to him. Before setting out, they had luckily found a stream where she could wash her hair, so there was no more mark of her brush with the wall. Everyone else got a chance to bathe as well, so although the stream was cold, Will felt a bit less disgusting. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," he said, wondering if it would be a continuation of last night.

"About you and Colette," she said. "When you two went off alone the other night... And I've noticed that in the past few days you've been very close."

"Ah, yeah, about that..."

"You have feelings for her, correct?"

'You know, this is going to be awkward when this is over and everyone will expect Colette and me to still be a couple...' Lloyd said randomly.

'We'll fake a break-up,' he said quickly before saying aloud, "Yes."

Raine just sighed. "Lloyd, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"What?"

"You know she's going to die in a matter of weeks. Why would you try to pursue a romantic relationship now? It's only going to make things harder for both you and her."

"I know," he said, sighing. "But...I love her, and I can't change that. I know it's stupid and I know it's going to hurt, but there's nothing I can do."

"Do as you will, but I'll say it again: please don't do anything stupid."

"I won't, I won't," he assured her. "I know how important this is."

Raine nodded. "Just be careful."

"Hey!" Genis suddenly called. "Someone's coming!"

Will looked up and saw a person on a cart coming towards them. They weren't on a road, so he had to wonder why a cart (which was being pulled by one of those velocidragon things) would force its way through the grass. Was it a threat?

Kratos drew his sword as the group froze, waiting to see who it was. When the cart got closer, someone stood up and waved. Ellie?

Sure enough, Ellie was standing on the seat next to the driver, waving happily. Everyone relaxed and started moving towards the cart, and when they got close Will realised the driver was none other than Quince.

"Lloyd!" Quince said, pulling the reigns as they met. "Good to see you again!"

"What's this?" Kratos asked, looking sceptically at the cart.

"I was on my way back from Asgard," Quince said. "Looking for help for Luin, but they had nothing for us but sympathy."

"What?" Genis said. "They have plenty of money to spare! They should help!"

Quince scowled. "Apparently they can't spare a thing."

"Those greedy-" Genis started, but Raine put a hand on his shoulder and calmed him.

"Anyways," Quince said, "I was on my way back and ran into the Chosen. I hear you guys need a lift to Lake Umacy?"

Ellie grinned triumphantly at them and hopped down.

"Really?" Sheena said. "You'd take us all the way out there?"

Quince nodded. "Of course! I'm always happy to help the Chosen, and it's for my friend Pietro as well."

"If you're sure you don't mind," Raine said, "we'd gladly take your assistance."

With the velocidragon pulling them, the trip to Lake Umacy only took a couple days. Along the way, Will sat in the back of the cart reading the Wonder Chef's book. Most of it was confusing, but it was rather interesting. He tried reading the chapter about time loops, but it was filled with rambling discussions on paradoxes, convergence points, and temporal mechanics. And many analogies to Froot Loops that did not help at all.

Then he tried reading the chapter on the psychological effects of being cut-off from the rest of reality in the black space, but it was incredibly depressing.

The next chapter was about the importance of mangos and how they hold the secret to life, the universe, and everything. This chapter was actually fairly interesting, and apparently their roundish shape represented happiness and the fact that they grew on a tree represent familial bonds. The chapter was interspersed with recipes that involved mangos, and recipes that the Wonder Chef thought should include mangos, such as Spaghetti Bolognese or Pork Souvlaki.

For most of the trip, Raine sat up front with Quince, talking about plans for Luin and such. In the back of the cart, Kratos sat staring into space, absently stroking Noishe's fur. Will wondered what they were going to do with Noishe when it came time to go to the Tower, but figured he'd deal with that when it came up.

Ellie spent the trip cuddling against Will while he wasn't reading, and this garnered a good amount of teasing from Genis at first. Of course, first Genis had to wrap his mind around the fact that Lloyd and Colette were a 'couple'.

"Whoa," he had said the second morning when Ellie gave Will a quick kiss on the cheek. Will flushed a bit as they looked over at Genis and Sheena. Sheena was grinning, but Genis' mouth hung open and his eyes were wide. "Lloyd... y-you and Colette...?"

Ellie nodded, and Will said, "Yeah."

"How long?"

"Just recently," Will said. "Officially at least."

"So you guys are like...together?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yes!"

And so began merciless teasing. Will was quite annoyed by the end of the day when they couldn't go an hour with being asked when they planned on getting married, or why Colette would want to be with Lloyd of all people, or Genis making kissing noises randomly to break the silence. Lloyd found this all quite hilarious.

And so it was with great joy when they pulled up at the shores of Lake Umacy the morning of their third day of travel. Velocidragons were fast, and incredibly useful. Much better than horses.

The group jumped down and Quince waited for them in the cart. They walked up and over the hill, emerging in a small paradise of leafy trees and a crystal clear lake. As they walked towards the shore, Will noticed Ellie lagging behind the others.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She just shook her head.

"You sure nothing's wrong?"

She nodded, and pulled out her notebook and pencil. I'm just nervous about the tower and stuff.

"Well...ok. Tell me if you need anything."

At the shore of the lake, everyone stood and peered into the smooth waters.

"You said the unicorn appears in the water?" Raine asked, looking to Kratos.

"So the rumour goes."

Will squinted to see through the water. It was pretty clear at the top, but deeper it got murky and hard to see through. Ellie jumped up and pointed, and everyone looked to see what her better vision had spotted.

"There it is!" Genis said, stating the obvious as always.

Will could see the vague outline of a horse trapped beneath some fallen logs. It was actually really sad. The poor thing was stuck down there, barely kept alive by a bubble of air. And when it came up, it would give away its horn and die. He'd never really thought about the unicorn as anything other than a plot device, but now he had to wonder how it came it be trapped under there in the first place.

"How do we get it?" Genis asked.

Ellie took and held a deep breath and mimed swimming with her arms, looking curiously at Raine.

"No," Kratos said. "Even an angel can't hold their breath long enough to reach it."

"There has to be something we can do," Will said, glancing at Sheena.

"Well..." Sheena said. "There is a way."

"What's that?" Raine asked.

"If we summoned Undine, the Summon Spirit of water, we could reach the unicorn."

"That's true," Raine said. "Except summoning is a lost art. No one has been able to do it for centuries."

"Er," Sheena said, blushing a bit and looking down. "Actually, I haven't formed a pact yet, but if I did I... I can summon."

"Really?" Genis asked. "That's so cool! So you're a summoner?"

"I'm a guardian user!" she snapped. "But I can summon too."

"Where did you learn this ability?" Raine asked.

"Uh, where I come from people still know how to do it...But if you're not interested, I won't force you."

"No," Will said quickly. "We need to reach the unicorn."

"Alright," Sheena said. "Then we need to head to the Seal of Water. Undine should be there."

Kratos sighed. "This is quite a detour."

"Yes," Raine said. "But... we did promise Pietro."

They walked away from the lake and back to where Quince was waiting in the cart.

"Did you guys get what you need?" he asked.

"Actually," Raine said, "We now need to travel to Thoda Geyser. I don't suppose you could drive us all that way?"

"Sure," he said. "I'll do whatever I can to help Pietro and the Chosen. But if you need to get to Thoda, it's easier to take a boat north and go that way."

"That would be great!" Genis said.

"Please," Will said. "Take us to Thoda the quickest way possible."

"Alright, hop on!"

And so they went back north. Along the way, Will fumed to himself about how this shouldn't even be physically possible. Yes the world was round, but traveling from the far north to an island in the south shouldn't be as easy as a quick tryst across the ocean. Circumnavigating the world via the north should include icebergs and frozen ocean and trying to avoid getting trapped in the ice. Countless ships on Earth tried to make it and died miserably. This should not be this easy!

'You shouldn't be complaining,' Lloyd said. 'Besides, we don't have frozen areas in Sylvarant because Celsius is in Tethe'alla.'

'But that doesn't even make sense!'

'I know, really? I mean, Gnome is in Tethe'alla too but we have gravity here.'

'That's not even how gravity works. Gravity is the attraction between objects, and the larger object has more attraction than a smaller one so the planet pulls everything down because it's so big.'

'Now you're just crazy talking. If everything pulls on other things, how come if I have two apples they don't stick to each other?'

Explaining gravity to Lloyd would take more time than they head. 'Just forget it...'

At mid-afternoon on the third day of travel, they reached the coast. Quince had a friend who kept a boat up here, and he said his friend wouldn't mind at all if they took the boat for the Chosen. The boat was bigger than Max's boat, but Raine still balked at the site of it.

"I'll...I'll just wait for you here," she said as they stood on the dock.

"Raine..." Genis said.

"Come on, Professor," Will said. "We need to get going."

"I'm sure you don't really need me..." she said, her face pale.

"Miss Sage," Kratos said with irritation. "The formation of a pact requires that one fights the Summon Spirit. As the most accomplished healer in the group, you should definitely accompany us in case of injury."

"O-oh," she mumbled. "I suppose you're right."

With a sigh, she walked across the dock and nervously got onto the boat. Quince took the wheel and with everyone's help started to move it from the dock. Will at least had experience with this since he worked with Quince and the others in Luin.

In a short time the boat was underway. Raine quickly retreated to the cabin, while the others sat down around the deck. "So, Sheena," Genis said. "How exactly does this summoning thing work?"

Sheena looked up from staring at her knees. "What? Oh... well, you just make a pact with the Summon Spirit and call upon it when you need it."

"Oh, cool," Genis said. "So why can you do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I mean, I guess I probably had elven ancestors a long time ago, but other than that I don't know why I specifically can summon."

"I can't wait to meet Undine!" Genis said. "Do you know what she's like?"

"Nope," Sheena said, shaking her head. "I don't know much about the Spirits on this... er, anywhere really."

"I bet she's really pretty," Genis said. "All demure and watery and stuff."

While Will and Genis were talking, Sheena walked to the back of the boat and climbed up onto the roof of the cabin. Will saw Corrine pop out and soon the pair was deep in conversation.

"Lloyd?"

"Yeah?" he said, glancing back at Genis.

"You were staring at Sheena."

"Sorry."

"I thought you liked Colette?"

"I do!" he insisted, then glanced around to see where she was. She stood at the prow, leaning on the railing and staring at the ocean.

"Yeah, but you keep staring at Sheena."

"You don't get it," he said. "You're only twelve. But just because I can't help but look at a girl doesn't mean I don't care about Colette."

"I still can't believe you guys are a couple," Genis said. He leaned his head back against the side of the boat, hugging his knees. "I mean, she's like our sister."

"Yeah," Will said, sitting cross-legged next to Genis. "But relationships change, y'know?"

"It's weird."

"I'm sorry it freaks you out."

"Hm..." Genis said, then grinned. "Imagine if you married her! Little blonde morons falling over things..."

"Hey!" Will said, smacking Genis on the head. "Genetics don't work like that!"

Genis gave him a funny look. "You know Lloyd, it's when you say things like that that I get really freaked out. Way more than seeing you and Colette kissing. I mean, since when do you know a thing about genetics? And I saw you reading a book on the cart – a real book. With small text and no pictures!"

Will just shrugged. "I guess I'm maturing."

"Quick, Lloyd: what does 'indubitably' mean?"

"Unquestionably; why?"

Genis smacked his face. "There! See? How do you know what that means when the week before we left Iselia you were trying to tell me that a 'catastrophe' was an apostrophe with fur on it!"

Will rolled his eyes. 'Seriously, Lloyd?'

'Hey, it makes sense! Like an apostrophe crossed with a cat...'

"Well I – I've changed a bit," he said. Genis wasn't nearly as suspicious as Raine was, so he probably didn't have anything to worry about, but whenever anyone started questioning his or Ellie's 'new' personalities he got a little nervous.

"A bit?" Genis said. "Lloyd, it's like I don't even know you anymore!"

"People change, Genis," he said, a little more harshly than he'd intended. "It's what makes us different than rocks."

Genis hung his head. "I'm sorry Lloyd. I don't mean to sound like I'm accusing you or anything... It's just, I feel like you and Colette are changing so much, and leaving me behind."

Will felt a little bad now. "Genis, you know we would never do that." Maybe he should start trying to be more like Lloyd. But, Lloyd was so different than him. How could he keep the front up all the time? Eventually he'd slip, and it would be even more jarring.

"Please, Lloyd," Genis said. "Promise me that you'll never leave me behind. I can't – I can't handle being abandoned again."

Again? Will wondered about that for a second, until Lloyd said, 'His parents.'

'Oh. Right.' Will knew perfectly well how much it sucked to be abandoned by your parent, the person who was supposed to stand by you and protect you for your entire life. Genis' only family was Raine, Colette, and Lloyd, and now he was afraid he was losing two of them, leaving him all alone with Raine just like when he was a baby.

"Genis," Will said, looking down at the younger boy. "Listen to me. I'm not going to abandon you. You and Professor Sage are like family to me, and nothing can ever change that. I just love Colette in a different way now, but that doesn't mean I care about you any less."

Genis looked up at him with a weak smile. "Thanks, Lloyd. Best friends forever, right?"

"Yeah," Will said, returning the smile. "Best friends forever."

They pulled around to dock at Thoda that evening. "We'll continue in the morning," Kratos said. "For now we should rest and prepare for tomorrow's battle."

"You're welcome to sleep on the boat," Quince said, walking over from tying up the boat.

Raine immediately said, "N-No, I believe we'd all get a better rest on dry ground."

"I'm fine he-" Sheena started, but Raine interrupted.

"We will all get a better rest on dry ground," she said firmly, heading for the plank leading to the docks. Genis sighed and the others followed Raine off the boat. It felt like they'd been here only a few days ago to break the Water Seal, but it had been weeks. What was today's date, anyway? Sheena's birthday was the 24th, she'd said, and that was a few days before they went to the Tower of Mana...

He quickly added up the days, and said, 'Hey, whoa, it's, the Fourth of July!'

'That date's important?'

'My country's independence day.'

'Oh, cool. Independence from what?'

'A different, more powerful country called England.'

'Like Tethe'alla? Did you guys separate from it like what Mithos did to the worlds?'

'Um, no, not quite.'

'Oh,' Lloyd said, then randomly switched topics to, 'Wait a minute! If it's July, that means your birthday is coming up soon!'

'Yeah, I guess you're right.' He'd completely forgotten about that. With all the hectic activity of the past few weeks, something as normal and mundane as a birthday seemed preposterous.

'How old are you going to be? Seventeen, right?' Lloyd asked as Will followed the others up the path towards the geyser.

'Yeah.'

'Almost catching up to me!'

'Not really,' Will said. 'You'll be eighteen in a few weeks. Is that the age of adulthood here? Hey, can you drink at eighteen?'

'What, drink alcohol?' Lloyd asked. 'I can't do that!'

'Huh? Why?'

'Dad told me that if I drank alcohol my ears would fall off. I like my ears, Will! I need them. For... hearing and stuff.'

Will sighed. 'Lloyd, you make me so sad sometimes.'

They turned around the bend and appeared at the familiar Thoda Geyser. Tourists were willing around, small children pointing to the bubbling water, and a dog sat in the corner wagging his tail and begging for scraps from the merchant, who was trying to shoo him away.

They walked towards the Oracle Stone, preparing to re-enter the Temple. As they walked, Will heard somebody shout, "Look! It's the Chosen!"

Oh no. Please not a repeat of this.

An old man ran towards Ellie holding out a yellowish vegetable thing of some sort. "Oh Great and Mighty Chosen One!" he said, bowing low and holding the vegetable up. "You didn't have time the last time we met, so now, please, will you offer your blessings to my squash?"

Ellie stared at him blankly, and then – almost too slightly to notice – her eye twitched.

"Please," the man said. "Just a slight blessing to my beloved-"

Ellie snapped, curling her fingers and holding her arms in front of her as her upper lip curled. Her head tilted to the side and she narrowed her eyes, although perhaps luckily for the man all she was able to say was, "Ffffffff," by sucking air through her teeth. Using his amazing skills of reading Ellie, Will was able to decipher this act as, 'Why, my good sir! I am quite amazed that you are still standing on this island. Why, may I ask, are you concerned about your lovely squash?' Only, y'know, with more swearing and raving. But that was the gist of it.

Sheena looked alarmed, the old man staggered backwards, Raine grimaced in embarrassment, and Kratos turned around and tried to pretend he didn't know them. Will stepped forward and put his hand on Ellie's arm.

"Colette, calm down," he said. "Just bless the poor man's squash and we can be on our way."

She turned her furious glare at him, and Will realised that the only thing more frightening than facing Kvar was a pissed-off girlfriend. "Uh... heh-heh, I mean..." he looked to the man and said, "Run while you still can! It's too late for me; just go!"

The old man paled and staggered away, clutching his squash securely to his chest. Ellie watched him go, her expression gradually calming down. "Are you alright now?" Will asked, hand on her shoulder.

She just scowled, crossing her arms. Sheena looked between her and Raine, and shook her head. "All of you guys are crazy."

"You think this is crazy?" Will said. "How do you think we got here the first time?"

"A boat?" she guessed.

"Nope," he said. "Washtubs."

Sheena blinked at him. "Washtubs?"

"Yep."

"You mean... just really big buckets?"

"Yep."

"Is that even safe?"

Will shrugged. "We made it fine enough."

"That's insane!" She shook her head. "I'm just glad we actually got a boat this time."

That night, they sat around a campfire near the Oracle Stone, under some old awnings. All the other tourists were gone, but they'd gotten permission to stay the night from the tourist agency by claiming this was for important World Regeneration activities.

Will sat with his back against a post and Ellie between his legs leaning against his chest. Genis kept giving them glances as everyone sat in silence. Noishe sat next to Kratos, seeming insistent on cuddling as close to him as possible. Kratos irritably shoved the 'dog' away, but Noishe kept coming back, leaving white fur all over Kratos' outfit.

"Hey, guys?" Sheena said, interrupting the silence. "I have something I want to say." She took a deep breath, "I want to tell you why I was trying to assassinate the Chosen."

Everyone looked up in surprise. Ellie had figured Sheena would be giving this spiel sooner than later, but hadn't known exactly when.

"Very well," Raine said. "Tell us about your homeland. A land not in this world."

While Genis looked confused, Sheena looked shocked. "You knew?"

Raine gave her a sceptical look. "No offense, dear, but you haven't exactly done a remarkable job of hiding it."

Sheena frowned. "Yeah, w-well - ! I've been under a lot of pressure!"

"What are you talking about?" Genis said. "If your homeland isn't in this world, where is it? Are you an angel, too?"

She shook her head, smiling a bit. "No, I'm not an angel. My world is called Tethe'alla."

"You mean the moon?" Genis asked.

Sheena just laughed again. "No, I'm not from the moon."

Ellie glanced up at Will with a smirk, trusting him to know what she was thinking. She had just pictured Tethe'alla as the moon, with all its residents bouncing around in zero-gravity. Ha, she'd like to see Regal balance then.

"Look," Sheena said, "I don't really know the specifics myself. But there is another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, like on the other side of a mirror."

"So going by your mirror analogy," Will said, "One of the worlds is a vampire because they can't see their reflection." When the others gave him weird looks, he said, "What? It makes sense..."

"Anyway," Sheena said, ignoring him and looking back at Raine, Kratos and Genis. "Even though the worlds can't see each other, they still affect each other."

"How so?" Genis asked.

"They vie for the supply of mana. Mana is always flowing in one direction, from one world to the other, sort of like an hourglass. So one world is always weakening, while the other flourishes."

Genis' eyes widened in realisation. "So that's where all of Sylvarant's mana is going? Tethe'alla is stealing it?"

"We're not stealing it!" Sheena protested. "And up until a few hundred years ago, our world was in the same predicament as yours! We still have records from that time. Plague was rampant, there was no food, water was all contaminated, and everyone lived in terror of the Desians!"

"Desians?" Raine asked. "There were Desians in Tethe'alla?"

"Yes," Sheena said.

Ellie glanced at Kratos, who was watching the scene stony-faced. He didn't seem too concerned that Cruxis' big secret was being told like this, though perhaps he figured that as long as no one knew the truth about Cruxis and the angels it would all work out ok. Or maybe he already planned on killing them all so it didn't matter what they knew.

Sheena went on to say, "This was hundreds of years ago, mind you. Then the Chosen Lorelei regenerated the word. Within days of regeneration, crops started growing again and the Human Ranches became mysteriously deserted before being torn down for scrap metal."

"But they came over here!" Genis said. "You guys just dumped them on us!"

"We were dying!" Sheena said. "If it hadn't been for Lorelei, everyone would have perished. You know how desperate Sylvarant is now? You guys are doing the same thing. When Colette regenerates the world the Desians will return to my home and my world will fall into decline."

Ellie grabbed her notebook and pencil. In big bold letters she wrote, 'I'M SORRY,' and held it up to Sheena with a solemn look.

"It's alright, Colette," Sheena said. "You didn't know." Ellie just frowned and nodded.

"So the Journey of Regeneration," Raine said, "is actually the reversal of the mana flow."

"Yes," Sheena said. "I broke through the supposedly impassable barrier between the worlds in order to prevent regeneration from happening."

Will spoke up, probably figuring it would be suspicious if he just sat knowingly in the corner the whole time (sort of like Kratos...hm...). "If you stop Sylvarant from regenerating," he said, "Thousands of people will die. And you said Tethe'alla draws its mana from Sylvarant, right? So what happens when we run out? When you have nothing more to draw on from over here? An hourglass with nothing flowing through it just becomes a pile of dust."

"I don't know," Sheena said, hanging her head. "I don't know what to do anymore. I came over here to save Tethe'alla, but the people here are so impoverished and everyone is suffering. I want to help these people! But, I can't just abandon my world, either. It's my home. Imagine if you had to destroy your home in order to protect these strangers?"

Everyone glanced at each other. It was a little too late to talk about destroying home towns.

"I'm sorry," Sheena said. "I don't want to destroy Sylvarant, but I love my world and I can't let this happen to Tethe'alla too..."

"But right now you're on our side, right?" Genis said tentatively.

"Yes, for now. But I can't abandon Tethe'alla! I just wish there was a way for both worlds to coexist. Like holding an hourglass level so that there's an equal amount of sand on each side."

"That may not be possible," Raine said. "While it is perfectly alright to dream, we need to focus on practical solutions."

"Indeed," Kratos said, finally speaking up. "As it stands now, Sylvarant will surely die before the church has a chance to produce another Chosen. Colette is our last hope. We should let her continue her quest and save Sylvarant from its current crisis, as Tethe'alla will still have several hundred years to fix things before they reach this state."

"I suppose you're right," Sheena said. "That's the logical thing, but... I don't know. I'm in the position to choose between two worlds, and I care about both of them. I don't want to have to sentence one to destruction."

Ellie got up, pushing away from Will. She walked over to Sheena and knelt next to her, scribbling on her paper. Then she held it up and Sheena read, "'I'll ask Remiel if he knows anything. Don't worry. I know there's a way.' Thanks, Colette."

"You shouldn't buoy false hopes," Raine said. "Colette, Sheena may end up having to try and kill you." She then fixed Sheena with a hard glare. "And I assure you, if that happens I will not let you touch a hair on my student."

Sheena gave her a quick nod. "I understand. But I may have to fight, because I love Tethe'alla. I can't let everyone down."

Ellie grinned and wrote, don't worry, Sheena! I won't blame you if you try to assassinate me! :D.

Sheena gave her a funny look and said, "What does the 'D' mean?"

Ellie quickly wrote, happy face.

"Why are you happy?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and shook her head, then walked back to Will. Sheena was hopeless.

"This is incredible..." Genis muttered, staring at the flames of their fire. "I mean, imagine a whole 'nother world right next to us..."

"It certainly is amazing..." Kratos said softly. Then he stood up and said, "Lloyd, would you like to train tonight?"

Will sighed. "Not particularly."

"We're going into a fight tomorrow; are you really so cocky that you don't think you need improvement?"

Will rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, alright, I get it. Training it is."

With a groaned Will followed Kratos away to the clear area near the geyser that was usually filled with tourists. Ellie watched them go, before scribbling something down and tossing it to Raine. Going for a walk.

"Don't go too far," Raine said.

She smiled and nodded, then walked out from under the awning.

She pushed off from the ground and flew away from the group before coming to a stop on the grassy cliff top she had visited that last time they were here. Last time, though, she had been able to feel the heat simmering up from the geyser below. They were so close to the Tower now. She was really scared, to tell the truth. If things went wrong at the Tower, they could all very well die.

'It's going to be ok,' Colette said. 'Even if it doesn't work right... then at least Sylvarant is regenerated, right?'

'Yeah, only then Mithos will win! We can't let that happen!'

'It'll be alright! Will and Lloyd will take care of us, so there's nothing to worry about.'

'I wish I could be as optimistic as you, Colette. I just hate feeling this powerless. I've always been able to do something when the world seems like it's against me, whether it's go to sleep and forget it all or sit on the counter and eat a whole thing of Ben and Jerry's right out of the container...but now I can't even talk about it. I feel helpless. I want control of my life back, but Kratos and Cruxis are just manipulating me now...'

'No they're not,' Colette said. 'They're pushing you to do this, but ultimately it's up to you. You could have stayed in Iselia and just waited this out before going back to your home, but you didn't. Even though you were scared, you went on this journey to save everyone.'

'Uh... I guess.' That was a lie, though. She'd only gone along with this in the beginning because she'd figured it was the only home. She wasn't concerned with helping everyone; she just wanted to get out of here!

She sighed and flopped backwards into the grass. She was up high, and felt closer to the stars up here. She could hear shouting and the clanging of swords as Will and Kratos practiced below, but up here it was peaceful.

'It's not fair,' she mused. 'After the Chosen goes through so much to save the world, she doesn't really get a chance to live in it. Didn't that bother you?'

'Not really...' Colette said. 'I was happy just to make a new world for Lloyd and Genis. I always told myself that as long as they would get to enjoy the new world, I didn't mind not seeing it myself.'

'Well... I'm not that selfless! This isn't an ok deal at all.'

'It's ok, Ellie. I just know you'll get to Tethe'alla with no problem!'

The water temple was a lot like Will remembered it. Cold, wet, filled with ruins. Luckily Raine had seen them all already, so she didn't need to spazz out over them all. Luckily they knew which way they were going, so it didn't take quite as long to find the warp to the room with Undine this time. Still, it was afternoon by the time they reached it.

Will warped through, and shivered as he arrived in the room. It was still dark, and it was still cold. The inky water looked foreboding as it rippled from the current beyond the cave. Will looked around for the bodies of the Amphitras and Adulocia, but there was no sign that there had ever been a fight here. Had Undine cleaned up? Well, what else was she going to do with her time? Besides, she could control water so it probably wouldn't be very hard to clean up. Luna probably had a much harder job, because it's hard to wash bloodstains away by lighting them up.

"So what do we do now?" Genis asked.

"Uh, leave it to me," Sheena said, looking around nervously. Ellie gave her a supportive smile and she walked up to the altar.

Will didn't know how Undine knew they were there or that Sheena was a summoner, but as soon as she stepped up to the altar there was a flash of light and a woman appeared, hovering in the air, watery blue hair floating around as if she were under water.

Also, uh, she wasn't wearing a shirt. She just kind of... stood there topless. Will stared, having never noticed that when she was just a game sprite. Why couldn't more women dress like that? Undine was his new favourite character. Hands down.

"You who possess the right of the pact," she said, her voice loud and resonating in the close walls of the cave. "I am one who is bound to Mithos. What is your name?"

Sheena shifted back and forth on her feet and clenched and unclenched her fists at her side. "I – I am Sheena," she said. "I seek a pact with Undine!"

Undine said simply, "As things stand now... I cannot."

Sheena faltered. "Wh...why?"

"I am already bound to a pact. It is impossible to create more than one pact at a time."

Sheena looked back at the rest of them, despair on her face. "Guys? I – I don't know what to do..."

Will, though, was having great trouble paying attention to what she was saying. This was largely because there was a topless woman standing right in front of him. Sure she had weird blue skin, but breasts were breasts.

"Lloyd!" Raine snapped, suddenly next to him. She slapped him across the cheek and he looked up at her angry face with terror. "Pay attention!"

"S-Sorry," he stammered, trying to resist the urge to look back at Undine.

"As we were saying," Kratos said, giving him an irritated look, "there's nothing we can do except ask Undine to annul her former pact in the case that this Mithos character has broken his vow."

"Right," Sheena said, then turned back to Undine. "Undine! I – I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact...with – with me."

"Very well," Undine said. Will was actually surprised it was this easy. "But first I must test your strength and worthiness."

"Ugh, why do we have to fight?" Genis whined, looking at her in irritation.

Undine said, "I cannot lend my power to one not fit enough to channel it properly." She looked to Sheena and said, "There can be no more than four fighters in our battle. You, of course, must be one of those four."

"A-alright," Sheena said, then walked down the steps to the others. "Alright guys. Who's waiting up top?"

Ellie was already reaching for her pad and pencil and Raine said, "I would like Colette to sit this one out."

Ellie then looked up angrily at Raine, her expression quite clearly showing her displeasure at this idea.

"Think, Colette," Raine said. "Your life is too important to risk in a battle."

"Actually," Sheena said, "I'm pretty sure Summon Spirits don't actually kill their challengers.

"Be that as it may," Raine said, hands on Ellie's shoulders, "But I don't want Colette to needlessly risk her safety. Not when so much rests on her shoulders."

"Alright," Sheena said. "Then I'll take... Kratos, Lloyd, and... Genis."

"Understood," Kratos said, drawing his blade. Raine, meanwhile, dragged a disgruntled Ellie back to the warp.

"Good luck," Raine said as they disappeared.

"Ok," Will said, getting his swords ready. "Let's do this."

The foursome stood in front of Undine, and Will did his very best not to be distracted by Undine's...non-fully-dressed-ness (which was most definitely an unfair advantage).

"Are you ready?" Undine asked. Well gee, wasn't that nice of her.

"Yes," Sheena said, trying to sound more confident than she looked.

"Aqua Edge!" Before any of them were even ready to fight, Undine unleashed her attack. It hit Sheena square in the chest and blasted her backward, while Will just stood there in shocked confusion. Why was her casting time so short? Yet another unfair advantage.

Kratos ran forward with his sword, obviously unfazed by Undine's apparel. Perhaps he was experienced with being assaulted by topless women? Will really wanted to know where he had gained that experience. If he had to die, that would be his dream death right there.

'Shut up,' Lloyd said. 'Just fight Undine already.'

'Lloyd, are you sure you're not gay?'

'Huh – what?'

'Just checking.'

"Lloyd!" Sheena yelled angrily at him as a stalagmite erupted beneath Undine. Unfortunately, she moved like water, flowing away before it could hurt her. "Stop staring at her chest and help us fight!"

"Sorry!" he shouted, flushing. He ran towards Undine, just as she parried a blow by Kratos. Her sword was made of water or something, so Will had to wonder how exactly it stayed together. Ugh, don't ask; magic.

"Demon Fang!" the rush of magic swept across the floor towards Undine, but once again she easily dodged it. She moved so fast it was practically impossible to follow her, and she could bend and twist her body like putty. It was like she was made of water, so how were they supposed to hit her, let alone defeat her?

His long range attack would do no good, so Will ran forward to help Kratos with close ranged attacks. Maybe with both of them attacking it wouldn't be so easy for her to dodge.

He stabbed at her, but once again her body melded away, leaving him thrusting into air. She had darted to the side and Will barely had time to throw up his swords to block a slash from her watery blade.

"Thunder Blade!" Genis shouted, and Undine didn't have time to get out of the blast radius before the jolts of electricity coursed through her. It didn't affect Kratos or Will, but if there was anything Will had learned from playing Pokémon, it was that electricity was super effective against water (sadly he learned this being on the receiving end when Lt. Surge, the electric gym leader, decimated his poor Wartortle).

The attack left Undine dizzy and frazzled, and Kratos used Sonic Thrust, driving his blade into her abdomen. She didn't make any signs of being in pain, but the attack did continue to keep her frozen long enough for Sheena to run up and slap a few Mirage- and Serpent Seals on her back.

Kratos pulled his sword out, and water dripped from it like blood. Undine was weird. Genis was still charging up his next spell, and the other three had her surrounded. Undine closed her eyes and blue magic appeared on the ground.

Realising she was going to cast, Will shouted, "Sonic Sword Rain!" and whipped his swords at her. No matter how many times he slashed at her, though, all that happened was water splashed out. She didn't even seem to be hurt, even when he ended it with a strong thrust into her chest. Her... naked chest... Gah! Snap out of it!

His attack didn't even throw off her casting, and she flashed her eyes open when he was done and said, "Ready?"

Will gave her a pathetic sad face and said, "No." Meanwhile, Kratos and Sheena were smart enough to jump backwards.

"Spread!"

A surge of water rushed up from the ground, throwing Will into the air and battering him from all sides. He could hardly breathe, but mostly he just felt like a moron for not getting out of the way.

Finally Spread fizzled away and he crashed back down on the ground. While it had been going on, Kratos and Sheena were busy fighting while Genis threw whatever spells he could think of at her. Will shook his head to get water of out his ears and his hair-flippy-things were stuck on his fac. He wiped his hand up his forehead to un-stick them and then started towards the apparently invincible Undine.

Undine's sword slashes were missing a lot now, like she was cross-eyed or something. This probably had to do with the Mirage Seal Sheena had applied, and he was very thankful for that. It probably saved his life as when she tried stab him a second later she ended up missing and the blade swished past his head.

"Fierce Demon Fang!" Will shouted, slamming his sword down at Undine. She backed up quickly, but he still managed to slice her down her torso, a shallow cut that bled water. Kratos was casting something, and Sheena stood behind Undine, bashing her with her cards.

"Air Thrust!" Genis casted, and Undine's hair and skirt whipped up and sprayed Will with water as she was buffeted by the wind. Will was already soaking wet, though, so he didn't mind too much.

As soon as Air Thrust died down, Will blasted her with Hunting Beast, and Undine fell over with a funny sloshing noise. Will started forward with Sheena to try and finish her off, when she jumped back into the air and hovered there, hair and skirt billowing in a non-existent wind. Her eyes were closed and her arms were out at her side, and Will took a step back, afraid of what she was going to do.

Kratos and Genis were still casting, When Undine threw up her arms. Will braced himself, putting his arm in front of his face in expectation of an attack. Instead, though, there was thunderous rush of water and he looked over his shoulder.

The water around the platform was swirling and frothing – and rising quickly. As ocean water poured into the cave at Undine's command, Will looked to the warp on the other side of the platform, wondering if he could make it there in time. Water was already flowing over onto the platform, even as Kratos shouted, "Grave!"

The spears of rock struck Undine, and though they cut deep gouges in her side and water gushed to the floor, it didn't break her concentration. Water was all around Will's feet and rising fast. Sheena looked down at it worriedly, and Will looked around in panic. He knew they had to stop Undine before she flooded the entire chamber, but Kratos' spell hadn't been enough, so what could he possibly do?

"Lloyd," Genis called, running over. This was difficult, as the water was already up to his waist. So, it was really more like a wade. "What do we do?"

"I – I don't know," Will said looking around. Kratos was casting, evidently determined to interrupt her.

The water had reached his waist by now, and it was cold. His legs were going numb and felt so cold. It reminded him of when he'd been petrified, with the steadily rising numbness. Kratos cast Thunder Blade, and this time it successfully hit Undine. Her eyes flashed open and she felt into the water which had reached Will's chest. He sheathed his swords with some difficulty and grabbed Genis, who was barely still above the water.

Undine had fallen, but the water was still rising. Actually, where was Undine? When she dropped into the water, she had just disappeared, as if becoming one with the sea. He knew she was still around somewhere, but it was really nerve-wracking to know she could pop up anywhere.

"No good!" Sheena shouted. "The water's still rising!"

Will held his head up as icy water lapped at his chin, holding Genis in his arms. He wouldn't be able to keep him above water for very much longer, though, as the water was at his mouth.

"You have to tread," he said, letting go of Genis and starting to tread himself. He circled his hands and feet in the water, going up with the tide towards the ceiling. His whole body was freezing and shivering, and the others were doing their best to remain above the water level. This was a really cheap trick, Undine! Undine seemed to have a fondness for unfair advantages.

The roof was getting closer, and they had only a few feet of air left now. Even Kratos looked worried as he kicked the water, and Will was feeling the drag from his swords pulling him down. He had to work to keep afloat, but he didn't know if he could get them off while trying to stay above water.

"What do we do?" Sheena asked with panic.

"Hold your breath," Kratos said. "It's likely Undine doesn't want to actually kill us, but I don't know how long we can last until she pulls the water down.

Kratos' head hit the ceiling, and Will arched his neck back to try and remain above the water level as long as possible. He only had a few inches now, and he desperately sucked at the remaining air.

"Lloyd!" Kratos said, "Take a deep breath!" Kratos followed his own advice, taking a lust gulp of air before dropping below the surface. Genis and Sheena followed suit, and Will gasped, taking in a lungful of air before the water closed over his head.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. His eyes stung from the salt and he saw Genis, wide-eyed and terrified, as they drifted underwater. Will stopped bothering to tread and tried to conserve his energy. His swords were dragging him down, and he was slowly drifting towards the bottom. Kratos faced a similar dilemma, though really, if the entire cave was filled with water, being at the bottom wouldn't make that much difference.

Will's lungs were already burning and he desperately needed air, but with the cave flooded they were as good as stranded at the bottom of the ocean. His vision was swimming as he drifted in the water. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he needed to breathe.

He was going to drown soon; he just knew it. His chest ached from the need to breath, and his head felt fuzzy from lack of oxygen. His vision grew hazy, he felt like he was falling asleep, but his chest burned so much...

Then he was moving, dropping down and flowing towards the edge of the platform as the water level suddenly dropped. Crap, he was going to get sucked out to sea! Barely conscious, he aimed for a pillar and clung to it, barely able to get his arms around it. His fingers were slipping, but he managed to hold on as water rushed out of the cavern. He saw Genis flowing past, and let go with one hand to grab his arm. Genis stared at him with panicked eyes, and Will just focused on holding on to the pillar as the water level dropped.

He collapsed to the wet platform, gasping for breath. He knelt on his hands and knees, coughing and choking, and feeling sweet, sweet oxygen flowing to his lungs. Kratos and Sheena were on the other side of the platform, similarly panting.

In the middle, a large puddle of water rose up, taking the form of Undine. Kratos was already on his feet, and Will forced himself up as well. He gave Genis his hand and the four of them stood there, shaking and out of breath, soaking wet. Kratos' hair was flat on his head, which made his head look really small.

"Aqua Edge!" Undine shouted, sending out blasts of water. Water also whipped up from the pool around them, and before Will could react he was blasted off his feet again as a torrent of water crashed into his gut. He hit his head hard on the ground and lay in shock for a few seconds, trying to get his bearings.

He finally rose up on his elbows, seeing Genis and Kratos in similar positions. Geysers of water shot up all around them, and when Kratos stood up he was promptly pushed off the edge of the platform and into the water with a loud splash.

"No..." Sheena gasped, on her knees and looking around. "Not again..."

Will got to his knees, and looked over at Genis, heart skipping a beat when he saw the half-elf unconscious.

'Genis!' Lloyd shouted.

'Hold on, he's just passed out,' Will said. 'He'll be fine.'

'He better be,' Lloyd said, his voice thick with worry.

Will was worried more about himself, and as Kratos started pulling himself back up over the edge, Sheena got to her feet and Will hurried over to stand next to her. Her eyes were wide with panic and her face was pale, water running down her cheeks like tears.

"I don't know what to do," she said franticly. "She's made of water; how can we hurt her?"

"Ready?" Undine said again, and this time Will had the smarts to run out of the way. Unfortunately, it didn't work because she was still aiming for him. He was once again blasted into the air by the surge of water, and then landed hard on the ground, hitting his elbows and hurting his knees.

"Lloyd!" Sheena cried, as Undine whipped another blade of water through the air and lashed at Kratos, pushing him off the platform again just as he got back on.

"No, everyone!" Sheena said, standing there with a helpless look.

"Had enough?" Undine asked, and Will craned his neck to look back at her, not about to get up right now. Sheena stood alone before the Summon Spirit, shaking with fear, anger, or pain, or maybe all three at once.

"Never!" Sheena said with tremors in her voice. "Everyone is counting on me... I can't give up. I promised people I'd save them...so I – I need your power!"

Undine watched her for a few seconds, and Will waited with bated breath for the attack to come. Kratos was once again crawling up over the side, but Will was too busy watching Sheena and Undine to pay him much attention.

"Very well," Undine said, drifting backwards towards the altar.

"W-What?" Sheena said, taken aback.

"You have proved your worth, Summoner Sheena."

"But... but we didn't defeat you..."

Undine gave her a humorous look. "Do you really expect to defeat a Summon Spirit?"

"Well..." Sheena said.

Undine just said, "You have fought valiantly, and refused to give up even when your comrades fell. You made a vow to help others, and kept fighting to uphold that vow even when all hope seemed lost. I trust you to keep your pact with me, and I deem you worthy of my power. Make your vow."

"O-Ok," Sheena said, still slightly shocked. Kratos, meanwhile, had pulled himself up and walked over to help Will to his feet. He was shaky and sore, but Kratos was already casting First Aid as Will leaned on him.

'Check on Genis!'

'In a second!'

Meanwhile, Sheena said to Undine, "Right now, there are people suffering. People in Sylvarant, people in Tethe'alla... I vow to use my power to save those people, as many as I can, to the best of my ability!"

"Understood," Undine said. "I pledge my power to you, Sheena!"

Undine slowly shimmered out of sight, and appearing in her place was a shining blue gem. This drifted over to Sheena's hands, and she looked down at it with a smile on her face. "I...I did it," she said softly.

'Genis!' Lloyd pestered again. While Sheena spoke to Undine, Kratos had cast First Aid and Will felt immensely better. Still sore, but better.

He walked over to the young half-elf's form and knelt next to him. He didn't look too bad; not cut up or bloody or anything. Compared to how Raine had looked after their last battle, he didn't look too bad.

"Kratos," he called, "Can you heal him?"

The mercenary nodded and came over. White circled around his feet for a moment, and then he said, "First Aid."

Genis opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Will. "Lloyd -!" he started, but Sheena grinned at him and held up her new Aquamarine.

"It's over," she said. "I've got the pact."

"Wow, Sheena!" Genis said, sitting up. "You did it!"

"Yeah," Will said, looking back at her. "Congratulations."

"We should move on," Kratos said. "The others are probably worried about us."

"Right," Will said. He helped Genis to his feet, and the younger half-elf swayed. Kratos easily picked him up and put him over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Genis shouted. "Put me down! I can walk just fine!"

Will smirked at him and said, "Not so nice being carried like that, is it?"

They reached the warp, and Sheena went through first, followed by Kratos and Genis, leaving Will alone. He cast a last glance around the chamber, thinking about how it was really kind of serene and pretty if not for death and killing and fighting.

He was about to step on the warp when light erupted from the altar once more. He blinked in surprise as Undine appeared once again, drifting eerily and staring down at him. She was still half-naked, but he was getting better at controlling himself.

"You," she said. "You who possess two unique mana signatures..."

Will's heart rate skyrocketed as he stared Undine down. Uh-oh. She knew. She knew. She was going to tell Sheena. Or she was just going to smite him or something.

"You are not from this world," Undine said, then tilted her head curiously, "and yet you are. Who are you?"

'Lloyd... what do I do?'

'I – I don't know! Tell her the truth, maybe? We never encountered this problem!'

Will took a deep breath and stepped forward. "You're right," he said. "I'm not from this world." He really hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "I was forced here. I came in through the black space and unwillingly inhabited the body of a boy named Lloyd Irving."

"Ah..." Undine said. "The black space."

"You know of it?"

The Spirit nodded. "We Spirits are the links between the worlds, and our mana flows through the thin black space between these twin worlds. How long have you been in our world?"

"A couple months," he said.

Undine frowned. "Then... you were not the anomaly?"

Will blinked at her in confusion. "The anomaly?"

"The anomaly in the black space," she said. "It occurred yesterday. Something... subtle. A disturbance that lasted too short for us to observe. I thought it might have been you coming through, but it must have been something else. Probably Renegades experimenting with their Rheairds again."

There was a flash and the warp behind him jumped to life, and Will started, panicked that someone would overhear his conversation. Undine, though, disappeared like a blown out candle, and when he turned around it was only Ellie.

She wore a concerned expression, but when she saw he was fine that turned to anger. She planted her hands on her hips and gave him a curious look.

"Undine knows," he explained. "She knows we're from Earth."

Ellie opened her mouth a bit, eyebrows going up.

"Don't worry. I don't think she plans on telling anybody else."

Ellie frowned but nodded, then jerked her hand in a 'come on' gesture. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they stepped on the warp together. There was that weird stretching feeling, and then they reappeared up top.

"Lloyd! What happened!" Genis said, sitting on the ground next to Raine.

"Nothing," he replied quickly. "I just wanted to get a last look at the Seal room..."

Raine gave him a look, but didn't say anything.

"Well," Sheena said, "We're all good to go. We can meet Quince back on his boat and be at Lake Umacy in a couple of days."

"Let's head out," Kratos said, stepping up behind Will. Raine looked over and nodded, and then did a double-take. Will wasn't sure what this was about, until he realised that he was soaking wet and his hair was drooping down in his face in a very Kratos-y manner. Oh shit, did Raine suspect...? No way. As far as she knew, Kratos was twenty-eight, so he couldn't possibly be Lloyd's dad. But maybe she suspected him to be an older brother or an uncle or something?

Will reached up to his head and ran his fingers through his hair to try and shake off the resemblance.

He followed the others on their way out of the Water Temple, thinking about the fact that this had been their final battle with Kratos in the party before their next battle with him against the party. He really wasn't looking forward to that.

In any case, he was cold and wet and really wanted to snuggle under a blanket by a fire. Ellie was walking next to him, and seeing him shiver she leaned close and put her arm around his shoulders this time. He felt the warmth of her body even though he knew she couldn't feel his. Hm, this worked too.