Hard to believe that I have been posting this story for a year now. Time really does flies. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing this story the entire time and I hope you have been enjoying the ride. As always, thanks again to oursolemnhour49 for checking this chapter and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 35: Crossroad

A dark cloud surrounded his mind and he felt a sense of floating. Sparkling flakes helped light the area, but only served to make things even more foreboding. He could feel someone's hot breath against his skin and his heart humming faster and faster in his chest.

Within his field of vision, the flakes began to make a humanoid form. "Two paths lay before you, Mithos. One of those paths has led you to damnation beyond redemption. When one has proven themselves to be unworthy, a new Beschermer will appear to take their place." Two golden orbs appeared where the face would be on a person. "Your shadow has arrived, Mithos."

Mithos jolted awake as he sat up on his throne. He must have dozed off at some point. He rubbed his eyes as he attempted to rid his mind of the dream. What did this vision mean? His shadow had arrived?

It had to be that Angelus. So it had survived. Mithos had heard Pronyma's report, but he hadn't actually thought that the Angelus would have lived to full term. Despite the supposed warnings of his vision, he saw this as nothing but good news.

Mithos began to chuckle. It was time to make his move.

Anna woke slowly as the rays of sunlight glared into her eyes. She still felt a little sick, but was getting better by the day. She smiled as she turned her head to see Kratos rocking their son back and forward as he fed Lloyd his breakfast.

The one good thing about having an angel for a husband was that he had no need to sleep. Which meant that she did not have to get up in the middle of the night to take care of Lloyd. She had been a little worried at first, since she had never seen Kratos ever interact with a child, let alone a baby. Given her experience with soldiers, they tended to be too rough and impatient.

Kratos, however, had proven to be the exception. He was very patient, almost to a fault. He was also extremely gentle and knew how to hold Lloyd. He was such an ideal father. She prayed one day that Lloyd would grow up to be as strong and as caring as him.

"How are you feeling?" Kratos asked in a hushed voice.

"Better," Anna said as she got out of bed. "I think I will sit outside today."

"Iris said that you should stay in bed for about a week," Kratos said.

"Iris isn't here," Anna shot back. Iris had the mornings off and would not be arriving until the afternoon. Besides, the morning was a special time just for the two of them.

Kratos sighed. "I see no harm." He finished feeding Lloyd and then proceeded to pat his back. After a few minutes, the baby gave a small burp.

Anna walked up and gently took her son. "I'm going to give Lloyd his bath."

Kratos nodded. "I will be going out later today."

Anna frowned. "This was supposed our time together. Also, didn't you get the month off from shipping?"

"There is something I want to check at the academy," Kratos said. "Jones gave me his library card."

"You're doing research again," Anna said.

"Not much," Kratos stated. "But we should always keep Cruxis in mind."

Anna sighed. She knew that he was right, although she had honestly forgotten all about Cruxis. Between managing the house, the finances, and her pregnancy, she did not have time to think about the world power hunting them. For a little while, she had felt like an ordinary woman again.

"When will you be back?" Anna asked.

"I will only be gone for a couple of hours," Kratos said. He then left to get breakfast ready.

Lloyd began to get fussy, so Anna quickly took him to the bathroom. If there was one thing Lloyd loved, it was bath time. She filled the small sink with hot water and began to slowly wash him. Lloyd stared at his mom and began to wave his hands around.

Anna smiled as she rubbed some shampoo on his thin hair. Something told her that it would be very thick when he got older. The texture reminded her of Kratos.

Once the bath was over, she dried him and wrapped him in a towel before taking him back in the bedroom to get changed. Lloyd was now wearing a baby blue shirt along with his regular diapers.

Kratos already had breakfast on the table. There was a plate of eggs and applesauce for Anna. She still could not eat hard food. He took Lloyd from Anna so she could eat in peace.

"Thank you, Kratos," Anna said as she sat down. "It looks delicious."

"I made sure to put extra iron in your food since you are still anemic," Kratos said as he put Lloyd in his rocker. Noishe was also there and began to nuzzle the Lloyd. The baby responded by trying to take off Noishe's nose, causing the Protozoan to pull away.

"Noishe seems really good with babies," Anna noted as she ate her food.

"I had Noishe since I was a child myself," Kratos said. "So he has a bit of experience."

Anna's eyes widened. "How old is Noishe?"

"I have no idea, but he is much older than me," Kratos said. "His kind is extremely long-lived and he may possibly outlive me."

That was unbelievable. Especially given that Kratos himself was thousands of years old. "Are there others of his kind in the world?"

"I don't know," Kratos answered. "There might be, but he never told me."

Noishe glanced at them before he went back playing with Lloyd.

Anna stared at Lloyd in wonder. "Kratos, do you think Lloyd will become an angel like you?"

Kratos looked stunned by the question. He closed his eyes for a second as if contemplating the possibility. "I doubt it. Angels are not born; they are created through a Cruxis Crystal. For all practical reasons, he should grow up to be a normal child."

There was something in Kratos' voice that told Anna he was not being completely truthful. However she was not going to force the truth out of him. It was probably better if she didn't know.

The hours flew by, and Iris came to the house right on time. Kratos took this as he cue to leave. Anna thought it would be a good idea to take Lloyd out with her and let him see the outside world for the first time. Iris was against this, but could do little to stop her.

Anna was now sitting on the porch and enjoying the cool air. It was as though the storm of a few days ago had never happened. A few of her neighbors gave their congratulations when they saw her baby. She got many comments about how cute Lloyd was and how much he looked like her. Anna personally thought he looked more like Kratos than her.

"That is a beautiful baby," a childish voice said.

Anna looked up to see a young boy standing before her. He had long blond hair and bright blue eyes. He held a strange innocence around him, but his eyes seemed to hold some hidden darkness. Somehow Anna knew that this was no ordinary child. However she couldn't put her finger on what set him apart. "Thank you," she said kindly.

The boy scoffed his feet shyly. "Can I hold him?"

The question took her off-guard, however, she saw no harm in the gesture. "Alright."

The child slowly walked up to her and Anna gently handed Lloyd to him. To Anna's surprise he seemed to know how to hold a baby. The boy began to rock Lloyd back and forward.

"He is very strong. I can feel his mana," the boy said absently.

Anna finally figured out what he was. "You're a half-elf."

The boy was so surprised that it looked like he was going to drop Lloyd. "No...no I'm not!"

Anna frowned. "You don't have to be afraid. I have no ill will towards your kind." It had taken her a long time, but she was starting to understand that not all half-elves were Desians.

The boy visibly relaxed. "Sorry, people tend to act a certain way when they find out what I am."

"I can imagine," Anna said. "What is your name?"

The boy began to blush. "Mithos."

"Like the hero, Mithos," Anna smiled. "That is a nice name. It suites you."

"My sister thought so too," Mithos said in a distance voice.

Anna could see the pain in his face. It was a pain she understood all too well. The pain of loss. "Do you live here in Palmacosta?"

Mithos handed Lloyd back to her. "No. I come here every now and then for personal business."

"Aren't you a little young to have personal business?" Anna joked.

"I have to learn to survive young," Mithos said.

Anna allowed a look of pity to cross her face. How could such a young child have gone through so much?

"I sorry to have disturbed you," Mithos said shyly. "But there is something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" Anna asked.

Mithos reached into his pocket and took out a folded sheet of paper. "Can you give this to your husband?"

Anna was surprise by the request. "You know my husband?"

"I met him a couple of times," Mithos began to blush again. "It is kind of personal and I don't have the courage to ask him in person."

Anna gently took the note. "I will make sure he gets it."

Mithos gave her a bright smile. Something didn't seem right with it, Anna thought. It appeared somewhat fake. "Thank you, miss. See you later?" He shook Lloyd's hand one more time before leaving.

Anna watched him until he was completely out of sight. There was something strange about that boy.

Kratos could not believe his luck. The information he had been looking had been here in the Academy all this time.

He reread the passage several times to be sure. He needed the Aionis to actually make the ring. He needed the Sacred Wood to completely melt it and rid it of all the impurities. The Adamantite was not part of the ring but was instead used to polish it into its most perfect form.

Kratos almost wanted to laugh. He owed Jason more than he would ever know. However knowing how to make the Eternal Ring was only the first part. Adamantite was hard to find, and he still would need to find some way to refine it. He remembered hearing rumors about where Sacred Wood could be found, so he didn't have to worry too much about that.

The real problem came with finding Aionis. He had been lucky when Malachite had given him hers so long ago. He had no idea where to even start looking for it now. It seemed he would have to return to Heimdall soon. They would know better than anyone where he could find the precious metal.

He closed the book and proceeded to return home. He was one step closer to ending Cruxis. Overall it had been a good day.

The sun had almost set when he returned to the house. He was greeted by the smell of Iris' cooking. Even though he had no need to eat, he still had to keep up appearances in the presences of their maid.

Anna smiled warmly at him as he walked through the door. "Welcome home." Lloyd was currently asleep in his crib.

Kratos walked over and gave Anna a small kiss. "How has Lloyd been?"

"Not too fussy," Anna said. "I need to feed him soon."

Kratos nodded.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Anna said as she reached into the pocket she had in her bagging dress. She then handed him a sheet of paper.

Kratos stared down at it in wonder. "What is this?"

"Some kid gave it to me," Anna said. "He said he knew you."

"Really?" Kratos said as he slowly opened the note. "What was his name?"

"Mithos," Anna answered.

Kratos felt his entire body freeze and he stopped unfolding the note. He attempted to keep a straight face as he stared at Anna. "Mithos?"

"Yeah, after the legendary hero," Anna said. "He was kind of strange, but he seemed like a sweet kid. Where do you know him from anyway?"

Kratos was torn. Should he tell Anna the truth?

"Miss Anna, dinner's ready," Iris called from the kitchen.

"Oh, I need to set the table," Anna said. "We can talk during dinner." She then ran off to do her chores.

Kratos gave silent thanks towards Iris as he quickly finished opening the letter. He had found them. He was not sure how, but Mithos knew he was here. For some reason, however, he had not struck. He could have easily stolen away Anna while he was gone. Kratos knew he had allowed himself to become careless. He could have lost everything.

He quickly scanned the letter and was stunned by what he read. Mithos wanted to meet him at the port? What could he be up to? This had to be some kind of trap.

Kratos thought that they should leave immediately. If Mithos was being passive, this could be their only opportunity to escape. Mithos was no fool, however. He no doubt has one of his agents was spying on them. If he attempted to move before he met Mithos, it would bring hell to not only his family but also the entire city. Whether he liked it or not, Mithos had the upper hand.

"Is there something wrong, Kratos?" Anna voice brought him back. "You look pale."

Kratos shook his head. "I am fine."

Anna frowned; she could see right through his lie. But he still was not ready to tell her the truth. Maybe he could talk some sense into Mithos. There had to be a way to resolve this peacefully.

"You know, you don't have to keep me in the dark," Anna said as she turned away. "We're both in this." She then left him to his thoughts.

Kratos lowered his head in shame. "Forgive me, Anna."

The day passed slowly at that point. Not even his son could lift his mood. Lloyd unwittingly made things worse. Every time he saw Lloyd's innocent face, his mind returned to Mithos and what he could have planned.

Anna would give him concerned glances. Kratos did everything to stay strong and hide his concern. He couldn't allow Anna to know the truth.

Night finally came and Anna, still weak from giving birth, fell asleep almost immediately. Lloyd was also thankfully calm this night. He did not want them to leave them alone, but that choice was out of his hands. He gave one last look towards his family before he left for the dock.

The night was cool and there was a slight breeze, but he paid it no mind. He steeled himself for the worst as he reached his destination. At first, he saw nothing, but a figure did catch his eye. It didn't take long for him to recognize who it was.

Kratos sucked in his breath when he looked upon Mithos. Before him was not Yggdrasill. Instead, it was the boy he remembered so well from Heimdall. He looked exactly the same all the way down to his outfit. The disconnect between his expectation and reality stunned him.

"You're early, Kratos," Mithos said, his boyish voice bring back even more memories. "You have always been like that. Never late for anything."

Kratos hardened himself. This was not the Mithos he had known, despite his current appearance. "Yggdrasill, why have you called me here?"

"Must you be so formal?" Mithos asked as he turned to face him.

"If you have come for my family, you will have to fight me for them," Kratos said as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Mithos casually waved a hand at him. "Kratos, if I had come here for that, I would have taken them while you were gone."

He knew that that was true. Still, Mithos was not to be trusted. "What do you want then?"

"I have come to give you an offer," Mithos said.

Kratos blinked. "What?"

"Kratos, return to Derris-Kharlan with me," Mithos said in a gentle voice. "If you do, you can take your family with you."

Kratos shook his head. "You can't be serious."

"I am dead serious," Mithos said. "I will even give that host body..."

"Anna," Kratos corrected coldly.

"Anna...a real Cruxis Crystal so she will remain ageless. We can take her exsphere as it is now," Mithos finished. He did give Kratos a look of annoyance.

"And Lloyd?" Kratos questioned further.

"Lloyd will, of course, be allowed to join us," Mithos said. He began to pace the pier. "You know, Kratos, I was angry at you for betraying me and leaving Cruxis. Now I think it was the best thing that could have happened."

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

Mithos began to chuckle. "Thanks to you and that host...Anna, you have given us something that we could not create even after all these years."

"Why is Lloyd so important?" Kratos asked.

"I am surprised at you, Kratos. I thought you would be able to figure it out." Mithos half mocked. "Your son is the first Angelus, a true angel."

"An Angelus?" Kratos repeated.

"We became angels by our Cruxis Crystals, we were not born as one," Mithos continued. "Your son, however, is a natural angel. For all practical purposes, he is a different species from us."

Kratos shook his head. "What does it matter?"

Mithos glared at Kratos. "If given the chance, his power could surpass all of us. With an ally like that on our side, Cruxis will be unstoppable. And, if we are allowed to study him, we can learn the secrets on how he was even born."

"And replicate him," Kratos said in disgust. "Lloyd is not a science experiment. He is a living, breathing person and I won't allow you to hurt him."

"Kratos, your lack of imagination stuns me," Mithos sighed.

"I know that you allowed yourself to become corrupted," Kratos said coldly. "Martel would have never approved of this."

"Martel would understand that this is all for the greater good!" Mithos almost yelled.

"You stopped fighting for the greater good a long time ago," Kratos said. It was a sad thing to admit. It was something he had been denying himself for years. It was his own denial that had allowed Mithos to go as far as he had.

Mithos looked like he was going to explode before he quickly calmed down. "I see this world has been allowed to blind you from our goal. Nonetheless, my deal still stands." Mithos looked directly at him and his eyes were the most sincere that Kratos had seen in years. "You are my friend. We have been through hell together. But you must understand, I can't allow that child to grow up as my enemy."

Kratos was taking off-guard by the intensity of his statement despite the soft tone. It was obviously that Mithos truly missed having him by his side. The offer he made was also very tempting. By returning to Cruxis he would assure the safety of his family. Anna would finally be free of her exsphere and even be granted an extended life. He did not have to worry about seeing her grow old and eventually dying.

Lloyd would also be in safe hands. Mithos would actually protect him. But Lloyd would never know peace. He would be raised as a warrior, a weapon created in Cruxis' image. Like Remiel, he would become a twisted being, filled with hatred and loathing for both worlds. It would also break the vow he made before Lloyd was even born.

However, was it really worth it? Wouldn't it be easier to stop Cruxis from the inside instead of running around the world?

Anna suddenly entered his mind. She would never approve of going to Derris-Kharlan. She would rather die before she surrendered to Cruxis. She also would never forgive him for taken such an offer. He also knew that Anna would never want to live forever and share in his curse. Honestly, he wouldn't want her to either. It was better to live a short and fulfilled life than a long empty one. His choice became clear.

"I can't take your offer," Kratos said. "Doing so would betray everything I have worked for."

Mithos gave him a blank stare.

"Please, Mithos," Kratos came closed to begging. "Open your eyes and get off this path of destruction. It is not too late to make everything right."

Mithos shook his head. "It really is a pity. I had hoped we could solve our differences without violence, but you had to be so stubborn. That woman has really rotted your mind."

"No, she opened my eyes and forced me to see the truth," Kratos said. "We have caused unimaginable suffering to the people of both worlds. We became the monsters we once fought against. You have repeated all of Zilveren's mistakes."

Kratos felt the wind knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. It took him a moment to realize that Mithos was now standing right in front of him. Mithos' eyes burnt into his own.

"Don't you ever mention that name," Mithos growled.

Kratos coughed. "Maybe you can't stand it because it reflects your conscience."

Mithos turned away from him. "Fine, do as you please. Know, however, that once I leave this place you will face the full wrath of Yggdrasill, ruler of Cruxis."

Kratos lowered his head in response. Before his eyes, the boy Mithos disappeared. Yggdrasill now stood in his place in full glory.

"In honor of our friendship, I will give you a day's head start," Mithos said. He then disappeared in a flash of light.

Kratos was left alone to the silent night. Everything was still.

This is a convenstation I have been working towards for awhile. Given Mithos' personality I have a hard time believing that he never offered Kratos some type of peace offering to get him back into Cruxis. Of course, there are several nods towards fanfics that went into this direction. Things are really starting to heat up now.

Until next time.