((A/N: 7 reviews! Yaaaay!
This fic turned out to have 40 chapters and an epilogue. A whole lot more than I originally planned. I also think it really shows that I slacked off during the ending. But, whatever. Enjoy this chapter.))
Chapter thirty-five, Yuan's P.O.V.
Mithos The Hero.
Our trek through the tower's basement remained virtually without conversation. We basically slaughtered our way to the lowest level. Though there were quite a lot of Yggdrasill's angels around, it seemed that he hadn't set up any real traps after all.
Lloyd stubbornly ignored every attempt Kratos made in aiding him in battle. The boy tended to separate himself from the group, fighting on his own. There was nothing that could be done about it though. Not now.
Finally, we made it to the bottom level, where the Great Seed's chamber lay. We stopped at the door, taking one last moment to catch our breath.
"Is everyone still in one piece?" Zelos asked, glancing around apprehensively.
"Yeah…" Sheena gave a stiff nod.
"If you could give me a moment to recover, I'll be fine." The woman called Raine sighed, clutching her staff to keep herself upright.
Her little brother wasn't looking too energetic either. All this spell-casting could really take it out of a person, half-elf or not. Besides, they hadn't had any special training either. They were both probably more exhausted than they showed.
Kratos reached into his pocket, pulling out two small objects and handing them to the half-elf siblings.
"Are these…" Raine began, raising an eyebrow.
"Miracle gels. I've been saving a few for emergencies." Kratos replied shortly.
"Ah… Thanks." Genis blinked, looking slightly uncomfortable.
Lloyd scoffed from a far corner, but he was mostly ignored. Raine and Genis both gulped down the Miracle gels, which seemed to have an almost immediate effect on them.
"Yggdrasill is beyond this door." I spoke, getting everyone's attention. "There's no way back once you enter. And if you do, you'll be fighting for your life. So if you want to turn around, now's your last chance."
"No way!" Zelos said loudly.
"When I joined the Renegades, I knew something like this could happen. I took the job anyway. So I'm in." Sheena added.
"To fight the boy we've been protecting up until now… The one who was by our side for weeks… It's going to be hard. But we'll manage. Right Genis?" Raine turned to her brother.
"R-right." Genis replied, though he didn't seem all that convinced.
Naturally, Kratos was coming too. He would never turn down a battle with Yggdrasill. Besides, I was sure he'd sworn to destroy his former student by now. Which meant that there was only one person left who could turn back.
"And you, Lloyd?" I turned to the boy who was still standing in the far corner.
"I'll come. I've got nothing to lose." Lloyd said coldly.
An awkward silence followed. I noticed Zelos was giving the kid a rather concerned look. Both of them had changed. Zelos' change was slow and gradual, but Lloyd had flipped around in a matter of seconds. And though it pained me to admit it, I liked the old, annoying Lloyd better.
"Then, let's go." Kratos turned, placing a hand on the door and pushing it open.
We entered the chamber with a great sense of foreboding. When we were all inside, the door slammed shut behind us, leaving us no escape. Yggdrasill was standing with his back to us, gazing at the Great Seed. Underneath it was the cocoon that held the chosen's lifeless body. The download had already started.
"Let Colette go!" Lloyd shouted, stepping forward.
Yggdrasill turned, smiling in a twisted way. "Let her go? Don't make me laugh! Who are you to give me orders?"
"We're the ones who are going to destroy you!" the swordsman retorted.
"Mithos, please. Just return Colette now. If you don't…" Genis trailed off sadly.
"She's no use to you either. Her soul cannot be returned. She is destined to become Martel's vessel. If she does not complete the download, her sacrifice will have been in vain. Is that really what you want?" Yggdrasill questioned.
"Ah…"
"All I want is to see my sister's smile again. Are you really so selfish that you'll take that away from me?" the seraph continued in a whisper.
"You're the one that's selfish!" Zelos shouted. "If you revive Martel, the Great Seed will die, along with the people of both worlds!"
"Wrong!" Yggdrasill snapped loudly. "Martel will save them. She'll take pity on all those corrupt souls and guide them to salvation."
"Honestly, you're so deep into your own lies that you've actually started to believe them!" I said with a cold smile.
Martel… she couldn't save anyone. Though she would take pity on all those people, there was nothing that she could do. The loss of the Great Seed would mean the death of everyone on the planet. This was why… we had to stop her from being revived. But how long had the download been going on?
"They're not lies! Martel… Martel is a goddess. She'll know what to do!"
For a moment, I recognised the small child that Yggdrasill truly was. Mithos, the boy who had gained the power of the Eternal Sword, but was still left helpless when his sister was murdered. The one who wanted desperately to stop the war and save the Kharlan tree, but lost his mind that fateful day. Mithos the 'hero'.