Chapter 38
"Richter?" Emil voiced in a soft tone as he entered into the small little research domain, the first sight that the young blonde saw was Richter behind his desk, the glasses reflecting the subtle light from his desk as the man scribbled into his notebook.
A tense moment passed as Emil froze on his spot the moment that he saw the shine from the surface of the glasses disappear as Richter glanced up to greet the figure of intrusion.
"What is it, Emil?" Richter spoke out in a firm tone as the man laid the pen on the side of his own personal research.
"I was just thinking...uh...what we are doing...is it...right?" Emil asked in an uncertain tone as his eyes glanced to the side while he instinctively rubbed the back of his head as if he felt ashamed for even having to ask Richter or even imply that he was questioning the mans motives.
"Emil, even if something does not seem right to do...know that someone has to take a stand when others lack the voice to be able to. We are giving the people of Sylvarant a voice." Richter casually responded as he placed the pen in the middle of his text book and gave it a close, marking his place in the book.
"I...see." Emil confessed as he kept his eyes to the side.
"You fight for your family, do you not? Don't you feel like they deserve a better existence than to be bullied by the people of Tethe'alla?" Richter commented as he leaned back in his chair.
"I just want everyone to be treated fairly...on both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla...I don't want to fight them to concur them." Emil confessed.
"That is exactly what the Vanguard is here for Emil...our rights, if no one else has the courage to fight then that is their problem, I lack no such trait and I will gladly fight where others are too weak to do so. We all have our reasons to fight...what matters is we have the strength to fight for them instead of hiding behind a screen of weakness, being the target of pity and mercy." Richter spoke with a sudden sense of disdain in his voice as he felt his hands clench together into a tight fist.
"That is a little bitter...what if they cannot fight?" Emil questioned.
"Then they need to learn...and that is where the Vanguard shall serve as an example...if someone has to be strong enough to take the first stand then it shall be me." Richter easily responded as he leaned his cheek into the palm of his hand, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair.
"What about you? Do you fight for anyone?" Emil asked as he looked back over to Richter.
The Sybak researcher seemed to pause for a moment as he reflected on that question, his silence only making the blonde haired ally nervous as he shifted from one foot to the other while waiting for the response.
"I fight for a life that was taken prematurely from this world." Richter stated with an edge that was stern and cold at the same time.
That was not a confession that Emil was expecting as his eyes went wide for a moment and before he could ask who the unnamed life form was that was taken from this world, a flicker of darkness claimed the room. The flash of darkness was accompanied by a heaviness in the air and that heaviness could only be compared to the feeling a warrior gets when they know they are about to die...a feeling of impending doom and utter destruction. Richter responded by slowly standing from his chair as he placed both hands flat on the desk as if waiting.
Dark matter swirled in ribbons throughout the room before they all snaked to one location, combining to create a sphere that shimmered like it was composed of liquid mercury, tainted black through the dark energy which could only be linked to the Summon Spirit of darkness, Shadow.
The sphere rippled for a moment as if stabilizing as Richter and Emil watched while the liquid parted enough for the entrance of a certain half-elf noble as the man stepped onto the carpeted floor and his eyes slowly opened as the noble slide his hands into his pockets in a casual manner.
"Valemeros." Richter breathed out in greeting.
"Lord Valemeros, last I checked." Valemeros smirked as he looked over to Emil, noting the nervousness locked in the young mans eyes. The blonde could not stare at him for long as he pulled his eyes away from the noble. "How is your Vanguard coming along?" Valemeros commented as his eyes slowly moved from Emil back to Richter.
"I have gotten reports from some of my men that the exspheres are making some of them feel ill. I have heard of side effects before from these exspheres." Richter started as he raised a hand to push the glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"I would not worry about it." Valemeros commented casually. "Exspheres take some time to adjust to some subjects...however there is a way to overcome such adverse side effects." Valemeros added as he walked over to one of the mans book shelves and appeared to be looking at the titles that were written on the spines; however that was not fooling Richter.
Valemeros traced an index finger along the spine of a book before Richter felt his limited patience come to an end as he frowned in irritation.
"I am in no mood for games. Tell me what you have to say and then be gone. There is a lot of issues that require my attention over childish antics." Richter breathed out in annoyance.
"Games? You think it is a game when I present you with the perfect opportunity to attack Meltokio?" Valemeros suddenly grinned as his eyes shifted from the tomes to the researcher. The young man stayed silent and Valemeros knew the man was waiting to explain that before he even made any comment. Richter was good at covering up anything about his reactions to what he heard.
"A-attack Meltokio? Why would we do that?" Emil stutterer out.
"Silence, Emil...let the man speak." Richter spoke in a commanding tone.
"Think of it...a successful attack on the capital city could be just the boost the Vanguard needs to demoralize and cripple the enemy army. One surprise attack deep within the castle walls...if you can set the castle in flames then you know what strategical advantage that would prove to the Vanguard." Valemeros conveyed with a sinister gleam in his eyes.
"You must think I am a truly a fool, don't you?" Richter responded with a cold tone. "You want the Vanguard to attack a capital that is being guarded by the entire Tethe'alla army? They have been on guard more-so now than ever with all the events that have taken place in the world."
"And what would you say if I could open the gates of impossibility for you?" Valemeros proclaimed with a hint of arrogance and cheer hidden along his words. "After all, you have more than just men at the call of the Vanguard...I could summon up the darkness of shadow to conceal your men in the blackest of nights as well as bring down the fury of the winds to sweep through the enemy ranks...the fires of the deepest mountains shall consume the Vanguard's deadliest foes...all at my fingertips." Valemeros illustrated cheerfully as his eyebrow arched.
Richter narrowed his eyes for a moment in a suspicious manner.
"But a moment of your time is all I require...I assure you that you shall be most interested in what I have to say...for the Vanguard's sake." Valemeros concluded as he turned to face Richter completely, folding his hands behind his back.
The rest that came to the group that night was a restless one, especially for the pink haired warrior Presea; her body twisted along her bedsheets, the fabric constricting to her body as her skin lightly misted over with a thin layer of sweat before she gave a soft moan of protest. Her muscles tensed for a moment as her hand gripped the bedsheets, twisting her wrist as she pulled in protest.
The closed eyes of Presea showed her to be asleep but yet the twitch in her eyelids along with the convulsions of her body openly displayed the nightmare that was haunting her dreams.
Blood...blood poured along the stone ground. A man hanging by his wrists as his screams echoed in the empty room before the sight changed in a split second to a dagger stabbing into a human body as blood splashed out from the hilt.
Blood dripped from the walls, the sounds of a heartbeat dominated her mind as every heartbeat gave birth to another spurt of crimson fluids and all she saw was the agonized face of Regal, tears of blood falling down his face before he wrinkled up into a corpse and withered into dust.
The sight of a man hanging in a dungeon flashed in her mind one last time before that sight zoomed out to show the grand city.
'Meltokio!' screamed a voice deep in her mind.
A gasp filled the air as Presea jolted to a seated position as she grabbed her heart lightly and she swore she could not feel her own heartbeat for a few seconds before it came in a rapid session of beats that felt like it would actually jackhammer into the palm of her hand, trying to shatter the bones.
Presea breathed heavily through a gaped mouth as she raised her other hand to her forehead and brushed the pink strands of hair away from her eyes as she tried to gain her baring on where she was as she looked down at her legs and seemed to tense for a moment as if she was not used of seeing such slender legs belonging to her. Digging her nails into her head lightly she tried to erase the traces of her nightmare before one name exited her lips.
"Regal..."
"Lloyd...Lloyd..."
Those whispers slipped into Lloyd's dreamless sleep as he felt the darkness stir at the soft, intruding voice. The voice sounded once more as it tied a noose around his consciousness and willed the young swordsman to wake and answer the calls.
Lloyd became very aware of the feeling of his shoulders being gripped and his body being lightly shaken to the world of waking as his eyes cracked open in a sleepy haze, the only think he could make out in his dark room was the light that bounced off the pink that was in front of him. It took the pink haze calling out his name one more time before he realized who was in front of him as his body jerked for a moment and he breathed in deeply while his eyes quickly adjusted to the womanly figure of Presea.
"P...Presea? What are you doing in here?" Lloyd muttered as he slowly pulled himself up, rubbing his eyes lightly on his forearm to clear out the lingering haze over his eyes.
"We need to talk." Presea softly whispered in a surprisingly meek tone.
Lloyd lowered his forearm as he looked over to his late night companion, she had tucked her legs carefully underneath herself and folded her hands lightly over her lap as she kept her head lowered in the most submissive manner that Lloyd had ever seen from Presea. He felt a tingle crawl along his spine as he realized the woman was still in her nightgown, fine lace collar with small ribbon-like tassells that hung from her shoulders, the night gown did more than enough to accent the curvy woman she had become and Lloyd could not help but glance away as if out of respect for the vulnerable woman before him.
"W...what do we need to talk about?" Lloyd spoke, clearing his throat once as he regained his composure for the woman.
"It's Regal...I...I think he is in trouble...we need to go to him." Presea pleaded.
The genuine concern in Presea's voice actually got Lloyd to look back over to the stunning beauty as he felt his eyes go wide for a moment with worry.
"What do mean?" Lloyd spoke as he stiffened his posture, feeling the protective side of him surfacing as he closed the distance slightly between himself and Presea, reaching out to gently grab her shoulders as the woman slowly lifted her eyes to meet with his. Lloyd could swear that the only thing he could see in her eyes were that of a frightened child and Lloyd knew instantly that he had to do something for the shaken woman.
"We...we need to go to Meltokio." Presea whispered as she shivered once and placed both her hands lightly on Lloyd's forearm. "Please...I...I just need to make sure that Regal is safe."
Valemeros opened his eyes slowly as if awakening from deep concentration, looking up at the ceiling as if in a knowing way as he gave a sly smirk and turned around to meet the observant eyes of Richter. The researcher had his eyes narrowed in a manner that one would double check a questionable action or moment that they witnessed.
"Time is running our Richter...there will be a very small opening for attack and you can either take and strike the first fatal blow to Meltokio and all those of Tethe'alla...weakening the control they shall have over the people of Sylvarant...or you can spend years trying to plan out what I can help you accomplish right now." Valemeros smirked still as he kept his hands folded behind his back, glancing to the side for a moment as if noticing some dust on his robe as he raised a hand to brush off the invisible taint upon his being.
"You have to look it from my shoes, I just built up this force...not all of them are warriors, I have yet to train most of them to be capable of warfare." Richter pointed out as he eyed the noble.
"No...I am just asking you to trust me a little more. I have given you resources...exspheres...keycrests, basically I am risking everything just as you are. You need to know that I would not risk it all if I did not know it wasn't a guaranteed thing. Those exspheres will give your men the edge they need and now I am offering an opportunity along with the aid of summon spirits, a force that no army in Meltokio is ready to face. What shall happen if the day comes that Tethe'alla takes the first action and strikes first? The king has lost his patience with Sylvarant and has already amassed an invading force...that is how I know the city shall be vulnerable, the kings forces shall be advancing to the border and a huge percentage of them shall be leaving the city." Valemeros explained as he walked over to Richter's desk and placed both hands flat against the hardwood surface. "I can use the winds to blockade any reinforcements from reaching the city and darkness can be used to cloud the vision of the forces inside the city."
"What about all the innocent people?" Emil suddenly voiced from the corner of the room.
"There is no such thing as innocent during wartime, boy." Valemeros felt his eyes narrow for a moment as he glanced over his shoulder to the young man before looking back to the stern expression of Richter. "Strike first...or the king shall, the choice is yours." Valemeros voiced as he pushed himself off the marble desk and started to make his way towards the rippling dark sphere.
"Hold." Richter demanded as Valemeros stayed his advance for a moment, giving a sly grin before forcing himself to hide the expression as he looked over his shoulder. "When shall you need me to have the forces ready?"
"As soon as possible, I believe it shall be a good chance to field the power of those exspheres." Valemeros smirked as he turned around for a moment. "When your forces are ready, just call out to me and I shall offer the transport for your troops...strike fast, hard and spread far...I shall do my part to leave the forces bewildered so taking the castle shall be a simple task." Valemeros stated in casual arrogance as his form disappeared into the blackness of the sphere.
Emil seemed hesitate to say anything as he watched the sphere ripple before it evaporated before his very eyes and some light returned back to the room, as if the sphere acted as a syphon for the rays of light.
"Can we really trust him?" Emil asked in an uneasy tone.
"For the time being I believe we can...but his place in the Vanguard is quickly coming to it's end." Richter dismissed as he laced his fingers together and allowed himself to be pulled away into the darkness of his mind as he remained in deep thought. Emil could tell Richter was thinking and so the young man allowed him the silence as he turned around and left the room.
Valemeros walked down the carpet while being accompanied by two of the royal guards as Valemeros placed his hand on his chest, the classical hand over the heart as he went down to one knee to bow before the king as the guard on his right introduced him before the king.
"Sir Valemeros of House Yogsorrow." The guard introduced.
"You may leave us." The king responded as both guards gave a bow of their heads and walked back towards their posts in the royal chamber.
"Your majesty." Valemeros spoke out passively.
"Rise, Lord Valemeros...it is my honour to have you here." The king spoke out truthfully. "You have done much in your short time of service to the kingdom, weeding out traitors and bringing the true enemies to our nation to light. Is there anything else you have discovered that brings you here before me? Personally I would hope not, for our nation has enough enemies as it is."
"I would hope not, my liege." Valemeros responded as he rose to his feet, dusting off his robe as he walked up the steps to close the distance between himself and the royal blood that sat on the throne. "In fact I come with the option in hopes to strengthen an alliance between our nation and another." Valemeros spoke out in a sudden whisper like tone, like a deceptive snake would lull it's victim into the comfort of false security before being finished off.
"What are you proposing, Lord Valemeros." The king wondered as he eyed the noble.
"Mizuho has been an ally to the kingdom, we both know this...however, since the unification of the worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant; they have been very seclusive and even elusive to Meltokio and the world of Tethe'alla. I am not suggesting they have gone rogue or become traitors, my king, I am merely suggesting that we pay them a respectable visit and strength our bond. If the aggression from Sylvarant becomes hostile enough for war...they would prove to be an invaluable ally to have and it is very likely that if Sylvarant is mounting a force...they would approach Mizuho with an offer. It is known that our cultures have clashed enough in the past...we do not want that used against us if there is even the smallest chance that could allow them to go traitor on our nation." Valemeros explained as he took his usual place at the right side of the king as he leaned lightly against the finely crafted golden throne.
"Do you think it is possible for Mizuho to turn their backs to our kingdom?" the king spoke in a sceptical tone as he looked over to the side at Valemeros.
"My liege, I am not sure if you know this or not, but the tie of allegiances is pretty fragile between Meltokio and Mizuho, the cultural differences have made a very noticeable gap that have made our allies feel very unwelcome among us...now is the best time to strengthen those ties and have them stand with us." Valemeros reaffirmed.
"What would you suggest then?" The king wondered. "You family line has served as advisers and military tacticians for the royal line for generations...like my fathers trusted yours before you, I shall trust your advise." The king added in as he straightened himself up in his throne.
"Then listen to me...now more than ever, my king. We need to go to Mizuho...personally and pay them the respect of having the king come to them in person to meet with the head of their culture, sit down and speak with them." Valemeros uttered out in casual whisper as he leaned forward to speak directly to the king and the king alone.
"That is a bold move, Lord Valemeros and it is also putting your king in danger. Many would speak against you for suggesting such an action with the threats in our world now with the unsettled Sylvarant." The King spoke out logically.
"But those voices don't matter against your voice, my king. You asked for my advice and I gave it, my family have offered advice that has pushed our kingdom forward into a new age...that is what I am thinking about." Valemeros assured as he strained to keep his smirk hidden.
"For your sake, Lord Valemeros...I hope you are correct. We shall go with my royal guard and it would be in our best interest to go swiftly, the less that know of my leave the less opportunity there shall be for any possible assassination attempts if this Sylvarant rebellion is bold enough...I wish not to find out with my own life on the line." The King nodded once.
"If you wish to keep as much secrecy as possible...then perhaps it shall be in our best interest to keep me here in the kingdom and just try and keep everything calm and orderly until your return, my liege." Valemeros whispered in a casual manner. "That way I could act like your voice and keep face for the other nobles so none become suspicious."
"You just may have a point, Lord Valemeros." The king nodded once as he looked over to the fine paintings that lined his court while stroking his chin lightly. "Your father was a good man to me and the kingdom, I could trust him with maintaining the lands and you being of his blood I shall give you a chance, young noble." The king spoke out in a meaningful tone as he looked over to Valemeros.
"I shall do my best to not disappoint you or put my family name to shame." Valemeros spoke as he placed a hand over his heart and gave the polite bow of his head.
"I shall perhaps my personal guard, the kingdom shall depend on you for the short time I am gone."
"I shall always keep the kingdom in my best interests." Valemeros spoke in a subservient tone while he kept his eyes closed and his head bowed. The moment he head the king's footsteps fade off in the distance he could not help the smirk that twisted at the corner of his lip as his eyes half opened. "And I assure you...this kingdom really interests me." Valemeros chuckled lightly.
"I don't know about this Lloyd; Meltokio is not the place we should be going to. Not after that incident with Valemeros and the knights." Raine warned as she slowly folded her arms over her stomach.
"But Raine...aren't you worried about Regal?" Genis exclaimed in a worried tone.
"First of all, we do not even know if he is even in danger." Raine responded is a somewhat cold manner as she gave her younger sibling a stern glare.
"I am going to go...with or without you." Presea commented, shades of her more emotionless tone surfacing as she pulled hard on her gauntlets.
"Then you could be walking right into a trap." Raine responded while closing her eyes.
"Then wouldn't it be better if we all went with her together? I wouldn't want Presea to face it alone then." Sheena managed to chip in as she looked to the pink haired warrior who in turn looked to Sheena with a moment of gratitude before looking down as she gripped her axes, lifting them off the carpeted floors for a moment as if testing their weight, even though the solid edges of destruction seemed weightless under her strength.
"I think we should go with her to make sure she is safe...but I think we should also do whatever Lloyd thinks...he's our leader." Colette spoke in her usual soft tone as she looked to Lloyd.
The moment that comment was made, Lloyd felt every single pair of eyes on him as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes for a moment as if putting the pressure of the moment out of his mind to make a more knowledgeable decision but he already knew what he would chose and that was what would be right...not what was logical.
"Everyone get ready, we shall be going to Meltokio." Lloyd nodded as he opened his eyes, much to the delight of all but the rationalistic professor as the woman only lightly shook her head.
"At least wait until the sun is up then." Raine sighed in defeat. "The security will be heavier at night and there will be no crowds of people to use as cover."
"Is that...alright to you, Presea?" Lloyd asked as he turned his head, looking at the beautiful warrior as she blinked once while looking at Lloyd.
"I...guess we can wait, I wouldn't want to put you all into the line of danger for me." Presea confessed as she slowly lowered her axes, resting their heads back on the ground and leaning them against the sofa.
"I would not go." the voice of a stranger sounded as Lloyd felt his head jerk to the side to see Cecil leaning against the door frame.
"What do you mean?" Lloyd found himself asking first out of the crowd.
"Valemeros is always one step ahead of everyone...he thinks on a different level, how many times do I have to tell you that? You think you want to go to Meltokio but really you are just answering his call to further advance his plan." Cecil huffed out in a tone that sounded a little irritated and Lloyd could only guess it was because in his opinion, the group was acting rashly.
"Oh, so now you are on our side now?" Raine asked sarcastically.
Cecil let out a scoff as he jerked his head to the side. "Prisoner is a more correct term and prisoners tend to talk...do they not?" Cecil remarked as his facial expression twisted in disgust.
"You are not our prisoner." Lloyd reassured.
"Not like it matters...with Monique still unconscious, I am stuck here so might as well be...we have no were to go...Valemeros abandoned us, he discarded Monique and that is something I am finding myself hard to forgive." Cecil confessed. "Heed my words or not, just know that I am warning you not to go...that is what he is counting on."
"You put too much faith in your former master." Raine frowned as she looked over her shoulder at the black haired warrior of Valemeros. "In order for him to plan as much as you think he has, he has to known the mindsets of others...he would need to know Lloyd and how he thinks in order to anticipate his moves and manipulate them to his advantage."
"And who is to say he does not? Valemeros is a lord of Meltokio and adviser to the king. He was there when you all met with the King, each time...watching from the balcony, he knows that Lloyd is an idealist...a man who wished for a peaceful existence without sacrifice, you would be surprised how much a man can get from so little." Cecil informed. "You cannot underestimate just how cunning he is, keep in mind he has also been with the Desians, he has seen Lloyd in action on memory discs...he knows the fundamentals of Lloyd's mind-set and even fighting style."
The words invited a cold shiver to trail up the spine of Lloyd as he heard what the former servant had to say and inform Lloyd of details he had not taken into consideration, everything of which Cecil said not only made sense but could be very probable and it may also explain how Valemeros seemed to instinctively know how to battle Lloyd and how the noble seemed to know how to counter the techniques that Lloyd had mastered over the years...he had been watched, observed and picked apart without even knowing it by a man with sinister intent...a cerebral enemy unlike any which he had fought before and that unsettled the young idealist.
"If Valemeros has everything planned, then that means there is actually a good chance that he actually has Regal...we can't leave him." Lloyd responded, watching Cecil give a casual shrug as he turned and walked out from the doorway; he even noticed Raine lightly shake her head once more before her observant eyes looked back at Lloyd.
"We'll go when the sun is up and hope for more cover in the crowd...but we are going Raine." Lloyd confronted in a more passive aggressive manner, showing his determination and his will at refusing to let a friend be left in the hands of Valemeros.
"I know you are, Lloyd...and I know nothing will change your mind." Raine confessed. "I can't let you go without me looking after you...that is all." Raine stated, confirming that she was not going to leave them but still noting that she was against the attempt to sneak into Meltokio.
"Try and get some sleep everybody." Lloyd called out as he looked to everyone as they all nodded in response. "Staying up all night will only hinder our stamina."
Genis and Raine left the room first as Lloyd let out a light sigh before looking over to Colette and Sheena, watching as the adorable blonde walked up to him and tried to give a reassuring smile.
"You're doing the right thing, Lloyd." Colette spoke in a soft tone as she placed a hand lightly on his arm, causing the young leader to give a small nod.
"I know...get some rest, Colette." Lloyd replied with genuine feeling behind his voice as Colette gave a small nod and looked over his shoulder to Presea. Lloyd seemed to notice as he spoke before the former chosen could speak. "I'll take care of it." Lloyd spoke in a whisper like tone, Colette looked back to him with her caring blue eyes as she gave a nod and turned around slowly to walk out of the room.
Sheena looked like she wanted to say something and Lloyd could tell, but when Colette came close to her and looked at the ninja with her adorable blue eyes, he watched as the ninja melted and she could not resist the silent question from Colette to come with her and Lloyd knew that that would probably lead to some form of woman to woman talk between the two young ladies. Lloyd did not know if to feel comforted or uneasy about that knowledge as he gave Sheena a small smile and comforting nod of his head that allowed Sheena to ease her own tension as she gave him a nod back and let Colette lead her out of the room.
"Are you sure you are alright with this, Presea?" Lloyd asked before slowly turning around to look at the pale beauty that now sat on the end of his bed; she was fiddling with her gloves with an easily detectable uneasy tension about the air around her.
"I...just have a bad feeling about this." Presea confessed as she remembered the vivid images in her dream. "Regal is all I have left...I don't know what I would do if...if he..." she could not bring herself to complete that dreaded sentence as she forced her eyes to the handles of her green axe with golden plated embroidery.
"Everything will be fine, we'll get to Meltokio and put your fears to rest...you know you are never alone anymore Presea. You have us all here for you." Lloyd spoke, meaning every single word he said to reassure the distraught woman.
"You...are a hard man to find." Presea confessed as she glanced up to him.
"What do you mean?" Lloyd wondered for a moment.
"I spent months trying to find you...so I could properly thank you for freeing me from the curse of this exsphere...extending mercy to me and blessing me with the chance to live my own life the way I want to." Presea confessed.
"I couldn't just leave you the way you were...that is no way to live." Lloyd admitted as he gave the woman a comforting sort of smile.
"That is just the type of man you are...I know." Presea whispered out softly as she shifted her gaze for a moment and then forced herself to look at Lloyd, slowly standing up from the end of the bed so she was standing in front of the idealist man. "I admire that about you Lloyd, you know who you are...so much time has passed and this sudden ageing has left me not knowing what type of woman I am to be." Presea confessed in a somewhat bitter tone.
"I don't think that is true." Lloyd found himself blurting out.
Presea responded by allowing her eyes to widen for a moment as she felt the need to ask him what he meant but the man seemed to read her wordless expression.
"You came to our help when we needed you...you selflessly sacrificed yourself for those you cared about to battle a man you knew nothing about...the only thing you did know was that he was our enemy and you trusted us to be in the right. You are a caring woman Presea...who has put value on your companions over everything else...and not everyone can do that." Lloyd defended as he kept his eyes locked onto hers to show he meant every single word that came out of his lips.
"Lloyd...I...thank you." Presea smiled as she lowered her head for a moment. "It just means something to hear someone else say it...hear you say it." Presea spoke, the tone she used made the nerves deep down in his body wash over with what he could best describe as a static buzzing, almost like some premature warning system...he just did not know what until it was too late. The next thing he became aware of was feeling Presea's fingers caress along the fabric of his battle torn red jacket, which he was completely unaware just how battle torn it was from the conflicts of his fights until his eyes looked down to watch as the tips of her fingers seemed to briefly toy with each and every imperfection.
"W-what are you doing?" Lloyd swallowed hard as he seemed to be timid on what the answer would be as he noticed that by pure instinct his left foot tried to step back as if in retreating fashion.
"Paying you back for your kindness...I think it is only fair..." Presea spoke as her voice trailed off for a moment, there was a seductive element in her tone that he did not know the woman was even capable of; like she was acting on pure instinct as well. Presea's fingers glided up to his torn collar as her fingers grasped the material and Lloyd knew right then and there that he could not escape her and what was worse was that he could not find the words...his lips were open but the words seemed to be content staying tucked deep in his throat. His eyes widened for a moment as the female inched every so closer until he was sure the curves of her breasts pressed against the surface of his coat and soon into his body, he could not help but notice once more, now on a different level, that she had evolved into a beautiful and potentially seductive woman on a dangerous level. "That you have my first...kiss of freedom." she whispered, the warmth of her breath against his lips and Lloyd felt that jolt of lightning and nervousness collide together in that moment and he was paralysed in an instant.
The world was being lost to chaos and just moments ago it seemed that Presea would be inconsolable due to her increased worry over Regal and now it seemed like the warrior woman flipped some hidden switch in her mind that allowed her to push all that out for a short while or something that just allowed to bare through the headaches and pain to "reward" the idealist young man. Whatever the case happened to be; Lloyd could not figure it out and his mind refused him the ability to focus on it with Presea closing the distance between them.
The only thing that Lloyd could comprehend was the air of warmth that came from Presea's lips and her half-closed eyes staring deep into the pupils of his bewildered eyes. The next moment washed over Lloyd as a tide wave of fire...and his mind rushed as he could not help but feel that the invasion of fire was unwelcome but yet he was powerless to stop it. The soft yet intimately powerful kiss touched his lips as every muscle in his body tensed and his eyes only opened wider than before...and he did not think that was possible as his hands shot up to grab her shoulders as he felt the conflict of pushing her away and holding back for fear of insulting her.
Presea was obviously not accustomed to kiss another and it showed how clumsy her lips felt against his as she tried to massage her lips over his, but Lloyd didn't really notice either since his own experiences in that field were no better than hers. The next thing that caught his wildly pacing mind was how her body shifted ever so slowly as her hips seemed to grind enticingly against his own as her body melted into his and their forms slowly melded into one. The moment he felt that his fingers tensed around her shoulders as he mustered the strength to snap back to the world...his heart pounded into his chest and the voice deep in his mind told him everything he needed...this was wrong. There was nothing wrong with Presea...she seemed sweet enough and any man would be considered lucky to have her but his mind yelled that she was not the one for him.
"Lloyd...I am sorry but your door was open and I-" Sheena spoke out from the side.
Lloyd was then released from the lips of Presea as the pink haired warrior looked to the side at the source of the intrusion and Lloyd felt his mind race as he knew exactly why Sheena did not complete her sentence...his mind raced to try and find something to say but the words kept to their retreat and refused to surface as Lloyd was only able to bring himself to slowly turn his head over to the entrance of his room and there stood Sheena...staring at them with her wide, bewildered eyes that Lloyd watched transform into what he could only describe as pain as Sheena looked to the side, rubbing the side of her head.
"I...ah...sorry...did not mean to...I mean...well the door...oh, it is getting late isn't it?" Sheena stated in a weak tone, shaken by her surge of emotions as Lloyd slowly closed his eyes as if he could feel her pains deep in his own chest. "I should...uh...sleep...right...sounds...good..." Sheena fumbled while Lloyd opened his eyes again to see her looking anywhere but them before turning on her heel and leaving his sight.
"Sheena...wait..." Lloyd called out as he tried to step towards her but felt fingers still latched to his collar, looking down he noticed Presea was still holding his tattered jacket as he gently placed his hands on her forearms. "Would you mind...uh..." Lloyd lightly tapped her forearms as Presea blinked once and looked back to Lloyd as if she had forgotten where she was as she looked down to her hands and nodded once with a light blush.
"Oh! Sorry." Presea commented as if the hidden childish side of her returned and she became increasingly embarrassed at the proximity of their bodies as she folded her hands behind her back and took a step back
The will to move was there but he just couldn't, he did not know what he would tell Sheena and moreover he did not know exactly why he felt the need to explain everything to her but he did that was all that mattered...finding the right words would be the thing that would haunt him however as he felt his body jerk between taking a step towards the door and taking a step back in retreat which he thought to Presea may look like pacing to some degree.
"I...should go." Presea muttered softly as she walked towards the door; but before making her exit she looked over her shoulder at Lloyd. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble, Lloyd...I...I just wanted to thank you." she chipped in before walking out of the room.
That night, Lloyd spent it in heavy debate as he found himself unable to face Sheena. The only welcome he would get to sunder his rapid thoughts was the morning sun rising from the mountains over the horizon.
Even a morning shower did nothing to ease the tension that Lloyd felt in his body as he slowly pulled the towel from his damp hair. Lloyd looked over at his battered clothing...Valemeros had really torn his jacket to tatters and his muscle shirt was even torn to top it all off. Blinking once he grabbed the jacket from the rack and looked between it and the black muscle shirt along with the white ribbons that dangled down. An idea crossed his mind that he could not ignore as he gave himself a nod.
Lloyd was surprised that he was the first person down to the lobby of the hotel that they stayed at as Lloyd sat against the spine of the sofa and waited with crossed arms. He had all but thrown his jacket away, taking only a tear of the cloth to make an ascot like appearance tied around his neck, his muscle shirt that was tattered along the shoulders was not torn completely down the middle to make like an open shirt that he had tied closed by tucking it into his pants and the appearance itself would resemble that of Mizuho style of fashion that he had seen every now and then, Sheena's own jacket was like that with the front opening. He had used the white ribbons from his jacket and tied it around his wrists in a form of support...the only thing that had kept it's appearance were the pant bottoms.
Lloyd felt his heart stop for a moment as he heard the light patter of steps that he knew could only belong to one woman and sure enough, the purple attire entered his vision as Sheena walked down the stairs and once more she seemed distracted as her eyes looked to the side.
"Sheena..." Lloyd called out to her as he tried to give her one of his best carefree smiles.
"Good morning, Lloyd." Sheena said in a distracted tone as she kept her eyes anywhere but where she heard his voice from.
"Sheena...uh...about last night..." Lloyd commented before he watched as Sheena's hand rose up to silence the young man.
"Don't say anything, Lloyd." Sheena spoke with a sudden sharp tone that actually took Lloyd back a step...but then he watched as her the side of her face that he did see transform from a hint of irritation to a softened expression as she sighed out. "Sorry...I mean...Presea explained everything last night I just...wanted to...well..." Sheena stated nervously as she now looked to the ceiling. "I just wanted to...uh..." she repeated as he could tell she was struggling to find the words she wished to say. "...just that I'm sorry alright? I reacted badly." Sheena muttered out in a quickened voice as her eyes closed as if afraid of the reaction.
The fact that Sheena was the one saying sorry to him both shocked and put Lloyd in a sense of unease, why should she be sorry for something he failed to control? What was it that Presea said to her? Lloyd shook his head once as he spoke to the self-punishing ninja.
"Sheena...don't worry-" Lloyd tried to state but felt himself interrupted by an very flustered and slightly agitated Sheena.
"I'm trying to say sorry here alright? Just accept it!" Sheena blurted out as she turned her eyes from the ceiling to Lloyd and the moment she did, Lloyd watched as her irritation instantly left her body again as he noticed her observing his new style choice.
"Oh...my jacket was torn, so I tried altering my clothes...I'm no tailor so it's nothing spectacular." Lloyd confessed as he watched Sheena's pale cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "What...do you think?" Lloyd tried ask in a cheerful tone.
The moments of silence gave Lloyd all the answers he needed as Sheena seemed to battle with herself to just take her gaze off the sight of Lloyd as she folded her arms and looked to the side finally.
"Trying to rip off Mizuho fashion?" Sheena playfully jabbed with a firm tone that held no aggression behind it.
"Maybe just a little." Lloyd chuckled lightly, seeing the blush return to her creamy features.
"Don't make fun of my people, Lloyd...I may not have been born there...but I was raised there." Sheena accused.
"Heh heh, are you blushing?" Lloyd casually commented.
"What? I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you and there you go and just...just..." Sheena huffed out once as she shook her head. "Idiot."
Lloyd could not help but confess that he did miss her calling him that on one strange and unexplainable level.
"Enough you two." Raine commented as she walked down the stairs with Colette and Genis walking right behind her as always, Raine always commanded respect and she managed to retain her image and aura of teacher over the three of them as Lloyd tensed for a moment and pushed himself off the sofa as if paying his respect to Raine by not sitting in her presence unless she gave him permission to. "We have some serious matters to discuss...like how we are going to get into Meltokio undetected and what our plan of action will be if we can even get into the city...or worse yet, plan for if we get caught." Raine stated, right to business was this white haired half-elf.
Valemeros placed his hands on the balcony railing as he turned his head towards the gates of Meltokio, spotting the group of royal guard that were escorting the king and the moment that Valemeros considered the king to be well away from the kingdom he turned to the man behind him, wearing a golden mask that covered the top half of his face.
"Chosen." Valemeros uttered out in a respectful tone.
"What is it, Lord Valemeros?" Zelos replied from behind the covering of gold.
"Take command of the Meltokio army and get them to the underground as soon as possible." Valemeros commanded as he looked back to the horizon with an expression of purpose, cold eyes scanning the lands once more.
"What for?" Zelos could not help but question.
"Tell them that we have been getting reports of creatures filling the caves in the hidden catacombs and for the safety of everyone they must be slain." Valemeros responded in casual voice.
"At once." Zelos responded as he placed a hand to his heart in a light bow of his head.
"I want to come with you." Seles uttered.
"It could be dangerous down there." Zelos responded.
"Go ahead, take her with you...but after you get the majority of the army to the catacombs, come right back here..." Valemeros voiced.
"Come...back? What about the soldiers and the monsters?" Zelos added.
"Trust me...you will want to be here, some old friends of yours shall be making their appearance." Valemeros smirked slyly with his back still turned to the two.
Zelos spent the moment in silence as he eyed the noble before giving a nod as he turned to Seles and shifted his head towards the door, leading his sister outside to go through with the commands from the noble who was now in charge of the capital until the king would return.
"Shadow..." Valemeros whispered out as the room became engulfed in darkness and the fiend from the abyss pulled out of the darkness like a creature being born from a black ichor, his body making a light hissing sound as the sinister form pulled free.
"Your calllllliiinnng...Maasssssteeeeer." Shadow whispered with red glowing eyes.
"Conceal this city in eternal darkness...fill the skies with horrors...create portals from the Vanguard into the heart of this city." Valemeros started before looking towards the skies, waving his hand lightly once as he called out. "Volt...Sylph..."
"..." the ancient dialect whispered into the mind of Valemeros as the air crackled to life with static energy that soon formed into the dominate electricity of Volt.
Giggles filled the darkness from behind Valemeros as the mischievous wind spirits swirled out from the dark abyss and floated around the powerful noble, one of the three laying on the balcony as the other two seemed to dance around the elegant in a flutter of joy.
"Volt...I want you to break the skies with your barbs of destruction and do not let up, do not discriminate...strike everything you can...bring down the towers if you must." Valemeros commanded before the orb of storms let out a foreboding call of ancient dialect before the orb spun rapidly and swirled to the skies.
"Sylph...surround this city in hurricane winds after darkness consumes it, make sure none can enter...none can leave until everything is done." Valemeros spoke as he looked down to the only one who was not moving, the one laying down on the railing with her cheek in the palm of her hand, a huge sword resting on her back as she gave a nod. Sephie then pushed herself off the railing as she waved her hands to her sisters, Fairess and Yutis before pointing towards the skies as their giggling forms all rose to the skies to join Volt.
"Shadow...one more thing." Valemeros commented as the being slowly lurched towards his master. "The moment you transport the Vanguard here...cover their eyes in the darkness of deception...make them see all as if they are seeing their enemies...all but each other." Valemeros grinned as he closed his eyes for a moment.
"Yeeeessssss...Masssssteeerr..." Shadow replied before his form melted into the blackness of the room and soon disappeared.
"Luna..." Valemeros whispered before the beautiful woman of the moon materialized beside the man, keeping her head low in a respectful manner. "Battle is something that is to your distaste I know...so I shall not ask you to stay, oh peaceful beauty...but I do ask one thing of you." Valemeros whispered with surprising care and affection in his voice.
"Yes Lord Valemeros? Ask anything." She replied, keeping her eyes closed.
"Grant me knowledge of which my eyes cannot see...tell me when Mr. Irving and his ragtag followers approach our gates so I know when to begin the chaos." Valemeros whispered as he reached over to gently stroke the woman's chin lightly.
"They approach now, Lord Valemeros." Luna whispered as she leaned very lightly into the caress.
"Sooner than even I expected, I knew he would not let me down...and just in time to grant the king the safety he needs away from the city...but yet close enough to watch...watch what the Vanguard shall do to his beloved city." Valemeros grinned as he let his index finger slide off Luna's chin before pressing the tip into the bottom of her chin so he can look into her beautiful eyes. "This is the part you shall want to excuse yourself from." Valemeros assured as Luna gave a nod, fading slowly from sight.
"I have been waiting for you, Mr. Irving...it is a good thing you were never good at keeping me waiting." Valemeros chuckled as he looked to the skies, his purple eyes giving a way a gleam of power before the skies rumbled in answer.
Lloyd and the rest had to park their rheairds a fair distance away from the capital city to prevent being spotting from any of the gate, wall, or tower patrols and thus make getting closer to the heavily secured city just a touch easier for them all.
"Wh...what's that?" Genis stammered as he pointed towards the skies.
"That is too huge to any birds we have come across." Raine analyzed.
Lloyd glanced towards the skies before he saw what everyone else saw and the sight was enough to take him by surprise as he noticed a huge, eagle-like bird soared through the skies and it was right before his eyes that the terrifying sight unfolded as the skies cracked to life with thunder and the bird that dominated the skies seemed to explode as the bloody parts of the sky master fell away while a splash of blood dripped towards the cites and a bird composed of nothing but darkness now soared through the skies, leaving behind a trail of black dust that would soon blanket the city. It was like this massive bird had somehow concealed it's form inside a host over ten times smaller than it. The massive bird of shadows then flew towards the skies, disappearing into the clouds. The storms only seemed to become enraged more as the darkness claimed every opening of the morning skies and soon hundreds...thousands...millions of wiggling eyes covered the gaps of darkness, like creatures of nightmares looked down upon the capital.
"L...Lloyd..." Sheena whimpered lightly in a way that surprised and worried him enough to pull his eyes away from the horrific visions in the skies.
Lloyd could see Sheena growing even paler than she naturally was, almost sickly as the woman looked to the skies, lightning that snapped through the skies, filling the air with a war cry of nature in the form of thunder...dooming vibrations throughout everyone's body, the entire party jumped on cue to the sonic blast that rang through the skies.
"Shadow...it's Shadow...I can feel it...malice...death...Shadow means to spill blood." Sheena spoke out in a voice trembled by both sickness and fear.
It was an awful sight for Lloyd to see Sheena so shaken as his eyes looked back up towards the skies, but this time he looked at the skies with more of a fiery determination of how he could chase this darkness away from Sheena and bring her back to peace as his fingers gripped hard at the hilts of his swords.
Movement caught his eyes as Lloyd blinked once and looked in front of the group, watching the air in front of them come to life, it was as if he could see the conflict in the air as the winds started to pick up, looking to the ground to notice the wind was also starting to pick up the dirt but yet only in a single fine line and that let his heartbeat take a violent jump as he realized what was happening.
"Everyone quick! A wind barrier is being made around the city!" Lloyd yelled out as he ran forward, he knew it must have surprised everyone but he had to take the chance that no one might not be able to follow him in time...as long as someone was in the city to try and put a stop to it all.
Lloyd took to the air in a daring leap, knowing somewhere in his mind that he could very well be slamming into a solid wind wall; being on the safe side her placed his forearm in front of himself the way someone would to shield their face while breaking through glass. He felt the wind resist but yet separate under his weight as he parted the wall for even a moment, allowing him passage; tucking in his shoulder, he managed to roll on the ground to a kneel as his head looked over his shoulder and to his relief he noticed everyone else managed to follow suit as they all made it through the barrier.
"Well...there is no returning now." Genis commented as he looked over his shoulder, noticing the dirt violently getting tossed around the now powerful gusts of wind.
"I think we were meant to get in." Raine commented as she dusted off her robe lightly while positioning her staff to lean on her shoulder.
"Isn't that what we wanted to do anyways? So I think it's good that they wanted the same thing too then." Colette stated with a hint of optimism in her tone.
"It means we are walking into a trap, Colette." Raine stated in a firm teacher tone.
"Trap or not...it only means that Regal is in danger then, I am going to fine him and then I am going to find that man and make him pay." Presea said with an angered determination.
"Where are the gate guards?" Sheena asked suddenly was she walked up to the front gates.
That would prove to be an excellent question as Lloyd blinked and looked back in front of him to see that the gates were completely abandoned and the emergency gates were not even closed to make up for the fact that the guards were missing, it was like they had left in haste.
About as sudden as the storms engulfed the skies came the screams of terror from within, screams of terror...agony.
"This doesn't feel right." Lloyd stated, he did not mean to state the obvious but he meant that even considering what was happening there was something else that did not sit well with him.
Valemeros allowed his eyes to scan the chaos that consumed every corner of the city; easily spotting the figures that belonged to the Vanguard as they washed over the city, leaving nothing but blood...and much to the nobles delight it was quickly turning into a sea of blood that flushed along the street gutters.
Bodies of innocent civilians fell upon the blade of the Vanguard as Valemeros couldn't help but let out a gleeful chuckle as he knew that Shadow was making them all see what he wished them to see. They saw soldiers of Meltokio falling to their inexperienced military attack where in reality it was a completely indiscriminate slaughter of men, woman, and children.
"Most of the army are in the catacombs, I have ordered the rest to escort the innocents to safety." Zelos remarked as he walked over to Valemeros and watched the blood bath before him as a wave of disgust filled every corner of his being, enough to force the man to turn his head away as he slowly looked over to Valemeros, leaning in. "Is this really needed?" Zelos asked in a sickened tone.
Valemeros huffed out once, cancelling his chuckling as he looked over to Zelos and gave a subtle nod of his head.
"I would not do such if it were not absolutely necessary to the plan, Chosen. One just has to sit through the darker tasks and bare it for just a little while. Mr. Irving shall be here soon, I assure you and when everything is said and done...you shall have your precious ninja back in your arms." Valemeros reassured before looking back towards the chaos.
Seles started to walk towards the balcony before Zelos stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, leading her away from the sights of slaughter that were overcoming Meltokio.
"You have not kept me waiting long yet...I do not believe you shall start now." Valemeros whispered to himself with a sly grin stuck on his face.
Nothing would prepare Lloyd for what he was forced to see as he swiped his swords through another Vanguard member, watching as blood spilled from their chest, the gurgle of shock before their lifeless bodies hit the ground...dead before the could even make contact.
Lloyd breathed out heavily, looking down to see the once broken swords now reformed into their purple and red energy like blades, dripping with fresh blood before looking over to the slain child and found himself silently cursing himself.
'If only I had been just a little sooner.' Lloyd cussed as he gripped his swords tighter to look over his shoulder at the party, they had spread out far but none of them had lost sight of each other and if they did it was only to run down an alley and return with the same dejected look that Lloyd had on his own face with every failed attempt to save the life of innocent.
"This is just...a slaughter..." Lloyd gritted his teeth for a moment before he heard footsteps behind him, almost light as air and he knew instantly who that was as he looked over to see Sheena. She had a cold, almost lifeless expression that was matched with the lifeless yet pained look locked down deep in her eyes and Lloyd could only remember that she had to live through a slaughter. The slaughter of Luin. Lloyd only ever had to experience the aftermath of such a disgusting act.
Presea could have sworn she heard a bell jingle and at that moment she felt her body tense as her head shot up and she was forced to endure another vision of Regal...hanging in a dungeon cell. The walls began to bleed before Regal's head suddenly lifted, only to wither and die before her and then her vision shattered at that moment and Presea let out a gasp.
"Presea?" Genis called out, looking up to her with a worried expression as Presea shook her head and looked down to the young half-elf.
"I...I need to go to the castle..." Presea spoke softly before her eyebrows furrowed and she spoke with more strength behind it. "I need to go to Regal...it's not too late."
"Presea...no...that is what he wants." Raine stated as she walked up behind Presea. "There are too many people being killed, we can't leave them to be slaughtered like this."
"You won't keep me from him..." Presea suddenly exclaimed before she felt her hands grip around the hilts of her axes as her teeth pressed together and she suddenly felt nothing but numbness through her body. "You CAN'T keep me from him." Presea added as she shot both of the half-elves a cold, almost threatening glance.
"Presea?" Lloyd suddenly uttered as he looked from Sheena to Presea, walking passed Sheena but not before placing a comforting hand on her as he walked down the street until he was within speaking distance of the group. "Presea...what's wrong?"
"Regal needs me, Lloyd...and I intend to go to him." Presea responded coldly.
"It's what he wants...we will be walking right into a trap." Raine replied.
"But we just can't leave him there if Presea is right." Colette spoke softly as she placed a hand to her heart lightly. "Regal is our friend...he has done so much for us, Lloyd we need to save him."
"If it is a trap...then we just need to be ready and do something he will not be expecting." Lloyd called out as he stabbed both his swords into the ground so he could fold his arms in brief thought for a moment. "We'll have to split up." Lloyd decreed with a nod,
"No...that is not an option, we need to stick together." Raine warned.
"It is the only way...if we divide his attention than we can get Regal out of here...I will be that distraction...I'll head to Valemeros's manor and take his attention from the rest of you." Lloyd stated with a tone that was filled with a sense of purpose.
"Lloyd no..." Sheena whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder. It pained Lloyd to do so but he ignored her plea as he continued to speak.
"I will confront the man long enough so the rest of you can free Regal...don't worry about me, I will distract him for only as long as you all need." Lloyd tried his best to reassure his friends before the thought entered his mind. 'Or at least as long as I am able to.' Lloyd bitterly confessed.
If the noble was anywhere as powerful as he was last time then it would not look good for the swordsman if he stood up to him alone and it would be even worse if the man had somehow become even more powerful than last time.
"Everyone, go with Presea to the castle...I will go towards Valemeros's manor and distract him." Lloyd called out in a tone that carried both a determination and confidence.
"Just so long as you remember that you are only trying to distract him, Lloyd...don't get carried away and get yourself in too deep." Raine responded before looking to Presea.
Presea gave a determined nod as she lowered both her axes and walked down the street, not giving much time for any goodbyes, she wanted to get to Regal as soon as possible...every second that passed could be the difference between life and death.
"Lloyd...be careful...please." Colette pleaded in her soft toned way before she was forced to run down the street to rejoin the rest.
Lloyd let out a sigh as he looked to the direction of which he was supposed to go, giving a nod before he grabbed both his swords, freeing them from the ground.
Before the man could take his first step forward he stopped for a moment due to someone being caught in his peripheral vision. Lloyd turned his head to see Sheena standing there, looking at him with a energy of nervousness around her as she lowered her head for a moment under his gaze.
"Sheena...You need to catch up to everyone." Lloyd spoke out lightly, finding his only reply being the light shake of the woman's head.
"I'm not going anywhere...not without you, Lloyd." Sheena confessed as she swallowed hard. "You don't understand how many times I almost lost you because of that man...I...I won't let happen again." Sheena called out suddenly, emotion pouring out in every word.
Lloyd did not know what to say to that, she spoke the truth and he knew it. The emotion hit him like a punch to the face and it left him defenceless as he could only give a subtle nod.
"Alright Sheena...come on, whatever we face we shall face together then." Lloyd offered, watching Sheena's facial expression transform from a timid fear to a relieved ease as she left out a deep breath and gave a nod in return.
In a way, Lloyd was glad that Sheena was beside him...she gave him strength at times he thought he would be all out of it. Her soft footsteps neared as she stood by his side, Lloyd managed a small smile as he gave the woman a nod and turned his head back into the direction of the manor.
Lloyd spotted the tall manor. His eyes travelling to the top where he could roughly make out a balcony and he could swear that he could see it, his mind painted him the picture of Valemeros...leaning there on the balcony, waiting for Lloyd and he did not intend to keep the noble waiting, he would end this once and for all among the blood and fire of Meltokio.