Sorry for being so late his week, but here's the next chapter. I'm so close to the end, I can taste it. Thanks once again to oursolemnhour49 for reading this chapter for me and putting up with my grammar mistakes while she has a busy life herself.

Anyway, onward to the chapter.


Chapter 43: Friend


Yuan could not figure Kvar out. As hard as he tried, he could not figure out Kvar's scheme. It was as though he was purposely trying to drag this out. Normally something like this would work to his advantage, but this was worrisome.

He looked at the disk in his hand and contemplated reading it before Mithos. He quickly dismissed the idea since he couldn't be sure that Pronyma would not rat him out. Besides Mithos was usually very friendly about sharing information about the Angelus Project and the Angelus with him. It could be because he understood these things better than anyone, even when Kratos was still around. Mithos might also know that he would not try to stop him since Yuan was curious about such things himself.

For some reason, however, he was having trouble finding the little man-child. He had looked in all the usual places, but could find no sign of him. Well, there was one place he hasn't looked, but he really did not want to go there. But he had to speak with Mithos.

He walked into the chamber the held the Great Seed. Even from this distance, he could feel Martel's mana flowing over him like a wave. It reminded him of much better times. How he longed to have those times again. He tried not to think of the past as he made his way deeper into the chamber. Just as he suspected, he saw Mithos floating in front of the seed.

Yuan held back a gasp as he stared at Martel's spirit. He could never get used to seeing her like this even after all this time. She was just as he remembered her, even though he had been avoiding this place for over one-thousand years. The last time he had seen her, he had had serious doubts about his chosen path. He wondered if Mithos had the right idea. With the right body, Martel could be brought back to them. Everything could go back to the way it once was. They could be a family again.

Although he knew those thoughts to be a dream, he could not help thinking this way. Maybe things would have been better if he died during the Kharlan War.

"Yuan, did you need something?" Mithos asked. His voice was not the confident, cruel leader of Cruxis. It was the gentle, lonely voice of a once-great hero.

Yuan actually wanted to say something at that moment to comfort him, but nothing came to mind. Damn, he was terrible at these kinds of things.

"I have a report from Kvar," Yuan said, getting straight to business. He did not want to be in here anymore.

Mithos tore his eyes away from Martel. "Did he get them?"

"No, they've escaped," Yuan said bluntly. "But Kvar wanted you to have this." He walked over to give Mithos the disk.

The younger angel took the disk and stared at it for a moment. "Let's go to a better location."

Within seconds both of them transported to the computer room. Yuan felt at ease when he no longer felt Martel's mana as strongly. There was also the return of his intense loneliness.

Mithos slipped the disk in and carefully read the data. Neither one spoke a word for several minutes. Yuan, however, noticed Mithos' eyes widen as he read further.

"It would seem that making an Angelus is much harder than I suspected," Mithos said, rubbing his chin.

Yuan scanned over the data himself. "I would never have guessed it was so complicated." He rubbed his head.

Mithos frowned in thought. "I wonder if this child was conceived in Heimdall. Could the atmosphere there also play a part?"

Yuan almost jumped in surprise. "How do you know they were ever at Heimdall?"

Mithos gave him a strange smile. "Like you wouldn't know how that woman got that seal on her hand?"

Yuan briefly wondered if Mithos knew more than what he was letting on. Did he know about him as well? It was best not to think too much about it.

"It could be the case," Yuan said as he crossed his arms. "We may never know until we get that child for ourselves. Kvar only had a chance to experiment on him for two days."

Mithos tapped his figures against the keyboard. "You said they escaped?"

"More specially, I think Kvar let them escape," Yuan said.

"Interesting," Mithos muttered. "What could that man be up to?"

Yuan shook his head. "I have been unable to figure that out myself."

"It would be best if we wait and see for now," Mithos said with his eyes closed.

Yuan nodded. "Agreed."

There was a long uncomfortable silence. Yuan thought that it was best to leave. He had other business to attend to.

"If there is nothing else, I must return to my duties." He began to leave.

"Yuan," Mithos said, stopping him in his tracks. "You saw for yourself."

Yuan dropped his head. He knew Mithos was talking about Martel. He also knew that he had been avoiding her. "It has been a while."

"Can't you see that is what we are fighting for?" Mithos said softly. "This place, everything was built in honor of her and her dream."

Yuan was not too sure what to say to that. As evil and as dysfunctional Cruxis was, it was built on a good, misguided cause. To bring Martel back and realize her dream of a world free from discrimination. A world where everyone could be happy. He wished every day that Martel was here. To guide them once again into the light and ease Mithos' pain.

"We are so close, Yuan," Mithos said barely above a whisper. "I know this is the one. The Chosen that will be coming here is the one we have been looking for. Even you must realize this."

He knew, by the spirits he knew. It would be easy for him to call off the Renegades and allow the Chosen to go on the journey to her death. Her life would be lost, but Martel might return. Wouldn't that help make things right again?

He knew it wouldn't, but was still a nice thought. Martel would never have wanted any of this. She would have never allowed an organization like Cruxis to exist off the back of the Fahrer. Damn, they were the Fahrer now. They were their philosophies in solid form.

"I need to finish my work," Yuan said in a dead tone. He was thankful his back was turned. For the first time in centuries he could feel the beginning of tears building. Damn, he though he had overcome this emotion.

He left before he could completely break down. He was mildly surprised that Mithos made no effort to stop him. It would appear that he was in his own hell.


It was a slow journey across the cold land. Night was fallen quickly, but they could not stop. They were still too close to Kvar's Ranch.

"Where do we go now?" Anna asked as she cuddled their son. He was dead asleep in her arms. The day had been hard on them. Thankfully they had Noishe to ride on, which had made their trip a little faster.

"We are heading towards Triet," Kratos answered. "It is too dangerous to stay in the Asgard region and too many people know us at Palmacosta."

"We're going to walk all the way there?" Anna asked. "That could take months."

"Too dangerous to take a boat," Kratos said. He hadn't wanted to ride a boat since that storm several years ago. He did not care for how helpless he had been then and did not want to put his family in even more danger.

Anna sighed before looking at her hand. "How long do you think I have?"

Kratos said nothing. He did not want to think about it.

"Kratos, we can't avoid this," Anna said with a bit of anger in her voice.

"There is little point talking about it," Kratos said.

"Dammit Kratos, I'm dying!" Anna yelled with more heat than she meant. Thankfully Lloyd did not wake up.

Noishe put his head down and gave a short whine.

Kratos remained completely silent.

"I know I don't have much time left," Anna continued more softly. "That seal slowed things down, but this exsphere never stopped feasting off of me. I can feel it draining my remaining life force." She could feel the beginning of tears. "How much time?"

"I...I don't know," Kratos answered slowly.

Anna hugged Lloyd a little harder. "Then, I better enjoy you all while I can."

"You are not going to die," Kratos said with such force that even he was surprised. He just found his family and his life again. He was not going to let Cruxis take it all away.

Anna shook his head. "Unless we find a dwarf, it is all empty words. We have been looking for years."

Kratos could feel his fists tighten. He knew she was right. "We will find a way," was all he could think to say as they continued their walk.

It was nearly sunset when they finally stopped. Lloyd had woken up briefly during their trip, but he was still worn out. He only stood up long enough to eat a brief meal before fallen back to sleep.

Anna was also not feeling too well after the Ranch. She tried to hide it, but her hands were visibly shaking. Kratos did not want to say it, but Anna was experiencing the final stages of her exsphere. If nothing were done, it would be only a matter of months before it would be too late.

Kratos stared into the fire until everyone was asleep, except Noishe.

"Whine, bark, whine," Noishe said.

Kratos sighed. "I know, but what can I do? Without an exsphere Anna will..." He could not even say the word.

He had dealt with death all of his life, but for the first time he felt scared. He was truly scared of losing Anna. What if she did die? What would become of Lloyd and him? Would he be able to carry on his plan to stop Cruxis?

Noishe sensed his fear and whimpered, "Bark, bark, whine?"

Kratos flinched. "Yuan?"

Noishe nodded. "Bark, whine, bark."

Kratos shook his head. "He would never agree to help."

"Whine, whine," Noishe said.

"He only helped us at the Ranch because he didn't want Cruxis to have the Angelus Project. Remember, Yuan wants it for himself."

"Bark, bark," Noishe said with convention.

Kratos sighed at Noishe's words. They were friends a long time ago. He betrayed that friendship when he defended Mithos and tainted it further by helping Mithos with his plan. He also had refused to let Yuan have the Eternal Sword. Knowing Yuan, he would ask for such as an exchange for Anna's life.

But did he really mind? At this moment, he didn't really care about saving the world. He just wanted his family to be safe. If it took the Eternal Sword for such an exchange, he would willingly do it.

Kratos almost wanted to laugh. He was starting to sound like Mithos. Through this journey, he was beginning to understand Mithos' pain more and more. He now understood how love, loss, and even the fear of loss had driven Mithos to what he had done. How ironic that he was about to do the same thing now.

He stood up and walked towards a nearby cliff. He looked up into the sky and allowed his thoughts to flow through his crystal. He reached until he could felt Yuan's presence. Then he called the name of his former friend and waited. It didn't take long before Yuan appeared before him.

"Kratos, I would never thought you would willingly contact me," Yuan said. His arms were crossed in suspicion. "Why have you called me here?"

"Anna is dying," Kratos said bluntly.

Even Yuan was taken off-guard. "What!"

"To remove that cursed exsphere from Lloyd's hand, Anna used her own exsphere," Kratos explained. "It expended the last of the seal that controlled her exsphere. Now she is in her final phase."

Yuan stared blankly at him for a moment. "And you want me to find you a dwarf."

Kratos nodded.

"Do you know what you are asking of me?" Yuan asked. "Mithos has every dwarf on watch in this world and you would be crazy to even try to return to Tethe'alla."

"I know," Kratos said. "But, I am willing to give you what you want in exchange for your help."

Yuan froze in shock. "You mean..."

"If you help me save Anna, I will give you the Eternal Sword by breaking the seal on Origin," Kratos said.

Yuan stared at him in disbelief. "You do know what would happen if you break the seal."

Kratos knew all too well. He has been trying for years to figure out a way passed that loophole. It was one of the reasons why he was still doing research despite knowing about the Eternal Ring. He couldn't use the Eternal Sword if he was dead, after all. But, that no longer mattered. If Anna and Lloyd had a chance at a happy and normal life, his life was worth it.

"I am willing to do it," Kratos said without hesitation. "You can even have the Angelus Project."

Yuan shook his head. "I can't believe you. After all this, it was a woman that changed your mind."

"You should know better than anyone what love can do to a person," Kratos said. He knew he stuck a cord when Yuan turned his eyes away. "Just promise me that you will make sure they are safe once I am gone."

Yuan stood there for a long moment. It was everything he could have dreamed. Not only would he finally have the Angelus Project, but the Eternal Sword. With both in hand, he may stand a chance in finally ending Cruxis. Not only that, but he would not be forced to kill the new Chosen.

Everything, however, felt so wrong. Kratos was offering his life for his family. Kratos, the same person who killed his own father and stepbrother. The person who watched coldly as the Tower of Salvation was being constructed and saw thousands die for it. He also oversaw the Ranches, which stole millions of lives. Yet, he was offering himself up for a mere woman and a child.

Well, the boy was more than a mere child, but still. Had love really changed Kratos this much? Changed him to the point where he would give up everything?

"Is this some kind of joke?" Yuan asked neutrally.

Kratos' eyes narrowed. "You know I would never do such a thing."

"There are a lot of things I thought you would never do." Yuan said coldly.

"I may have done a lot of things, but you know I have never been a liar," Kratos said with heat.

Yuan knew it was the truth. Kratos had always been honest. He may have hid the truth, but he had never outright lied.

Kratos glared at him. "Despite what you think, I still am something of the man I was before Cruxis. The man that once stood by you as your friend, partner, and brother at arms. I beg you as that man: please help me."

Yuan had to keep himself from gasping. For a moment, he heard the voice of his friend. The memories of his slave years and banishment with Kratos came back to him. He had buried them into his mind, but he could never forget them. He did not want to forget.

He felt his hand unconsciously go to his ring. He wanted to free Martel from the existence she had been trapped in for millennia, but he did not want Kratos to lose his life to achieve it. It was easier to plan Kratos' demise when he was an enemy. As he stood now, how could he in good consciousness go through with his original plan?

"I will help you," Yuan said in a hollow voice.

Kratos shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you, Yuan."

"Don't thank me yet," Yuan sighed. "I don't know where to begin to look, but I maybe able to use my resources to find a dwarf that is not under the watch of Cruxis." He then glanced over towards Anna. "In the meantime, don't push Anna too much. The less stress she is under, the longer she will last."

Kratos nodded. "I know. We are currently heading towards Triet. Meet us there when you find anything."

Yuan stared at Kratos again. "I hope you know what you are doing." With that, he vanished from sight.

Kratos felt a great weight lifted from him. Anna would be saved; he knew he could trust Yuan to see to that. Now, however, his life was counted by a matter of months. He didn't mind too much. He had lived far too long anyway and he did survive long enough to have a family. He had no regrets.

He began to make his way back toward the camp, feeling hopeful for the first time in years.


Kvar smiled as he finished the last of his research. Although it was far from perfect, it would do for the time being. Once he had that Angelus back into his hands, he could make a more powerful formula.

A beep from his computer got his attention. "Sir, the two members you wanted to see from the ECHOES unit is here."

"Send them in," Kvar ordered. The door opened behind him and two Desians walked in.

"Agent Roger reporting," a Desian said.

"Agent Louge reporting as well," the other Desian said. What made him stand out was his robotic arm he had just had installed two weeks ago. He was lucky to be alive after Kratos cut it off. He was the only one from unit 2 to survive the break-in. Nonetheless; he was perfect for his purposes.

Kvar smiled. "How would you two like the honor of killing that traitor, Kratos?"

Louge rubbed his electronic arm. "I would love to get even with that bastard."

Roger sneered. "I don't care as long as I get to kill all the humans. Especially the one who dared turned his back on us."

Kvar smirked. Roger was a man after his own heart. He would have to thank Forcystus for sending this young man to him. His blind hatred for humans made him a perfect subject for his ECHOES project. It was a shame that he would not be with him much longer. But it was all for a good cause. Besides, they were all expendable in the end. When he perfected this new formula, he would create an even greater ECHOES unit.

"Excellent, cause I have a special mission for you," Kvar said. "As you are now, neither one of you could hope to stand five minutes against Kratos. However I plan to change all of that." He held up two syringes in his hand.

"What is that?" Louge asked.

"A formula I have been working on," Kvar explained. "With this, you would be able to stand toe to toe against that human."

Roger smiled viciously. "It would be my honor to avenge my comrades' death."

"The same." Louge smiled.

Kvar chuckled as he stood up and prepared a syringe. "Good."


Things are quickly coming to a head and the fate hour is approaching.

Until next time.