I'm still working on this story, slowly but surely! As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 93:
Is fhearr deagh chainnt na h-asail na droch fhacal faidh.
The good speech of a fool is better than the bad word of a prophet.

52-

"Are you sure the two of you will be fine on your own?"

Genis handed a map of the university campus to Nika, who looked it over and then folded it up to put away in her purse.

"Of course we'll be fine," she assured him. "We're meeting with the youth education coordinator this morning, so as long as we can find her office, we should have no trouble."

Bianca tugged on Genis' sleeve. "You'll be back in time to catch the ferry back home, right? I don't wanna leave without you!"

"Of course we will," Genis replied, patting her on the head. "We're just going to collect some samples. It shouldn't take too long."

As he said this, Professor Low and Presea approached from around the corner of the building, the professor waving a piece of paper in Genis' direction.

"Okay, I got the authorization stamped. We should be good to enter the restricted area once we get there."

"Legally," Presea added with a pointed stare at Genis, and he blushed and turned away, too embarrassed to form a comeback. She wasn't wrong, after all, but it was still humiliating.

Bianca ran and threw her arms around Presea's legs. "Do you really have to go to Altamira when you're done? Can't you come back here and hang out with us some more?"

Presea smiled, but shook her head. "I am afraid that I have important work to attend to. But I promise to write to you, and perhaps I will come visit you in Palmacosta sometime in the future."

"Okay…"

"Bianca," Nika began, approaching her from behind and placing her hands on Bianca's shoulders, "is there something you need to say to Presea?"

"Huh?" Bianca looked puzzled for a moment before finally letting out a gasp. "Oh, right! I promise I'll write back too!"

"N-no, that's not…" Nika let out a groan and shook her head. "Presea, thank you for everything you've done. For the tour, for yesterday's lunch, and for our lodgings- that suite was incredible."

Presea waved a hand. "As I told you before, my room was already paid for by the Lezareno Company. Having one person in that large suite seemed a waste of resources, so you two joining me allowed us to fully use the space. In a way, you were doing me a favor by maximizing the efficiency of the already hired facilities. But you're very welcome regardless."

Genis grinned and nudged Bianca. "You didn't keep Presea up all night talking, did you?"

"No way! I went to sleep when Nika told me to! Promise!"

"Somehow I have a hard time believing that."

"She is telling the truth," Presea broke in. "It was her older sister who kept me up with her incessant questions."

Nika's face went red. "I-I-I'm so sorry! I was so fascinated by your stories, I didn't even realize how rude I was being-"

"It was not rude. I enjoyed talking with you. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the future."

Nika glanced away. "Th-thank you… I had fun too…"

Professor Low broke into the group, waving the paper in front of them to catch their attention. "Genis, Presea, we really should be going. We don't want to waste any time."

"Yes, ma'am." "Oh! Y-yeah."

Presea stepped forward with Professor Low to give the others some room, and Genis turned around to give one last farewell to the sisters.

"I'll see you two when I get back this afternoon, okay?"

"Have a good trip!" Bianca exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him in a tight hug. "We'll see you when you get back!"

"Y-yes. Good luck." Nika stood up taller to give him a kiss on the cheek. The gesture sent Genis blushing, and he looked away in an attempt to hide it.

"Th-th-thanks…"

Genis looked up again, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Presea was staring. It was the same as the day before, that stupid teasing expression. She noticed him looking back and her and glanced away, turning her attention to Professor Low.

"Please lead the way, Professor. Genis and I will follow along."

As they left the city and started down the path toward the Great Tree, Genis fell into step beside Presea, the quiet space between them feeling somewhat awkward. He cleared his throat and spoke up, uncomfortable with the silence.

"Don't look at me like that, Presea. It's not funny."

She looked over at him, her expression betraying no emotion in particular. "Like what? I wasn't looking at you any particular way."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I am afraid that is just how my face looks. You should know that by now."

"Just your face, huh? Sure, sure..." Genis sighed. "I've missed having you around, you know that?"

Presea offered a nod in reply.

"Likewise."

"Martel already has a pact… with another summoner?" Sheena gasped.

Zelos stepped forward. "Who?" he demanded. "It can't be Mithos like before!"

"I DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THE SUMMONER. ONLY THEIR VOW."

"But aren't you an extension of Martel?" Colette asked. "You said you have access to Martel's knowledge."

"I DO HAVE ACCESS TO MARTEL'S KNOWLEDGE. BUT THE SUMMONER DID NOT GIVE THEIR NAME. THEY MERELY PRESENTED THEIR VOW."

Sheena clenched her fists. "Th...that's impossible! A summoner's identity should form the very foundation of their vow! No summon spirit would dare make a pact with someone who isn't even willing to give their name-"

"MARTEL FOUND THE VOW ALONE TO BE SUFFICIENT."

Sheena's face went red as she realized just what she'd implied. "My apologies. I didn't mean to disrespect the decisions made by the spirit Martel."

Zelos put a supportive hand on Sheena's shoulder, stepping in line beside her. "So what exactly is this special vow that so impressed Martel?"

"A VOW FORMS A SACRED BOND BETWEEN SUMMONER AND SPIRIT. IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DIVULGED TO OUTSIDERS."

"Can't the pact be annulled?" Colette asked, and Sheena nodded in agreement.

"That's right! Spirit Martel, I ask that you annul the current pact and establish a new pact with me."

"IMPOSSIBLE." The spirit shook her head. "UNTIL THE CURRENT PACT HOLDER DIES OR BREAKS THEIR VOW, THE PACT CANNOT BE ANNULLED."

The group went silent again. Zelos drew back, pulling away from Sheena, but Colette stayed close and finally spoke up again.

"Th-that's okay, though! As long as someone has a pact with Martel, it doesn't matter who. We just have to find the other summoner and ask them to help us fix the unstable mana zone. That should be easy enough, right?"

Sheena perked up. "You're right. It's selfish of me to think I should be the only summoner who gets to form pacts. As long as there's someone who can help us get the Tree back to normal, that's what ma-"

"THE UNSTABLE MANA ZONE WAS CREATED BY MARTEL AS PART OF HER AGREEMENT WITH THE SUMMONER. IT EXISTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT PACT."

"Wh-?" "Huh?" "That's-!"

All three flinched, looking first at the spirit and then at one another in horror. "Someone…" Sheena murmured, "...someone did this on purpose? Why?"

"A VOW FORMS A SACRED BOND BETWEEN SUMMONER AND SPIRIT. IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DIVULGED TO OUTSIDERS."

"You said that already," Zelos groaned. "But how could Martel agree to something like this?"

"THE FORMATION OF A SUMMONING PACT AND THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE SPIRIT TO HONOR IT ARE AT THE SPIRIT'S FULL DISCRETION. MARTEL JUDGED THE PACT AND THE PACT-MAKER AND FOUND BOTH TO HER SATISFACTION."

The group went quiet again, glancing around at their surroundings. "Why would Martel do this?" Colette murmured. "Why would anyone do this...?"

"A VOW FORMS A SACRED BOND BETWEEN SUMMONER AND-"

"She wasn't asking you!" Zelos snapped, cutting off the spirit's statement. "But even if you can't tell us what the vow is, you can at least help us find the summoner by giving us some more information. Was it a man? A woman? Neither? How old were they? What did they look like-?"

"I DO NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION YOU SEEK. THE SUMMONER GAVE ONLY THEIR VOW."

"But didn't you see the summoner?" Sheena asked. "Couldn't you give us a physical description?"

"A TREE DOES NOT 'SEE' THE WAY YOU HUMANS DO. THE SPIRIT MARTEL INTERFACED DIRECTLY WITH THE SUMMONER'S CONSCIOUSNESS AND THEREFORE COULD ONLY ACCESS INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE SUMMONER THEMSELVES."

"So you're saying you've got nothing for us?" Zelos asked. "Nothing at all?"

"MY APOLOGIES. THE SUMMONER GAVE ONLY THEIR VOW, AND THAT I CANNOT DIVULGE."

Sheena sighed. "I'm sure there are other ways to find the summoner. Thank you for your help."

"PERHAPS THE OTHER SUMMON SPIRITS WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU. I WISH YOU LUCK IN ACCOMPLISHING YOUR GOALS, SUMMONER SHEENA."

With that, the spirit's image became blurry before disappearing entirely into the trunk of the tree. A moment of silence followed, and the three glanced at one another. Sheena and Colette were both nervous to speak again, so it was Zelos who finally broke the silence, stomping his foot against the dirt.

"Goddammit! Who the hell would do something like this? And how the hell could the guardian spirit of a life-giving tree let it turn into a zone of death?!"

"Z-Zelos…" Colette stammered. "Maybe they had good intentions. It might just be an elaborate plan to protect the Tree from people who want to hurt it."

Sheena shook her head. "That doesn't add up, though. If it's to protect the Tree, an impassable barrier would be much better than a barrier that kills everything that touches it. Besides that, if it's just protecting the Tree, why is it continuing to grow? There's got to be something else going on here."

Zelos glanced back at the gate, where the soldiers were standing by the fence and watching. "Hey, Miss Anna is waving at us. It looks like there's another group here for something. We should head back and see what's going on."

The three turned around and headed back toward the fence, stopping briefly at the boundary between the dead grass and the live as though there might be some difficulty getting out of the unstable mana zone. However, they stepped through it just fine, and continued down the path to meet with the soldiers.

"You can really feel the difference in the air, can't you?" Colette murmured as they walked. "It must be the feeling of unstable mana that Genis mentioned yesterday-"

"What did I mention?"

The voice was familiar, but the surprise of it made Colette jump. "Eeek! Genis? Where'd you come from?!"

The three turned to look at the gate where a small group was being escorted in by some of the soldiers. Genis was in front, followed by Professor Low and Presea. Colette ran to hug Genis, and Zelos approached the other two.

"Well, whadd'ya know? Our dendrology consultant came through after all!" He slapped a hand on Presea's shoulder. "Sorry I missed your meeting yesterday. Official Mizuho business and all that."

Presea looked up at him and maintained eye contact while she pulled his hand away from her shoulder. "Yes, Professor Low informed me of your last-minute conflict. Do not worry. We performed sufficiently without your help."

"Gee, that's kinda cold, isn't it?" Zelos sulked. "You didn't miss me at all?"

"My apologies," Presea began again, her voice remaining flat and her expression deadpan as she continued. "We missed you terribly, Zelos. We are helpless without you, Zelos. The advancement of scientific knowledge is impossible without your magnanimous presence, Zelos-"

"Okay, now you're just mocking me."

Meanwhile, Genis had begun answering Colette's questions as soon as she gave him enough room to breathe. "-thought we'd get permission to collect some samples as soon as possible. I'm going to take some back to Palmacosta with me for Raine, and Presea is going to take some back to Lezareno's company labs. What are you doing here?"

"Well, we-" Colette began, but glanced over at Sheena, unsure of how much she should say. "-we, uh…"

"We tried to form a pact with the spirit Martel," Sheena explained. "We weren't able to, unfortunately, but we did learn why the NV Zone exists… sort of."

"Why it exists?" Anna repeated.

"Is it not a defense mechanism created to protect the tree?" Presea asked. "That's the current hypothesis."

Zelos crossed his arms. "That was our hypothesis too. But apparently it's not the Tree's doing at all. Somebody made it on purpose."

"Made…" Professor Low began. "...made the NV Zone?"

Anna stepped into the middle of the group, motioning back to the guard tower. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation inside?"

Everyone seemed reluctant to agree, but followed her anyway.

When the three men entered the hospital lobby, they found Kratos already signing discharge paperwork at the front desk. Lloyd knew he was ambidextrous, so it wasn't a surprise to see him signing with his left hand, but it was… out of the ordinary. Kratos wrote with whatever hand was most convenient, but he always signed his name with his right hand, didn't he?

One quick glance at Kratos' right hand- and the bandages that covered it- cleared up Lloyd's confusion right away.

"Kratos!" he called once the receptionist had taken the papers and waved Kratos away. Kratos turned and froze as his eyes met Lloyd's.

"Lloyd? Dirk? How did you-?" He began and then paused when he saw Regal. "Duke Bryant. I see word travels fast around here."

"I heard you were here and I was concerned about your wellbeing. Meeting Lloyd and Dirk on my way here was a coincidence."

"We were worried about you, Kratos!" Lloyd added, taking a step forward. "You can't just miss work and not tell us why! That's not like you at all-!"

"Lloyd, keep your voice down," Kratos scolded. "You're bothering the people waiting. If you're going to yell, you should take it outside."

"What? Don't act like I'm the problem here-"

Dirk put a hand against Lloyd's arm to calm him. "I 'hink he's right, Lloyd. Let's gang someplace away frae all these people."

Lloyd sighed and nodded. "Lead the way, then, Kratos. Take us somewhere quiet so you can explain."

The group filed out, amidst curious stares from those still in the lobby. Lloyd figured they each had a reason to catch people's eyes- a Dwarf, a man in a militia uniform, the duke, and the loud man who'd just been making a scene in the middle of a hospital lobby. It probably was best for them to get somewhere more private before continuing with what he was sure would be a contentious conversation. But he still couldn't help feeling like Kratos was trying to delay giving an explanation. How stubborn could he be?

The four settled down at one of the picnic tables along the beach. The warm spring weather had attracted tourists from all over Tethe'alla recently and the sound of beachgoers playing in the surf carried across the boardwalk, but it was still early enough in the morning to find a table that wasn't claimed. Lloyd waited for Kratos to sit down first, and then sat opposite him. Dirk sat beside Lloyd, and Regal remained standing at the end of the table.

"I told Lloyd and Dirk, I have no intention of interfering in your family matters. All I wanted was to make sure you were well, Captain."

Kratos nodded. "I appreciate your concern, Duke Bryant. You needn't worry about me. Please return to your work."

"Of course." Regal started to turn around, but Lloyd jumped up and called out.

"Wait, no! I said you could stay, didn't I?" He looked back down at Kratos. "Regal is my friend. Don't chase him off."

"Lloyd, this doesn't concern him-"

"You're right! It doesn't! And yet he was worried about you- doesn't that mean anything?!"

"Lloyd, I understand that your friends are important to you, but you can't keep using them as shields when you're confronted with consequences for your actions-"

"That's not what I'm doing and you know it-!"

Regal, meanwhile, leaned down and whispered to Dirk. "Should I go, or…?"

"Dae whit ye like. It aw depends on whether ye're sidin' wi' Lloyd or Kratos."

Regal considered the two for a moment before taking a seat on the bench beside Kratos. "My apologies, Captain, but Lloyd requested I be present for this conversation."

Kratos just sighed. "Do whatever you want."

"Now it's your turn, Kratos," Lloyd spoke up again. "Tell us what happened to your hand. Is this because of the NV Zone?"

There was a pause, and the sound of children's yells overlaid on the roar of the surf took over for a moment. Kratos finally spoke up again, holding up his bandaged hand.

"I was treated at the hospital's burn center. They said that the way my skin was damaged resembled a full-thickness burn, with necrosis of the skin and nerve cells. That's why I felt no pain at first; the nerves were damaged, so my arm was completely numb. It was when the dead skin began to crack and bleed in places that I realized something was wrong and sought medical attention. They removed much of the dead skin and showed me how to bandage and care for the wound."

"Is…" Lloyd began, "...is your arm gonna be alright?"

"Yes. They said it will be several months before I regain full sensation in my arm and hand, and that the reestablishment of the nerves will be a painful process, but it will heal."

"Heh, ye sound optimistic fer such a bleak prognosis," Dirk commented, and Regal looked over in surprise.

"Optimistic?"

"Aye, ye cannae hear it in his voice, bit he's got a spark in his eyes 'at says he's pleased wi' th' results."

Kratos' face flushed a little as he looked away. "Others who were exposed to the NV Zone faced much bleaker prognoses. I am lucky to have hope for recovery."

"Huh. You read him well, Dirk."

"He's an open book once ye get th' hang ay it."

Kratos said nothing, his focus still firmly on the green flag hanging off the lifeguard stand.

"But even so-!" Lloyd slammed a fist on the table. "You said it's going to take months, right? And it'll be very painful, right? Why wouldn't you tell us about something like that? Were you just going to pretend that your hand works around me? Around Mom and the rest of the militia-?"

"I am still perfectly capable of upholding my responsibilities at work and home. You don't need to worry so much-"

"You are SUCH a hypocrite!" Lloyd jumped to his feet. Dirk grabbed the back of his suspenders to keep him from leaning too far over the table, but didn't interrupt. "You're obsessed with people's safety, constantly telling them what they can and can't do! You never would've gotten hurt like this if you hadn't freaked out back at the NV Zone yesterday. And yet, when you have a problem that totally deserves worrying-about, you go out of your way to hide it from everybody who cares about you!"

"But I'm not recklessly putting myself into harm's way," Kratos responded, doing a poor job of masking his indignant tone. "The only reason I got hurt is because I was trying to rescue you."

"I didn't NEED rescuing! If you'd paid attention instead of being stuck in your own little fantasy world, you'd have KNOWN that! But noooo, you had to play the hero-"

"I am not playing anything." Kratos finally rose to his feet to match Lloyd. "If you consider this playing, you're sorely mistaken. I have a responsibility to protect-"

Lloyd threw up his hands. "Responsibility this, responsibility that- you're so full of it! Like you could ever protect everybody all by yourself! Are you delusional, or are you really that conceited?"

"I don't want to hear that from someone who deliberately puts others in danger. You can lecture me on protecting people when you actually try it yourself."

Lloyd started forward and Dirk had to jerk on his suspenders again.

"This is so stupid! You're being so stupid about this! Why can't you just admit that you made a mistake and ask for help?"

"Why can't you follow directions and take care of yourself?"

"I have a clean bill of health! I'm not the one with half of my arm completely unusable-!"

"It's not unusable, it's-!"

Kratos was cut off by a muffled beeping noise from his militia-issued radio. He turned to dig it out of his pack and Lloyd sat down, watching him answer.

"This is Kratos reporting. Over."

The radio buzzed with static for a moment before Anna's voice came across, completely ignoring the normal communications protocol.

"Oh, Kratos, thank goodness! I was afraid you wouldn't answer. Listen- are Lloyd and Dirk with you? I want them to hear this too."

Kratos paused and glanced over at Lloyd and Dirk. "Affirmative. They are here with me, along with Duke Bryant. Over."

"Oh, good! He can talk to Presea and Professor Low too."

"The Professor…? What are they-?" Kratos began and then shook his head. "Please explain what it is you want the others to hear. Over."

There was a static-filled pause before Anna's voice began again.

"That might, uh, take a while. Are you sitting down?"