A/N: HOO BOY this has been in the works since January 2020, and it existed in a brainstorming google doc since 2018! Warning for brief emetophobia at the end of the chapter, there is Sheena and Zelos friendship stuff in here but I can tell you with full certainty this isn't a Sheelos fic, I didn't like that almost every fic with the role-reversal idea, or at least the ones I've read, just did a retelling of the game with the characters swapped, so this is very… not that. I wanted to put my own spin on the idea, even if it's not necessarily a new concept. I tried to stay as close to the original lore as possible but I did take some liberties and this is gonna be significantly different from the game once it gets going.
As of the posting of chapter 1, I have up to chapter 4 complete and pending beta with the outline estimating about 9 chapters in total. Also, this is my first fic in 10 years, so this is somewhat new/revisited territory for me. Enjoy, and hope ya stick around for the ride!
/
welt·schmerz
[velt-shmerts]
noun, German.
sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism.
/
Twenty-first. Night. Monday. Today was none other than Lloyd Aurion's eighteenth birthday, the day he had spent all his life preparing for: that in which he would present the chosen of Tethe'alla with the oracle from Cruxis, and thus, the journey of world regeneration would finally begin.
Lloyd gazes into one of the many mirrors that face his room in the city of Welgaia and he feels a certain discomfort at the reflection staring back at him. He furrows his brows and adjusts the collar of his coat; 'Man, what a stuffy outfit,' he thinks to himself. The arms are tight and form-fitting, and there are too many buckles for his taste. 'Why do I even have to wear this again?'
Before he can ponder his uncomfortable outfit further, the door slides open without so much as a warning. Lloyd does not see the visitor, but he recognizes their voice immediately.
"Lloyd," Kratos says sharply; there is no hesitation in his tone. "Today is the day the oracle is to be bestowed upon the Chosen of Mana. As soon as you have finished your preparations, we will be leaving for Meltokio."
A mixture of excitement and anxiety churns in Lloyd's stomach, the feeling of pins and needles distracting him from adjusting the last buckle around his waist.
"Yeah, the day Cruxis has been training me all my life for. I know. I'm going on a journey, Dad," he attempts to muster more enthusiasm than he feels. "I'm going to make you and everyone else proud."
While the enthusiasm is still there, it is only natural for one to feel the same growing nervousness that Lloyd feels in the pit of his stomach when faced with a task such as this.
"I believe in your abilities, Lloyd, and furthermore, this is an opportunity to prove your worthiness to Lord Yggdrasill," Kratos replies as Lloyd gives one last adjustment to his blood-red collar. "Now, if you are ready, we will be leaving."
An anxious smile creeps across Lloyd's face. "Thanks, Dad. Let's go."
/
It is now eight o'clock in the evening and Meltokio had never seen its church filled to capacity before tonight. The entire hall threatens to overflow with Royals and the upper-class, those who had been invited to observe what will hopefully be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for the citizens of Tethe'alla. Some had paid significant amounts of Gald to be there, with others having been invited based on status and connections. Many of them even traveled from across the world just to see the oracle.
All of them were currently waiting on the guest of honour: none other than the chosen of Tethe'alla himself.
An aristocrat in a cocktail dress exclaims "I hope it's successful this time," while swirling her glass of champagne.
"Yeah, my business is going to go under if mana keeps declining like this," says another, taking a sip of her own glass and leaving a lipstick stain around the brim (these are cosmetics of the highest quality, of course- the upper class would settle for nothing less).
In the castle only a short few doors away, Zelos Wilder paces back and forth as he prepares for his life to change forever. He has been to countless dinner parties that put him on display like some sort of object, but tonight is different in all the wrong ways.
The chosen fine-tunes his simple bowtie and suit jacket, then practices putting on his fake smile; 'Today is just another day, but it's the one I've spent all my life dreading,' he thinks to himself.
'Well, I suppose it's time for me to put on a show,' Zelos winks at his own reflection before heading towards the door. Before long, he stops and looks in the mirror one more time. He frowns comically before continuing on his way. '
Man, what a stuffy outfit…'
/
The doors of the church fly open and everybody inside gasps in surprise as Zelos enters the vast, crowded room. Once the observers recognize the presence as that of the chosen himself, a round of applause creeps throughout the hall. Some clink their glasses, some cry out "You're going to save us, chosen one!"
Zelos walks up to the altar with two priests from the church following closely in his stead. He takes a bow as the applause continues to grow; he isn't looking forward to the journey about to come, so he figures instead that the least he can do is take in the attention for now.
Before long, a glaring flash of light engulfs the church, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. As the light starts to settle, Zelos begins to make out the silhouettes of two figures standing only feet away from him: one a white-winged angel, the other a brunette with blades resting against both his sides.
There is a pause in the room in which all the people inhabiting it become dead silent, a stark contrast from the chatter that filled the empty spaces only minutes before.
"My name is Lloyd Aurion," the brunette hesitates, leaving an awkward pause between his sentences.
"I come on behalf of Cruxis, and I am here to bestow the Cruxis crystal upon the chosen of Tethe'alla." A shorter, more subdued round of applause ensues as everyone leans in anticipation.
Lloyd glances over at the angel by his side. "Remiel, the Cruxis crystal," he says, and almost immediately a small, red gem is placed in his hands.
He reaches out and hands the crystal to Zelos, waiting to set it down in the chosen's open palm. "All you have to do is place this on your chest. Do you accept this task?"
Zelos replies with a quick nod and a half-smile. "Yes." Without much further ado, the chosen places the crystal exactly where the emissary of Cruxis requests.
Immediately, the crystal fuses with his body, and the entire room roars with applause and cheers. "The world is going to be restored!" someone is heard shouting from the crowd. "The chosen one, our saviour!" exclaims another.
Remiel looks out into the crowd and chooses to speak for the first time: "The first seal will be found to the north, located in the furthest corner of this continent," he says, his voice thundering and void of all expression. "We of Cruxis await your arrival." With another flash of light, the duo were gone as quickly as they arrived.
Zelos feels his chest where the Cruxis crystal now lies, forever a reminder of what he was born to do. "Now now, my hunnies, and even the gentlemen too," the chosen grabs a glass of champagne and raises it towards the ceiling. "Who's ready for world regeneration!?"
He spends the night socializing, flirting, and eating up the attention from high society. 'Ah, yes, I really will save the world, even just to see your darling smile, hunny…' Sophisticated, well-dressed, upper-class, and all of it so terribly fake .
/
As Zelos exits the church well past sundown, drunk on champagne and adoration from his fans, he is approached by the last few priests who had stayed past the oracle.
"Chosen one, please stop at the church before you embark on your journey. We will be presenting you with companions to accompany you throughout the trials."
He gives a slurred "Got it" in response before stumbling back to his mansion, ready to go to bed; while he changes out of his formal attire, all he notices is the crystal on his chest. The bright red orb stuck out like a sore thumb against his pale skin, even more so than the bright red lipstick marks strewn over his neck (I'll have you know- it's high class , only the finest for the Royals of Tethe'alla).
As he stares at the Cruxis crystal, he can't help but think about how as of tomorrow, his life changes forever, and it all starts with a marble-sized piece of stone.
/
The next morning comes quicker than Zelos expected, having wanted to spend his last restful night sleeping soundly before the journey began. As Zelos was generally a late sleeper and difficult to wake, perhaps more than a mere five hours would have been nice as well.
The first light of morning creeps through his window and as it moves to warm his skin, he starts to open his eyes. "Man, what time is it?" he says to no-one in particular, running a hand through his tangled red hair. A glance towards the clock opposite his lavish bed indicated it was shortly after five-thirty in the morning. He had hours to kill before he arranged to meet the priests today.
His next exhale is sharp and piercing. "Might as well kill some time, I guess." It does not take long before he pulls out a leather bag to prepare for the journey, but he can't bring himself to start packing it. Instead, he sits on his bed and watches the sun rise.
The pale orange tones dance across the sky, waxing and waning for hours upon hours until finally dissolving into the pure blue hues of day.
/
The first thing Zelos sees as he approaches the church is a familiar scowling face, and naturally, he couldn't be happier. "Oh, hunny, it's so good to see you!" when he winks, the scowl only growls bigger, more menacing, and clearly pissed off .
"Sheena of Mizuho has been sent to accompany you on your journey," proclaims one of the priests. Sheena averts her eyes.
"Don't think I'm here because I want to be. You're gonna need me if you want to do anything about the summon spirits," her voice is raspy as she crosses her arms in discontent. "After all, summoning is a lost art."
"As lost as your affection for me? You're breaking my heart," Zelos smirks.
Their bickering is cut short by the Papal knights approaching from behind, a well-built man in tow who sported iron shackles around his wrists. "We have come to present you with your next companion."
The prisoner speaks, his eyes blank. "My name is Regal, and I am a prisoner serving time for the crime of murder."
Zelos raises an eyebrow before the man continues. "The church has offered to clear me of my crimes if I aid in the chosen's journey."
'Sheena, and some random murderer?' Zelos thinks to himself. 'This is going to be fun.'
Upon a further bout of staring and squinting, he begins to find Regal's face awfully familiar. Considering the magnitude of people he has spoken to across Tethe'alla, it would not come as a surprise if their paths had crossed at one point or another.
"Say, pops, have we met before?"
Regal's eyes widen for no more than a second before he readopts his previous stoic composure. "No. Perhaps you are thinking of someone else."
One of the two armored knights at his side addresses the group. "Regal is a skilled fighter. We hope that you find those abilities helpful during the journey."
Zelos shrugs as his mouth twists into another one of his sly grins. "So that's it, just these two? No more chicks or dudes you're sending with me?"
"That's all," replies the priest. "Your first stop is the Temple of Earth. We recommend you prepare your belongings before you leave."
"Then it's decided!" Zelos exclaims, his voice booming with energy- a surprising amount of energy, even, considering how little sleep he managed the night before. "We're going back to my crib for a bit. There's something I gotta do before we head out."
Sheena looks from Zelos to Regal, then back again. "Fine, but make it quick. Looks like me and this guy are already ready to go."
"Oh, you got it. I'll be out in no time at all."
The chosen's newly formed group arrives at the Wilder residence, the multi-tiered mansion casting a shadow that engulfed the three heroes. Without further ado, Zelos darts up the stairs to his room before even taking the time to show his guests where to put down their belongings. After all, this detour was one with a purpose to him.
Regal turns to Sheena, taking careful note of the tension in the room.
"Sheena, are you feeling nervous?"
She laughs in response. "No. But... also, yeah, I guess a little bit at the same time. Why do you ask?"
"Because the last chosen passed away before he was able to complete the journey," Regal proclaims with apprehension thick in his voice, staring out the caged mansion window into the sky. "You would have been young then, but many of us still remember when the King announced his passing."
"Yeah, I was pretty young back then, but many of the elders in Mizuho even remember when the world was still flourishing. They used to tell stories about it to us when we were kids, then some stories that were passed onto them by their own parents too." Sheena's mouth trembles. "What makes me nervous is that I know there's more to it than that."
Regal frowns. "What do you mean?"
A pensive sigh was given back to him in return. "The last chosen was Zelos' father, and he didn't die on the journey." She stops abruptly before continuing, as if cutting the energy in the room with a dagger.
"The day of the oracle, he took his own life."
A feeling of metallic heaviness washes over the two companions and the weight of the journey begins to set in. The silence is deafening as Regal ponders the words to choose next.
"Being the chosen must be a tremendously difficult burden to bear," he finally replies.
Sheena nods her head, arms crossed firmly against her abdomen. "Yeah. And that's why we've gotta help Zelos succeed. I don't think he can do this alone."
/
Zelos is seated at his writing desk, scribbling away on a thin pad of note paper as if his life depended on it. Before he leaves on the journey, there's just one thing he has to do.
Heya!
Well, today's the day! I'm gonna go save the world.
But don't worry, I could never forget you- I'll write as often as I can.
Or, at least, until you get bored of hearing about all my super cool travels.
T hat too. Maybe if I'm in the area, I'll even come and visit.
First up, we're off to the Temple of Earth and we'll see where that takes us. Try not to worry about me.
It's going to be a tough journey, but I can handle it. I always do, right?
I'll write again soon.
He scribbles his name at the bottom, and as soon as the party of three exit the mansion, Zelos drops the letter in the closest mailbox. With that, they leave Meltokio and step into the green wilderness surrounding the city.
As the chosen gazes into the wide-open world, the journey of regeneration begins at last.
/
Tethe'alla's air is humid and muggy; one can only expect so much from the world in decline as it fights with the flourishing one for mana. "Man," Zelos says, stretching his hands over his head. "Where the hell are we going again?"
The chosen's group carries down the southern pathway, their feet sinking into the sandy ground with each step.
"Temple of Earth, idiot. They must have said it like, three times." Sheena's words are cold and cutting, leaving Zelos to draw a fake tear down his face with his right hand.
"Yeah, but I've never been there before. I don't know where I'm going!"
Regal gives an exasperated sigh. "Chosen, we were following your lead."
Sheena then sighs, too; "You packed that giant map for a reason. Why don't you try using it? Or your head, for that matter?" She laughs, and Regal lets out a quiet chuckle as well.
"Excellent idea, Sheena! You've got both beauty and brains!" Zelos pulls out a tattered map from his bag and unfolds it, unfolds it again, and then unfolds it just one more time. Before long, he's holding a piece of parchment between his hands that nearly stretches an entire arm's length.
He points to the dot labelled plainly as 'Meltokio', then carefully examines his surroundings. With all the withering trees and bushes around them, every direction looked the same.
"Hmm. It looks like the temple is more or less a straight walk up from Meltokio. Unfortunately, it also looks like we're going in the wrong direction. "
Sheena and Regal both let out a heavy sigh again, this time in unison. "This is going to be a long journey..." The three turn around and try to navigate the way that they came, their feet sinking into the ground like quicksand all the way.
/
"So let me get this straight," Zelos says, "when we release the seal, we're also supposed to form a pact with the summon spirit at the same time? Since when?"
The party chooses their footsteps carefully in the Temple of Earth; the ground was uneven and the footing was poor, leaving everyone cautious of their surroundings.
"Since always, didn't you study the journey in school? That's why they made me go along with you." Unlike the pathways outside the temple, many of the bridges within were rickety, unstable, and risked falling apart with one wrong move. Sheena rolls her eyes, and while unfocused on her movements, she narrowly misses a tumble onto the ground below.
In response, Zelos playfully frowns. "Aw, hunny, what do I have to do to make you like me again? Do I have to save you from the big, scary bridge?"
"Just… be quiet. That's all I can ask."
The chosen grins. "Sorry. Can't do that. I think we all love the sound of my voice too much for that."
"Zelos, I would not be so sure of that," Regal chuckles.
In less time than was spent traveling from Meltokio to the Temple of Earth- less than three hours, to be exact- the party arrives at the room of the seal. The obstacles in this temple were not particularly treacherous, and the chosen begins to wonder whether it was all the seals that were simple, or if they just had him start off with the easiest one.
The closer they get to the altar, the more the three of them could feel the pressure of repressed mana threatening to burst, causing all the hair on their bodies to stand on end.
As the three heroes approached, they felt a slight release of that dormant mana as the summon spirit of Earth appeared before them.
"Wow! The chosen of regeneration already!? Feels just like yesterday since the last one of ya stopped by here…" Gnome exclaims, his voice jovial, as if he hadn't laughed in eons. Considering the amount of time he spent dormant as he awaited the next chosen's arrival, it had clearly been many years since the last time he had a chance to laugh or cry.
"Oh, that's right, it's gotta be at least a hundred years since the last time a chosen from this world started the journey. Sylvarant switched the mana a little while ago, eh?"
Zelos was familiar with the Summon Spirits, having read all about them in his studies as a child, and Gnome was known throughout the books as being notoriously annoying .
He sighs, dramatically placing his head in his palm. "Can we just fight you already? C'mon, we've got three more seals to go after this. Let's get it over with!"
"Yeah, yeah. Bring it on!" the summon spirit jumps off the pedestal of magitechnology, sharp stalagmites cracking through the earth and shooting up from the ground in his wake.
Regal spins, leaps, and kicks, attacking the summon spirit head on and full-force. The chosen begins to see why this prisoner was sent to accompany; his unconventional skill of fighting with his feet really did prove to be useful.
"Man, so that's how you fight with those shackles on!" shouts Zelos in between swift melee attacks.
Demon Fang- Sonic Thrust- Light Spear-
Blow after blow was not only dealt, but taken; Zelos quickly becomes thankful that they stocked up on gels before leaving.
'Man, it would be nice to have some sort of healer with us…' he ponders between casting first aid spells as quickly as his mana would let him. 'I can't keep doing both this and the frontlines.'
Sheena deals the final blow with a Pyre Seal, leaving Gnome on the ground mumbling "You guys... are better than I thought."
As the spirit gets himself up and adjusts to the feeling of defeat, his energy begins to return. "So, you wanna make a pact and release the seal, then?"
Sheena, the summoner sent to make the pacts of prosperity, approaches Gnome; one could feel the anxiety radiating from her body even fifteen feet away. After all, she hoped to make this her first successful pact with a summon spirit, and she is just as scared of looking weak as she is of failure.
"I am Sheena of Mizuho, and I… I ask that thy establish a pact with me to save this declining world from its inevitable destruction." She pauses, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face.
Gnome laughs. "Well, I mean. You did beat me in a fight, and you guys are here to release the seals. How can I say no?" He raises an arm, an off-white glow emitting from his fingers. "I bestow my power upon the chosen's group!"
Zelos gulps as the spirit begins to fade away. "Guess it's time for me to do my good ol' thing, huh?"
He jaunts up to the altar and reaches out in front of him, his palm directly to the sky. The suffocating repression of mana they felt upon entering the room finally begins to release, pouring out like water onto dry soil.
The room is suddenly filled with an incredible flash of light, just like that of the oracle; Zelos knows it has to be the emissaries of Cruxis, but Sheena and Regal had never experienced it before. The entire seal and altar have gone white and the party's eyes begin to burn.
"What's happening!?" Sheena exclaims, covering her eyes with her gloved arm so as not to be blinded. In turn, Regal grunts and tries not to look into the light for exactly the same reason.
Before them stood Lloyd and Remiel, the same beings who bestowed the oracle only the night before. Zelos quickly takes note of the apprehension on Lloyd's face; he appears uncertain, or at the very least, inexperienced. The chosen is a perceptive person to a fault: the careful sensation he feels in his bones takes note of every little detail of the body language, inflection, and presentation of the people around him. Those said people are incredibly lucky that he keeps everything he notices filed into the back of his mind rather than spoken out loud. After all, when you're the chosen, you can't afford to make any enemies.
"Good work, Chosen of Tethe'alla," Remiel's voice booms from the altar. "We of Cruxis bestow upon you the first stage of your transformation."
Rays cascade down from the sky, engulfing the chosen's being without a minute to spare. When the light subsides, his body begins to lose its strength and he keels over. As the feeling of feverish daggers flows from the Cruxis crystal and into Zelos' shoulders, the sharp, burning sensation culminates with a pair of pale orange wings erupting from his back.
Lloyd watches in awe, his coal-coloured eyes wide as the chosen grows translucent wings. In his eighteen years as a member of Cruxis, he had certainly seen wings before, but never someone grow wings. Something about it was horrifying; something about it was beautiful.
The shock he felt was evidenced by speechlessness that lasted until the chosen's group began to stare blankly, wondering what was to come next.
"I-" Lloyd began, trying to compose himself once more. "I… You can find the next seal across the sea in the Temple of Lightning," he looks at Zelos. "Once you release the seal, you will be one step closer to saving the world."
Zelos laughs under his breath in spite of the growing discomfort that was infecting his body like a virus. 'I get it now. This guy's an amateur.' He doesn't dare speak it.
The chosen is now is down on his knees clutching his chest, a sharp pain he'd never experienced before shooting through his back and muscles. This pain was unfamiliar, one he could not easily compare to anything he had felt before- the only thing he could think to describe it as was a searing sensation, just like freezing and burning at the same time.
"Yeah. Sounds good. Neeeext! " he grunts, managing to fake laughter as the envoys of Cruxis disappear once more. His back is aching as he stands up again, but despite his quick stumble, he keeps the mask aligned.
"Wow, you , an angel? You're the least angelic person I know," Sheena's voice oozes with sarcasm. Sometimes, her words can only be described as viscera dripping from a knife.
Zelos tries to ignore the throbbing discomfort in his body, and he puts on a show instead. "Oh, it looks like somebody is a little jealous that I'm gonna be the one to save the world!"
With some effort and the same crippling pain shooting through his back again, he retracts his wings into his body; there was no use keeping them out when he didn't need them for anything. Even their existence alone only served as a reminder of all the things about himself he hated.
Scowling, Sheena begins to walk towards the entrance, while Regal and Zelos follow suit. "Oh, whatever. I'm tired, and I'm sure Regal could use some rest too."
Regal gives a subtle 'Hmph' in response. "Let's get out of here and get some sleep."
/
Upon exiting the temple, Sheena gestures to the bushes and long, straw-textured grass. This clearing was located far enough away that there was more privacy available, though conversely, one could still throw a stone into the seal room and hit the altar.
"Noooo!" Zelos exclaims. "We have to sleep outside !?"
A frown from Regal, drooping his eyelids and allowing himself to accept rest in an unconventional place. "It would take hours to walk back to Meltokio, and there is no House of Guidance in sight. This is our best option."
"If we're going to keep doing this, this is going to be the hardest part of the journey- by far! I'm going to get bugs in my hair!"
"Okay, princess." Sheena stirs a small pot of plain rice over a humble campfire; It was only but a small blaze to illuminate the darkness, set up with some twigs from the bushes and a fire spell. The rice, however, while it looked delicious, it also looked hardly substantial enough to feed three people.
"Now get over and have some of my rice, or I'll give your portion to Regal."
"Fine, fine. I always liked your rice dishes anyway, hunny," he laughs, she scowls.
/
The aches and pains were subsiding, but not fast enough for Zelos' comfort. As much as he hated to own up to it, his tolerance for physical pain was relatively small, and much smaller than he would ever willingly admit to anyone else.
The mask could only stay in place for so long, and the chosen would not dare show vulnerability to anyone; he rarely even showed true vulnerability to himself.
'I don't feel so good,' Zelos ponders as he begins to feel sick. Differentiating what kind of sickness, however, was impossible for him. He can't tell if the sickness has to do with his back, his stomach, or with himself. 'Maybe it was something in the rice…'
Zelos walks to the edge of the bushes, and within minutes, the feeling in his back migrates to his stomach and chest. It's sharp, but it aches- it's tender, but agonizing. His throat begins to burn, and before he can process what's going on, Zelos keels over and his body rejects everything in his stomach. He's on his hands and knees heaving now until suddenly, it's over as quickly as it began.
His body trembles, running his fingers over the crystal directly in the middle of his chest. He couldn't even tell what it was that hurt anymore. 'What's happening to me…? What am I becoming?' he whispers, wiping the retch from the corners of his mouth.
Sheena's voice is barely audible behind him. "Hey."
Zelos stops and turns around ever-so-slowly; he tries to regain his sense of control in any way he can before he has to look someone in the eyes.
The summoner gives a half-hearted sigh, running her hand through her high ponytail. "I'm sorry I called you princess. You didn't have to throw up the rice."
He stops and takes a slight step backwards, letting his facade slip for only a second. She saw . A few more seconds later, he recomposes.
"I'm sorry, hunny. I'm just too pretty to be stuck hanging out in the bushes and sleeping outside!"
Sheena glares at him. "Look, Zelos, I want to talk to you about something." Her face shows a look of genuine sadness now, eyes turned downwards and all their usual banter coming to a grinding halt.
"I know things didn't work out between us, but I don't want you to think that you can't talk to me about stuff. I care, okay? I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I do. Especially if we're going to be stuck on this journey together. I want to make sure you have someone to talk to."
A light chuckle escapes his mouth. "Aww, that's so sweet. I knew you missed me. Don't worry, there's enough of me to go around, but I'm afraid you'll just have to share!"
Sheena's eyes quickly become knives as anger radiates from every pore in her body. "You stupid chosen! You can't take anything seriously! I'm going to bed!"
As she walks away into the darkness with her belt's pink ribbon trailing in her shadow, all Zelos can do is laugh to himself. His translucent wings spread out behind him, and all the while, blood drips down his back as the fractured wings tear through his skin. 'If only you knew what this was like, Sheena… if only you knew.'
The sky was pitch black now, with the only light as far as the eye could see coming from the fire they had started hours ago. The chosen reaches nervously into his bag, pulling out a notepad and pen that he places directly in his lap. He exhales deeply before putting pen to paper and finally allowing himself to drop the mask, even if for only a few short minutes.
Seles,
Hey. I know it hasn't been that long, but I just released the first seal on my journey and I wanted to let you know how I'm doing.
I'll admit that things are a little strange right now. The guys from Cruxis are talking about transformations and angels,
and I've kind of realized I have no idea what this journey is all about.
I'm still going to do it because I don't really have any other choice, but I'm not sure how confident I'm feeling now that the first seal is done.
We're going to the Temple of Lightning next, and I'm sure it will be fine. I don't want to worry you.
I know we haven't seen each other in a pretty long time, but I'm thinking about you.
- Big Bro
/
Welgaia's cold, quiet, and twisted halls echo with each footstep Kratos and Lloyd make as they pitter-patter through the city of angels. Lloyd had always been lonely growing up; Kratos and Yuan had mentored him, teaching him how to wield a sword and defend himself, but the few people he was able to talk to otherwise were subordinates of Cruxis who only treated him as 'son of Kratos' .
Not even a full day had passed since the chosen released the first seal; Lloyd ruminates, his thoughts running around in circles as he wonders what comes next.
"Say, Dad," he thinks out loud, scratching his chin. "When you grew wings, what did it feel like? Did it hurt?"
Kratos stares blankly ahead. "The angel transformation is not without pain. It is simply an obstacle one must overcome if they wish to use the Cruxis crystal." His voice was numb, as it ever was.
"The chosen today, when he released the seal- he looked like he was in pain." The father-and-son duo pass a low-ranking angel of Cruxis who quickly slips a "good evening, lord Kratos" in their direction as they continue down the hall. Lloyd gives a friendly wave in return, while Kratos simply keeps walking before they reach their destination at last.
The two men stop in front of Lloyd's room in the very-most corner of the lower bunkers. Despite being the only son of one of the four seraphim, Lloyd was still to stay with the subordinates.
"You have done a satisfactory job thus far, Lloyd. Once you successfully guide the chosen through his journey, Lord Yggdrasill hopes to present you with a Cruxis crystal of your own."
The brunette takes a seat on his bed, the blankets still unmade from the night before. "I'm just wondering," his lips curve downwards as a wave of uncertainty washes over his body. "Why are we doing this? Why do we have the chosen go on the journey and release the seals? All my life I've been told I need to do this and that this is just the way it is. Now I want to know why ."
Kratos subtly raises an eyebrow, but Lloyd does not take note of his change of expression. "Hmph. It is because Lord Yggdrasill wills it to be so."
The seraphim's son no longer feels sadness, and instead, his face begins to burn with frustration. "Come on, you're just not going to give me any answers!?"
"Tomorrow, we will be giving you a new task. You will be bestowing the angelic power alone." as he spins swiftly on his feet and moves toward the exit in silence, he says to Lloyd one final, simple sentence: "It would be wise not to ask further questions about the journey of regeneration."
The door slides closed with a thwump as Kratos walks away, and the pitter-patter noises of his shoes against the ground can be heard once more. It echoes in Lloyd's head, a ringing pounding through his ears all the while. " Guh! " he grunts, slamming his fist against the wall hard enough that pain shoots through his hand instantly.
The seething stops and instead, he exhales the last of his anger, breathing out the words "What the hell is going on?"