Hello again, managed to update somewhat on time. Thanks to everyone who continues to read this story and I hope everyone is enjoying the second act so far.

Now, to the story.

Chapter 54: Capital of Tethe'alla

Despite Kratos no longer being around to kick him awake, Lloyd still somehow rose with the sun. It seemed Kratos' early bird habit had rubbed off on him.

He wasn't too happy about that, but getting up early gave Lloyd time to practice his swordsmanship. It was odd practicing without a partner. He gotten used to sparring with Kratos, testing his wit against the older swordsman.

Now, he had no one. He supposed he could spar with Sheena, but she was currently on breakfast duty and Genis wouldn't be ideal for obvious reasons.

He supposed that there was no point crying over spilled milk. Kratos was gone and good riddance to that traitor. He didn't understand why he was still mourning the man who used and betrayed them.

After about an hour of training, breakfast was served.

"Hey Sheena, what's this?" Genis asked as he was giving a bowl of stew.

"Oh, this is one of the specialties from my village, Miso Stew," Sheena said.

"Miso, huh?" Genis asked in wonderment as he tasted the soup. His eyes lit up. "Wow, this is good!"

Raine also looked pleased. "This is interesting. You blended together a lot of different ingredients to make a fantastic dish. I must explore this!"

"Oh goddess no," Genis moaned. "Don't turn a perfectly delicious stew into a liquid of death."

Raine slapped for him that comment.

Sheena smiled. "Glad you enjoy it. I had to use many of the leftover ingredients."

Genis sighed. "We got a lot of shopping to do once we reach Meltokio."

Raine looked at Sheena. "Is the city very expensive?"

"Well...since it is the capital of all of Tethe'alla, everything is expensive there. Even the bread," Sheena admitted.

Raine sighed. "We only have a little over seven-thousand gald. That has to be enough."

"I can give you some of my savings if it will help," Sheena said.

"How much?" Raine asked.

"I can spare two-thousand gald," Sheena answered.

"You have that much money on you?" Genis asked in shock.

"Well, I was traveling across Sylvarant by myself for months," Sheena pointed out. "I had to feed and shelter myself somehow."

Raine nodded. "That should be enough for now. Although, I'm not sure what we can do for money in the near future. Especially in this world."

"We can worry about that stuff later," Lloyd said as he finished his stew. "We don't even know how long we will be here, so may not be an issue."

"With our luck," Genis muttered.

A thought occurred to Raine. "Although, it is interesting despite being separated and unaware of each other, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla share the same currency."

"I…I never thought about that," Sheena said in surprise. "I just took for granted that my money worked in Sylvarant."

"It is unusual how similar Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are. Same currency, the Kharlan War happened here, Goddess Martel's existence. It's all so odd," Raine mused.

"We can figure all that stuff once we help Colette," Lloyd said. Besides, he was getting a headache thinking about all this stuff.

With breakfast done and everything packed, they were on the move. The mood was still mostly quiet with Colette hovering beside them. Even after a day of reflection, everyone was still in a state of shock and even numbness.

The monsters attacked more often, but they weren't as powerful as the ones from yesterday. It was a few hours passed noon by the time they reached a massive gate made of stone.

"Woah, this is the capital of Tethe'alla!?" Genis exclaimed in awe. "Nothing in Sylvarant even compares."

"Amazing! The architecture is old, but it's so well-maintained!" Raine all but shouted. Her eyes were practically shining. "These stones have to be thousands of years old."

"It is said that the city of Meltokio is an old as Tethe'alla itself," Sheena said with a sense of pride.

"I didn't believe I would see anything bigger than Palmacosta. I don't even know where to begin. I can't wait to explore," Lloyd said. He half expected Colette to say something, but she remained unresponsive. "Let's get going."

"Sorry, but I'm going to part ways with you here," Sheena suddenly spoke up, catching everyone's attention.

"What? Why?" Genis asked in shocked.

Sheena sighed. "Have you forgotten? I was trying to kill Colette. I have to report my failure to the Chief."

Lloyd took a deep breath. He had forgotten. He was so busy kicking himself over Colette that he never considered how Sheena must feel. She failed her home world too.

"Is this Chief person in this city?" Genis asked.

Sheena shook her head. "I'm from Mizuho. The people of Mizuho were chased from this land. We all live in hiding."

"Chased from this land?" Lloyd repeated. He wanted to ask more, but knew there wasn't time that.

Raine gave her a look of concern. "If you go make that report, are you going to be alright?"

"Don't worry about that." She gave a dismissive wave. "Anyway, I'd like you to deliver this letter for me." She walked up to Lloyd and gave him an envelope with a seal on it.

Lloyd looked over the envelope. "This is?"

"Please give it to the king in Castle Tethe'alla. Tell him it's from Sheena of Mizuho. He'll grant you an audience right away," Sheena explained.

"The king wants to kill Colette, right?" Genis asked, very concern about all of this. "Are you sure this is going to be alright?"

"In order to stop that, I've written the details of everything that's happened and requested that they help heal Colette," Sheena stated.

Raine still didn't like this. They could just as easily decide to execute Colette and all of them. Yuan, however, did say that it would be dangerous to harm Colette since she would attack anything to protect herself. Maybe they could use that to their advantaged.

Lloyd nodded. "I see... Thank you!"

There was a short paused. For some reason, Sheena was blushing from Lloyd's gratitude.

"Ah, no, y…you don't have to thank me. It's nothing. Don't mention it. The Imperial Research Academy is under the control of the royal family. There isn't any other way, that's all!" Sheena stumbled over her words.

Genis smiled wolfishly. He knew that look. Lloyd was oblivious, as usual, but it seemed that Sheena had developed a crush on him.

It was actually quite common. Almost every girl in Iselia had at one point crushed on Lloyd. It made sense; despite Lloyd thinking he looked plain he was quite handsome by human's standards. His sweet and strong personality also helped.

"Are you embarrassed?" Genis couldn't stop himself from teasing. "You're funny, Sheena!"

This made Sheena blushed even deeper.

Even Raine looked partly amused. She could see what was happening as well.

"Sh…shut up!" Sheena stuttered before regaining some of her composure. "I'm going now!"

Lloyd smiled, not connecting any dots. "We'll see you again, right?"

Sheena hummed. "We might meet again, and we might not." Although she really hoped she did.

Raine nodded. "Then, let's not say good-byes yet."

"Yeah. See you again," Lloyd said with that huge grin of his.

Sheena had to fight herself from blushing again. Dammit, what was wrong with her? Why was she having these feelings? She...never felt this way before. "Yeah. See you again…someday."

She took her leave, before she did or said anything else that would leave her turning red. For some reason, she could barely function around Lloyd lately. When did this started? There wasn't really a moment, at least as far as she knew. The boy just kind of snuck into her heart.

Her heart? Surely she didn't fall in love with Lloyd did she? No, no, that wasn't possible. She only knew him for a month. There was no way she could developed such deep feelings for him.

Dammit! She needed some time away from them. That way, she could clear her head and stopped these foolish thoughts of love.

"Well, looks like we're down another one," Genis noted as he watched Sheena leave.

Lloyd sighed. "It does seem that our party is rapidly shrinking."

"There is no point standing out here. Before we meet the king, I suggest we go shopping. Just in case," Raine suggested.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. We should get prepared for anything."

They walked through the giant stone gate and were nearly overwhelmed by the hugeness of everything. The entrance alone was bigger than the main square in Palmacosta.

"So...where would the market district be?" Lloyd asked.

"I guess we could ask," Genis said.

Lloyd walked up to the nearest person and gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me..."

"What do you want!?" the man exclaimed.

Lloyd winced from the tone. "Can you please tell me where the shops are?"

The man gave Lloyd a disgusted look. "Tourists, huh? And from the sticks given how you're dress."

Lloyd glanced down at his cloths. They weren't fancy, but he wouldn't call them country clothes either. Although, the man before him was dressed very richly. Even the best of Palmacosta would appear common in comparison.

The man snorted. "Over there to the left. Now go away." With that, the man stalked off.

Genis saw the whole thing. "Man, what's his problem? He acted like Lloyd spit at his shoes or something."

Raine folded her arms. "It seems the social class in this world is far more strict than Sylvarant."

"That still doesn't excuse the snotty attitude," Genis grumbled.

They walked for several minutes until they reached what appeared to be the market street. Every building was a store of some type selling weapons, armors, supplies, and even souvenirs.

Lloyd went to the weapons shop with Colette following him while Genis and Raine resupplied.

"Hey Raine, look at this," Genis said as he held up two gels. "They call these pineapple and lemon gels. They restore more mana and heal more damage than orange and apple gels."

Raine looked over them. "Interesting, they're over sixty percent effective. Double those of our old gels."

"We should definitely buy them," Genius said.

Raine checked the prices. "They are a little expensive, but I think we should too. We can use more effective items, especially since we are using more advance spells."

Genis loaded several gels into their shopping bag. "Tethe'alla's so amazing! There're all sorts of things I've never seen in Sylvarant!"

Raine hummed. "I suppose it should be expected in the flourishing world." Her eyes became downcast. "But as long as this world is flourishing, Sylvarant will be in decline..."

Genis quickly lost his happy mood. "Oh yeah...you're right." He let out a heavy sigh as he looked out the shop's window. He watched the crowds of people walked by without a care in the world. Unlike back home, they had no fear of Desians, no fear of raids during the night, no constant shadow of death lingering over them or their families. They could live happy and free. "How in the world did things wind up like that?"

Raine gathered several pieces of meat and some spices. She also made sure to grab some Life Bottles. "That's a fascinating question."

With all their supplies gathered, they walked to the register and paid. It took about half of their savings.

When they walked out, they saw Lloyd and Colette waiting by one of the benches. What caught their eye was that Colette was now holding a new pair of chakrams.

"Lloyd, did you buy these?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, I was able to trade her old ones for a decent price. I also sold some of my cravings to help cover the price," Lloyd stated. "They were the best ones I could find on this street, so they're expensive. The metal in this world...it's better than anything in Sylvarant, except for the ones my dad makes."

"It's to be expected. More mana give better ores," Raine stated.

"Well, we're off to see the king?" Lloyd asked, wanting to get on a happier subject.

Raine nodded. "We should get going."

They made their way back towards the entrance where a giant stairway stood. Raine figured that the castle would be at the highest point of the city.

As they walked, a stray dog came out of nowhere, sniffing the ground.

"Whoa, there are dogs on this side too," Genis said in awe.

The dog took noticed of Colette and began to approach her.

Colette turned towards the dog and for a moment, they hoped she would respond. If it was one thing Colette loved, it was dogs. She actually named all the stray dogs in Iselia.

She did respond, but not in a way they expected. Without warning, she viciously kicked the dog, causing it to yelped and run away.

"Colette!?" Lloyd exclaimed in shock. Not once did he ever think he would see the day that Colette would harm a dog. She really didn't have a soul anymore.

A chuckle got his attention and he turned to see a man wearing an unusually styled cape that was elevated from his shoulders and extended in the front. His hair was long, slicked back and shiny like it was layer with thick grease and he wore a pair of dark orange, rounded pince-nez glasses. He was very different from the rest of the people in the city.

"That's a violent young lady there," the man chuckled in delight. "That's marvelous." Without another word, he left.

"Who was that creep?" Lloyd thought.

"Who in the world was that man?" Raine asked, voicing Lloyd's own thoughts.

"Sounds like an ass if you asked me. What's so marvelous about someone kicking a helpless dog?" Genis asked in disgust.

Lloyd shook his head as they went up the long stairway. It appeared the people in this city were all cold.

When they made it to the top of the staircase, they were in another huge square. It was about the same sized as the one below.

"This place just keeps going on," Genis said in awe.

"It appears that the castle is up ahead," Raine said, seeing a huge structure in the distance.

"H...hey watch it!" someone yelled.

They turned to see that Colette had floated ahead of them and bumped into blond-haired girl with a long, fancy dress. It was obvious that she was someone of noble birth. Other women, all with the same air of nobility and arrogance, surrounded her.

"Watch where you're going!" one of the woman yelled.

Lloyd got ready to move. He didn't want Colette accidentally harming these girls, even if they were being needlessly rude.

"Now, now, settle down, my darling hunnies!" one of the long, red-haired woman wearing a pink vest and white pants said. Although the 'woman' in question had a deep voice that was obviously male.

Wait a minute! That's a guy!

Lloyd quickly looked over the man. He was indeed very feminine, but he could see the muscles in his face and arms. By how tone he was despite how soft he appeared, this guy worked out. He glanced to his side and saw that he carried a sword. By his demeanor, it wasn't for show. He knew how to used it.

The man turned towards Colette and gave her a dazzling smile. "Hi there, my little cool beauty, are you hurt?"

Colette didn't respond to him at all. She didn't even acknowledge his existence.

"Well! Master Zelos himself has deigned to speak to this girl and yet look how she acts!" the girl that Colette bumped into yelled.

One of the women laughed at Colette. "Just look at her! It's not even festival time and yet she's dressed up in an angel costume. How stupid are you?"

"Can you believe the nerve of this hag?" another one of the girls mocked.

Lloyd glared at the woman. Colette looked better than her, especially with the ten ton of make-up she had smashed unto her face. Really, what man would find that attractive?

Genis also wasn't having it. "What did you say!?"

"Genis, let it go," Lloyd said before side-eyeing the women. He smirked. "She's obviously never looked in a mirror."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" the woman shouted in a voice that could curl milk."

"You all behaving like children," Raine scolded.

Before the situation could really disintegrate into a big name-calling contest, the red-haired man named Zelos stepped in. "Now, now, settle down." He turned back to Colette. "Are you upset, my little angel? You know, I bet you're as cute as a button when you smile."

He approached Colette to touch her shoulder. Before Lloyd could give a warning, Colette grabbed the man and flung him twenty feet into the air.

Lloyd's mouth dropped. Colette had always been strong for her size and appearance, but he didn't know she could do that.

"Master Zelos!" the woman screamed in horror.

Before Zelos could hit the ground, he managed to straighten himself like a cat in mid-air and land gracefully on his feet.

Lloyd blinked. That was quite impressive. The man was better trained than he thought.

"Whoa!" Zelos exclaimed in shock. He started to chuckle in good nature. "Wow, that was surprise. You sure are strong, my little angel. You certainly startled me!"

That would have done more than just 'startle' most people. "Who are you?" Lloyd asked. This certainly wasn't a normal guy.

Zelos side-eyed Lloyd and gave him a look of what could only be described as annoyance, mixed with disinterest. "No offense, but I'm not interested in talking to guys."

"I hate this guy already," Genis muttered.

Zelos stroll up to the group and completely bypassing Lloyd and Genis. He walked right to Raine and smiled. "Ohh, what's your name, beautiful?"

Genis wasn't amused with anyone flirting with his sister, especially one that reminded him of Koton. He took out his kendama. Lloyd had to quickly stop him from frying Zelos.

Raine folded her arms and gave Zelos a hard glare. "Give me your name, and I'll give you mine."

"Hey, you copied Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed.

"Now that I've heard someone say it, it sounds kind of arrogant," Lloyd noted. No wondered people wanted to punch or kill him for saying that.

Zelos didn't seem insulted at all. In fact, he appeared amused. "Oh, my, you don't know me? Well, well. I guess I still have a ways to go."

Lloyd tilted his head. So, he was someone important? Perhaps he's just another big ego noble man who happened to know how to defend himself.

The women from earlier surrounded Zelos, practically clinging to his arms. "Master Zelos, let's go!"

He turned towards his women. "Oh, yes, yes, of course." He turned right back to Raine, giving a wide grin. "Well then, I'll see you again, my lovely lady," he looked at Colette, "my cute angel," he glanced in disdained at Lloyd and Genis, "and…uh…you other people."

With that, they were gone, leaving the group in silent for several second.

"What was that all about?" Lloyd asked for everyone.

Genis closed his eyes and snorted. "What an ass. He was grinning like an idiot the entire time. What's wrong with that guy?"

"He had an exsphere on him," Raine stated.

Genis looked at his sister in surprised. "What!? No way!"

Lloyd tapped his chin. It made sense. "So that's how he reacted so fast. Just who is that guy?"

He knew in Sylvarant, Desians controlled most of the exspheres. Here, he didn't know. Sheena got hers from the Renegades and she also said that exspheres weren't common and mostly used in machines. Could exspheres be common for the nobility in this world? So many questions. He supposed there was little point pondering about them. It wasn't like they were likely to see that guy again.

They moved towards yet another set of stairs and climbed to the next level. The plaza in this area was smaller, although it was only small by the standards of this city. It was just a little smaller that Palmacosta's grand plaza.

"How many levels is this city?" Genis huffed.

"This appears to be the last level. Look," Raine said as she pointed ahead.

In front of them stood a giant castle that seemed to reach into the sky. The entrance was blocked by two heavily armored guards who stood in front of a pair of double doors made of metal.

"Whoa..." Genis whispered.

"Now that's a castle," Lloyd muttered. It was like something out of a book.

"It is even bigger than the Palmacosta's library," Raine said in equal awe.

"Forget the library, the castle alone can be its own city," Genis said. "Is everything in Tethe'alla's like this?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself. We look like cavemen to them," Lloyd said.

Raine shook her head. "There is no point for us to stay out here gawking. We need to see to the king."

"R...right," Lloyd stuttered.

They moved towards the castle and approached the two guards who immediately stopped them.

"Who are you people!?" one of the guards demanded as he shifted his huge axe. It was taller than him.

"We want to meet the king," Lloyd stated bluntly as he looked over the guards.

Despite how well-armed they were, they didn't seemed highly trained given their postures. The long axes were obviously for show and not practical battle used. The armor also appeared to be too heavy for good movability making the guards mostly glorified steel walls.

He had to thanked Kratos, as much as it pained him. Not only did he teach him how to use a sword better, but he also trained him how to analyzed his opponents.

Dammit! There he goes thinking of that jerk again.

"His Majesty is ill and is not granting audiences," the second guard stated. "Now that you know, please leave."

Lloyd groaned. The king had to be sick when they needed to see him. "We have to see him!" As it stood, he may be the only one who could help Colette.

"I'm sure you do, but until His Majesty is well, there is nothing that can be done," the first guard said. He sounded more understanding than the second guard. "The Church of Martel is preparing a prayer ritual to pray for His Majesty's recovery, so try asking the priests in the church to ensure that he gets well as soon as possible."

Lloyd groaned even louder. Great. All they could do was prayed to a false goddess who caused Colette's condition in the first place. Surely, someone had a sensed of humor.

"I guess we'll have to go to the church," Lloyd grumbled as they walked away from the castle. Maybe, just maybe, they could talk to someone there that could help them. It wasn't likely, but they were running out of options. Damn, he wished Sheena was here.

The church of the city was literally right next door to the castle so they didn't have to walk far. Surprisingly, the church was one of the few things that weren't bigger than something in Palmacosta. It was still huge, but the Grand Church was bigger and grander.

Lloyd guessed it was because Martel's influence wasn't as powerful here. People in Sylvarant clung to the goddess and the Church because of the constant suffering they endured under the Desians. Here, they didn't need to pray to a goddess for happiness since they already had it. Dad always said that people clung to faith during rough times and often threw it away during times prosperity.

The inside also wasn't that impressive. It was darker than the Grand Church and didn't seem as well maintained. There were also fewer people inside. If he didn't know better, it was like the people of Tethe'alla had lost interest in Martel and just kept things up for show.

"Welcome to the Church of Martel," one of the priests welcomed them. Before Lloyd could return the greeting to the priest, he suddenly looked past him. "Oh, Presea. The prayers are to take place in the royal chambers. Please carry the sacred wood to the castle."

The group turned around to see a young girl pulling a huge log through the entrance. It was so heavy that everyone within the church could hear it being dragged across the floor.

"Yes," Presea answered in a monotone voice.

Lloyd stared at the girl, trying to get a good look at her.

She was about Genis' size, maybe a little taller. She had long pink hair tied into two ponytails that stuck out to the side. She wore a plain dark purple dress that had several stains on it.

The three things that stood out the most to Lloyd was the fact that she carried a giant axe on her back. It looked like a smaller version of the one Magnius had. The second was that she had an exsphere. For something that wasn't supposed to be common in this world, what were the chances of him meeting two people with exspheres in the same day? Given her clothes, she wasn't a noble, so how did she get one? The third thing that stood out were her eyes. They were a piercing green, but they seemed dull, lifeless. It was like...she wasn't really there. She reminded him of Colette.

Presea turned around and dragged the log with her out the door.

"She's cute..." Genis whispered, blushing the entire time.

Lloyd glanced at Genis. This was the first time he had ever shown interested in a girl. He figured it was because he wasn't into humans. Then again, the girl did have an unusual hair color. Pink hair was extremely rare for humans.

"That girl he called Presea has an exsphere too." Lloyd informed the group. "Is it a standard custom over here?"

Raine also rubbed her chin in wonder.

"Yeah, she's really cute," Genis said in response Lloyd's question.

Lloyd side-eyed his friend. "You're not listening at all, are you?" Those were words he never expected to say to Genis.

Raine turned towards the priest. "You mentioned prayers. Are you praying for the recovery of the King?"

The priest nodded. "Yes, the Chosen and the Pope will pray before His Majesty and receive the assistance of Martel."

"Well, wasn't he screwed," Lloyd thought almost bitterly to himself. But, this did give an opportunity. "You said the prayers will take place in the royal chambers, right?"

"Yes, that's correct, but…" the priest started to say.

Lloyd smiled. "Okay, thanks!" He then moved away from the priest with the others to tell them his plan. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, "Guys, I've figured out how we're going to see the king."

"What are we going to do?" Genis asked in interest.

"We'll pretend to carry the sacred wood and sneak in," Lloyd stated.

Raine gave a small nod. "I thought you'd say that, but how are we going to get sacred wood?"

Lloyd glanced towards the church's exit. "Let's have that Presea help us."

Now Genis was really happy with Lloyd's idea. "What!? R…really!? I agree! That's a good plan! Let's do that!"

Raine shook her head at her brother. It was cute that Genis got his first crush, but something told her this would get tiresome very quickly. "Well, alright. Let's try talking to her at least."

"Then let's catch up to her," Lloyd said as he led them out of the church. He didn't think she went far since she was carrying that huge chuck of wood.

He was proven correct. Presea was only a couple feet away from the church. Someone was talking to her.

"Well then, I'll let you get to work. The sacred wood goes to Altamira. You can do it after your current job is done," a somewhat fat man with a goatee and a mohawk said. He wasn't all that tall. Lloyd figured he was a little taller than the guy.

"Understood," Presea answered in an emotionless voice.

"The plan is right on schedule. I must report to Lord Rodyle," the man said as he left.

Lloyd watched him until he disappeared. He didn't know what it was, but there was something grimy about that man.

Presea proceeded to the castle.

"Hey! Hang on a sec! Um…Presea!" Genis yelled before he ran towards the young girl.

Presea stopped and stared blankly at them.

Lloyd shivered. Her eyes really did remind him of Colette.

"Could…we have a moment of your time?" Raine asked politely.

Presea didn't answer. She just continued to stare blankly at them.

Lloyd struggled to find his voice. "I'm Lloyd. This is Colette and Raine and…"

"I...I Genis!" he cut in, blushing like an idiot the entire time.

This was just too good. "Hey, Genis, why are you all flushed?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"Would you let us help you carry the sacred wood?" Genis asked, ignoring Lloyd.

Presea still didn't respond. Instead, she turned around and started to walk away.

"W...wait!" Genis shouted.

"I'm sorry. I know this is a bit strange, but please hear us out," Raine said. Although it was extremely subtle, she was closed to pleading. "The truth is we have a letter we wish to give to the King."

"Our friend's life depends on it," Lloyd continued the plea, taking a quick glance at Colette who remained unaware of anything. "But we have a problem because the King is sick and refuses to see anyone."

Still nothing from Presea.

"It would really help us out if we could carry it for you," Lloyd said, becoming more desperate.

Presea still didn't respond to them. It was like she wasn't even listening.

Lloyd began to sink into despair. "A…are you listening?"

"Understood," Presea finally spoke, causing Lloyd to sigh in relief. She moved away from the sacred wood.

"Presea?" Genis questioned.

"Please carry that," Presea ordered.

Lloyd nodded. "Oh, okay! Leave it to us!"

He went to pick up the wood and quickly found that he couldn't even make it budge. He was never super strong, but he was certainly stronger than the average person, especially thanks to his exsphere. Carrying heavy material was nothing new to him. He had to carry metal ores and material for his dad, after all.

This was something entirely different. This wood had to weigh a couple hundred pounds. How the devil was this tiny girl able to pull this thing? Even with an exsphere, there shouldn't be that huge of a gap in their power.

Genis also tried to help him, despite him always being physically weaker.

"Oh my g…w…wait a minute! Arrgh…this thing is heavy!" Lloyd grunted as he kept trying to lift the wood. Dammit, why was this so freaking heavy?

Presea seemed to have gotten impatient and grabbed the wood. She began to pull it herself again with little difficult.

Lloyd watched in embarrassment. "I've lost all confidence as a man." If his dad were here, he would be laughing at him.

"Me too," Genis mourned. So much for impressing Presea.

Raine shook her head at their antics. She almost wanted to laugh. "Anyway, let's follow her."

They followed Presea up the stairs to the castle where they were confronted by two different guards. Lloyd knew they were different from their postures. This worked out perfectly for them since they wouldn't be recognized from earlier. Finally some good luck.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lloyd said, trying to act official.

"Wait! Is it not just Presea today?" one of the guards asked as he looked over the group.

"Who are you people?" the second guard questioned.

"We are helping her deliver the sacred wood to use in the prayer ceremony," Raine answered, using a voice that demanded authority.

"Today is special," Presea said, covering for them.

Lloyd gave her a grateful glance.

The second guard nodded. "Alright. You may pass."

The door was opened before them and they were finally within the castle.

"Well, we managed to make it inside," Lloyd said once he was sure they were out of anyone's range.

Genis glanced at the huge piece of wood. "What do we do with the sacred wood?"

"Leave it," Presea answered in her usual dead tone.

Lloyd nodded. "Okay, now, let's go look for the royal chambers."

"What will you do, Presea?" Genis asked with a note of concern.

"Yes, sending her back alone would be suspicious. Let's have her come with us," Raine said.

Lloyd turned towards the young girl and lowered himself to her level. "Would you do that for us?"

Presea didn't speak, but she nodded her head. Despite her seemingly emotionlessly state, she really did seem to understand them.

He looked at Colette, who remained by their side, floating aimlessly.

Honestly, he kept forgetting that she was even there. Colette, even when she lost her voice, was never so...quiet. He shook his head. She would be back to normal soon. He had to believe that.

"Okay, Presea, can you led us to the royal chambers?" Lloyd asked the young girl.

Presea nodded and began to take them down a series of hallways and up several flights of stairs.

The castle was just as grand as it looked outside. It was indeed like another city with people walking around and guards at every turn. Everyone was also dressed in their best, making Lloyd very aware of how casually he looked.

After climbing another flight of stairs, they came to two large red double doors in the center of a balcony. A guard stood in place.

"Hey, you. Who gave you permission to come here?" the guard demanded.

"We brought the sacred wood, but then we were asked to aid with preparations for the prayers," Lloyd answered.

"It was an order from the Pope," Raine added.

The guard became flustered. "The Pope? Just a moment. I'll ask."

The guard turned around and opened the door.

The moment he did, Lloyd took out one of his swords and slammed its flat side into the back of the neck area of the armor, knocking the man cleaned out. That was another problem with these types of armors. Huge blind spots. Also, the neck section wasn't as protected as the rest of the armor since a person would like to be able to turn their heads.

Yeah, he owed Kratos. Damn him.

"Sorry about this," Lloyd apologized to the falling guard as he walked in.

There were several people inside. Most looked like church people. Who Lloyd assumed to be the king was a middle-age man with a dark brown beard and wearing a fancy gold and white robe. Next to him was a pretty young blond-haired woman wearing a blue and white dress. She seemed too young to be the king's wife, so his daughter perhaps.

However, Lloyd was surprised to see the red-haired man from earlier in the room, Zelos was it. So, was he of noble birth?

"What's going on!?" a fat man wearing fancy church robes yelled. Given how much shiny stuff the man had and all the gold trimmings, he had to be the Pope.

"Huh, it's you people," Zelos noted in amusement.

"Chosen, do you know them?" the Pope asked.

"Chosen!?" Genis repeated in shock.

Zelos shrugged. "Well, I dunno if I'd say I know them. Just what are you people doing here?"

"So you're Tethe'alla's Chosen of Mana," Raine stated.

"What!?" both Genis and Lloyd shouted in disbelief.

"This guy's the Chosen!?" Lloyd exclaimed, not believing any of this.

He was nothing like what he expected. Colette was so serious and steadfast in her duty as Chosen to the point of being overbearing, even if she was a little featherbrain at times. This guy...this guy seemed like such a flake. But that would explained how he was able to handle himself so well when Colette threw him.

Zelos tilted his head. "What do you mean 'Tethe'alla's'?"

The Pope's eyes widen in recognition. "Are you from...Sylvarant?"

Lloyd stared right at the man. "Yes, we are."

"These are people from the declining world!?" the young blond woman exclaimed.

Zelos turned towards the woman. "Princess, have no fear." He turned his attention to Lloyd. "Um…what's your name?"

"Lloyd," he answered.

"Lloyd, for what purpose have you come here?" Zelos asked.

Lloyd reached into his pocket and took out the envelope Sheena gave him. "We've come to deliver this letter. It's from Sheena of Mizuho to the king."

This got Zelos' attention. "Sheena? What's your relationship with Sheena?"

The king also became interested. "Sheena!?"

The Pope turned towards his king. "Your Majesty! Please forgive us for causing a disturbance in your presence."

The king coughed a little before focusing on Lloyd. "Lloyd…give me the letter."

Lloyd walked over to the king and handed him the envelope.

The king gently took the letter. "People of Sylvarant, wait in the other room for a while."

"Pastor, show them to the Crimson Chamber," the Pope ordered one of his men.

The pastor nodded. "Yes, Your Eminence." He walked over towards the group. "Please, follow me."

They did what they were told and allowed themselves to be led out of the throne room.

Lloyd wasn't sure what to make of any of this, but he prepared himself for any trouble that may follow. They were in another world and strangers and possible enemies surrounded them.

Well, we finally meets everyone's favorite Chosen Zelos and cute little Presea. Too bad is going to have an emotions of a robot for awhile. It was also awkward writing just Lloyd, Genis, and Raine. The party just felt so empty.

Until next chapter, please take care.