A/N:

Kratos is in for a surprise. He will both like and dislike it at the same time. Schrödinger's Surprise, so to speak.

Lloyd Irving was lying in the grass, looking up at the boundless blue sky. He was tall for his age and a bit lanky. His hair was brown, as were his eyes, which were full of warmth.

A couple of clouds drifted across the sky, but the sun was shining, and it was warm. Lloyd pulled out the golden chain he wore around his neck and looked thoughtfully at the pendant.

Who the hell is Silmea?

Lloyd had asked himself that question many times, but to no avail. He couldn't remember ever knowing anyone by that name.

He didn't know much about the family he'd been born into to begin with. He'd asked questions, naturally, but Dirk, the dwarf who had found and raised him, had been unable to tell him much.

Dirk had found Lloyd, his mother and Noishe at the bottom of a cliff in the Forest of Iselia. All of them had been injured, and his mother near death. With her final breath, she had named herself Anna Irving and her son Lloyd, and asked Dirk to take care of him.

After having taken Lloyd and Noishe home and dressed their wounds, Dirk had then gone to retrieve Anna and buried her next to his house. Then, he had searched the forest, since he hadn't believed the two of them to be travelling by themselves, but had been unable to find any trace of their – supposed – travelling companions.

Dirk didn't know anything about Lloyd's father, and the name "Silmea" didn't mean anything to him, either. And the name "Irving" wasn't from Iselia, so they had absolutely nothing to go on.

The only thing Lloyd knew was that his pendant was one half of a pair – for the base of the wing was shaped in a way that suggested it had a counterpart, somewhere.

"Lloyd Irving!"

He jolted upright.

"Coming!"

He sprinted down the hill towards the house. Dirk was standing in front of the house, arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Time for ye to go to school. Show me yer hand."

Lloyd knew resistance would be futile, so he held out his left hand. The Exsphere gleamed blue in the sunlight.

"Jus' as I thought. Wait here."

Dirk disappeared into the house and returned, bringing a bandage, which he wrapped around Lloyd's hand to cover the Exsphere.

"All right, off ye go – and stay away from that ranch!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. C'mon, Noishe!"

Barking loudly, Noishe, Lloyd's dog, dashed after him. He was far from being a normal dog, though. His fur was white and turquoise, making him look like a paint horse, and he was the size of a horse, too. But this didn't change the fact that he was a bloody coward.

In order to get to Iselia, the nearest village, Lloyd had to cross through the Forest of Iselia. Not only was that place crawling with monsters, but there was also a Human Ranch there. In a way, it was a good thing Noishe disliked the place so strongly – it meant that Lloyd didn't have to worry about him running off. It also motivated Noishe to cross the forest as fast as possible, which drastically reduced the amount of time Lloyd needed to travel between his house and the village.

Thankfully, due to the fact that Iselia had a non-aggression treaty with them, the Desians left the village alone. The treaty did technically not affect Lloyd and Dirk, but they seemed content to pester people elsewhere and left them alone, too.

Lloyd woke with a start when something hit him in the face. It turned out to be the sponge. His teacher, Raine Sage, was looming in front of him.

"Professor! Is class already over?"

Raine sighed. "Could you at least try to pretend to be interested and not fall asleep for once?"

"I'm sorry, professor, but it's so tiring..."

Raine heaved a sigh. "Genis, you answer the question."

Just like his sister, Genis Sage had white hair and blue eyes. But what was truly special about the siblings was the fact that they were elves.

Genis got up to answer his sister's question, and Lloyd forced himself to pay attention.

"After the Kharlan War ended, Mithos, the Hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians, who had caused the war, and so the world had peace."

"Excellent, Genis."

"But the Desians returned, and now everyone is suffering!", Lloyd protested.

"We covered that in class last time, remember?", Raine replied. "Because the seal weakens, the Desians return. It is said that they consume vast amounts of mana in their Human Ranches, which leads to a shortage of mana and directly to droughts and poor crops. That is why the chosen has to go on a journey to regenerate the world. Now, Chosen One – Colette! Tell us about the journey of World Regeneration."

"Yes, professor." Colette stood. "The chosen's journey has the purpose to re-supply the world with mana. By releasing the seals, the Summon Spirits guarding this world awaken, and mana is restored. It is also a journey to seal away the Desians. The chosen has to undergo several trials and become an angel, until she can finally awaken the Goddess Martel."

"Correct. But we could expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that one! Summing up – World Regeneration has two objectives: sealing away the Desians and restoring mana. Now - "

The next moment, a blinding flash of light filled the classroom. It came from the chapel to the north-west of the village.

All the children immediately crowded around the windows to take a closer look. A pillar of light was shooting into the air form the chapel's roof.

"Settle down, everyone!", Raine called. "Looks like it's time for the oracle. I'll go and check on the temple. You stay here and study on your own."

Colette tried to argue that she should go, too, but Raine didn't want to hear anything about it, saying the priests would come to fetch her.

As soon as the teacher was out of sight, Lloyd headed for the door.

"Where are you going?", Genis called. "We're supposed to stay here!"

"But I want to know what's going on. Colette, aren't you curious, too? It's about you, after all."

Colette came over to join them. "I don't know. Are you curious?"

"Of course!"

"Then I'm curious as well."

"You two are crazy!", Genis exclaimed.

"It's a field trip", Lloyd replied.

"No, it's not!"

"Dwarven Vow # 5: Don't rely on others, walk on your own two legs!"

"Oh, spare me! You always use those stupid dwarven vows when you can't think of a good excuse! Fine, I'll come, too, or I'll just worry about you two. But we'd better make sure Raine doesn't find out."

Once outside, they noticed that the village was unusually quiet. Colette's father, Frank, came over to meet them.

"You're safe! Thank goodness. The Desians just passed through the village, they were headed for the temple..."

"Oh no!", Colette exclaimed. "Grandmother and the other priests are there!"

"I don't like the sound of this", Lloyd muttered. "Let's hurry!"

The temple was not far away from the village. Situated on a small plateau, it was built into the rocky wall of the mountain. The entrance could be reached by climbing up a series of rather steep steps.

The pillar of light was still radiating, but the three friends didn't have much time to admire the view. They could hear the sounds of fighting.

One of the priests came staggering down the steps and collapsed midway. Lloyd and the others rushed up the stairs to help him.

"He's injured", Genis whispered.

"What happened?", Lloyd asked.

"The Desians – attacked the temple", the priest managed in a whisper. "Chosen One... the oracle..."

"I know."

"Hey, hang in there!", Genis called as the man's eyes lost focus.

"It's too late", Lloyd said. "Damn those Desians!"

"I'm going in", Colette said while starting up the steps.

"Are you sure? There are Desians up there!", Genis pointed out.

"I'm the Chosen. I have to receive the oracle on the Day of Prophecy."

"But you can't go all by yourself!"

"Genis is right. We'll come with you."

"Are you certain?", Colette asked, sounding doubtful. "It'll be dangerous."

"Dwarven Vow # 1: Work together for the sake of a peaceful world!"

While Genis rolled his eyes, Colette smiled.

As they reached the plateau, they saw to their horror that all the priests were dead – except Colette's grandmother, the High Priestess Phaidra. A bulky man with brown hair was towering over her.

"Where is the Chosen? Tell me, and I'll spare you."

Phaidra noticed the three friends.

"Run, Colette!", she called, while backing away from the Desians.

"Lord Botta! There she is!", one of the Desians called.

Botta turned to face them.

"Chosen One, your life is mine!"

"Like I'll let you Desians get away with this!", Lloyd shouted, drawing his swords.

"They actually think we're Desians", one of Botta's men said, sounding amused.

"Then die at the hands of the Desians you so hate!", the other called, drawing his sabre.

Colette lost her balance and fell. Lloyd cursed and rushed forwards to take them on while Genis prepared a spell. He could already use the basic spells of six elements, the only elements he'd been unable to master where light and darkness.

As the weapons clashed, Genis activated his first spell, Lightning, which struck the Desian farther away from Lloyd. Colette had recovered in the meantime and now used her chakrams to attack from the rear as well.

Thanks to his Exsphere, Lloyd was able to fend off the two Desians' attacks and, together with his friends, he managed to bring them down. Noticing the children were not about to go down easily, they retreated.

But it wasn't over yet. While that Botta guy apparently had no intention of getting his hands dirty, another man emerged from the temple. And that one was huge. He was carrying a big hammer and a flail, which he swung over his head easily with just one hand.

"Do not get in our way!", he boomed.

The next moment, he attacked. Lloyd had to dodge quickly, for he thought it would be a bad idea to try and stop those blows with his thin blades.

Genis and Colette still continued their attacks, but now the big guy was advancing on them. As Lloyd tried to distract him, he failed to see a swing with the hammer coming and got thrown into the air. His chest hurt terribly and he collided with Genis so that both of them tumbled to the ground.

"Lloyd!", Colette called.

"You've nowhere to run, brats!", the Desian boomed.

"Dammit, he's strong!", Lloyd gasped.

Genis tried to help him get up, but they knew they were doomed.

Just as the man raised his flail to strike again, something came flying over their heads. A tall man with reddish-brown hair carrying a sword attacked the Desian in a flash. The Desian had no time to react. He hit the ground with a loud "thump".

"Dammit, I'd never thought you'd show up so quickly!", Botta said.

He and his two surviving men turned and jumped down the cliff in a manner that suggested this didn't seem like a strange escape route to them.

The stranger humphed and swiftly cleaned his sword before sheathing it. Lloyd looked up at his back. Something about this situation felt awfully familiar – like a déjà-vu.

"He's amazing!", Colette said.

"Yeah, he's really strong!", Genis agreed.

"Yeah, I – I guess so", Lloyd muttered gloomily.

He was annoyed that he hadn't been able to protect his friends on his own.

The man turned to face them.

"Is everyone all right?"

Lloyd tried to get up, but Genis stopped him.

"Lloyd got hit!", Colette told the man.

The brown eyes widened slightly. "Your name – is Lloyd?"

"Yes, but – who are you to ask for my name?", Lloyd wheezed, trying to sound tough.

"I'm Kratos Aurion, a travelling mercenary. Are you hurt?"

"I got hit by his hammer, but I'm not sure if anything is broken..."

"I'll take a look."

Kratos crouched down in front of him and lightly touched the tips of his fingers to Lloyd's chest. Light flowed from his hand and Lloyd felt a strange sensation – it was warm and cool at the same time. The pain faded away.

As Kratos rose to his feet again, Lloyd noticed the Exsphere on his left hand.

"So he's using one too", Genis observed.

Phaidra came over to join them.

"Thank you ever so much for saving the Chosen!", she said to Kratos.

"I see. So, this girl is to be the next Chosen..."

"Grandmother, I'm going to receive the oracle now", Colette announced.

"All by yourself? Monsters have appeared inside the temple as part of Martel's Trial. And the priests are all dead..."

"Then I'll take on the job of protecting Colette!", Lloyd said, jumping to his feet.

Phaidra gave him a measuring look. "I would be uneasy if it was just you, Lloyd..."

"I am currently unemployed", Kratos interjected. "If you are willing to pay me, I'll guard the Chosen."

"Under the circumstances, I have little choice", Phaidra said. "Please be of service."

"It's a deal, then."

"Hey! I said I'll protect her!", Lloyd shouted.

Kratos turned to give him a penetrating stare. "Children need to stay home."

Lloyd felt his temper rising. "What did you say?!"

"Did I not make myself clear? You'll be a burden. Go home!"

Lost for words, Lloyd stared at the mercenary.

I can't believe it... what a jerk! Who does he think he is?!

"Er – Mr. Kratos? Would you mind if Lloyd came with us?", Colette asked.

"What?"

"I get nervous when Lloyd isn't around, you see..."

"Do as you wish", Kratos replied, sounding supremely unhappy about her request.

"C'mon, Genis! Let's go!", Lloyd called, excited.

"What – I can come, too?"

"Sure! You're my friend, after all!"

"This isn't a field trip, you know", Kratos observed while heading towards the entrance.

Lloyd caught up with Colette.

"Thanks!"

"It's the truth."

The longer they walked, the more annoyed Lloyd got. Phaidra had been right about the monsters, and what was even worse was that Kratos managed to kill a lot more enemies than Lloyd without even seeming out of breath. Genis and Colette had a hard time keeping up with the pace he set, too.

Finally, they reached a warper that transported them into a circular room.

"This appears to be the top floor", Kratos stated.

"Yes. That's the altar", Colette said, indicating at a circular platform with a height of about half a meter and a diameter of maybe four meters.

"Then that shining thing there must be the Cruxis Crystal", Genis concluded.

"Yes. They say I was born with that in my hand."

Rays of light suddenly filled the room and a pulsating bubble of light appeared. It descended towards them and then, in a blinding flash of light, a winged man appeared.

"Wh-what's that?", Lloyd wondered aloud.

"An angel, I would assume", Kratos replied.

"So – is this Colette's real father?", Genis asked.

"I am Remiel, an Angel of Judgement. Chosen One Colette, I ask you: are you prepared to fulfil your task?", the man asked.

Colette stepped forward.

"Yes, Lord Remiel."

"Then receive this Cruxis Crystal as the symbol of your duty. I hereby pronounce you the Chosen of Regeneration!"

The red gem embedded in the altar rose into the air and floated towards Colette. With another flash of light, it connected with her body, taking the shape of a necklace.

"I humbly accept my task. I swear on my life that I will regenerate the world."

"Very good. We of Cruxis bless this event and hereby grant Sylvarant the Tower of Salvation!"

Looking out of the window, they could see a tower appear that was so tall that it disappeared into the clouds.

"So that's the Tower of Salvation!", Genis exclaimed. "Now the world will be saved!"

"First, head south to the Seal of Fire", Remiel instructed. "Offer your prayers in that distant land."

"I will do as you wish, Lord Remiel."

Remiel started to fly towards the ceiling.

"Wait, please!", Colette called.

The angel paused.

"I have a question I wish to ask of you. Are you really my fa - "

"First, head south to the Seal of Fire – my beloved daughter Colette."

"Fa-father! So, you really are my real father!"

"We shall meet again at the next seal."

The angel disappeared in another flash of light.

"Well, that's it", Kratos observed, using the teleporter to leave the room again.

Colette followed him.

"So, the rumours were true", Genis said.

"What rumours?"

"That Colette isn't Frank's daughter, but the child of an angel. Must've been hard for him, raising a daughter that wasn't his own..."

"I believe you're family, no matter what blood you have or if you're related or not", Lloyd replied.

"Sorry..."

"Hey, no problem. But we should be heading back, too."

They encountered surprisingly few monsters on the way out, but in the entrance hall they met something far worse: Raine.

"Fascinating!", she muttered, examining a pillar.

"Raine? What are you doing here?", Genis asked.

His sister whirled around.

"I should be asking you that question. Didn't I tell you to stay in the classroom?!"

The next moment, she seized Genis and started to whack him. And once she was done, she kicked Lloyd into a corner.

"Ouch! Professor!"

"I hope you learned your lesson. Now go back to the village."

"What about you?", Genis asked.

"Phaidra gave me permission to investigate the temple."

As Lloyd and Genis reached the door, they heard crazed laughter coming from within.

"What was that?", Lloyd asked.

"Believe me, you don't want to know", Genis muttered, pulling Lloyd outside.

A/N:

Congratulations, Kratos! So far, you managed to recognise 50% of your children when encountered. Though, TBF, one of them is trying very hard not to be recognised.

When Kratos first appeared in the game, I introduced him as the best character with the best voice and added that I wanted to hug him. You should have seen the look I got from Caradilis – I hate hugs. She then figured that he must really have it bad. I mean, yes.

Moments later – we hadn't even gotten the backstory on Lloyd's family yet – she goes, "that's Lloyd's dad!" I was completely flabbergasted. I then tried to deflect, pointing out that Kratos was 28 (too young to have a 17-year-old kid), to which she replied by asking how long he's been 28. No matter what I tried, she remained convinced that Kratos was Lloyd's father. She even had me compare their portraits in the menu and concluded that they looked alike. I was pretty stunned.

The game actually drops several different kinds of hints as to who Kratos is to Lloyd. Apart from story-line related stuff, there's the skits – whenever Lloyd talks about his family, the person he talks to is Kratos. And then there's the AI in battle – Kratos is programmed to always heal Lloyd first, no matter what. Colette, the person he's been ordered/hired to protect, is on the verge of dying? Never mind that, Lloyd's got a scratch on his cheek, we can't have that.

I tried my best to give Dirk a convincing Scottish accent. I love that accent, by the way. And Scottish spelling.