A/N:

The beginning of Lloyd's arc is incredibly fast-paced – the attack on the temple, meeting Marble, the attack on Iselia, Lloyd's journey, getting captured by the Renegades, the fire temple, the damn landslide in the mountains. By comparison, the next segment of his journey is pretty unspectacular. Let's see how our dear protagonist deals with that, shall we?

"This is booooring", Lloyd whined as they trudged along the road, kicking up dust.

"We could revise some formulas while we walk", Genis offered.

"No, no studying! Do you want me to fall asleep while walking?"

Kratos huffed, and Lloyd shot him a glare, daring him to say anything clever.

The mercenary remained silent, though Lloyd swore he saw a smirk on his face.

"We could sing something", Colette suggested.

"Sing what, exactly?", Genis asked with a frown.

"Oh, there are all kinds of songs", she replied. "Songs for worship, songs for working, songs for walking..."

"Really? I mean, I've heard the villagers sing from time to time, but didn't realise there was such a large variety of songs."

"Did no one ever teach you these songs?", Colette asked, confused.

"No", Raine replied. "Genis and I don't really know any."

"I suppose it makes sense – you don't have any relatives in the village. I was taught most of the songs I know by my parents and grandmother."

"Dad sometimes sings while he's working", Lloyd interjected. "I'm not sure these kinds of songs would be good for walking, though."

"Nope, working songs usually aren't good for walking", Colette replied with a giggle.

"Why don't you teach us some songs, then? Unless Kratos has something he wants to contribute."

"I don't sing", the older man replied flatly.

"Oh, come on, I bet it'll be fun!"

Kratos gave Lloyd a look that spoke volumes.

"Fine, I won't insist if you don't want to. We can have fun without you."

He gave Colette a nod, and she began to sing.

Onwards you dear people

the walking stick at hand

still further we must go today

still further through the land.

The road's not always even

a slope follows a rise

The same holds true for human life

So heed what I advise.

And let no one be weary

Whate'er the path may be

When sun burns hot, the forest leaf

Will chase the heat from thee.

Colette was an amazing singer, at least as far as Lloyd was concerned. He figured that she'd probably gotten a lot of practice singing hymns at the temple – Lloyd himself didn't really care much for either the church or religion, and had never really bothered to learn any songs related to all that.

Colette first taught them the lyrics and, once they had them down for the most part, they all sang together.

Genis turned out to be a terrible singer. He couldn't carry a tune to save his life, and his lack of talent seemed to frustrate him greatly.

I guess he's not used to failing – he's the smartest kid in the village, everything always came easy to him.

Lloyd, on the other hand, was used to failing, despite the hard work he put into things (sometimes). It came as a complete surprise, therefore, that he was quite good at singing, and that it was actually a lot of fun. He did, on occasion, forget the lyrics, but would just fill in some "la-la-las" until he remembered them again.

Raine was better at singing than Genis, and Kratos just grumbled along at a low pitch, not really bothering with precision. He did know the lyrics, though.

Lloyd and Colette had lots of fun, and they passed quite some time in an enjoyable fashion.

"So, where are we going now?", Lloyd asked after a while.

"The Thoda Geyser is close by. Its water is supposed to be beneficial for people's health. We'll look for hints about the next seal there", Raine replied.

"Is it possible to bathe in the geyser?", Genis asked.

"It used to be", his sister replied. "But who knows how the situation is today."

The group passed through a gap in the mountain range that rose in the east of the continent and then headed south again, keeping away from the Palmacosta Human Ranch. The geyser was on a small island off the coast, so they'd have to take a boat to get there.

Reaching the docks, Lloyd stopped, surprised.

"Er – are these washtubs?", he asked.

"Yup, that's a washtub", Genis confirmed.

Kratos looked thoughtful, while Colette was delighted by the prospect of crossing the sea in a washtub.

"Er – you go on without me, I'll wait here", Raine said.

Genis turned to face his sister.

"What's the matter, Raine? Come on, it'll be fun!"

But when he seized her hand, intending to pull her towards the docks, his sister snatched her hand away.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Professor? Are you scared of water?", Lloyd asked.

Raine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I was going to say, 'Ah, this'll be fun!' Let's go."

She marched past them and climbed into the nearest washtub.

"Sure", Lloyd muttered.

After about fifteen minutes, they reached the island. Lloyd and Genis were disappointed to hear it was no longer possible to bathe in the geyser. But then, Lloyd noticed something.

"Hey, isn't that a whatchamacallit stone?"

"An Oracle Stone", Kratos corrected him.

"So this is the Seal of Water!", Raine exclaimed.

As soon as Colette's hand touched the stone, a bridge of blue light appeared, linking the platform they were standing on with the entrance of a cave on the other side of the geyser, which would otherwise be impossible to reach.

"Let's get going."

Raine started to cross and the others followed.

None of them had noticed her, Sheena was, after all, very skilled at what she was doing. Years of training had turned her into a determined and fearless warrior, and the fact that she was only 19 years old didn't mean she was too young to kill.

Sheena had a mission to fulfil, it was simple and straightforward. She had to save the world. For that, she had to kill a girl who hadn't done her any harm – one she didn't even know...

Get a grip, Sheena! You're a shinobi, such things don't bother you.

Sheena stayed hidden until the Chosen's group had entered the cave, then, she started to follow. However, there was an unexpected problem: a huge white and turquoise dog was blocking her path, growling at her.

Cursing, Sheena drew out her spell cards, but the same moment, the bridge disappeared.

Damn! Now I'll have to wait until they come out again... But if I attack them here, I'll be in trouble, there are too many people around. Why in blazes does this place have to be a tourist attraction?

Sheena turned away and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I'll find you, Chosen! And then, I'll kill you.

The water temple was much more to Lloyd's liking than the fire temple had been. Instead of lava, waterfalls and lakes dominated the terrain, and it wasn't nearly as hot. But this also meant the floor was slippery and they had to be careful where to step. Clumsy Colette tripped every now and then.

"Professor?", Colette asked after a while. "I think I can now use magic in battle."

Raine nodded. "Angelic magic. That's good, it means our little group grows stronger. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to be part of the vanguard. You stay back, with Genis and me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Finally, they reached the seal. Just as before, a guardian appeared to challenge them. It was about two meters tall and resembled a mermaid – but only a little.

Genis cast Lightning while Lloyd and Kratos sprinted towards their opponent. Raine used her spells Photon and Dark Sphere, and Colette started to chant.

"Holy being, I beg of thou to reveal thy glory! Angel Feathers!"

Three chakrams made of light whirled towards the guardian. It tried to dodge and Lloyd and Kratos used this to land several heavy blows. With an angry shriek, the monster turned to face Lloyd. A pillar of water suddenly engulfed him and Lloyd was in danger of suffocating. Then, suddenly, it was over. Panting and gasping, Lloyd lay still until he had recovered a little. Warm air engulfed him and dried his clothes. Lloyd gave Genis a thankful grin, then, he turned his attention back to the fight. Genis, Colette and Kratos had managed to weaken the guardian, the battle should be over soon.

Finally, the monster burst into blue sparks. This time, the silhouette of a woman appeared above the seal, and moments later, Remiel descended towards them.

"Well done, Chosen One. The second seal has been unleashed. We grant you our blessings."

"Thank you, father."

Remiel didn't reply.

"Father? Did I do something to anger you?"

"That doesn't matter. It only matters that you become a true angel as soon as possible. Don't disappoint me."

"I understand."

"The next seal lies to the north, at a place that faces the end. Offer your prayers there."

Blue mana filled the room as the angel disappeared again.

In order to reach the northern continent, where their next destination was, they would have to cross the Hakonesia Peak, a checkpoint that was maintained by the Palmacostan army. They used the time on the road to try and solve Remiel's next riddle. Without warning, Raine started to lecture them about the many sights of that area, from Asgard, the City of Ruins, where the Balacruf Dynasty had reigned even before the kings of Palmacosta, to the ancient Balacruf Mausoleum.

"Raine, where exactly is that mausoleum?", Genis interrupted her.

"It's on an island to the north of Asgard", she replied. "I haven't been there myself, but - "

"Maybe Remiel was talking about the mausoleum!", Genis suggested.

"An excellent conclusion! Let's go there at once and start excavating the place! This will be so fascinating!"

Clearly more energetic, Raine took the lead.

"She must really love ruins", Kratos observed. "Or perhaps... something happened to her when she was young."

"Well, if you say so...", Lloyd muttered.

"I've been meaning to ask for a while now. Why did you decide to fight with two swords?"

"Well, at school we learned that if you have one apple and you add another, you get twice the amount. So, I figured that if I used two swords, I'd be twice as strong..."

"And that was the reason?"

"Yes, what is it? Why are you giving me that pitying look?"

"Lloyd, using two swords doesn't make you twice as strong, it merely divides your strength. But there might be other advantages to your style you haven't yet discovered. However – you still need to learn a lot about the basics. Did you teach yourself?"

"Yeah. I had no one to train with." Lloyd looked away. "That's one of the reasons I'm so glad you decided to train me. I'm an only child, and I always wanted an older sibling I could practice with."

"Is that so..."

"But – you're a bit too old to be my brother!", Lloyd added, grinning.

Kratos didn't bother with a reply.

They visited Asgard, the City of Ruins, to resupply and rest for the night. Raine spent all evening running around town, investigating every ruin she could find in the limited amount of time available. She would have loved to stay longer once she realised just how extensive they were. However, Kratos insisted that they leave for the mausoleum the next morning. He was worried that the Desians might find them if they stayed in one place for too long.

The mausoleum was a huge, ancient-looking building made entirely out of stone. The entrance was blocked by yet another Oracle Stone. Once inside, they had to climb seemingly endless flights of stairs, disable traps and fight off lots of monsters until they finally reached the roof. This time, the guardian was a winged creature whose fighting style was based on speed. Genis, Raine and Colette had no trouble hitting their enemy, but for Lloyd, this fight quickly became an ordeal, even Kratos was pushed to his limits. Eventually, he gave up on using his sword and attacked the guardian with magic.

Thanks to their combined efforts, they managed to defeat the guardian. After Colette had said her prayers, Remiel appeared and granted her new powers.

"The next seal lies far to the west, in a place that reaches towards the heavens. Your journey is almost over... Hurry and become a true angel – like I am."

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

Just as they were heading back to the entrance, they noticed something alarming. Desians had appeared in the outer courtyard.

"Hey, cowards! Where are you, vermin? Come on out!"

The Desians had lit bonfires and blocked the only way out of the valley in which the mausoleum lay. Lloyd and his friends were trapped.

The leader of the Desians was a tall man with bushy red hair bound in a ponytail, carrying a large pole-axe.

"This is Magnius, one of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals and the leader of the Palmacosta Human Ranch", Kratos told them. "Let's head back to the roof, maybe we'll be able to spot a way out. Besides, they would have to get all the way up here first."

Kratos turned and climbed the stairs, Colette followed. Lloyd and the others, however, remained by the window.

"Professor, before you came to Iselia, you travelled the world and saw lots of things. Are all half-elves like this?"

The siblings exchanged a quick glance.

"The Desians are all half-elves, right?"

"Half-elves were always discriminated against by humans and elves alike", Raine explained. "No side ever wanted them, so - "

"So they just do as they please and cause the decline of the world? Dammit!"

Angrily, he hit the wall. Raine and Genis both looked slightly worried.

Suddenly, Lloyd could hear someone singing. The sound was coming from above, and when he looked outside, he saw feathers of light falling from the sky, like snowflakes.

"What is she doing now? I won't just sit here and watch!", Lloyd exclaimed.

Around Magnius, his men collapsed, shaking and twisting.

Dammit... my strength is fading... is this the power of the angels?

Mustering his remaining strength, he lifted his axe into the air.

"Charge! Kill them all!"

Every Desian who had still some energy left followed, and they smashed their way into the inner yard, where they spread out to look for the Chosen and her companions.

Colette was standing next to the balustrade, wings spread, her hands folded, singing. Lloyd could see that it was exhausting her. Kratos, who was standing behind her, turned his head when they came up.

"Colette, that's enough. Stop it!"

Kratos turned to face Lloyd. "This is our only hope of survival."

"But – Colette - "

Kratos seized Lloyd's shoulder so tightly it hurt. "You agreed to this as well."

"But – that was - "

Kratos' grip tightened even more. Lloyd grimaced.

"The Chosen is enduring her pain. You are crying out because you are unable to stand your own pain."

Lloyd couldn't think of a good response. Seeing he had given up, Kratos released him. A little while later, Colette stopped singing and turned to face them. Her eyes were blank, as if she were in trance, but she was staring at something behind Lloyd. Lloyd whirled round. A girl with black hair was standing in front of the stairs. She was wearing strange clothes. On her shoulder sat a small animal that had three blue tails.

Magnius smashed another door and emerged onto a small balcony.

"They're not here, either! Dammit, where are those rats?!"

"They are gone, and I won't allow you to pursue them any further."

Magnius spun round. He couldn't see much of the speaker, only her sword gleamed in the moonlight.

"Who are you?"

"They call me the Angel of Death."

"Show yourself! Who are you really? You're not with Cruxis!"

"Of course not. Cruxis is just a bunch of cowardly fools I would never join."

Slowly, she stepped out of the shadows. Even though she was still young, her face was twisted with hatred.

"I am Alice Silmea Lænnea Aurion."

"Lord Kratos' daughter? Impossible!"

"You think so?" She moved closer, keeping the same measured pace. "You threatened my father and brother. I don't like people like you, and people I dislike tend to die young."

Magnius raised his axe in response to her words.

"You must be very confident that you will win this fight."

Alice gave him an unholy smile. "You know too much, Lord Magnius. I can't afford to let you live, cursed Desian!"

The next moment, she charged. Her blade collided with his axe. Magnius aimed a kick at her legs, but she simply vaulted over his head. Magnius just managed to turn in time to block her next strike.

Something on her chest started to glow blue and her attacks suddenly became more powerful.

Dammit... I've never fought an angel before, and she's strong...

He swung his axe horizontally. Alice jumped into the air again and attacked, using the fall to her advantage. Magnius raised a shield and used a spell to smash her into a wall. Even though the impact had been pretty hard, she didn't seem to be bothered by that at all.

"Nice spell, but apparently, not good enough", she stated conversationally. "I only recently acquired this one and I've been itching to try it in a real fight." She raised her hand. "Flame Lance!"

Magnius had no time to dodge, so he sent more power into his shield. However, the lance shattered it and the following explosion hit him. Alice used this opening to strike. Magnius reacted, but too slowly. He felt a searing pain as she stabbed him. Alice pulled her sword out and he fell backwards.

"You'll be seeing them again – the people you've murdered. They could escape you in death – but you will not."

The world blurred out of focus. Magnius tried to get up again but couldn't... Darkness engulfed him and drowned out everything.

"Lord Yggdrassil... glory... to the coming age – of half-elves..."

Lloyd and the others followed their silent guide through a subterranean waterway underneath the mausoleum. The water reached up to their knees, meaning they didn't get slowed down too much. Kratos was supporting Colette, who was still exhausted. Raine brought up the rear, while Genis and Lloyd walked directly behind the stranger.

They could hear shouts from above, but Lloyd couldn't understand a word.

"What's going on?", he asked, worried.

"Magnius is dead", Colette said quietly. "They claim the Angel of Death killed him."

"Well, that's one thing less for us to worry about", Lloyd replied.

"Do you know her?", the stranger asked.

"Uh, no. We've never seen her before."

"I see."

She picked up her pace then, causing the impression that she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Lloyd couldn't say that he blamed her.

Reaching a larger circular room, they stopped to take a break. There was a large platform in the middle and arcades along the wall. Lloyd and his friends sat down under the arcade, while the girl sat down on the platform, facing the opposite wall.

After resting for a while, Lloyd got up and approached her. Genis attempted to stop him, but Lloyd ignored that.

As he moved closer, the animal turned to look at him. Lloyd stopped a few steps away.

"Thank you for your help. You probably saved our lives."

She didn't reply. The little animal climbed onto her shoulder.

"What's your name?"

"Sheena. Fujibayashi Sheena. And this is Corinne."

"Ah, I'm - "

"I'm not interested in your name", she cut across him while standing up. "There is only one name that matters to me: Colette Brunel."

"That's the name of the target she needs to get rid of", Corinne explained.

Lloyd stared at the creature. "What?!"

Sheena whirled round and drew a card, which she pressed against Lloyd's chest. The following explosion sent him flying into one of the pillars. Genis was next to him in an instant, while Raine put a protective arm around Colette. Kratos had gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Wh-why?", Lloyd asked.

Sheena drew another card. "I'm not interested in a fight, but if you get in my way, I'll kill you, too."

Kratos rushed forward before Sheena had time to follow through on her threat. Reaching her, he drew his sword so he could hit her with the hilt in the stomach, winding her. Before she had time to react, he spun and kicked her in the gut. As Sheena was thrown backwards, Kratos pushed the sword back into the scabbard.

Sheena managed to land on her feet and placed a card in the air in front of her, then, she raised both hands in front of her face, index and middle fingers pointing upwards. After that, she moved her right arm to her right, creating a ring of cards around herself.

Next, she made several quick movements with her fingers, and Lloyd felt dizzy by simply watching her. The cards started to glow ominously. Kratos, however, didn't wait for her to finish her spell.

He raised his right hand, which was suddenly surrounded by lightning. Then he moved it abruptly towards Sheena.

"Lightning!"

As the spell hit her, the cards vanished. Sheena cursed as Kratos came flying towards her. Instantly, they started to attack each other with kicks and punches, though Sheena was clearly fighting defensively. Kratos managed to land another a kick in her stomach, which made her fly backwards again. But this time, she didn't manage to land on her feet and hit the floor back-first. The next moment, Kratos had her at sword-point.

"Sheena!"

Corinne's cry echoed through the room as Kratos' blade stopped inches from her throat.

"Wait!"

Kratos froze as he heard Lloyd.

"She saved us! We owe her!"

Seconds seemed to last forever.

"If we let her go, she will only come after the Chosen again."

"A debt's a debt."

To Lloyd's surprise, Kratos pulled his sword back and turned away.

"You're too soft-hearted", he said as he passed Lloyd. "Can you protect anyone like that?"

"I can!"

Kratos snorted.

Sheena slowly got to her feet, giving Lloyd a penetrating stare.

"We'll meet again", she said quietly. "I have no choice but to kill her."

"But why? Colette is trying to save the world!", Genis said.

"This world maybe!"

Sheena whirled around and disappeared.

Alice wasted no time. As soon as she knew that Lloyd and the others were no longer on the roof, she made her way to the seal. She had toyed with the idea of forming a pact with Sylph for a while now – being the Summon Spirit of Wind, Sylph could easily go wherever they wanted. And Alice wanted to try whether she'd be able to travel between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla – that way, she would no longer have to rely on Yuan's bases. She had managed to transport herself, Aodhan and their horses to Sylvarant by opening a portal, but that had sapped much of her strength. It would be much more efficient if she could let someone else bear that burden.

Alice spread her wings and took off. She alighted on the roof of the mausoleum and stepped in front of the altar. For the last time she repeated the words she had to say in her mind, then, she straightened her back.

"I am Alice Silmea Lænnea Aurion! I seek a pact with Sylph!"

In a swirl of green light, the Summon Spirit appeared, taking the form of three young girls. Sephie, the leader, had blue hair and three pairs of feathery wings, two of them were beating to keep her aloft. A big sword stuck in the ground in front of her. Yutis' hair was purple, her wings reminded Alice of a butterfly, and she was carrying a bow. Fairess was blonde, had wings resembling those of an insect, and was leaning on an enormous shield.

"You who possesses the Right of the Pact. We are already bound to Mithos."

I'm pretty sure their pact with Mithos was broken, given the things he's done.

"I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact – with me!"

"We shall test your skill to see if you are worthy of our power. Get ready!"

Alice's Cruxis Crystal glowed blue and a wave of light shot through her wings as the crystal's strength flowed through her body. Alice raised her arms. Fairess shot a strong gust of wind at her, while Yutis and Sephie attacked. Alice darted out of the way, then, she prepared her own spell. The strongest light spell of all and the most powerful spell she had mastered so far.

"O light that rains down on heaven and earth, bring my enemies to their destined annihilation!" Alice could feel her body absorbing the light mana around her, then, the attack was ready. She spread her arms in an abrupt movement. "Judgement!"

Brilliant rays of light rained down from the heavens and struck upon the battlefield, again and again. Fairess, the weakest of the three, had the misfortune to get hit twice. She fell to the ground, unable to continue fighting.

Sephie and Yutis, however, had managed to protect themselves or dodge the rays.

"Impressive!", Sephie called before she started a new attack.

Alice dodged and formed a lance out of light, which she threw at Sephie. Even though she managed to hit her, Sephie didn't seem too bothered by it.

Guess a couple of earth spells might do the trick.

Alice locked her gaze on Yutis and concentrated.

"Stalagmite!"

It was a perfect hit. Yutis was knocked out of the air and sat on the ground, panting.

Alice turned to face Sephie. She had seen through Alice's strategy and flew high into the air so Alice would be unable to hit her with any other subterranean attack.

"You want to fight airborne? That's just fine with me."

Alice drew her dagger and ascended towards her adversary. Sephie dodged her attack and managed to hit Alice. The wound wasn't deep, since her angelic body was very robust, but it made Alice angry. She whirled around in mid-air and shot a fire lance at Sephie. Sephie dodged again, but that was just what Alice had expected. Her next spell was aimed at her enemy's vulnerable wings. Gasping, Sephie fell.

Alice alighted as the sisters slowly got up.

"Well done, daughter of Kratos! You have our support", Sephie said.

"Indeed! Now, make your vow!", Fairess added. "Once you do, we'll do all we can to help you."

"For the sake of a world where everyone can live freely and in peace I ask thou to grant me thy power."

The three girls nodded. "Agreed."

Green mana flowed through the air towards Alice and into her body, while a ring with an emerald appeared in her hands.

"By the way, there's no need to be so formal."

Sephie grinned at her, then, the Summon Spirits disappeared.

Alice huffed, glancing down upon the ring. She'd better hide this one, too. And then she should hurry to find Aodhan – they had a lot of things to do.

A/N:

Things you should never, ever do: Threaten Lloyd when Kratos is in the room. A certain someone should be taking notes.
I condensed Sheena's early storyline to almost match the one in the anime. The events at the mausoleum are heavily inspired by the anime, too, as this gave me a good opportunity to get rid of Magnius.
The chant Alice uses when casting Judgement is Tear's Fortune's Arc from Abyss.

Game Trivia: Lloyd and Kratos share an opening battle quote ("Don't let up!"). It's my head canon that Lloyd copied Kratos because it sounded cool. Like any good kid would.

A note on songs:

In Austria (and Germany), we have songs for almost everything – songs for hiking, songs for mountains, nature, the seasons, songs for mourning, for weddings, the sea, and lots of songs for different professions, such as farmers, firefighters, shepherds and miners. Austrian folk songs were sung by families while gathered at the table – they were never written down, but passed down orally from parents to children. People were also free to make up new stanzas if they felt like it.
People used to sing while working – metalworkers sang so they could get the rhythm right, and the singing dwarves from Snow White were inspired by children working in mines. People sang to pass time, to break the monotonous pace of their work, and while walking. Walking can get very boring, especially if you have someone with ADHD/ADD in the group.
The only fantasy/historical novelist who actually encompassed this in his writings appears to be Tolkien, who wrote several songs and poems. Other than that, songs seem to be pretty non-existent in historical or fictional works.

The song Colette sings is based on the song "Auf auf ihr lieben Leute" (written in 1787). I translated it using an online translator and then tried to make it rhyme while trying to keep the original message. I asked a friend of mine from England to have a look at it, and he suggested some improvements.

The scene in which they are signing together was another last-minute addition that we went over this week. Caradilis noted that it wouldn't be one of my fics if nobody ever sang (though I think I wrote some stories that don't contain songs). This scene here also has a follow-up scene in Chapter 10. The commentary for both, but the latter one in particular, is golden.

Girlfriend Commentary

"We could revise some formulas while we walk", Genis suggested. (lol, yeah, that is going to brighten Lloyd's mood immensely…)

"Why don't you teach us some songs, then? Unless Kratos has something he wants to contribute." (You mean, other than turning off his hearing senses and plotting a way to die himself out of this situation?) (Me: FYI, Kratos can't turn off his sense of hearing, though I suppose he might be able to turn it down to normal human hearing) (Caradilis: I now feel sorry for Kratos...)

"I don't sing", the older man replied flatly. (Called it)

"Fine, I won't insist if you don't want to. We can have fun without you." (really? you can have fun without Mr. Grumpyface? Who knew?)

Colette was an amazing singer, at least as far as Lloyd was concerned. (I don't believe Lloyd is a trustworthy source on this. He thinks everything about Colette is pretty much perfect.)

He couldn't carry a tune to save his life, and his lack of talent seemed to frustrate him greatly. (I can already see them walk into an ambush because Kratos got a headache from listening and turned off his hearing sense)

Raine was better at singing than Genis, and Kratos just grumbled along at a low pitch, not really bothering with precision. He did know the lyrics, though. (I just had a very weird thought that maybe Kratos used to write songs in the olden days, but then again, I think he was always canonically a little too grumpy for that, so mayhaps not.)

"I'm an only child (I mean, effectively, yes, actually no), and I always wanted an older brother I could practice with."

Genis, Raine and Colette had no trouble hitting their enemy, but for Lloyd, this fight quickly became an ordeal, even Kratos was pushed to his limits. Eventually, he gave up on using his sword and attacked the guardian with magic. (I'm loving this)

Suddenly, Lloyd could hear someone singing (omg, she is singing while she does that? I'm loving this!)

Dammit... I've never fought an angel before, and she's strong...(dude, didn't you put out a hit on her? Shouldn't you know how dangerous she is?)

"You'll be seeing them again – the people you've murdered. They could escape you in death – but you will not." (badass line)