Chapter 15
Dark truths
Walking back to Luin took almost twice the time it normally would. Then again, they did have a big group of people with them, including small children.
Of course, all of the people were very thankful to the group. Only about half way did they discover that Colette was the Chosen. This was because the priest had approached, addressing her as such. They all were very surprised by this fact, wondering why the Chosen would go out of her way to save some people while she was on a journey to save the world.
Colette smiled to them and told them the same she had told Raine: 'How can you save the world if you can't save the people right in front of you?'
Once arrived at their ruined settlement, they were reluctant and even a little scared to enter. "I know it isn't much right now, but we'll get to Asgard fast and tell them you all need help. I do think it's safer to stay here. If you go out too much, you might run into monsters," Sheena told them.
It was true, so they all moved over the bridge, carefully and slowly. All children were guided by a grown-up's hand. The ones who had their hands free, immediately started to pick up usable material from all the rubble.
"Take care, we'll make sure help will come to you soon." Colette promised as she gave the key back to the priest.
He bowed to her. "Thank you, Chosen. And all of you, for helping us out. We cannot hope to ever repay you."
"There's no need for that. Just life your lives. That's what is important."
The priest bowed to her again, and she bowed back. After that, the group turned toward the south-east. Genis gazed up for the sun for a moment: it had gone past its highest point some time ago.
"We missed lunch."
"We did. Shall we walk for a little, find a good place to get a fire going?" Raine suggested.
The others nodded and they went on to do just that. It was maybe ten minutes later, when they found a good, sheltered place. Lloyd had gathered wood for the fire along the way and Genis had found a small river for water.
"Let's see. I still got rations, but I don't think it will hurt to get more at Asgard. We got an extra team member now, after all." He said while going through his large pack. "Is there any food you can't have or don't like Sheena?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm good with any food really. I don't have any allergies."
"What about that little friend of yours? What was his name, Corrine?" Colette informed.
"I make small pieces of meat for him, he loves that. Sorry, Corrine is a bit shy, certainly around people he doesn't really know. He trusts only me."
"What a shame. I would love to see him up close." Raine said a little disappointed.
"So you can examine him, you mean, sis. Auw!" His sister pulled his ear for that remark.
Sheena chuckled at the display for a moment. "He won't like that..." It looked like the young woman wanted to say more, but stopped herself.
This earned her a curious and studying look from Raine. "You seem to be keeping a lot to yourself. Are you sure you can keep to your word?"
"Professor, don't say stuff like that!" Colette intervened. "I'm sure Sheena has good reasons. Just like Lloyd, we let him open up on his own too, right? Let's allow her to do the same."
"Uh... Thank you Colette." It was clear that Sheena was not used to be defended like that. Like a friend would. Were they? They barely just met, and she was set out to kill this girl! But... shaking her head, Sheena set these thoughts aside.
"I always keep my word, as much as I can. I will help you, this I swear." She said after a moment of silence, looking at each of them.
Colette gave her a smile and a nod, enthusiastic and hopeful. Genis just shrugged, seeming to be fine with that in general. Raine gave a much more reserved nod, still having a look of 'I'm still watching you.' Lloyd... Well, he was Lloyd. He just stared at her with his bright red eyes. They seemed to burn right into her soul. Sheena had to repress a shiver; just what was with this guy?
Using a big cooking pot, Genis was making up a hearty soup for them. Full of vegetables and some meat he had all chopped up in blocks. He stopped his sister several times from throwing in very questionable herbs or spices.
"Heh, I honestly didn't expect you to be a cook, Genis. You are pretty young, right?"
"I'm twelve." The boy said with a huff. "Believe me, you don't want my sis cooking."
Sheena aimed her surprised look at Raine. "He is very accomplished for his age. You could argue he is older in his mind if he would not still act like such a kid at times."
"That's not fair, sis!"
"Hey, I'm just saying it's impressive. Most kids your age barely know basic cooking."
"Well, thanks, hehe." Genis showed a proud smile. And he offered the first bowl of soup to her.
It smelled and looked delicious. It was still steaming hot, so Sheena needed to wait for it to cool down to have a taste. Lloyd did no such thing, however. As soon as he got the bowl, he dug in. She looked at him stunned, expecting him to burn his tongue at the very least.
Nothing like that. While the hot steam rose from the bowl, the teen went on. And Genis, on his turn went on, giving Colette a bowl too. It was less filled, because by now he knew she didn't eat as much anymore. His sister was next and he kept himself for last. And they all waited to let it cool down.
"Is... that normal?" Sheena informed with a frown, glancing sideways to Lloyd.
"Yeah, pretty much. He got some weird things about him. You get used to it."
"Genis, do not be disrespectful."
"I'm not. And I remember you being pretty upset with him at the start. What changed?" He questioned his sister.
The show of strength, mostly. Raine thought this to herself. The scholar in her needed answers. But also: "He is pulling his weight. I'd even say he is a key asset in this group."
"Yeah, and Lloyd is a good friend too!" Colette chimed happily.
How could someone be a friend if they wouldn't even really talk? This was what Genis wondered. Yes, his sister did make a good point, as she always tends to do. And he did not dislike the teen or anything. Things were just...strange.
They all eventually were able to have their lunch, and as Sheena had suspected, it was the best soup she had ever had. Not that she had been to many places before, but if the capital itself couldn't offer better, that was saying something.
After cleaning up their mess, they moved on, going towards Asgard. As always there were monsters on the way, and every so often some bandits, trying to make ends meet. The sun was almost completely set when they finally arrived.
Asgard was a town set against the feet of the mountains. No houses were carved into it steep walls, the people just flattened most of it, to set their wood and stone houses upon. There were a couple of caves, that turned out to be findings of ancient scriptures on the walls.
This was what they were told by a local as they passed a cave. Of course, Raine wanted to go in right away. Genis tried to hold his sister back from going into ruin mode.
"We aren't here for that, sis. Aren't we going to find a place to sleep for tonight?"
"Right, an inn. Do you have any?" She asked the man that had informed them.
"Sure, we got three. Popular place, you see. They vary mostly in price, but that's also combined with luxury." The man continued to point them towards said inns.
There was one straight ahead of them, so they decided to go there to check it out. They did not really care for luxury as much, as long they could sleep in a bed for a night. It also happened to be the cheapest inn out of the bunch, but it still looked good, honestly.
A room with six beds was the closest to what they needed, so Raine went for that. While the others took a load off in the room, she informed at the innkeeper to know more about the town, but most of all, the famous ruins.
Sadly, he couldn't tell her much, except that it was off limits. No one was allowed without explicit permission of the mayor watching over the ruins. The mayor would be too busy, but the man did tell her she could try talking to a certain girl called Aisha. He didn't tell her why, only told Raine where this girl lived and left it at that.
It had gotten dark quick because of the high mountains around, so the group decided to sleep for the night. Colette once again offered to be the watch. Then again, there was no real reason to fight this.
The next morning, they agreed to go to this Aisha, since they wouldn't be allowed to get even close to the ruins. They discovered this girl was part of a very questionable ritual. Asgard was suffering harsh winds, so strong they'd destroy homes. Paired with this, a spirit had showed up at the top of the ruins, demanding a sacrifice. Believing this would calm down the winds, the people had done this a couple of times.
Through this story, Colette was clutching her hands, harder and harder. Raine did notice and it seemed Lloyd did to, judging by his sideways glance.
It was wrong, everything about this was wrong. But was it any different than their own journey? This, the professor wondered. Still, she didn't like to see Colette this way.
"This spirit, just wants a maiden as a sacrifice?" The professor informed.
"Well, we do a special dance first, wearing sacred clothing. It's a whole ritual." Aisha explained.
"Teach me. I will do this in your stead."
"Professor!" "Sis!" Colette and Genis both called out shocked.
Sheena raised a brow, more curious what this woman's aim was than anything else. And Lloyd's amber eyes seemed to pierce right through her skin.
Resisting a shiver, Raine explained herself. "This spirit sounds like a problem. It will keep asking the people for sacrifices. Also, it is highly possible it is the guardian of a seal. It is hitting two birds with one stone."
"You wanna see if this is the right place and you are the safer bet because you can defend yourself. That isn't a bad plan." Sheena nodded in agreement.
"Well... We aren't going to let you go on your own. We are all coming with you!" Colette called out, holding up her fists in a show of strength.
Genis didn't like the sound of this at all. But it was his sister, he'd only be worried if he didn't come along and help out, so he nodded to her statement. Lloyd did the same.
"Hm. Very well then." Raine was outnumbered, she knew it was useless to argue.
"A-are you sure? You don't even know me." Aisha asked shaken.
"We help people, that is what we should do. Everyone, anywhere. It is the will of Martel." Colette spoke as a true Chosen.
The girl had no real clue, but she bowed deep. "Thank you, so very much. I'll explain the ritual then."
Raine send everyone else out, so she could focus on the task at hand. Sheena looked at the others. "Is this really okay?"
"If anything, this creature demanding sacrifices should be afraid of my sis. She can be pretty scary."
"Heh, I suppose you are right."
"We will be close by and jump in at the first sign of danger." Colette added right after.
Lloyd gave a serious, firm nod. After waiting for about an hour, Raine came out of the house. She was wearing a traditional outfit. One more fitting for a priestess. She did notice the curious looks going over her.
"She said it is part of the ritual. Got to go all the way."
"We are right behind you, professor." Colette told her.
And so, the elven woman led the way, walking back to the set of stairs leading up to the Asgard ruins. Her hands were itching to feel the stone and engravings. But she told herself to focus at the task at hand.
Gathered before the great slab of stone, Raine told the others to stay there while she went on top. There was a big seal of magic engraved and Aisha had told her the dance she was thought was to hit the four sides of the circle and then go to the very middle.
The magic circle gave off a glow when she hit every side. It became very bright when she hit the center with her staff. A shape appeared, but it did not look like one of the guardians of a seal. In a way, it almost looked haggard.
"Give me the girl." The hunched, ghoul like creature demanded with a growl.
"That isn't a guardian. It is dangerous!" Colette called out.
Lloyd did not need much more. He jumped up and swung at the creature. It moved fast however, like the wind, dodging the attack. Sheena got up the platform next. She chanted shortly, making cards appear and surround the creature, making it immobile.
The best moment to cast a spell, Genis knew. He used his kendama to concentrate and cast stone edge. Meanwhile, his sister thought the same and used Ray on their opponent. At the same time, the golden chakrams flew, both hitting directly. For the final blow, Lloyd used a strong, forward stab; sonic thrust.
All of these attacks proved to be too much for the creature. It let out a high-pitched screech as it burst into little parts of energy. Right after, the strong winds that had been blowing the whole time, finally died down.
"What happened here?" a male voice gasped behind them.
This turned out to be the mayor of Asgard, checking in on the noises he had heard coming from the ruin. He first thought it were once again young folk trying to challenge the spirit, which always brought a lot more trouble. But the group of strangers explained they had really defeated the blasted thing, which was proven by the lack of harsh winds.
Of course, he was happy to hear this. He offered the group a royal breakfast as thanks and gald. Raine refused, saying that the people back at Luin would benefit from that a lot more. She quickly explained what had happened to the settlement.
The mayor was mortified hearing this. He promised to quickly set up a convoy to go to Luin, to bring supplies and help out.
"Are you sure you are in no need of anything? I want to give you all something for your trouble." He still went on to ask.
"I don't think so. Unless you know of a place that 'desires death'?" Genis knew how that question sounded, but he had to give it a go.
Frowning, the mayor looked him over. "Uh, well I suppose that could be the Balacruf Mausoleum to the east of here. I have the key to that place, but I wouldn't advice going there. It is dangerous; there are traps and lately there have been a lot of monsters around."
"Oh, that probably means the seal is there!" Colette exclaimed.
"Seal? Wait, are you the Chosen one?" He looked at the girl in surprise.
"Hehe, yes I am. Could we maybe get that key, so we can go in?" She gave a sweet smile.
"Uh." The mayor was doubtful for more than one reason. It wasn't something he'd just do. And he also did not want the Chosen to get hurt. Then again, it seemed to be part of her Journey. "Very well. Come with me, the key is back at my house."
They did just that, following the man. Said key was not what they expected; it was a map, made of stone. It was rather big and hefty, so it wasn't an easy thing to carry around. Lloyd took it upon him to do it, seeming to have no problem with the weight.
Raine looked over the rest of the group. "Are you all ready to go?"
All of them nodded and with that, they left Asgard, going east. They kept the mountains and its pass to their right, as the mayor had told them to do. There was a short bridge, crossing a river, to an island. The road went along, going between forests and hills, leading into a valley. Set right in the middle of it, was a big, stone building.
Two men were around the front, studying the building. One of them was a merchant, while the other was a traveler, the clear tell being his big backpack. He had a dog with him too. Colette petted him with a big smile on her face; she always had a soft spot for the loyal animal.
"His tail is so cute!"
"Haha, it really is." The owner laughed heartily. "Did you all come to the Mausoleum to explore too?"
"In a way, yes." Not completely a lie, but Raine didn't want to tell everyone why they were here.
"The way in is closed, sadly. And I heard it's dangerous inside."
"So we have been told. Still, we need to go in. Come on."
Going ahead, the scholar ascended a small set of stairs. The others followed quickly. A big, stone block was there. It seemed to have an open gap in the middle as if something was supposed to be in it. Around this, were nothing but walls.
Genis looked from that, to the map Lloyd was holding. He was adding things up, and the brown-haired teen seemed to get his looks. He walked towards the block and put up the map. It turned out it really was a key, as part of the wall sank into the ground, opening a way inside the Mausoleum.
"Be careful. The mayor said there were traps, so watch your step." Sheena said to all of them.
The place seemed very dark, even worse than the ruin in Triet desert. Raine was able to provide some light, but that wasn't enough. So Colette used her wings; they were vibrant after all, giving of a soft, pink glow. Combined, it was enough to see where they were going.
Because they were careful, they saw traps on the ground, shining in their light. There seemed to be a line of small holes, going across the hallway.
"Maybe one of us should jump over first, to see what happens." Genis suggested.
"Who is going to…" before Sheena could finish that thought, Lloyd already jumped over.
Right after the teen did so, sharp spikes shot up. They were there for about a second, and then retreated back into the ground.
Jikes, this place really wasn't that friendly, Genis thought to himself. It did make sense for this kind of place though; some people would try to come in and steal treasures, even from the dead.
They all jumped over the trap, one by one, each waiting for the spikes to come out and retreat. A few of these kinds of traps were in their way. And in between them, there were also monsters, waiting for them. It seemed they also knew where the traps were, keeping to their place.
The group fought them, moving on to a corridor. This had another monster walking along it, and it seemed to trigger another kind of trap. This time, spikes came from both sides of the corridor. They closed into each other with a loud clamp, before parting again. There were three of them along the corridor, each of them faster.
"This one seems a little more challenging. It's hard to even see if there is a way around this." Raine tried to think up a way to handle this trap.
"I can fly over and see if there is a way to shut it off?" Colette offered.
"I suppose. Please be careful."
"I will, Professor!" After that, she flew up to take a look. Her eye sight had gotten a lot better for some reason; she did not really need light to see in this dark place.
Landing on the other side, the girl looked around. While taking some steps, her foot got stuck on a lose stone, causing her to trip. She called out in shock, trying to catch herself. Her hand found some kind of ledge in the wall. A click could be heard when the hidden switch was pressed in.
The spikes retreated. Colette waved to the others on the other end of the corridor, still holding on to the switch. Before she knew it, Lloyd was next to her, giving her a hand to stand up straight. She smiled at him in thanks.
"Good job, Colette. Being clumsy and lucky at the same time, like always. Hehe." Genis chuckled.
"Haha, you're right."
Following the way up some stairs, more moving spikes coming out walls tried to block the way. This time, there seemed to be no way to shut them down. It came down to timing it right and just gunning it. Lloyd even picked up Genis and ran with him, seemingly not trusting the boy to be fast enough on his own. The boy huffed, but still thanked him.
They came across a doorway. Beyond that, a big room and five small wind turbines were set equal to each corner and the last in the middle. They each had a different colour. There was a stone door blocking the way further, depicting the same colors.
"A puzzle? Man, why does it have to be this difficult?" Sheena complained.
"Five of those things, five of us. We can just try turning them and see what happens."
"Yes, Genis. Let's give that a try." Raine nodded.
Each of them went on to stand next to a turbine. She counted down for them to all turn them at once. The door rumbled and just like the one covering the entrance, it sank into the ground. It revealed a longer set of stairs, going up.
It brought them to the top of the Mausoleum, giving a great overview of the valley. Waiting further towards the back, was the seal and great alter. As always, it was giving off a bright glow, which spawned its guardian.
Its features were mostly matching those of a bird; a beak, shark talons and wings, its colors being a mix of green and yellow. The wings had sharp ends too, however. It was hovering constantly and went right for an attack; shooting feathers at them like projectiles.
Next to doing this, the guardian liked to sweep at them with its talons. But it turned out that it also knew a spell, which surprised them all. A mini tornado rushed over them, scattering all of them.
Genis was mostly able to block it with the magic barrier and decided to return the favor. He went on to concentrate on casting. Right when he hit the guardian with lightning, Lloyd jumped in to with a special sword flurry. For some reason, the lightning seemed more intense; Lightning tiger blade.
Because they were with five people, the fight was mostly in their favor. This guardian even did not seem as much of a challenge as the last one. Maybe it was also because they were more in sync as a party. Maybe because Sheena was helping now too. Either way, the fight posed no real treat and was over rather quick.
Colette went on to offer her prayer at the grand alter, the Angel Remiel greeting her once again. He gave the hint that the next and last seal, before climbing the Tower, was across the water. When he disappeared, Raine came to stand next to the girl, checking up on her, remembering how she reacted the last few times.
"I'm okay," she said with a smile.
"Let's leave this place. It's too cold and dark to stay and camp."
The others nodded to the professor's suggestion and they went back the way they came. Funny enough, the traps were no longer active. Maybe because the seal was broken and the traps were seen as an extra challenge.
After the dark of the Mausoleum, the afternoon sun was a welcome sight, even though they saw it not too long ago. However, the group was in for a surprise; Desians were waiting for them, their headcount being around thirty people.
At the very front, stood a man, his looks and dressing style immediately demanding attention. His eyes were black and narrow, small golden irises having a cold, scolding look in them. Very pointy ears set off against his very sleek, combed back, short silver hair. He had tanned skin and was wearing body armor that had long, pointed shoulder pads.
"W-what's going on?" Genis asked, not able to hide his fear. The man was intimidating enough, and he wasn't even alone!
"Silence. You inferior beings were the ones that broke into my ranch, killed my people, took our prisoners and even had the nerve to blow it all up. You will be punished for that."
"Hey, who the hell do you think you are? Those people were rudely taken from their homes. Luin was even destroyed in the process. Not even to mention the fact children were taken too!" Sheena shot back angry.
"Hah, you are the one being cornered and still you demand my name? Fine. It is Kvar, one of the Five Grand Cardinals, leaders of the Desians. You took away our resources, and for that you will pay."
"Resources? Those are people you are talking about!" This guy was really pissing Genis off. "What were you doing to them in that place anyway? The weird pods, the convexer belts."
"That was where the Expsheres were removed from the host bodies, of course."
"Do you mean that Exspheres are made from…human bodies?" Raine asked in shock.
"Not exactly. Exspheres are dormant at first. They extract nourishment from humans to grow and awaken. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we spend our time raising and taking care of these inferior beings?" Kvar scuffed.
"That's terrible!" Genis called out.
The man looked them over, clearly still feeling superior. "Terrible? Terrible is what you've done. Stealing and using Exspheres that we've invested so much time and care in creating."
"We didn't even touch any at your ranch, what are you talking about?" Genis didn't like their position at all; they were absolutely cornered.
Kvar's dark and golden eyes set on the brown-haired teenage boy. Or rather, the stone that was set on his left hand. "Lloyd, your Exsphere was to be an offering to Lord Yggdrasill. It's time you gave it back."
Red eyes stared at him, unblinking and void. But he tilted his head, recognizing that name. Words echoed through his head. 'Make yourself useful. Protect the Chosen at all costs. Get her to the Tower of Salvation.'
"Yggdrasill. I suppose that's the name of your leader." Raine tried to keep calm and collected as always. Even though their situation seemed bleak.
"Yes. Now, for the sake of our great leader, Lord Yggdrasill, and for the sake of my own success, I need that Exsphere!"
"What's so special about that Exsphere? You've made dozens of them!" Sheena did not hide her emotions, showing anger and sadness, most of all.
"That one is the result of years of time-consuming research. I can finally reclaim what was stolen by that filthy female host body all those years ago."
Colette finally spoke up, soft and shaken. "What do you mean? The female host body? You're not talking about…" Her blue eyes went over to Lloyd.
Letting out a sigh, the Cardinal crossed his arms. "You all are clueless, aren't you? That Expshere was cultured on host body A012, human name, Anna." Now his eyes actually set on the deep, red pair. "Your mother. She took it and escaped from the facility. Of course, she paid for her crime with her life."
Now all eyes were on the teen, a mix of pity, sorrow and worry in all of them. The normally void eyes, seemed to have a sort of light in them, as one of his hands slowly clutched into a fist.
"Did you kill her?" Raine informed.
"Now, now, don't blame me. I'm not the one that killed Anna. His father did." The Cardinal showed a mean grin. "When her Key Crest-less Expshere was removed, Anna turned into a monster. And his father killed her. Pathetic, don't you think?
"Do not speak ill of the dead." Sheena said in sheer anger.
He laughed coldly. "Who cares? They were both just a couple of filthy humans, worthless maggots."
The red eyes, flared up brightly then. An aura of red and blue pooled around Lloyd, as he drew his swords very swiftly, making them a flurry of very sharp and deadly weapons, going straight in and through Kvar's body; sword rain.
Desians close to him, were in shock. For one, they didn't even see this kid move and two, it was so unexpected. That also was applicable for everyone else, as no one moved for a moment, no one was able to react.
Then the Desians snapped out of it, drawing their swords, whips or crossbows. About thirty weapons were readied. The Salvation party was severely outnumbered, and really had no hope in coming out of this alive.
Light appeared in the sky, forming a large ball right above them. With a bright glow, it pulsated and it started to rain. Large rays of light came down, hitting the Desians head on, and only them. It took them all out in a matter of seconds. The rain of light stopped after and the ball disappeared.
All went back to normal like nothing ever happened, except for the fact that there now were a few dozen bodies lying on the ground.
"W-what was all that?" Genis said with a shaking voice, looking up. There was nothing but the sky, and some clouds.
"I really don't know." Sheena quietly said, scanning the sky too.
"Well, whatever it was, it saved our lives. We should just be thankful for that." Raine said, still trying to stay collected.
"Lloyd, are you alright?" Colette then asked the teen with a worried look.
The teen had his head tilted down, strains of hair falling before his eyes. It was still clear however, what he was looking at; the Exsphere that was set on his left hand.
A silence set in. Genis looked at his own with a nauseating feeling in his stomach. "I can't believe these things are made from human lives."
His sister laid her hand on her own, in thought. "It all makes sense now. Why the Desians take the people to the Ranches, and make them work so hard."
"It's awful. This is a human soul, and I don't even know who's." Sheena had her own in her hand. "This damn thing. It's just wrong!" She was about to throw the Exsphere away.
"Wait, what will you accomplish by taking that off? It's not just an Exsphere, it's also some one's life, remember?" Colette said, taking hold of the young woman's arm.
"But these things make a mockery of human life," she argued.
"We would have lost long ago had we not had them." The blond girl countered.
Sheena's dark eyes went from her Exsphere over to Lloyd's back. "…Yeah. I know. Without these things, we're just a bunch of weak humans. We can fight because we have these. I know that. But Exspheres exist as a result of taking someone's life!"
"Those people didn't become victims because they wanted to," Raine joined the argument, "but I doubt they would want to be thrown away after being turned into Exspheres."
Colette nodded. "My opinion may not matter much because I don't use an Exsphere, but I believe the Desians will defeat us if we throw away our Exspheres now. And if that happens, more people will lose their lives to these stones. I don't want that to happen. I don't want this journey to be meaningless."
"Yes. We can throw away the Expsheres at any time. But right now, we must carry the weight of the hopes and dreams of those victims and fight for their sake, as well as ours. Things will be different once we finish this journey." Raine reasoned.
"That is... Yeah. I suppose that is the best we can do." Sheena had to swallow anything she wanted to say. "Can you still keep going too, Lloyd?"
They all looked at the teen again, he was still in the same position. Genis couldn't imagine, having to hear something like that. But it did not seem he was in shock.
"Did you know?"
There was no answer, no real movement. But they all shared the feeling. That he knew part of it, at the very least.
"I know how it feels, loosing people that are close to you. It's never easy." Sheena stepped closer and embraced him.
Genis followed next. "I can't even imagine," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry." Colette joined in too.
Taking a moment, Raine finally gave in and joined the group hug.
Deep, deep inside dark depths of nothingness, another crack was made.
In the distance, Kratos was looking on, half hidden behind a tree. His hands were shaking as the last glow of his magic faded away. "Anna..."
