Chapter 22

Clothes make the man

Under the cover of nightfall, by the star and moonlight, the group arrived at the dock next to the Great Bridge. After they all got of the ship, Sheena had it turned back to its very compact form. Genis was still very impressed by this technology.

As they approached the capital, Raine still had a question on her mind: "The Rheairds, how do you know they will still be there?"

"First of all, they were damaged, so they were useless. Second, I made sure to inform our network and arranged for them to be safely stored."

"Efficient as ever, Sheena. Well done."

"Thank you." She said it softly, clearly not used to getting compliments. "They'll probably be at the lab being fixed up as we speak. We can check if you want."

The group had meanwhile entered the city.

"No, no. It's been enough for today, don't yah think?" Zelos wagged his finger. "I suggest a good meal and nice sleep on the best beds ever at my mansion. How's that sound, hmm?"

Slowly, they all nodded to his suggestion. "That does sound good. I'd love to try another recipe." Genis spoke up.

"Go on then. Sebastian will let you right in. I just have to fetch some things while I'm here."

"Very well. Thank you for the offer, Zelos."

"Sure thing, cool be- uh I mean, professor." He winked at her.

Raine let it slide this time, going ahead up the stairs. Genis followed shortly after her. Lloyd took the time to take Colette's hand gently and lead her up the stairs. Sheena was the only one that remained.

She looked up at the red head. "I just wanted to say... thank you. For helping out, and the bell. It means a lot."

"Come on now, a little kiss as thanks can't hurt." Zelos grinned as he leaned in.

A slap across the face was instead his reward. "Jerk, pervert!" Sheena huffed as she stomped off angry.

The Chosen just chuckled, rubbing his chin and cheek. Then he turned around and left the city again, passing through the gate and immediately going left. Around the corner of the great city wall, she was waiting for him.

"You were lucky I was the only one who spotted you, Pronyma. You are hard to miss."

The eccentric woman narrowed her eyes. "Chosen, how did you escape them? I need an explanation, right now."

"Huh? Ooh, right. Hehe, now this is funny."

Pronyma balled her hand to a fist. "What is? Out with it!" She demanded.

"No, I don't think so. And another thing, I won't be reporting to you anymore. I am stepping away from aiding Cruxis."

"What, why? Have you lost it, Chosen?!"

He just grinned. "You know how I roll. I side with the strongest. And what it's looking like right now, that aint you guys."

Narrowing her eyes even more, Pronyma stepped closer. Thanks to her high heels, she was just a bit taller than he was. She glared down at him.

"Fool, have you forgotten the deal? You are doing this for your little sister. Are you stepping back from that?"

"Having seen what it can do to her, I don't think her getting the title is the better option. And knowing what I know, I don't even think that matters in the end. At least, if your boss gets his way."

"What are you talking about? Spit it out right now, or your sister will feel the consequences."

The playful expression on Zelos' face was gone in an instant. It was replaced with a one that could only be best described as dangerous, deadly. He was suddenly a blur as he moved in fast. In half a second, he grabbed her by the throat as his other hand held up his sword, point dangerously close to her face.

The power, the glow. This was the pure power of the Chosen, no doubt about it. The apparatus hanging around Pronyma reacted, floating up and starting the hone in to the target. All blades had laser points, set on her attacker.

Zelos just gave that a short glance. "If you want to keep this pretty face, you better call that thing back," he said with an unusual malice in his voice.

Her glare was obvious, but position unfortunate. She had it stop the defense, as it was controlled by the head-wear she wore.

"Very good. You know, sometimes it's a good thing I get underestimated all the time. Do not DARE to threaten the life of my little sister like that again. I will take your life if you even throw as much at a glance at her. And you know I have eyes and ears everywhere. If you would plan anything, I would know."

All the woman could answer with, was a choked try to get breath. But Zelos would not let up, not quite yet. He leaned in close. "I hate to see such a pretty face go to waste. So, I will tell you one thing: ask your boss about this new age he is planning. You might end up on our side as well."

After saying this, Zelos let her go. He stepped back and gave his sword a spin, before storing it back in its scabbard. He watched her as she took a few moments to take a couple of breaths. Her leaning forward rubbing her throat gave him some interesting views.

"You little snake. I'll make you regret this, just you wait." Pronyma finally managed to say. After this, she teleported away using her magic.

"Pew, good thing I picked up my Cruxis Crystal," he complemented himself, tapping the gem between his collarbones. He knew the woman was no joke. But no one touches or threatens his family, not ever again!


The rest of the group was received warmly at the Wilder mansion. The butler let them in without question. He asked the cooks to start dinner right away and invited them to relax at the fire place in the meantime.

It was really nice to be able to kick back, enjoying a real hearth fire instead of a simple camp fire. This kind of luxury was rare to all of them, so they took advantage of it for as long as they could. Colette was set to stand close too, Lloyd being convinced she'd still appreciate it.

They sat there for a little while until Zelos came in, holding something under his arm. It was wrapped up, so hard to guess what it was. Sebastian was sure to greet him first, bowing to him.

"Welcome home, master Zelos. The cooks are making dinner as we speak. I believe it will be about a half hour before it is ready."

"Awesome, thanks. Hey Lloyd, I got something for yah. Catch." The package was thrown over to the teen.

"Huh?" He caught it, it felt soft. The brown paper was wrapped up with a neat bow. "What's this?"

"A new set of clothes. I figured you would like to shed those Cruxis clothes, no?"

Undoing the bow, a bundle of red and black was revealed. This was a gesture nobody was really expecting, so all of them looked at Zelos curiously.

"What, am I wrong? Anyway, you seem to like red and I kinda had to guess on your size. Hope it fits, if not, can always have it adjusted by one of the people here."

"Uh, thank you. Where can I change?"

Zelos pointed up the very elaborate staircase. "Second door is the bathroom."

Nodding, the teen took the clothes and went off. Zelos decided to take his place at the fireplace, folding his hands behind his head. "Ah, much better then camping."

"I do agree this is a nice change of pace." Raine nodded. "I was wondering however... Next to all the people that serve here, are you the only one living here?" She hadn't noticed any other head figure.

"At the moment, yeah. I am."

"That used to be different?"

"My little sister stayed here for a while. But she was too sickly to be able to stay."

"Is she...?" Genis started, not really able to finish.

"No, no. Nothing like that! She just went to a monastery for the clean air and very specialized care."

"How is Seles doing now?" Sheena asked with genuine interest. She could remember the pale, little girl with short red hair and freckles on her face. As opposed to her big brother, she was very secluded. But that might have been because she was so frail.

"Last I heard, 'fine under the circumstances.' Guess that is good enough." He made a wavey gesture. "She still hates my guts, that doesn't change."

Tilting her head curiously, Raine asked: "Why is that?"

"Because of my title, I get treated much better and I guess that makes her jealous. I always try to share, but she doesn't want any of it. And because she's so sickly, her mother... Ah, never mind." Shaking his head, Zelos just wanted the drop this train of thoughts.

Arching a brow, the professor wanted to press on, but right then, Lloyd came back. His attire first matched that of his father's, now it was very different. Instead of being neat and restrained, it was free and bright. A long-sleeved, red jacket, overlapping itself, closed up with silver buttons. The pants were dark, almost black and a pair of bright red boots finished the look.

However, the teen was still holding something, looking puzzled. It seemed white. "What is this?"

"Ah, it's like a scarf. But you put them on your collar so they move around with you. Ads some great flair if you ask me." Zelos said with a smile. "Lemme help."

Lloyd nodded and let him go ahead. While this happened, the other three looked the teen over. It was strange to see him so different. A true contrast. From very cool, distant and stilted to open, spoken and above all readable.

His look was now focused on Colette, who was still just standing by the hearth, staring into the fire endlessly. The details they had heard from him, made them all feel even more sorry for her state.

"You look a lot better, Lloyd. Not just your clothes, but overall. Do you feel better too?" Sheena asked.

Taking a moment to consider, his deep brown eyes blinked a few times before he answered. "On one hand, I do. It is so freeing to be able to say what I need to. But it all has a bad side too."

Shaking his head, Lloyd ran a hand through his stylish hair. He really felt good and bad at the same time. It was conflicting, it was confusing. It was freeing, it was frustrating.

"Still... It's better to finally do be able to do what I really want to do. And that is to save the worlds. To save Colette."

"In that we all agree." Raine said with a nod. "You have every right to be upset with your father and to not trust him after what he has done. Do not push that away."

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to feel." The teen sighed and shook his head again. "Guess that's still the Exsphere talking. It's a lot at once. But I don't want to... make excuses? I don't know. I just want to do whatever I can to make things right. After that, we'll see."

"Talkin' like a real hero there. Pushing all aside for the sake of the world. Heh." Zelos remarked as he made the last adjustments. "There, all done."

Turning him to the man high, golden rimmed mirror, Lloyd took a long, hard look at himself. And he realized, he never really done that before. There were no mirrors in his prison. The steel one, nor the one made of his own body had one.

He looked so young compared to how he felt at the moment. And still he was not as tall as his father. Over all, the only real resembles was the hair style and face. The same nose, and characteristics showed. But his eyes, those for sure were his mom's, just like the colour of his hair.

Now Lloyd understood the pained looks in his father's eyes. They were always very subtle, but he had been able to spot them. The man recognized his loved one in him. Then why? Why did he let her die? No, why did he kill her?!

His fist shattered the mirror, with a loud clatter and ringing, the pieces of glass shattered even further on the marble floor. After all the noise, there was a moment of silence. Nobody moved, as all eyes were set on the teen.

"Oh dear, I will clean up right away. If you can please move away from the glass carefully?" The butler had come in to set everything back in motion again.

As Zelos guided Lloyd away from the mess, Raine stepped closer to take care of his hurt hand. Some shards were lodged in, which she picked out with care. "Was that the last of your frustration that needed to be set free?" Her cool eyes looked at him like a teacher about to scald her student.

"I... think so. I'm sorry." He looked from her to Zelos.

The red-haired Chosen just gave him a pat on the back. "Hey, I get it. Better out then in. Don't worry about it."

After that, everything returned back to normal. The mess was cleaned up and dinner was set for them to enjoy. It was bountiful and luxurious; all the senses were in for treat. Genis was fascinated by how good it all was. They all enjoyed, but Lloyd still ate most out of them all.

"If you keep gobbling up like that, you're gonna choke and not even enjoy the food, you know." Sheena remarked with a bit of a smile.

"Yeah, where's the fire, bud? Take it easy." Zelos added.

Swallowing a big bite, Lloyd answered: "When I was up in that prison, Angels brought me food. But it was very plain and often, they forgot or gave me small portions. I guess that's why."

"Geez, I'm so sorry Lloyd."

"Don't worry about it. I don't want to let it get in the way of things now."

"So, you grew up with Angels?" Genis tilted his head curious.

"Yeah, I guess so. I had a weird upbringing."

"Eh, I'm from Mizuho, our people have been banished and ostracized. We aren't exactly main stream either." Sheena said with a shrug.

"And I'm the Chosen. I get treated like royalty, or even higher. Because I'm a so called descendent of the Goddess." Zelos scoffed at the thought.

Raine's eyes went over to her little brother as they shared a look. Genis took a moment to look at the others and mouthed 'are you sure?' to which she nodded. He gave a nod back in response and agreement.

"Actually, I'd like to take this moment to confess. Genis and I are not elves. We are half-elves. We hid the truth for a long time, but it isn't fair to do that towards all of you. I also would have rather had Colette be here truly..." Raine bowed her head. "Forgive us."

"Hey, I get it. If its anything like in this world, you need to hide that kind of thing. No worries." Zelos folded his hands behind his head and leaned back with his chair.

"I'm sure Colette understands too. Thanks for telling us." Sheena gave them a compassionate smile.

"You guys don't mind?" Genis still wanted to know.

"Course not, brat. We are a bunch of misfits here."

"I guess so." He puffed his cheeks in response.

It was all in good spirits however, as was the rest of the evening. They talked as they had nice snacks and drinks served. The first to turn in was Genis of course, because he was the youngest. Raine did try to offer to tuck him in. But he told her he wasn't a little kid anymore. Still, he wished her goodnight with a kiss on the cheek.

"You've taken care of him for a long time, haven't you?" Sheena asked when the kid was in bed.

Nodding, Raine sipped a hot cup of tea. "Ever since he was an infant. Mother abandoned us, so I had little choice."

She couldn't help to glance at the large painting of a red-haired woman on the wall. Its frame was gold and fancy, so it really stood out.

"Yeah, that's my mother. She died when I was rather young." Zelos said with a rare, serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"We all got our sob stories, but shouldn't let that hold us back. We got people and worlds to save!"

They all nodded to his positive encouragement and cheered with a drink. Deciding not to make it too late, the party went to bed after the drinks were finished.


The morning was sounded in by the soft ring of a bell. It rang three times, not too loud but enough to wake a person up. Zelos was the only one used to it, so he had casually stood up, got dressed and walked out of his room, stretching.

Genis came out of another room, rubbing his eyes still. His sister was behind him, trying to fix the mess that was the boy's hair.

"What was that?"

"Morning bell. It's meant to wake up everyone. You know, the people that take care of this place."

"I see. Good morning, Zelos." Raine gave him a nod.

"Slept well, my ice princess?" he asked with a smile.

"It's too early for that, Zelos." Sheena joined in, crossing her arms.

"Never!" he let out a fake, frustrated huff.

"To answer your question, I did sleep well."

"Yeah, those beds are great. I didn't want to get up to be honest." Genis said.

"Hehe, only the best of the best for the great Zelos Wilder!"

As the three of them shook their heads at his prideful demeanor, Lloyd was the last to join. He was sporting his new clothes and it made him seem softer, more approachable.

"I agree, Genis. That was a really nice mattrass."

"Right? I wonder what's in it." He tilted his head in curiosity.

Shrugging, Zelos said: "Who knows? Now come on, let's go get some breakfast."

None of them would turn that down, the thought of great breakfast putting a pep in their step. That faded however when they came down and saw Colette. She was still standing at the hearth, which was not burning at the moment. Her red, void look was staring into nothingness.

Biting his lip, Lloyd approached and took her hand. He wanted to treat her the same way as she did him. He gently guided her to the table and set her down. As the personnel started to go around and set everything up, there was not much said. The table was set full with bread, various kinds of spreads, eggs, slices of meat and cheese, coffee and tea.

"Wow, this is really a lot." Genis said while he marveled.

"What happens to whatever we cannot finish?" his sister asked.

"Nothing goes to waste. It's brought to the people who live in the slums. I came up with that little idea." Zelos said with a proud smile.

"Really? Must have been because of a sweet girl there." Sheena remarked.

By the look on his face, it was clear he couldn't deny. They chuckled as they started to enjoy the great breakfast. As always, Lloyd ate the most out of them all, purely as a force of habit. About an hour later, they were done and most of the table was cleared. The remains were taken away and carefully wrapped, to be taken out later.

"We're going to the research lab, right?" Zelos looked at Sheena.

"Yeah, that's right. With any luck, the Rheiards are ready and waiting for us."

"Great. I'll take the food than, we'll be close to the slums anyways."

"You really do not mind, master?" Sebastian the butler informed.

"Nah, of course not. Now, come on, let's get going."

The others nodded and they went off. Zelos first dropped off the food to some people at the entrance of the slums, that promised to pass it along. After this, they went inside of the lab. The receptionist was talking to a for Sheena familiar face.

"Kuchinawa, you're here now?" She asked surprised.

Turning to her, his dark eyes took a moment to look her over. He was hard to read as always. "I was just checking in. This matter is important for all of Mizuho, remember?"

"Yes, I remember." Sheena said with a small voice. "Ah, sorry. This is Kuchinawa, we practically grew up together." She went on to introduce to the others.

He just gave them a quick, greeting nod before focusing back on Sheena. "The Rheiards are ready to fly again. Have you made the pact with Volt?"

"I have, but not without casualty." For a moment she touched the bell she had tied around her hair tie.

There was a moment of silence, as Kuchinawa nodded. "I see. You can use the crafts freely then. Where will you be going?"

Such a cold reception. But that was kind of how he was. Sheena turned to the others at this question.

"Do we go find the next summon spirit?"

"I assume you know where they are, being a summoner..."

"Hold on," Lloyd cut through the professor's thought process. "We need to help Colette."

"Yes, but we don't know where to find a dwarf."

"A dwarf? We know of one, that didn't go beneath the surface." Kuchinawa remarked.

"You do huh? Your network really is no joke. Where can we find this dwarf?" Zelos informed.

"Just past Ozette, hidden within the mountain wall. He is rather reclusive, just so you know."

Nodding to this, Sheena thanked him. The receptionist went ahead to give her four cubes, very similar to the one that held the ship. She took them with a thankful nod. They left soon after this.

"He wasn't very nice." Genis remarked.

"That's just how he is. I don't take it personally."

"Those cubes, they're holding the Rheiards?" Lloyd wanted to make sure.

"Yeah. It's best to use them outside of the city. Are we ready to go?" Sheena looked at all of them.

They all nodded and they walked on, leaving through the gate. Not only did the guards watch them go, so did Kuchinawa with bald fists.

The group took their distance from the city. From the cubes, the flying crafts emerged, looking as good as new.

Zelos whistled. "Did a great job there. You can hardly tell they were damaged."

"Wow, you're right. Do you summon Volt then to charge them?" Genis looked at Sheena curiously.

Nodding, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Volt was summoned and asked to charge the Rheiards. It was done in just a couple of minutes, the fuel gage going from empty to full. After this, the spirit disappeared again.

Raine and Genis went together on one, Lloyd took Colette on another. Sheena and Zelos got on their own.

"I'll set the destination for Ozette. We'd have to walk from there."

This was no problem as the others nodded. Bracing themselves to the crafts, they flew off at quite some speed. The land and water rushed beneath them and they reached Ozette within an hour, which normally would have taken much longer, even with a ship.

It was a village set in between and up very big trees. The houses were wooden shacks, as simple as it was back in Sylvarant. It seemed that the people living here had chosen a simple lifestyle instead of relying on technology.

"Ugh, I hate this backwater place." Zelos complained.

"Huh, it really reminds me of Sylvarant." Genis wondered as he looked around.

"It kinda does, yeah." Sheena agreed, nodding.

"It's dark and depressing." The red-haired Chosen clearly didn't like it.

As they passed through the place, all eyes of the people there were on them but none approached. Their focus was not on this town, but rather what was beyond. Raine decided it was best to just let them be.

She looked up for a moment; there was barely a sky to be seen because the big trees made a big roof of leaves. "The cover is what makes it dark. I suppose it is a choice to live here. Do you know more about it?"

"I really don't know much. I guess they're naturalist and purist or something." Zelos shrugged.

"Or banished people like us." Sheena said softly.

"And criminals?" Genis was more fearful.

Because they weren't sure, the group hurried along, following the main road. The cover of the trees was soon swapped for a high, rock wall range close to a river that made the road to a dead end. At first glance, nothing seemed to be here.

But investigating closer and knowing what they were looking for, they spotted a door. Next to that, there was a small, circular window.

Assuming this was where the dwarf was residing, they approached. Lloyd took the lead and knocked on the door. It was opened by a young lady with green braided hair and a mainly black and green attire.

Her eyes were very light but seemed glossed over, almost as if they were made out of glass. "WHO IS IT?" She asked completely monotone.

She reminded him of the Angels. They were exactly the same, only she had no wings. He even noticed that she wasn't breathing. Still, she did not seem to have the completely same feel. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"We heard a dwarf is living here. We are in need of help."

The woman didn't blink, or move. "YOU WISH TO SPEAK WITH MASTER ALTESSA. PLEASE FOLLOW ME."

As they all shared a look, they followed behind her when she turned and walked ahead. The house was bigger than one would expect. The kitchen and dining took most of the space, with a big, long table and a large cooking furnace in the back. To the right there was a door, as well as in the back of the dining.

The lady led them to the left however. There was a lowered level, there was a worktable full with tools and materials. Next to that, at the back there was a special smelting furnace. A stout, small man was standing there, his back turned to them at first.

"MASTER ALTESSA, YOU HAVE VISITORS."

He turned around, revealing a long, grey beard and unique hairstyle. His thick eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Who are you people?" He demanded in a deep, gravelly voice.

"We're sorry to barge in like this. It's for an important matter. This girl here is Colette." Raine gently brought the blond forward.

His wide-eyed expression went from the girl's eyes to the jewel set on her neckline. "A Cruxis Crystal? But you are the Chosen." The dwarf looked over to the red-head for a moment.

"My, aren't you perceptive. Not only do you know that, you recognize the type of crystal. Yeah, you're right. I'm the Chosen of this world. Which only leave one other option."

"The Chosen from the other world." Altessa nodded in understanding.

"You seem to be very aware." Raine remarked.

"Yes, well." He let out a sigh as he looked down. "I have worked for Cruxis for some time. I have seen this up close."

"You did this to people?" Lloyd's tone was as sharp as a knife as he stared down at the dwarf.

"I was not aware what it really did, in my defense. When I finally learned the truth, I left immediately."

"Do you have the skills to make her a crest?" Raine informed.

"The skills yes, but not much else, sadly." He showed his hands, which he had kept on his back the whole time. They looked big but deformed, misshapen.

"W-what happened?" Genis looked at that with horror.

"I did not want Cruxis to use my skills again. Or make use of them. I broke my own hands, to prevent that."

Geez, that sounded awful and painful. The kid was shaken by the idea. Altessa sighed and shook his head.

"It doesn't take away the guilt. And I cannot help this poor girl. I'm sorry."

"You might not be able yourself, but you can still teach someone. Teach me." Lloyd opted.

The dwarf took a long moment to look him up and down. His eyes were still sharp, despite his age. They landed on the teen's hand and he narrowed his eyes. "Why do you have that?"

"Like a lot of victims, I didn't ask for this to be placed upon me. I will tell you, if you teach me."

"Hm. Very well. But I still need the materials and those are not easy to obtain. Inhibitor ore is the most important component and you can only get that in one place."

Genis tilted his head in thought. "Didn't Kratos mention something like that too?"

"Yeah, he did. He said he would gather the needed materials. But can we trust him on that?" Zelos remarked, crossing his arms.

Sighing, Sheena scratches her head. "We really can't effort too much detour, I think. Yggdrasill is still after us, not to mention most of Cruxis. And though I hate to say this, I don't think focusing purely on helping Colette is the best choice. It's getting the means to defeat them. To change everything for the better."

"No. I am not leaving Colette like this." Lloyd said directly, his eyes almost looking ablaze.

"Do we split up the party?" Genis asked, but not liking the idea judging by the look on his face.

"Lloyd, you are by far the strongest of our group. We will need you with making the pacts." His sister tried to rationalize.

"Then I will join you in his stead."

Kratos his voice suddenly spoke up. He stood at the entrance, Yuan right behind him. The dwarf audibly gasped at the sight of the two of them.

"Cruxis!"

"Relax, Altessa. We aren't here for you. We have the materials for the crest." Yuan approached, placing them on the workbench.

"If you are willing, you can teach Lloyd how to make it. I can join your group to help out with the pacts in the meantime." Kratos suggested, coming closer as well.

"And I will keep an eye out here, because I suggest the Chosen will stay here as well, instead of dragging her along." Yuan added.

The group looked at the two. Raine and Zelos had their arms crossed, Sheena had a more active stance, Genis just had his eyes narrowed and as for Lloyd, he just looked to Colette.

"Do you really believe we trust you with that?" Raine remarked at the two men.

"Yeah, you all could just be setting up to kill us."

"Trust us, Chosen. If we would have wanted to that, you would have already been dead." Yuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zelos.

"Remarks like that is exactly why we can't trust you!"

"This is a stupid idea."

"I trust you both as far as I can throw you."

Voices were raised and mixed together. Words jumbled and became a meaningless mess. A noise that reverberated over and over in his mind until Lloyd had enough.

"Quiet, all of you!"

The voices quieted down, all eyes staring at the teen. None of them have ever heard him raise his voice like this.

His eyes were intense, almost seeming aflame as he looked at each of them.

"This is not about personal matters or vendettas. This goes beyond all of us. We are trying to fix this world, and safe our friend. Put all of this aside. If I am able to do so, you all should too."

There was a lengthy silence as the main group all looked at each other. Yuan had his eyes mostly on Kratos, who was having trouble hiding his surprise. The man had to admit he did not expect this kind of passion from a young man that had been 'caged' for this long.

It was so very curious. This teen had no real examples of emotion around him. Not until he was allowed to go and guide the Chosen. This was only recently, though. The crest had been on him longer than that. Then what gave him the power, the passion? Was it really the effect of this group, bickering over this kind of nonsense?

Raine let out a long sigh. "You are right. We need to put aside our differences in the name of the greater good. But that doesn't mean I won't have my eyes on you." She aimed her glare at Kratos, looking up at him.

This woman, she really didn't back down. Just as well, the Seraphim figured. He just gave a nod to her and the group in general.

"We are in agreement then."

"How long will your teachings take, Altessa?" Sheena asked, looking at the dwarf.

"Well that really depends on the receiver." He looked up at Lloyd. "You got a good heart, lad. I do believe you can do it. But there is a reason only Dwarves practice this. With any luck, it's a few days. Otherwise, it might be a week or longer."

"I will do my absolute best."

"I'd advise you to take a communicator with you, just in case. The other one I will set here." Yuan said.

They all nodded in agreement to all of this. Genis looked at Sheena. "Where do we go for the next summon spirit?"

"The closest would be the temple of ice, with Celcius. We'd need some warm clothing so I'd advise going to Flanoir first."

Zelos did not look happy about it for some reason, but he wisely kept his mouth; he did not want to piss off Lloyd any further.

Instead, he asked: "We ready to go?"

"Yes, I suppose. I wish you good luck, Lloyd. Do your best." Raine told him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I will, thank you." he nodded to her.

"You got this, bud!" Zelos gave him a thumbs up.

"I believe in you." Sheena said it a bit softer.

"Yeah, me too!" Genis added.

After that, they said their goodbyes and left with Kratos, who just have his son an encouraging nod. Now it would be up to Altessa to teach the young teen.