Hikaru: I. Don't. Own. ANYTHING! So get off my case!!
"So, how's Lloyd, Professor?" Dirk anxiously asked Raine as the seven of them slowly descended the flight of wooden steps. The half-elf looked extremely grave when she answered to the dwarf.
". . .I'm afraid his condition is incurable for the time being. Exsphere shards are embedded in his body, and we do not know of a correct method to remove them in order to attempt to cure Lloyd."
Dirk couldn't fail to notice that Raine had said, "attempt" to cure instead of definitely healing Lloyd.
"Wait, so Lloyd's sickness is-"
"That's right. His sickness is unlike anything ever witnessed before in Tethe'alla or Sylvarant." Genis finished for him.
"Dirk, I suspect that this illness is caused by a magical effect, or perhaps . . .no, never mind." Raine broke off her sentence for an unknown reason.
Sheena cast her eyes around the home, thinking of how Lloyd would always do his best to help someone in need, even if the situation seemed futile. She also remembered when she was fumbling around in the darkness of Volt's shadow, Lloyd found her and lead her back into the present, away from the past. No, she most certainly wouldn't abandon Lloyd in his darkest hour-she will find a way to save him. Then she recalled when they found Chief Igaguri as an astral body in Volt's temple, and that Raine said the Exsphere made it possible for the consciousness and body to separate . . .
"Ah! That's it!" Sheena cried triumphantly.
The others, startled, turned to face Sheena.
". . .What's it, Sheena?" Colette inquired.
"You all remember when Grandpa became an astral body, right? If we can somehow make Lloyd into one, and then gouge out the Exsphere shards, then maybe-"
Sheena began, but Regal interrupted.
"If Lloyd's body dies in the process, then what?"
The summoner bit her lip, looking down at the hardwood floor. Dammit, that's one thing she didn't think about . . .
Then another option hit her. Well, not an option, but rather an understanding.
"Wait just a moment. Lloyd's an angel, but he never went through the transformation process!" Sheena pointed out.
The others gasped in unison, suddenly understanding.
"Are you suggesting that Lloyd's current condition is caused by his Exsphere, which evolved into a Cruxis Crystal?" Regal asked her.
"But Lloyd has a Key Crest, so can't we just take the crystal off?" Colette said pointedly.
Sheena sighed with obvious exasperation. If it were that simple, then Lloyd surely would have tried it before now. He knows it won't work, so that roused his thinking of the sickness as a punishment . . .The warm-hearted ninja began fidgeting with her hands.
"Colette, it has been quite a while since Lloyd was first afflicted with this disease. Surely he's already tried it, and most likely it does not work." Presea calmly explained to the angelic blonde.
Raine walked toward the front door, folding her arms much like Kratos would. She stopped just before the door.
"I suggest we ask Altessa about this. We don't have the Rheairds anymore, however, we still have the Elemental Cargo. To save time traveling back and forth across the ocean, why don't we take Lloyd to him? Is that all right with you, Dirk?"
Dirk wanted to protest that he'd like to be with Lloyd, however, if it would help him regain his health . . .
"Yes, all right. Go on . . .and take him with you. Please, if you can, find a cure for his disease." The dwarf pleaded.
Raine assured him that they would do anything in their power to help Lloyd, and then went upstairs once more to fetch the boy in question, Colette, Genis, and Sheena following suit.
"It's . . .getting . . .worse . . ." Lloyd mumbled, turning over his in his bed once again. His legs felt paralyzed, but of course, they've been feeling that way since five days ago, therefore, he couldn't walk. There was always a knot of intense pain at the center of his chest, where the Exsphere shards rested, and now the ache in both his legs and chest increased or reduced at various shifting intervals, making this disease all the more unbearable. As a matter of fact, it was all Lloyd could do to keep from just screaming out in agony every time a new wave of pain washed over him.
He then realized that the only reason he still had the will to live was Kratos' last wish. Don't die before I do, Lloyd . . .my son . . .
Lloyd didn't have much time to dwell on the subject when the door to his room opened yet again, and he heard Professor Raine, Sheena, Genis, and Colette walk inside. Pain delved its claws deep within Lloyd's body again, and the boy failed miserably to suppress quite an audible cry of pain.
The cry caused all four of his guests to flock at his side at once.
"Lloyd! Are you all right? Does it hurt?" Genis asked worriedly, kneeling beside Lloyd's bed. The other boy didn't answer, clutching at his chest as the hurt intensified. Lloyd forced himself to remain as calm as humanly possible when he felt Raine's hand upon his forehead. His teacher pulled it back almost immediately.
"His fever's worsening! He's burning up!" She fretted, panic easily distinguishable from her usual calm voice.
Her voice must've carried downstairs, for Zelos rushed into the room prior to Raine finishing her sentence. Colette stood to face the former Chosen of Tethe'alla.
"It's getting worse! We have to take him to Altessa!"
"That's right! Zelos, carry Lloyd for us until we reach the coast, okay?" Sheena implored upon the redhead.
"Yes, of course," Zelos answered, panic quite obviously radiating from him as well.
The ex-Chosen bent down on one knee, gently scooping up Lloyd in his arms. As soon as Zelos straightened up, however, the red-clad boy yelled out in lucid pain, clutching at Zelos' shirt and moaning in such a manner that made the others feel rather ill. Zelos now carried Lloyd as if he would fall apart at the mere touch of anything.
"Lloyd, what the hell is happening to you?" The redhead breathed, deathly quiet.
The next time Lloyd awoke, he found himself lying in a bed in a somewhat dim dwelling. It took his eyes a few minutes to fully adjust to the lack of light, however, even when they had, Lloyd swore his vision had gone a little blurrier than what was normal. Though he knew he probably shouldn't, Lloyd strained to sit up in his bed; the heat was finally getting to him. He jumped at the time Raine yelled.
"What do you mean 'losing both sides of his humanity'?!"
"Colette lost the abilities to eat, sleep, feel things, and talk, correct? However, she still could walk, see, and hear. Colette lost only one side of what makes her human. Lloyd, however, is losing both sides of his humanity. He cannot eat, or walk, correct? It only makes sense." Altessa lectured his riled up guests quite calmly.
Lloyd sat frozen in the bed, alarmed upon learning what was actually happening to him.
"So, then, now that he can't eat or walk, what's going to happen to him next?" he heard Sheena demand.
"I would like to assume that someone is stimulating the transformation process from elsewhere; remember when Remiel took a part of Colette's humanity every time she broke a seal?" Genis evoked serenely in spite of himself.
"Yes, I'd like to side with Genis on this matter. It's quite possible that someone is who made contact with Lloyd prior to this day is motivating the alteration process from another location." The intelligent half-elf expressed her thoughts to the others.
Yes, that logic made sense to Lloyd. But who, who, for Martel's sake, had done this? Yuan sprang to his mind rather quickly, but that didn't seem likely. Origin was released, and the Giant Tree germinated, so that left him out. The Five Desian Grand Cardinals were all dead, the Pope didn't know about Exspheres, let alone Cruxis Crystals, and of course Kratos wouldn't do such a thing to his own blood son . . .
Lloyd relaxed back into the sheets, letting out a heavy sigh. This was all so confusing . . .just too damn confusing . . .He gasped as his chest and legs began to ache and throb once more. His ears perked when Colette spoke.
"Um . . .can't we just make him a Rune Crest?"
Both his and her hopes were brought up, and then shot down at Altessa's reply.
"No, that won't work. The Rune Crest is for healing Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, and Lloyd doesn't have that. Furthermore, even if we decided to make another one, we couldn't possibly get a hold of another Fragment of Mana because Derris-Kharlan is gone. And since his own Key Crest proved worthless . . ." he broke off, sighing heavily.
Sheena brought her fist upon the dining table hard.
"D-dammit!"
"Sheena, please don't cry . . ." Zelos begged the shinobi.
Wasn't there any damned hope for Lloyd?