Conflictions of the Mind

-Chapter Six-

Everything's Made to be Broken

--

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

--

Afternoon.

A fire was burning brightly now as the blue-haired chef expertly prepared some seafood stew for what would be a quick luncheon while they considered their plans. Botta had come by to answer a few more questions for Lloyd, though he excused himself to consult with his renegade companions.

The time seemed to pass slowly, though they were merely in the small stages of preparation. For all they knew, this could be a very elaborate trap.. the consideration of this fact made Raine uncomfortable. Yet the others seemed to adjust to the idea of working with the renegades fairly quickly.

Others seemed to be using the time to do.. less important things. Genis had found some flowers and had picked a few to hand to Presea, who received them awkwardly. Colette promptly squealed and begged the girl to allow her to twine a few in her hair, which had been reluctantly accepted. Zelos, on the other hand, attempted to entertain them with some of his best pick up lines in order to try and lighten up the mood a bit, though it only succeeded in leaving Colette confused and Sheena even more aggravated with the red-haired chosen.

Raine, however, ignored the petty things. In fact, she wasn't paying much attention to them at all. The cool wind was blowing softly through her hair, whispering words only she could hear. The flames in the fire danced before her and crackled, absorbing the attention that the sights and sounds around her would have normally gotten. She was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire; her pale face lit by the glow as she stared into the flames, contemplating.

Regal looked down at her, concern in his expression, but he remained silent, continuing on with the cooking of the food.

Silence.

After a few moments, the healer got to her feet, slowly, feeling only slightly dizzy, though at least her mind was clearer. The wind had stopped and the fire no longer entranced her. "So we are joining the renegades, then.." Raine murmured, seeming to come to terms with this information, despite all of her hesitation. "This should truly prove interesting.."

Regal looked up at her, seeming surprised that she had spoken. "That seems to be the plan. Are you still skeptical of it?"

A hand moved to push a few silvery strands of hair out of her eyes. "Skeptical seems to be the word. Lloyd trusts others so easily. I suppose that sometimes his intuition is more on the mark than we give him credit for." She glanced in the direction of the brown-haired boy for a brief moment. "Or want to. Once he becomes too assured of this ability, he will become overconfident. Which isn't what we need."

Regal stirred the last few ingredients carefully into the stew, which was boiling and nearly ready to serve. Truly he was an expert if he could do this with bound wrists. "Yet on the other hand, his heart and his intentions are always pure. I do not believe he will become cocky over that ability, at least."

"Perhaps." Raine shook her head and carefully seated herself once more, her left hand starting to slip into her pocket in an absent motion.

"Is there something wrong about my decision, Professor Sage?" Lloyd spoke behind her. The sound of his voice startled her, interrupting her absent movement as she turned her head to look up at him.

"..You chose based on your instincts. We will see how this plan goes." Raine shook her head a little. "Do you not think that they are deceiving us? Therein lies the true danger."

Lloyd struck a familiar pose. "Dwarven vow number eleven: 'Better to be deceived than to deceive'."

A laugh came from behind them. Regal began ladling the stew into bowls, their other companions taking them one at a time as they came to sit around the fire. Zelos sat down with his bowl, a wide grin on his face, clearly being the one who found the statement amusing. "True. Lloyd here is way too trusting. Maybe I should try deceiving him the next time around!"

"Hey!"

That didn't strike Raine as particularly funny, though instead of frowning, she instead turned her head towards Zelos, giving the chosen a deceptively sweet smile. "Zelos.."

He winked at her. Though she wasn't quite finished speaking.

"If you deceive Lloyd.." Raine trailed off for just a moment, keeping her tone entirely calm. "Your life is forfeit."

Zelos blinked at her, then stared, mouth agape, clearly not expecting that response. "I was only joking.."

Raine kept her smile in place for another moment. "I'm not."

Sheena smirked amusedly, though remained silent, taking careful bites of the stew.

Raine simply returned to stirring the contents of her bowl around absently, taking a sporadic bite, her gaze either on the contents of her bowl or sometimes drifting over to the others in this semicircle.

"Did it have to be fish?" Colette muttered, taking bites of her stew as well. "Though these days I'm just glad that I can eat again." She flashed them all a bright grin despite her complaining, and was the first one finished. After Lloyd, of course. There was no one who finished eating quicker than him. He even seemed to appreciate Raine's cooking. Which said a lot.

On the other side of Raine, her brother had taken a seat, his bowl in his hands, though he ignored her, turning his head towards the pink-haired girl next to him. "..Those flowers.. they look really pretty on you, Presea.. I hope you really did like them.."

"Roses for the little rosebud," Zelos quipped. "Quite fitting. Ow!" He rubbed his elbow and glared at Sheena, though she innocently went back to eating her food as if she hadn't hit him. The others, fairly used to this by now, paid little notice to the sparring.

Presea stared at Genis, ignoring the chosen's words, unblinkingly. "Then without the flowers, I am not pretty?"

Genis shook his head. "You're pretty both with and without them. I.." His face was full red now, and he dropped his gaze towards the bowl. Presea stared at him confusedly.

Raine frowned a bit as she watched them, though kept her silence. There were a time and place for things, after all. And now it would soon be time to follow the renegades. 'I just wish I had a better recollection of how this decision was made,' she thought, frowning slightly. 'And what /was/ that awful laugh I heard?'

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that everyone had finished eating until Lloyd tapped her on the shoulder. Slightly startled, she handed her bowl over to Regal. He frowned slightly, though she didn't think much on it.

Lloyd approached the lone man standing nearby. "We're ready, Botta."

The renegade nodded, uncrossing his arms. "Very well. Just follow our lead, and don't try to attract too much attention while we're flying."

Everyone looked, almost pointedly, in the direction of the red haired chosen, who blinked at them in return, seeming confused. "..Whaat?"

"That means no loop-de-loops, or flying upside down, or whatever other trick you can think of during our traveling times, Zelos." Sheena spoke curtly, giving him a glare. Raine rolled her eyes. Just watching him attempt those tricks was enough to make her ill.

Zelos gave a very disappointed pout. "Aww, just go and ruin my entertainment, why don't you?"

Sheena gave a disgruntled snort and turned towards the Renegades. "We're ready. Let's go!"

--

The Rheaird flight south was mostly silent, save for the occasional patches of conversation. Lloyd was in the lead of course, behind Botta, and flanked by the awkwardly silent duo of Genis and Presea. Sheena flew at a higher altitude with some of the Renegades, and the two Chosen flew somewhat lower, chatting amicably with one another.

Regal's position had been to the right of Presea, while Raine's position had been to the left of Genis. Yet, as the eagle-eyed chef watched, the half-elven woman's Rheaird began to slow down until she was at the back of the pack. His usual spot. No, even further away than that.

He frowned. He could sense a connection with all of them now; that eerie connection with Presea, because she resembled someone from his distant memories.. with Lloyd, who could have been a brother, Genis.. who was starting to trust him. Their talents in cooking were similar.. The Chosen, Zelos reminded him of the title he once had, of the grand man he once was.. and refused to be.. The Chosen, Colette, because of her pure heart, reminding him of another.. and Sheena, because of that similar sense of a hidden tragedy hidden behind those eyes and that cold exterior. Raine also, because of those same reasons. It was a very peculiar group, this.

They were all connected, drawn together by some twisted form of destiny. Possibly manipulated by the soul of the goddess Martel herself. If that truly existed and wasn't part of Yggdrasill's twisted myth. Regal didn't usually ruminate on things like this, though lately he couldn't push the thoughts out of his mind. Their sole purpose now was to change the system, to right the wrongs of someone else's once believed right. A twisted act of power shifting that would create a symphony, a balance within the worlds.. to unite it again as one.

Yuan had been puzzling. And yet.. another link. An unfamiliar link, but a link nonetheless.

Regal sighed as his gaze went towards Raine again. She was even further behind than before. He slowed his Rheaird down to keep an even pace with her. She had been unusually quiet; ever since they had been unceremoniously dropped into the strange land of Sylvarant, from their last night in Tethe'alla.. he pondered questioning it, though decided against it. He was, after all, keeping a lot from them himself..

Though all would be revealed in time. When the time was right. And that simply wasn't now.

"Regal?" Raine finally seemed to notice his presence as they were flying over a large body of water. He could see her face pale as soon as her gaze fell to the ocean below them. "..Is something the matter?"

"Perhaps I could ask the same question of you.." He replied carefully. "It wouldn't.. be prudent to get separated."

Raine tightened her hands around the handlebars. Her knuckles were white. "Nothing wrong with being the rearguard." She replied testily.

Regal frowned slightly. "Perhaps.." he changed tactics, thinking of something else that had bothered him. "Was there something wrong with the food that I prepared? I apologize if it was not at its best."

She looked startled at this question, her blue, nearly violet eyes blinking. "What? ..Your cooking was superb as usual, Regal.. why would you ask?"

"Because you are the only one who didn't finish.. you didn't seem to eat any of it.." The cobalt-haired man shook his head. "I apologize for prying.. I understand you must be preoccupied."

Raine took a few moments before answering him, most likely trying to control that temper of hers. Instead, her voice was calm. Purposely calm. "Preoccupied. The current situation has.. left me without much of an.." She fell silent, cutting that thought off abruptly as she squinted at something below. "Our next destination.. could it be..?"

Regal frowned, though turned his head and looked downwards as well, his eyes falling to a small island in the middle of the ocean. "..That must be it.." He could see the Renegades starting to circle towards it. "We should move nearer. After all, you wouldn't want anyone to worry." He met her eyes briefly.

"Of course not.. especially when there is nothing to worry about." Raine answered curtly, tearing her eyes away from his and quickly zooming up to catch up with the others.

Regal merely shook his head, keeping his pace with her. 'We all have our difficulties.' He thought. 'But what is it that I find so unsettling about you?'

He doubted that he would find out.

--

"..So this is it."

As soon as they reached the island, Lloyd was the first to speak, as the others were too busy staring in disbelief. The cave was in front of them; it had a dark and foreboding look about it.. A long dismal tunnel that headed downwards, beneath the ocean. Yet it was a ranch, just like the others.

'And those Desians are half elves.. like me.' Genis thought, frowning. It wasn't the first time that he had thought this; but each time they approached a ranch it would hit hardest at those moments. He saw the expression on his sister's face switch to a wince, for a brief moment, for forcing itself back to normal.

"Remember, Genis. We aren't like them. We're different."

Her words echoed in his mind. Different. He had been different all of his life. Different from humans.. and different from those who shared his blood.

Different from the elves they once pretended to be. There was so many new things to know, and yet he hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak to his sister at all; burning questions about Heimdall.. the fact that she had lied to him about his past.. her past..

He was furious at her, still. He had by now figured that she hadn't told them the whole truth when they had found her at the Otherworldly Gate. She was hiding something else; she had to be. That look in her eyes when they had startled her.. she hadn't even spoke to him about it since then. Probably because she thought he was too young to handle the truth. But he wasn't; at least he didn't think so.

'At least Mithos understood me.. he listened to me when I was angry.. I've protected him, at least.. even though no one else will let me protect them. Like Raine.. or Presea..'

The silver-haired boy remained quiet as Botta explained the situation, one hand firmly grasped around his kendama, the other one remaining at his side, as if reaching or waiting for something that wasn't there.. a familiar presence, someone's hand..

..A hand touched his, startling him.

He stared up into a pair of blue eyes, framed by long flaxen strands, and the girl smiled down at him. "You okay?"

"Just thinking." He replied, giving her a somewhat awkward grin. Of course it would be Colette who approached him; after all, they had been close. She was the reason they were all together now.

From the corner of his eye he could see that everyone was together now, listening to Botta.

Presea hadn't spoken very much since they had left Altamira. He wanted to talk to her, console her, somehow. Unfortunately, despite the fact that he was mature for his age, Presea seemed to surpass him. Genis found this difficult to grasp.

Colette's support was there, however, and she gave his hand a squeeze before letting go.

"It seems you've destroyed every ranch that you've been to." Genis looked up once more as Botta was finishing up his speech on their task. "I would please ask that you please not destroy this one, as we need to modify it for our purpose."

He couldn't resist a slight snicker as the entire group now turned to face his sister. "Hear that, Raine?" Sheena smirked.

She didn't seem very amused, shrugging her shoulders defensively. "..It's not like I destroy them for fun, you know."

"..Good luck." Botta stepped aside, allowing them to enter.

Lloyd took a step forwards. "Thanks.." he turned around to look at them all. "Well, we better go in." Naturally the brown haired boy was the leader. On his heels was Zelos, who tried to insist that he could take charge in this situation, though their combined leadership only succeeded in leading them down a few wrong turns. Genis however, waited patiently for his opportunity to step in and show them the right way. It was, after all, what he was there for.

"We need to go to the control room." Raine explained as soon as they had gone part of the way in.

Lloyd nodded. "My intuition tells me that it's probably the farthest room in."

"Lloyd!" His sister seemed genuinely surprised. "You're absolutely right!"

Genis rolled his eyes. It was times like this when the twelve year old that he was would surface. "..We've been to enough ranches, obviously he would have figured this out by now.." He winced when Lloyd bopped him on the top of his head, putting his hands up defensively. "..Ow!"

They had continued walking after that, with the young mage rolling his eyes more times than necessary at their leadership.

"..Genis."

He blinked, completely startled. Presea had been next to Colette during the walk down; he hadn't even noticed that she had moved to his side. He could barely stammer his question to her. "..Presea.. are you still angry with me?"

The pink haired girl lowered her gaze. "No.. I.. I remembered what you said. About.. complements. I am afraid that.. I still do not know how to take them."

"It's all right." Genis couldn't remove the color from his cheeks. "Um.."

She frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side, studying him. "Your shirt.. it needs to be tucked in again.."

Genis sighed. "..You sound like my sister.. we're the same age, you know. I.."

"I'm sorry. You're right.." Presea sighed as well. "We.. had this discussion before. It just seems.. odd. You are.. young, Genis. You may think that I am, as well.. but.."

"Presea.." He looked down, though tentatively started to hold his hand out. "..I'm sorry.. Um.."

Before he could say any more, Lloyd's voice suddenly broke into their conversation, distracting her from him. "Hey guys, this is it. We've made it!"

Genis winced and looked ahead. This certainly looked like the inside of a human ranch now. There was nowhere to go but up and concentrate on the battles ahead. And of course.. another opportunity for him to try to bond with Presea was taken away.

'If I could only understand what I'm feeling.. maybe it would be easier..' He looked towards the red-haired chosen, and grimaced slightly. 'I just hope it doesn't mean that I have to ask him for advice..'

Shaking his head, the silver haired mage moved to keep up with the others. Likely there would be things that they needed him for.

--

Pacing.

The pieces needed to fit together. Now.

Yuan walked the length of the office once more.

His private office was now established in the Sylvarant base, a onetime Desian prison, later revealed to be one of the main renegade bases that had been used to further his own purposes. For over 3,000 years he had organized his team, the majority of them half-elves, like himself; some of them even humans that knew the truth behind the twisted system and swore their loyalties to him to help him in his quest..

Behind the scenes. They trusted only each other; beyond that there were none. Like the Desian brotherhood, and yet not alike.

He was a quiet leader. Quiet and efficient. Those who served him loved him, in their own fashion. They had pledged their very lives to his cause. Much like he had earlier pledged his life to Mithos' cause. So he was, in fact, a traitor. A traitor for the cause. The true cause, that Mithos abandoned long before he took the eternal sword in hand and betrayed the summon spirits that brought him his triumph.

"Lord Yuan." The man addressed glanced up from his thoughts as one of his Renegades entered the room, removing his helmet and giving a slight bow towards his leader.

"I presume that they have departed?" He asked, clasping his hands behind his back for a moment as he studied the Renegade. He knew them all by name, despite the fact that most had similar faces and attitudes. Hayyam was no different; save he was unmatched in his artistic ability. Many of the half-elf's sketches were locked for safekeeping in the office, as his sketches were used as a photographic record in cases where there were none. The most important and best details of the sketches were the eyes of the subjects.

Yuan often found himself studying a painting that depicted the four 'heroes'.. Mithos, Martel, Kratos.. and himself. That painting was one of the reasons that ensured that he would never forget Hayyam's own face in a sea of renegades. Beloved Martel, lost over a rift of years, never allowed to rest. His love for her would allow him to let her go. Something Mithos could not do.

The half elf was speaking. "Yes. Lord Botta and the others are taking care of the other operations. The rest of us are heading back to the Iselia ranch to continue our infiltration. It isn't likely that Forcystus suspects much.. but we must use any opportunity that we can get. Especially with the other ranches being put out of operation."

Yuan nodded curtly in reply. "Especially so. Once we have the mana cannon secured, there will be one less worry on our hands. With the summon spirits awakened, there will be yet another. We will be needing someone to inform our Tethe'allan forces about the change in plans regarding Lloyd Irving and.. the others. For now, you are not to touch them until my command."

The green-haired half-elf nodded, lifting the helmet up once again and placing it on his head. "As you say. I also have something else to deliver to you as well." He handed over what seemed to be a folder to Yuan. "..You might find it interesting."

Yuan inclined his head in a nod; he knew very well that it likely contained some of the younger half-elf's images besides the usual reports. "Thank you, Hayyam. Now head back to your duties."

Hayyam gave Yuan another bow before disappearing out of the office door. The blue haired half elf rubbed at his temples for a moment, considering. Too much time had been wasted, too much technology had been developed, and entirely too many lives to count had been lost.. he wondered how the humans could stand to work with them. Some humans could be persuaded for the greater good. Something that Mithos refused to see, let alone that one of his trusted Seraphim began as a human himself.

He flipped the folder open. There were the usual things; reports of activities in the Iselia ranch to date, the names of those who were currently in disguise.. not to mention the daily casualty report. And that list of numbers.. for creatures that considered themselves superior, the Desians certainly took care of their human pets, learning their back stories to find out new ways to make them suffer.

Yuan's hand paused as he flipped to the next set. Here were the sketches that he had needed. Now he could add more to the profiles of the group that they had recently convinced to join them.. the group that would be the final piece to a long, complicated puzzle..

..Aside from the one piece that never fit in properly to begin with.

"..Lloyd would be Kratos." He murmured. Perhaps not as hard, or stern-faced as the mercenary himself, Yuan reasoned, studying the image, though the resemblance was still there. It was a wonder that they had not noticed it themselves. Then again, they wouldn't know to look for it. His mother, Anna, was supposed to be yet another replacement for Martel.. it was strange to think of it that way. "Giving her a new body won't bring her back. It will make her unhappy forever."

'..The young half-elven boy. Genis. That would be Mithos.' Yuan closed his eyes for a moment. Mithos as he once had been, perhaps – young, idealistic, and innocent.. to a certain extent. Yet his plans had caused the worlds to come to a struggling existence, in which both sides would never know true peace, as long as Martel remained in the center of the balance and imbalance. Perhaps Genis was a promising lad, and wouldn't fall into the same trap that had grabbed Mithos..

"Yggdrasill." Yuan reminded himself, shaking his head. "Lord Yggdrasill. I won't pretend that I have forgotten the boy that you used to be, even if you don't permit us to call us by your name anymore, or see you for who you were.." He frowned at the picture. "Yet with new hope, the worlds will become as one again.. as Martel wishes. There are other ways to guide our ideals. And it won't come by taking life from everything around us."

He turned to the next picture. A woman's face stared back at him. Similar to Genis', except not. "Raine Sage.. would be the Martel of the group." His frown remained in place. "Colette is the chosen, but it is truly Raine that is Martel. She is the older sister.. the healer.. except that she is far more skeptical than Martel.. and more perceptive." he closed his eyes for a moment, then blinked and studied the picture. "..This is odd. Hayyam usually doesn't botch the details.. these aren't her eyes. They look more like.." he frowned. "It can't be.."

He flipped the page back to study the image of Genis, and then back to look at Raine. "..There is something wrong with her eyes.." He shook his head. "Or I'm delving too deep into this.."

The next few pictures were flipped through and studied intently. The chosen of Tethe'alla. The Summoner from Mizuho that was connected to his Tethe'allan forces. The small girl--Presea, was it?-- who was yet another human life being used in research that would help support Martel's body. "We didn't amass such a group during our own travels. I suppose the only thing lacking is my representation.." He studied the last picture that his eye fell on. "A human. Regal. He is the only one left. Perhaps this is me."

Granted, he didn't know terribly much about the man. Save for the fact that he had murdered someone and spent time in jail, and had his own reasons for wearing those bonds on his wrists. Something worth looking into, if he could spare any of his Tethe'allan forces to run a suitable background check. When the time was right.

'Though this is for my own piece of mind,' Yuan thought, shaking his head as he closed the folder and secured it in one of the cabinets. 'Just to find the one who shares my connection. I'll not worry about the eyes yet. Surely.. it was an honest mistake. Hayyam must have.. noticed the similarities as well.'

"Botta..." Yuan clenched his hands into fists. "Damn him.. I know that man too well." He took up his cloak and flung it around his shoulders. He had spent too much time ruminating. There were many tasks to attend to, and they weren't going to get completed with him standing around muttering to himself.

But he wouldn't be so stupid as to..

'No. He wouldn't be that stupid.'

At least Yuan hoped not.

--

After some long and particularly obnoxious trials, and thankfully armed with the logic of the professor and Genis that made things a lot simpler, the comrades soon reached the elevator that would take them to the main control center of the ranch--or at least part of the way there. Unfortunately, even with the power from the sorcerer's ring, the lift only went up part of the way, leading to confusion once it stopped.

"Rodyle's elevator doesn't quite go to the top floor, if you know what I mean." Zelos quipped as the others ruminated on how to get past this dilemma.

"I don't get it." Colette blinked at him. "How that's a joke. This lift must go higher.."

Sheena sighed heavily with annoyance. "Don't listen to him Colette." The black haired ninja turned her gaze towards the pair most likely to have some form of an idea out of this bunch. "Raine? Regal? Any thoughts?"

The silver-haired healer frowned thoughtfully, leaning on her staff. "Well.. if we can't move this lift up any further, we'll just have to get the Desians to move it for us."

Lloyd blinked and turned his head towards her, tilting it to the side. "..How are we supposed to do that?"

The healer gestured towards the door. "..I don't much like this plan, though a distraction.. if we free the prisoners, the Desians will have to use the lift to get over here, allowing for it to function for our purpose. The way back should be clear for the hostages to escape while we continue onwards to deal with this lunatic and set things up for the Renegades."

Sheena seemed to consider this. "Sounds like she has a point."

Regal frowned a little. "I don't like this.. but there isn't anything else that we can do for now."

They were quick to file out of the elevator, grimacing at the prison and moving quickly to unlock the cages. "Please help us.." the prisoners begged them.

"We will, don't worry." Colette promised.

"How can she promise such things?" Presea murmured to herself.

Soon the cages were unlocked, and the sound of an alarm went off in the background. "Now we set a trap for them." Zelos said, smirking. "Two of us should prepare an ambush from up there." He pointed to a narrow ledge that went around the second level of the cages. "While someone stands over there to act as bait." He gestured towards where they had stepped off of the elevator. "The rest will take cover and instruct the former prisoners on how to get out of here."

Sheena blinked at him. "Wow, sounds like you certainly did a lot of thinking on this. I suggest that Zelos can be the bait."

"What--?"

Ignoring his interruption, she continued. "Lloyd can be one of the ambushers, and Regal will be the one to follow when we take cover."

Lloyd nodded, moving immediately over to the cages and climbing up. "Yeah. That works. We don't have much time."

"Ninety-nine percent success rate." Presea replied.

"That's good enough for me."

"Right. Quickly, after me everyone." Regal was quick to take command, and they were quick to follow his instructions as they gathered together behind the wall. And not a moment too soon, for the sound of the elevator drew nearer. Zelos was still pouting just a bit, though held a defensive position momentarily when the group of confused Desians came running in.

"I didn't think we'd have to do something like this." Raine muttered, having been the one to follow Lloyd's lead to the small ledge, waiting for the Desians to get close enough.

"So you're the meaning of this." They glared at Zelos, who had changed from the defensive stance to a somewhat bored one, pushing a few strands of hair back from falling into his face.

"Hmm, I suppose that I might be." He said with a slight grin.

Annoyance flared up from the Desians. "Get him!" One of them shouted, and they ran for the red haired chosen with their whips and spears. Zelos merely stood there, watching them with a bored expression.

"Now!"

The two leapt down from the ledge as one, Lloyd pinning one of the Desians to the ground with his swords and Raine holding her staff at the throat at another.

Zelos' dark eyes sparkled almost maliciously, despite their usual mischievous air during battle, as he stepped over to stand over the leader, his dagger held tightly in his fist. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

--

Outside and above, the afternoon sky slowly began to change colors, as it was bordering on evening. The air was cool above the surface of the water, though it didn't bother Mithos in the least. Trivial things such as weather had stopped bothering him years ago. Lifetimes ago. Not that there truly was a difference in weather in his diversified worlds save for the areas in which the summon spirits rested.

The summon spirits were slipping from his control. Yet this didn't bother him entirely. Soon things would return the way they should be. In his new world..

Mithos however, had something to concentrate on for the moment. After all, he had waited for an opportune moment to slip out of the Palmacosta government building, after gathering some interesting information on his own concerning just who the traitors were in his organization.

He hovered above the hidden ranch on his Rheaird, turning his gaze to the woman hovering near him; the woman who had been one of his most trusted associates within the ranks of the Desian Grand Cardinals. It was she who was able to procure the spare Rheairds for this purpose without much difficulty, and to she whom he trusted the most daunting of tasks. He owned her soul. She would not fail him again.

"I trust that.. the other matter that we discussed.. is being taken care of as we speak?"

She inclined her head in a nod. "..Indeed. I have spoken with Forcystus, and he is beginning an inquiry. The results of this should be quite interesting.. "

"Treachery is in the air around us. It would be wise if you remembered that as well." Mithos spoke quietly, his gaze resting on the surface of the water. He could sense them now. Fighting, most likely. Genis would play the instrument, and cement their bond even further.

Pronyma smirked slightly. "As you say, my Lord Yggdrasill. Rodyle and Kvar were fools, hoping to supplant me in your heart. Does their failure disappoint you?"

"Failure. Indeed. Perhaps that is why Kratos saw it fit to remove Kvar and Magnius." Mithos lifted his gaze to meet hers. "The Grand Cardinals.. instead of working together, the majority turned against each other in competition. As if it would truly impress me. You and Forcystus are all that I have left. You are the highest ranked for a reason, and it is in your deeds that I trust most."

"Even though I am not one of your Seraphim? I feel most honored indeed, my Lord." Pronyma cast her eyes down to his hands, raising an eyebrow. "..Tell me, is that not one of the failed Cruxis Crystals from one of the projects that split in two nearly fifteen years ago?"

Mithos looked up, a slight smirk etched on his face as well as he held out the pendant, which was glowing slightly. "So you did pay attention to those projects. That crystal was thousands of years old. Preserved for years in the systems until I at last found a use for it."

"I thought that project had been abandoned." She studied the pendant before handing it back over to him. "It looks different from when I saw it last. Besides being split in two, it doesn't even resemble a normal exsphere. What happened to the host body for it?"

He closed his eyes once more as the crystal touched his hand, once again withdrawing mana from it, before returning it safely to his pocket. "You will find out soon enough, Pronyma. For now, await me at Derris Kharlan, and see that things are being taken care of. We have other plans to attend to, and Rodyle is likely to be defeated at any time."

Pronyma nodded serenely, her usually cold gaze moving towards the surface of the water, her expression turning faintly amused as the underwater ranch slowly began to move towards the surface. "It is very likely. He is a fool, after all. It is a shame that I cannot see his demise."

With that, she departed, leaving him alone to watch and wait. His eyes darkened as he slipped his hand into his pocket once more. "Soon. Soon all will be right once more."

The sunlight glinted off of the top of the dome and he smirked, waiting for his opportunity.

--

"Burn.. Raging mist!" Genis panted, dropping down to his knees. He saw the creature drop to the floor in front of him. From the corner of his eye, his sister was struggling with her healing spells. Lloyd was pushing himself up to his feet, and Presea leaned tiredly on her axe.

Rodyle had fallen. And yet.. "Did.. we win?"

Colette helped the half-elven boy to his feet, giving him a small smile. "Yes.. you've defeated him, Genis. Nothing can match those spells of yours."

His gaze went to the humans on the projector screen, wincing. "..Nothing can save those poor people either.." He glanced to his sister, who seemed to be shivering.

Rodyle crawled away from them, barely able to pull himself to his feet. He was defeated. Disfigured and humiliated. That voice was almost impossible to listen to.

Genis stared at him.

"..Pronyma.. you.. tricked me.." The voice coming from his mouth was barely human, barely understandable, as were the monstrous hands that fell across a piece of machinery. "..But I won't die alone. I'm taking you all with me!"

Rodyle's malformed hands quickly found the code it was looking for. The group turned their attention to him, though it was too late. His body collapsed onto the floor, disintegrating before their eyes.. and a series of alarms went off.

"What did he.." Zelos stared at the spot where he had been.

Raine took a step back with her hands pressed to her chest. "Oh no.. he activated the self destruct system!"

"The renegades warned us not to destroy this ranch.." Sheena groaned annoyedly. "Do something!"

"I know!" Raine rushed over to the control panel.

Lloyd grimaced as he got a closer look; it seemed even more complicated than it had been in the other ranches. "Professor?" He asked anxiously as they circled around her. If there were anyone to get them out of this mess, it would be her.

Genis blinked and pointed towards the hologram. "Look! The water is still rising!"

Zelos stared in disbelief. "Wow. This is more complicated than I thought."

Colette balled her hands into fists and shook them. "Professor Sage needs to concentrate."

"She needs to go faster." Zelos muttered. "Unless one of us can help.." Yet after even another moment, it was obvious that none of them could. Sheena sighed, almost in despair. Her training with the renegades had not prepared her for dealing with computer systems. Regal could not puzzle them out either.

"It's impossible.. the only one among us capable of handling this machinery is Raine.." Presea's voice was accurate and devastating; their hopes and hearts plummeted almost as one.

"Professor.." Lloyd looked at her intently.

"I know.." Raine closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment, forcing herself to be calm. "Just give me some space, and I can take care of it. Just try to find a way out."

Colette glanced around and saw the door that had led them into the room. "Over here!"

Raine stared down at the machinery, her fingers working fast, her heart pounding in her ears. She would do this; she must do this..

"Stand aside, we will take it from here." A voice spoke from behind them.

Relief flushed Lloyd's face for a moment. "Botta!"

"I'll help." Raine insisted, not moving from her spot.

One of the Renegades moved to take her place. "All of you, go over there." Botta commanded. "We'll take care of this. We don't have a lot of time."

Reluctantly, the healer stepped away from the controls and followed the others out of the control room area. Above them, they could see the dome. And in the room, they could see the water.

Raine flinched. If they had been in there a moment or so longer, the water would have..

Click. There were several gasps as they realized that Botta and the Renegades had locked themselves in. Lloyd refused to give up, with himself and Regal resorting to hurling themselves at the trap door, to no avail. The door was locked from the inside; they had purposely set their fate. Stubborn.

They wouldn't open the door.

They had chosen to die.

"..They did it on purpose." Raine's hand was over her heart once more as she watched, trying to keep it from leaping out of her chest. Trying not to lose whatever contents were in her stomach at the way they had chosen to die. "The ceiling is covered by a dome.. there is nowhere for the water to escape.."

They heard Botta's voice call out from within the chamber. "Our mission is complete. Please see that Martel is allowed her eternal sleep.. for her sake, and for Yuan's sake as well."

Then there was silence.

Presea's voice was strangely filled with emotion as the realization hit her. "They did it.. to save us?"

"Yes.. I suppose they thought of themselves as being noble." Regal murmured to himself.

"No!" Lloyd cried out, slicing at the trapdoor with his swords. "It doesn't have to be this way!"

Nothing. Slowly they all closed their eyes, preparing to mourn, though a sound caught Presea's attention, and she jumped in surprise. "..Look behind you.."

High above, a series of cages began opening. Dragons, with scaly blue and purple skin, began clearing out of the cages and flapping around the dome.

Lloyd glanced up sharply. "What are those?!"

"Transport dragons.. the same as before.. they must have been freed when the self destruct system was activated.." Raine murmured.

Regal grimaced. "Looks as if we have no choice except to fight."

--

The sky was pink, now. Mithos simply floated overhead, waiting. Aska would be the only way for them to get out of this mess.

How kind of him, to allow them to get the last link to the summon spirit of light.

He was very aware at the state of things down below. Rodyle certainly was dead now; there would be no remorse for traitors. Whatever his plans for Thor had been, he certainly wouldn't be implementing them now.

Ah.. and the Renegades, He could sense them as well; sense them arrive, set things to rights, and then foolishly sacrifice themselves in the end.

It would work to his advantage, of course.

Mithos was most amused by the sensations that he received from the shard. Emotions were such useless things. Fear and hopelessness emitted from it; not just Raine's, but from the group as a whole, despite the usual optimism that most of them attempted to display.

And here they were with another battle on their hands. Mithos swung the Rheaird around in a loop, to get himself used to moving about once more. After all, Genis would surely remember him now, in his time of need.

"Mithos.."

He could sense the boy calling his name, though in the next moment he could hear the panpipe playing. He amplified the sound of the melody so that it echoed around the too-silent area. And waited. It wouldn't be too long now before..

A large glowing bird appeared.. two heads, colorful body.. one of the guardians of light. Mithos smiled. "Aska.. I need you to break the cover of the dome. For me."

The bird flapped his large wings in reply, and sent a slew of fire balls -- or what seemed to be fire, though was made from pure light -- towards the top of the dome, shattering the glass, and slaying one of the dragons. The others fled. Light poured in from the top of thenow-broken dome. Once again he was to be a savior on high.

"Genis.. Raine.. everybody!" Mithos called out, realizing his opportunity as Aska flew away.

They would be happy to see him. And wouldn't question too much the how and the why of him being there at the moment that they needed him most.

It was time to reel in the catch.