Transformation
"Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need."
HeimdallShortly after lying him down inside the small dwelling, Lloyd began to grit his teeth and squint his eyes as if he were warding something away. Perspiration dotted his creased forehead and Colette immediately rushed to find cool water and a cloth to aide in getting his fever down. Truthfully no one knew what the young warrior was going through and tension clouded the room like a fog. Everyone either stood or sat, but all eyes were on Lloyd. His arm wound from earlier had already been tended to.
The elven mother who'd shown the group such hospitality frowned as she stood at the bed's side. "This boy has had his body completely depleted of mana. As far as I can tell, he should be dead."
Gasping, Colette clasped her hands in front of her and exclaimed, "Don't say things like that!"
Just then the door opened and Altessa came in, Regal and Presea behind him. The mother bowed her apology and walked out the now opened door, pulling her little girl with her.
Colette spun around, "Can you tell what's wrong with him Altessa?" Worry filled every part of her body and the angel-girl very much doubted she would be able to think about anything else. How could she? Here was her childhood friend on the brink of death and it was all her fault! If only she'd made him go home instead of dragging him along on her journey of regeneration.
She admitted what she had said before about feeling nervous when Lloyd wasn't around was true, and she doubted she'd have her soul right then had Lloyd not been around. Yet she couldn't help but think she'd put him in danger and was therefore responsible for his present condition. She had to see him through this! She owed him at least that much.
Altessa approached the bed and rubbed his burly beard in thought. "Hmm, I was afraid of this. It's similar to what Presea went through when they first gave her the cruxis crystal. He's beginning his transformation…into a half-angel."
"Half-angel?" Genis asked curiously.
"Humans and angels are different in the fact that they have heightened senses, strength, and an extended lifespan. Lloyd's body is conforming to these changes due to the crystal."
"But Lloyd doesn't have a cruxis crystal." Genis protested. "He only has the exsphere from his mother."
Presea walked to the opposite side of Altessa and picked up Lloyd's wrist, looking critically at the backside. "Perhaps it was an exsphere at one time, but it is most certainly a cruxis crystal now."
Gasping, Colette had to ask, "Will he…lose his soul like I did?"
"No."
Altessa turned towards the door and regarded the angel as he strode in with another of his kind. "Strange to see another dwarf as crazy as me on the surface." He greeted the other with a firm handshake.
"I was just about to say tha same." Dirk returned the greeting.
"Kratos, is he going to be okay?" Colette addressed her former protector.
Looking at his son from the edge of the bed, Kratos crossed his arms. "It's hard to say." He said slowly. "His blood is not completely human, so his consciousness will not be taken over. However, without enough mana to sustain his body, the process could send him into shock." It surprised him how well he could maintain his composure even after the fact that his insides were doing back flips. He knew what Lloyd was going through, having survived it himself ages ago. The muscles twisting under the skin, growing and becoming stronger…brain cells literally multiplied, giving the host lightning fast reflexes and finely tuned senses. The cost of such immortality though was immense pain that could last anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire night.
Raine's back straightened. "Is it painful?"
Kratos finally tore his gaze away from the tormented youth and closed his eyes with a sigh, unable to put into words just how painful.
Forests Near Fooji Mountains, 1,000 years earlier…A transformed Mithos stood before a human Kratos, a glowing blue orb in his hand. Large, sparkling wings fluttered softly behind the summoner and the warrior almost couldn't believe it. "Mithos, what have you done?"
Smiling with narrowed eyes, the exiled half-elf replied, "I've improved myself; become stronger and faster than ever before. I have become…an angel." Holding out the cruxis crystal, Mithos made his offer. "Join me, Kratos my friend, and together we will show all those who oppose us who has the right to live and who deserves to die."
"Mithos, how do you believe this will make Martel happy?" Kratos, as well as Yuan, had felt the pain of their friend Martel's death, but it seemed her brother had taken it a step further.
"Because my dear friend, with the power of the summoned spirits and my new immortal life, not only will I bring the equality that my sister so wanted to this war-torn world, but I will also make it so that Martel herself can be here to see it."
Kratos' eyes widened in shock, "Mithos…can it be true?" Loosing his friend and companion had dealt a hard blow to the warrior, but if she could be brought back…
Mithos nodded and motioned to the orb. "Yuan has already agreed. The process will hurt, but it will be worth it…"
That night had been pure agony as Kratos thrashed around in his bed, his very soul and mind being ripped apart. Kratos secretly wondered if at that moment, he had actually lost his soul forever.
Time didn't exist for him, but he assumed hours later he awoke to the new dawn's light and found a pair of blue-violet wings on his back. Exchanging his humanity for another's ideals…
Would he really reap the rewards of his decision…or live an eternity in regret?
Kratos opened his eyes and the sadness that reflected in his swirling orbs magnified infinitely within the angel. Never before had the heavens witnessed such inner turmoil and so the sky wept for the angel who could no longer cry himself. Be strong…Lloyd…
Inside Lloyd's subconscious, his mind was trying to understand the pain his body felt. As muscle mass doubled and inner bone marrow dissolved – making flight easier – pain continued to assault Lloyd, keeping him in a state of delirium.
So, his mind did the only thing it could and created a dream world it perceived as reality, in order to give reason for the burning sensations bombarding his very being.
Lloyd opened his eyes and found himself in the sewers of Meltokio. The smell was as putrid as he remembered, if not worse, and rats of every size scurried to take refuge in the cracks and crevices of the broken down stonewalls.
Following the path towards the surface, Lloyd listened carefully for any abnormal sounds other than the running sewer water and ever present rodents. What am I doing here? Try as he might, he couldn't remember what he'd been doing previously or what business he had in the bustling metropolis above.
A soft padding behind him made him whirl around and he came face to face with an unexpected friend. "Presea! What are you…?" Leaning back he barely evaded the swift deadly strike of the young girl and rolled to gain some distance. Unfortunately the walkways in the underground sewer were narrow and Lloyd didn't have all that far to run or maneuver.
Looking over, he quickly noticed the axe-wielding girl's eyes were dull, glazed over, just like when he and his friends first met her. But we made the key crest and saved her!
Not recognizing Lloyd as an ally, Presea easily hefted the weapon and struck again. Lloyd turned and ran, hoping to find more open ground. "Presea, it's me! Lloyd!" He exclaimed, but to no avail. Cursing, he doubted his swords would be very effective against such a heavy-laden weapon, so instead he looked for the exit. Surely the others would know of a way to bring Presea back.
As he jumped over one of the waterways, Presea landed in front of him and twirled in a circle shouting, "Devastation!"
Lloyd tried to roll his momentum backwards, hoping to dodge the attack once more, but it was a split second too slow and the sharp metal dug a deep cut across one of his legs. Crying out he resorted to his swords in a futile attempt to convince his friend of his identity. "Presea, please listen to me! You have to stop attacking me and come to your senses!"
The pink haired child paused and for a second, Lloyd thought he'd gotten through to her, but then she raised both arms above her head and came striking down. There was a crashing sound and a flash of light, but when Lloyd looked again, his breath caught in his throat.
Still holding the axe above Lloyd's head, Presea looked down and saw one of his swords piercing through her abdomen. A moment later, as her weight fell down towards the moistened stone beneath, she slowly slid off his sword, her crimson blood dripping along the length of the blade. Lloyd was frozen in shock when she collapsed to the ground and lay there unmoving. Her blood drained from each side of the wound, joining with the stream from Meltokio to make a current of innocence destined to be lost forever.
"Presea!? Presea!" Lloyd fell to his knees and ignored his own blood flowing from his wound as he continued to stare at her small body. His eyes immediately watered and he shook his head in anguish. "Why!? What's going on here!?"
"It seems the truth comes out."
Gasping, Lloyd looked over and saw Regal standing there, staring sadly at Presea. His hands were still bound in front of him, but Lloyd could see his hands were balled up into fists. "R-Regal! I-It's not what you think!" He tried to explain. "The crystal…"
"She has been yet another victim decimated without care and without regret." Regal ignored Lloyd's stuttering response and narrowed his eyes. "I should've known you'd turn on us sooner or later." He lifted his head and glared with resentment at Lloyd.
Using his swords to get to his feet, Lloyd lost himself in the rage that burned within Regal's stare. At one time this man, devastated with the fact that he had been forced to kill the one he loved, believed himself a criminal and dangerous to society. Lloyd and the others convinced him that it wasn't his fault and that he had actually freed the one he so loved from her torture. What had happened to that man? The one who strived to right all the wrongs created by Mithos and the Angels of Cruxis?
"Though she may not be able to defend herself now…" Regal pulled back both hands to his side and they began to glow white. "I will not see her murderer get away!"
"Regal no!" Lloyd pleaded, but was slammed back into the sewer wall with the exsphere-induced attack. Never again would Regal use those hands to fight…then why?
Lloyd's head collided with the age-old stone and as he slumped to the floor, his swords fell loosely to the side and clattered loudly against the misty floor. Hot blood gushed from the wound at the back of his head and trickled down his neck, back and shoulders. It soaked him and made him feel an unnatural cold that seeped deep within his skin. His head was throbbing and he wanted to cry out in pain, but no sound came out. He tried to will his limbs to move, but they wouldn't listen…
HeimdallEveryone was jolted by Lloyd's sudden outcry and jumped to their feet when he began to violently thrash about in bed, throwing the covers off and almost falling off the cushions themselves. Colette, who had yet to fall asleep, cried at the torment he was going through yet couldn't find it within her to even move. She was frozen to her spot with fear for his safety. At the moment, Regal and Presea were out in the village searching for food and supplies to bring back to the others.
"What's going on!?" Genis exclaimed from Colette's side.
His older sister ran to Lloyd's side in an attempt to see exactly what was wrong, but couldn't get near the agitated youth while he continued to swing his arms and legs madly.
"Hold him down before he hurts himself!" Altessa exclaimed.
Zelos jumped forward and grabbed one of Lloyd's arms while Dirk grabbed the other and held down his upper body. Genis threw himself on top of both Lloyd's legs securely them down as best as he could. With everyone already upset, Genis attempted to hold back his own tears.
Zelos grunted with the resistance Lloyd was showing and was amazed how much strength the swordsman actually possessed. "Calm down, buddy. Hang in there." He tried to soothe his friend.
Lloyd eventually quieted down and returned to whimpers and moans. Raine whipped his head of the sweat and looked over at her little brother as he slowly got off the bed. "G-Genis! You're bleeding!"
The young half-elf looked down in shock and saw his knees and most of his legs were covered in blood. "I-it's not mine! I'm not even hurt!"
Dirk pulled up Lloyd's pant leg and gasped when he saw Lloyd had suffered a new injury. "Where did he get this from? Get some bandages over here quickly!"
Raine rushed to her bag and immediately searched for the requested items.
Colette couldn't take it anymore and fell to her knees. Zelos saw this and caught her before she hit the ground. "Whoa, careful there."
Her face was one of shock and disbelief. Even though she didn't say anything or react to her fellow Chosen's comment, the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
"I'll go see if the item shop has any more bandages or gels." Altessa offered, exiting the small house.
Raine and Sheena began wrapping up Lloyd's leg while Genis used some cloth to clean himself off. Dirk remained by his son's side and held onto his hand, covering the pulsating cruxis crystal on the boy's left. "I'm here for ya, son."
Kratos scoffed quietly to himself and slipped out unnoticed.
Near PalmacostaLloyd wondered around and found himself in a grassy clearing somewhere near Palmacosta. He could hear the ocean, but couldn't see it. The wind was light but chilly and carried with it the unmistakable scent of seawater. It wasn't too chilly, he noted to himself, and the only sound he could hear was the far off waves. He frowned and listened intently to the night air. Where were the nightingales? Where were the other nocturnal animals to sing their preludes of the night? "Where am I?"
As he continued to walk, he saw a woman standing in the distance. She wore a medium lavender dress with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath. Long pink ribbon tails blew behind her from a sash around her waist. He knew this summoning ninja. She had gone from trying to assassinate Colette to being a strong ally and friend. "Sheena!" He called out with a smile.
Sighing sadly, she bowed her head and stared at her hands. "They all gave so much but because of me, they were all killed by Volt." Her voice was accusing and held a slight waiver.
Lloyd approached her slowly, seeing how close to the edge of the cliff she was. "Sheena, you've grown strong since then, you can't blame yourself for their deaths." He comforted, knowing of what she spoke.
"It's because of you that I was banished from the village, Lloyd." Sheena raised her head and gazed sadly at the warrior. "I was supposed to kill the Chosen One Colette in order to redeem myself, but you wouldn't let me."
Lloyd took an uneasy step backwards. "W-what?"
Sheena turned towards Lloyd, her back to the rocky cliffs. "They would've accepted me back and forgiven me for my crime if I had succeeded in my mission." She pulled out one of her elemental cards. "Is one person's life not worth that of a hundred?"
"What are you talking about?" Lloyd frowned. She wasn't making any sense. Was she talking about Colette's life… or her own?
Sheena scoffed and raised the seemingly frail looking piece of paper. "Had Colette died, the spirits of those who died in Volt's tower would've been put to rest. My redemption would've been complete and I could've returned to the village a hero instead of a criminal." Her garnet colored eyes glared at Lloyd. "Or would you prefer I gave my life to quell their requisitions instead?"
"No!" Lloyd shook his head. "I don't want anyone else to die! Not for a sacrifice, nor for redemption. Those from your village know you tried your best and the fact that you succeeded in order to save the world, and in turn your village, would've made them proud. No one blames you! You have nothing to feel guilty about anymore!"
Sheena's body shook from withheld anger and sadness and she lowered her card to her side once more. "Heh, a world where no one has to die? Is it a myth? Like the hero Mithos and the Goddess Martel was a myth?"
"That's not true!" Lloyd began stepping forward. Sheena, in her present condition, was in danger being so close to the edge. "Martel does exist and as long as the world is filled with caring and love, the mana tree will continue to flourish as proof of her existence." He held out a hand towards the summoner. "I'm sure the spirits of the departed would want you to see the regenerated world with your own eyes as well."
Sheena took a step backwards, away from Lloyd, and shook her head. "No, I can hear their voices…they blame me! I should've died with them!"
"Sheena watch out!" Lloyd called out in fear.
"Get away from me!" Sheena exclaimed, activated the fire card in her grasp. Fire erupted all around the Mizuho ninja and Lloyd had to throw up his arms to block the dangerous blaze. His sleeves caught on fire, but when he lowered them down again he saw Sheena fall over the side of the cliff. "No!" Reaching out, he missed her hand and crashed against the ground instead.
The grass extinguished the blaze on his arms, but his eyes would not tear away from the falling body of his friend. "Sheena!" When her body collided with the rocky boulders below and her blood splattered against the shore, Lloyd clenched his eyes shut in anguish. "SHEENA!"
"You just let her die, didn't you?"
Looking behind him, Lloyd saw Zelos standing in the meadow, the night air picking up and swaying the chosen's flaming red hair on its currents. "No...I tried to stop her, but she…" Lloyd's voice cracked as he relived the traumatic experience.
"Some of us are destined to die. Sacrificed so others could live." Zelos said quietly, but loud enough so Lloyd could hear.
Lloyd shook his head angrily and balled his hands into fists. "No! Everyone has the right to live!" He glared at the warrior before him. "From the day they are born, they should be given the choice how to live their life! We all are!"
Zelos scoffed with a smile and unsheathed his sword. Raising it up, he stared into the blade's smooth surface. Instead of seeing his own face, he saw Sheena's smiling face looking back and felt the pain of her absence. Their relationship had always been rocky, but he'd always expected to have the time to tell her how he really felt. Never before had a woman affected him so and he knew what it meant. He loved her. "Do you think she chose to die? If I choose to trade my life for hers…you think it'll work?"
Lloyd immediately caught on and began running forward, his hand outstretched. "No, don't!"
Pulling the blade down, Zelos stabbed himself through the stomach. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt, but in light of it all, he saw Sheena's translucent figure ready to lead him to the kingdom of heaven. "Sheena…"
Lloyd had yet to reach the warrior's side when Zelos fell to his knees, the sword still bisecting him. Zelos' eyes lost their gleam, but the smile on his lips remained. As he finally closed his eyes and fell to the side, Lloyd's vision was enveloped in a red light emanating from the perishing Chosen and he couldn't see a thing. "Zelos!"
HeimdallRaine squeezed out the cloth and dipped it back into the bowl with fresh cool water and replaced it on Lloyd's forehead. "He's running an unusually high fever." She said sadly. Just recently, the boy had cried out in another fit and his arms reddened as if he'd held them in a fireplace. It was increasingly difficult for the healer to tend to all his injuries. On top of that, the pillow behind his head had soaked with blood, revealing yet another injury they'd missed earlier, and the teacher had acted quickly to wrap that as well.
Regal and Presea had returned with ingredients for Genis to cook with and everyone ate in silence. Only Dirk refused to eat until his son was well. Genis stood by Colette and held up a bowl of soup. "I know it's hard but you won't be any good to Lloyd if you don't eat." He knew his friend would want someone to look after Colette while he was out. Right now, this is the best I can do for him. Genis thought sadly.
Colette though, remained by Lloyd's side and sat in a chair, attending to him every moment she could. She wanted to be the first one he saw when he woke up…if he woke up. She slowly shook her head in refusal.
Sheena saw this and came over, placing a gentle hand on the young angel's shoulder. "Why don't you take a break? I can take over and watch him in case anything else happens."
Again Colette shook her head. "I…want to be there for Lloyd…just like he was always there for me."
Regal stood quietly by the entrance. "Then perhaps some fresh air would make you feel better. If you do nothing, we will have two sick people on our hands instead of one."
Colette's eyes widened and she looked up at the usually gentle man. "I…I guess." She slowly stood up and walked out of the hut, followed by Regal.
Genis sighed and placed the bowl on the bed stand. "How long is this going to go on for? I don't think Lloyd can take much more."
Sheena shrugged. "We don't really know. So far we've only dealt with full angels. Colette was slowly transformed into an angel and so the effects also came at her slowly."
Raine nodded in agreement. "Lloyd on the other hand has received all the abilities and powers at once. I'm assuming it happened just before he germinated the Great Seed."
"With Kratos' blood, Lloyd's what…a half angel?" Genis asked.
"Isn't that what Altessa said earlier?" Sheena asked. "Anyways, all we can do is wait it out. Hopefully it won't be much longer."
Outside, Colette sat on one of the benches near where she'd landed the rheairds and sighed sadly. It was cold outside, but she didn't care. Even the droplets of water that fell from the sky didn't bother her. All she could think about was Lloyd. After everything he'd done for her, she couldn't find one thing she could do to make this easier for him.
Regal had offered to stay with her, but she refused and he'd relented to standing near by incase she changed her mind. Presently he was by the water's edge at the small pond, staring at his reflection.
"May I join you?"
Colette looked up from the ground and saw Presea in front of her. Not having the energy to refuse anymore, she simply looked back down at her lap.
Slowly Presea took a seat next to her and leaned back, looking up at the night sky. The bench they were on was covered, so the rain that had begun did not hit them, but the sound of falling raindrops on the wood created a kind of symphony that was pleasing to the ear. Regal appeared not to be bothered by the downpour, so she let him be.
For a moment, neither said anything and Colette was beginning to wonder why the girl had bothered to come out at all. "When I first regain my heart and memory after I received Lloyd's key crest, I was overwhelmed with grief over not only the death of my father, but also my lost time."
Colette refused to raise her head, but looked over towards the girl next to her. "…"
"I felt I was never to regain the lost time and had actually lost part of my soul, if not all of it, during my servitude under Rodyle." Presea turned to Colette and slowly placed a hand over one of hers. "But then I realized that it wasn't about the time that I had lost, but making the most of the life I was given back by Lloyd and all of you. Had you not been there, I am not sure I would've been able to leave that house, even after everything."
Colette gasped and finally raised her head to meet Presea's calculative jade gaze.
"I was never without my soul, you all made me see that, and now I have friends that I wouldn't trade for the world." Presea, for the mere second time since Colette had met her, smiled. "No matter what happens, everyone in our group is there for each other and that means you too. We are all worried about Lloyd, but we don't want you to suffer so much either. Please, do not push us away."
"No, it's not like that, I just…" Colette sighed. "I can't focus on anything but Lloyd and…"
"But do you believe Lloyd would want you to hurt yourself because you were worried for him?" Presea interrupted.
"Hurt...myself?" Colette echoed. She hadn't thought about it like that. The others knew she was pushing herself too hard by not eating and even though Lloyd was in pain, they were also worried about her. Smiling a little, Colette nodded to Presea. "Thanks. I feel a little better now."
"Good because I don't think you have much time to eat any more of Genis' soup. Zelos will probably have eaten it all by now." Presea said this quite seriously, but the energetic girl next to her broke out in giggles. After a moment, Presea joined in with the laughter and together they stood to walk back to the hut.
Though he hadn't said anything, Regal was listening intently to their conversation and smiled to himself. "Presea…" Seeing such emotion from the girl was an immense relief to Regal. He had been afraid the after effects would be permanent, but now he knew that was not the case. Slowly, she was regaining not her soul, but her humanity. And that, to Regal, was more important than anything. "Are you watching, Alicia? I swore to you that day I would protect her, and I will keep my promise."
In another part of the village, Zelos walked around looking for Kratos, finally realizing the angel had disappeared sometime earlier and was curious to find out where he'd run off to. "It's not like it's that big of a village."
Approaching the edge of the sacred Torrent Forest, which surrounded Origin's seal, Zelos shrugged and walked in, being the only other place he hadn't checked yet. Surprisingly, the forest was clear of monsters, probably having disappeared because they were no longer needed to guard the mythical landscape. Origin no longer resided here and instead traveled with the warrior who'd recently made a pact with him, Lloyd Irving.
Zelos easily found his way through the pathways and found Kratos standing pensively in front of the headstone. The Chosen didn't want to startle the warrior and knowing the angel probably already sensed his presence, stayed quietly watching until Kratos spoke first. The constant rain had long soaked through Zelos' clothing as well as Kratos', but neither seemed bothered by it.
"Lloyd…is he alright?" Kratos asked quietly.
"Well, it took everyone to hold him down, but he's unharmed for the most part. The bleeding stopped right before I left to find you." Zelos reported.
"That's good." The angel breathed a sigh of relief. "I cannot help but think it's my fault he's going through that now." Pausing, Kratos held a hand over his cruxis crystal. So many mistakes he had to atone for… "It's my tainted blood running through his veins and is causing him to suffer."
"Tainted?" Zelos frowned. "You sound as if you're a half-elf or something, and even then you'd be wrong." Walking to the older man's side, Zelos held both hands on the tip of his sheathed sword. "The way I see it, you're the reason he's got a fighting chance."
"Hmm?" Kratos' back straightened and he looked curiously over at the former Chosen of Tethe'alla.
"Yeah I mean, with no mana in his body, had he been human he would've already been dead. Even you said because he's a half-angel his mind won't be taken over by the cruxis crystal. You're saving him from being turned into a puppet like Colette and Presea were." Zelos smiled in self-pride at his show of intelligence.
Kratos scoffed but smiled nonetheless. "Perhaps you are right, but I still fear for his safety. At this point in history, being an angel – or even a half-angel – will not bode well for him."
Zelos shrugged. "Who better to protect him than his father?"
Kratos wouldn't say it allowed, for fear of bloating the youth's ego more, but Zelos could be quite convincing and compassionate when the time called for it. "Might I suggest we head back towards the village? When Lloyd awakens, he will no doubt want to push himself and leave on another infernal adventure. At that time, it's going to take both of us to hold him down to get him to rest."
Laughing, Zelos patted the angel on the back the same way he would a close friend and not someone who'd, at one point, been against them. But then again, Zelos had been there, betrayed the group – even if in the end it was for their own benefit, and could understand Kratos probably better than most, minus Lloyd. Somehow that boy had a way of getting past Kratos' barriers – an annoying talent inherited by his mother no doubt. "But it's that 'infernal adventure' that saved two worlds and everyone living on them, so you can't hold it against him."
Kratos walked with the boy back towards the village and said quite seriously, "Watch me."
Near MeltokioLloyd looked around and approached a group of humans who were circled around something…or someone. They were all armed with crude weapons, such as shovels and pitchforks, and shouted angrily with incoherent curses and accusations.
"We don't want their kind here!"
"Let's just get rid of them and do this whole world a favor!"
Lloyd frowned and tried to see over the back of the angry mob. "What's going on here?" He asked in a demanding voice.
As one, they all turned towards him and pointed accusingly to those trapped inside. "A couple of half-elves tried to enter the city!" One exclaimed.
"We're going to put an end to their filthy existence!" Another announced.
"What!?" Jumping up, Lloyd was once again thankful for his exsphere as he jumped over all their heads and ended up in the clearing in the center. He was shocked to see Raine and Genis, both of their weapons out and at the ready. "You guys! Professor Sage! Genis! Are you okay!?"
"He's with
the half-elves! Get him!"
As one, the humans dove in and
started to fight. Immediately, Lloyd
unsheathed his two swords and held off the mob as best as he could. Fighting villagers meant Lloyd had to resort
to non-lethal measures and at times like this it was actually harder than
fighting monsters with intent to kill. I'm
not gonna let anyone else die before my eyes!
Not when I can stop it!
"Gentle winds gather before me and turn into waves of air. Cyclone!" Lloyd heard Genis shout.
From underneath his feet, a gust of wind picked the warrior up off the ground and threw him a few meters into the air, twisting and turning his body before he landed harshly back on the floor. Moaning, he turned and looked at Genis and Raine in shock. "W-what's… going on?" Somehow all the angry villagers had disappeared, leaving Lloyd alone with the half-elves.
Raine held her staff out in front of her and glared at her former student. "We don't want your help." She stated.
Genis pointed his Falling Star at Lloyd and nodded. "Yeah, you're a human. You're one of them."
Lloyd got to his feet and frowned. "What? But I thought you trusted me, Genis. I thought you liked me!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "We're best friends, remember?"
"Humans and half-elves can't be friends." Raine said with disgust. "They are far too different."
Lloyd shook his head, swords still at hand. "We can create a world where everyone is equal! We can make people see the error in their ways and we can make a difference!" He insisted. "But only if we overcome our differences and work together!"
Genis scoffed and uncharacteristically sneered at his "friend". "That kind of world doesn't exist!" Mana charging up beneath him, Genis twirled his weapon and shouted, "Gravity Well!"
Lloyd's body was covered in a black-hued shield and within it, he could feel an immeasurable force sucking him down into the black abyss that had opened up beneath his feet. "No! Professor! Genis!"
Lloyd closed his eyes and felt himself falling and falling increasingly fast. Then a jolt of pain erupted from his back and large angelic wings grew out to either side of him, filling the void with sparkling feathers. One flap from the mighty wings and Lloyd stopped his dangerous descent.
When he opened his eyes and looked around, he immediately saw that he wasn't alone. "Colette!" The blonde girl had her head bowed, but upon hearing her name, raised up and looked at Lloyd with hollowed, emotionless eyes. "No, not you too!" He exclaimed.
Before he could say more, Colette came at him with both chakrams at hand, and she sliced repetitively at her warrior friend. Lloyd did his best to block the attacks, but refused to strike back. "Stop this Colette! It's me!" But he knew his words would have the same effect as they had on Presea…none at all.
Suddenly though, the chosen angel-girl ceased her attack and flew off to the side, stopping next to another of her kind. This one had short brown hair that covered one eye and had his arms crossed in disproval. "Dad!"
Kratos, his angelic wings keeping him suspended in the pit of darkness that surrounded them, opened his eyes and regarded his son coolly. "I warned you."
"What?" Lloyd frowned. "Warned me about what?"
"I told you to take the key crest off her if you truly wanted to save her, but you wouldn't listen." Kratos explained.
Lloyd was at a loss of words and as he looked down in sadness, he saw large bubbles rise from the darkness below and quickly surround him, floating upwards. In them Lloyd recognized moments of his life…though appearing random at first, Lloyd began to see the significance of many.
"Lloyd, your fighting skills are…self taught?" "That's right."
"Your swordsmanship is…unrefined. You should focus on eliminated your weaknesses…if you value your life."
"It's Kratos! What are you doing here?" "It's you…I was just looking at the sky." "Don't lie!" "Hmm, then how about I was scheming how to get rid of those that are in Lord Yggdrasill's way?"
"Chosen One. If you want to live… you'll take off that worthless key crest." "No! I'm never taking it off. Lloyd gave this to me." "Hmph, foolish sentiments."
Lloyd felt a mix of emotions from the flashbacks. He admired his father for giving him such advice so early in their journey. It probably saved his life dozens of times in their quest to regenerate the world. He felt guilty for knowing that his faulty made key crest led to Colette being infected and almost crystallized by her cruxis crystal. He also felt bad for being so suspicious of Kratos when the entire time, the angel was only looking for a way to help them and ultimately stop Mithos. Then he felt confusion over his present situation. "What's all this supposed to mean!? We made the new key crest! Colette should be fine!"
"Why because you say so? Should people treat others equally because you say so? Killing will continue, discrimination will continue, the cycle will continue no matter what you say. You have changed nothing." Kratos replied coldly.
Getting angry, Lloyd shouted back at his biological father. "Yeah well at least I tried! I didn't just sit back and let someone else do all the work!" He accused.
"Don't tell me you expect those pathetic Dwarven vows to redeem you now." Kratos said indignantly. "For you there will be no redemption. No mercy."
"I don't need redemption cause I haven't done anything wrong!" Anger getting the best of him, he flew at his father, swords at hand, and slashed madly.
Kratos pulled his sword from its sheath and blocked the attack. "See? You haven't even improved yourself since we last battled. You're pathetic!"
Lloyd slashed again and again, following up with a kick to the cocky angel's chest, slamming him back. "If I remember correctly, I beat you then and I can do it again!"
HeimdallKratos and Zelos finally made it back to the village just in time to hear commotion explode from the hut where Lloyd was staying. Then before they could react, the door flew open and Lloyd jumped through.
Zelos gasped upon seeing the youth's eyes. "Dude! Maybe he really has lost his soul!" Lloyd's brown eyes held no light of their own and he appeared to be possessed.
"Lloyd!" Colette shouted, coming through the doorway outside. She had been shocked when she and Presea had returned to find Genis, Raine, and both dwarves thrown back against the walls, dazed.
Lloyd's wounds reopened and his bandages quickly soaked through with blood. The burns on his arms got worse and also began to grow, covering the upper part of his hands and neck now too. Pulling both swords free from their sheathes, Lloyd pointed at Kratos with one and said, "We end this now."
Kratos, unmoved by the rash display, looked at his son critically. He could sense the boy's soul was indeed still there, unlike when Colette had lost her heart and memory because of the cruxis crystal, but something else wasn't right. "Is that so?" He said carefully, playing along.
Inside Lloyd's mind, he continued to battle his father, dashing this way and that within the black abyss. The navy blue of the older man's outfit made it difficult to track him in the dark.
In reality, Lloyd grit his teeth and his long angelic wings flew out to either side of him and he took to the air. Everyone was left on the ground in shock, but Colette called forth her wings and prepared to take off after him.
"No, stay here." Kratos commanded the girl. "I will deal with this." His angel wings appeared and he flew into the air after his son.
"Kratos…" Colette clasped her hands in front of her sadly and relented.
Zelos walked up to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. He'll bring Lloyd back safely."
Sheena appeared on the girl's other side and gently pushed Zelos' arm off, knowing his ploy to try and hold Colette, and forced a smile, content with the pouting reaction she got from Zelos. "Yeah, what he said."
Colette nodded, but refused to take her eyes off the sky. "I hope you're right."
High above Heimdall, Kratos found Lloyd waiting for him. "Is there a reason for this battle?"
"I don't care what you say! I am stronger and I'm gonna prove it to you!" Lloyd shouted, diving at Kratos with amazing speed.
Juking to the side, Kratos frowned at the strange response. "It doesn't even appear as if he can hear me which means he's…dreaming?" It was a weird occurrence, but it would explain a lot. Since Kratos pretty much blacked out during half of his transformation, he can't say if he dreamed or not, but he assumed what Lloyd was going through now was similar to if a person was caught sleepwalking.
Spinning around, Lloyd came at Kratos again, and this time the angel was forced to draw his sword to deflect the attacks for fear of being injured himself. "Then what I must do is simply incapacitate him." On the bright side, the transformation was pretty much complete and if Kratos failed to bring the boy down, the lack of mana would soon cause the boy to go unconscious anyway.
In the abyss, Lloyd attacked with one sword, then the other, landing multiple hits across his father's chest. The blood that splattered was not red, but black in color and fell down the pit like rain. "As long as we stay true to ourselves and strive to overcome our past failures, we're capable of anything!"
The Kratos he fought held his sword to the side. "So far all I hear is talk. When will there be action?"
"Lloyd! Get a hold of yourself!" Kratos said in a loud, yet calm voice. He had succeeding in keeping the boy at bay, but he had to admit, the youth's skills had improved greatly and the angel probably couldn't hold up against him for much longer. "Whatever you're seeing isn't real! Come back to this reality!" He tried to convince his son. "Come back to us!"
"Come back to us!"
Lloyd frowned and turned his attention from his father to one of the memory bubbles that floated up from the ground. In it he saw Kratos, his wings sparkling behind him, but his eyes were sad. "Dad?" It was raining and the angel's soaked hair clung to his cheeks.
"There are people on this side who still need you! You can't give up on them! Your mission isn't finished!" Kratos exclaimed, shocked that his son had ceased attacking him.
Lloyd paused and saw the bubble grow to a kind of portal. "T-they're all still alive?"
Above Heimdall, Kratos frowned at the sentence. "Of course! And they're all very worried about you. You have to come back now!"
Lloyd looked back at the lone figure of his father surrounded by darkness, and the soulless Colette who had yet to speak or even smile at him. "This isn't real. This isn't the way things should be." Then he turned back towards the bubble and flew through…
Kratos watched as his son blinked and felt relief flow through him when they regained their gleam. "D-dad? Is…is everyone okay?"
Sensing he was out of danger, Kratos sheathed his sword. "Yes, they're all fine."
Smiling, Lloyd closed his eyes. "I'm glad."
Gasping, Kratos watched Lloyd drop his swords and as his wings disappeared, he fell like a rock out of the night sky. "Lloyd!" Diving after him, Kratos pushed himself to fly faster in order to catch up with his son.
As the two came into view of those still on the ground, it was unsure if Kratos would make it in time. "Lloyd!" Colette exclaimed.
Twisting around in midair, Kratos finally caught up with Lloyd, but without enough time left to react, he aimed his back towards the ground and crashed into the forestry floor.
"Kratos! Lloyd!" Sheena exclaimed, following everyone else to their side.
Regal helped Kratos to his feet while the angel refused to let go of his unconscious son's body. "Are you alright?"
"Well, sleeping comfortably will be out of the question for a couple of days, but I think I'll live." Kratos replied. In truth, he should've broken his back and perished, but thanks to his angel powers, he would survive with mild discomfort…and mud-soaked clothes.
"And Lloyd?" Colette asked worriedly.
Looking down into his son's face, Kratos half-smiled. "The process is over. Now he just needs rest."
Everyone sighed with relief and relaxed for the first time in hours. "Thank the goddess." Sheena spoke for everyone, then turned around looking for Zelos. "Hey, where'd Red go?" She asked.
Back in front of the hut, Zelos stood frozen with a shocked expression on his face.
"It appears he's frightened to come near us." Presea concluded with a tilt of her head.
"Frightened… isn't the word for it." Zelos said in an unusually high-toned voice. Looking down he saw one of Lloyd's fallen swords standing straight up, embedded in the mud about an inch from his body, right in front of him. Behind him the other sword protruded from the ground in the same manner. "I almost lost something very important because of that brat!" He said once he recovered from the shock.
Laughing, Sheena came over and pulled the front sword free from the ground and held it playfully to Zelos' throat. "I'm sure the women of the world wouldn't miss something like that."
This got everyone laughing as they walked with Kratos back inside. Somehow no matter how dark things got for them, as long as they had each other, they always pulled through. That was the power of friendship.