Disturbing Occurrences
"Dwarven Vow #5: Do not point the way; Lead the way."
IseliaThe energetic blond smiled as her father and grandmother came out to greet her. "Grandmother, I'm home!"
"Ooh, Chosen One!" Phaidra said. Her voice was as gentle as ever, but Colette could hear the underlying wavering of tears not yet shed.
"No Grandmother, I'm not the Chosen anymore." Colette corrected.
"Oh yes…Colette, you have made us all proud." Phaidra's smile widened.
"Welcome home, Colette." Her father said.
"It's good to be home, Father." The angel-girl giggled and rushed to give her family a hug.
"How was your journey of regeneration?" Frank, her father, asked. His short blond hair and gentle brown eyes always made him someone people could confide in. In lieu of the mayor's resignation, the people of Iselia had decided Frank would be a fine leader to take his place and the humble man had agreed.
Biting her lower lip, Colette decided to bring her parents to the house and explain to them in private the truth about the Church of Martel…and of Cruxis in detail. The last time Lloyd and the others were there, they'd only given the two a summed up version. There was so much more that would have to change. The tale took them well into the night.
All her life, Colette had accepted the fact that she had been born as a form of salvation for the people of Sylvarant and was content with that. Spending endless nights reading old angel books in order to learn the language and prepare for her journey.
But it pained her to know that all that was in vein, that the journey and everything it stood for was a lie created by Mithos in order to revive his sister. During her journey, she'd spread the word of Martel, giving hope to those without, and yet in the end she had been caught up in the conspiracy as well.
Hoping to create a light for everyone to look forward to with her passing, Colette was saddened to know that had she succeeded, both worlds might've come to an end and she would be a mere empty shell with someone else's soul within her.
The haunting feeling of that and so much more ate away at the former Chosen from the inside, but she dare not tell anyone. She had already brought so much pain to Lloyd and those of their group, she didn't want to bring up new problems that she herself should've been able to deal with.
The falsification of the holy church would deal a heavy blow to all those in the new world, but Colette hoped that with the existence of the real Goddess Martel, others would continue to believe.
But Colette, though she knew Martel existed, found her own faith in the ideals of the church dwindling into nothing. No more would she believe unconditionally in the good of people; they would have to prove their worth. It was a harsh lesson, but one Colette would take to heart. Innocence is lost but gives way to experienced wisdom. The Colette that had left on her journey of regeneration was no more.
Lloyd returned, as promised, surprisingly just in time for dinner. The angel-warrior couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Phaidra or Frank this happy. Then he remembered back when they were about to reveal to him and Genis the truth of Colette's journey of regeneration, just before Iselia was attacked by Lord Forcystus and the desians. They thought they were loosing their precious little girl back then forever. To have her back must be an immense relief for them.
Is that how you felt about me, Dad? Lloyd asked the angel who could no longer hear him. Kratos had once told Lloyd he thought Noishe and Lloyd had died the same day as Anna, but when he saw his son for the first time at the Temple of Martel, Lloyd wondered what his father felt when he'd seen Lloyd and learned of his existence. It was a question he hoped he'd be able to ask his father in the near future.
Frank and Phaidra insisted Lloyd stay in their house instead of traveling through Iselia Forest back to his house at night. In his room, Lloyd opened the window and stared up into the night sky, wondering how his father was faring.
"Lloyd? Can I come in?" Colette asked as she softly knocked on the door.
Turning around, Lloyd took a seat on the bed. "Sure thing."
Colette came in and sat down next to him with a smile. "Is everything okay in here?"
"Yeah, of course. I could've made it home alright, but Frank seemed worried something would happen." Lloyd replied, placing his hands back against the bed.
"Well, certain creatures have been spotted around Iselia Forest." Colette told him. "Ones that are different than the usual monsters that appear near the time of the oracle."
Lloyd heard her voice sadden and looked into her face worriedly. "Is…everything okay, Colette?"
She smiled widely again and nodded. "Yep."
Frowning, Lloyd sighed. "You only use that fake smile when you're hiding something. What is it?"
Colette looked away. "What do you mean?"
"Was is that talk you had with Phaidra and Frank?" Her best friend persisted.
"You heard that?" Colette asked in surprise. Sighing, she finally gave in. "I guess out of everyone, you'd notice first Lloyd. I just can't stop thinking that everything I was taught, everything I learned and fought for in order to pass the trials and become a true angel was for nothing. Cruxis and Mithos made the whole thing up."
"Yeah, a lot of people won't believe it when they hear it." He agreed. "But everything you and Raine knew really helped during our journey, you can't say it was all for nothing." He tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah I know, and I can't completely blame Mithos for trying to bring back his sister." She admitted. "But…being a part of something that destroyed so many Chosen and caused thousands others from both worlds to suffer…it makes me feel sick."
"You can't blame yourself!" He retorted. "We were all fooled and it was Mithos would made up such a twisted system!" He softened and made Colette turn to him. "Now that he's gone we can make a better world, one where no one has to suffer like before. We have that power, Colette. It won't be easy…nothing ever is, but we can do it…together."
Smiling genuinely this time, Colette nodded. "Thanks Lloyd. I feel better now." Standing up, she made her way to the door once more. "I'll be in my room if you need anything. Good night Lloyd."
"Good night, Colette." Lloyd waited until she left and turned back towards the sky. "It won't be easy, will it, Dad?"
Where do you plan to go first? Origin asked.
"Well, I have one more stop to make before actually starting this new adventure…"Lloyd replied quietly.
Ah, after that might I suggest you go to the previous desian ranches? They will no doubt have exspheres left behind that will need…saving.
Brightening up, Lloyd kicked off his boots and stripped down to his under clothing. Getting into bed, he smiled. "That's a great idea. Thanks Origin." Closing his eyes, he forced all worries out of his mind and went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
PalmacostaGenis and Raine had made it to Palmacosta about noon the next day, just like Genis thought, and now looked around for supplies and kept their ears open for any…unusual comments.
The Grand Tethe'alla Bridge had become the connector between Meltokio and the mountain village of Hima, so Genis could barely make it out in the distance from Palmacosta. It was still strange to see things from Tethe'alla in the new world that held the cities from Sylvarant, but that meant his friends from both worlds could live together, so Genis was at least partially happy. Looking at the bridge made him shiver uncharacteristically.
The bridge itself didn't hold many fond memories for the young magic user, mainly because it was there Lloyd and the others had fought to save Raine and him from execution by the Papal Knights. It was then his best friend found out he was in truth not a full-blooded elf, but a half elf. It shocked him that the human didn't care one way or the other and the rest of the group could relate to them in one form or another.
Lloyd always seemed different than other humans and Genis always liked him for that, but at the moment the Papal guards were defeated, he was actually afraid his human friend would react like so many other common humans. It made him happy to know Lloyd was better than that and it made Genis want to stay by his friend's side no matter what. It was also what gave him the courage to help Lloyd save Colette in the Tower of Salvation, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
"Come on, Genis. We'll stop by the main office and have a word with Neil." Raine made Genis remember what they were here for and he ran to catch up with his sister. Inside, the blue haired man immediately recognized the two and smiled. "Professor Raine, Genis! What brings you to Palmacosta!?" He walked around the long curved desk to shake their hands.
"We were wondering if you've heard anything about weird monsters attacking villages around here. Luin or Ozette?" Raine asked.
"Luin no, and Ozette? Never heard of it." Neil replied.
"It's one of the new villages to the North." Genis explained.
Neil concentrated, but shook his head. "No, after the earthquakes and the Tower of Salvation collapsing, not to mention that weird tree destroying everything here, everyone was turning to the Temple of Martel to ask for guidance from the priests, but they couldn't do anything and this place was in an uproar. Lots of folks left." He said. "Now things have cooled down and although the sailing business is down because of the new bridge, people have returned to help rebuild and Palmacosta is flourishing!"
Raine smiled. "That's good to hear. Well thank you for your time." She bowed and left with her little brother.
As soon as the door closed, Genis looked up. "Well, where do we go now?"
Sighing, Raine held a hand to her chin. "Well, Asgard's our next best bet. From the top of the sacrificial ground, we should be able to get a good view of the new area, and Linar and Harley might have sensed something we haven't."
"Alright." Genis agreed and walked back over the small bridge leading to the Business District.
"Genis? Is that you?" Turning around, the two half elves were shocked to see Chocolat and Maria walk up to them. "How have you guys been doing?" The young girl asked. "Where are Lloyd and the others?"
"We all split up not too long ago." Raine said. "Have either of your heard anything about villages being attacked?" The scholar asked.
Maria nodded. "Well, not villages exactly, but a man came to Palmacosta just last night and collapsed outside our shop." She said.
Chocolat
continued. "He was wounded pretty bad
and none of our medicines worked, not even Grandma's." Looking down sadly, she added. "He was in so much pain, we didn't know what
to do."
"We informed the temple and
the priests came and took him to be treated.
He should still be there." Maria
told them. "It's not much, but I hope
it helps."
Raine smiled in appreciation. "Thanks, we'll go check it out for ourselves."
"If you guys ever get together with Lloyd again, you should come down for a visit!" Chocolate waved goodbye and she and her mother returned to Marble's Shop.
"So, shall we go see him then?" Genis asked.
"Yes, let's." Together they both went to the Temple of Martel and asked the priests there politely if they could see the patient. When they refused, saying the man was beyond help, Raine mentioned her power of healing from the unicorn horn and they immediately showed the two where the man was being held.
Genis was surprised at the security the church was keeping by the front door alone. Two guards stood watch in case the patient inside tried to escape. Genis was actually double thinking going in. "Um, Raine…?"
"I know, but if they're really this concerned about one man, perhaps he will be able to shed some light on what it was we saw at Heimdall." She explained. Once inside, the door locked behind them with a click. The man appeared to be human and moaned painfully in his sleep. He tossed and turned like he was having a nightmare. He didn't even notice there were other people in the room with him. On his arm was a large gash that was black on the edges and seemed to spread across his skin down to his hands and across his chest. It was like instead of leaking blood, the wound was leaking pure evil and that force wanted to take over the man's entire body.
"Do you really think you can help him, Raine?" Genis asked, staring down sadly at the tormented man. It reminded him so much of what Lloyd had to go through before.
"We won't know until we try." Raine took a deep breath and held her staff over him. Closing her eyes, she chanted the spell and the mother of pearl stone at the tip of her rod lit up.
The man glowed white for a moment, then when it dimmed down, he stopped thrashing and slowly opened his eyes. "W-Where?" Looking over at his arm his eyes went wide when he saw the gash was gone.
"My name is Raine and this is my little brother Genis. Don't worry; I've healed your wound so you should be fine."
Looking at the two half-elves, the man tried to speak but his voice was parched.
"Hang on." Genis poured some water from a glass on a nearby table and handed it to the man. "Here you go."
He took a drink and slowly sat up. "I…thank you for saving me." He finally said.
"It was nothing, but we were wondering…what attacked you?" Raine asked.
The man stared straight ahead and immediately relived his incident. "It was a grotesque creature with skin like ash and hair as dark as ebony. But its eyes…they were white, no…silver. Like they had been carved right out of the moon itself. It had long metal claws attached to its hands and wore a mage's cloak." He turned to Raine. "It had long ears like an elf but far more evil."
Genis gasped and took a step back. "An elf? Are you sure?" The man nodded. "Did it have wings?"
"Genis." Raine shushed him.
The man frowned. "Um…not that I know of."
"Where did this happen?" Raine asked.
"Over by the Tower of Mana." He replied. "I didn't really feel like my wounds were too serious, since I had them tended to at that Mizuho place, until they started to change color and spread. I barely made it to the entrance here when I felt weak and fainted."
"Thank you for your time. I'd advise you stay here and rest a couple more days. I'll talk with the priests and tell them to relieve the guards outside your room."
"Guards?"
"Let's go Genis." Raine turned around and both left the man to his rest.
Genis and Raine talked to the head priest like she'd promised, then made their way towards the dock. "No way it was an elf." He breathed in denial.
"We can't eliminate the possibility until we see for ourselves. We'll still go to Asgard and see if any similar incidents have been reported. Then we'll go to the tower and investigate."
Genis was worried it was the villagers from Heimdall, but he couldn't be sure. I don't believe it. Whatever attacked that man had to be something else. Until he saw it for himself, Genis refused to believe the people who'd lived in hiding away from conflict would go out into the world to cause it. It just didn't make sense! So many things didn't nowadays though and it was getting increasingly harder for the young half-elf to keep up. Hopefully in Asgard they'd hear more about these monsters. Genis only prayed when they did, it would point them away from Heimdall instead of towards it.
Suspicious tunnel underground near DritanAltessa carried a torch into the cavern that, like the Chief said, reeked of death. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all dark black and nothing, not even the mushrooms that usually abundantly grew in the underground tunnels, could take root here. The old craftsman looked around suspiciously as his partner stopped by his side. "By the holy Goddess Martel, what could've survived down here for so long?" He breathed in shock.
"I don't know, but let's go find out." Dirk took the torch and led the way into the ominous cave dwelling. Books and old artifacts were strewn here and there, but Dirk wasn't sure it meant anything out of the ordinary. Large statues were erected on the sides of a strong warrior with four arms each wielding swords. Around his waist was a belt with the angelic symbol for death on it and behind him were scaly, unearthly wings that stretched out to attach to the next statue.
"Perhaps this man really did summon an evil spirit." Altessa whispered.
Frowning, Dirk continued to the back of the cave. "It's hard to say." At the back was a table and behind it was another statue, this one posed differently than the rest, and it gave the dwarf the idea that it was used like a shrine or offering table more than anything. "But, I'm beginning to believe it myself the longer we stay here." This statue crossed its swords in two pairs, one across its chest and the other by its waist. Its leathery looking wings were folded inwards, creating a sort of living cocoon.
Altessa looked at all the offerings and picked up a particularly strange looking pendant that had been carved out of wood. The metal chain was rusted, but the wood shown no sign of aging. "Perhaps we need a second opinion."
Dirk saw it and nodded. "Let's get what we can from here and try talking to Phaidra. She is the prominent scholar on Martel and her teachings. If this is unholy, by any means, she'll know."
Altessa agreed and the two gathered the few books and mini statues left behind and made their way out. Hopefully nothing would come from these because otherwise, something was out there and it had the potential to be very, very dangerous.
IseliaAs soon as day broke, Lloyd and Colette bid farewell to Frank and Phaidra and exited the village. Lloyd groaned and held his stomach with a grin. "Man I've missed Phaidra's eggs in the morning."
Colette giggled. "I guess we take the simple things in life for granted from time to time."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Not you. That was like your motto for the first sixteen years of your life." He reminded her. "What is it now?"
"Hmm," She thought. "I guess that there's a great distance between saying something and doing something. I did a lot of talking during my journey, but we aren't remembered for our words so much as our actions."
Lloyd laughed but agreed. "I'd expect nothing less from my Colette!"
She blushed and covered her cheeks with her hands. "Anyway, where to first?"
"Actually, I was wondering if we could stop by my house first. There's something I have to do there."
"Sure thing." Colette agreed.
When they reached the edge of Iselia Forest, Noishe was there to greet them and barked happily.
"Noishe!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.
Colette scratched him behind the ear and he waved his tail in pleasure. "Have you been good while we were gone?"
Lloyd rolled his eyes with a grin and climbed on with Colette behind him and took off towards Dirk's house. No matter where the four-legged canine disappeared to, he always found his way home again.
When they got there, he told Colette to wait with Noishe while he went to talk to his dad.
Dirk was standing by Anna's grave deep in thought. "Hey Dad." Lloyd greeted quietly.
Gasping, the dwarf spun around to meet the eyes of his adopted son. "L-Lloyd, y-you're home!"
Frowning at the stuttered response, Lloyd cocked his head to the side. "Yeah I came to say goodbye to mom." He replied slowly and suspiciously. "Everything alright here?"
"Aye, I'm fine. It's just…" He paused. "Something's amiss in tha dwarven underground. Altessa's inside, but we can't be sure of anything just yet. We came back here to rest before heading to Phaidra's."
Lloyd placed a hand on his hip. "Well, she's back at Colette's house so now's a good time to see her." Turning to the tombstone, Lloyd held onto his cruxis crystal and sighed sadly. "Mom, Dad left. That was okay, wasn't it? For me to let him go…it was okay right?"
"Lloyd…you wanted to go with him, didn't ya?" Dirk asked suspiciously.
Lloyd shook his head. "No, I have my own path to follow and Dad has his. And besides, I have a dad here already." He covered up his true feelings with a lie.
"I see, then I won't say any more." Dirk promised.
Turning back towards her grave, Lloyd knelt down and took out the Flamberge, the fire-tinted blade that once belonged to his biological father. "Mom, I'll leave Dad's sword here besides you." He placed the sword down and stood up. "Well, I'm off!"
"Lloyd." Dirk interrupted. "Be careful. Just because Cruxis is gone doesn't mean other evil isn't out there. Take the sword with ya…at least for now."
Lloyd frowned. "Do you know something you're not telling me?"
Dirk shook his head. "Not yet, but I'll let ya know when I get the whole picture."
"Okay, thanks. We'll I'm leaving on another adventure." He announced, leaving it at that. Bending down he picked the sword up and tucked it back into his sheath. "Come on Colette!"
The angel girl came flying over with Noishe running on the ground. She landed next to the duo and held up a thumb. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah." Lloyd knelt down next to his pet. "Sorry pal, you better stay here this time." Noishe whined, but Lloyd shook his head. "We're going to be doing a lot of traveling by air and I'm not strong enough to carry you all the time." Standing up he summoned his wings and went up into the air with Colette, waving down at his family. "See ya later!"
Dirk watched in sadness as his son flew away. "Protect him, Anna. Protect him…from whatever's out there."
The Grand Tethe'alla BridgeZelos approached the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge with caution as several workers filled the area. It took him longer than he thought to leave Meltokio considering he had no supplies, minimal weapons and armor, having taken most of it off for the festival, and the fact that he had to rethink where Mizuho would be in the revived new world made him turn around and return to Meltokio castle almost as soon as he left the city limits.
Having left the next day, he now saw a bunch of commotion near the drawbridge portion of the connector. "What's going on here?" He asked the first worker that passed by him.
"Master Zelos!" The man exclaimed. "W-we were ordered by Princess Hilda to remove the exspheres from the bridge and deliver them to you upon your arrival. We've removed every single one and placed them in pile for you."
"Really…" It was an amazing gesture from the royal family, but the idea of carry all those glass orbs the entire distance to Mizuho wasn't something Zelos looked forward to. "Thanks, uh, I'll take them as soon as you're done."
"Right!"
An hour later, Zelos had two bags full of exspheres thrown over his shoulder. Behind him, five more workers carried the same amount. The rest were being stored in the one wing pack Zelos still had on him. They were currently entering the meadow leading to Gauracchia Forest.
Damn…equipping an exsphere is one thing… Zelos breathed heavily. But carrying 30,000 is another. True the ones in his pocket didn't weight anything, but the ones on his back definitely were going to make his muscles give him hell tomorrow.
"Wha? What's that in the sky!?" One of the workers stopped and looked up. No sooner had he asked than gurgling sounds were heard and the panic broke out.
Hearing the commotion, Zelos ducked down just as something whizzed over his head. Unsheathing his double-edged sword and equipping his shield, Zelos raised his arm to deflect another attack from the side. "Damn it's fast!" He exclaimed, not getting a clear look at it.
Two more screams were heard as workers were gutted by the passing creatures and black feathers danced on the air.
Zelos blindly swung his sword as he cursed and rolled to avoid yet a third creature. "How many of you are there!?" He growled.
The former chosen looked over and saw the last of the workers had been killed and their bags of exspheres were missing. "The exspheres? That's what they're after?"
An inkling from behind him came a moment too late and Zelos was thrown forward, being slashed across the back. He managed to keep his footing until another ran across his chest from the side, and another from the front. Blood soaked his pink shirt and splattered into the air and onto the fresh grass below. His vision darkened and he couldn't see anything but black feathers all around. What's…going on?
Unable to go on anymore, and too wounded to fight if he wanted to, Zelos – former Chosen of Tethe'alla – collapsed onto the meadow floor.
AltamiraPresea held a bouquet of lovely forget-me-nots, and placed them gently on her sister's grave. The view from the top of the Lezareno Company building was amazing, but the serenity was what drew her here. Regal had done a wonderful job creating Alicia's memorial and Presea appreciated it.
"Alicia, I'm finally myself again. You know what? I'm twenty-eight years old now. Can you believe that?" Presea said.
"Were you…talking with Alicia?" Regal came up to Presea's side and knelt down, placing another flower next to the bouquet, this one a single red rose.
"Yes." Presea nodded.
"I just got back from overseeing that destruction of part of the mine. Now that that's done, we can rest assured that no new exspheres will be excavated."
Presea smiled. "That's good to hear. What are your plans now?"
"I'm going to devote the full resources of my company to revitalization projects in order to build a new and better world." Regal replied with pride. With the king's pardon, Regal assumed leadership of Lezareno and already had great plans for it.
Presea liked the idea. "I'll help too. I'm sure Alicia and Daddy would've wanted me to."
Regal walked to the edge of the terrace behind Alicia's memorial and looked down at the new landscape. "If only she could be here to see this…" He sighed sadly.
Presea stood by his side. "She is…and I bet she has the best view." This made both laugh until George cleared his throat and brought their attention to behind them.
"I am sorry to disturb you…" He apologized with a bow. "But I needed to inform you that I've just received word from the workers at Toize Valley Mine. It seems they were all offered a higher wage to begin digging at a new mine and quit their contracts with us."
"What? All of them?" Regal asked.
"So it would seem."
"Where is this new mine?" Presea questioned.
"It is North of Toize Valley, on the other side of the mountain range." He reported.
"That would still be within our boundaries of contract. They cannot begin digging there without my authority." Regal frowned with concern. "Perhaps I should look into this personally."
Presea tugged on his sleeve. "If another mine has opened up in the nearby area, it can only be in hopes of mining the exspheres there, correct? No other minerals or gems were abundant in the area except the inhibitor ore and even that leaves room for concern."
"Yes, this definitely needs to be investigated."
"I will go with you." Presea said.
"Let's go."
Derris-Kharlan
The lone passageways of Derris-Kharlan sparkled and glowed with the mystical energy that had created them. The blues and blacks that shone as far as the eye could see had been the home for Kratos for nearly 1,000 years. Usually active with some sort of commotion, it was now completely deserted of all its previous inhabitants, the angels.
At one time all the supposed angels the Church of Martel praised were really half-elves that Mithos evolved using cruxis crystals like the one Kratos had equipped. Mithos' intentions had been pure at one time, but after the death of Martel, Mithos turned his attention to reviving her and split the worlds in order to hoard the mana and keep her spirit alive. Although the war was over, now both sides shared a meager amount of mana in order to survive and Mithos then created the Desian Organization to support the myth behind the journey of regeneration.
Anyone else caught wondering these barren walkways with the darkness of space surrounding them would feel out of place and lonely. But loneliness was not something that irked at Kratos. No, he'd long come to terms with that painful feeling. Besides when it came to true anguish, the angel had already been…well educated.
Derris-Kharlan, 15 years ago…Kratos came to consciousness slowly, not quite remembering what had happened or where he was. It all came to him in pieces, the feeling of him floating, then the image of Kvar's smirking face…
Anna…the monster!
Jolting back to reality, Kratos cried out, "Anna!" Struggling, he soon realized the floating feeling was because he was bound by his wrists above the ground, surrounded by darkness. The air was moist and the sound of dripping water could be heard echoing off the stonewalls.
"Anna yes, host body A012 from the Iselia Ranch." Mithos Yggdrasill came walking in the column of light filtering down upon Kratos and smirked. He still wore his white robe and pants, and his large lavish wings fluttered lightly behind him. "I've heard you took special interest with her."
Kratos felt incredibly weak and could feel the flesh around his wrists was raw and tender from supporting his weight. Crimson blood dripped down his arms and soaked his clothes, caking against his skin. Wiggling his fingers the angel discovered his cruxis crystal had been removed, which would explain why his body hadn't started healing yet. His usually vibrant angel wings hung limply against his back, appearing tattered and worn down. "Mithos…listen to me…" He tried to speak but his voice was horsed.
The angel-lord's smile changed to a sneer and Mithos savagely backhanded Kratos across the face, sending him reeling. "I gave you the power most humans only dream about, Kratos! I have turned this despicable land into a competent society, raising you to my second in command – above all others – only for you to turn your back on not only me, but Martel as well!"
Kratos winced inwardly at the mention of his friend's name. "Mithos…"
Lord Yggdrasill backhanded his friend again and snarled. "You will speak when spoken to, dog!"
Blood trickled from the corner of the warrior's mouth and he knowingly stayed silent.
"First Botta – that inbred ape – starts that infernal organization, The Renegades, stopping me at every turn from reviving my dear sister, and now this!" The angel-lord paced around his captive, his wings spasming with agitation.
"You've…changed Mithos. You're not the man who left on a journey to become more powerful in order to fend for your people. Yuan and I both see that…" Kratos tried to get through to his long-time friend. "But we never…"
"What was his name?"
Kratos frowned, not quite understanding. Then shock set in and he looked off to the side.
Getting angry again, Mithos yanked Kratos' head up by the hair and glared at him with menacing green orbs. "What was the name of your son!? I'm going to make sure he and that wench of yours are burned off the face of this Earth! The crystal will be retrieved and Martel will live again!"
"Mithos…"
"I am Lord Yggdrasill!" Mithos threw Kratos' head down and rammed him in the face with his elbow.
Stars danced before his eyes, but Kratos refused to say anything. If either his love or his son still lived, he would protect them to the last of his breath.
"Don't want to talk? Very well, remain here in the darkness. But I tell you now, I will find your son and then you will truly know what it means to suffer as I have." Mithos turned and walked away, leaving his one-time friend alone in the dark.
Kratos felt tired not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. He'd long given up his life as a human to live as an angel, working besides a cause he no longer knew if he supported. But Kratos had made a promise and would not break it. He hoped that by staying by Mithos' side, his friend would return to the light. If that turned out not to be the case, Kratos would buy himself time to continue his search and find another way to save both worlds.
"Kratos, why do you allow yourself to be tortured like this?" A new voice asked the lone angel.
Knowing that voice, Kratos craned his neck to peel into the darkness. "Yuan?"
Walking into the light, the true renegade leader smiled sympathetically as he regarded his friend. Yuan's bright blue, neatly kept hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail and his own angel wings swayed gently behind him. "I heard what happened to Lloyd and Anna at Iselia. I am sorry." He offered his condolences.
"…"
"There's still time." Yuan said. "Join me and we can put an end to Mithos' twisted ways."
Kratos remembered being offered the same proposal right before when Yuan secretly defected the Angels of Cruxis to create The Renegades. It had been tempting then, but Kratos had still believed in Mithos to see the error of his ways. "No, I cannot. I will not break my oath." He kept his own plans a secret.
"An oath that you made to a friend! The man who calls himself Lord Yggdrasill, leader of the Angels of Cruxis and the desians, is not that man! He died that day with Martel, we both know that!" Yuan countered with earnest. Kratos knew the source of Yuan's passion and could understand his pain.
"Yuan…" Kratos' breath was still ragged. "Lloyd…he may still be alive." The angel explained. "If he lives…find him. Don't let him grow up alone."
"Kratos." Yuan heard voices approaching and flicked his eyes in the direction Mithos had disappeared.
"Get out of here." Kratos said. When Yuan was about to protest, the warrior shook his head. "At another time, perhaps, I will see the light of your words. Until then go. If Mithos is truly beyond saving, then only you can save the worlds he fights to destroy."
Yuan tightened his lips and nodded, turning around and disappearing from whence he came. Kratos allowed himself a small smile, as he was once again alone. Yuan was a good friend, even if he was kind of against them. The angel-warrior knew that one day, should Kratos remain by Mithos' side, he may be forced to face his friend. If that were to happen…
Mithos approached with another half-elf he'd transformed using the cruxis crystal, and wore that same self-serving smirk he had before. "I believe you know Remiel, Kratos?"
The angel-warrior put up with the half-elf-turned-angel only because Mithos demanded it, but in truth the two were constantly at odds with each other. Remiel's only desire was for power and because Kratos was originally human, disliked him as a superior even more.
Remiel smirked and narrowed his eyes as he played with the metallic chain-like whip in his hands. It looked like barbed wire with a handle for the overseer. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Mithos looked Kratos in the face and shook his head. "If your life wasn't involved with Origin's seal, I would destroy you." Standing up, he added, "But then how good a friend would I be?"
Mithos passed by Remiel and nodded, leaving the two alone.
Remiel uncurled the chain and walked around behind Kratos' restrained form. "Humans like you," He pulled the whip back and slashed at Kratos' spine. "Should learn their place," He slashed again, the chain ripping open Kratos' flesh, tattering his wings and all.
Kratos bit his lip to restrain from crying out and refused to give the angel behind him the satisfaction. Blood dripped down onto the floor and his head swam from the loss of blood. Remiel's laugh echoed as he continued the barrage and soon Kratos knew nothing but agonizing pain and darkness. Mithos…what have you become?
Kratos sighed and held one of the cruxis crystals that remained in the former city of angels. Concentrating, it began to glow and fade away, being transported safely into the vacuum of space. These crystals with no souls, were dormant, and with no one able to get them in space, they couldn't be used to attach to unwilling hosts and awakened. Kratos knew one person in particular would be wanting the exspheres and the angel had to make short work of them to prevent him from getting any. Otherwise, Lloyd didn't stand a chance. Hold on Lloyd…and be safe…