Lloyd cautiously walked through the thick fog. He stopped and looked around. He couldn't see anything. It was like one of those damn dungeons he and his friends had been forced to explore on their journey. Rocks protruded everywhere, and you couldn't see around the next corner. At least there were no monsters like there had been in those dungeons.

A whirring sound turned his attention to his left. A large machine came hurtling at him, axes and other sharp blades swinging back and forth. He leapt back and pulled out his swords. He blocked as the machine tried to dice him again and again. Dancing back and forth, he quickly became familiar with the pattern and began to counter. Soon all but the largest and fastest moving axes were broken off of the machine.

Lloyd jumped out of its reach and quickly reached into his pocket. He pulled out the Sardonyx that Volt had given them, and slipped it on his finger as he landed. He dashed forward and leapt toward the killing machine, and executed a Lightning Tiger Blade. The electrical shock went through the machine and disabled it after a moment of sparking. Lloyd sighed as he put his blades away along with the elemental ring. He'd have to be more careful from now on. There could be traps anywhere in this fog. He started to step forward, but then reconsidered his earlier actions and pulled out one of his swords.

He searched for what seemed hours, finding nothing but fog and stone. He didn't encounter any more traps, but he kept his sword at the ready nevertheless. After walking for what could be hours, Lloyd decided to try something. When Volt had given them the Sardonyx, he said it could be used to find your soul mate. All Lloyd could focus on was finding Sheena, and maybe this stone would help him find her. Slipping it on his finger, Lloyd suddenly knew which direction she was in. But it also told him she was in extreme pain. He turned and dashed in the direction of her.

He quickly came up her, and she knew why she was in pain. She was stretched over a bed of spikes. The ropes holding her were loose enough so that she had to pull herself taut to stay off them, thus giving her no time to rest or anything. Reacting quickly, Lloyd rushed forward to get her out of the torture device. He was forced to stop short when a blade flashed down in front of him. Once again, he was forced to retreat as the biggest machine he had ever seen appeared out of the fog and advanced toward him. It had four arms, each holding a different weapon. One held a jagged sword, another held a scimitar-like sword, another a long sword, and yet another held a wicked sickle. Lloyd recoiled, feeling like he had seen this before. Two curved horns protruded from the head of the machine, striking a key in his memory but a mental fog as thick as the mist around him covered the answer.

The problem left his mind as the thing charged him swinging all four weapons. He found it difficult to dodge and parry all four weapons, even with his own two. The machine attacked so quickly and had such odd combinations of moves. One moment it would slash all four downward, the next it would spin them around, pushing him further and further away from Sheena. A wave of rage overcame him and unleashed a stream of Sword Rains and Tiger Blade and combinations of them, succeeding in pushing the machine back. Thinking only of Sheena, he suddenly found the Material Blade in his hands. Not stopping for an instant, he fused the swords and launched into the air, dragging the machine with him. As the powerful Eternal Sword opened the metal thing up like tin foil, Lloyd finished the attack by bringing the blade back down, slicing the thing in two.

It made a half-hearted effort to attack Lloyd again, but it fell pitifully to the ground, never to rise again. Now that the mechanical nuisance was out of the way, Lloyd rushed to Sheena's side. He sliced through the chains that held her easily and was able to catch her before she dropped onto the spikes below her. Softly he turned and placed her on the ground.

"Sheena…" He brushed her hair out of her face, looking loving at her bruised face, hating himself for not getting there sooner.

"I should have been at your side. I should have been there. I should have…" A bright light behind him cut him off. He shielded his eyes and unsheathed a sword, fully prepared for another attack. What met his gaze was not a cold, killing machine, or some desert beast intent on devouring him. The fox looking creature before him made his mouth drop. This was the last being he had ever expected to see in a place like this.

"Verius…"

"Lloyd, your love for Sheena called me. The ache in your heart was too great to ignore. The return call from her heart magnified your bond ten fold. Even had I not wanted to come, the sheer attraction of your feelings compelled me to appear." Lloyd stood, mouth agape.

"Sheena will be OK. You must defeat the evil that has caused all of this. If you don't, the darkness it emanates will spread and fill other hearts, making everyone empty and cold." Lloyd closed his mouth and nodded. He rose and began to turn when he felt a hand holding on to his wrist. He looked down to find Sheena grasping his arm, eyes barely open.

"Lloyd…don't go…" He took her hand and clasped it in his. Then he kissed her gently and placed both her hands on her chest.

"I have to do this. I will be back for you." He rose once more but stopped when she called him back."

"Take…this." Sheena held out a small card adorned in symbols and was red and purple. The letters "L" and "S" were engraved into the middle. The "L" had a purple background, while the "S" had a red background. As Lloyd took it, Sheena's hand went limp and fell back to rest next to her other one. Lloyd inspected the card carefully.

"What is this?" Verius answered for the unconscious Summoner.

"It is a traditional Mizuho marriage card. It was to have been given to you on your wedding day, but Sheena must believe she would not survive to make it to that event, so she presented it to you now." A look of alarm came over Lloyd's face. Verius quickly reassured him. "I will watch over her. In the end, nothing can defeat the power of the heart and the love it can hold and produce. Remember that Lloyd." He nodded and began walking toward what he hoped was the Lezerano Company building. The Summon Spirit of the Heart watched one of his strongest sources of support disappear into the mist, about to face the toughest challenge of his life.

Lloyd found the building rather quickly, considering for a long time he had walked all the way around it, not noticing it once. He entered through the gate that would usually allow the Elemental Railroad in. Looking around, he found most of the lobby in disrepair and covered in dust. Among the broken pots and chairs, he found several footsteps leading to the elevator. He made his way to the front desk, and there he found a piece of paper that had been recently left there. It was folded in half and had his name written on it in a very neat script. Lloyd picked it up and opened it to read it. When he finished, he scanned it again to look for any hint of who might be behind all of this.

Lloyd,

I knew you'd come here. I knew you'd get past my traps. Use the elevator to ride to the roof. I'll be waiting. Don't disappoint me.

Not sure what to make of the note, Lloyd unsheathed his swords and entered the elevator. The ride up four stories was the longest wait Lloyd had ever experienced. Whatever awaited him on top would be truly horrific, and he was not sure he wanted to meet his adversary.

Finally, the lift stopped and the door slid open, revealing…

A/N: Sorry about the cliff hanger, but it just seemed an appropriate place to put this break in the story. I hope you're enjoying this story. I made it so it would be read. So please, reviews would be nice.