A/N: Wow! 17 reviews for one chapter! That's a record for me! Thank you so much everyone!

As for my "Bridging the Gap" side-story (RegalXRaine), looks like it's a nearly unanimous vote for yes, so I'm going to go with it! However, I'm not going to start it yet. I want to wait for a while before posting chapter 1 so it won't screw up my update process for Unconditional Love or Star Ocean: Forever and Beyond. Stay tuned though! Part of the first chapter is already written!

Anyway, on with the show!

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Chapter 16: Starry Heavens: Lloyd

Lloyd walked in complete darkness, unsure of what to do now that he had been separated from his father and Sheena. He was nervous, there was no denying that. The sudden disappearance of two so close to you will do that. Being in unfamiliar territory didn't help either.

"Sheena! Dad!" he called out in vain. "Where are you!"

"Rest easy," came a voice similar to the one Kratos had encountered before. "Your friend and father are safe."

Lloyd's ears perked up as he heard the voice. He looked all around him but could not see from where the voice had originated. "What do you mean? Who are you!"

Just as before, the area surrounding Lloyd turned into a beautiful landscape of space, littered by seemingly millions of heavenly bodies. The scene was breath-taking. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. "Wow…" he uttered breathlessly as he kept turning around in circles, looking at everything around him. He shook his head violently when he realized that he was getting side-tracked. "Gah! You still didn't answer my question!"

From out of the background came a small, glowing ball of light. It circled around Lloyd's head as it spoke again. "My apologies, young warrior. I shall try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities."

Lloyd blinked once, then twice. This was just getting stranger by the second. He had come here to forge his angel arm, not chat with a weird ball of light. He folded his arms. "All right, I'm listenin'."

The light made a strange sound, as if it was clearing its non-existent throat. "Your father and friend are currently on a spiritual journey to forge their Angel Arms. You-"

Lloyd waved his hands in front of himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. 'Spiritual journey to forge their Angel Arms'? Since when do people go on a journey like that to make a weapon?"

The ball of light dimmed a bit and floated directly in front of Lloyd's face. "Ahem. If you'd let me explain…"

Lloyd rubbed his head. "Ah, sorry. Go ahead."

The light returned to hovering around Lloyd. "As I was saying, you too are about to forge your own Angel Arm. That brings me to who I am: I am one who is bound to the creation process of the Angel Arms. In other words, I am here to help you "forge" your Angel Arm."

Lloyd brought a hand to his chin. "Hmm, okay, I've got it so far. So… what exactly is an Angel Arm? I had never heard of it before."

The voice continued. "Well, it's a weapon unlike anything you've ever seen before. You see, the Angel Arm is not so much a weapon as it is a catalyst for bringing out your true angelic powers."

"Huh?" asked Lloyd, baffled. "It's not a weapon? How do I forge something that I can't even see or control?"

The ball of light slowly faded away. "With your soul."

Lloyd reached in vain for the fading light. "Wait, what the heck does that mean? Hey! Hey!" His shouts were also in vain, as he received no response in return. "Crap. What do I do now?"

"That figures," said a familiar voice from behind him.

Lloyd whirled around and was, to say the least, very surprised to see his longtime friend Genis walking towards him. "Genis?"

Without even looking his way, Genis shrugged as he walked past Lloyd. "Leave it to Lloyd to not be able to figure out something. How typical." After taking a few steps past Lloyd, Genis faded away, just as the light had done.

"An illusion?" Lloyd asked himself. He scratched his head. "Wasn't a very nice illusion, but I have to admit that it did a great Genis impression."

"Honestly," said another familiar voice.

Turning in its direction, he saw Raine walking both towards and past him. "Professor? What are you-"

"Why do I even bother with you?" asked Raine as she passed by. "You're not even worth the trouble." Just as Genis before her had done, she vanished as well.

"…you're not very nice either," mumbled Lloyd to himself. "This is getting kinda-"

"Lloyd… isn't very smart," said Presea emotionlessly as she too passed by.

Now this was just getting a bit too weird. "What the heck? Where did you-?" Too late. She had already vanished. "Gah! What's going on here!"

"You thought I was a handcuff thief?" asked Regal as, he too, passed by. "Cooking with my feet? I'm sorry Lloyd, but just how dumb are you?"

Now Lloyd was getting a headache. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly that it was driving me nuts. "Man, this sucks. If they're just illusions, why am I getting so irritated?"

"Because you're unwilling to sit back and analyze a situation for once," said Zelos as he passed by. "Anyone with a brain would do that at least once in a while."

Lloyd threw up his arms in frustration. "Okay! Okay! I get it! I'm stupid, alright! Is everyone happy!"

"You can say that again," said Colette as she walked towards Lloyd. However, unlike everyone else so far, she actually stopped in front of Lloyd and turned to face him, tears in her eyes as she did so. "But no, I'm still not happy! I'll never be happy again!"

Lloyd tilted his head, confused and worried about what Colette was talking about. "Whoa, what's wrong Colette?"

She tried to wipe away the tears but those were only replaced by more. She sniffled and tried to compose herself. "Why? You wanna know why! Because I thought you loved me, Lloyd! Me!"

Lloyd took a step back, unsure of what to say. This was just getting worse by the second. "Colette, I-"

"Why couldn't you love me like I loved you Lloyd?" asked Colette, frantically. "We've known each other since we were little. I-I thought we were meant for each other! In the end, you ended up with that… that… little temptress Sheena! Why Lloyd? Why? I would've done anything for you Lloyd…" At this point, she fell to her knees and buried her face in the palms of her hands. "Anything…"

Just as Lloyd was going to reach down for her, she slowly faded away, just as everyone else had done. "Colette… I don't know what to say."

"Then say nothing," said the familiar voice of his father. "It's always easier to do that, isn't it?"

Lloyd whirled to see his father, Kratos, standing there with his arms crossed. Although Lloyd could feel no wind of any sort, Kratos' hair moved as if something was blowing through it. "Dad? What's going on here?"

Kratos grunted and shrugged. "What does it matter? It's not like you'll do anything about it. Even if you did, you'd probably just screw up anyway."
He shook his head and walked past his son as, he too, slowly faded away. "Passing up a childhood friend for the assassin that tried to kill her? Naive and stupid. I'm glad Anna isn't alive to see what has become of you."

Stupid. This word kept ringing through his head as he fell to his knees. Was this what everyone really thought of him? Did his heart and soul mean nothing when placed in comparison to his brain? It didn't make any sense. Surely his friends didn't really think like this… did they?

"Lloyd," said the comforting voice of Sheena as she kneeled down next to Lloyd. "Are you okay?" She locked both of her hands with Lloyd's right hand.

Lloyd looked at the beautiful summoner. Unlike everyone else, there was no look of disapproval on her face. She looked like the Sheena he had known for seemingly so long now: the kind-eyed summoner who made feel something that no one else before her had ever made him feel: love. "Ah, it's nothing Sheena. Thanks for asking."

She shook her head. "Lloyd, I know something is bothering you. You can tell me," she said, quietly.

Lloyd looked at the ground (or lack thereof) and sighed. "Sheena, am I stupid?"

She smiled and nuzzled her nose into his neck. "Of course not Lloyd. Even if you were, what would it matter?"

Lloyd took his free hand and lightly grasped Sheena's shoulder. "Thank Sheena, but… I think that my friends hate me for being stupid."

She giggled and kissed his cheek. "So what? You've got me. You don't need false friends like them anymore."

He looked at her in shock. "S-sheena?"

She looked at him, her happy expression unchanging. "All I'm saying is that, if they really do talk like that about you, then you don't need to be with them anymore."

About thirty feet in front of Lloyd and Sheena, a horrible vision of Lloyd's past came back to haunt him. It was Iselia, complete with burning buildings and dead bodies everywhere. Something was different about this one though. In addition to the peasants of Iselia that littered the ground here and there, he could see all of his friends there as well. Even his father was on the ground as well.

"W-what is this?" asked Lloyd in complete horror. "No. No, not this again!"

Sheena saw the scene but only slightly frowned. "Oh. Iselia. How sad," she said, emotionlessly.

Several voices began to flood Lloyd's head as he grabbed it pain… the voices of his friends.

"Look what you did, stupid!"

"You killed us Lloyd! How could you!"

"Idiot! What the hell kind of friend are you anyway?"

"I thought you loved me Lloyd! Why did you kill me!"

"I'm ashamed to admit that I was ever your teacher. Ugh, it makes me sick!"

"What… have you done?"

"Forgive me Anna, for not being able to help him."

"Stop it!" cried Lloyd in pain. "Stop it! Leave me alone! I-I can't help it!"

Sheena held his hands more tightly now. "Let's go Lloyd. This place obviously brings you great pain. Let's leave it behind and forget about it."

The two stood up together and slowly began to walk away until Lloyd stopped dead in his tracks. "Lloyd, what's wrong?" asked Sheena.

Lloyd looked back at the scene of Iselia. Leave it behind? Forget about it? There was no way he could ever do that, no matter how much he wanted to. He knew that he was responsible for the Iselian disaster, there's no way he could ever make himself think otherwise. He knew he could never be forgiven, but he knew that he had to at least let everyone know just how sorry he was. "Sheena, I have to go back."

"Why?" she asked.

He let go of Sheena's hand and began to walk back towards Iselia. "I have to apologize… to everyone."

"But why, Lloyd?" asked Sheena. "They all think you're just an idiot! Why bother? They don't even want to be your friends anymore!"

Lloyd shook his head violently and sprinted full speed toward 'Iselia' "I don't care! I have to tell them!"

Sheena yelled after Lloyd but he couldn't hear her. Upon reaching the scene, Lloyd stood in the middle of the scene and looked all around him. "Everyone, please forgive me! I never meant to harm anyone!"

"What good will an apology do now, huh? You think we'll all just rise from the dead, huh?"

Lloyd fell to his knees and closed his eyes. The scent and sound of burning wood came from all around him. It was just like it really was back when Iselia was first destroyed. He was frightened, unsure of what to say next. Like everyone had pointed out earlier, he knew that there's no way he could form together any form of speech that would properly express how sincere his apology was. So instead, just as he always did, he spoke from his heart.

"I know it doesn't make any difference now, but… I'm sorry," said Lloyd quietly. "I'm sorry for not thinking things through. All I know is that I couldn't let someone suffer right in front of me. All I wanted to do was help them. I never could have dreamed that things would turn out like this. If I could take it all back, I would in an instant. I'm sure Marble would've wanted the same thing. I never meant to hurt anybody. I… I wish it could've been me that suffered instead. I'd gladly die in any of your places."

He stood and, walked to the body of his father, and knelt down again. "Dad, I know I may not be the most ideal of sons, but I'm trying my best. I promise that I'll make both you and mom proud of me someday. Please just give me some time. I won't fail you."

He stood up once again and walked over to Colette's fallen body. He kneeled down, picked her up, and cradled her in his arms. "Colette, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. I'll always love you, but as a little sister. You've been so good to me all these years, and I thank you for it. If I could have ever said anything in the present or the past to make the pain go away, I would. Please forgive me." He kissed her forehead and laid her back down, crossing her arms over her chest as he did so.

He walked back to the center of the burning town and fell to his knees again. "Please forgive me," he whispered in a low-tone.

A white-sleeved pair of arms threw themselves around Lloyd. "I'm sorry Lloyd," said Colette.

Lloyd turned his head to the left to see Colette's smiling, albeit tear-soaked face resting on his left shoulder. "C-colette! You're-"

"I'm sorry to have gotten upset the way I did Lloyd," said Colette. "In truth, I really am happy for you and Sheena. I love you like a big brother, Lloyd. Thank you for being honest with me."

"We're all sorry, Lloyd," said Genis from behind him.

Both he and Colette looked around to see that all of their friends, even the Iselian peasants, were back on their feet again, alive and well. Even the town looked brand new! All of their friends nodded to him.

"Indeed," said Kratos. "And Lloyd?"

"Y-yeah dad?" asked Lloyd.

"Your mother and I are already proud of you," he said with a smile. "You're living proof that all that matters is a strong heart."

He felt a kiss on his right cheek. "That's right, Lloyd," said Sheena as she hugged him. "I was hoping you would come back and face your fears."

"Y-you mean-" said Lloyd before he stopped himself. Everything around him began to vanish, including his friends, plunging him once again into the lonely void of heavenly bodies that he started off in. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

"Interesting," said the ball of light from before as it reemerged from the backdrop of stars. "A young man, haunted by his past and his 'supposed' lack of intelligence, has finally come around to conquer those fears and prove to everyone what really matters most. Well done, Lloyd Irving Aurion. Let us begin the creation process for your Angel Arm."

Lloyd scratched his head. "My Angel Arm? You mean-"

"Offer me your right hand, Seraphim" demanded the voice.

Confused, Lloyd offered his right hand, palm down. "Like this?"

"Yes, that will do. Now try to relax, young warrior." The ball of light landed on top of his hand and seemingly absorbed itself into his hand.

"Hehe, that tickles," said Lloyd with a snicker.

Once it was absorbed, Lloyd began to float in the air. "W-whoa! What's going on here?"

"Don't worry Lloyd," said the voice. "First, we're going to make you into a true angel, or rather, a Seraphim."

"How?" asked Lloyd.

He received no answer as his red wings flared into existence. Following this was a bright flash of light that temporarily blinded Lloyd. When his vision returned, he looked to either side of him, only to find that his red, spectral wings had been replaced by a pair of large, white wings made of real feathers. "Wow! That was cool!" he exclaimed!

"This is only the beginning," said the voice. "Now you must be given proper equipment."

Several flashes of light illuminated the area as the various parts of Lloyd's body were covered by new equipment. Lloyd's assortment of new gear was far lighter looking than that of Kratos, most likely meant to suit Lloyd's focus on his both strength and agility-based fighting style. He was given a fine-looking suit that looked very much like the one he wore to the Meltokio ball, minus the gold buttons. Underneath the shirt-portion of his outfit was a mail made of the finest silver and mythril that anyone in Symphonia had ever seen. Around his shoulders and down his back was a pearl-white mantle that reached as far down as the tops of his ankles. To top it off, a very-long, ice-blue headband was tied around his head and reached as far down as the bottom of his back.

"How is it?" asked the voice.

Lloyd looked at his new clothes and equipment, smiled, and nodded. "Lookin' good."

"Excellent. Now we must give you proper weapons now," said the voice. "I believe these will suit you."

Yet another flash of light, this time bringing a pair of strange-looking swords into Lloyd's hands; one sky blue, the other a pure white. The edges on both were fine enough to split even an atom, but this was not what caught Lloyd's attention. The backside of each blade, instead of being rounded off or blunted, was instead form into the shape of an angel wing. "Whoa. What are they called?"

"These are the 'Wings of Light'" replied the voice. "The blue blade is 'Hope'. The white one, is 'Faith'.

Lloyd swung both blades slowly, leaving behind a trail of spectral feathers in their wake. "Hope and Faith, huh? Good names."

"We are almost done," said the voice. "To finalize the creation of your Angel Arm, I must infuse your soul with the strength and knowledge of the ancients. Please close your eyes and try to empty your head of all thoughts."

"Huh? Okay…" said Lloyd. He did as he was told and waited for whatever was to come. Without warning, his body began to convulse violently, bringing great amounts of pain to his body. "A-ah! This hurts! What's go-" He was interrupted by visions of seemingly everything imaginable flashed through his mind. "W-what's going on here?"

"It's like I said before," replied the voice. "You are being infused with the strength and wisdom of the ancients. I realize that it is a painful and frightening experience, but you must try to remain as calm as possible."

Lloyd gritted his teeth and prepared for the worst. "Urgh!"

A few moments passed and Lloyd fell to the ground, the pain now subsiding and the visions gone. "Man, I've never gone through something so rough in my life. Oww."

"It is complete. Now… rise, Lloyd Irving Aurion, Seraphim of Symphonia!" exclaimed the voice.

After a great deal of struggling, Lloyd managed to stand to his full height. "Ugh. I feel so… weak."

"Then allow me to help," offered the voice.

Lloyd's body glowed with a faint, blue light. As it did so, he could feel the remnants of his pain disappear along with his previous fatigue. The light subsided, leaving Lloyd feeling more refreshed than he ever had before in his life.

"How do you feel?" asked the voice.

Lloyd looked himself over. "Wow." He did a few basic stretches and rotated his shoulders a few times each. "I feel great! I feel like I could take on Nebilim all by myself!"

"Then go, Lloyd Irving Aurion," said the voice. "You have embraced the light of heaven. Use the power it offers to destroy Nebilim, once and for all! Fare thee well, and good luck, Seraphim of Symphonia!"

The voice faded away and, in its wake, left a large gate of light standing not far in front of Lloyd. He smiled and ran through it.

"Look out Nebilim! Ready or not, here I come!"

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Heh, I knew better than to say it was gonna be short again. As before, this one weighed in at almost 4,000 words. Cha-ching.

Now that Lloyd too has passed the trials of his heart, only Sheena now remains. What will Sheena's trial consist of? Stay tuned and find out!

Thanks in advance for any and all reviews! You guys are absolutely great!