A/N:
In this chapter, Noishe finally gets to cuddle all of his humans, Aodhan states his intentions and Yuan and Kratos get into a fight over Rína.
The companions surrounded Lloyd, and Alice helped Kratos, who was still a bit weak, to his feet.
"You did it, Lloyd!", Genis called, running over to Lloyd.
The next moment, he let out a startled cry when Mithos' Cruxis Crystal came floating out of his pocket and attached itself to Lloyd's body.
A powerful presence fused itself with his mind, and Lloyd could feel that he had lost control over his body.
"There's no time! I'll take your body."
"N-no!", Lloyd managed.
"No! It's Mithos – he survived in the Cruxis Crystal!", Yuan exclaimed.
"We have to remove the crystal before he manages to take control of Lloyd's body", Kratos added.
"But be careful not to touch - ", Alice began.
But before she could finish, Colette lunged herself at Lloyd and grabbed the Cruxis Crystal. The next moment, Mithos' spirit appeared above her body.
"Damn, you interfered! Fine. I'll just take this body."
"Mithos! Stop!", Kratos demanded.
"Kratos... you never really understood me. I won't return this body."
"Colette! Wait! Let her go!", Lloyd shouted.
Mithos merely laughed. "What do I care? I'm leaving this filthy world behind!"
Colette vanished in a flash of light.
Horrified, Lloyd stared at the spot where she had been standing moments ago.
Colette – sacrificed herself for me...
Everyone else was still reeling in shock when from above came a terrible, loud cracking noise. The Tower of Salvation started to collapse, and parts of it were raining toward the ground, glowing like comets.
"It's Mithos!", Yuan cursed. "He's sealed up the route to Derris-Kharlan."
"Dammit. We have to evacuate the elves!", Rína ordered.
Lloyd lifted Genis and Presea onto Noishe's back and the next moment, they were racing through the forest. Elerína, Aodhan and Alice took the lead, since they knew the way best.
"Damn that bastard Mithos! How dare he take Colette!", Lloyd fumed as he sprinted after his sisters.
"Mithos took her because he needed a body – he won't kill her", Kratos replied, trying his best to calm Lloyd. "We can still save her."
"I hope so... I promised her that she could stay by my side!"
Heimdall was in a terrible state. Many houses and bridges had been destroyed by the debris, and several elves were buried or trapped. Lloyd and the others helped them to get out, while Alice and Rína hurried to fetch their horses – Ayleen had already saddled Chestnut.
Together, they fled the forest. Reaching the plains, they watched the tower collapse for good.
Elerína ordered a headcount to make sure everyone was accounted for.
As the last bits of the tower crumbled, the air started to shimmer, while bolts of lightning flashed across the sky and then, part of the sky turned purple – just that it wasn't the sky, but a planet that was existing right next to theirs.
Several people let out shouts and screams of surprise.
"W-what is that?!", Lloyd called, startled.
"That – is Derris-Kharlan", Kratos replied.
"Impossible!", Raine exclaimed. "How could a planet exist so close?!"
"It is the Eternal Sword that makes the impossible possible", Yuan explained. "It was hidden behind the protective barrier projected from the Tower of Salvation. But it has always existed there, ever since the elves arrived on this land."
"Yes", Tabatha said, stopping next to them.
Everyone turned to look at her, startled. Her voice sounded a lot more human now.
"And now, Mithos, with the Great Seed in hand, is trying to leave this land and take Derris-Kharlan with him."
"Tabatha!", Presea called. "You're feeling better?"
"Yes."
"Wait a minute", Sheena interrupted. "Derris-Kharlan is a mass of mana. And the Great Seed is the seed of the Giant Tree. If he takes both of them, what will happen to this world?"
"It will wither and die from mana deprivation", Raine replied.
"This is a much bigger problem than reuniting the two worlds!", Genis exclaimed.
"What the hell are you guys doing, talking all day? Colette just got kidnapped", Zelos reminded them. "What are we gonna do, Lloyd?!"
"What else? We're going after Mithos!"
"But the Tower of Salvation was destroyed", Regal pointed out. "How are we going to get there?"
"The Eternal Sword", Kratos said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"If you really made a pact with Origin, with its power over time and space..."
"But Altessa is not well enough to move", Yuan objected. "Who is going to make the Ring of the Pact?"
"Dad!", Lloyd replied.
"You mean Dirk?", Genis asked.
"Yeah. He's our only hope. Let's go to Sylvarant!"
"Good idea", Alice agreed. "I can use this opportunity to visit mum's grave – I'm sure she'll like that."
Alice summoned Sylph to take them directly to Dirk's house. The sisters regarded the house with curiosity, and Elerína let out an appreciative hum.
"Nice place. I like it."
Dirk looked up in surprise when Lloyd came storming into the house.
"Dad! I want you to meet my family – my father and sisters. You already know Kratos, and those are Alice, my twin-sister – she's Silmea, by the way – and Elerína, my half-sister."
Alice stepped forward. "I want to thank you for taking care of Lloyd all those years. I'm really happy to see he's had a good life."
Rína nudged Kratos. "How about you say something, too? This is about your son, after all."
Yuan chuckled while Kratos gave his older daughter a withering look.
"Hm", Dirk said, eyeing the three Aurions critically. "I can certainly see a resemblance between yer da an' one o' yer sisters – and, to tell ye the truth, I always of thought that Kratos looked a bit like ye, too – however, I cannae well guess the age o' members of a different species, so I wasn't certain whether he was old enough to potentially be yer da..."
"Well, given he's over 4.000 years old, he's certainly old enough", Rína mused. "Though you would have never been able to guess that, of course."
Lloyd cleared his throat. "Dirk, we need your help. You have to forge the Ring of the Pact for us!"
"Me, a dwarf who is losing his skills by living on the surface?"
"There's no one else", Kratos replied. "The dwarf who has the skill is unable to move."
"Dad – please."
"I've gathered all of the necessary items", Kratos added, taking out his Wing Pack.
Surprised, they watched him place a variety of things on the worktable.
Dirk took a closer look. "This is adamantite for polishing. Hm? What's this piece o' wood?"
"Is this – Sacred Wood?", Lloyd asked.
"This must fuel the fire", Kratos explained.
"Is this why you were travelling all over Tethe'alla? To prepare all of this?"
Kratos apparently didn't quite know how to respond to that. Alice chuckled.
"I had no idea what you were up to, but came to the conclusion that it couldn't hurt to wait and see. Oh, Lloyd, we'll need the Aionis, too."
"I see", Dirk said. "So, everything is set... I cannae very well refuse after you've gone through so much trouble, now can I? And I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to help out my dearest son. After all – I'm his father, too."
Kratos nodded.
Dirk turned to Lloyd. "Dwarven Vow # 1: Work together for the sake of a peaceful world! All right, let's do it."
"So, Zelos, the one you were ultimately working for was Kratos", Lloyd observed while turning to face the red-head.
"Yup. I wasn't convinced at first, but he swayed me with his fatherly concern – " Zelos winked and Kratos scoffed – "and his vision of a future world did seem nice. Not too different from what Yuan had in mind, but slightly more appealing."
Yuan muttered something under his breath that made Rína bark out a laugh.
Behind them, the door leading outside was slammed shut. Startled, Lloyd spun around.
"Sheena left", Regal explained. "She seemed rather upset."
"Zelos", Alice said, beckoning with one finger.
"Uh, yes?"
Looking slightly apprehensive, he cautiously approached her.
"Apart from Lloyd, Sheena was the one most hurt by your apparent betrayal. I don't think she's had time to process everything yet, so, I think you should go and talk to her – she is confused and upset, but I believe you may be able to salvage your relationship – maybe even improve it."
"Wha – what are you talking about?"
"You know, Zelos. You just don't want to admit it. There's no point in trying to fool me. I always know."
"You're scary, you know that?"
Alice shrugged.
"All right, all right, I'll go and talk to her. Though – maybe I should give her some time to herself first..."
"Fine by me."
As Dirk readied his tools, Kratos turned to Lloyd.
"Lloyd, I want you to take this."
He drew his sword and held it out to him, hilt first.
"Flamberge?"
"Yes."
Lloyd cautiously took the blade and weighed it.
"That's a marvellous blade", Dirk observed. "Elven?"
Kratos nodded.
"In that case, Lloyd, I have something for ye, too." Dirk went over to a chest and produced a blade made from ice. "This is Vorpal, the greatest sword I ever forged. Take it!"
Lloyd changed Flamberge to his left hand and picked up Vorpal.
"Wow! Thanks, both of you! I already feel much stronger than before."
When Lloyd and his fathers started discussing metalwork, Zelos quietly slipped out of the house to look for Sheena. He soon spotted her standing near the brook, downstream from where he was. Body rigid and head bowed, she was hugging herself.
Zelos cautiously edged closer, not sure if she was aware of his presence. Sheena was usually very perceptive, after all. However, when she showed no sign of having noticed him, he stopped a few feet away.
"Sheena? Are you all right?"
Her body stiffened even more, and her head snapped up. Zelos waited with bated breath as she seemed to be trying to come up with a good response to his question. Then, without warning, she spun around to face him.
"Does it look like I'm all right, you idiot?", she snapped, eyes ablaze.
"Whoa there, I was just trying to be nice. I swear", Zelos replied, backing a few steps away, hands raised in surrender.
"Nice? You? Well, that's a first", she snorted.
"Yeah, I guess", Zelos replied, nervously rubbing the back of his head. "Heard it was fun, so I decided to give it a try."
Sheena stared at him, apparently unsure what to make of that.
"No, seriously, Sheena, listen, I wanted to see how you were doing – since I assume I'm the reason for – this."
He gestured vaguely with his hand. He could tell that she'd been crying, but decided not to mention this – Sheena was one of those people who believed that no one should ever see them cry – maybe it had something to do with the whole debacle with Volt.
Her eyes softened a bit, and she let out a huff.
"Well, yes, genius. I really thought you'd betrayed us, back then. And I hadn't seen it coming. It was the same with Kratos, you know? He just turned on us, with no warning whatsoever. And then you go and do the same... I just – I haven't really had the time to work through all of this, what with everything going on – but – it's made me think. Did I even know the real you?"
Zelos blinked, slightly taken aback by that.
"No", he replied softly. "I apologise in advance if you know this already, but us nobles have a habit of hiding our thoughts and feelings behind the masks we wear in public – we hide them so that no one can use them against us. To commoners, the life we nobles lead often seems like a dream come true – and while I certainly never had to worry about having enough to eat and stuff, I had other concerns. Nobles are constantly plotting, trying to either use or remove others in order to improve their respective positions. The pope wanted to get rid of me almost as soon as I became the Chosen. Others tried to curry favour with me or wanted me to marry one of their daughters. Or take them as a mistress, since my future bride would have been chosen by the church, obviously. Anyway, my point is that, when I joined you guys, I was still hiding who I was. Not because I thought any of you would be like those nobles, but because old habits die hard. And besides, I was approached almost immediately by the Renegades and Cruxis, who both asked me to spy on you. At the time, I had little cause to care for you, or choose you over people who were so much more powerful than you. While I admired your dreams and courage, I was convinced that you were going to fail. And being released from my fate as the Chosen was a very tempting offer, I have to admit. Later, Kratos came to me with a request that surprised me – I didn't quite understand why he wanted to entrust the Eternal Sword to Lloyd, of all people, but at the time, it looked like Kratos' plan might actually work. Anyway, since I was playing four different sides against one another, I couldn't afford to let anyone know what I was thinking. So, I played the fool, like I always have."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The things I've done, the things you hate me for – I mostly did them for two reasons: To fool people into believing I was an idiot who was only interested in women and parties, and to distract myself from the misery that was my own life. Sheena, I'm sorry. I purposefully acted like an ass, especially when you were around – when I was younger, I thought I had nothing to offer to someone like you, that you would be better off not associating with me. And during our travels, I tried my best to keep you at arm's length, since I didn't know how this journey would end for me – or how many times I'd have to betray you. Likewise, when I confronted you at the Tower of Salvation, I wasn't sure if I'd survive that – not that dying would have bothered me much, mind you, given that my life has been worthless from the start - "
"Worthless?! Are you stupid or something?", Sheena roared.
Startled by her sudden outburst, Zelos flinched and braced himself – Sheena usually wound up punching or hitting him whenever he said something she took offence to – and right now, she was clearly extremely angry with him.
He was shocked to his core when she caressed his cheek instead.
"How can you say that your life is worthless? No one's life is worthless!"
Realising what she was doing, she snatched her hand back, turning away and blushing furiously.
"A-anyway, I used to think like that, too – being a summoner made me stand out, you know, it's a very rare gift. As soon as my ability was discovered, I became something like an outcast – people were too awed by me to treat me normally any longer. And then the thing with Volt happened – most of the villagers were kind to me, and didn't blame me for what had happened - "
"Sheena, you were ten - ", Zelos protested, not liking how much she was putting herself down.
He reached for her, but changed his mind halfway through and dropped his hand.
"But I blamed myself. My grandfather was among the ones that got injured – he still hasn't regained consciousness to this day. I thought that I was a failure and became terrified of the mere thought of having to form pacts with Summon Spirits. Forming a pact with Undine was a nightmare."
"Why did you do it, then?"
"Raine needed a unicorn horn to strengthen her healing magic, and the only unicorn around was at the bottom of a lake. I suggested forming a pact with Undine, since it seemed the only way."
"You were willing to face your fears in order to help someone from the group", Zelos observed. "That's very admirable. You're not a failure, Sheena – you're strong."
"Eh, I don't know about that. You saw how I acted when the vize-chief told me to form a pact with Volt..."
"Sheena, your past experiences with Volt traumatised you. Why do you think I leave Meltokio every time it snows? It's easier to run away from these things. But you didn't. You faced your fears, again, and overcame them, again. And then you went on to form a pact with almost every Summon Spirit in the world! You're far from worthless."
Sheena turned around to face him again.
"I know that now! Lloyd helped me learn to see that. He didn't allow me to wallow in self-pity and doubt, instead, he believed in me. It's thanks to him that I discovered that my life had a meaning – a purpose. That my existence hadn't been a mistake. But that's not the point! The point is that yours does, too – you just may not have realised that yet."
Zelos stared at her, quite surprised.
"You know, I'm not so sure", he replied at length. "You can't just go and compare us like that – you have, without a doubt, contributed a lot to Lloyd's cause. Without you, we would have never gotten this far. But what have I done? All I did was leak information to others, including Kratos. I never did anything worthwhile. Plus, I didn't join Lloyd's merry band because I wanted to – the pope basically forced me to keep an eye on them. Things just kinda escalated from there."
"Without you, we wouldn't have got the Aionis", Sheena pointed out. "I still can't say I'm happy about the way you went about getting it, but it worked. You were the only one who could have done that – and the only one Kratos trusted with this task."
"Well, you see, Yggdrassil was pretty convinced no one would be able to make me a better offer than him", Zelos replied with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure me flipping on him came as a nasty shock."
"Yeah, he clearly wasn't very happy", Sheena replied with a slight smile. "Anyway, I want you to stop talking like you're worthless or that your life doesn't have meaning."
"It's just that – my parents never really wanted me – my father only ever loved Seles and her mother, you know – and my mother told me I shouldn't have been born – I just always thought that my existence was a mistake. That the world would be better off without me."
"Seriously, I'd love to punch her for that", Sheena growled. "How dare she say something so horrible to her own son?! It's not your fault that you were born! It's not your fault she had to marry your father! I understand that she must've been unhappy, but none of that was your fault! Stop blaming yourself for that and stop saying that the world would be better off without you! You have friends who would miss you if you died, dammit!"
Zelos' eyes softened. Sheena did have a point there.
"I'd just have never thought that you would feel that way, especially after all the things I've done", he said with a slight smile.
"I – what? Why are we suddenly talking about me? I – I was talking about everyone, in general! What makes you think I would miss you?"
"Oh, I see." Zelos deflated while breaking eye contact and turning away. "I – guess I should be heading back now."
"No, wait!" Sheena grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have – that's not what I – I just - "
"It's all right, Sheena. You don't have to - "
Sheena yanked on his arm, spinning him around to face her, and grabbed hold of his face with both hands. And before Zelos had time to react, she was standing on her tiptoes, kissing him.
Zelos froze, his brain shutting down in shock. Sheena was kissing him. Sheena was kissing him! Part of his brain was convinced that there must be some kind of mistake, that this couldn't possibly be happening. Not that he didn't like it, far from it – it just seemed very surreal. No, the real Sheena wouldn't do something like this. Certainly not with him.
Sheena suddenly broke the kiss and took a step backwards, her eyes darting in between his, searching, probing. Zelos awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Uh, Sheena, why did you kiss me?"
"Because I like you, you idiot!" Her face was starting to turn red, and she took another step backwards.
Zelos couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was a dream, a figment of his imagination, it had to be.
"And now I guess I'll go and die somewhere of embarrassment, since I'm apparently the only one who feels that way."
She spun on the spot and started marching toward the trees. Zelos lunged after her and wrapped his arms around her before she could make her escape.
"Wha – Zelos!"
She tried to struggle out of his hold.
"Shh. Stop it. Don't go jumping to conclusions here – I like you too, silly."
She stilled. "Y-you do?"
"Yeah. Why did you think I was trying to keep you, specifically, at arm's length? I wanted to keep you from getting hurt. Though – I guess I wasn't really successful, was I."
"No, you weren't", she replied with a dry laugh. "But I appreciate the sentiment."
"Hm." Zelos rested his chin on her head. "I'm really, terribly sorry for all the awful things I've said and done."
"All right, that's enough apologising", Sheena ordered, turning around in his hold to glare up at him. "Keep this up and you'll turn into Colette."
Zelos chuckled. "So – does this mean you forgive me?"
"Yes. Just – try to be a bit less of a jerk from now on, all right? Feel free to keep playing your games with the other nobles, but I think everyone here would prefer it if you'd just be yourself. I know I would."
"I'll try my best. I promise."
Zelos bit his lip and looked away, suddenly finding the brook to be particularly fascinating.
"Hey, what's up?", Sheena asked.
"Um, well, uh – can I – would you – could you perhaps do that again, maybe?", he asked, running a hand through his hair in a nervous manner.
"Do what?"
"Um... kiss me?", he asked, ducking his head.
However, he never got a reply, for Sheena just grabbed the front of his clothes and went in for another kiss. Zelos wrapped his arms around her and held on to her tightly.
As Dirk and Lloyd set to work, Kratos left the house and went over to Anna's grave. He dropped onto one knee and bowed his head before the stone.
"Anna... our children have become strong, both of them. They have become very self-sufficient, and I have a feeling that I'm not needed... I think I can leave the rest to them."
"So that's your way... you're just going to disappear and let us do all the work?"
Kratos jumped to his feet and whirled around. Alice was leaning against the house, making a wreath out of Anna's favourite flowers.
"I thought – that you don't need me. Besides, I doubt that I'm welcome in this group."
Alice took a step closer. "I want you to come with us. And I don't care what anyone else may have to say about this. I've been waiting for this for 15 years... and I can be very egoistic when I put my mind to it. Besides, if you let us down now, we'll never forgive you. Neither will Mum nor Rosemary. Nor the rest of our family."
Alice moved past him to place the finished wreath on her mother's grave.
"But – I gave my sword to Lloyd - "
Alice rolled her eyes. "All right, enough with the excuses." She opened her Wing Pack and took out Kratos' steel sword. "You dropped this – do I get a reward for picking it up?"
Kratos stared at her for a heartbeat, then, he started to laugh. It was the first time since Anna's death that he could laugh. Alice smiled, apparently surprised, then, she laughed as well. It was very refreshing, and they still hadn't stopped when they were joined by the others, including Sheena and Zelos, who were holding hands with their fingers intertwined.
Lloyd stopped next to Kratos.
"When I was a kid, I used to have my father carry me on his shoulders."
"I thought you couldn't remember anything about your childhood", Kratos replied, surprised.
"I don't remember very clearly, but I have a feeling we looked up at the stars and talked together."
"I see."
"So, because of that, I've always made sure that the stars were the one thing I studied seriously."
"Really?"
"Yeah... really."
"We could do some stargazing tonight, if you like", Kratos offered tentatively.
"I'd love that", Lloyd replied, beaming.
"No staying up all night", Alice admonished. "You do need to sleep, unlike the rest of us."
Lloyd's face fell as he turned around to face her. Alice frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I just realised – all of you are immortal. You, Kratos, Rína... I'm not. One day, I'm going to die."
Alice grimaced and went over to him so she could envelop him in a hug.
"You're still young, Lloyd, don't worry about things like this", she whispered.
Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head on her shoulder.
"We could always get you a Cruxis Crystal", Elerína offered.
"I know that, but – what about Mum?"
"Ah, right", she replied sheepishly. "Sorry."
Kratos didn't know what to say. He had asked Mithos for a Cruxis Crystal for Elerína precisely because he had dreaded the thought of having to watch her grow old and die, while he would be forced to live on, since he was Origin's seal. Theoretically, he was now able to give up his immortality and live a normal life alongside his children, but he wasn't sure his daughters would be willing to give up their immortality just yet. It seemed that their family was destined to be ripped apart again.
"Sorry for bringing up something so depressing", Lloyd muttered.
"It's all right", Alice replied soothingly.
Yuan looked like he wanted to say something, but then decided not to. However, Kratos suddenly remembered that there had been a certain matter that had been bothering him ever since releasing Origin. He narrowed his eyes at his "friend".
"Yuan, care to tell me what kind of relationship you have with my daughter?", he all but ground out.
"I – beg your pardon?", Yuan replied, clearly taken aback.
Lloyd and Alice separated. While the boy looked confused, Alice seemed alarmed.
"Don't play coy", Kratos snapped. "It was plain to see how attached she is to you, given how hard she tried to dissuade Alice from taking your life. I'll ask you again: What kind of relationship do you have with my daughter?!"
Behind him, Aodhan muttered, "Here we go again", which caused Alice to blanch, but did little to soothe Kratos' ire.
Elerína's jaw dropped.
"I still don't get why you're making such a fuss", Yuan replied. "So what if we're close? I don't hear you complaining about Lloyd and Dirk!"
Before Kratos got a chance to reply to this confusing statement, Alice stepped in between them, hands raised.
"All right, all right, everyone, calm down. Dad, you should know that anger is a bad emotion to listen to. And besides, I believe you two are having two separate conversations."
Kratos was confused by that statement, but couldn't deny that Alice was right. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he felt like he was in control of himself again, he opened his eyes and gave his younger daughter a questioning look.
"Care to enlighten me?"
"Sure. Yuan raised Rína. They're not a couple."
Elerína looked supremely uncomfortable while Yuan's eyes widened in shock.
"That's what you thought? That I was – that's – I would never - "
He seemed incredibly flustered. Elerína nodded vigorously.
"The mere thought is – kind of gross", she said, making a face.
"Oh", Kratos said, deflating. "I – I apologise for jumping to conclusions like that. It's just the only thing that came to mind."
"I understand that you feel protective of us, but Rína and I are adults", Alice said quietly.
"Seriously, Kratos, where do you get off, acting all paternal?", Yuan snapped, his green eyes blazing. "You were her father for what – ten years? I was the one who did most of the work – have you ever been around a pubescent girl?!"
Alice, whose face had drained of all colour, flinched and backed away from both of them, hands raised to her temples as though she was having a headache. Elerína started toward her, but Lloyd was already there, offering support to his twin.
Kratos exploded.
"And whose fault would that be, exactly?", he roared.
"Mine", Yuan whispered, deflating and shrinking back slightly. "I apologise. That was uncalled-for. I'm sorry."
"Guys, you need to calm down!", Elerína interjected. "You're hurting Alice."
Startled, Kratos turned to look at her. At this moment, Alice looked like she'd much rather be anywhere else than here.
Another wave of guilt came crashing in, and Alice cried out.
"Stop it! Just stop it! Get a grip, or you'll drive me insane!"
"Mea, what's wrong?", Lloyd asked, alarmed.
"She's an empath", Elerína explained. "She can sense other peoples' emotions. All the time."
"Goodness", Kratos whispered. "I'd forgotten. Alice, I'm so sorry."
"That sounds awful", Lloyd muttered, spinning Alice around and pulling her against his chest.
"'s not all bad", Alice muttered, seeming a little calmer already. "I just can't stand being around people who are hurting."
Kratos stared at her, at a loss for words. He was, on some level, aware that the amount of self-loathing he felt was unhealthy, but now it seemed that his negativity might impact Alice, especially since she was apparently determined to keep him around. He would have to get his act together. Steeling himself, he turned back to Yuan, who was watching Alice with something akin to concern.
"Well then, Yuan, how exactly did you come to raise Elerína?"
"Just Rína is fine", the half-elf in question muttered. "Unlike my siblings, you decided to give me a name that's quite a mouthful."
Kratos gave her a surprised look before fixing his attention on Yuan again.
"Well, it sort of just happened? I don't exactly know how old she was when we first met, but I remember her being very surprised to meet another half-elf. She was on her own, so I offered her a place to stay. She was wary of me at first, but eventually gave me her name. You can probably imagine my shock – like you, I thought she had died that day. Kratos, if I'd known you had your daughter with you, I would have never attacked you."
"So, murdering a ten-year-old is not fine. Murdering the father of a ten-year-old is", Kratos concluded.
Yuan grimaced. "Anyway, I offered her a permanent place to stay, partly because I felt I had to make it up to her. I couldn't bring myself to tell her who, precisely, I was, or that I had been involved in the incident at first, but I did decide to come clean eventually. Elerína was upset, naturally, especially since she'd been trying to stay away from Cruxis, too, and here I was, one of the Four Seraphim... she did, however, appreciate my honesty, and we worked through this. The thing is, Kratos, I'd been envious of you ever since I heard of your marriage to Rosemary. I never got the chance to marry Martel, never got the chance to have children of my own, yet you did. And then, you proceeded to lose both your wife and child – though, I suppose, there would have been little you could have done to save your wife. I was angry at you for seemingly casting Rína aside, though, so I decided to take her under my wing. I'll admit that I did it partly out of spite – taking your child seemed like a good way to get back at you – but I did grow fond of her, much to my surprise, and we began to regard each other as family. I helped Rína develop her magical powers, and we worked together on her sword fighting style. She eventually returned to Heimdall to have her swords forged by the elves, but she did spend a long time with us Renegades. That is not to say that our relationship was always free from conflict or strife – there were many things we did not agree on, and Rína eventually decided to leave for good. We stayed in touch, though, and I've done my best to look out for her over the years, and do my utmost to conceal her identity. I later extended that same courtesy to Alice, though we never developed a bond like the one I share with her sister."
"I see. In that case, I guess I owe you my thanks."
"Don't", Yuan replied. "I already told you I didn't purely do this out of the goodness of my heart."
Kratos huffed in response.
"Though, I can't say I quite like the idea that I have to share my children", he said after a while.
"You don't have to share me", Alice pointed out, rushing to his side and nudging his shoulder. "And, while I can understand where you're coming from, it would be cruel to expect Lloyd and Rína to cut the bonds they've formed over time just because you came back into their lives", she added softly.
"I – I know that. It's just – hard", Kratos replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration and pushing his fringe out of his face in the process.
"Goodness!", Alice exclaimed, darting around to stand in front of him so she could peer up at his face. "I knew we looked alike, but never realised just how much..."
"We – do?", Kratos asked, puzzled.
"Seriously, Kratos, do you not own a mirror?", Yuan asked in disbelief.
"I had all the mirrors in my suite covered", Kratos retorted.
Yuan blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"Because I couldn't stand to look myself in the eye! Because I couldn't stand to look at the face of a murderer!"
"Dad!", Alice exclaimed, grabbing the front of his shirt in an attempt to ground him. His gaze snapped to hers. "Don't call yourself that! You're not a murderer."
"I killed your mother!"
"Yes, you did, in order to save my brother! No one blames you for what happened, you hear that? No one!" She let go of his shirt and placed her hands on his shoulders. "The ones responsible for her death were Kvar and Yggdrassil. Kvar's already dead, and Yggdrassil is next. And then, Mum will finally have been avenged. And, as soon as you stop chastising yourself, I'm sure her spirit will finally be able to rest in peace."
Kratos let out a shaky sigh.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?", he whispered.
Alice smiled at him, then, and with a jolt, Kratos realised why she'd always been so guarded around him. She had her mother's smile.
Something within him seemed to unravel, and he suddenly felt at peace.
"Kratos!"
"Hm?"
Kratos turned around to find himself face-to-face with Aodhan, who was wearing a very determined expression on his face.
"The first time we met, you made it perfectly clear that you were against our relationship, and that was even before you found out that Alice was your daughter. The weirdness of that aside, I have come to state my intentions. I wish to court and marry Alice once this is all over because I love her. And I will not let anyone stand in my way – not my father, not you, not Yggdrassil. And I would very much like to point out that you don't get to meddle in your adult daughter's love life."
Whatever Kratos had been expecting, this certainly wasn't it. For a few moments, he was too stunned to even react. None of the others moved as much as a muscle, some of them were even holding their breaths.
Alice reminded Kratos of a taut bowstring, ready to snap.
"When we first met, I merely wished to express my general view on these things", he replied at last in a calm manner, as not to provoke the elf further. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen a lot of mixed marriages that worked out well. It is a sad truth that most half-elves born from mixed parents are cast out or abandoned. I have seen this happen too many times to count... However, given Alice's ancestry and disposition, I cannot believe she would ever do this to her own children. I can't say the same for you, I'm afraid, but I will not stand in the way of my daughter's happiness."
Aodhan gave him a surprised look before his face morphed into a smile. "I'm glad to hear that."
He suddenly moved forward, lifting his arms, and Kratos backed away, unsure of what was going on. Aodhan stopped, apparently confused by his reaction.
"Um – can't I have a hug?", he asked tentatively.
"You want a hug? From me?"
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"Well, I guess so", Kratos replied, looking away, his cheeks heating up. "I'm not exactly used to this kind of thing."
"Alice hugged you earlier", Aodhan pointed out.
"That was something entirely different!", Kratos protested.
"Look, I won't insist if it makes you this uncomfortable", Aodhan replied.
Kratos tried to very discretely bite the inside of his lip. He felt very much out of his depth here, but he could also tell that this would mean a lot to Aodhan.
"It's just – I'm mostly surprised that you would want to hug someone like me", he finally managed to get out.
Aodhan's eyes softened. Before Kratos had time to react, the elf was next to him, wrapping his arms around him.
"Stop saying things like that", he chided. "You must be pretty starved for affection at this point."
Kratos' initial response was to tense up, however, he had to admit that it was nice to be held like this. Even if hugging a virtual stranger was a bit weird. Then again, said "stranger" was very likely going to become his son-in-law one day, so, it probably wouldn't hurt for Kratos to get used to this. And, if he were completely honest, he would love to get hugs from his kids, too.
Kratos carefully rested his chin on Aodhan's shoulder, relaxing marginally. Aodhan let out a hum, apparently, he approved of Kratos' reaction.
"All right, Aodhan, that's enough, I'd like to hug my Dad, too, if you don't mind!", Lloyd complained.
With a chuckle, the elf released Kratos and stepped aside. Kratos gave Lloyd a disbelieving look – just a couple of hours ago, he'd been trying to kill the lad, and now he wanted cuddles? This seemed very surreal.
"All right, time for a group hug, I'd say!", Alice announced.
"Well, if I have to", Rína said with a theatrical eye-roll.
Kratos barely had any time to brace himself before his children converged on him. Lloyd was the first to reach him, enthusiastically throwing his arms around him and resting his head against his chest. His sisters followed at a more sedate pace. While Alice rested her head on Kratos' shoulder, Rína didn't quite seem to know what to do, considering she was almost as tall as Kratos.
Somewhere behind Lloyd, an excited bark sounded, and before any of them had time to react, Noishe came bounding toward them. He looked more excited than Kratos had ever seen him, and the next moment, he cheerfully toppled the entire group to the ground.
They went down in a tangle of limbs and (in Alice and Kratos' case) capes, yelping and cursing. Noishe didn't care about that at all and started furiously licking whichever face he could get to.
They were still trapped underneath their overly-excited Protozoan when Kratos heard the door open. He opened his eyes to see Dirk approaching, and, feeling slightly panicky, tried to extract himself from the pile. Dirk, however, didn't seem to mind and just regarded them with a slight smile.
Rína and Alice had noticed him, too, and slowly, the Aurions began to disentangle.
"I'm all done", Dirk announced, holding out the Ring of the Pact to Lloyd. "Take it!"
Almost reverently, Lloyd reached up and accepted the ring.
"Amazing! Thanks, Dad!"
"Yer welcome", Dirk replied with a grin.
"So, with this, I'll be able to use the Eternal Sword, right?"
"Yes", Kratos replied. "Because of the Aionis, it should be able to fool the sword into believing that you are a half-elf."
"All right then, let's go! Time to save Colette!"
"Lloyd, wait!", Alice interjected. "I think it would be better if we stayed here for the night."
"Why?"
"You must be exhausted after everything that's happened today", his sister replied. "Dad almost died. Warriors need to be well-rested before going into battle."
"But Colette's in danger!"
"Lloyd, we all understand your feelings", Rína said soothingly. "However, as Kratos pointed out earlier, it is unlikely that Yggdrassil will harm her. Besides, he no longer has access to the Eternal Sword or Origin's power, so, he shouldn't be able to do much in his current state. I agree with Alice that it would be wise to allow all of us to use this chance to rest. We've spent the last couple of days fighting, and it tends to wear people out. Think of your companions, too – we can keep going if need be. They cannot."
Lloyd appeared to be properly chastised.
Dirk had no objections to them staying the night but pointed out that he didn't have enough food in stock for such a large party. This sent the whole group into a flurry of activity – Alice, Aodhan and Elerína set out to hunt, Lloyd and Sheena went fishing, Presea and Zelos left to cut more firewood, and the others busied themselves around the house. Kratos and Dirk went inside to clear up the cooking area, they would be needing lots of food later, after all.
"I'm sorry I couldn't of saved yer wife", Dirk said suddenly.
Kratos gave him a surprised look before shaking his head. "Don't be. The wound I gave her was fatal – you would have had to be a master healer in order to save her."
"Ye were the one to give her that wound?"
"Ah, yes, you see, the Desians had transformed her into a monster, and she was about to devour Lloyd..."
"That – sounds dreadful. She dinnae look like a monster when I found her, though."
"I know. But there was nothing I could have done to save her. She was doomed the moment Kvar removed her Exsphere."
"Ah, so that's what 'appened. My condolences."
"I – appreciate it. Also, I would like to express my gratitude – Lloyd has become a fine young man, and that is all thanks to you. I am truly proud of who he has become."
Dirk beamed up at him. "So am I."
Dinner was a slightly subdued affair due to Colette not being there, but Lloyd's companions tried their utmost to lighten the mood and distract him.
"So, Alice, the reason you didn't want to give us your last name was because you wanted to conceal your identity from Kratos and Lloyd", Raine guessed.
"Yes – though this was more about Dad than Lloyd. You see, Rína and I had been declared dead, and we decided to keep things that way. A short while before you left on your journey, I went to negotiate with Yggdrassil – I tried to persuade him to give up on Martel and use his powers to reunite the worlds. I feared that, if he were to find out who I was, he would not allow me to leave. During those negotiations, I saw my father again for the first time in 14 years, so, when we met again on Sylvarant, he knew that I was his enemy. I could see how much it hurt him to be around Lloyd, knowing he would have to betray him, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I even went as far as to visit my grandfather – Larkin – to explain everything to him so that he wouldn't accidentally give Dad away, or give Lloyd any ideas. Later on, keeping the fact that Rína and I were alive was crucial as Yggdrassil could have taken any of us hostage to blackmail the other two. We desperately wanted to avoid such a scenario."
Kratos was surprised to hear the bit about Larkin, but it made sense – and it explained how it had been possible for Lloyd and Larkin to be in the same room without them ever talking about their family. Kratos had to commend Alice for her tactical thinking.
"I see", Raine replied. "To be honest, I had a suspicion that you might be the sister Lloyd mentioned – not only do you resemble your father a lot, but your attachment to Lloyd has also been rather obvious. The fact that you supposedly were from Tethe'alla threw me off a bit, but, given your connections, I couldn't write it off as impossible."
"I had a similar thought", Kratos said quietly. "However, I dismissed it because of the hatred Elerína displayed towards me. Part of me refused to believe that my own daughter would want me dead."
Rína grimaced.
"Thank you for not saying anything about your suspicions", Alice said to Raine.
"Why did you decide to reveal yourself today, though?", Genis asked.
"It was a spontaneous decision, really. But, for starters, Dad was very obviously no longer an enemy. And besides, I'd just saved his life in front of all of you. I didn't think I'd be able to come up with a believable excuse at that point."
"That does make sense", Regal agreed.
"I'm so glad that you were able to save Kratos", Lloyd said quietly. "I'm not sure what I would have done if he'd actually died..."
"So am I, believe me", Alice replied in an equally hushed voice. "The thought of you two killing each other was maddening. I couldn't stand it."
"Well, everything worked out in the end", Rína said. "Though I suppose there was quite a bit of luck involved."
"Indeed. There were a number of things that might have gone wrong – my timing might have been off, or I might have given too much of my own mana... It was a very risky endeavour."
"Couldn't you just have resurrected Kratos if he did die?", Presea asked with a frown.
"I would have most certainly tried – however, given his mental state, I was worried that he might refuse to be re-embodied."
"That's possible?", Sheena asked, surprised.
"I've been told as much", Alice replied. "Apparently, it is rather difficult to revive someone who doesn't want to be revived, especially if the person in question just committed suicide. And, even if you do succeed, they might just kill themselves again the first chance they get, and hate you on top of everything – to them, you bringing them back only prolongs their suffering. They are usually not very happy about that. And Dad very much wanted to die."
Kratos looked away, feeling slightly ashamed. He wasn't entirely certain but couldn't completely rule out the possibility that he might have fought Alice tooth and nail, especially since he wouldn't have understood why she would be trying to bring him back to life in the first place.
Once they were done eating, the Aurions, Aodhan and Yuan converged near the brook. While Yuan and Rína lay down on their backs next to one another, Aodhan sat down next to Alice and started removing the braids from his hair.
Lloyd settled down next to Kratos.
Kratos proceeded to tell them about the most famous constellations that were currently in the sky, and also told them about stars and constellations that had vanished over the course of the millennia. Lloyd listened with rapt attention, as did Alice, a happy smile on her face. Aodhan, Yuan and Rína were listening, too, but were not as keenly interested as the twins.
Eventually, Aodhan got drowsy and settled down to sleep, resting his head in Alice's lap. She started to run her fingers absent-mindedly through his hair. It was a very peaceful scene, and it made Kratos glad.
Lloyd had gradually scooted closer to his father, slowly, as though he was afraid that Kratos would protest or flee if he noticed what was up. Kratos allowed himself a small smile at that, confident that Lloyd wouldn't be able to notice in the gloom.
Kratos didn't protest when Lloyd leaned against him – it still seemed very strange to him that his children – in particular Elerína and Lloyd – had accepted him, but he had decided to just go along with it.
When Lloyd suddenly let out a snore, Kratos stopped speaking, surprised. Alice let out a chuckle.
"I'm surprised he managed to stay awake this long, he was pretty exhausted."
"You can tell?"
"We share a telepathic link, probably due to the fact that we are twins. It allows me to check in on him, and in some instances, I've been able to actively interfere and save Lloyd from danger."
"You did? I had no idea this was possible."
"Hm. I first did it during his fight with Kvar – I sent Lloyd some of my strength at a critical moment. I did it again at the Tower of Salvation, after he used magic for the first time, though it cost me so much strength I fainted. I also provided Lloyd with information after that, though the name I gave him was 'Silmea' – I told him I was his sister, but kept everything else concealed. And when they escaped from Welgaia, I linked my mind with Lloyd's to give him access to my memories. It was terribly exhausting, as I had to do many things at the same time while also keeping potentially 'dangerous' memories and feelings hidden... I passed out from exhaustion not long after. You were lucky, Yuan", she added. "Had I been conscious when you took Lloyd, I would have rushed in with no regard for anything else. I would have blown my cover and killed you on the spot."
"I was hoping you'd be asleep", Yuan replied, sounding unsettled.
"Ah, so that's what you were talking about when you mentioned that magical feat of epic proportions", Kratos deduced. "I never knew something like this was possible."
"It did involve a lot of research and trial and error", Alice replied. "It made me profoundly glad I invested so much time into studying magic."
"I think you should lay him down", Rína said to Kratos. "Otherwise, he'll have a stiff neck tomorrow."
Kratos carefully eased Lloyd to the ground, and Alice passed over her cloak. Kratos spread it over Lloyd, who made a content noise in response. With a sigh, Kratos turned his gaze back toward the starry sky. Right now, in this very moment, life was perfect.
All that was left of the Tower of Salvation was its base. Luckily, the chamber of the final seal hadn't been destroyed, and the Eternal Sword was still there.
Slowly, Lloyd approached the fabled weapon and picked it up, raising it high over his head with both hands.
"Eternal Sword, please, lend me your power!"
To Lloyd's surprise, the sword vanished, turning into a blue and a red ball of light, which connected with his swords. Light flashed around his body and he felt a wave of power – it was incredible.
"You, who you are the new master of the pact. What is your wish?", Origin's voice asked.
"Take us to Derris Kharlan, where Colette is!"
"Understood."
Around them, the world faded away and moments later, they were inside a magnificent palace. However, Lloyd had no time to look around, for his friends started to act strangely.
"Mother", Raine whispered, putting an arm around Genis, who seemed frightened.
"Seles", Zelos gasped. "What the - "
"Why is Alicia here?", Presea asked. "She was murdered..."
"That's right", Regal said. "Alicia can't be here..."
"No! Chief! Everyone! Run away!", Sheena cried.
"You lied to me!", Elerína shouted. "All my life!"
"Anna", Kratos whispered, his voice laced with pain.
"No – ugh – please – Kratos, kill me!", Alice begged.
"What's going on?!", Lloyd called, his voice taking on a panicky note. "Hey! Guys! Can you hear me?!"
"They are hallucinating", Yuan, who was the only one apart from Lloyd who was unaffected, explained. "It's a trap devised by Mithos that confronts people with the darkness of their own heart as well as their greatest fears. You are safe because you are protected by the power of the Eternal Sword."
"Can't we do anything about this?"
"Actually, we can."
Yuan pulled a strangely shaped medallion out of his pocket. There was a flash of light and everyone snapped out of the nightmares they had been trapped in.
"That wasn't very nice", Zelos complained.
"You stole the Derris Emblem?", Kratos asked Yuan, sounding slightly reproachful.
Yuan shrugged. "I thought it might come in handy."
Now that Lloyd had a chance to look around, he noticed something odd.
"What is this place? And why is nobody here? It's deserted..."
"This is Vinheim, the castle on Derris-Kharlan used by Mithos", Kratos explained. "Almost all the angels were residing in Welgaia, only those who had special positions lived here – along with their servants. And all those that were inside the tower probably died when it collapsed."
"So, Yggdrassil actually went as far as to kill his own people in order to stop us", Alice said quietly. "It is time that we end this once and for all! And save Colette for good."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and they set out.
However, finding Colette turned out to be difficult. Once outside the castle, they saw many roads that led into different directions, all of them floating in the air above the endless mana of Derris-Kharlan. Yuan and Kratos told them it could take them days to find her.
"In that case, I'll just have to speed matters up", Alice decided. "Give me some space!"
The others backed away, careful not to fall off the road.
"No matter what happens, don't interfere", Elerína warned. "If you do, you might endanger her."
Alice closed her eyes and simply dropped dead. Immediately, the connection between the twins broke and Lloyd realised she had been doing this during his duel with Kratos as well.
Alice's body radiated light and moments later, Alice's soul appeared before them. She straightened up, floated a few feet upwards and then turned to face Lloyd and Kratos.
"Don't worry, I won't be long."
Her voice sounded strange, as if they were standing in a narrow tunnel.
She raised both arms and called out in the tongue of the elves. In front of them, a strange fissure appeared, as if Alice was tearing a hole into the air. The fissure turned blue and widened into a disc with a diameter of about two meters. And then, it turned transparent.
Lloyd gasped. On the other side of the portal, two women were waiting. The elf looked like a mirror image of Elerína, while the human had the same eyes Alice had – Lloyd recognised her instantly. Alice broke into a run and the human spread her arms wide to receive her.
"Are they – Anna and Rosemary?", Aodhan asked Rína.
"Yes. They usually stay close to one of us four – it's no surprise they've been waiting for Alice here."
"Mum seems to be very happy", Lloyd observed.
"She's probably relieved to see you're still alive", Rína replied, grinning. "After all, you're the one who gets into mortal danger most often."
"Very funny."
"How comes they can touch each other?", Zelos asked curiously when Anna embraced Alice.
"Alice is dead right now, since her soul has left her body, so, the same rules that apply to the dead apply to her – with one big difference: Alice can come back at any time."
Alice said something. Rose nodded and ran off, disappearing from view, while Anna stayed with Alice. She grinned in reply to something her daughter had said, then, she turned to smile at Lloyd and Kratos.
"They have the same smile", Kratos observed quietly.
"Yeah, but apart from that, Alice seems to be more like you – in looks as well as in character. Except for one thing – I believe she's even more stubborn than you are", Lloyd replied, grinning.
Kratos laughed softly. "You might actually be right about that."
"What exactly happens now?", Genis asked.
"I believe Alice will have the dead look for Colette", Elerína replied.
Only a few minutes later, a half-elf appeared by Alice's side. Kratos gasped.
"That's – my father!"
Rína chuckled. "Alice prefers using family members as spies. Your mother seems to be a good informant as well, just as Anna's mother. But Alice also counts my grandparents as relatives."
Alice nodded in response to what Cyrus had said to her and stepped back through the portal. Cyrus turned and sent a glare in Kratos' direction before giving Lloyd and Rína a smile.
"Grandfather asked me to tell you to stop being such an idiot", Alice said to Kratos as she moved towards her body. "He and Grandmother were terribly worried about you those last 15 years. And Mum asked me to let you know that she doesn't blame you for what happened. She kindly asks you to stop with the constant self-flagellation, as it's hard for her to see you like this."
Kratos gaped at her, apparently at a loss for words. Then, he turned back to the portal, muttering "I'm sorry". Cyrus visibly huffed, but Anna's smile grew even more radiant.
"Did they find Colette?", Elerína asked.
"Yes. I will show you the way."
Alice had, in the meantime, reached her body. With another flash of light, body and soul were rejoined. The same moment, Lloyd could feel her presence again.
Alice said up abruptly and gasped for air. The next moment, she jumped to her feet.
"This way!", she called, dashing down the road.
Most of the others just stared after her, speechless.
Alice stopped when she noticed they weren't following her.
"What's up? We have no time to dawdle, we need to save the world, after all!"
Rína laughed. "That's Alice for you. Now come on, or else she'll just get all worked up again."
Thanks to Alice, they soon found the place where Mithos had taken Colette to. Colette was still battling him for control, and Mithos was pretty frustrated by her resistance.
"Get out of my body!", Colette demanded.
"Ugh – she's too strong – I can't - "
"Mithos! Get away from her!", Lloyd shouted.
"How dare you, human! You – son of Kratos!" Somehow, he managed to make it sound like a very grave insult. "How dare you give me orders!"
The next moment, Lloyd's surroundings faded away. He was standing on a grassy plain, along with Kratos, Yuan and Mithos. Mithos was bent over Martel, who was lying on the ground, unmoving.
"Wh-what's going on?", Lloyd asked, confused.
"Martel!", Mithos sobbed. "How could you!"
"Human! Your kind must not be allowed to live!", Yuan shouted.
"How far are you willing to go to take control of the mana?", Kratos asked angrily.
"I'll never forgive you!", Mithos cried. "You humans are all the same!"
An energy ball appeared in front of Yuan's right hand, while Kratos drew his sword. Both of them looked as if they were about to attack.
"What's going on?", Lloyd repeated. "Mithos... Yuan... Dad!"
"Lloyd! We're inside Mithos' memory!", Colette's voice called. "Don't let it get to you!"
The strange scene disappeared and Lloyd found himself back on Derris-Kharlan, along with the others. Alice placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"Why do you interfere?! We both want the same thing! I just wanted to save the world and my sister! To have a world where no one will be persecuted!"
Mithos' soul faded away. Colette staggered and Lloyd caught her before she could fall.
"Colette! Are you all right?!", Lloyd asked.
"Lloyd! Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for rescuing me. I knew you'd come."
Overjoyed, Lloyd embraced her.
"Looks like the crystal won't come off", he observed.
"Yeah... but I think it's fine. The feeling of something eating through my mind is gone now."
"What now?", Zelos asked. "Is it over?"
"No", Colette replied, pulling away from Lloyd. "He's still somewhere out there. And I think I know where he is headed."
Colette broke into a run and the others followed.
"This – is the throne room", Kratos said quietly.
Slowly, the companions walked down the long, narrow hall until they arrived in front of the throne. And there, between them and the throne, Yggdrassil's body was floating.
The next moment, his Cruxis Crystal detached itself from Colette's body and moved toward his body, fusing with it. Yggdrassil opened his eyes and smiled.
"I thank you for going through all this trouble to bring my soul here. I'm finally myself again. And now – you're all going to die."
A/N:
The one who gets possessed by Mithos isn't necessarily Colette – it's the person who likes Lloyd the most. I got Regal one time, which was hilarious, since the game expected it someone small, and Genis was trying to look down on Regal.
Regal also told Lloyd that he thought it strange that his father looked younger than him.
Kratos' reaction to the incoming hug was basically me.
The scene at Dirk's house got an extension, too – I really wanted to let the Aurions do some stargazing together, and had them spend the night there as a result. Originally, the scene ended after Lloyd mentioned his faint memory.
Headcount – alternate scene:
"Is anyone missing someone from their family?", Rína asked.
Aodhan put his hand in the air. "My family is missing Alice."
She pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Now is not the time for stupid jokes!"
In the game, the maximum number of party members is 8. When Kratos leaves after his betrayal, he is replaced with Zelos, who has basically the same abilities and spells, and uses the same equipment. When Kratos temporarily joins your group again to defeat Forcystus, Sheena leaves the group. It is possible to get Kratos to permanently re-join the party if you talk to him at Flanoir. If you don't, he will still show up inside the chamber of the Great Seed, and later accompany Lloyd to Dirk's house, however, he won't come with you claiming that the injuries Lloyd gave him are so severe he can't fight. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the writers chose this line of reasoning – Raine has, canonically, the ability to revive the dead, so, healing Kratos shouldn't be a problem at all. But no, Kratos is too injured and can't fight.
Co-Author's Commentary
"But be careful not to touch - ", Alice began. (I just got severe Alvis in the tomb vibes)
Colette – sacrificed herself for me... (Ladies and gentlemen, Lloyd Irving, who is still somehow surprised that everyone is willing to go through hell for him)
"That – is Derris-Kharlan", Kratos replied. (Kratos sounds so impressed, it's like he sees planets dropping in every Tuesday.)
"What the hell are you guys doing, talking all day? Colette just got kidnapped", Zelos reminded them. (Thank you, at least someone is keeping an eye on the priorities)
"But Altessa is not well enough to move", Yuan objected. "Who is going to make the Ring of the Pact?" "Dad!", Lloyd replied. (Somebody punch his insensitive ass into space!)
"Good idea", Alice agreed. "I can use this opportunity to visit mum's grave – I'm sure she'll like that." (Oh, yeah, right, Alice has never been)
"Dirk, (Lloyd seems to really like to not call his dads "Dad" to their face, I see) I want you to meet my family – my father and sisters."
"Well, given he's over 4.000 years old, he's certainly old enough", (lol, no, Rina, can't you tell? Kratos isn't even allowed to legally drink yet… Otherwise, with that level of depression he'd probably be an alcoholic) Rína mused.
"Dirk, we need your help. You have to forge the Ring of the Pact for us!" (Does he have to? Maybe you little brat could aske a little more nicely!)
"Is this why you were travelling all over Tethe'alla? To prepare all of this?", (Lloyd, you were fucking TOLD this! How are you surprised?) Lloyd asked.
"And I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to help out my dearest son. After all – I'm his father, too." Kratos nodded. (then went outside and had a crying session in front of his wife's grave, because "he's not even dad-material")
"Sheena left", Regal explained. "She seemed rather upset." (Awww, noo, poor Sheena…)
"Zelos", Alice said, beckoning with one finger. (Zelos is in troooooouuuubleeeee!)
Looking slightly apprehensive, he cautiously approached her. (Yeah, he knows what he did)
"I don't think she's had time to process everything yet, so, I think you should go and talk to her – she is confused and upset, but I believe you may be able to salvage your relationship (lol, Alice got all the observational skills, no wonder Lloyd is so dense, there weren't any deduction skills left for him) – maybe even improve it."
"Wha – what are you talking about?" (Zelos "fake it til you make it" Wilder, in his natural habitat: Complete and utter DENIAL)
"I always know." (lol, except when your dad outsmarts you)
"You're scary, you know that?" (Yeah, I think she does)
"All right, all right, I'll go and talk to her. Though – maybe I should give her some time to herself first..." (No! You go there RIGHT NOW, and FUCKING APOLOGISE!)
"Fine by me." (lol, I just realised that this is Lloyd's perspective, meaning he and the others heard everything and nobody is batting an eye, meaning THEY ALL FUCKING KNEW AND NOBODY SAID ANYTHING!)
"This is Vorpal, the greatest sword I ever forged. Take it!" (I mean, if you can kill a Jabberwocky with it, of course it's a hella impressive blade!)
"Wow! Thanks, both of you! I already feel much stronger than before." (*smacks own face with hand*)
"Nice? You? Well, that's a first", she snorted. (If you two keep acting like this, you'll never get anywhere and continue both being miserable)
"I apologise in advance if you know this already, but us nobles have the habit of hiding our thoughts and feelings (like the ones you have for her *cough-cough*) behind the masks we wear in public – we hide them so that no-one can use them against us."
"So, I played the fool, like I always have." (I love him so much, he needs a hug)
"I purposefully acted like an ass, especially when you were around – when I was younger, I thought I had nothing to offer to someone like you, (OMG; I stopped breathing) that you would be better off not associating with me."
"Likewise, when I confronted you at the Tower of Salvation, I wasn't sure if I'd survive that – not that dying would have bothered me much, mind you, given that my life has been worthless from the start - " (Aww, can someone punch him – like, nicely, very softly, just to gently knock some sense into him?)
Startled by her sudden outburst, Zelos flinched and braced himself (aww, poor baby) – Sheena usually wound up punching or hitting him whenever he said something she took offence to, and right now, she certainly seemed extremely angry with him. He was shocked to his core when she caressed his cheek instead. (*internal screaming*)
"I know that now! Lloyd (Oh-oh, wrong person to mention, Zelos is going to be jelos) helped me learn to see that."
"Seriously, I'd love to punch her for that", Sheena growled. (Watch out world, Sheena has activated protective girlfriend mode…)
"You have friends who would miss you if you died, dammit!" (aww – also, just hug or kiss or whatever already!)
"I – what? Why are we suddenly talking about me? (lol, yeah, I wonder) I – I was talking about everyone, in general! What makes you think I would miss you?" (Seriously, those two are the worst)
"Oh, I see." (DON'T BELIEVE HER YOU IDIOT!)
Zelos deflated while breaking eye contact and turning away. (SHEEEEEEEENAAAA! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!)
And before Zelos had time to react, she was standing on her tiptoes, kissing him. (OMG; I think my brain just stopped working)
Zelos froze, his brain shutting down in shock. (Well, guess I'm not the only one… lol)
"Uh, Sheena, why did you kiss me?" (Seriously?! YOU HAVE TO ASK?! I mean, of course you do, you have the self-esteem of a dust mite)
Zelos rested his chin on her head. (aww *dies*)
"Keep this up and you'll turn into Colette." (lol)
"Anna... our children have become strong, both of them. They have become very self-sufficient, and I have a feeling that I'm not needed..." (I HATE YOU; YOU DUMB IDIOT! I mean, I love you, I just hat the part of you that keeps telling my poor poor Kratos that he's not needed!)
"So that's your way... you're just going to disappear (AGAIN) and let us do all the work?"
Kratos jumped to his feet and whirled around. Alice was leaning against the house, making a wreath out of Anna's favourite flowers. (Oh my god, can she put that on Kratos' head, please? He would luck so grumpily adorable!)
"I thought – that you don't need me. Besides, I doubt that I'm welcome in this group..." (ARGH! This family is so messed up, that I need therapy and I'm just watching from over here!)
"I want you to come with us. And I don't care what anyone else may think about this. I've been waiting for this for 15 years... and I can be very egoistic when I put my mind to it." (YESSS! All in favour of Alice being egoistic)
Alice moved past him to place the wreath on her mother's grave. (Okay, I mean, I guess this is an okay place to put this, but I'm still disappointed that I don't get to see Kratos in a flower crown)
She opened her Wing Pack and took out Kratos' other sword. (YAYYYY! Someone picked it up! Yippiiieee!)
"You dropped this – do I get a reward for picking it up?" (like a hug, please let it be a hug! Hugs from Dad are the best!)
Alice smiled, apparently surprised, then she laughed as well. (WHERE'S MY FAMILY HUG?!)
"Well, I just realised – all of you are immortal. You, Kratos, Rína... I'm not. One day, I'm going to die." (Anna screaming in the background: NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT!)
Alice grimaced and went over to him so she could envelop him in a hug. (yay, hugs! Wrong person though, since nobody is currently hugging Kratos)
It seemed that their family was destined to be ripped apart again... (Kratos, immediately spiralling off into depression… SOMEONE GET HIM A FUCKING THERAPIST!)
"I'll ask you again: What kind of relationship do you have with my daughter?!" (*dies of laughter*)
Behind him, Aodhan muttered, "Here we go again", (OMG) which caused Alice to blanch, but did little to soothe Kratos' ire.
"I still don't get why you're making such a fuss", Yuan replied. "So what if we're close? I don't hear you complaining about Lloyd and Dirk!" (lol, Yuan still has no clue what's happening to him)
"That's what you thought? That I was – that's – I would never - " (lol, poor Yuan)
"Seriously, Kratos, where do you get off, acting all paternal?", Yuan snapped (oh-oh, that's not gonna end well), his green eyes blazing.
"Stop it! Just stop it! Get a grip, or you'll drive me insane!" (Yeah, me too…)
"Don't", Yuan replied. "I already told you I didn't purely do this out of the goodness of my heart." (lol)
"Though I can't say I quite like the idea that I have to share my children", (except Alice, she's all yours) he said after a while.
"You don't have to share me", (aww) Alice pointed out, rushing to his side and nudging his shoulder (squeee family hug time!).
"Seriously, Kratos, do you not own a mirror?", (lol, *internal screaming* *external screaming* *dies*) Yuan asked in disbelief.
"Because I couldn't stand to look myself in the eye! Because I couldn't stand to look at the face of a murderer!" (OUCH)
"I killed your mother!" ("Yeah, I was there")
"And, as soon as you stop chastising yourself, (yes, thank you, please fucking stop doing that!) I'm sure her spirit will also be able to rest in peace."
"What did I ever do to deserve you?", he whispered. (Well, if you want to deserve her, you can give her the hug she's been wanting since the start of this story! Also, don't ask such a fucking stupid question!)
Kratos turned around to find himself face-to-face with Aodhan, who was wearing a very determined expression on his face. (Something tells me, I am about to die… Again…)
"The first time we met, you made it perfectly clear that you were against our relationship, and that was even before you found out that Alice was your daughter. The weirdness of that aside, (lol) I have come to state my intentions. (*screams*) I wish to court and marry Alice once this is all over because I love her. (aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!) And I will not let anyone stand in my way – not my father, not you, not Yggdrassil. And I would very much like to point out that you don't get to meddle in your adult daughter's love life." (lol)
Whatever Kratos had been expecting, this certainly wasn't it. (I don't think anyone was expecting this – except me, I was expecting this, and I absolutely love it!)
He suddenly moved forwards, lifting his arms, and Kratos backed away, unsure of what was going on. (omg)
"Um – can't I have a hug?", he asked tentatively. (lol)
"You want a hug? From me?" (That's it, I'm dead)
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" (Where did you get that idea? Kratos? Uncomfortable?)
And, if he were completely honest, he would love to get hugs from his kids, too. (awwwwwwww)
"All right, Aodhan, that's enough, I'd like to hug my dad, (HE SAID THE THIIIIIIIIING!) too, if you don't mind!" (Also, omg, this is hilarious), Lloyd complained.
"All right, time for a group hug, I'd say!", Alice announced. (YESSSS! GROUP HUG!)
"Well, if I have to", Rína said with a theatrical eye-roll. (Lol, admit it Rina, you want to!)
They were still huddled together like this when Kratos heard the door open. (Yay! Kratos is finally getting the cuddles he deserves!) He opened his eyes to see Dirk approaching, and, feeling slightly panicky, (Don't feel panicky, you are hurting Alice! Enjoy the hug and think happy thoughts!) tried to extract himself from the pile.
"Part of me refused to believe that my own daughter would want me dead." Rína grimaced.(Yeah, you better regret that! You made your father sad!)
"I'm so glad that you were able to save Kratos", Lloyd said quietly. "I'm not sure what I would have done if he'd actually died..." (awwwww)
Eventually, Aodhan got drowsy and settled down to sleep, resting his head in Alice's lap.(aww) She started to absent-mindedly run her fingers through his hair. (*squeal*) It was a very peaceful scene, and it made Kratos glad. (*sighs happily*)
When Lloyd suddenly let out a snore, (aww, Lloyd falling asleep to Kratos' voice!) Kratos stopped speaking, surprised.
"Had I been conscious when you took Lloyd, I would have rushed in with no regard to anything else. I would have blown my cover and killed you on the spot." (lol, Yuan, I know she said she wouldn't kill you, but I think you should still sleep with one eye open from now on)
Right now, in this very moment, life was perfect. (AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW)
"No – ugh – please – Kratos, kill me!", Alice begged. (Oh shit, that's Anna's line though, right? that's, OMG)
"They are hallucinating", Yuan, who was the only one apart from Lloyd who was unaffected, explained. (Why is Yuan unaffected?) "It's a trap devised by Mithos that confronts people with the darkness of their own heart as well as their greatest fears. You are safe because you are protected by the power of the Eternal Sword." (And why exactly are you safe?)
"You stole the Derris Emblem?" (lol, Yuan being a sneaky bastard, I love it!), Kratos asked Yuan, sounding slightly reproachful.
Yuan shrugged. "I thought it might come in handy." (lol)
"In that case, I'll just have to speed matters up", Alice decided. "Give me some space!" (Alice ex machina, at it again)
"Mum seems to be very happy", Lloyd observed. (Kratos currently having a heart attack in the background)
"She's probably relieved to see you're still alive", Rína replied, grinning. "After all, you're the one who gets into mortal danger most often." "Very funny." (Rina, you know he gets touchy about being the only mortal in the family)
"Except for one thing – I believe she's even more stubborn than you are", (awwww, lol, watch out Kratos, your son is being a brat) Lloyd replied, grinning.
"How dare you, human! You – son of Kratos!" (Ladies and gentlemen, my new favourite swear word: Son of a Kratos!)
Somehow, he managed to make it sound like a very grave insult. (lol)
"How dare you give me orders!" (Well, you're a bratty pubescent teenager, what you need to do is stop shouting and go to bed! You have school tomorrow!)
Colette broke into a run (don't run, Colette, you'll fall and hurt yourself! Although you will probably significantly help us foil the bad guy while doing so, so please, go ahead, knock yourself out… Literally…) and the others followed.
"I'm finally myself again. (are you? Are you really?) And now – you're all going to die." (Oh noooooo, have mercy, I am so fucking terrifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeed! HELP! I am to young to die! *snort* sorry, I'm a terrible actor…)