Shards of Regneration

by Kasan Soulblade

Religion is a panel of fine stain glass window, but when that glass is broken it is among the shards that you must look. Each shard is a soul, and if you put them all together perhaps the truth will be seen and all illusions lifted.

14. Ashes upon the ocean

Chapter 14

Stain glass window

To my readers,

Hangs up sign reading "Artistic license applied you've all been warned" and whistles innocent tune.

Farther on are Magnius and the fall of PalmaCosta. This chapter is very graphic and dark it has earned a Mature rank if you are offended by violence then e-mail me and I will send you a edited version of the chapter or a summary, I will not change the ranking of this fic becasue as a whole the only other really "dark" chapters that will be on par with this one are the Kvar chapters and the Tower chapters. I dub the warning as sufficient enough, if it isn't then say so in your review and I will change the ranking.

Oh and before you all pounce on me nagging about grammer Lloyd's letter is deliberatly a mess of miss spells and wrong words... you'll understand why when you get to the part in the story.

Now to answer e-mail reviews on chapter 13, try to finish next chapter for "Broken" finish Krana ficlet and put off my home- I mean work on my ToS works and creative writing "homework"... ;)

Enjoy,

Kasan Soulblade

"A cage, filled with the finest foods, the comforts all tended, how many would honestly break the gilded bars and rush into the maw of a predator?" Kratos pointed out, once Lloyd had run out of steam for his anger. "The dark is a animal, a home of demons, Salvation comes from the light of the sun, the voice of an angel. They are absolutes, easy answers, and as a group people like simple answers. Better to have an answer then to ask a question."

Lloyd stroked Noishe, his mind trying to keep pace with Kratos'.

"Is it like having a block of wood, you roll it in your hands and it seems fine but when you cut into it it might not be so nice as it looked?"

"Something like that... You only cover one aspect, which is the fear of what a question could revial... There is more to it, and if I tried to explain it to you the way I was taught you'd get lost."

Kratos tapped a dagger against his knee trying to gather his thoughts. He sat on a rock facing away from the Pass, Lloyd sat cross legged on the uneven ground, both of them were watching the sunset and waiting for their companions to come back from making the aged Koton hand over the Book of Regeneration. Kind of funny really, they were two heretics on a journey to save the world by following a prophecy set by a religion that denied them almost as actively as they denied it. Lloyd chuckled and Kratos looked at him. Perhaps Kratos discerned the thoughts from his open eyes, looked through the windows and read the words on Lloyd's brain, or maybe it was just some other thought, but the mercenary curled his lips in a small smile.

"At the chapel in PalmaCosta did you perhaps see the stained glass windows? Think of it this way, the metal rods that hold and protect the glass are as thick as the truth a line of the 'angelic' writ they represent. Something that is completely true will be a decent sized rod, a half truth would be a half the thickness, a partial truth would be a partial rod. Your question is a rock in your hand, and you throw that rock, what happens Lloyd?"

"You throw a rock at a window it breaks." Lloyd said in a matter of fact tone that implied that Lloyd was quite the trouble maker as a child and did his part to keep the glass blower in business.

"If it hits a rod?"

"Well it it's thick the rock might bounce off."

"The window remains whole?"

"Yeah..."

"But a window with few thick rods, what would happen?"

"I'd fall apart." Lloyd said promptly, and then he frowned, remembering what a rod was supposed to be.

Kratos remained silent, allowed Lloyd to draw whatever conclusions he wanted, after all it was in his estimate that they had at least an hour before the elf professor lost her temper and beat Koton into the ground and ran back to them book in hand cackling crazily. Enough time to make your own opinion and think something through. Lloyd glared at the ground, as if it would help him think, probably for the first time in his life honestly thinking about something abstract without someone who had it in there mind to guild them to the 'right' answers. There were precious few 'right' answers, precious few 'wrong' answers. Right and wrong were a personal opinion, they could be warped and twisted by an individual until they were totally alien to anyone else. There was action and there was judgment of others that ascribed good and evil to a person, and little else. Eventually Lloyd would learn that, and what that fact turned him into would be the greatest test of character then any action or deed that he did in his life.

"Little could stand up to that rock huh?" Lloyd said at long last.

"Very little, but what could stand perhaps is the most precious thing of all. Harvesting it would be to ones benefit, but to do so would be dangerous."

Lloyd understood that, understood how dangerous it could be, and he smiled at least knowing one ultimate truth.

"No offense, but you're weird."

"Maybe I am."

"Like if there was a contest you'd be the king of weird."

"Do not push it Lloyd."

"You'd be like... the wired high king."

"Are you aware of just how thin a skin of ice you are walking on?"

"Ohhh I'm so scared, I mean it's not like you can run all that fast."

Kratos laughed. "As if I need to be as fast as you to pound you next swords practice."

"Well your sword skills couldn't save you from my wraith!" Lloyd bragged, looking up at the older man with a smug smile curling his lips.

"Your wraith?" Kratos snorted, closed his eyes and turned away. "You don't have the capability to hold a grudge for ten seconds much le-"

Opportunity wasn't knocking it was walking through the door and making itself at home. Grinning Lloyd got to his feet, draped an arm companionably around Kratos' shoulders. The man managed to have one second in which to worry as the grip tightened and the other hand fisted and rubbed roughly against Kratos' skull. Snarling the man bent, tried to squirm out of Lloyd's grip, and managed to do so, but not before the order that the man exerted over his hair was totally destroyed. Laughing at the man's totally wild hair Lloyd lowered his guard, was oblivious to the quiet growl that slipped through the mercenary's lips. Crying out in shock Lloyd's arms were pinned an he was given much of the same treatment. Lloyd finally managed to squirm free, countered with a Noishe styled head butt. Kratos stepped back, took the unorthodox hit and was about to deliver a kick to the back of Lloyd's knees to bring him down when someone else decided to step in, or rather pounce in. Both swordsmen went flying, Lloyd found himself pinned by three hundred pounds of dog. Noishe licked him then whirled, pounced Kratos and elder swordsman and dog went a good ways down the path kicking up sizable amount of dust.

"We call that being Noishe'd!" Lloyd called out helpfully, giving the thrashing pile of Kratos and Noishe a wide berth.

"Howl!" The tongue lolled out, this contest was over and Noishe was declaring victory in his dog way.

"Lloyd call off your dog!" Kratos roared, putting his hands around Noishe's skull to keep the tongue from descending.

Lloyd toyed around with the idea of leaving Noishe to do what Noishe did best. But that was too evil. Still saving Kratos didn't mean he had to be prompt about it. He took his sweet time picking his way down the path, and when Kratos' cries began to get choked off with laughter as the tail tickled him Lloyd finally gripped those oversized ears and shoved his dog off the poor mercenary. Poor guy, he was trying to compose himself after all that, Lloyd pulled the older man to his feet, and they both were sent to the ground by a well placed Noishe pounce. A fore paw on each of their backs prevented them from moving too much. Noishe looked at them, considered how best to gloat. The tongue slipped out and Lloyd grimaced, he knew what was coming. Soon enough Lloyd's hair was all in his eyes slicked down with a generous layer of dog drool, Kratos' was sticking straight up after a few wads of hair being playfully tugged straight up.

"Damn it Noishe, let us go!" Kratos growled, trying but failing to get Noishe to let them go.

"There's only one thing to do now." Lloyd sighed, and then cleared his throat. "Help!"

"Certainly between the two of us we can over power this dog..."

"Knock yourself out." Lloyd shrugged as much as he could under Noishe, who was deciding to lie down on his human twin mattress. "I'm doing what I know works... Raine, help!"

Kratos sighed, pillowed his head on crossed arms while above him Noishe pillowed his head on crossed paws. It was going to be a long wait, a very long wait, so Noishe took advantage of the situation, kneaded Lloyd to the proper level of fluffiness and when that was achieved then let out a huge yawn. Luckily for the humans Raine took only half an hour to come, unfortunately for Noishe he hadn't caught more then a wink of sleep before he was firmly driven off with the woman's jeweled staff.

xxx xxx xxx

"Spiritua statue?" Lloyd seemed to taste the strange words.

"All churches have them, it's what we pray to, it's the embodiment of out prayers. You see the carving of Spiritua, the last Chosen who was successful wore a crown of diamonds, in her honor the angels made one of stars in the night sky that we are instructed to call the Crown of Heaven. In honor of Spirtua and the labor of the angels we put on her symbol a diamond covered tiara that catches the prayers as did Spiritia's journey give life to the world and answer those prayers long ago. The prayers of the faithful gather in the crown and the priests make an offering of the prayers during the hour when the suns at it's highest."

"At noon." Lloyd suddenly remembered Tylor's stubborn insistence he be at the temple at that time no matter what.

"Un huh!" Colette seemed pleased that Lloyd was showing some response, normally he'd just walk off during one of these talks. What she didn't know was that the night they camped right outside the pass Kratos and Lloyd had shared a watch and during that watch Kratos had had a very firm chat to him about respecting other people's beliefs. There had also been some open threats about intensifying practice; it was intense and painful enough so Lloyd was being very polite. It was costing him though, he wanted to argue that the Crown was the fallen crown from Aska's head, wanted to if nothing else ask questions. He'd been banned from doing the last, and that was really gnawing on him. Still Kratos had a point, he didn't know how to tactfully ask a question, to gauge if it could be destructive to a fragile faith or not. He was having to go to Kratos with his questions, or rather would next time they shared a watch, for now he listened and that seemed to humor Colette.

"If we take the crown though, wouldn't that be bad?"

"Very." Colette looked solemn. "The crown is a channel; it brings our prayers to the Goddess and the Angels so they can answer them. If there isn't a channel then the Angels can't protect anyone, that's why all the regions outside of the homes of the faithful are filled with monsters."

Lloyd felt like he was going to burst on that one. His house and all around it wasn't crawling with monsters, they avoided Dad's place and him and Dad only went on monster hunts when the wolves would come down from the slopes of the small forested region on the southern edge of Iselia forest. And that was once every other winter or so. Kratos caught his eyes, read the strain of quietly sitting through Colette's open and subtle attempts to convert him, and decided it was time to save him. He picked up his pace, abandoned Noishe to serve as a solitary pack animal, and for a heartbeat gripped Lloyd's shoulder. The motion was over quick, too quick for Genis and Raine who were taking point and talking about something called a quadratic equation to even notice it, and too fast for Colette to pick up on it. That made Lloyd calm, told him without words it was Kratos' turn to go under fire.

"Lacking a channel would be bad, how do you plan to remedy that problem?" The mercenary asked Colette, Lloyd took advantage of that to slow down and join Noishe.

"Yes, I'll replace the alter with a few of my wing's feathers, I'll pray over them so they'll be proper vessels and the priests can use them until Koton gives them back the statue." Colette smiled a pained smile. "It wont be as good as the statue and Crown..."

"I imagine an item bearing the blood of the Chosen along with her prayers would be quite valuable indeed." Kratos' tone grew sympathetic. "Certainly you could do something else though? A lock of hair could be prayed over and made holy, as I understand it the worshipers of Martel in the Hima region sacrifice locks of their hair."

"No, a feather of an angel is the most holy thing I can give."

"I imagine plucking those feathers is going to hurt."

"Oh it can't be that bad!" Colette chirped. "And even if it does all I have to do is put the wings away and they won't hurt anymore!"

Lloyd winced and hoped that Colette was right; all he knew was pulling a hair out from his head hurt, he hoped it wouldn't hurt as bad with Colette's wings.

xxx xxx xxx

Warm hands gently shook him awake. They weren't sword calloused, and no deep voice was ordering him to get up it was time for watch. They were too large to be Genis' and Genis never shook him awake he always used a cold water spell. So whose hands could it be? He made a noise to indicate he was awake and cracked an eye open. Lloyd was startled into full awareness by Colette's worried expression. There were unshed tears in her eyes, and that sight made him sit up and offer his arms to her without a thought to the fact that Raine was up right now. She hugged him, seemed ready to cry. Colette rarely cried, and he was more then just a little worried, he was really worried and no small bit scared. He held her as she trembled in his arms, rocked her back and forth slowly, unaware of twin orbs of dark blue boring into him on the other side of the camp. The world faded away to her shaking in his arms, her hair caressing the arms that he enfolded her in, and the quiet whimpers that were in coming out of her throat.

"It's alright, you're safe..." He reached up and shyly stroked her hair. It was the softest gold in all the world, softer then he imagined silk to be. He bent his head, listened to her whispered words that came out with the whimpers and understood. "No one's going to hurt you, there isn't a Desian in miles, you're safe." He muttered that over and over like some chant and she slowly relaxed.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered over and over again as her terror faded.

"It's alright." Lloyd whispered when she finally stopped apologizing. Lloyd forced himself to stop stroking her hair, he blushed slightly as his hand really didn't want to stop. "What are friends for if not to chase off nightmares?"

She looked at him and smiled. He felt warm all over and knew he was really blushing like heck now. She thanked him, gave him a little peck on the cheek, and went to her bed roll on the other side of the clearing. He stared after her, eyes wide, looking as if he'd been dropped into a vat of red paint. It took a long moment to remember how to breath. He did not even think of how his blankets and tunic were dry from the tears that had stood in her eyes and did not fall, he did absolutely no thinking and just stared into empty space after her. Finally, remembering that he was going to be on watch with Kratos and he'd get chewed out if he was sleepy he figured that he should at least lie down and try to sleep. He did so, slipped under the red covers and closed his eyes, and for some weird reason all he could smell was her scent and all he could feel was a tingle under his hands, the ghost touch of her hair. He got absolutely no sleep the rest of the night. Lloyd lay still and wondered what was wrong, why something as normal as holding her was tangling him up inside. Finally unable to take it he picked up his pack that was serving as his pillow and put it over his head. It didn't help him sleep any, but it made a good shield against all of his weird thoughts.

xxx xxx xxx

"OK I know you don't worship Martel, does your faith have a name?"

"Why do you ask?" Kratos shifted his sword around on his belt. They both were at the tail end of the group, keeping Noishe company, or so went the cover story. What they both were doing was avoiding Colette who was valiantly trying to shove Martel down their throats. Lloyd knew she was trying to 'save their souls' like her faith demanded, but still it was annoying as heck. For the first time in years Lloyd was actively trying to avoid Colette. She'd held out for a week doing this to him when they were little, Lloyd secretly prayed that it wouldn't take as long this time.

"Because… I dunno…" Lloyd shrugged. "I keep hearing all about Martel and all that I guess I'm not religion-ed out yet."

"You are the glutton for punishment aren't you?" Kratos' lips curled ever so slightly. "You know that if I start telling you about my faith everyone else is going to be at my throat for attempting to convert you?"

"If I don't say anything how are they gunna know? Anyway I know you won't try to force me to convert." Lloyd sighed. "I just wish they'd understand."

"They are following the edicts of their faith and are attempting to save you." Kratos rolled his eyes at that then he shook off his humor and became deadly serious. "The edicts of my faith stress free will, they stress a lot that those who worship Martel find abhorrent. There are no absolutes; no assurances if you're looking for comfort look else where."

"If I were looking for comfort I wouldn't be throwing myself against the bars of a cage." Lloyd countered, and Kratos stared at him for a long time, thinking of something Lloyd probably could never comprehend.

"Alright." Kratos said after a long time had passed and they'd walked for a while, drawing closer and closer to the house of salvation. "Let us start with high destiny and free will and work our way out from there. Before any being was ever born the Crafter and Master of the Weave set about making a path for their creations to follow, this is termed as the high destiny."

"Wait a second how could this Creater and Weave person even exist if there was nothing?"

"Did I say there was nothing?" Kratos chuckled. "Do not put words in my mouth Lloyd, there was no 'being' the Crafter and the Master of the Weave are consisted of extremes, they are everything and nothing, good and evil, chaos incarnate for lack of better words. Because the Crafter and Master were consisted of extremes that would never resolve, the destiny that was laid out could go one of two ways. Can you guess what splits the path?"

"Good and evil?"

"No, Martel preaches the value of good and evil, making it absolute, but in my faith it is not. It is between life and death, existence and non-existence, that everything is divided. Good and evil are individual choices, not choices originally set by the higher powers. At first only one item was made by the twin powers, and of all things it was a gem. It had a thousand facets that caught on the light of the Powers that had made it and set off a thousand colors aching across the void. That color was not intended by the Powers, they were angered that a creation of theirs would do something that they did not wish, and in the manner of beings that are controlled by chaos both revered that difference and despised it. So I was in rage and joy, grief and exultation, they meant to break the weave and creation and unmake their work. They raised their hands and within were the keys of unmaking and they set it across the gem as you would set am axe across a piece of wood for the fire. They meant to split the offensive item and toss its essence back into the void. But the higher destiny, the twin path, took that which was once whole and set it upon its back. Half the gem lay upon death and half upon life and the higher powers though they strived could no take the gem back and set I upon the course of that they desired."

"So the path was stronger then the makers of the path?" Lloyd frowned, this was pretty confusing.

"Yes, you could say that I suppose." Raine was giving Kratos a long look, and the mercenary returned it innocently.

"Heh, wow tables are turned. You gave her the glare of death or hanging out with me and now you're getting it back."

"I guess I deserve it."

"So what happened next?"

"Because death is the anti-thesis of life and the gem while inanimate…"

"Antal-Wha? Inanimute? Use smaller words I don't know what the heck you just said!"

The mercenary sighed in annoyance.

"All things, even a rock, strive to live. Even though one path was death the other life, the gem on the side of death did not die. Death changed, became Chaos and Madness, in response to that change Life became Order. Infuriated that again their creation spurned them the Crafter and Master of the Weave chased after their possession, each taking a different path. Master, naturally a chaotic entity, twisted as Death embraced him, and though he remained whole the madness of that path became a dominant part him. The Creator went down the path of Order and changed, split into twelve entities that were part of what we see about us as nature."

"So the order gem is this?" Lloyd waved a hand to indicate the road and the world.

"Yes," Kratos smiled obviously please that Lloyd was following this. While he'd never admit it this idea had taken him a very long time to grasp, his mentor had spent a week explaining and re-wording the story over and over until it had finally sunk in. Either Lloyd was a great deal more intelligent then Kratos had been when he was a child or perhaps Kratos was explaining it in a better way then his mentor had. The mercenary decided that the second option was more appeasing so he'd stick with it. Lloyd let out an impressed whistle and fell into uncharacteristic silence while he waited for Kratos for pick up the thread of his story.

"One half of the great gem became a thing called Nehfilm and the other half became… Sylvarant. As the worlds changed and went down their roads eventually the ropes that bound them began to fall away. There exist a few paths between those worlds or so it is told…"

"The skeleton at Ossa…" Lloyd froze stared at Kratos. "You don't think…"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Kratos gripped the hilt of his blade, a grimace on his face. "Now while I don't know exactly what happened on the other side that allows beings or seeds of Chaos to come to our side I do know that it was a very powerful seed that fell into the heart of our world. The heart maintained order, held all potential, it kept the world in its proper path. But it became tainted with a Chaos seed, a Demon seed. Chaos tried to destroy life and Order, which in its infancy was merely potential. The heart strived to absorb the chaos, and in doing so began a war upon our word between Chaos and Order, Life and Death. From that war in the Heart came Good and Evil, these opposites infused the entities that were once the Creator and made them into Spirits. Origin, the greatest of the spirits took in his hands the Hammer of Godly Thunder, the Flame of Hellfire, and the Clay of the world and shaped the Chaos. Infusing Chaos into everything, forcing the infinite potential into all beings, all to save the heart of the world which could only hold the finite… For without the heart all would turn into nothingness. So things existed outside the Heart and were bound to the Heart by threads of existence, or… mana as your young magi friend would call it."

Lloyd blinked, tried to nibble on the edges of that and wasn't lost so much as over whelmed.

"Because Chaos somehow came into our world the two options that had originally split the world became open to all beings. All options opened and that is where free will comes in. We pick in our lives from a multitude of decisions and actions and words, and that in turn sculpts our path."

"So here isn't just one "light" path is there?"

"No, there is not."

Lloyd felt like his head was spinning; no wonder Kratos had told him there was no comfort! The idea that life was an accident… That everything around him wasn't meant to be, it was rather uncomforting.

"Something wrong?"

"It's a lot to think about isn't it?"

Kratos nodded. "The price of free will is that you have to think Lloyd. If you don't want to there are others who would happily lead for you, make you into something greater then yourself, they'd make you into a part of a higher cause and offer you sanctuary from all the horrors of the world with their promises of salvation and peace."

"But if I don't follow, I wont be greater then me, I'd just be me."

"I guess so."

Lloyd thought about it while they walked. There was a question, not asked but that needed answering. It tied into his stories, tied into what he knew and didn't know. He smiled slightly and made his decision though it wasn't Kratos who asked it. He asked it to himself, asked his question and answered it with a smile on his lips. He answered it to the one man who'd understand, who had heard the unspoken question.

"I never did like sheep."

Kratos looked at him for a long moment and then burst out into rich warm laughter.

Xxx xxx xxx

Colette frowned; toyed with the three feathers she had plucked and prayed over, and stared at the symbol of Cruxis. Three wings jutted out from the ring of order, the wheel of human destiny, and if she had a ring maybe she could slip the fathers in and give the priests something even more special then angel feathers. She wondered for a little where she could get a ring, even as Raine was asking the priests if they could take the statue for the Regeneration.

Suddenly she had it! She quietly slipped up to Lloyd and tapped him lightly when no one was looking.

"What's the mater Colette?"

She whispered her idea and he frowned, looked at the circle with the wings of the three Seraphim and High Guardians.

"I dunno, it'd take me a while if you wanted all those squiggles in."

Colette wished they did have time because she knew Lloyd could do all the angelic writing really well… But they didn't.

"Could you just do a ring Lloyd? A ring that can hold these, but make them stick out like that?" She held out the feathers and he looked at them, picked one up, and frowned at it then the symbol.

"It'll be tricky, I'm not used to working with anything but wood and steel, but I'll give I a try."

She smiled, knew he'd do fine and said so, and he turned a really cute red just like his tunic! Uh oh Raine looked really mad and the younger priest was squirming like he was scared he' be Raine'd. Colette hoped he wasn't going to be Raine'd that'd be awful!

"What do you mean you lost the statue at Thodia geyser!"

"I was on a pilgrimage and… I was so exited seeing the geyser or the first time I dropped it and… I had a dwarf make a copy of the statue for me, he lived a bit north of Iselia as I recall…"

"That's my Dad!" Lloyd sounded really mad, Colette took his hand and he lost some of his anger and looked sad. "What kind of work are you doing dad?"

"I wonder that myself…" Raine shook her head. "Never mind it's not important, I guess we could try to take the fake."

"Will it fool the old man though?" Kratos wondered, though his tone made him sound like he was saying. 'I don't think it will fool the Koton one bit.'

"Oh I know! We can get the real one!"

Everyone was staring at her funny, what did she say wrong?

"A geyser? Isn't that where hot water's all shooting out and stuff? If I want to die like that I'll tell Raine about how boring ruins... ummm…"

Raine turned a not so cute red and Lloyd went really pale.

Lloyd coughed. "I'm gunna go outside and start working on that carving for you Colette."

"We're sorry about all the trouble we have caused you." The temple's Father said with a bow in her direction.

"It's alright." Colette smiled. "I understand, I drop stuff all the time!"

"This may be unfair to ask but it is late in the afternoon and it would be an honor for us if you could conduct the temple's sunset ritual, we would happily give you shelter for the evening…"

"Oh no pro…"

Kratos firmly shook his head and Raine seeing that poked him not so softly with her elbow.

"We'd be honored Father." Raine said with a quick bow to duck under Kratos' scary glare. "I can even help a little with the ritual I used to help Phardia when her acolytes got sick."

"Your help would be welcome." The Father said with a warm smile. "It's time for me conduct confession so I'm afraid we will have to talk after."

"That is fine." Kratos smiled his smile that he'd smiled at her in Iselia, and Colette decided that it did look like he was going to bite someone when he smiled like that. "A word with you Ms. Sage?"

"I'm sorry but I'm going to be attending the confession." Raine said in a sweet voice that didn't sound all that nice.

"Indeed…" Kratos jaw twitched. "Well then, I'll be outside, I imagine my presence is a moral offense to the Goddess anyways."

"We welcome soldiers into our ranks so long as they refrain from killing an only do so in the name of Good and Life." The Father said with a smile still on his face.

"Killing in the name of life… I have never heard a more complete oxymoron." Was all Kratos said as he stormed outside.

Xxx xxx xxx

He sat a few feet from the road; he'd seen Kratos sorm out of the temple but thought nothing of it. The guy in there was kinda like Marche, not as dead as Marche, but there was enough of the old priest in him to set Lloyd's teeth on edge. All in all it was probably a good thing Kratos had left, he didn't seem to have all that much patience with the Martel priests anyways. Well that was another good reason for Lloyd to stay outside, he went back to work on his ring, adding little slits where the feathers could be slipped in. He finished it and put it in his pocket and leaned against Noishe thinking about watching the white fluffy clouds roll by. A patch of white, twin white slips popped out of the grass; and Lloyd seeing them paled. Noishe whined, ducked behind him and put his paws over his eyes. Red eyes winked in the suns light, twinkled like the winter's star. Ripping his sword from it's sheath Lloyd considered running, for once in his life he toyed around with the idea running from a rabbit.

"Kreee!" Its crimson eyes widened and strayed up to his hair and a right red tongue poked out from its tiny fangs.

"You followed me!" Lloyd yelped pulling his sword free. At that sound Noishe whined and made a break for it, running in Kratos' direction.

"Hissss…" Drool slipped through that mouth and those long legs pushed of from the ground and like last time they smashed into his face. Unlike last time the thing kicked off his face and then something heavy landed on his head.

Xxx xxx xxx xxx

Genis cocked his head to the side as a voice not singing prayers to Martel slipped into the room via an open window. It couldn't be Lloyd could it? Well he couldn't do anything about it if it was, it was a holy time where they were all supposed to pray and ask forgiveness for their sins so Genis was in the room until the ceremony was done. The cries of 'Getitoff getitoff!' were suddenly cut off when the young priest slipped to the window and closed it. Genis really tried to lose himself in the prayers, to let the enlightened words of the Goddess fill him, but through the whole ceremony he could hear that desperate cry and all he could think of was rabbits. So a slight smile curled his lips for the rest of the prayers, but no one seemed to really notice or mind so he for once didn't get in trouble.

xxx xxx xxx xxx

Lloyd sat at Kratos' feet; cold light was probably freezing his glare into place. Like he cared, that damn rabbit had bested him again! It had even bested Kratos, kicking the mercenary sharply in the rump before fleeing. What good was learning swords craft if a rabbit could beat you up? Kratos' hand withdrew and both swordsmen looked at each other for a long moment. Both thinking about that ball of fluff that had beat them both and made a brake for it.

"Not a word of this gets breathed in anyone's presence." Kratos said at last, pulling a strand of chewed hair out of his eyes.

"Not a word." Lloyd agreed grimly.

They sat, backs to the house of salvation, prayers were sung behind them. They were, both by mutual dislike were not going into that chapel. The decision was not an easy one, almost guaranteed a lecture from Colette later on. Lloyd shrugged it off, trued to fix his messed up hair. What was that rabbit's thing with eating people's hair, it was like some God of sick humor had sicced the damn thing on them.

"Is there some demonic rabit god in your religion?" Lloyd asked, watching for the pair of ears to return any moment now.

"No, but Gnome and Sylph have very nasty senses of humor and I could see them giving luck to that little..." Kratos muttered a few words in a weird language that Lloyd supposed he wasn't meant to catch.

"I can see it now, thirteenth spirit infused with chaos, evil, and a hair fetish, it's minions cute animals that make the victims lower their guard." Lloyd grinned albeit weakly, and was rewarded when the man chuckled.

"Bunny lord of the underworld?" Kratos quipped and they both smiled.

The wind sighed around them, laughed amongst the grass, and Lloyd had to wonder if there was something honestly brushing the grass and giggling at their misfortune. It was spring; the world was decked out in its softest green. The rolling hills about them framed the dust road, made its cry for feet to cross it all the more alluring. Thinking of music… Lloyd spared a glare for the Chapel; the singing was swelling into new octaves that were not so sweet. To better ignore the worship going on behind him Lloyd settled into his fast becoming favorite past time of nagging the mercenary with a hundred questions.

"So just how many stories do you know?"

"More then most would like to hear. And they are not exactly stories per say…"

"Sorry… I just don't know what to call them." Lloyd blushed. "I know they aren't stories, they're really important and explain how stuff works, but I can't think of a word for it past stories because it's not exactly prayers.

"There are prayers; every heart beat is a prayer, a cry against Death and Chaos, defiance against Nehfilin." Kratos closed his eyes. "But there are prayers, formal rituals, but they would depend upon where your essence lies. You see, though we are a part of everything and in turn everything is a part of us and we all strive to defy Chaos all beings have a slanted nature… We have an… element."

"That sounds almost like Genis' thread thing."

"It might be that he is seeing just the edge of a person's element, perhaps even their soul. If so that's no small gift."

"Well if it is then I'd be fire right?"

"You have leanings in that direction." Kratos smiled, reached out and tugged at Lloyd's tunic. "Favored colors are a hint, but a pure fire person would be even more rash. Fire is energy, and most find an easy outlet of energy in emotion, primarily anger, but there would be a complete distortment of judgment when emotion comes into play. It would be to the point a person might abandon an oath, or even personal ideals. You fight and use your emotions to support your ideals and do not forsake them. That trait would rule out fire almost immediately."

"So then, what is it?"

"I do not know, if I figure it out I will let you know."

"Guess you don't know everything after all." Lloyd teased

"I do know one thing," Kratos gave Lloyd a mock stare of death and daggers. "If you continue to mock me I will not continue to tell you what stories I do know, I might even forsake my plans of telling you one every watch we share."

"Every night?" Lloyd's eyes went wide in a interesting mix of happiness, surprise, and enthusiasm. "Oh man Colette's going to hit us with the Martel book if she catches so much of a whiff of this. Not that I really care mind you, I really like your stories, they're the best!"

"I will take that as very high praise then." Kratos smiled, dropping his serious act and relaxing.

It was in that state of relaxation and comradely outside the chapel, it was when the prayers of the Goddess swelled to full volume and devotion on the inside of the chapel, when the messenger came.

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An army was marching to PalmaCosta, an army of Desians. Immediately splits ran amongst the group, pitting the younger members against their elders. Faithful and non-faithful banned together, logic warred against passion, and Lloyd heatedly declared he didn't care what Raine and Kratos did he'd go back by himself if he had to. He ignored their cries for caution, his anger burned their arguments to nothing, and he grimly swung his legs over the loaded down Noishe and looked down at them from his wolf-like perch.

"If I take the road's I can be there in three days, it's got to take an army longer to move then that!" Lloyd was already working off Raine's packs. He dumped those to the dusty road and began to untie Kratos' stuff.

"You're going to die if you go back there by yourself! PalmaCosta has there own militia, they can deal with it." Raine shrilled at him, using her teacher's voice in hopes he'd listen.

"He's not going alone!" Colette snapped, standing besides Noishe she caught Lloyd's hands as he began to free up her stuff. "I'm going too!"

"No Chosen, you, and he, are staying here where it is safe!" Kratos grimly tried to snatch Lloyd from his seat, but Noishe bared his fangs and side stepped the grab.

"I'm not going to let PalmaCosta be another Iselia!" Lloyd snarled, gripping Noishe's mane so hard his fingers paled.

"Being a Chosen means stopping the Desians." Colette hopped up and Lloyd pulled her onto Noishe's back. "I can't not go, it's my holy duty to go."

"Wait for me!" Genis cried out, ignoring his sister's attempts to stop him. Colette helped him up and looked sadly at the pale and trembling Raine. Lloyd pointedly did not look at either of his mentor's, he was brave but not that kind of brave. Finally having the last string undone Lloyd managed to shove of Kratos' steel heavy packs, there was the clink of daggers that told them all just how knife happy Kratos was. With a few words telling Noishe they were ready to go the massive dog turned itself, pointedly ignoring the weird words Kratos was barking after them. Soon Kratos and Raine faded down the road, the whole world became a blur of green with a stretch of tan rolling under them. Whimpering in terror Genis gripped Colette as tight as he could and Colette in turn held onto Lloyd whispering prayers to Martel. Lloyd smiled, albeit grimly, they wouldn't fall, Noishe wouldn't let them. He patted his dog's shoulder to tell him that and while Noishe didn't waste his breath to bark or slow so that his tail could wag. The dog merely looked up at him. That was enough, they shared understanding in a glance and then both went back to watching the road glide under silken paws.

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Kratos roared a few words, smashing his fist into the wall of a chapel. The words were not quite angelic, not quite the ancient tongue that was scrawled upon the ruins of the world, rather some hybrid of both. They came out half hissed alluding to some dark origin before the Light of Martel came and enlightened the world. How strange that a mercenary would know such a tongue, but then there were good odds that it wasn't even a genuine language rather some gibberish like Lloyd's code. Taking a deep breath the mercenary slowly unclenched his fist, seemed oblivious to the thin trails of blood sliding down his knuckle.

"I'm going to kill him." Kratos hissed, a mere whisper, but it seemed even more terrifying then the howled oaths in that alien language. "And I am going to do it with my bare hands!"

Raine would have sworn that the wall of the chapel shivered as the mercenary smashed into it again with his fist. The priests were hovering about the exhausted messenger, forcing him to take in water, and were trying to bind his wounds. Raine joined the priests, helped heal the man's hurts and stayed with him until a dark shadow fell over them all. Shivering one of the priests drew out a symbol to protect himself from the black clad demon. Hardly offended Kratos had slung both her packs and his along the back of a four legged animal that sported a long face and watery black eyes. It towered over her, and it took her a long moment to recognize the animal as a horse.

"Hey, you, that's my horse!" Snarled a fat man in fine clothes, a merchant of some type by his looks, he waddled up to Kratos snatched the reins… and let them go as a sword was pressed against the throat. "What I meant was you could… of course take…" The man babbled at the empty darkness of Kratos' eyes slid over him.

"We'll return it to this house of Salvation on our return; we won't be gone for more then two weeks." Raine said weakly, even as Kratos swung his legs over the borrowed horse and settled himself in the saddle. "It's for the Regeneration…" Raine lost he words to sooth the merchant and stared at the mercenary's bloody hand. Froze at his offer to pull her up. If she didn't take it he'd probably abandon her, and she was suddenly scared to death of the thought of Kratos catching up with the children. Though she didn't like the idea of trusting some animal to carry her…

She liked the idea of Kratos in his animal rage to catch the children without someone to rein him in even less.

She took that hand and he pulled her up, not liking how the warm animal under her and how it tried to twist away. Kratos snarled an oath did something to the animal's ears and the horse squealed in pain and turned itself so it was facing the road.

"Hold on!" He barked, than sharply kicked the horse's sides and they raced down the road after the children.

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Snarling Noishe veered from the road as the sun rose past the mountains, he darted into a mess of bushes and lay down, telling them without words that he was going no farther. Grinning Lloyd patted his dog's heaving flank, muttered a few words of thanks and then poured Noishe a bowlful of water from his water skin and let the exhausted dog try to drown himself in his eagerness to drink. There were no tents, it was too dark to properly set them up, and there was no fire. Lloyd found a bit of mashed bread, and while it wasn't an elegant meal it served, they nibbled on bread under the star light and Lloyd took first watch, Genis would take second, and if Genis got too tired to stay up for the rest of the night Colette would take over till dawn. Wrapped in blankets they slipped under the cover if the foliage about them and tried their best to sleep. Well all except Lloyd who couldn't sleep even if he had wanted to. Kratos was going to honestly kill him, he had no doubts of it, and after Kratos did Raine would heal him so she'd have a turn. He had those cheery thoughts to keep him company all through the long watch. When Geins took over for his he seemed oblivious to worry, trusted in him, they both trusted him, and as he lay down and recalled just what Iselia had been like during and after the attack he began to wonder if they should trust him. He'd done what was right for him, he didn't doubt that, but he was dragging his closest friends into this mess with him. Staring at Genis who stood so small and alone in the darkness alongside the road Lloyd began to understand why Colette had written that note.

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"They camped here." Kratos pointed to the tramped down plants on the side of the road. He scanned the area, bent and glared at what looked to Raine to be a smear on the road. "Good, but not good enough… They're trying to hide their tracks, or rather Lloyd is. They don't have much of a lead, probably less then an hour. If we put some speed into it…"

"Kratos that horse -which may I add you stole- isn't going to live much longer if we push it any harder then we have already. You're worried, I'm worried, but we will be walking if you don't slow down!"

Kratos snarled an oath, at whom Raine didn't care; she'd gotten all of five hours of sleep and was in as nasty a mood as the mercenary. The poor animal was in worse shape then she was. It had all but collapsed when they had dismounted and Kratos had done something to it, she didn't know what, but it had been able to run the next morning when it should have been unable to even crawl. She had asked him what he'd done, his response had been a cold 'you don't want to know' and she really hadn't wanted to know so she didn't ask again. All Kratos had been doing was fading in and out between two moods, anger and grim determination. His anger would lead to him snarling quiet profanities or just glaring at the road till it seemed the very earth shivered from his fury as they went on, the determination when it reared it's head made him utterly mute and utterly inhuman. Monster's had attacked them once. Those insect beasts much like those from a few days ago. All Kratos had done was drawn his blade and while still on horse back had delivered a slash that had nearly cut one of the monsters in half, the other one seeing Kratos baring down on it had wisely fled, and they'd again gone down the road as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that the mercenary's blade dripped black ichor, and that Raine had begun to shake and could not for the world stop.

Only at noon did they stop to allow the horse to eat and to wolf down a few slices of bread. The second she was done eating the mercenary whistled a shrill note, and the horse came up to him on shaking legs. He said nothing, knelt at the animal's side and set his hands which were glowing with that cold light, besides the creature's chest. It made a pained noise and went utterly still, shivered, then pranced in place with a cheer that could do nothing to hide the muscles swollen from cramps and the subtle caving in of the animal's belly.

"What are you doing to it!" She sent out a thread of power and shivered stared at the mercenary in horror. "You're killing it! You've totally warped its metabolism and you're cutting off all of its pain…"

"I don't have time to be kind Ms. Sage, I have no time. All three of those children are riding to death and if I kill one horse to save them it hardly maters to me."

"Palmacosta has a militia." Raine said in a chilly tone meeting the man's glare with one of her own.

"Why do you think that is?" Was Kratos' reply. "Get on Ms. Sage, or walk, it is your choice."

"What can we do, we're only two people?" She whispered, taking that hand and he grimly pulled her up.

"As much as we can," was the mercenary's chilling passionless answer. "If nothing else we must stop them from getting involved in any of the fighting, even if we must drag them out of the ruins of the city kicking and screaming."

"You talk as if Palmacosta is already lost."

"Only a fool leaves a dangerous army at his doorstep without crushing it. Only a madman, and scarce few at that, would make such a massive tactical error."

To that Raine had no answer, so she merely wound her arms around the mercenary and held onto dear life.

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Gasping panting Noishe padded up to the arch of PalmaCosta and all but collapsed on the cobble stones. They got off of the dog, and Lloyd spent a few moments binding his oldest friend's legs in bandages and rubbing his last apple gel along the tortured muscles to relieve some of the pain. Everything was abandoned, all the shops, even the inn. Grunting Lloyd lifted his dog's forelegs, draped them over his shoulders and Noishe walked on two legs while Lloyd took most of the weight and with Noishe's help managed to get him to an abandoned stable. With muttered words of an apology Lloyd wrapped his dog in a horse blanket and Noishe looked up at him, understanding and forgiveness flickered in those warm brown eyes. A sharp nip on the weary dog's pat sent Lloyd on his way, and he staggered out into the bright sun light streets and looked upon his weary friend's faces. They weren't used to making do with so little, they weren't as hardened as he was and it was showing on both of them.

But what was even more horrible was looking at them he could see their confusion, could see they didn't know what was going to happen.

"Guys, I want you to stay here, protect Noishe, I'll… go ahead and come back for you."

"We came all his way and you're telling us to stay?" Genis snapped, drawing his kendama. "If I didn't have to use all my mana to stop those Desian's I might fireball you."

Colette nodded; damn they were going to come no matter what.

"All right," Lloyd nodded; he'd just do what he could to keep them safe, it was all he could do now. "Let's go."

They walked down the empty streets, their steps and the tap of his drawn swords ringing out, echoing back at them. There were a thousand people to meet them when they made it to the square. There must be, all crammed together as tight as they could be. Lloyd sheathed one of his blades, took Genis' hand in his own and mentally sighed in relief when he heard Genis ask Colette for a hand. Just like a child's came of "snake" they made a living rope of themselves, held tight to each other by the hands and pressed through a mess of people. Panicked words, terror filled voices hung over them, and with his free hand Lloyd gripped the hilt of his blade all the tighter. It was like walking into a nightmare, a nightmare that he could not awaken from.

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"Hoooowl"

"Noishe!" Kratos spilled from the horse's back, drew his blade, and walked to the howls expecting little more then a rabid dog to come at him. Miserably Raine clung to the saddle, strained to the edge of her endurance by the demanding pace he'd set for them, and he knew that if she got down she'd never be able to get back up. Walking to the stable he wrenched open one of the doors, and a familiar green head looked up at him. Someone had bound the dog's legs till they looked like the monster that was supposed to inhabit the Triet ruins.

"Whine!"

"Where are they?" Kratos rasped knowing, but not wanting to know, wanting to be told otherwise.

Noishe lifted his snout, drew a square in the air with the tip of his nose and Kratos' heart sunk.

"Raine, tend to the animals then meet me in the square!" Kratos barked over his shoulder, then left the woman to flounder at her tasks. With any hope she'd blotch them so badly she'd have to spend even more time on them and she'd conveniently stay out of his hair. Snarling a few curses under his breath he ran down the abandoned streets, to the square which by now was probably overflowing with bodies as the Desians were want to lure their pray to them by stating they would only carry out an execution then turn it into a mass blood bath. Muttering a prayer to his Gods he hoped that he was not too late to pull the children out of the fighting. For if the people of PalmaCosta had gone to the square and the militia was not fighting them then PalmaCosta was already lost.

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Golden in the sun the ring arched over the startled heads of the Desian officers and sliced through the rope that would have bound Cocao to death. Genis growled, for once knowing that this was right, completely absolutely right, there were no questions for him to answer and dwell over. Lifting his kendama he cast a fire spell, and set the men who were walking to Cocao swords drawn to rolling on the ground in an attempt to damp the flames. It wasn't ten Desian's like it had been in Iselia, there had to be at least forty well trained and armed magi warriors, and they all turned to him and Colette, lips curled into drooling grins as three sheep all but walked themselves to the alter and begged to be sacrificed. Laughing the scared man, a huge monster of a Deisan who would tower over Kratos looked at them and began to howl in mirth.

"You throw babes at me? I expect nothing less of such vermin, such inferior beings who call themselves humans!" He grinned at them, his short tunic and pants strained under the rippling muscles. "You two, incinerate them." He red haired Desian growled at two of the staff wielding men at his side. "The rest of you, what the Hell are you waiting for? Invitations? Get to doing what you boys do best!" Laughing as if at some great joke the scarred man waved at his soldiers; and one of them grabbed a woman who was cringing in the shadows of the Governor General Dorr's building. There were too many people, he was too short, but that long scream cut through the air, cut into him with the force of a dagger. And it was the first of many, as Desian's turned on the race that was half of their blood and with drooling faces began to cut them down. Thoughts normally clear became muddled, as the humans around him began to run it was his deepest wish to turn and run with them, to flee the sounds, the horrible horrible screams. In that, in his fear there was only one difference between him and them. And that thought screamed in his mind, was as loud and desperate as the screams of the dying around him.

I'll get to Cocao and then run, she can't run by herself.

"Genis!" Colette shrieked, running alongside him, and from somewhere far away he was aware of Lloyd too running by him, swords in both is hands. Through the confused Desian's pulling away from the mass of fleeing humanity they ran into the ocean of black and were consumed.

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He shoved, slashed, and shoved again, suddenly the press of people around them vanished, the Desian's were running after the fleeing people, setting buildings a blaze, and were too busy to care about the one woman who was to be executed. Genis ran to Cocao, embraced her, and Lloyd managed a slight smile at the sight. He watched, tried o follow everything at once, and all he could see was a mess of black and red rolling across the streets, he could faintly smell the scent of buildings aflame, but it all seemed far away.

"Colette, help him!" Lloyd barked, seeing Genis was trying to help the poor woman stand.

He stood, arms seemed in blood, blades seeped in blood, trembling. He whirled about as a shadow fell over him, looked up into the scarred face of the Grand Cardinal, who of all people had recalled the woman who was supposed to die and had come to see it get done. Grinning, red eyes glittering slits of humor the man who was more beast then either elf or man unsheathed a sword that was almost as large as Lloyd was round.

"I don't think so vermin…" Came a voice that was little more then a soft purr. "I won't let set of little rats take what's mine!"

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"Open the damn doors!" Tylor howled, smashing his fist against the great doors of the chapel. The Desian's hadn't come down the street yet, but they would be here soon enough. The chapel was a secure building, a sanctuary, and the children he had lead and the few adults who had followed now raised their voices in a wild hope that those within would open the door. But they were not heard over the loud swell of voices that rose in prayers, nor could they be heard over the internal ringing of the tower's bells. Suddenly a hand fell upon his shoulder; he nearly turned walking staff in hand to bludgeon yet another Desian to death, but was relieved to see it was just a young woman in purple robes who wanted to talk to him.

"They can't hear you Father, there's nothing you can do, I'll protect you and the children as long as I…"

Nothing! Like Hell there was nothing he could do! He wasn't just going to sit and die like the other priest in the square who had sunk to his knees voice rose in prayer only to be cut in twain by that blood thirsty barbarian! Like Hell he was going to just roll over and beg and let these younglings die.

Like Hell he was.

"The boats!" Tylor roared, shaking the young woman sharply. "The steam ship, do you know where she is docked?"

"Y… Yeah…"

"Come on!" He snatched a child's arm. "Snake!"

And they knew. They linked themselves hand in hand. He looked at her, and she understood, and lead them to the docks, slips of paper in her hands smashing into the first few Desian's that had come in this direction and driving them off. The bells tied to his feet were merely a soft sigh, and were drowned out in the red slicked streets that were alive with screams and moans of the dying.

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He managed to bring his blades around to block the blow, yet despite that his arms were both numbed and he was sent flying. Grunting he landed on his belly, keeping a death grip on his swords though what good it'd do now that he couldn't even feel his arms. He rolled the second he was down, just like Kratos had taught him, and a sword smashed through the cobbled stones less then an inch in front of his face. Grunting he pushed off the red earth, lashed out with a sword and the huge Desian brought his equally huge sword around to block. He staggered to his feet sword pointing at the scarred man's belly, a weak gesture of defiance that set the Desian off to laughing again. The sound though was lost in the crackle of flame, the crackle of fire that swept across the tops of buildings and seemed to have caught in Lloyd's head and turn the whole world red.

"Go to Hell Bastard!" Lloyd shrieked, slamming his blades again and again into the huge man's sword, trying desperately to disarm the Desian.

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Startled by the wild stabs Magnius took a step back, concern flashing across his face for only a moment, then it was replaced with confidence as the three stones in his arm flared to life and gave him more then enough strength. He gave another step, lifted his blade and with a roar, and with one swipe disarmed the red clad rat before him. How fitting, he was already red, but it wasn't the wet sticky red of mashed insides that he liked. That would be easily remedied. Grinning he lifted his blade, readied the strike and brought his sword around.

And all his thoughts came undone by the smallest of things, a small pebble smacked into him, made him whirl and stare at a man in the garb of a priest a young child in his arms, who dared to throw yet another rock! That little disgusting…

"Fireball!" Magnius turned, was knocked off of his feet by that magic using little shrimp. The fire scarcely hurt him. He whipped off the embers and looked at the three worms before him.

And there came yet another rock.

Snarling Magnius advanced across the bloody body strewn square. He'd wring that little runt's neck, gut the priest, and then kill the brats and hag. He licked his lips, toyed with the idea of what he could do to that small woman once all her would be saviors were dead. Decided to have some fun before the last killing, after all he'd earned it. Lifting his staff in a puny defense the priest stood in front of the child, ordered the brat to run. It hardly mattered, he'd kill them out of order, didn't mater so long as they all died. And so long as the woman died last.

And all his thoughts of killing dulled into a red haze of pain as a blade sank into his side, he whirled and with the flat of his hand struck the animal who dared lashed out at him.

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"Lloyd!" Tylor roared, seeing his pupil slam into the cobblestones and not rise. "Damn it, no! Never again you hear me!"

Tylor smashed his staff across the brutes back and watched in numb shock as his oaken staff shattered. It turned, the monster, the demon, in half man form turned upon him and grabbed him by the throat. Croaking out an oath he gripped the jagged remains of his staff, dug them into that huge fore arm, his feet drummed a helpless rhythm against the creature's chest, and stars burst into his vision.

"No!" Tylor heard a girl scream from far away. "Put him down!"

He was suddenly released; he fell limply to the earth, and over him stood death itself, bloodied sword, standing before the Desian. Gasping he turned away, shaking in terror and mentally prayed to Martel to be ready to accept his soul.

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Kratos could easily compare his stabbing of Magnius to the stabbing of a bull. The Desian roared, bucked, lashed out with arm and blade, and so great was the man's strength that Kratos was knocked from his feet. Now a knife and sword stuck out of the massive Desian's back like macabre medals of Honor with dangling red ribbons about them. Crimson ribbons…

"Tend to him." Kratos barked at Raine, pulling yet another knife out from his belt and lifting his sword, ready to finish off the beast before him.

Waves of heat, of fire flowed from around the man. Genis waved a hand, called on the Maiden of Ice as he had in Triet, but the jagged pieces of ice slashed into nothing more then smoky air. With a flash of fire the Desian disappeared. Tears fell from pale blue eyes, a small trickle that was by all means ill suited for washing away the blood that covered her hands, that covered the ground, and would be no aid in damping the fires about them. Lloyd, Kratos mentally snarled to himself, had a Hell of a lot to answer for. Rubbing a wound he had picked up in shielding Raine from a crossbow bold the mercenary looked at his own blood slicked hands. It was nothing new, but for the two who cried it was the most horrid thing in the world. Sheathing his knife Kratos mentally sighed, it was only a matter of time before that "most horrid thing" became common place. He ignored the tears, and knelt by the priest's side, a quick glance showed that the man was out cold but despite being comatose was still breathing as a man trying to regain his second wind. He reached and gently touched the man's bruised throat and shivered at the unnatural softness, and he knew, having dealt death so many times in his life he knew.

"Raine, get over here!"

Futile, it was a futile motion, a desperate motion that defied the death he saw before him.

She brushed past him, little more then an orange blur in his stinging vision. He blinked, banished the tears and whirled on Lloyd who was just coming around. He was as responsible as the Desian's in this slaughter, and was also responsible for dragging Colette and Genis into this. Kratos would give him absolute Hell for provoking this fight, but not now, now was not the time. Grimly he walked to the red clad child, ignored the painful bruises that covered both of the boy's arms and the multitude of cuts, and dragged Lloyd so the boy was standing. Gasping in pain, looking like all he wanted to do was pass out Kratos refused to give Lloyd that luxury. He tightened his grip on the boy's arms and was rewarded with a small gasp of pain. He sharply shook Lloyd, seeing the boy waking up he shoved, and the boy tripped over his own feet and collapsed with a moan.

"Get up." Kratos hissed, his eyes blazing.

Lloyd looked up at him, tears in his eyes. Like hell the boy had any right after he had caused all this to happen!

"Your friend is dying." He whispered with a deadly calm.

Lloyd's eyes widened, he staggered to his feet, brushed past Kratos and ran to Tylor's side. Gritting his teeth so not to let lose his full rage Kratos sheathed his sword. There were voices from far away rolling over the smoke and fire, half elven voices and human voices, the people of PalmaCosta, the city guard, were coming to fight at long last. All the Desian's had abandoned the square, in their mad blood lust they had run amongst the streets leaving bodies and fire behind them, and like rats they would be cornered in the alleys and exterminated. That however was not his fight.

"Is everyone alright?" He looked to Genis and Colette as he spoke; the dying priest's gasps made a mockery of his words.

Colette nodded, and Genis lying besides some woman Kratos did not recognize could not even do that. The young child was crying, as any who with a soul should do. Not having much of a soul Kratos could not cry, and he wasted no time dwelling on how such a thing was sad.

"Well?" He snapped at Raine, she looked at him in anger and with tears running silent paths down her face she shook her head.

"I brought him around and healed him as much as I could, he can talk but he won't last for long."

The Chosen let out an empty moan, the tears came down more fiercely, and Kratos mentally kicked himself for being the cause.

"Go to Tylor." He ordered Colette, then went to Genis and knelt. "You know him?" Kratos said to the old woman, indicating the elf with a curt nod.

"We're old friends…" Cocao gently rocked the boy back and forth. "He saved my life, fought the Desian's all by himself. Then the Chosen and swordsman came to him and fought against the army..." She looked around with confused sad eyes. "It's like the tales and so unlike them isn't it?"

Kratos had no answer, grunted, and stood. Kratos was definitely tasteing his own foot in his mouth now, and that vile after taste was in all probability the gunk between his toes. He owed Lloyd a hell of an apology if what the woman said was true.

"He told us to stay away, told us not to come…" Genis hiccupped into the old woman's embrace. "He didn't want anyone to get hurt, not us, not anyone, he didn't want to fight and I cast a spell…"

"You did the right thing…" the old woman whispered, stroking that silver hair. "They would have done this anyways, they've done it before and we expected no less. You very well might have saved many human lives even though you had to kill some Desian's to do so. And it will be a long time now until their leader comes back, I might even be ten years before this ever happens again…"

What a pale, sad, and utterly bitter, comfort that was. Shaking his head he went to join Lloyd and the fallen priest. He owed Lloyd an apology, and he'd pay part of it by being there as the young man's closest friend died and offering what little comfort he could.

Xxx xxx xxx

"I'm sorry… I never meant for this to happen!" Lloyd was shaking, yet no tears were running down his cheeks, he was unable to cry, he'd never cried since he was very young.

"Meant or not what has occurred has occurred…" Tylor smiled weakly, stroked that cheek with a trembling hand, though he could do precious little else. The tiger boots were now red with blood and black with soot, the bells still chimed when as he stirred ever so slightly. "You did not… cause this… he wanted… Catling… would of any…"

Lloyd nodded, took the hand that had touched him in both of his own.

"Take care of him… my little one…" Tylor entreated Colette, who was now holding his other hand. "Go… needed elsewhere… steam boat…"

"I'll go." Colette whispered around her sobs.

"I'm sorry Father Tylor, thank you for what you've done for my Brother, and my pupils." Raine whispered, bent and kissed the man on the forehead and then taking Colette's hand in her own walked away into the nightmarish city.

Tylor only could smile at that moment, and did so, though the pain was Hellish.

"Tell me… of Syhin and Aska…" Tylor croaked to Lloyd, eyes sliding shut.

"Once upon a time… There was a man named Syhin and he held all the stars… One day Aska came to him and asked Syhin to give the stars away so that the moon maiden, the one he loved would no longer suffer…"

The hand that had gently been squeezing his own, to tell Lloyd that Tylor was awake, went still. Lowering his head Lloyd let out a soft whimper, cradled the hand to him though no life whispered beneath it. Strong hands gently pulled him away from the priest's still form, and for the first time in almost fourteen years Lloyd leaned against someone else and cried the first of his burning tears.

Xxx xxx xxx

The clean up took to little time, less then five hours. The guardsman picked through the deceased to find hints of identification though there was often so little left behind that only a handful could honestly tell who had died. Names, guesses really, were taken and written in the Book of State, a text that when Dorr's time passed would then be penned into the history books much as any other tragedy was. It would become a remembrance to the living, and when the living whom had seen it died, it would be a fact for students to learn in the great university. As went all tragedies of the world.

Kratos sighed; he'd left Lloyd to what little sleep he could garner. It was nearly midnight, they had talked, or rather Lloyd had cried, and he was just now barely able to persuade Lloyd to sleep. Smelling the reek of the battle field upon him Kratos had slipped outside to the bathing chambers and now feeling a little better stepped into the common room. He almost killed the men; it was tempting, but decided against doing any actions that would lead to having to take another bath.

"Get away from there!" He barked, and the priest and Neil flinched but wisely did not knock on Lloyd's door. "What the Hell do you want?"

"This is Mr. Irving's current…"

"He's sleeping." Kratos hissed. "He's had a Hell of a day. I repeat, what do you want?"

"I must speak with Mr. Irving on the matter of great delicacy." The bird like priest said in a soft voice. "I am afraid I can only talk to him or members of his famil-"

"I'm his father." Kratos sent a look in Niel's direction that promised death if he was contradicted.

"Really, you look rather youn-"

"What do you want? Get to the point or you can discuss this to the paving stones outside!" Kratos snarled.

"This was left for him by Tylor." A box was presented, a decent sized box at that. Blinking Kratos took it and the lid on top rattled, making him think of a certain box in Triet. "I have done my duties and now I return to my slumber Martel's blessing…"

"Wait, you meant Father Tylor, didn't you?"

"If he were a priest his personal objects would have been given to the Goddess." The man said coldly. "He has defied her will too many times and has already been buried with the civilians who died in the attack."

"Defied!" Kratos roared his rage plain for any to see.

"He disrupted the noon ritual, he wore the blood of the corrupt upon him, took a life instead of doing what was proper, and…"

"He put his life on the line to save those children!" Kratos' voice had dropped to a deadly hiss.

"Martel would have saved them, or shown them ultimate salva…"

Kratos thrust the box into the hands of a startled assistant to the governor general, and Kratos descended on the priest bloody judgment written on every line of him. The man was physically dragged from the hall, roughly thrown to the floor and grabbed by his ankles. Ignoring the looks of mortification and insult on the few patrons in the common room Kratos dragged the man by the ankles outside and threw him into the middle of the street.

"I'll do worse to the next priest who dares say that in my presence!" Kratos roared, then threw a fireball at the man's fleeing back, just for good measure. "Bastards!" Kratos hissed, whirled, and looked to see Niel giving him an apologetic look only a few feet away.

"We tried Mr. Aurion, we honestly did, but the Voice over ruled us."

"Is that why you are here?" Kratos said, once sure he wasn't going to wallow in the pleasure of cussing out the stupidity of the church.

"Not in whole, Dorr wishes to honor the hero's with a celebration, and would like Mr. Irving to speak, if that is acceptable."

"I'll give you his answer in a day before the celebration." Kratos spit out the last in a tone heavy with disgust.

"We must not look behind." Was all Dorr's assistant said in parting, offering Kratos the box. Not feeling all that civil at the moment Kratos took it and stormed off to a lone table in the common room. In the shadows of the room he sat and mulled over the callous nature of those with power, his mind wandering similar tracks for many long hours.

Xxx xxx xxx

I had been an accident, he'd stood and accidentally bumped into the box and off came the lid. The lid had clattered against the floor, and with a sigh he had picked it up and moved to set it on its proper place. He had blinked stared at the piles of papers, the pair of belled boots, and length of rope. He reached, his hand having a will of it's own, and he pulled out a boot that jangled at his slightest touch. Numbly he sat with it in his lap, one digit stroking the edge so that the bells rang their soft cheerful notes. She came down the stairs in the morning and found him like that, stroking the boot, his mind elsewhere.

"I don't know what to do with this." Kratos said his voice horse from not drinking in almost two days. "They came at midnight with this, all of Tylor's worldly goods in this box and I should know, I'm supposed to know… but I don't know what to do."

Raine came to him then and took the boot out of his hands and set it in the box.

"You don't need to know Kratos, it's not your place."

"But it is!" Kratos flared. "He's my son damn it and I should know…"

"I'm sorry what happened to your son, I'm sorry he died, but Lloyd is not your son. You are allowing the tragedy of the moment cloud your judgment Kratos, you need to calm down."

Kratos closed his eyes, lowered his head and took a deep breath.

"I still should know, do you know?"

"Know what?" Raine slipped the lid over the box.

"This will hurt him, seeing this, is it best not to let him look at this?"

"I don't know." Raine said at last. "But that isn't our place, and since Dirk is not here it is Lloyd's decision to whether of not he opens it or not."

"How are Colette, and Genis?" Kratos asked, in an effort to change topics. And almost by acident scooted the box closer to him.

"As well as can be expected… considering," Raine gave him a long look. "You were going to hurt him in the square, could you tell me why that is?"

"I thought he did it, I thought he started it…"

"And you were going to punish him, isn't what he saw punishment enough?" Kratos nodded, lowered his eyes. "I guess you see that now you have had the chance to think."

"Stop scolding me Ms. Sage, I am no pupil of yours."

Raine snorted, he heard her stand but did not look up.

"If you're going to act like he is your son, then at least make some effort into acting like a descent parent and be adult enough to deal with his rejection when the time comes. Go to sleep Mr. Aurion, you'll be no good to us half dead."

"They want to do some celebration. They want him, and the rest of us, to make a speech."

"It's expected, the living are supposed to look ahead and move on with their lives, so instructs the writ of Martel."

"So calls the shepherd to the sheep who bleat in terror as the wolf walks off with bloody fangs and a full belly."

Raine said nothing, merely left him alone with the box and his thoughts, her disgust with him a near physical thing. I was nothing though, compared to the disgust he felt with himself.

That disgust only deepened when after she had left he opened the lid and looked upon the contents of that box yet again.

Kratos picked up what looked to be a scroll, the thing was thick, yellowed, with signs of encrouching age. He slid the red ribbin between his fingers, the ribbon that bount the scroll together, and watched as it practically unrolled itself at his touch. Paper spilled into his lap, paper covered in fadding words. Ashamed for accidently opening a dead man's property Kratos gently gathered each piece smotherd out the ribbon between nervious fingers, and lay it on the table so he could reroll it. The words written in childish hand and baring dates, lept at his weary eyes, on whole the thing resembled some type of diary. He wondered for a few moments why Tylor would leave Lloyd his diary, but then considering how Tylor had left Lloyd everything else he owned it was not too much a surprise. One piece of paper with a corner folded down defyed Kratos' attempts to go into place, annoyed he pulled it out to smooth it out, and forgot to breath.

Mr Marche wanted to make us drawe angeles so we'd think aout Mertel even when we're ar home. i asked Ms. Phardia if i could look at the angelse book in her housse and i did just like Marche told us too, but the angels all looked really boroing playing dumb ol harps so I made up my own. Mr. Marche was mean, he didn't like it, but i thought you might."

Undernieth was a roughly humanish figure. It was wearing black blocky robes and sported a pair of blue wings. A multitude of multi colored (wings?) somethings ran all along the being looking much in his opinion like spikes. It was a riot of conflicting colors, sporting spikey hair that was every color, perhaps more remarkable was what the angel held in it's hands... It held a length of red, a sword that had a star on the end of it's hilt. By looks of it the picture had been glued undernieth the writing, but time had weakened the glue and Tylor had slid a threading needle on the upper edges to keep picture and words attached. Gently stroking the parchment Kratos looked and found the date. Lloyd would have been eight when he drew this, in the winter of his eigth year. It wasn't bad for an eight year old's drawing. On impulse he set aside the paper and looked at another, and as the realization of what all those scrolls were he forgot to breath. This wasn't just the curtosy letter, a quick note and well wishes. It was the physical embodyment of a childhood. Whole days were detailed, told, little things and large things, nothing was left out. It went beyond being a series of letters and notes. It spoke of simple things, of catching fish and whirlwind runs with ill shaped dogs, it was life, a child's life, that had been sent loyally every season's change. It had started when Lloyd was eight and continued until last autumn's harvest. The winter letters had not been sent, could not be sent, for there was no one to send them, for on the day before the eve of spring a light had fallen from heaven, and from that light came angels.

"…from the light of heaven came down the angels and the angels then took up the Chosen, and through the trials they let her pass, till at last each step a crimson pain then she became beyond all pain. Taking the Pure One's hand in their own so did the angels who guided her through raging flame, disquiet winds, they bathed her in tranquil waters of peace, till at last she ascended to the light. And from the light, now shone through her come the Regeneration of the world."

Words from the writ of Martel, the bleating of sheep in their cages, he no longer could tell which. And there was one young falcon ill suited his cage who threw himself against the bars. What would come of it, what could come of it? Salvation? No, no that. Regeneration? Hardly, to break the cage was to break or impede the rite Regeneration.

He should tell Lloyd, should wake the boy up, present the box and all it held and let him decide. Kratos stared at the grey that would hearald the sun's true coming. The coming of the true light, the light of the angels that guided the world. He could not find it in him to wake Lloyd, could not find it in him to say or do anything. Still there was perhaps something he chould do, there was a need he felt he could fufill, it was in the face of that need he found some energy to stand. Taking the box in hand he thought it a sad thing that one mans life could so neatly fit inside.

xxx xxx xxx

He felt cold, tired and cold. Noishe lay besides him, rested that huge furry head on his shoulder, so the cold wasn't physical. It was inside, a cold hurting place in his chest. He stroked Noishe's mane absently, whiped away the few tears he had cried on his dog's chest, and rolled over as the sun hit him in the face. He blinked, surprised that Kratos wasn't in the room with him, but there were hints the man had been here. The bed across the room had been made, the edges of it's making though were slack, and strangest of all there was a box on the bed. Curiosity spurred him to get up, though he didn't quite feel like getting up that nudge was enough for his legs it seemed. Rolling over he squirmed past the still sleeping Noishe, wlaked past the thin rays of light that had spilled into the room around the heavy curtain and went to the small wooden box. For a second he thought of Triet, but those fears were banished when he saw a note on snow white paper sitting on top of it.

Lloyd,

Tylor left this for you. I have no right to recomend any action so I leave it to you. If you need me you know where to look, and if you can not recall where then Noishe can lead you.

Underneath in a strange flowing style that was more curls then anything else were two letters. Kratos' initials Lloyd guessed. Almost as an underscoring there ran a length of chain wond under the letters. At the end of that chain was a key, a key that would open a door that lay half hidden in the shadows of an alley. He took the key with a shaking hand, stared long and hard at the box, and for a second almost pulled back the lid. He found that he didn't have the courage, not to do it alone. Sliding the chain around his neck like he would a pendent Lloyd stood and walked out of the room, his mind a jumbled mess.

The stairs were not many, he slipped down them, ignoring the looks his rumpled clothes and unkept hair got him. He hardly cared at the moment. Habbit, more then any want, guilded him to the inn's dinning area, he blinked in surprise when he saw Genis eatting a solitary breakfast. It was almost like in Iselia, the first day they met, where Genis was sitting by himself and everyone was avoiding him because his ears were pointed. Total past echo thingie Lloyd thought to himself, a small smile touched his lips. He took the seat across from his best friend and Genis looked up surprised, then dropped his gaze into the mess of waffles he was eatting. The silence was horrible, it nibbled on him and made him feel sick. He wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't. He blinked aware of a shadow on the tabble, he looked up expecting Raine to have come down at last, Genis looked up too and both of them paled as the woman in purple -the assassin!- stood over them. Lloyd stood, grabbed his sword, but she wasn't doing anything just staring at them.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered in her strangely accented voice. "I'm really sorry."

And she turned and left.

"What was that about?" Genis muttered more to himself then anyone else.

Lloyd wondered, having no answers he let it go. The silence fell again, he let it, used it to gather the courage he needed.

"They brought Tylor's stuff." Lloyd whispered, staring at the table. "I... I don't think I can go through it alone."

A small hand took his own, he looked up, stared at Genis with red streaked eyes.

"Then you wont be alone." Genis said firmly. "You wont be alone."

xxx xxx xxx

Every letter had been saved, every note, every page, it was all in order and kept in excelent condition. Staring at the papers Lloyd felt his hands shaking. Lloyd of course had saved every letter, fighting long and hard with his Father on that score. Dad hadn't liked the fact that human writing was in his house, that Lloyd had wanted to keep every page. Long and hard they had fought, untill frusterated he'd raised a hand against the dwarf. The pain and rage in Dirk, he'd never forget it, never had he been scared of his father save on that day, and though he had been shaking from his terror he had not stepped down. It had taken a month after that for either of them to even start talking to each other again. A mounth of stony silence, for all intents and purposes moving in with Noishe, and doing his tasks with scarcely a word. It took a month for Dirk to give up, and perhaps he only gave up because on the tail end of that mounth he had found Lloyd curled up around some maps.

Lloyd had thanked Genis for staying with him and strongly suggested the elf go somewhere else when Genis had shown signs of being uncomfortable. He was alone now, held a belled boot in his hands, stroked the edge and listened to the soft whisper of bells, and in his mind heard children's laughter, his laughter. It was around noon when Lloyd gently set the boot where it belonged besides it's twin, and forced himself to go to his packs. He rumaged for a piece of paper and unable to find ink he opened Kratos' packs and found a half full bottle and a few well protected -or rather wrapped- feather pens. He meant to write a letter explaining to his Dad what happened, a note that would go with the box when he sent it back to Iselia. He couldn't even hold the pen steady...

Gently he set aside the note, the pen, and ink and stared at nothing for the longest of time. Genis, Raine, and Colette, had gone to the chapel to pray, to attend service to the fallen, they'd come to him telling him he was welcome. He must of said no, or perhaps hadn't answered and they took that as a no. He faintly recalled thier words but could not recall his response. He should probably just lie down, should rest, he'd never felt so tired before, but the idea of staying in the room alone made him go cold all over. Yet there was no where else to go, in times like this he would have gone to Tylor to help clear his head, to just have someone to talk to. There was no one though and... He stood, paced the confines of the small room, pointedly not looking at the box. Something thumped against his chest as he walked, it was annoying, he pulled at the thing around his neck and ran the chain between his fingers. He did have someone, he realized. Not knowing how he should feel for remembering that, Lloyd stared at the key, allowed it to spin as he held the end of it's chain. He closed his fingers around the silver as the light caught off the smooth surface and hurt his eyes. He slid it under his shirt, and blinked back the blurriness that must of come from the light flashing into his eyes.

Who would care of know if he left the inn anyways? They were all at the chapel anyways so it wasn't like he was going to be missed.

For a moment he toyed with the idea of going to the chapel, of talking to Raine, Genis, and... Colette. Certainly no one better would know what he was feeling then Colette, they'd both been so close to Tylor. But the idea of the chapel, the services, of hearing again and again that it was Martel's will. Sickness gathered in his gut, knawed on him, disgust that he was different, so different that he could not go to his oldest friends with his pains. Lloyd let the key slip through his fingers, felt the chain slide between his gloved digits then gently wound the chain in his hand till he wheeled the key up again and it was balanced on his first finger and thumb. He stared at the air in front of him, he could wait outside the chapel, wait to talk to Colette then. But Colette had Raine, Genis had Raine, they had all the priesthood, and Martel, and the angels, they'd be alright...

Gripping the key Lloyd made his decision.

xxx xxx xxx

The door was left open, Kratos had done so to let Lloyd know he was inside. He sat at the kitchen table, head resting in his hands, eyes closed. His fingers of their own accord dug into his skull, half kneeded half clawed at his temples to soothe the pain. Alone the ghosts of his past whispered about him, a woman's voice a childs laughter. He wanted to scream at them, tell them to go away, and he hated himself for that want. Thier echos that lived in this house were a sweet torment, and it was a thin comfort he had that he could not hear thier screams in these walls. Right now he'd take all the comfort that he could.

How am I supposed to help him when I can't even help myself?

The ultimate riddle, it had been gnawing on him ever since he'd left that letter.

I shouldn't have even bothered, he's not going to come, he has his friends to go to and... I'm less then that to him, I'd be a fool to think otherwise, to even delude myself that I am the lowest on his chain of friends...

He looked up, startled as the door opened. Looking utterly worn, exhasted, and in agony, Lloyd slipped inside and blinked owlishly about. He couldn't see in the darkness as well as Kratos, not that Kratos needed to see he knew the layout of his home as well as he knew the sound of his own voice and the dry echo of his own thoughts.

"Over here Lloyd." The mercenary tried to smile, though the gesture was half dead on his lips.

Lloyd stared at him, and Kratos became painfully aware of the dust that clung to him. With all the time he could have spent some of it cleaning, but...

"I took an unintentional nap." Kratos said in way of explaination.

"Oh..." Lloyd shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable, probably asking himself why he'd come here.

A wind sighed through the house, the wood creaked, whispering memories tugged at him like a child's small hand. Whiping his face Kratos stood, walked across the wooden floor till he stood scant inches from the young man. He drapped an arm over Lloyd's shoulder. Both swordsman had thier answers when they looked at each other, they both knew what the other had gone through, both could feel the stinging bite of loss still fresh in them.

How can you help him, you can't even help yourself...

We shall help each other.

"Let's step outside for a moment."

He gently lead the young man to the garden out back, half leading half supporting, even as the young man did the same for him.

xxx xxx xxx

A bonfire burned, in the heart of PalmaCosta there was a fire. Names of the fallen guardsmen were read there deeds of valor fell from thier leaders mouth with such force that even the hardest hearted were moved to awe of the god like stature these once normal men attained. The civilians who lived such simple lives filled with hope, devotion, and joy that no one present could not feel a twing in thier chest as thier gentle presence was now suddenly lost to the world. "The world itself must greive the goodness of these men and woman who were taken from us in our darkest hour." Said Dorr, he said that and a hundred other things a hundred other praises were spoken. And turned, twisted, all to the cause of turning agianst the Desians, defying the Desians, continuing the fight. The fallen were fuel not for some great pyre, no thier forms were lain into the bussom of the earth and thier spirits restedi n heaven, it was thier lives that were fule, thier deaths. Fuel to the fire of outrage, anger. It was catchy, the hearts of those about him seemed to burn with anger, and he wondered why he himself was not caught up in it.

Then he had his answer.

Kratos, had held him while the rage ran through him, while the grief had twisted his guts and made him howl like an animal. There was no reprimand for showing his grief, no whisperes to hush. He had worn his grief out in the weeks time til he felt numbed inside, it had felt bottomless, endless, but it had ended and left him cold and tired. He was still tired, a little cold, and those things served as a shield against the man's words of passion. Yet that was only a part of it. He could see the power of this man, not the physical power, Dorr was a skelitaly thin man and his flowing robes of state did nothing to hide that, there was a power in the man's voice. A power to his words, and seeing it, he could even more extract himself from that power. He was angry, he wanted Magnius' head off of his shoulders, but he knew Tylor would be giving him an earful if he wallowed in that. He could almost hear the priest -despite what the church said Tylor would always be a priest to Lloyd- laughing at all of this. He could hear a string of playful whispered jabs at the formality of all this, could see Tylor rolling his eyes and pointing out where Dorr was exagerating. That was to say nothing of how funny Tylor would find it that this thin slip of a man, was yelling out on the top of his lungs and flapping his arms that lost in robes of state resembled the wings of a bird, that they were to go to war.

"One good gust of wind and we'd lose the Governor General..."

And while others cried and raged he found himself fighting down a few chuckles as in his head the dry littany of playful sarcasm and posing continued. There were times when he had cried, when the children's names had been read, there were times when had been angry, when they had announced Tylor on the list of civilians stating only one priest had fallen in the attack. But there was one time when he'd been beyond angry, nearly raging, and if it hadn't been for Colette's hand over his he would have stormed up to Dorr and punched the man in his rage.

When they dragged a weary and exhasted Cocao and made her speak of her horror, her fear, her pain.

When they made Cocao into a... a... he didn't know what it would be, but it really pissed him off that they'd use her like that!

Then it was thier turn to speak, thier turn to go forward, and where Raine, Genis and Colette stood he remained seated. He felt eyes on him, Dorr and Neil were looking at him, they saw he wasn't going to go up. Dorr made a slight jerk of his head, comanded him to get up. Lloyd only looked away, ignored the slight tug Raine gave his arm, then finally met the gaze of the Professor.

"They want heros, I'm not a hero Professor."

Raine nodded, accepted his decision, and lead her pupils to the platform. Not wanting to hear anymore, not thinking he could take it Lloyd stood, someone who was sitting on the cobblestones could take his chair if they wanted it. He made his way from the plaza, left the bon fire and the people by it to stumble around in the darkness. It seemed funny how in his wanderings he stumbled upon Kratos and Noishe, the mercenary was leaning against a weapons shop stroking the dog's head. Noishe was of course purring up a storm from being petted, but Lloyd was getting used to that. Suddenly Kratos stopped petting, looked up, his hand closing over the hilt of his blade. Seeing it was just Lloyd, the mercenary loosed his grip and relaxed, as much as he ever did anyways.

"I'm surprised you left." Kratos said quietly, after the silence stretched between them for many minuetes.

"I couldn't stay..." Lloyd sighed, leaned against the same building, he pointedly did not look into the window or look at the small over hanging roof, becuase if he did he'd hear bells, he'd see that fake tiger's tail. Pain at his loss, remembering his loss, made a fist tighten around his throat. Anger stirred in him, it was a tired anger, but it managed to shot to the surface. "You know I could blame a heck of a lot of this on you! Everytime I try to do something I used to be able to do I... I didn't have to think about all this confusing junk! I could just get caught up in everything and now I can't!"

There was a long silence where Lloyd could feel Kratos' eyes boring into him, picking through and reading him like Raine would read a book.

"If my greatest sin is making you think then I have gotten off lightly in this life. But if it disturbs you this much then by all means feel free to not think. That too is a choice, not an admirable one, but it is still an option."

What could he say, that he wanted to not think? What kind of coward, what kind of jack ass, would that make him?

Lloyd closed his eyes, flinched at Kratos' truth, cringed at his own behavior. He felt like Raine was yelling at him, yet Kratos hadn't even raised his voice.

"I.. I'm sorry..."

"You don't like being alone. Thinking, questioning, makes you alone until those around you either see or decide to ignore what you are seeing." Lloyd opened his eyesand blinked as Kratos' sympathetic stare bored into him.

"You went through this didn't you?"

"Yes, you might even say I go through it now." Kratos' lips curled into a bitter smile as he looked at something far away. "You should go to the inn, it is late to be wandering around and you need your rest."

"What about you?"

"I shall be by in a bit." Kratos looked to the heavens. "You are not the only one suffering from a restless mind this night."

Lloyd nodded, not knowing what quite to say to that, decided that he was tired and that if sleep would come it might help.

"Sleep well Lloyd." Kratos murmurred, leaning against the shadows of the building and for all intents disapearing into the dark. The only sign that the man was there was a glitter of light of the hilt of his blade, it flashed once like a rouge star.

"Yeah... same to you..."

There was no response, for all Lloyd knew the mercenary had melted into the dark and disapeared. Shrugging Lloyd went back to the inn, to the suite rooms that the Governor-General was paying for, all in honor of the Church, his small way of aiding the Regeneration. So tangled up in his thoughts he was unaware of black brown eyes watching him from the dark. Following his every movement.

"You will get your answers Lloyd... All too soon I fear..." Kratos stroked Noishe's head, and the dog looked up at him, the human emotion of pity on his canine face.

xxx xxx xxx

"Thank you for comming at my summons." Dorr sat at his horse shoe desk, Niel, a woman in dull brown, and three men in dark blue uniforms, sat with him at the horse shoe table. There were five chairs in a straight line that turned horse shoe into a "D" shape. Favoring Kratos with a vile look the man in steel plate armor clanked to the sole empty chair in the official's table and sat.

"Allow me to do introductions." Niel said, standing, Dorr gave a swift nod and the assistant smiled slightly. "High Comander Pherun of the city guard... Comander are you alright?"

"An... accident." The guard hissed, rubbing his side still favoring Kratos with a death glare.

"Indeed..." Kratos didn't smile but Lloyd had a hunch that there was just a hint of one in his tone.

"Hmm.. Well the Lord to his right is Sir. Asgarr head of the boaters guild. That is Mrs. Rais current head of the arcaic House of Lords, her husband is ill of late and could not make the trip from his estate. Across from her is Lord Westler head of the architectual guild. And by Lord Westler is Seraph Voice Markus. You all know Governor-General Dorr Lord of PalmaCosta and myself minor Lord of the mapping guild as well as Dorr's second."

"And by that little inclusion we all know where the map that will be in this meeting comes from don't we Neil?" Westler said with good humor running through his ragged voice.

"Hugely funny Guild Master." Neil grumbled.

Noishe barked, thumped his huge tail against the carpeted floor and Dorr scowled.

"Must this animal be in here?"

"He's my dog." Lloyd snapped. "Where I go he goes because last time I left him out of my sight your guards tried to kill him."

"Lloyd..." Raine nudged him and the swordsman sighed.

"I'm sure it was an accident Govenor-General Dorr sir, but still..."

"Of course." Neil nodded. "It would be a shame for such a magnificent... dog... to be killed. Ah I forgot... would you so kindly introduce yourselves?"

"Hi, I'm Colette Brunel..."

"The Chosen!" Markus bowed as did the whole council.

"Umm yeah.. that's me!" Colette blushed and slid into her seat.

"I am Raine Sage, teacher of Iselia."

"A fine village..." Dorr said, seeming to groap in his mind for something nice to say about Iselia. "It is as self sufficent as ever I presume?"

"Much to I imagine all the Guildmasters' hopes otherwise, yes." Raine sat down and Dorr smiled at her.

"Well siad Ms. Sage, and I imagine your words will bring howls of woe from every hopeful merchant that will brave the scalding sands of Triet's dessert and attempt to sale thier wears."

"It's a good way to trim the overweening pride of the guilds, a market of goods that will never open up to them."

"Interesting stance Neil, I imagine your father would not like it." Dorr siad and Neil flushed. Dorr's gaze flicked to Genis and the small elf flushed.

"I'm Genis Sage... I'm Raine's brother..."

"We hardly expect someone your age to hold down a craft or job Mr. Sage." Dorr said in a comforting tone, he then slid his gaze over to Lloyd.

Lloyd saw the recognition on Dorr's face and there was a tense silence as Lloyd for all intents and purposes lost his tongue. Unable to even think much less speak he felt himself growing redder and redder. Raine opened her mouth intending to save him, but Kratos stood.

"This is Lloyd, my apprentice, part of his oath that binds him to me is that I forbade him to speak to any potential clients."

"He is... strangely dressed for an apprentice..." Rais murmurred, pulling his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

"Custom of the village Valek, where I hale." Kratos answered smoothly. "We are both trying to grow acustomed to PalmaCosta rituals and niceties."

"Valek?" Neil whispered. "In the wilds by the Tower? Goddess that place is so dangerous it's uninhabbitable!"

"It is possible, one must merely be on thier toes."

"Do you think Valek would be interested in opening comercial channels with PalmaCosta?" Dorr asked, smothing his beard.

"We take an even more issolationalist stance then Iselia and only open the paths to our town once a year so that those who need to leave may do so."

"Ahh" Dorr looked disapointed. "Well we have more pressing matters to go over." Dorr said. "If you could fetch the map whose orgins we shall not delve into too deeply we can get on with it Neil." The aged General said with a slight quirking of his lips.

"Sir." Neil saluted and stood, a hint of red about his cheeks.

""I hear the people of Valek are hethens, this is no great sin on your people's part Sir but now knowing of the Goddessand knowing the love of your people must be great..." theVoice began.

"I have no love of my people." Kratos said coldly,and the aged priest cringedat the ice flecked tone.

Neil returned,unrolled the map on the wall behind him and by way ofa few nails and a hammerpinnedit to the wall.Dorr cringed at the racket, wincd as his wall was given a few new holes in it. He nodded to the armored man who took up a pointer and firmly smacked a forested region a house of salvation on the edge of a beach.

"This," the armoed man began, "Is the barbaric Desian's headquarters. Using the army we plan a full assult of these walls. If we strike here.. and here.. We pin them against the mountain and ocean, they'll have no where to flee and they will be forced to fight us, exspecialy if we holdthem ina seige. Unable to get suplies they'll eventually starve and like maddened animals rush out, it will be an easy route as we will have full suplies and all the funds of PalmaCosta behind us."

"What about the people in the ranch?" Genis growled, "you honesly think the Desian's are goign to feed them during an attack?They'd all getkilled!"

"That is where you come in." Neil smiled at Colette. "Certainly the Chosen will be able to slip in with her elite guard and free them before we get intoposition. Thus the people of PalmaCosta can deliver a massive blow to the Desian's, aid the Chosen of Mana on her quest, andavenge the fallen whilst saving the captives."

"Completely out of the question." Kratos snarled. "Our prioriy should be the seals notthis war."

Raine nodded. "I'm sorry but we can not, dare not, forsake our journey for the seals and abandon the Regeneration."

"The writ of Martel states that the Chosen must seal the Desian's, it is her sacred duty." The Voice pointed out calmly.

Colette opened her mouth to speak but Kratos shook his head.

"Send your own men, you have themcan train them, they are expendable, the Chosen is not.If she were to die in this war the world dies, we dare not take that risk."

"They have Chocolat." Dorr said loking at Genis and Lloyd and watched as both boys went pale. "They have takn her and a whole goup of faithful ona pilgramige. That is the final outrage the final action against us, I have sworn it, but to those who are so close to her... I thought you wold like the opratunity to be a part of the rescue of that unfortunate girl, and to advenge the death of Tylor."

"We're going!" Lloyd and Genis said simutaiously.

"Lloyd-" Kratos began his tone like ice.

"Genis-"Raine's voice grew loud.

"You are not going!" Both adult snapped.

Neil chuckled. "You two sound like parents scolding thier children are you two perhaps engag... epp.." The Asisstant culed in his chair as Kratos favored him with a death glare.

"We will gladly take you assistance young Magi and Swordsman." Dorr siad with a wan smile. "Thank you, all of PalmaCosta thanks you."

"Thanks only add a few pretty lines at the bottom of a grave." Kratos snarled under his breath.

"I'm going too." Colette snapped. "It is my duty to seal the Desian's away and abandoning it would be abandoning all of Sylvarant."

"Which is why we..." Kratos began

"Dare you chalange the choiceof the Chosen?"the Voice sounded agahst. "That is not the ways of the Goddess..."

"I am no the sevent of the Goddess." Kratos hissed,standing. "This is your choice Chosen?"

"Y...Yes..." Colette gulped, shakinga little, at least until Lloyd took her hand and looked defietly atthe black clad mercenary.

Kratos locked gazes with not Colette withbut with Lloyd.

"Fine." Kratos stood. "If we are to be moving with the army then we best pack..."

"Our army will be going the discret way, we were hoping you could take the roads, make a spectical of sorts."

"A decoy..." Raine frowned.

"A diversion." Dorr correted smoothly. "I'll send one regimine with you, all you have to do is make a show of going to the Pass. My men will then coninue toescort a fewpeople who will pertend to beyou past Hakoneseso you can slip off the main roads, Neil and the comanders will meet you at theranch and then we'll go through all the details of the attack and rescue then..."

"Daddy!" a little girls voice cried out in joy. The council smiled indulgenly as a blur of pink and blond hair darkedbehind the table and the Govenor-General was nealy knoked from his chair. Chuckling the man picked up the little girl and playfullytossed her up and caught her.

"Kilia, sweety you are suposed to be with your nanny this afternoon!" Dorr scolded affecionatly, setting the child on his lap.

"You were doing important stuf and I'm supposed to be here!" Kilia pouted. "how'm I goin to be a good General Govenor if I'm not here!"

"So serious and ernest." Neil chuckled. "A good sign for the future if I ever saw one."

Dorr made a face at his secondthen turned his atenion to his little girl. "It'sGovenor-General and if you ever take Daddy's job you would be called a Governess-General."

"Yes Daddy." Kilia smiled, setled on his knee. "I'll be a Governess-General when I growup."

"So ambitons." Rais grinned.

"Hush Mrs. Rais." Dorr growled, running a hand through his child's hair. "Let's not fill her head with nonsense now."

Raine smiled at the child, and Kilia cheerfully smiled back.

"Hi Misses pointy ears! My Daddy's the most important person in the whole wide world did you know that?"

"Is he?" Rainechuckled, having heard every child say that for years. "Aren't you lucky then!"

Kilia giggled, and began to talk with Raine and Genis, and even Colette acting every inche the slightlyspoiled nobleman's daugher, charming and chearful and spreadin both making the problems of the moment fade away.When Lloyd moved to join his friends Kratos caught his eyes, shook his head and Lloyd mentally sighed. Henow was trapped acting as Kratos' student so he hadto obay him while they werein PalmaCosta at least, but it wasn't only that which made Lloyd walk to the older man's side. There was the slight palness about Kratos' face, the light of worry that glittered in the man's eyes,and it was the hopes that Kratos would explain it those things. Lloyd's hopes were in vain however, or Kratos kept his own council, and brooded while Lloyd stood besides him. When the others left and the council was ajourned the Voice walked up to Lloyd, his silver tipped staff tapping was mufled by thecarpet.

"The possesstions of Tylor were delivered to youyet I have recieved word that you have attempted to send them to Iselia viathe churches resources." The staff lifted,the tip tapped his nose. "Our orderis nota delivery service."

"I paid the priest and made a donation." Lloyd said coldly. "And I swearif you don't put that staff down..." Lloyd growled.

The priest did so, startled by Lloyd's threat.

"You should show the church more respect young man." The Voice hissed. "Or I'll excomunicate..."

"Go ahead." Lloyd growled. "I only respected one man in all of you damned church anyways and you turned him out, so it's not like I have any reason to care anymore."

The Voice gapped, he had brandished the ultimate threat upon this upstart and the boy hadn't even flinched.

"The blessings of the keepers of light Luna and Aska upon you humble preist." Kratos' said cooly from the shadows. "As well as blessings of the envoy of Choas he of theBloodied Eye, may the dark be clear to you so that you may travel the paths of light."

Paling as the sacrilige, he'd be no paler if he hadcaught the two "mercenaries" eating children's souls in a bloody rite he crossed himself and began to walk out of the room.

"Father," Kratos' lips peeled back to flash a toothy smile. "Plarust Decie-deci tisek rosin ust genials."

The priest went red, sputtered, and looked ready to hit Kratos with his staff.

"Remember father, your oaths of non-violence?" Kratos said brightly.

Snarling a few profanities the man stalked off.

"Come on I want to look at Neils' map before we go."

Kratos walked back to the table, where Dorr and Kilia still remained, startled by the quiet mercnearies re-appearence Dorr stared at the man, put a protective arm about his child.

"If I may be allowed to study the map that Neil has offered?" Kratosasked with a polite bow.

"Go ahead." Dorr shrugged. "Come Kilia, let's go look at the miral by the guard for a bit."

When they were alone Lloyd shifted closer to Kratos.

"OK what'd you say to that old windbag?"

"Hmmm?" Kratos stared at the map, eyes and thoughts far away.

"What'd you say to the priest in that wierd language?"

"Oh that." Kratos shrugged. "He insulted me by challenging you, so I rubbed his nose in how unholy we are then just for spite I said something rather graphic about him in angelic."

"Come on Kratos!" Lloyd whined. "you're having fun making mewonder aren't you?"

"Some." Kratos admited with a chuckle. "I said 'may a hundred ticks nest inyou genitals'."

Lloyd whistled in apreciation of that insult.

"I was going to add how that would be an improvement but he stormed off." Kratos' lips curled. "He annoyed me."

"If that's annoy remind me never to tick you off completely!"

Kratos chuckled, bowed, then grew somber.

"Are you sure you want to do this Lloyd?What you saw in Iselia, even here during the attack, is nothing compared to the horrors of a ranch."

"I have to stop this, I have to protect those around me, and fighting the Desian's will let me do that."

"You will kill them all?" Kratos said cooly his one so distant, he might as well be noting the sun was shining. "All the half elves?"

"All the Desians who hurt others." Lloyd siad, seeing the test for what it was. "The half elves who don't hurt other people why'd I bother them?"

"No matter what you see... don't forget that... Don't disgrace me by forgeting that in your rage."

Lloyd blinked, stared at Kratos.

"How'd what I do disgrace you?"

Kratos merely turned and walked out of the building. He heard someone come up behind him, and saw Dorr and Kilia. The look Dorr gave him told him he wasn't welome, so Lloyd bowed and left. He had the feeling something was watching him, an he turned and Kilia waved, smiled, but the smile didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. Laughing at himself for being so supid and parinoid Lloyd smiled at the child and just as he was about to step out lookd up, and the angels amongst the ruins of a city stared back at him andthier still faces not touched by grief made him shiver. They all looked so dead, somber, and utterly dead passing judgment upon the suffering living.

Creepy winged people...

Why was he the only person who felt like that? OK dwarven vows, honesty Lloyd, he scolded himself, why am Ithe only likable person who feels like that?

Then he had his answer.

It was because he was the only one who asked, who qestioned the angels, who thought that they might not be beautiful because some priest said so.

"Stupid quesions..." Lloyd grumbld, rubbing his head because it ached. "Why do I have to ask and answer them? Why can't Raine, she's smarter then me? Why not Genis, he's twelve, and he's smarter then me? I don't want to do this alone, why me?"

He remembered Kratos yapping about different types of intellegences in Triet, maybe Raine and Genis' intellegence didn't let them ask the type of questions he was asking.

Yeah right...

"Keep dreaming Lloyd." he muttered to himself. "While I'm at it I want a new set pair ofswords, maybe a magically enchanted pair that spit out firelike the dwarven warriror Larion used to use, Noishe needs a new coller, Genis would be so happy with a library that could magically float along behind us while we travel and I'd love some way to make Raine quiet next ruin we run into..." Lloyd grumbled as he slid down the stairs and joined his friends.

"Lloyd what's wrong?" Colette looked up at him, and a sickfeeling gripped Lloyd's stomach, he couldn't explain, she of all people wouldn't understand and it'd hurt her too.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine!" He smiled, and was startled when Raine looked at him in concern even as Genis and Colete did not. From as far as he could be from them but still be amongst them and eha everything Kratos met his eyes and understanding passed between them. Kratos nodded, then his eyes slid to the lone hilt on Lloyd's sword belt. When Magnius had teleported off he'd taken Lloyd's word with him, Lloyd blushed he'd fogoten that. "Umm so you think we enough time to do some supply shoping?"

"We'll be leaving tomorow morning." Raine said, her eyes boring into him wierdly. "I'll admit I need a new staff..." Raine showed off the two holes in her weapon. "I'll go with you."

Kratos glared a Raine and Lloyd sighed in his head, he was not going through that again!

"Cool Professor, let's go." Lloyd considered the rail, then decided what the heck. He slid down the rest of the way, and Colette giggled, called him silly. Noishe barked, waged his tail, and jerked his snout at Kratos. Laughing Lloyd nodded, gave Noishe the OK, then with a parting pat left his four and two legged friends in the plaza.

"Mr. Aurion, if you'd keep an eye on Colete and my brother at the inn until we get back." Raine said in parting,jogging to catch up withLloyd who was alreadya goodly waydown the street.

Kratos probably grumbled somethin about not being a baby sitter, but no one head it becauseNoishe slid behind the distracted mercenary and a familier wiggle was startingon the tip of his tail and crawling up.

"Run!" Lloyd yelled, grabbing Raine's arm andfollowin his own advicehalf dragging his startled teacher down the street. Raine looked over her shoulder as they departed to see a wiggle take Noishe's ears. the long legs bent back, Kratos seeing her attention on something turned. Too late!Kratos was thrown acorss the stones by several hundred pounds of eger dog.

"Lloyd!" Kratos roared, Noishe's head descended and the hair was being licked. "Get back here!"

A crowd of people swirled around themobscured the sight of Kratos being Noishe'd.It did nohing to hide them from the roars of anger or to obsure Lloyd's laugher.

Review response (to those whose e-mail I couldn't find):

shadowddwolf: Yes I plan to go to the tower in "Shards" then after that I'll put up another story taht runs from after the tower to the tree, then yet another story that goes from after the tree to Origin's seal, then at last all the ie quests, the final battle, and an alternate ending/epilouge thingie. Check my profile for more details!

FallenStarAngel: (For some reason's e-mails not working... :(

Thanks, I plan on sticking with the travel as I can use it as an excuse to torture- (I mean build upon!) my characters personalities and add in a tone of dynamis. I'm such a fan of the randome skits that popped up when I walked around that part of teh fic is going to be the funnest for me cbecause I'll be able to makup as many as I want! BTWThat rabit's going to be a running gag for this fic... I just can't help it, I like it to much to let it go!

Lloyd still does drift, he's fighting it, but Kratos hasn't been pushing it yet, and he will before things finally get resolved. It's not thatLloyd doesn't care for his friendsor is picking Kratos over them, but the fact that the mercenary is issolating him from them will become even more apparent as time andissuesgo on (One of the main reasons will bedisscussed in this chapter) .

Thanks, I was a little iffy about doin the sight thing, I'm glad I haven't let anyone down with it yet!

"Heheh, Tomato Soup. XD" indeed, more evilness by me!

Hmmm... I've seen religion as an extream, I've seen it forced upon people who are hesitant, I've seen it (and this scares me to no end) applied to everything, to every decision, put in every topic. So I have a lot of examples in my past to draw upon for this. Matter of fact I'm suprised a myself for even talking about it so openly in this fic. Hopefully I continue to do so in a mature manner and pay attention to both sides of all situations, though for the sake of not offending too many people I'm gunna tone it down some.