"What? You remember?" Lloyd asked. He was practically asleep, but I was forcing him to stay awake.

I nodded. "Can I explain everything? I don't want to keep this to myself."

"Of course! I need to know!" He shouted. I placed my index finger to my lips.

"Shh, I don't want Dirk to hear us." When he nodded, I looked down. How was I supposed to explain this when I barely understood it?

"Well, I really don't remember anything before we were separated, but after that the Desians took me to the Palmacosta Human Ranch. I was only two so it was probably impossible for me to hide. There they implanted a special kind of exsphere on my body." I paused and fingered my purple exsphere. "Every other prisoner in the ranch didn't have a Key Crest, but they gave me one. It started to take away my emotions-"

"They gave you a Key Crest?!" Lloyd interrupted, sitting up in his bed now. "That's odd, but why did it take away your emotions?"

I shook my head. "I don't know, it doesn't make sense to me either. After giving me the exsphere, they put me into a cell with a few other prisoners. We became friends, but then one day, they all disappeared." I looked down, tears rolling down my eyes. "A few other prisoners told me that the Desians killed them. I wasn't able to deal with that. I couldn't help think that it was my fault. It was so terrible! But then… I did something I shouldn't have done. I was about seven at the time, but I managed to get my hands on a weapon."

Lloyd's mouth opened, it seemed like he wanted to say something. He stopped himself, thinking it wasn't the right time to interject. I continued.

"The weapon I found was a sword, I had never used a sword so I really didn't want to use it. In my head I was telling myself that I had to avenge the people who were murdered. I kept saying no, but then a Desian Grand Cardinal came to my cell. He started to threaten me, saying that if I didn't cooperate, he would kill me." I looked down. "Scared of dying, I grabbed the sword and started to attack him, but of course, he was stronger than me. I thought I was going to die, but before he could kill me a man stabbed him in the back causing him to fall. I believe the man's name was Kratos. Well, Kratos helped me escape from the Ranch, he never said much until we got out. Even then I have no memory of what he said. He started asking me things, but I never answered, I was basically emotionless."

Lloyd leaned closer, "Why would this Kratos guy help you?"

"I think he said something about having to repay a debt, but I don't really know." I sighed. "When he realized I had no emotion left, he started to sort of panic. He brought me to a dwarf and had him make me a Key Crest. The Key Crest brought back all my emotions to the way they were before. After that we traveled together, hiding from the Desians. Sadly, we couldn't hide forever. They soon found us and captured me again. All they did was take me to the nearest Ranch and torture me like any other prisoner. They just moved me to different Ranches a lot. I think that's it." I said happy to finally stop.

Lloyd was silent. The look on his face told me that he understood just about as much as I did. He probably thought that I was going to put the village in danger, I mean the Desians were most likely still after me. When I started to apologize, he placed his hands on my shoulders and shook his head.

"Don't apologize, you've done nothing wrong. The Desians are at fault. I wish I wasn't so powerless to stop them."

"Lloyd…" I started, but Lloyd cut me off.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. My eyes grew wide. His reaction sounded so abnormal, most people would start freaking out. I thought that he would jump to conclusions and think that I was working with them, but he trusted me, even if I was possibly putting the village in danger just by being here. He really felt like an older brother to me now, he was there for me even when I was down. No matter what.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears started to roll down my cheeks like a river. I haven't felt love like this in so long, it felt so good, I never wanted to lose it. Everything I had done could come back and hurt us, but at this moment, I was safe, everyone was safe.

I looked up at Lloyd, "So none of this bothers you? Me being your sister and once a prisoner at the Desian Ranch? If the Desians are looking for me then I could be putting a lot of people in danger."

"It doesn't bother me at all," Lloyd said with a smile. "You're my sister and I love you and even though you've been to a Desian Ranch, I still trust you. And if the Desians are stupid enough to come after you then we'll just kick their asses!"

Why was Lloyd so amazing? Everything he had said made me feel so much better. Just hearing that he trusted me made me want to never let go of him.

My tears continued to fall, but now they were happy tears. I couldn't stop crying, and now I couldn't stop laughing. I had worried about what Lloyd was thinking this entire time for nothing. "Thanks! I really needed that."

"That's what I'm here for." Lloyd said while wiping my tears away. "Now this is going to sound like a really stupid question for the serious moment, but I have to ask. When's your birthday?"

"My birthday? I think it's July 9th." I stated.

His eyes grew wide. "July 9th!? That's today!

"Really?" I rubbed the back of my head.

"Yes! Nice now I won't be able to sleep for the rest of the night. So is there anything special you would want?"

"Hmm, I don't know, I've never really thought about it. Surprise me."

Lloyd sighed. "Alright! Now you should probably go back to bed, there's still a few hours before daylight."

I nodded and sat down on my bed. "Thanks again, for everything."

He smiled, "Of course! That's what family is for!"

No one was in the cabin. Dirk left a note saying he would be gone for a few days and Lloyd was probably goofing off somewhere.

I sighed, remembering that Raine was going to tutor me if I didn't know the answers to the test. I looked around and saw that there weren't any books lying around. Knowing I wasn't going to find what I needed here, I picked up my bag and headed out the door.

Most of the villagers were wondering around town running the daily errands so I fit in with the few people that were out. I needed to study Sylvarant History and Geography, and then a little Math. The village didn't have a library so I went to the school right away. Of course, no one was in the building because class was canceled for the rest of the week. It was quiet, perfect for studying. I picked up a History book and began to read.

The Kharlan War… A battle between two powerful countries that lasted 1,000 years. The Desians were said to be one of the causes of the war. Mithos the Hero and the Goddess Martel ended the war, ridding the world of the Desians for many years. Even after years of freedom, Sylvarant began to run low on mana, causing the Desians to re-appear. This is why the Goddess bless the world with the Chosen of Regeneration, to vanish the Desians from Sylvarant.

I put the book back on the shelf, deciding that that was enough studying for now, and sighed. "I'm really bored now." I turned and walked out of the room, to the outside.

"I wonder what Colette's doing." I looked around, "Now where would she be?"

I was wandering around the village when I spotted Colette talking with Lloyd. I was about to call out to them, but I heard Lloyd say my name and I became nervous. I hid behind a small shop near them, I felt really bad, but I began to listen in.

"She remembered? That's so great!" That was Colette.

"Yes, she was really terrified when she told me. She was a prisoner at the Desian Ranches and they tortured her." I could hear the anger in Lloyd's voice. "I will never forgive the Desians for what they did to her! Never!"

I gasped, he didn't show this much anger last night. Had he bottled it up so that I wouldn't worry?

"Lloyd, calm down. We can't do much, but I think all she wants is support." Colette explained. "Please don't do anything rash."

"I-I won't, but for now this is the best I can do for her. Will it all be ready in time?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure it will! This is going to make her so happy!"

"I hope so!" I could hear them giving each other a high-five and I looked around the corner to see what was going on and saw Lloyd coming in my direction. I started to freak out. It would be so bad if he found out I was listening. Turning around I bolted in the opposite direction.

"Hmm," I sighed. Now I had to avoid Lloyd, he was still behind me. Had he seen me? I really hope not. There was a weapons shop not to far away so I decided to hide in there.

Walking into the shop, I saw swords hanging on the walls, daggers in cases, bow and arrows sitting on shelves and other various weapons. They were so sparkly! I immediately began to look at the swords, they were my favorite weapon. None of them really interested me until I saw a one handed sword sitting in it's own case. It was a long silver blade with a black handle, the handle had a small purple gem sitting at it's base. Now this was the best sword in the shop! I called the store manager over and asked him if I could hold the blade. He nodded and pulled it out of the case. I held the sword in my hand. It was so lightweight, so easy to move. It was perfect.

I sighed. I don't even know how to fight, why would I ever need a sword? But the sword was so amazing! I couldn't take my eyes off it.

I must have been a little too mesmerized by the blade because when someone behind me placed a hand on my shoulder I let out a small scream.

Turning around I saw that the hand belonged to Lloyd. "Whoa! It's just me!" I looked down and realized that I was pointing the sword at Lloyd's stomach.

"Umm, sorry!" I lowered the sword.

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. What are you doing anyway?"

"Oh I was studying at school, when I kind of got bored so I started to wander around the village. I found this shop and decided to check it out."

"Pretty cool right?" Lloyd said with a big grin. "I come here all the time to look at the new weapons. Normally if I want new swords dad will make me some, but it's fun to look at them. I've learned about the weapons in this store, so if you have any questions just ask!"

I looked down at the sword in my hand. "Well, what type of sword is this?"

"That's a rare type of magic blade. It's mostly used by mages, but some others use it just for the extra magic power," Lloyd explained.

"It's amazing, it feels so right in my hand." I smiled.

He nodded. "That's what it's like when you find the perfect weapon!" He rested his hand on his chin and looked at the price of the sword, "Woah, 2,000 gald! That's a little expensive." Lloyd reached into his bag and took out a small handful of gald. "Hmm, I think I'll buy it anyway." He placed the 2,000 gald onto the counter and told the clerk that he would buy the sword that was in my hand.

After making the purchase he turned to me and gave me a thumbs up. "Happy Birthday!"

My eyes widened. "You didn't have to do that, I don't even know how to fight. Why would I need a sword if I don't know how to use it?"

"I'm pretty good with my swords so I'm sure I could teach you!" Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Okay!" This was going to be so amazing. I could learn how to fight like Lloyd!

Lloyd turned to walk out the door, but turned back towards the counter. "I almost forgot! You'll need a sheath!"

I facepalmed, he was really getting into this.

After Lloyd and I finished at the weapons shop, he left saying that he had something important that he had to do. I assume he was going off to do the thing that he told Colette about. (During that time when I may or may not of been eavesdropping.) He told me that five minutes after he left to head home. I wonder what he was doing.

I glanced down at the blade that was resting in a sheath on my waist. That was far too generous of Lloyd, he really didn't need to buy me a sword. Not that I was complaining or anything, I just didn't think he had to get me anything.

I looked up at the sky. It's probably been five minutes, so I started to walk back to the cabin. Whatever Lloyd had planned, I was really scared to find out what it was. He wouldn't do anything too stupid right?... Okay, maybe I had something to worry about.

The cabin was in sight, it looked as if no one was there, Noishe wasn't even in his pen. I shrugged it off and opened the door. When I walked inside Colette and Lloyd were standing in the middle of the room.

"Surprise!" They both shouted.

I let out a scream. The inside of the cabin was decorated with flowers and a big banner that read:

Happy Birthday Vivian!

They did all this for me? There was even a small cake on the table!

"Oh my! You guys are the best!" I ran up to them and gave them both a hug. "You didn't have to do this!"

"We couldn't not do anything. This is your first birthday in Iselia!" Colette smiled.

"I would feel really bad if I didn't throw you a party!" Lloyd grinned. "Sadly, everyones out of town so it's just us, but it's better than nothing!"

I released them from the hug. "No one's ever done this for me before, thank you so much!"

After that we spent the next few hours doing a lot of talking, mostly just to get to know each other better. Lloyd told me stories about the multiple times Colette fell through the walls of the school and Colette told me about the times that Lloyd was almost killed by Professor Sage. I didn't have many happy memories to tell, but I shared with them the time when at the Desian Ranch, a girl my age I met, Ashton and I kept throwing rocks in random directions to confuse the Desians.

In the end Lloyd ended up falling asleep three minutes after Colette went home. I really didn't want to disturb him, so I decided to take a walk outside.

It was so calm, no breeze, no sounds, it was nice.

I realized that I never went around the back of the cabin so I started to wander in that direction. At the end of the path there was a small grave. My curiosity got the best of me and I walked up to the grave to read the inscription.

It read,

Here lies Anna Irving

A loving mother to her children

What? Anna Irving… Irving was Lloyd's last name… and mine. That meant that… she was my mother… and that… she was dead.

My knees fell to the ground. My mother was dead, and I never knew. Any hope I had that she was alive was gone. She was gone. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. For all I knew, my father was dead as well. I clenched my fists, I didn't want to believe it, but how couldn't I. The grave was sitting right in front of me. I let out a scream. Everything hurt. This… no…

I heard footsteps behind me, Lloyd had ran outside after I screamed.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Lloyd asked as he knelt down beside me.

"A-Anna is… mom, isn't she?"

Lloyd gasped and wrapped his arms around me, "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but I didn't want you to find out on your birthday."

The tears continued to roll down my face. No matter what anyone said, I wasn't going to feel better. My mother was dead. Lloyd allowed me to cry as much as I needed, I wanted to stop but I couldn't.

Neither Lloyd nor I said anything, which made the next moment even weirder.

"I'm sorry."

Our heads popped up and before us was a young woman that looked around the age of 30. She gave us a weak smile.

"I've caused you both a lot of pain, I'm sorry."

Wait, that was…

"Mom?" Lloyd spoke up.

It was. Mom was standing right in front of me. But she wasn't a solid form, she was more of a ghostly figure.

She continued to smile at us, it was warm and loving. I knew it well.

The figure nodded. "Yes. It's great to see you both together again. Have you been well?" Her gaze fell on me.

"Well, umm… I've been…" I began but was never able to finish my sentence.

"She's doing fine." Lloyd spoke up for me. "She just needs time to get settled here."

"It's about time you found a forever home. You've been running for far too long," Anna stated.

I gave a weak nod. Why can't I form any words?

Anna placed her hand on my shoulder, her face becoming serious. "I need to tell you something important. There was a reason the Desians were after you. They want to use the magic that you will one day have to their advantage."

My face filled with shock, "What? I can use magic?"

She nodded and continued on. "All the Desians want is power and you had shown signs of magic that hasn't been used in over four thousand years. That magic, depending on how it's used, will either save this world or destroy it."

Lloyd began to slowly shake his head, "No. There's no way that Vivian would ever destroy the world!"

"I don't believe that she would either, but there are ways to manipulate her magic. Especially if she doesn't know to control it. That's why I'm telling you all this now, so you can control it."

"But I've never used magic. How can I control it if I've never used it?" I questioned.

Anna gave me a warm smile, "That's for you to find out." She paused for a second before sighing, "My time is growing short. I need to go. Remember what I said, control it." Her voice faded away and a few seconds later, our mother was gone.