'What's this about, Lloyd?'

Kratos raised his eyebrows, watching intently, as Lloyd breathed heavily, swords still pointing downwards.

'Lloyd?'

The teen dropped his swords. Suddenly. They crashed to the floor, causing the Seraph to shut his eyes to avoid any of the dusty dirt particles getting in them. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Lloyd sitting himself down directly in front of him, holding his knees up by his elbows, legs crossed.

Kratos remained silent. His mind was whirring with possibilities and explanations. Had he done something wrong? Had Lloyd done something wrong? Had something bad happened?

'What are you up to?'

Kratos was jolted out of his thoughts by the stiff-sounding, low voice of his son. Trying his best to not look taken aback, Kratos turned his head slightly, firing a questioning look at the serious teen.

'What do you mean?' He replied, genuinely curious.

'Where are you planning on going?'

Kratos's face hardened as Lloyd's question-come-accusation materialised. He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, despite the yell of 'Hey!' from below him. The Seraph picked up his sword and sheathed it smoothly.

'Did Yuan tell you?' Kratos asked firmly, back to Lloyd.

'No,' came the blunt reply, 'I heard the back end of your conversation with him at the Sage's though.'

Kratos sighed at his son's stubborness, 'This is not a conversation I wish to have right now, Lloyd. I'll discuss it with you some-'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Lloyd had joined his father in standing, leaving his swords still laid out on the ground, 'I just want to know why…'

'I said I was going to discuss it with you, now if you're quite finished…' Kratos took steps to leave the clearing, back still to Lloyd.

'You're hopeless, Kratos, you know that?'

Kratos stopped abruptly as Lloyd used his name to address him, ignoring the pang of hurt that struck him from within as it had done every previous time Lloyd had called him that. Looking back over his shoulder slightly, the Seraph saw Lloyd's clenched fists by his sides and his face red with frustration.

'Look,' he turned back, holding his hands out in front of him, 'I'll explain it to you, but I was going to come and talk to you tonight.'

'Hmm,' Lloyd mumbled back, almost disbelievingly. He folded his arms in front of him, face etched with a stubborn look.

'Derris-Kharlan…' Kratos started, eyes shifting back to the ground as he considered how to phrase what he was about to say, 'still contains a vast mana source, not to mention a huge supply of Exspheres. As a surviving member of Cruxis, it is my job…no, my duty, to ensure this power does not fall into the wrong hands.'

'Right…' Lloyd followed, 'and that concerns you leaving, how? Surely you can just come back, right?'

'It's not that easy,' Kratos's face strained, almost bracing himself for an adverse reaction from his son, 'The comet is likely to fall out of orbit. Meaning that I need to get up there soon, or it may be too late. The…angels on the comet are also relying on me. Despite their meaningless existence, I think you'll agree, their lives still have value.'

'Fall out of orbit…' Lloyd repeated, face changing as the sudden realisation dawned upon him, 'So you'll be gone. For good?'

Kratos didn't reply. He just stood in silence, unable to break the uncomfortable and, for Kratos, near heartbreaking silence that then engulfed the pair.

'I'm sorry, Lloyd,' was all Kratos could properly muster in reply, 'but it has to be done, and I cannot force Yuan to go in my place. I'm going to need your help, also, to get up to the comet.'

'I'm still going to persist that you're hopeless.'

Kratos raised his eyebrows as Lloyd stood before him, face set seriously and voice steady.

'I will help you,' Lloyd replied strongly, 'but not until I find a way for you to come back. There is no way I am going to let you go. No way in hell. Sorry, Dad, but I just can't do it. You mean to much to me now.'

The teen crouched and picked his swords up from the ground, wiping the sides of them on his black trousers and sheathing them, before turning and heading back towards Iselia.

Kratos stood in silence for a long moment.

He then ran a hand back through his hair, disguising the brief wipe across his eyes with the back of his hand, and walked in the opposite direction, face beginning to split into a bemused smile.