Me: Dun, dun, dun and here's Chapter/Part Twenty-four!

Feral: Yes…here it is.

To Understand: Part Twenty-four

A New Member Joins!

By Harmony283

Good Reviews: 5

Liu Barrowin-Actually, from my most recent attempt at doing a Chapter Plan thingy, there should be…uh…I think maybe eleven chapters left? Hmm, that might change but no it's not over yet. And yeah, everyone's basically out of it…and Pronyma's more thankful than anything else cuz let's just say she would've gotten in big trouble if she hadn't kidnapped Genis. And…you can leave school for lunch? Even people at my school who know how to drive (and those who have cars) can't leave…and, besides the fact that it's against the rules, there aren't any restaurants around and most people don't live near the school anyway so…-cough- uh yeah…here's the next Chapter, I hope ya like it!

bloodstainedmoon-Yay! Another new reviewer! I'm glad you like my fanfic…and yeah, I wish I had more reviews too (there're over 2500 hits for it now) but the only way I can think of getting those reviews is to put it up in the C2…thing…but I don't exactly know what to do to have it put in there (it's either someone requests it or I have to be a staff member to one…-cough-something like that). But yeah, anyway, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter!

Mizuki hikari-Yes poor Genis, but, um I think the word 'deft' means to be skillful and quick at doing something -looks up word- ah yeah, that's right…so yeah, think of it as the village elder complimenting the boy (though how he found out about his skills…I don't know, I guess I'll make something up)…but anyway…Thanks for the review and here's the next chapter!

Alaia Skyhawk-Eh-heh-heh…uh…the suspense is killing you? Ack! Not good! (First I have reviewers threatening me, then their heads explode and now…) and 5 chapters a day? 20 + words a chapter? Agh…I could never do that! Well…maybe I could but not in Chapters (I have written a chapter that was 20+ pages before but the fanfic that that chapter belongs to won't ever see the light of day…probably - -;)…-cough-anyway…yeah, thanks for the review and here's the next chapter!

DraNKa-Yes, everyone does need a good bedtime story now and then. And yes both Genis and April were brave, since they both technically knew more about what was going on than anyone else did…and Lloyd is basically going to try to piece things together…but he won't really get anywhere until someone actually tells him something. And yes Mithos will be able to reclaim that title…especially in the—uh…never mind –cough- but yeah! I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one!

Azure-chan (Hiranieas)-Your laptop has gone caput? That's not…good…but hey, at least you're getting another one! (would that be today since, here, it's the fourteenth…?) And I'm glad you liked the chapter, and yes, Mithos will do the honors of…disposing of the annoying green haired evil lady named Pronyma. As for when…maybe in a few chapters…? Ah yeah, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter!


Me: Ah…I'm glad I decided to do this Chapter early.

Feral: Well…yes, I agree. It seems…filler-ish

Me: But it is important! April joins and the Aionis is made into a ring, and both of those things are important…

Feral: That's true. Now I'll do the disclaimer--Harmony283 doesn't own ToS. How many times do I have to say that? All she owns is me, April, and the plot line…

Authors Note: You're very enthusiastic today. But that's beside the point! In this Chapter, as the title says, there's going to be a new member joining Lloyd and the gang! And that person is…April! (if you haven't already figured that out) Okay, maybe she's not 'new' (she's been around since Chapter/Part Thirteen…I think) but she's never out right joined them. She's just been playing caretaker for Genis. And of course, she's going to do the same, somewhat, for Raine. Okay so basically she does replace Raine for, like, two days, but Raine does rejoin before they go to the Tower of Salvation (or ToS…har, har, har). Basically in this Chapter Lloyd and Co. save the people of Heimdall and then they go to Iselia.

Feral: That was a long Authors Note.

Me: Well there's a lot to be explained in this Chapter. Like, for instance, April's going to go into detail about how her parents died and how she figured out Pronyma was her older sister. And she's also going to have to explain why Mithos was here and what (she thinks) Genis is in terms of why Pronyma wants him…

Feral: So she's an MC in this Chapter eh?

Me: Basically, yeah…she is.

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Aprils POV

"There…she should be fine now…" I said, moving a stray strand of whitish silver hair off her face.

"So she will need to rest?" the Elf elder asked from behind me, a small hint of…concern…apparent in his voice

"Yes. Which is why I wanted to ask you if she could…"

"Stay here?"

"Yes. It's best…not to move her."

"I see. Fine, I will make arrangements."

I smiled in relief, "That's good. I'll go outside and—"

"You do realize that…you're making it sound like you're not going to be here." His voice was calm with a hint of curiosity to it.

So he did notice.

"Well, yes, I do plan on going with them. You know as well as I do that my…that Pronyma is my sister…I need to set things right with her before anything more happens."

"I understand that well enough. But are you sure they will let you come with them?"

I smiled, "Well Kratos is going with them, and apparently Zelos betrayed them but came back to them so…it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, with Raine…out of the picture…they need a healer."

"That's understandable."

"April! How's the Professor—oh…sorry was I, um, where you two talking?" It was Colette.

I smiled, "Ah, no we were just finishing up here and Raine's sleeping now."

"I…I see…" she seemed upset though.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Ah! No…no…it's nothing! Eh-heh-heh…um…but…you want to come with use don't you?"

So she did overhear something.

"Yes I do but…"

"I'm so sorry! I should have told you I overheard! I'm so sorry!"

"I'll take my leave now." The elder muttered, chuckling to himself as he walked out the door.

"Colette…calm down…okay? It's fine that you overheard. It's not like we where talking about anything serious anyway."

"But…um…I…overheard once before with Lloyd an' Zelos and that…I regret…doing that." She was almost to tears.

Now I was worried.

I had heard that the Chosen from Sylvarant was a cheerful person, but if she really was the same girl then…

Yes, something definitely was wrong.

"Colette…where are you?" Sheena called out from outside. She then noticed us in the inn window and hurried inside.

"Oh no…not again…" She murmured, wrapping her arms comfortingly around Colette.

"What's wrong…?" I asked, slightly surprised to see Colette collapse like that.

It was like she couldn't even stand on her own.

"Ah…it's complicated."

"Well, we do have some time to talk—"

A shout from outside made us turn towards the window. Everyone was running around shouting about something.

We looked at each other and then ran out the door.

…only to see the Tower of Salvation crumbling to the ground before our very eyes…

Just like Mithos had said.

"Ah…well, I take that back…" I murmured, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Yeah, right now we need to--woah!" We watched a piece of the Tower of Salvation came crashing down on the nearby Item Shop.

And then another a few feet in front of us.

Another over by the benches a little ways off.

"We have to go!" Lloyd, who had obviously gone to talk to some of the other villagers, shouted running over to us followed by some rather scared looking towns people.

"But the Elder--"

"Don't worry, April. I am here." The Elder, one of the last in the group of elves following Lloyd, said smiling at me reassuringly.

"Ah…okay…"

"Now then, everyone get out!"

And everyone listened.

No wonder…everyone had so much faith in this boy…he really was amazing.

"But Raine's…"

A loud explosion could be heard coming from some ways off, shaking the ground beneath us.

"The Tower of Salvation--" Lloyd cried out, watching as the tower seemed to…disappear

"…is gone…" Presea finished.

"Yes. And now it will happen."

Suddenly the wind picked up, swirling around us. And suddenly…

A great swell of Mana…

Wait, but there couldn't possibly be that much mana in one place! There isn't even that much Mana here in Tethe'alla!

My eyes widened as I looked up at where the sky used to be.

In its place was a weird, purple glowing planet of Mana.

"Is that…a planet?" I whisper.

"Yes, it is." Kratos said, walking over to us.

"But how could a planet exist that close…?" An elf asked.

"Because it can. And because of the Tower of Salvation. That planet is Derris Kharlan."

That's Derris Kharlan?

"The planet that the elves came from…?"

"Heh, if you want to call it that then, feel free. Though it's more of a twisted version of it." The blue haired half-elf, Yuan, stated, walking up to stand next to Kratos.

"So Mithos really did keep his promise to destroy the link."

"Yes apparently. But now we have more important things to worry about."

"Like what?"

"Lloyd…the Aionis."

"Ah! Yeah! You need to make a ring out of it right?" Zelos, who had been silently watching the whole scene in disgusted awe, suddenly spoke up, making both Sheena and Colette jump.

"Ah…Zelos…yes. That's correct."

"But Altessa's…"

"Not well enough to do it. Yes that's true."

"Then what do we do?" Sheena asked, hands on her hips, "We need to make that ring!"

"Wait a sec…"

"What is it Lloyd?"

"Dad--Dirk can make it!" he said with a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah, that's right…he's a dwarf…" Colette murmured, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Hmm, but are you sure he can do it? He didn't know how to cure Colette--the Chosen--"

"Don't worry! I'm sure if we show him what to do an' stuff we can make it!" Lloyd said, though this time his face looked more serious.

So they were going to leave Heimdall.

"But Raine still needs to heal." I added, making them turn to face me.

"Ah…yeah that's right…" Lloyd looked past me at the inn, "Good thing the inn wasn't destroyed but we can't really afford to waist any time."

"Yes, that's true…"

"She can stay here and recover. I will personally make sure someone watches her until she is well." The Elder said, smiling at me.

"I--you'd do that…?"

"That's great! It solves our problem but--wait…why isn't April going to…?"

I turned to face Lloyd and smiled, "I…If it isn't too much trouble I would…like to come with you."

Lloyd gave me a sympathetic look, "Yeah that's fine…but we're going to have to…kill your sister, probably, if we wanna get Genis back."

I nodded my head, "I know. And I won't stop you." I smiled, "I know I won't like it but…with Raine not in the best of health you need a healer. And since I'm a healer…"

"Ah…yeah that's true. Well, since you seem dead set on coming, why not? We have an extra Rhieard since Raine and Genis are…uh…yeah…"

"Yes and we have to leave one here in case Professor Raine gets better."

"Yeah, Presea's right. If we don't leave a Rhieard here then, if she just so happens to get better, she won't be able to join us."

"I see…hmm, well, I can fly, and Yuan can as well, so we will use our wings."

Lloyd nodded his head, "Okay then…let's get goin'. Who knows how long forging this ring could take."

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Lloyds POV

I sighed and mounted my Rhieard, lifting up into the now purple sky and heading towards the Tethe'alla Renegade Base.

Though I could only think of one thing.

How confusing this all was.

First off, in the very beginning when we first started on this Journey it had been the Journey of Regeneration. That had been all fine and good--Colette releasing the seals and us traveling around and defeating the Desians. And then of course, it changed when we came to Tethe'alla. Then it had been how in the name of the goddess above--if there really was one--would we heal Colette? Back then she was just a body with no soul and no heart.

Just like an Exsphere.

And then that's when I met Zelos.

I sighed, back then I had been so…naïve. I hadn't even known that he would play a huge part in my life. If I had I would've…well, treated him nicer. But Zelos had told me just the night before, when he asked if he could travel with me after this was over, that that was what had made him fall in love with me. My…well, he called it innocence. But part of it was just because I didn't call him 'Chosen'.

And of course, back then I hadn't thought that meant much…I mean, people like being called by their name don't they?

But Zelos had shown that it had meant a lot to him when he betrayed us.

I shook my head. That was all in the past now!

But even if that was in the past, there were a ton of questions that were still left unanswered.

One, for example, was Mithos and his motives.

First he was our enemy: Lord Yggdrasill.

Then he was our—well mostly Genis'—friend: Mithos.

Then he was the hero from four thousand years ago: Mithos Yggdrasill. But then again he was the same.

And now…he even went so far as to destroy the Tower of Salvation in order to prevent Pronyma from escaping Venheim.

He did it so that he could, obviously, kill her for hurting Genis.

But then a whole bunch of other questions surfaced.

Like why was Mithos so keen on protecting Genis.

And why was Genis so important to Pronyma?

Also what exactly was Genis' relationship with Mithos?

It wouldn't surprise me if he had developed a crush on the blond boy but…Genis never acted like that. Like a gay person.

So…there was a slim chance of that happening.

But what about the other way around?

What if Mithos had a crush on Genis?

I shuddered. Why did that seem more believable?

That man…boy...uh…man-boy? Angel? Yeah, Angel.

How could that angel have a heart?

He killed all those innocent people so he definitely was cruel hearted.

But how could a cruel person find that kind of love—or room—for someone else?

But then again, April seemed to know something about him that we didn't.

That just made me wonder how long Mithos had been in Heimdall. When we arrived back, he was already there, and April hadn't really said much of anything about it.

But what really surprised me was the fact that he was so willing to listen to Genis. But then again he had been the only person to say that he'd find a different way to revive Martel.

Me…I was just trying to find a way to stop him.

So that naturally meant that Genis at least cared somewhat about Mithos, right?

That they still were remotely friends?

And now I was confused all over again.

"Lloyd." It was Kratos, he had flown up beside me, obviously noticing me thinking.

"Yeah…?"

"Is everything all right? You look worried…and confused."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I am. I'm worried about Genis being okay and I'm confused on why Mithos is helping us."

Kratos just nodded his head, keeping his face as calm and unreadable as ever.

"I see."

At times like this I only had to wonder if this was my real father standing—err flying—next to me.

"That's to be expected. Don't worry too much about it. Well, at least don't worry about what Mithos' role in this is." Somehow it sounded like he knew something.

But then again, why wouldn't he? He worked for Mithos and he had known him for four thousand years.

Of course he'd know something about his motives that I didn't.

"I'm wondering…can we trust that he'll come through for us?"

"As I just said, do not worry about it."

"But what makes you so sure? I mean, yeah you've known him for a long time, and yeah he was your apprentice and all, but he's the ruler over Cruxis, and he's…fooled us before."

Kratos' features turned rigid and his tone took on that of someone saying the utmost truth about something, "Yes I won't deny that that's true. But I can assure you that, because Genis' life stands on the line—in front of the door of possible death—he would not turn back on his word."

His eyes then soften, "I'm sure he will come through for us. Though…you might not have to worry about killing Pronyma."

I looked at him confused, "Why not?"

"She will, most likely, already be dead…if Mithos finds her."

He then quickened his pace, flying ahead of me.

As I just watched him, dumbfounded.

"Wait…so he'd just turn around and kill someone who was more loyal to him than anyone else was…?"

Did Genis really mean that much to him?

I slowed down a bit as we hovered overhead the Renegades base, transporting to Sylvarant for the umpteenth time.

The first thing I did when I reached the familiar land was look up at the sky.

It was the same eerie purple, with the occasional purple lightning bolt. I shuddered, wondering what the people of Sylvarant were thinking—first the Tower of Salvation disappears and now the sky changes.

They must think it's the end of the world.

And I honestly wouldn't blame them. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a clue of what's going on if I had never joined Colette and the others on the Journey of Regeneration—now called the Journey to Reunite the Two worlds.

I, along with everyone else in our company, began the rather short flight to Iselia.

To Dirk—my dads house.

To make a ring from the Aionis

So that I would be able to wield the Eternal Sword.

So that I…could get to Venheim, the Planet of the Elves.

And finally, so that I could reunite the two worlds.

It was almost too much to handle at times like this. But then again, I wanted this. I wanted the two worlds to be at peace with each other. They had been in this horrible balance for all too long. Even Kratos had been amazed at how long this balance had been set up.

We landed our Rheiards right outside of Dads house.

Our footsteps pounded against the dirt and wooden bridge that crossed over the small stream outside of his house.

How ironic that each time we visited this place it seemed to be of more importance.

And, how ironic it was that this used to be—and still was—the place I grew up in.

I opened the door, making Dirk, who was just starting up another fire, jump, and cried out, "DAD! We need your help!"

"What is it Lloyd?"

Kratos stepped forward, "We need you to make something for us."

"And what would that be?" Dirk asked, giving Kratos a suspicious stare.

"It's a ring…out of this." He held out the Aionis we had received.

Dirk seemed slightly surprised, "And what would this be…?"

"Aionis."

Dad seemed surprised, but didn't say anything. He just took the Aionis and examined it.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Here, I brought the equipment you need in order to make it."

"You know I most likely don't have the skills…"

"Well the dwarf that does has sustained life threatening injuries. He is not capable of doing it right now."

Dirk seemed offended, and why wouldn't he? How could Kratos just say something like that.

Man, talk about an insult.

I watched patiently as Kratos brought out the 'equipment'.

It hit me hard when I saw the sacred wood.

No…way…he…so that's why he had gone through all that trouble to ask Presea where the Sacred Wood was!

"You've been searching around all of Tethe'alla to…find these things…?" I asked in awe, my voice a bare whisper.

"Yes, you could say that."

"I…see…I'll make this ring, it should take no time at all." There was a glint in Dirks eyes as he said this.

And just a few moments later…the ring was made.

"So this is it, huh?"

"Yes, with that, you should be able to use the Eternal Sword. Though you will have to forge your own trust—a bond—with it."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…that makes sense."

Kratos sighed, making me look up. I watched as he unhooked his Sword—Flameburg (A/N: is that the sword Kratos uses? I can't remember) from his belt and unsheathed it, placing it on the wooden table.

"Here, I will give you this Sword to use."

I gawked. What was Kratos getting at, giving me his prized sword?

Dirk chuckled, "Well then, I have a present for you too." He walked over to a nearby cabinet, opened the bottom draw, where a long case was being stored.

He brought the case over to the table and opened it, revealing a sword much like Kratos', except for it was blue.

"This is the Vorpal (A/N: I know this is what the other sword is called but I don't think I spelled it right…eh-heh-heh) bald. You can use this as well."

Now I was equally shocked.

"Wait…are you sure?"

"Just think of it as a present…from your two fathers."

So Dirk knew?

Kratos seemed slightly surprised as well.

"I see, so you figured it out."

"Yes." Dirk nodded his head, "But remember, Lloyd, this is still your home. Why don't you…rest here for the night? You look like you need it."

I smiled, "Yeah, okay. Why don't you stay here too, Kratos?"

Kratos, my real father, just nodded his head, "Yes, I believe I will."

"Okay then! I'll go outside and tell the others." I turned and walked out the front door. The one thing going through my mind was; we were almost finished.

Everything would be done…

And the worlds would be at peace.

But…was everything really going to go this smoothly?

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Me: And that's the end! Yeah, I know, no Mithos or Genis in this chapter but, meh. This Chapter had to be put in.

Feral: Yes, besides, you said it yourself—in one of the earlier chapters—that you were trying to go by the storyline of the game since you already basically screwed it up…in some places…

Me: Yeah, that's true. But yeah, the next Chapter should be focusing more on what happens to Genis and Mithos. And…I've got another thing I'm indecisive on…

Feral: here we go again…

Me: Oh hush. –cough-anyway, I'm wondering on if I should make Kratos stay with Lloyd and Co. (since he can, like I said—I think—in chapter Twenty three, teleport to Venheim) or if I should make him stay at Dirks place like he does in the game (if–cough-Zelosdoesn'tdie-cough-). So yeah, tell me what you think I should do—or what you want to see happen—(I don't care either way) and, like always, R&R! It makes me happy to get reviews!