Hi everyone! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and/or favorited! So, Chapter 4! yay! This chapter picks up where we last left Lloyd, with him and Genis entering the Forest after the whole Temple ordeal. I know it seems like I'm showing a lot more of Lloyd than Sheena, but that's only partly true - right now more is happening with Lloyd, so there's more to write about with him, but if you consider my timeline, day-wise they are about even. For example, this is the third Lloyd chapter but the chapters all occur during the same day - the day doesn't even end with this chapter! Whereas Sheena's chapter started late in the day, so her day is already finished! Hope you enjoy it :)

I don't own Tales of Symphonia

((Lloyd POV))

We were just deep enough into the Forest so that the sight and sound of Iselia was lost behind the thick grouping of trees at our back when Noishe suddenly let out a loud whine and cowered behind us.

In front of us and slowing approaching was a pair of monsters common to the area – a wolf and hare. It always bothered me how the wolf and hare would team up to fight us in stead of each other…

"Ah, that's right. Noishe is afraid of monsters." Genis said, taking his casting stance.

I chuckled lowly. "Yeah, even though you hardly ever find any monsters bigger than him." I said, drawing my twin wooden blades.

Noishe let out another long whine before turning tail and running off.

I didn't notice, however, since the monsters had reached us and were preparing to attack.

"Here we go!" I shouted, rushing to meet them.

Genis started charging up a spell as I threw a quick Demon Fang at the hare before slashing at the wolf, careful to keep out of rang of its jaws. I knew I had to keep both enemies busy so that Genis would have time to cast.

Viciously stabbing the wolf in the gut, I shouted "Sonic Thrust!", breaking a few of its ribs, causing it to stumble to the ground. Twirling away from the wolf, I yelled "Demon Fang!" at the hare, who had been approaching Genis, successfully knocking it over again, injuring one of its legs. I whirled back to face the wolf just as it sprang into attack, batting it back with my blades. It snarled at me and lunged forward, just as I released a bit of mana into my swords, shouting "Tiger Blade!" at it. The uppercut of my blades stalled it midair, then sent it crashing to the ground once more as Genis suddenly shouted, "Aqua Edge!". A rush of water blasted the wolf, and while it was under this barrage, I swiftly plunged my left blade down into it, yelling "Sonic Thrust!" as I did so. I pulled my blade out of its dead carcass and turned to see Genis hitting the wounded hare repeatedly with his kendama until it, too, was dead.

"Nice job, Genis." I said, grinning at him as I wiped my blades off in the grass.

He approached me, shaking his head. "Nah, you did most of the work."

"Heh." I said, with a shrug and smile. "It looks like Noishe ran off, though."

Genis looked around and nodded. "I keep thinking that if he's going to leave, he should at least take us with him…"

I chuckled. "Anyway, let's go."

We continued walking along the forest paths, seeing some of the small wildlife flitting past us. About half-way through, Genis stopped at the offshoot that led to the Desian Human Ranch.

"Well, this is my stop." He said.

"Genis! You can't go near the Ranch! That violates the non-aggression treaty." I said.

"But they already broke it when they attacked us at the Temple!" Genis exclaimed.

I thought for a moment. "Well, I guess that's true. But still, it's dangerous."

"I-I know, but there's someone I just have to tell about the oracle!" Genis said, looking at his feet.

I sighed. "Your friend?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." Genis mumbled.

I shook my head, then shrugged. "Okay. But I'm coming with you. I'm worried about you going alone."

"Lloyd! Thanks!" Genis said, looking up at me with a huge grin.

"Well, let's go then." I said, returning his smile. "Let's be quiet from now on, though."

"Okay." Genis said, nodding, before falling into step with me as we took the path to the Human Ranch.

As we neared the Ranch, the signs of life that surrounded us in the forest started to vanish, and the trees thinned. Soon, we stood at the edge of a clearing, in which the Ranch was the main feature. It was a group of several large metal buildings, with some space left for corralling the captured humans, before the whole thing was surrounded by a large wire fence, that was easily double my height, if not more. The fence was topped with sharp, barbed wire, preventing anyone from climbing it, and the large iron gate at its center looked impenetrable.

I looked at Genis and motioned for him to take the lead, since he'd obviously been coming here before.

He led us off to the left, to the side of the fence that faced the main courtyard of sorts. We watched several prisoners pushing heavy blocks, occasionally being whipped by their Desian supervisors for "slacking off".

I winced every time I heard a grunt of pain. Dammit, how could this happen? I was the Chosen One! Shouldn't I be saving them…?

Once the Desians moved toward the back of the compound, Genis cautiously approached the fence and whispered, "Marble?".

An old woman turned and her eyes twinkled as she caught sight of us standing at the fence, I having followed Genis. She approached quickly, and I took in her appearance. Her long white hair was disheveled and wearing thin. There was a metal collar on her throat, and she was wearing a simple sack dress that did little to protect her from the elements. There were faded bruises all over the visible parts of her body, and she looked incredibly thin. Still, her brown eyes were kind as she smiled at us. So this is Genis' friend…? I thought.

"Genis! It's good to see you again! Is this your friend?" Marble said, looking at me.

"Yeah. I'm Lloyd." I said.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Chosen One." Marble said, smiling kindly at me.

"How did you…?" I started to ask, but Marble interrupted.

"Genis has told me all about his best friend, Lloyd, who also happens to be the Chosen One." Marble said.

"Genis…" I said, looking down at the smaller boy, who was blushing slightly.

"A-anyway, Marble, did you see the light? The oracle came!" Genis said.

"Yes, I saw the Tower of Salvation appear. Now the journey of regeneration can finally begin." Marble said.

"The last Chosen failed, right?" I asked.

"Yes. She was killed by Desians during her journey. Please be careful, Lloyd. I will pray to Martel to protect you." Marble said.

I smiled, then frowned slightly as the sunlight caught off of something on the back of Marble's right hand, reflecting the light. I caught a glimpse of a small blue stone not unlike my own…

"Hey, Marble. Is that an Exsphere?" I asked, gesturing to her hand and the stone embedded in it.

Genis frowned, too, as Marble said: "Oh, so that's what this is called? The Desians place it on me as soon as they brought me here."

"Yeah, it's an Exsphere all right, but it doesn't have a Key Crest." I said.

"Is that really bad?" Genis asked.

"Using an Exsphere without a Key Crest is really dangerous. In order for an Exsphere to work and strengthen your mana, it needs to be attached directly to the skin. But, it makes you really sick if you do attach it to your skin. So, you use a Key Crest, special ore with a spell carved into it, as a mount for the Exsphere." I explained.

"You're very knowledgeable, Lloyd." Marble said.

Genis snorted, and I said: "Not really. It's because of my Dad that I know all this stuff. But anyways, it doesn't look like you have a Key Crest."

"Wait, Lloyd. You don't have a Key Crest either. Does that mean you'll get really sick?" Genis asked, worried.

"You dork. I don't have an Exsphere, I have a Cruxis Crystal. It's a special stone from Cruxis that helps me become an angel; so while it's kinda like an Exsphere, it really is something different, and doesn't need a Key Crest." I said.

Genis sighed in relief, before exclaiming: "But Lloyd, what about Marble? She needs a Key Crest!"

I frowned again. "I know. If it was just the spell, I could carve it myself, but the ore has to be specially processed, which is something only a dwarf can do right."

Genis rolled his eyes. "Your dad's a dwarf! Please, ask Dirk to make Marble a Key Crest!"

Marble, who had been watching us with an amused glint in her eyes, smiled and said: "Please, don't trouble yourself over it."

"No, it's okay. I'll… ask him". I said.

Suddenly, a Desian soldier walked into the courtyard and spotted Marble.

"Hey, you old hag! What the hell are you doing over there?" He yelled, outraged.

"Oh, no! The Desians! Please, run away, you two! Hurry!" Marble said frantically.

"But who knows what they'll do to you!" I said, clenching my fists at my sides.

"Lloyd, I know. But it'll just be worse if they find us here. There's nothing we can do!" Genis said, desperately tugging on my arm, trying to make me run with him.

"Lloyd, you must complete the journey so that everyone can be saved. So run! Hurry!" Marble said.

"I-I'm sorry!" I said, before turning and running to the shelter of the forest with Genis. We stayed at its edges and crept around, following Marble as the Desian led her to the right side where two other Desians were lounging.

We couldn't make out what they were saying, but Marble appeared to be getting yelled at and trying to apologize. The Desians just adopted matching faces of malice and spoke lowly before forcibly leading her to the back.

"Crap! This doesn't look good!" I said, looking around and noticing the cliff face on our right.

"Let's climb up so we can see what's going on." I suggested. Genis nodded, and we hurriedly climbed the cliffs, with me jumping up to each ledge and then pulling Genis up behind me, since he was too short to climb up by himself.

Once at the top, we were confronted with a horrible scene that I will never, ever forget.

Marble was cornered against the back fence by the three Desians and they were taking turns whipping her. Blood ran down her arms and legs as she tried to cover her face and head to protect herself.

Genis gasped. "Marble…" He whispered, his voice shaking.

"Dammit!" I said, fisting my hands at my sides. "We have to do something!"

"Lloyd, what can we do?" Genis asked, emotion clogging his voice and tears forming in his eyes. The sight of his eyes watering made me ever angrier. How dare they hurt his friend?

"You attack the Desians with magic from here. I'll jump down and distract them." I said, face set in determination at my plan.

"But Lloyd! We'll get in trouble!" Genis said, rubbing his eyes.

"Genis! We don't have a choice! We have to save her!" I said, furry lacing my voice.

"L-Lloyd. All right." Genis said, his jaw setting in his own determination.

I nodded once. "As soon as you cast the spell, run down and hide in the bushes by the cliff. I'll distract them. I'll keep my back to them so they don't see my face, and I'll run in the opposite direction of Iselia. Okay?"

"Y-yeah. We should refill our energy before we start, though." Genis said, digging around in his pack.

I rolled my eyes. "Genis, we don't have time. Besides, neither of us can use healing spells, and gels should be used for serious wounds."

Genis smacked my arm. "Idiot. I know that. I have some sandwich ingredients with me. You always forget about cooking – it raises your energy levels, too." Genis quickly made two sandwiches and thrust one at me, engulfing his own. For a few seconds, the only sounds were our hurried eating and the snap of the whips as they assaulted Marble.

I swallowed the last bite, feeling myself gain a little energy, and drew my twin wooden blades.

"You ready?" I asked, facing the Ranch and tensing my body, preparing to jump down.

Genis swallowed and raised his kendama slightly, glowing softly as he gathered his mana and started casting.

"You know it." He whispered, still casting. I smiled but didn't turn to face him, not wanting to break my concentration. Suddenly, I felt Genis tense behind me and he said, "Fireball".

Three orbs of fire shout out over us and hit their targets squarely on the back, catching the material on fire. The Desians screamed and frantically patted each other, putting out the fires.

"What the hell?" One yelled looking up at where we stood. By that time, Genis had already started hopping down the cliff-side, heading for the bushes. I turned to the side and jumped straight off the cliff, landing right in from of the gate to the Ranch.

"There! After him!" I heard another Desian yell. I didn't dare turn around, and as I heard the whirling of the gate being opened, I quickly started sprinting away, heading to the other cliff-side at the other end of the Ranch instead of to the Forest, since the Forest would lead them to Iselia.

A deep clanging sound suddenly rang from the Ranch, and I realized they must have raised an alarm before heading out after me. Just as I reached the other cliff and prepared to jump, I heard a soft thud and Genis murmur, "Owww".

"Wait, what was that?" One of the Desians said, and the three halted, obviously trying to decide whether to continue after me or investigate the noise.

Shit! I thought, before turning around and shouting "Demon Fang!" It hit the lead Desian and he stumbled, shouting at the unexpected attack.

The three Desians whipped around to face me, abandoning the noise since I now posed a threat to them. I gritted my teeth and charged.

Two of the three whip-masters raised their whips and flicked them at me, but the lead Desian, the one I had hit with my Demon Fang attack, dropped his whip to the ground and instead drew a steel sword from his scabbard.

Goddammit! I thought, as I ducked under the whip attacks, sending a Double Demon Fang at the two Desians, knocking them both over. By now, I was right in front of the lead Desian, and he raised his sword and prepared to strike.

I knew that my wooden blades would be fairly useless against his steel blade, and I mentally cursed Venny for not letting me get real swords like I had wanted to.

I dodged his attack and slammed the tip of my blade into his chest, winding him. I turned to the whip-master on my right and shouted, "Tiger Blade!", knocking him upside the head twice, rendering him unconscious. I whirled back around just in time to dodge a sword to the gut, which only nicked my right arm instead. Hissing in pain, I yelled, "Sonic Thrust!", jabbing the lead Desian in the chest again, aiming for the same spot, causing him to stumble back a few steps, clearly stunned for a moment.

I ran to the other whip-master, sliding under his attack and shouting "Tiger Blade!", hitting him in the head just like I had done to the other Desian a few moments ago. I whirled back around to face the lead Desian, the last enemy standing, as he caught his breath and charged me. I hastily sent him a Double Demon Fang, tripping him up and causing his sword to miss me by inches. Then, spinning and raising my blades like I had seen Kratos do, I felt my Cruxis Crystal glow and mana flooded through me as I yelled, "Hurricane Thrust!" The Desian's eyes widened as he was suddenly thrust up into the air and cut by the air currents as I slashed my blades, breaking one of his legs and his sword arm. He dropped the sword with dull thud and a cry of pain. His body crumpled to the ground and his head slammed down hard. I looked at the three unconscious bodies around me, panting slightly. They had hurt Marble. And if they survived, they could give my description to the other Desians and send out a search party to find me, endangering Iselia. I picked up the steel sword that the lead Desian had dropped and mercilessly stabbed each one through the heart, killing them instantly. I dropped the sword and ran to the cliff-side, just as a shout arose from the gate and more Desians poured out in pursuit of me. Without hesitation, I launched myself from the cliff, bending my knees to absorb my impact and landing gracefully twenty yards below. I darted into the trees and was soon out of sight of the Desian Human Ranch.

Once I was sure the Desians could no longer see me and I wasn't being followed, I doubled back and quickly walked up the main path, looking for Genis. Not far from the off-shoot that led to the Ranch, I heard a rustling in the bushes and quickly drew my twin wooden blades, tensing.

"Lloyd!" Genis said, as he sprang from the brush and hugged me around the waist, causing me to stumble and lose my balance, sending us both crashing onto the forest floor.

"Oof!" I said, as I landed with Genis sprawled on top of me.

He quickly scrambled up. "Lloyd, I'm sorry!"

I shook my head and pushed myself up, dusting off my clothes and sheathing my blades.

"Genis, it's okay." I said.

"But Lloyd! It's all my fault! They saw you!" Genis said, his hands fisted, clearly distraught.

"Genis, calm down." I said, grabbing his shoulders.

"But…" Genis said, looking up at me, panic in his eyes.

"It's okay." I repeated. "I took out the ones who saw my face and jumped off the cliff before the reinforcements arrived. As long as we hurry up and get out of the Forest, we'll be fine."

"O-okay." Genis said, hanging his head.

"You should head back to Iselia. You still have to pack for the journey tomorrow, remember?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." Genis said, shaking himself and looking up at me.

I smiled and stepped back. "Good. Do you think the Professor will still want to see our homework, even on the journey?" I asked.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Of course!"

"Ah, man. I already forget what we had to do…" I said, scrunching up my face in concentration.

Genis laughed. "Don't worry, Lloyd. I'll do it for you this time, for helping Marble."

I grinned. "Thanks, Genis!"

"Heh. No problem." He replied, lightly punching my arm. Unfortunately, his fist hit the cut I had gotten from the sword-wielding Desian, and I winced.

"Lloyd, you're hurt!" Genis said, peering closely at the wound.

I waved him off. "It's fine."

Genis shook his head vehemently. "You shouldn't leave it like that, it could get infected. Here, use this." He reached into his pack and withdrew an apple gel.

I took the offered red gummi and smeared it on the cut, wincing at the intensified pain before sighing as the gel was absorbed by my body and the cut closed over, healed.

"Thanks." I said, smiling.

"Next time, be more careful!" Genis said, but grinned back at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Go back home. I'll see you tonight. You're coming with the Professor and Colette when they stop by later, right?"

"You bet! See you, Lloyd!" Genis said, and with one last wave, he turned and headed down the path back toward Iselia.

I waved back and watched his retreating form until I couldn't see him anymore, then sighed and turned around, following the path home.

Ten minutes later, the trees parted and the sound of moving water greeted me as my house came into view.

I crossed the small wooden bridge over the brook and stood staring up at my house. It was a small two story building, built on solid bedrock and made out of sturdy wood. An outhouse was located on the far right edge of the clearing. There was a terrace on the second floor of the house, which my Dad had added when I was younger and insisted on viewing the stars every night. He worried about me being outside so late, so made the terrace connected to my room so I could see the stars anytime I wanted and still be safe. A soft light glew from the downstairs windows, and I knew that he was in there waiting for me, probably cooking dinner. My stomach growled as I realized how late it was, not realizing how much time I must have spent in the Temple and then at the Ranch. I tore my eyes away from the terrace, rubbing my stomach, and my sight drifted to the small headstone off to the left of the house.

I'm home, Mom… I thought, staring at the stone, before following the path to the house.

I first went to the wooden stable Dad had built for Noishe, relieved when I saw my dog safely inside, snoring lightly. I chuckled and shook my head, then headed through the front door and into my home.

Just as I had thought, Dad was standing at the stove in the left corner of the room, stirring something in a pot. Since our house was so small, there was no entryway or mud room. You just walked straight into our kitchen and dining area, complete with the stove, a smooth wooden table with six chairs seated comfortably around it, and a long couch positioned in front of the window that looked out on Noishe's mini-home. Stairs were nestled in the back right corner, leading to the second floor, which contained my Dad's room, my room and the terrace, and a spare guest bedroom.

I took a second to look over my Dad before he spotted me, trying to gauge his mood. He was short, only slightly taller then Genis, but he had told me time and again that he was tall, by dwarven standards. His brown hair was cropped short but very unruly, sticking up almost as bad as mine. He had a beard and mustache, as per his race, and was extremely muscular – my Dad was no pushover. He wore a light blue and white vest, with dark blue pants belted securely around his waist and sturdy brown boots. My stomach growled again, louder this time and he turned towards me, a surprised smile on his face and his brown eyes twinkling.

"Lloyd! Yer back!" He said, never stopping his stirring.

"Dad! I have a favor to ask." I said.

"Oh? What's that? Set the table while yer talkin'." Dirk said. He raised the spoon to his lips, tasting the simmering food, before nodding and turning off the stove.

I hurriedly grabbed the plates and forks out of the small cabinet behind the table, and put them on the table just as Dad plunked the large pot down at its center.

"I'll serve out the potluck stew while ya tell me 'bout this favor of yers." He said, spooning some of the hardy stew onto first my plate then his own.

"Do you think you could make me a Key Crest?" I asked, sitting down and picking up my fork, pushing it through the food before me.

"And why do ya need a Key Crest, all of a sudden?" Dad asked me, sitting at well.

"Well, I met someone today who had an Exsphere but no Key Crest. An Exsphere without a Key Crest is really dangerous, right? Wait, it's not too late if you attach the Exsphere without a Key Crest, is it?" I said.

Dad shook his head. "Nah. But removin' an Exsphere without a Key Crest is extremely dangerous. So, ya've got to use the inhibitor ore to make an accessory, an' carve the charm into that, makin' it the Key Crest." He explained.

"I get it. So, can you make me one? A bracelet, maybe?" I asked.

"Jist a minute, lad. Who has this Exsphere without a Key Crest?" Dad asked.

"Um… a traveler. A mercenary. A traveling mercenary." I said, trying to lie convincingly, not wanting to admit that I had been at the Ranch.

"Baloney." Dad snorted. "Desians are the only ones who use Exspheres, so if the mercenary took one from a Desian, it should've already had a Key Crest."

"Uh… well…" I said, thinking fast.

"Lloyd – remember the Dwarven Vows: lyin' is the small step that leads to thievery. Tell me the truth. Why do ya need a Key Crest so badly?" Dad said, looking me straight in the eyes, making it impossible to lie.

I lay my fork down, abandoning playing with my food and taking a deep breath before answering, "I really did meet someone with an Exsphere but no Key Crest today. At the Ranch…"

"What? Ya went to the Ranch?" Dad yelled, slamming his fist down onto the table, his fork clattering onto his plate.

I winced. "I-I'm sorry. A lot of stuff happened today and…"

"Did the Desians see yer Cruxis Crystal?" Dad asked anxiously.

"What? I don't know, maybe…" I said, confused. "Why?" I asked.

"Yer Cruxis Crystal is special. Yer mother gave her life protecting ya an' it." Dad said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I told ya how I found ya at the cliff by the Ranch, right? Yer mother was still conscious. She told me everythin'. The Desians were chasin' ya an' that stone, and she died protectin' ya both. It's her keepsake." Dad explained.

"Mom." I whispered, covering the stone with my right hand. I remembered all the times I'd drawn strength from it, and the warmth that seemed to flood through me when it heightened my mana.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, standing up and fisting my hands at my sides.

Dad stood as well. "If I had, ya'd have run off to try an' take revenge on the Desians, an' probably died in the process! The Tower of Salvation appeared today – that means yer'll be starting yer journey. Just leave the Desians to that – the regeneration'll take care of 'em."

"But still…" I said, my body shaking in anger. I always knew my mom had died but I thought it was an accident, when really, she was murdered!

"Just leave the Desians be. Yer mother gave her life protectin' ya an' that stone. Don't throw either away." Dad said.

"…So will you make the Key Crest?" I asked, determination in my voice.

"Lloyd! Have ya not been listening to what I've said?" Dad asked, incredulous, taking a step towards me.

I shook my head angrily. "Yeah, I heard you. But you can't expect me to just do nothing now that I know!"

Dad growled and closed the gap between us in two strong strides. I glared defiantly down at him. He raised his hand and smacked me hard across the face.

"Gah! You don't have to hit me!" I yelled, clutching my face with my hand. I turned and bolted out the door, slamming it shut behind me and turning around, facing a shocked looking Genis, Colette, Professor and a stoic Kratos.


Kinda crappy place to end, I know, but if I continued, this chapter would be even more massive than the others!
I have about two more chapters of Lloyd before I switch to Sheena again but major stuff happens, I promise! Timeline-wise, it'll finish this Day 1 with Lloyd and his Day 2, then I'll switch to Sheena's Day 2. See, there is a (small) method to my madness :)

So, yeah. I'm curious to know what you all think of this so far, so be sure to review!