Hi everyone! I have good news! I'll be updating weekly from now until the end of this year! I have a few chapters done already, they're just awaiting editing, so I'm going to try to set a good pace and bring you an update every Saturday!

This wouldn't be possible without Cami's amazing editing skills, so be sure to send her a thank you (username: Darkness-Chill)!

This chapter resumes Lloyd's story - the group is leaving Triet for the ruins Raine believes house the first seal!

((LLOYD POV))

Iselia was burning. Desians were attacking. I was running through the forest with Noishe. Why was Noishe so big? Wait – why am I so little? A woman ran next to me, holding my hand tightly. Mom? Mom! Blood. Desians. Falling, falling. Pain. Jerking a little, I rolled over. It was barely still nighttime, and every time I fell asleep, I would have some twisted version of the same nightmare. I was so tired… Closing my eyes, I tried to get some rest, hoping I could sleep in peace for once…

I groaned as someone shook my shoulder. Dammit, I had just fallen asleep!

Blinking I sat up, bleary eyes noticing Kratos walking away from my bed and gathering together his things.

I groaned again and flopped back down onto the bed.

"Lloyd. We need to head to the seal." Kratos said, arching an eyebrow at me.

I sighed, forcing myself up. I dressed clumsily but quickly, strapping on my pack and double scabbard, arms a little sore from training last night and still exhausted from my restless night. Yawning, I followed him out of the room. Colette, Genis, and the Professor were waiting for us in the lobby.

"Lloyd! Are you awake?" Genis asked, poking me.

I scowled at him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm up."

Colette frowned. "You look really tired!"

The Professor studied me closely. "Did you get any rest last night?"

I sighed, gloved-fingers messing up my already messed up hair. "Not really."

"Why not?" Colette asked.

"Nightmares." I said shortly.

"I'm sorry!" Colette said, pulling me into a hug.

"Not your fault. Let's just go, all right? I'm sick of the desert!" I said.

The Professor hesitated before nodding. "All right. I suspect the seal to be in the ruins to the southwest of the city."

Kratos nodded. "It seems likely. Is everyone ready?"

Nodding at the chorus of positive responses, Kratos led the way out of the Inn and towards the city's exit.

Genis walked beside me along with Noishe, who had been waiting for us in front of the Inn. "You wanna talk about it?" My best friend asked.

I grimaced. "Nah. Just random stuff. A lot's happened, I guess."

Genis nodded. "Yeah. We've only been gone for a few days, and yet it feels like years!"

I nodded. "Yeah. At least we're finally going to the seal! I wonder what it's like?"

"Hey, don't get excited now! By the time we get there, you'll just be bored!" Genis teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Here." Kratos said, throwing an apple at me. He gave one to everyone else as well.

"This is your version of breakfast? No way does this count as your cooking duty!" I said, scowling at the fruit.

Kratos gave me a look. "This is a simple and healthy meal to eat as we travel to the ruins. It will take a few hours to get there, and we can't afford any more delays."

I avoided his gaze, biting into the apple. Kratos nodded and resumed his position in the lead. As soon as his back was turned, I made a face at him.

"For that, you will train twice as hard today." Kratos said without turning around.

Genis, Colette, and I shared a look somewhere between confusion and awe.

Walking through the desert is boring. There's nothing to do except sweat and nothing to see except sand, sand, and oh yeah, more sand.

As the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, it got hotter and hotter. Jacket long since tied around my waist, I wiped my dripping hair out of my eyes. Groaning, I asked: "Are we there yet?"

"We are a little more than halfway." Kratos stated.

I groaned again.

"It's not so bad!" Colette said, looking back at me. "The sand is really pretty when it sparkles in the sunlight!"

"It's also hurting my eyes!" I complained.

"Oh… I'm sorry, Lloyd!" Colette said.

"Don't apologize! It's not your fault!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Colette said.

"Yeah, if it's anyone's fault, it's yours Lloyd!" Genis said, pouting. "We could've been done with the desert already if we didn't have to wait for you!"

"Sorry, next time I'll schedule getting kidnapped and injured around what you have to do!" I snapped.

"Children! That's enough!" The Professor yelled.

I glared at my feet.

"Regardless of why, we are traveling through the desert now. Everyone is hot and bickering only makes it worse. Behave!" She scolded.

Colette, Genis, and I murmured out "Yes, Professor," and Noishe whined, bumping my shoulder affectionately.

I patted his head. "I guess if it's bad for us, you must be really really hot, huh, Noishe?"

Kratos turned back to study him. "He seems to be taking the heat well. I've read that some animals can control their body temperatures depending on their environments."

The Professor's eyes lit up. "Fascinating… And you believe Noishe to be one such animal?"

Kratos nodded. "He would have undoubtedly suffered heat stroke by now if otherwise."

Noishe whined.

"Heh. I'm glad at least you're okay." I said, scratching his ears before dropping my hand.

"Hey! What's that?" Genis asked excitedly, pointing off into the distance.

I squinted. "It looks like… rocks."

"The ruins!" The Professor said, studying the approaching rubble intently.

"It appears we are almost there." Kratos said.

"Thank the Goddess." Colette murmured, whipping her forehead. "I hope it's shady there."

"Yeah, being out of the sun would be great!" Genis said.

"Yeah! C'mon, let's hurry up and get there already!" I said.

"Lloyd, it would be unwise to push ourselves only to collapse once there. You will have to release the seal, or have you already forgotten?" Kratos said.

I scowled. "I know that!"

Kratos nodded. "We'll be there soon."

I sighed and glared, but nodded.

Several minutes later, we were close enough to see the ruins. Broken rocks and pillars stretched out towards us, and further back along them were half collapsed structures. At the end was a low building which was still standing, although all the rocks were dusted in sand.

Walking between the pillars, I looked around. "This is it?"

"Told you you'd be bored." Genis said. I stuck my tongue out at him and Colette giggled.

"Wondrous!" The Professor said, studying one half-pillar intently.

Kratos stiffened and Noishe whined. "Be on your guard."

Eyes narrowing, I drew my blades. I heard movement to my left and turned just in time as a half-starved and rabid wolf pounced at me. I shouted in surprise, raising my blades and managing to knock the beast the side enough that it didn't land on top of me. Two more leapt forward, and I heard Kratos shouting orders to Genis, Colette, and the Professor.

"What the hell are they doing in the desert?" I shouted, slashing at the lead wolf that seemed to be targeting me.

"Worry about that later!" The Professor snapped, charging up a spell from behind Colette and Kratos. Genis, next to her, suddenly shouted "Fire Ball!" and one of the wolves fell dead.

"Tiger Blade!" I yelled, viciously slashing the lead wolf as it charged me once more. I heard Noishe whine and turned to see him cowering behind the Professor and Genis. That split second distraction was all it took for the wolf to lunge and grip my right arm in its jaws.

"Shit!" I yelled, slamming the butt of my left sword into its head repeatedly, but it wouldn't let go, instead biting down harder. I felt its teeth rip through my skin and dig in deep, blood dripping to the sand.

Dropping to knees, I clenched my fists around my blades before forcing my left blade up through the animal's belly.

It whined and dropped my arm. Without any hesitation, I yelled "Sonic Thrust!" and speared the wolf again, killing it.

Forcing myself to my knees, I turned to see that Kratos had finished off the other wolf and my friends were dusting themselves off, panting slightly.

Kratos strode over to me, lips pressed tight in anger. "Give me your arm."

Gingerly, I extended my right arm and he gently placed his palm over the wounds. "First Aid." A rush of mana healed the wound in a small flash of light, my Cruxis Crystal pulsing.

"Thanks." I said, following him over to the others.

Genis and Colette were consoling Noishe. "He okay?" I asked.

Genis nodded. "Yeah. Just scared."

Noishe whined.

"It's fine, Noishe. Everyone's okay and they're dead now."

"We're lucky that went as well as it did. Do any of you know defensive techniques?"

No one answered.

"I see… This will become a nuisance if you don't learn. I will teach you." Kratos said.

I frowned. "But you fight with a sword. Even if I can learn it and make it work for two, how will you help Colette, Genis, or the Professor?"

"I have fought with many different weapons – as a mercenary, it is useful to know all basic techniques." Kratos explained.

The Professor nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. All right, please show us Kratos."

Kratos nodded. "May I borrow your staff for a moment, Professor Raine?"

Raine nodded, handing over the wooden staff. Kratos sheathed his sword and took it, holding it horizontally out of in front of him. "You'll need to place your hands in a grip similar to this and direct some of your mana into the staff… Force Field." A bubble of green light surrounded him.

"Whoa!" I breathed, impressed. Damn, was there anything this guy couldn't do?

The Professor nodded, frowning in concentration. Kratos let the mana drop and handed her back her staff. She held it out as Kratos had done, and when she said "Force Field" a bubble enveloped her, too, though it seemed thinner than Kratos'.

"Good. It will become stronger with practice." Kratos said.

The Professor nodded. "Thank you."

Kratos nodded, turning to Genis, extending his hand. "May I?"

Genis grinned and handed him his kendama. Kratos gripped it tightly and angled it slightly, directing some mana as he let the ball fly sideways in front of him. The same bubble of protection surrounded him as when he had used the Professor's staff when he said: "Force Field".

Handing back the weapon, Genis tried it and grinned as he succeeded.

Kratos nodded, turning to Colette, who giggled softly as she handed over her chakrams.

Bending his elbows slightly, Kratos took a defensive stance and said "Damage Guard".

"Why is the arte name different?" I asked.

Kratos looked at, giving me a nod of approval at my question. "Genis and Professor Raine as magic users, so a Force Field works best to protect them. Colette uses a combination of magic and melee, so Damage Guard is a better arte for her since it will allow some flexibility in movement."

I nodded, understanding. Kratos dropped the guard and handing Colette back her weapons. Colette stuck her tongue out slightly as she concentrated, and a minute later she was enclosed in a green ball of mana, grinning.

Kratos turned me. I shook my head. "I want to see yours, first."

He frowned but drew his sword, taking a stance as if blocking an attack, saying: "Guardian". I narrowed my eyes, nodding to myself. Before his protection had faded, I took my stance and crossed my blades, saying: "Guardian!"

"Whoa – Lloyd!" Genis yelled as the same green ball of mana that Kratos had been making covered me. I grinned.

"Lloyd, you're amazing!" Colette said.

I let it drop, standing up straight and sheathing my blades, putting my hand behind my head.

"Heh. It was nothing." I said.

Kratos looked me over. "I must admit, even I am impressed. That you so easily adapted my arte to fit your own weapons, and that it was just as strong…"

"Is it because of his Cruxis Crystal?" The Professor asked.

I frowned, staring at the gem on my hand. "You think so? Was it really that strong?"

"Yes, it was much brighter than ours." The Professor said.

Kratos nodded, looking thoughtful. "It could very well be. I don't know the full effects it may have."

"Huh. Well, Lloyd. It looks like you're good at something, at least." Genis said.

"Shut it, Genis!" I replied.

"Lloyd! That was amazing!" Colette repeated, giving me a quick hug.

"Thanks, Colette." I said, smiling.

"Well, now that we are better prepared, shall we examine the ruins?" The Professor asked, directing her question to Kratos.

He nodded and we started for the intact structure.

"Hey, why were those wolves here? I thought they didn't like the desert." I said.

Kratos frowned. "They seemed sickly. It appears they had wandered in and taken shelter in these ruins."

"I wonder why…?" I said.

"Lloyd, I'm surprised to see you so interested in this." The Professor said.

I shrugged. "We should know what we're fighting, right?"

"Yes, you're right. Well then, I think you should write down all the monsters we come across and our observations about them. It can be your assignment on this journey." The Professor said.

"Aw, Professor! Not more homework!" I whined.

"Don't worry; Genis and Colette will help you." The Professor answered.

Genis grumbled, but Colette dutifully said: "Yes, Professor."

The Professor nodded. "Good."

Her eyes shone as we approached the main ruin, and with an exclamation, she darted forward.

"Professor!" I yelled, running after her with everyone else behind me.

She was kneeling before the main slab of rock of the structure. It was in the shape of a building, but now that I was up close I realized that he didn't have any doors or any way of getting into it and it was a lot smaller than I'd thought.

"Fantastic!" The Professor cackled, lovingly petting the stone. "This is polycarbonate! It was developed using magitechnology during the Ancient War! Haha, this is splendid!"

"Raine…" Genis muttered.

Kratos arched an eyebrow. I chuckled at him. "The Professor really really really loves old ruins like this."

Kratos nodded, eyeing the woman when she suddenly shouted again.

"There's writing in the stone! It says… 'oracle stone'. Lloyd- this might me the entrance to the seal. Place your hand here." The Professor said.

I bent down, frowning at the rock. "This? What good'll my hand do?"

"It should recognize your mana signature as that of the Chosen's and reveal the door." The Professor explained.

I gave the rock a look, not understanding how some stone could tell I was the Chosen. Shrugging, I put my hand where the Professor told me to, and there was a flash of white light and the ground started to shake.

"Whoa!" I jumped back and Genis pulled the Professor out of the way as the slab of stone split into two and swung open, revealing a staircase heading underground.

"Wow!" Colette exclaimed.

"Marvelous!" The Professor said, studying the opening intently.

"It appears we have found the entrance to the seal. Shall we, Chosen One?" Kratos said.

I scowled at him. "Looks like Noishe won't fit…"

"I doubt he would enjoy it very much, regardless. It is almost certainly crawling with monsters, much like the Temple was." Kratos said.

I frowned, turning and petting Noishe, who whined at me. "Looks like you gotta stay behind, Noishe. We'll be back really soon."

Noishe whined again and bumped into me and I chuckled. Looking at everyone else, I eyed the opening.

"Right. Let's do this." I said, going down the first few steps. Kratos followed immediately behind me, with Colette and Genis following him and the Professor taking up the rear. It got darker and darker the lower down we went, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust. Reaching the last step, I moved into the hallway a little, seeing that it widened a bit. Kratos moved to walk alongside me, drawing his weapon. I did the same and I could feel everyone behind me tensing slightly and preparing for any attacks.

We continued onward and came to a fork: left or right. Straight in front of us, however, was a chest of some kind.

"Hey, look!" I said, stepping forward to open it.

"Lloyd, no!" Kratos yelled.

Too late.

I flipped the lid just as Kratos jerked me backwards. If he hadn't, I would have lost my hand as the box snarled and razor-sharp teeth were revealed, too eerie eyes opening on the lid and glaring at us.

"What the hell is that thing?" I yelped.

"A Fake." Kratos said grimly, slashing his sword and preventing the lunge the box had made. "It is extremely resistant to normal weapon attacks."

"Shit!" I cursed. Genis and the Professor immediately started casting.

"Pow Hammer!" Colette yelled, and a large red hammer fell on the Fake, stunning it.

"Aqua Edge!" Genis yelled, water rushing to the chest and slamming it against the wall.

"Photon!" The Professor shouted right after him, and the Fake was consumed in a ball of light, which then exploded. It lay in two pieces, dead.

"Whoa, Professor! Was that a new spell?" I asked, staring at the pieces of the Fake.

"Yes. It appears I've learned a few new spells." The Professor said.

"That was cool!" Genis said.

"Yeah!" Colette agreed.

"Lloyd." Kratos said, staring at me sternly.

"Uhh… yeah?" I asked, bracing for his anger.

"This place will be filled with traps. You must stay on your guard and be careful. We don't want the journey to fail, do we?" Kratos said.

"No." I mumbled, staring at me feet.

"Good." Kratos nodded.

"Kratos, how did you know about that trap?" The Professor asked.

"I've traveled quite a bit and happened to have encountered one in the past. We were lucky. I might not recognize the next trap, so we all must be vigilant." Kratos answered.

Everyone nodded.

I cleared my throat. "Right, so… which way?"

The Professor looked around. "I don't see anything to indicate the way…"

"It appears to be something of a maze. You choose, Lloyd." Kratos said.

"Me?" I asked, shocked.

Genis snorted. "If Lloyd picks, we'll get lost for sure!"

"Hey, shut it, Genis!" I snapped.

"I think Lloyd will pick the correct way!" Colette said.

"Thanks Colette. But why me?" I asked Kratos.

"Because you are the Chosen One." He said simply.

I took a deep breath, and stared intently down each path. I nodded. "Okay, let's go left."

Kratos nodded and took the lead.

"Why did you choose left?" The Professor asked.

"I'm left-handed." I shrugged.

Genis rolled his eyes. "See?"

I punched his arm and stuck my tongue out at him. Colette giggled at us.

Walking along the hallway, I noticed red stones in the wall that were glowing and giving off what little light we had.

We came to a doorway and cautiously stepped through. Almost immediately, two giant floating circles of stone appeared with a bird that was on fire.

"Fire?" I yelled.

"This area is affected by Efreet! Just hurry up and defeat it!" The Professor shouted, charging up a spell.

"Dammit!" I rushed at the bird, Kratos and Colette taking the weird stones. "Tiger Blade!" I yelled, jumping up and slashing at it.

Colette yelped and was flung backwards by three fire balls. Those things could use magic?

"Fire Ball!" Genis shouted.

Fire hit the bird and it absorbed the attack, growing bigger.

"They resist fire!" Kratos growled while I cursed.

"Photon!" Light attacked the stone going after Colette just as Kratos killed the other one.

"Hurricane Thrust!" I yelled, slashing and stabbing the bird.

Mana welled up in me and suddenly I was spinning through the air, my Cruxis Crystal flashing. "Tempest!"

"Whoah!" I said as I landed, turning to look at the remains of the bird turn to ash.

Kratos nodded at me, sheathing his sword. "You've improved."

"Wow, Lloyd!" Colette said, standing up and brushing herself off.

"Colette! You okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Sorry for worrying you."

"You dork." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Did you lean a new arte?" Genis asked.

I nodded, looking down at my Crystal. "Yeah, I guess so."

The Professor nodded. "Cruxis Crystals are extraordinary." She said, her eyes sparkling like they did when they saw a new ruin.

I backed away slowly.

"Shouldn't we… ah… get going?" I asked.

The Professor shook herself, snapping out of what Genis had told me he called her "ruin mania".

"Yes. Is everyone all right?" She asked.

We all nodded. "Good. Let's continue."

We were in a large cavern of sorts, the walkways old and crumbling beneath our feet. There were torches along the edges, better lighting the area than those weird red lights in the hallway, although some of them weren't lit.

"Hey, Genis." I called, stopping before one unlit torch. "Light this?"

"Sure!" Genis grinned, quickly casting "Fire Ball".

Nothing happened

He tried again, but the torch wouldn't light.

"Huh." I said, studying it. I touched it gingerly, but it didn't feel wet. "Why isn't it working?"

The Professor studied it closely before sighing. "I don't know."

"Let's keep moving." Kratos said.

We'd only taken a few more steps when the Sorcerer's Ring started tingling like it did in the Desian base. I stopped, looking around.

"What is it, Lloyd?" Colette asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't see… Oh!" I said, rushing over to a machine similar to the one in the base, the Ring glowing and reacting to it like last time.

"Lloyd, what are you doing?" The Professor asked.

"That Desian base I was in had a machine like this. The Sorcerer's Ring reacts to it, and it somehow changes what it does. Watch!" I said, moving the Ring to the machine, feeling another jolt go down my arm.

I grinned, facing away from everyone before sending mana to the Ring, firing it. Instead of a ball of lightning, fire shot out.

"Whoa!" Genis yelled. "It shoots fire now?"

"That's amazing!" Colette said.

"Fascinating." The Professor murmured, studying the machine closely. She looked from it to the unlit torch. "I wonder… Lloyd, try lighting the torch with the Ring."

"Okay Professor." I said, aiming and firing. The torch instantly lit up and the ground shook a little as a bridge suddenly rose up, connecting two paths that weren't connected a moment ago.

The Professor nodded. "It's as I thought. This is a test – the entire seal is a maze."

Kratos nodded thoughtfully. "It appears so."

I looked around noticing that all the paths currently led to dead ends, even with the new bridge. "Where do we go now?"

"Hm… It seems as though we need to double back and take the right path. There's a torch over there." Kratos said.

I looked over to where he was looking and noticed the other unlit torch on the other side of the room. I frowned as I looked at the new bridge I made, realizing it got you a little closer to the center platform.

"I bet it's raising a bridge to the center!" I said excitedly.

"Lloyd, you're a genius!" Colette said happily.

"Heh, it's nothing." I said, grinning.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Especially since Kratos pointed it out."

I glared at him. "Shut it, Genis!"

The Professor was staring off into space.

"Professor Raine?" Kratos said.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking… how did they know we'd bring the Sorcerer's Ring? What if we hadn't? Would the test have changed?" The Professor asked.

Kratos frowned. "That is a rather pointless series of questions as we'll never know, isn't it?"

"I suppose you're right. Let's go, everyone." She said.

We're at the seal. WE'RE AT THE SEAL!

*throws confetti*

I've been writing this story since November 2010 and it feels like it took forever to get here! (85,000+ words!)

Now that we're finally at the first seal, though, this story is really going to pick up! It's a whirlwind of events and I can't wait to see how it plays out!

I hope you enjoyed reading it so far. Thank you so much to all who have stuck with it from the beginning or are new readers just discovering this story - knowing that I have readers at all is just amazing! And super special thanks to all who have reviewed (especially those who review each chapter) - you guys are just awesome and your kind words make me deliriously happy!

See you next Saturday! :D