On My Honor

by Yamato795

A Regal musing fic that gives you a look at the game from how he saw it, and a better look at his past

8. Eight

Title: On my Honor

Author: Yamato795

Pairing: Lots of mentions of RegalxAlicia, but no other ones planned at the moment…

Rating: Let's go PG-13 to be safe, since they do swear in the game, and the violence.

Status: Chapter 8 out of ? parts. Lots planned, but a number is not clear just yet.

Disclaimer: Don't own Tales of Symphonia. Please don't sue me.

Spoilers: A TON, mostly for Regal. I'd say this story is better suited for those who have beaten the game if you ask me. Read at your own risk of spoiling anything. Since it starts where Regal comes in, it should spoil quite a bit of the game after that, don't you think?

Summary: Take a look through Regal's eyes as well as a look into his past.

Author notes: I think it would be best if I informed all of you that I am actually getting closer to the point where I will no longer have parts of the game in the chapters. I do have to skip around a bit, and will do my best to keep the chapters from becoming too choppy, but I really think that since everyone reading this should have already played the game, it won't matter too much. I'd like to thank Christie for all her support and help, and I'd like to thank Marika as well! Enjoy the chapter!

On my Honor

Chapter eight

Forming a pact with Shadow proved to be problematic as soon as we entered the Temple of Darkness. True to its name, there was not a speck of light inside, the Summon Spirit's power stretching out and covering the sacred enclosure in pitch black. Nothing we tried worked to brighten the temple, and that meant we'd have to try to make our way to the seal room in the dark if there was nothing we could do for light. Then Sheena told us that Elemental Research Academy in Meltokio had used a relic called the Blue Candle to be able to study the Temple of Darkness, so perhaps we should ask them for help.

Within minutes we were slipping into the sewers beneath the Imperial City, beneath the notice of the guards, making it to the surface with relatively no trouble. Most of the monsters had avoided us and the people that were nearby when we emerged from the underground passage paid us no mind. It had been a very long time since I last walked the streets of Meltokio, and I had to brush thoughts like that away when we arrived at the research academy.

A blue haired young half elf turned at the sound of our approach, his expression brightening at the sight of the summoner who had led our group inside. "Sheena! And everyone…"

She returned his smile instantly. "We have a bit of a favor to ask you all, if it's all right. You see, it's about Shadow's dungeon…"

The two half elves that stood before her listened intently, the one with blue hair nodding occasionally and the blonde one chewing his lip. There was something behind his gaze that made me wonder what he was thinking about while he took in Sheena's words, and why it seemed to me he didn't really want to hear them. I could only guess that perhaps he and Sheena had not gotten along when Sheena had learned summoning from them.

"Ah, I see." When the blue haired researcher spoke up at the end of the ninja's explanation he rubbed his chin as if calculating. "In that case, the Blue Candle should be of use to you."

"Blue Candle?" Lloyd sounded as if he'd already forgotten that the relic had been mentioned before when our friend had suggested we seek help here. Scratching the back of his neck, it appeared the young swordsman at the least found the name familiar even if he couldn't place it.

"It's a holy candlestick that negates the power of darkness." The Professor explained for her student. Curiosity then filled her tone as her gaze locked on that of the other half elf. "You have that here?"

"Yes. Relying on ancient documents, we succeeded in creating it here in our lab." He nodded with pride, a smile crossing his lips again.

"Then can we borrow one?" our young leader asked.

"Of course, we'd be--" the blue haired researcher began.

"Hey!" his blonde coworker exclaimed in outrage, his expression darkening as he glared at all of us. Clenching his fists at his sides he set his jaw rather pointedly. "It's these guys' fault that Kate was arrested! We can't help them."

"But they're Sheena's friends." The other researcher protested.

"Kate?" Lloyd blinked in confusion glancing between the two half elves looking for answers. "What happened to Kate?"

If I remembered correctly from a talk with Raine and Genis, Kate was a young woman who worked in a lab in Sybak, and the group, or most of the group, had met her when Raine and Genis had been arrested in violation of the caste system and the others were put in a basement lab. It was there they had met her and discovered she had been part of the team that had experimented on Presea. I wasn't quite sure why then, knowing this woman had been part of the reason Presea had lost years of her life to an Exsphere, that Lloyd sounded worried about her.

"Kate is going to be executed for harboring criminals and helping them escape." The blue haired young man practically sighed in defeat.

"Because of us… Dammit!" Lloyd murmured bitterly.

Colette put a hand on his shoulder, trying her best to meet his downcast eyes with a plea in her own. "Lloyd! Please, let's save Kate!"

Now, I had never met this Kate before, what I knew of her was entirely second hand, and I was really in no position to judge anyone else for their crimes, yet I was stunned by the fact they wanted to help this woman. What she'd done to Presea, all she'd taken from her, didn't that matter? There was probably more to this that I didn't see. I hadn't been with the others when they had encountered this Kate, I didn't know everything that occurred then or how Presea felt about the half elf that was going to be executed because of allowing them to escape.

"Lloyd…I…I want to save her, as well." Her soft, gentle words, full of sincerity, cause all of our eyes to fall upon her. Presea was clutching the skirt of her dress tight with her fingers and it was the only sign of her struggle with this decision because none of it reached her face. This was hard for her, understandably so. There were not a lot of people who would look past such heinous deeds done to them in order to help someone who had inflicted that pain upon them.

Biting his lip, the brunette swordsman spun to face her, running his gloved fingers through his hair. "Yeah, but how?..."

There was no way we would be able to sneak into the palace, it was too heavily guarded and it would be walking into the arms of the Papal Knights that had been so vigilantly pursuing us. How else could we get into the palace dungeon where she was undoubtedly being held? It was when I let my eyes drop onto my shackles that I thought of it, suggesting, "How about participating in the matches being held at the Coliseum?"

Zelos blinked at me bewildered, his hand cocked to the side. "The Coliseum? What for?"

"It was originally constructed to watch fights between prisoners and wild beasts." I explained evenly while inside I was cringing at the memories now lapping at the back of my thoughts. The battle arena of Meltokio held no fond memories for me. "There is a passage inside the prison which allows prisoners to be taken to the Coliseum."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the expression on the Chosen of Tethe'alla's face fall, his smile all but vanishing. "…Oh, that's right. You were there before…"

Surely it wasn't so easy for him to completely forget I was a criminal. He had never treated me such, the blood was still on my hands and would mark me forever though, and I don't know how he could see past that let alone forget it for periods of time. What I understood even less, though, was why remembering seemed to sadden him.

"Then, let's hurry up and rescue her…" the blonde half elf insisted with a touch of impatience.

"Okay, gotcha." Lloyd nodded to the researchers in determination before then turning back to us and gesturing out the door. "Everyone, let's hurry to the arena."

Taking a deep breath, I followed my friends out of the academy and down the cobblestone street, trying to still my thoughts so they wouldn't slip back to that time eight years ago. Things had been so dark then. My life had been vacant of hope, bleak, and unsure. I had, at first, not wanted to live, and then I had fought only enough to survive so that I might bring Vharley to justice. There was not a part of me that desired to return to the Coliseum, but it didn't seem I had many options.

"Hey, Zelos, Regal." Lloyd slowed his pace a bit to fall into step between the red headed Chosen and myself. "How does this Coliseum work? Can we just slip in and find that passageway, or will we actually have to go in and fight?"

"The only way we'll get into the waiting room is if we enter the match." Zelos answered after glancing at me once. "That's means only one of us can go in, bud."

"And they will have to fight. Only after the match will the guard that watches that passage leave his post. Hopefully it will give one of us time enough to get into the dungeon." I added, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. While the fights forced upon by prisoners in the arena had stopped two years ago making way for the new system of willing participants, I would never be able to even look at the battle arena without a knot forming in my stomach. The Coliseum was a place of blood, violence, and memories I just couldn't seem to forget. If it hadn't been for the fact that Presea wanted to rescue Kate, I would have asked to stay behind.

"Only one of us?" Our young leader obviously didn't like the sound of it. I did not either, for from what I had heard the usual matches were three fighters against one challenger. "And whoever goes in will have to win to be able to get to Kate?"

"Yes." I replied, my lips pressed into a thin line. Lloyd nodded to me before speeding up to speak with Colette and Raine. While he seemed uneasy with the situation one of us would be heading into, perhaps he knew that each of his companions was strong in their own right. Not all of our strength came from working as a team; each of us had specialties to offer, which gave us all the more power in bottle.

I knew that Lloyd would most likely be the one to make the decision on who would enter the fight and ultimately save Kate, and it almost surprised me how much I'd come to trust his judgment. He was young, sometimes immature, but when it came to this cause and the well-being of those that he cared for, Lloyd was skilled with such problem solving.

Following slightly behind the others, I entered the Coliseum through the main entrance, something I had never done before, as I had always been taken here through the dungeon. Before I'd been imprisoned I had never come here, the fights too brutal and barbaric for me to stomach. Lloyd spoke with the receptionist behind the front desk politely and she asked him automatically which of us would like to enter.

"Regal will enter." The young swordsman announced after a moment of thought.

While I knew that I was a logical choice, as I had been the one that had fought in the Coliseum for the first six years of the sentence I'd been serving and I was the one that had told them of the passage way, I still had to ignore the wrench of the knot forming in my stomach. I would have to go back in there. "…Very well."

Turning back to me, I could see that Lloyd began to search my blank expression. Had he heard the hesitation in my reply? Was he reading into it? "We're counting on you."

He had to know me far to well to remind me of that at the moment. I couldn't refuse when I knew that they needed me to do this, that they wanted to save this woman. After all the kindness and acceptance they had shown me, I could not back down now that they asked this of me.

And at least this one was one of my demons I could face. "…Heh."

Presea then spun to face me, her gaze lifting slowly to mine. I had not really had any chance to speak with her since my confession on the terrace. Now was not the time for such a talk, so I had no idea what she might be thinking, what she might want to tell me. What she said startled me. "…Please…do your best…"

"…Presea." The fact she could even look me in the eyes still seemed a miracle to me, and the fact she would speak to me still meant more than I would ever be able to say, in spite of the fact that she'd said she would try not to see me as an enemy. I was grateful that she would try not to despise me, no matter if she couldn't help it or not. That she would even encourage me meant the world. I didn't know how to respond, and before I knew it, a long silence had stretched out in the battle arena's lobby.

Zelos rubbed the back of his neck, watching me. "Talk about an…"

Genis turned to glance me over as well. "…awkward silence."

A bit impatiently, Lloyd gestured towards the front desk, not wanting to push me but obviously uncomfortable with the chance of prolonging this situation. "…Ah… Please register."

There was no point in delaying this. While I had never wanted to enter the arena again, this time I had to in order to save a life. That made it all worth it, did it not? Presea wanted to save Kate in spite of what the woman had done to her, and perhaps, in doing this, she might grace me with such a level of forgiveness as well. "I will enter."

The woman at the desk though did not want to allow that. We were a group of fugitives in the eyes of the law of Tethe'alla, so her feelings were understandable. The only reason she permitted me to enter was Raine offered her double the normal entrance fee.

The moment I walked into the competitor's waiting area I felt a chill run through me. It was not of dread, or of fear, but one of the cold of the memories seeping back into my thoughts, things that haunted me. This arena, this place, was one of the demons that would haunt my lesser nightmares, yet it was nothing compared to the actual demon I had faced in battle on the floor of the arena once.

When the guard opened the gate for me, I pushed away all of my thoughts.

Memories couldn't hurt me now.

The announcement had come without warning. The guards went around the cell blocks of the most dangerous criminals, proclaiming that the fights in the coliseum would no longer be between prisoners and wild beasts, for the prisoners were now going to fight each other. Each match would consist of two prisoners chosen at random, and each match up was final. Prisoners were to be ready each day now, as with the new system there was a chance they could fight every day. Most were disturbed with by this new development, some protested loudly because there were some criminals that they knew they stood no chance against, but there was one man that was thrilled with the idea. He praised it as a work of genius, especially a few days into the new system when he learned the identity of his first opponent.

Spike was to fight Regal Bryant at noon the next day. He'd heard over half of the Royal Court was expected to show for the match. That just excited him even more, the prospect of fighting the Duke in front of nobles and royals, an audience that would see one of their own slaughtered. The information had come around the same time as the afternoon meal, which while Gib and Spike were fed in their cells, Regal was usually in the prison yard when he ate.

As soon as the young noble was escorted back from the yard, and the guards were gone, Spike stood, grinning evilly. "Looks like we're finally going to end this, pretty boy. Guards just brought your death wish. Guess who you fight in the arena tomorrow?"

Regal just stood just inside the bars, more a statue than a man. Around Spike the only signs of life in him were the rise and fall of his chest as he drew breath, and the occasional blink of a pair of azure orbs. The way he blatantly ignored the other murderer was what really made Spike hate him, more than all of his titles or all of the privileges he'd left behind, but that no matter how much the burly convict taunted or beat him, Regal never so much as flinched.

With a growl, Spike reached out, taking hold of the metal bonds that bound the Duke's wrists, swinging him around. He probably was so blinded by anger that he missed the few careful, subtle steps Regal took to lessen the momentum and nearly cushion how the other murderer slammed him into the stone wall on the far side of the cell. Empty gaze straight ahead, practically through the fuming figure before him, it was like Regal was in some sort of trance.

Spike was already snarling in his face. "Tomorrow this will all be over. I'll put you out of your misery, how does that sound? Of course, I'm gonna make it hell for you first, but it wouldn't be fun any other way."

No matter what he said or did the Duke never responded. His tormentor never got a wince, a whimper, or a protest. To a certain degree it was in sheer defiance that he maintained this stand against his cellmate, but on the other end of the spectrum there was a cruel voice that insisted in the back of his mind that he deserved this, that he needed to be punished for his crime. There was no pride in it, he was not trying to maintain his dignity as a noble, no, and he merely wished to suffer in peace, as Spike didn't want to allow that Regal refused to give him any satisfaction from his attempts.

"You stuck up son of a bitch!" Spike no longer felt the need to hold back, so he punched Regal square in the face with all of his weight behind it, watching the Duke's head snap to the side but having already missed how the blue haired noble had moved to lessen the impact. "You know I'm not afraid to kill ya! If you don't grow a back bone over night, I will kill you!"

He should have known how wasted that threat was by now.

"What kind of murderer won't fight back, huh?" He shoved the Duke into the wall as hard as he could, missing the dip in the other man's chin that would keep his head from connecting with the stone. Spike wished for a look of pain on his favorite victim's face, but was willing to wait for tomorrow to get one. He could already imagine the screams of agony he'd torture out of this man. "Do you only fight defenseless girls? Is that what you do when money and power aren't enough? Murder women?"

There was not even a flicker of rage in the other convict's eyes. He knew how to shut the world out, to find his center so nothing could shake him. Spike could not get through. Again, he did not so much as flinch as the furious prisoner grabbed him by the throat.

"I can't wait to spill your noble blood in the dirt once we're in the arena, Bryant, in front of at least a dozen lords and ladies." Spike spat in the Duke's face squeezing Regal's neck to attempt to cut off his air supply, except the noble had anticipated this, and had relaxed the muscles in his neck to give him enough slack in the convict's grip to breathe easier. "You're going to make it all too easy for me too, since you don't have the guts to fight! How does it feel to know this is your last night alive, your lordship?"

"Wait, Spike, you shouldn't…" Gib was suddenly at the murderer's side, his shaky voice breaking into the other man's threats.

"Shut up, Gib." The burly man growled out, choking Regal even more.

"But, Spike--"

"I said shut up!" He whirled around in fury, slapping the gangly thief across the face, but releasing the nobleman he'd been harassing in the process. Gib did not usually work for Spike's attention, if he didn't have it the murderer usually kept his sights on the Duke. But by protesting he'd made himself a target, now getting the beating that had probably been intended for their other cellmate.

Regal knew what Gib had been trying to tell Spike though. He'd been trying to warn the murderer, not only of the fact that Regal was being trained in Traubel by a man named Levin in the prison yard, but that the only place that the noble would fight was in the coliseum. Gib had even heard rumors that it was Regal that had beaten most of the beasts into submission, never killing one of them, but taking the fight out of them, and that was the reason for the matches between prisoners now. And the Duke had already battled six other convicts, defeating all of them while still in his shackles. The thief had no idea if any of it was true, but he'd still tried to warn Spike. His reward for that was a beating that knocked him out for two days, too long to ever warn his cellmate, for once he was out it was already too late.

As the arena was linked to the prison, the transfer was easy. It wasn't as if Regal would have resisted the guards, they were just pleased that for once they didn't have to listen to taunts or force a prisoner to do something. They were also surprised by Regal's choice of weapon, greaves, as Spike had chosen a small knife, but what shocked them more was he adamantly told them he was leaving the shackles on when they asked if they should remove them for the match. Once he'd been granted his weapon choice though, they were to usher him into the arena, which they did, but hesitantly. Even if Regal had won all of his other matches, Spike was a much more dangerous, deadly, serial killer. Did the Duke really stand a chance while he was shackled?

Stepping out onto the dirt floor of the coliseum, Regal replayed Levin's words from the day before, a mantra in his head now.

"This isn't about revenge, it's about survival. You have to survive to bring Vharely to justice."

Spike was already waiting for him, tossing the dagger he'd chosen from one hand to the other, the blade shimmering in the sunlight from where he stood on the other side of the battle arena. The King of Tethe'alla had come, as had the Pope, along with many others of noble blood that Regal should have recognized but had never cared enough to. Everyone else in the stands was roaring, cheering, or screaming for blood. Just as each time before, Regal felt a wave of disgust hit him. He couldn't stand this meaningless violence, he hadn't been able to stomach it before he'd become a prisoner himself.

"I've been waiting for this moment for too long!" Spike called out to him nastily, as if he thought the words intimidating. "You aren't leaving here alive!"

The Duke pushed away all thoughts, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but barely enough that it would be visible from a distance. He was finding the center both Master Goatta and Master Levin had stressed, the deep recess of his mind where emotions could not reach and taint the sound judgments he made. The greaves he wore were not of good quality, probably a weak iron alloy, but then again it was doubtful that the knife given to the other convict was of any better caliber. Taking a few deep breaths, focusing, he found the balance he'd as first struggled to achieve wearing the shackles, now ready for any advance the other man could make.

As usual, the noble's silence only served to anger Spike. "I'm going to enjoy this! I'm going to fucking love making you beg for mercy, pretty boy!"

"Begin!" The command from the announcer echoed in his ears before it was driven out by the blood thirsty cries of the audience. It had to have been noon on the dot for them to call the fight to start, but none of it concerned the young Duke, as his senses were tuned to every aspect of his opponent. Spike wouldn't be able to do anything without him seeing it fast enough to counter, and for once he would be able to take the offensive.

The serial killer had made his first mistake before ever leaving his cell and that was that he assumed Regal would not fight back allowing himself to be killed. His second mistake branched off his first, since he was certain that the Duke would not fight back at all, he charged at the other prisoner with the blade poised in his right hand to strike. Spike was easily taken in by the cries of the crowd, by his anger, and by all the instincts that had made him a killer. His one goal was to spill the nobleman's blood. He'd imagined it for so long now that he was more than eager to plunge his weapon into the flesh of his cellmate. It was in this frenzy that he made his third mistake, that being he came within his opponent's range with his guard down.

"Spin Kick!" Regal had planted his left foot, whirling on it in a full circle to give his right leg full momentum. He was careful of the dagger, even though the element of surprise was his as he kicked Spike square in the face throwing the serial killer to the ground. The simple move had been more than effective, as it had Spike on his back in the dirt instantly, though it did not shake the man's grip on the dagger.

Spike laughed, bitterly, making it to his knees and swiping at his jaw with his free hand only to find the blow had split his lip. How odd it seemed that the first blood went to the Duke. Eyes now narrowed, he scrambled to his feet, tossing the blade back up to his left hand. "Oh, I see, now you're going to fight me? Afraid to die, your lordship? Afraid of what I'm going to do to you?"

The Duke stared at him evenly, his stoic mask the same one that Spike had been trying to break for weeks. It enraged the serial killer that even now the young noble could be so calm, could ignore him, and could pretend that he didn't exist. He was gritting his teeth, panting, fuming as he clenched his hand around the dagger's worn hilt, and the yelling in the stands thundered in his ears. Spike snapped. He became a snarling enraged beast, lunging at the other prisoner without thought.

Regal timed it just right, bending his knees, waiting until the last possible second to evade the knife. Spike could do nothing as the Duke went into a back flip, left leg extended ever so slightly so that as his body made an arc in the air his armored calf struck the hand that held the knife. It was tossed into the air as the blue haired fighter landed with absolute ease. "Crescent Moon."

He gave Spike no time to recover, crouching again, then jumping into the air at the convict, throwing out his left leg at the other murderer. "Swallow Kick."

"Argh!" Crashing into the dirt once more, Spike rolled a few feet, stunned and ending up on his stomach. The roar of their audience tripled causing the serial killer to clamber back up in spite of the pain, teeth clenched while his nearly bulging eyes searched for his dagger. It had fallen behind where the Duke stood observing him more like a statue than a man prepared for a battle to the death. Again he swiped at the blood on his chin, sneering with mockery. "Good…I wanted you to fight back…that'll make killing you so much more satisfying!"

When Spike sprang at him again, Regal had thought it was to attack him head on unarmed, he had not been anticipating the other man to suddenly pivot to the left, running around him to where the knife had landed upon the earth. Spike dove for it, rolled back onto his feet, and whirled. The noble had miscalculated, had guessed what he would do wrong, so he was not fast enough to turn to keep his opponent if view or stop the blade from slashing through his shoulder. Managing to keep his face emotionless, to not even wince as the pain coursed up from the injury, Regal kicked Spike in the chest throwing the other killer back.

"You're not going to get me, Bryant." The serial killer snarled, enjoying the sight of blood seeping out of the noble's wound. "I'm a real killer; I didn't just murder some girl like you! Fight me all you like, I am still going to make you scream for me in the end!"

Spike had been making all of the first moves, the Duke saw that, knew he could use it to his advantage. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder, Regal ran at his cellmate, knowing it would surprise Spike and that it would make him instinctively lash out to defend. That was what the other prisoner tried to do, slashing at air as suddenly it was as if Regal had disappeared. "Mirage."

"What the--"

"Rising Dragon!" The blow came from behind, a powerful spinning jump kick tossing Spike into the air. He lost his grip on the dagger when he tumbled to the ground hard. From where he lay on his side, he could see the Duke kick the weapon much further out of his reach, stepping forward slowly.

Refusing to let it end like this and spitting the blood from his mouth, he climbed back to his feet once again, putting up his fists even though he could barely see straight. Each hit he had taken had been powerful. When had the noble ever been capable of something like this? Rage surged through all of his senses as he glared at the other man. "Do you know how many people I've killed? Huh? And you think you can beat me? You've only killed one girl! One pathetic girl!"

Once more he lunged for the nobleman swinging a punch for the other fighter's head that didn't connect. Regal brought his knee up into Spike's gut seconds before the man could hit him, knocking the wind out of him, executing another Spin Kick to force him back further. Recklessly the serial killer just dug his heals in and came charging in again, throwing the same fist at the Duke's face. The nobleman side stepped to dodge it, but that gave Spike the opening he wanted, for his other hand had reached out grabbing hold of the shackles that bound his cellmate's wrists. This time when he threw a punch, it connected, as Regal had no room to dodge and he had been startled to have been caught so unaware.

Spike then threw the Duke to the ground as hard as he could, scrambling over to where the dagger had been discarded. A knife had always been his weapon of choice, he always used one on his victims, and this fight would be no different. When he turned back to the nobleman, weapon in hand, the crowd began to roar. The King was on his feet. Regal wasn't getting up. Why wasn't the man getting up? When he'd been thrown to the ground, dirt had been rubbed into the open wound on his shoulder, but that shouldn't have kept him from getting back up.

"Knew you wouldn't last long, Bryant." Spike muttered as he approached, laughing to himself. This was his final mistake.

As soon as the serial killer was only a few feet away, Regal's left leg shot out in one sweep, again tossing the dagger away. Spike was stunned, unable to react as the Duke got up, as the noble lunged at him. The second Swallow Kick that connected with Spike's chest shattered a rib, while the Rising Dragon broke his jaw. A combination of Spin Kick and Crescent Moon threw the brunette man across the arena, where he landed on his right arm wrong and it snapped like a frail twig.

The audience was chanting for the Duke to finish it as he walked slowly over to his fallen opponent. Spike had made his life miserable for so long, had tormented him, and had taunted him. Regal had endured all of it in silence, had never so much as made a face when he was being harassed, but this had not been about retribution or revenge.

Spike was trying to get up, until a large boot practically came crashing down on his busted rib. The only cry of pain heard in the arena came from Spike, and he writhed, helpless under the heel of the very man he had been beating on for weeks. Empty, emotionless, azure eyes stared down at him, as if waiting for something. All around them the people in the stands were screaming for the Duke to finish him off, for it to be ended in blood, but the noble didn't move. He stared at Spike until the crowd began to quiet down in bewilderment, unsure of what was going on or why Regal was hesitating.

In a tone as hollow as his gaze, in a voice that could only come from a broken man, Regal pressed his heel down on the serial killer's chest as he hissed out, "Her name…was Alicia."

And then he walked away. He turned, ignoring the uproar the crowd was in, as it had been the same way for the last six of his matches when he refused to kill the other fighter, and stalked back over to the stunned guards. Regal had never even looked out into the stands, but he had known that the King had been watching, he'd known that the Pope had been as well. He tried not to think about it as he was taken back inside, the greaves stripped off his legs, and he was led back into the bowls of the dungeon.

Within an hour of his shoulder being tended to the Duke was assigned to a new cell. Within two hours, Levin heard of Regal's victory over Spike.

Victorious, I stepped back into the competitor's waiting room, finding that the guard that had been blocking off the door to the dungeon was gone. The other challengers waiting for their matches in the arena had congregated on the far side of the room, two men verbally battling with their loud voices and wild tales for everyone else's attention. I could not have asked for a better distraction.

I silently passed through the door, careful to leave it unlocked for when we exited that way, then sped down the stairs. It was easier not to think about the countless times I'd been escorted up and down those steps if I was moving quickly, forcing my focus upon the task at hand.

The barred gate leading into the prison was unlocked, and there were no guards that I could see. I searched the nearby cells, looking for a woman with turquoise hair as Colette had described, until I came to the end of the first corridor. The last cell had a young woman inside dressed in a lab coat, her turquoise hair tied up in a tight bun.

"Kate?" I said softly to get her attention but not alert anyone that might discover my presence.

She looked up in surprise, straightening her glasses before she approached the bars. Her expression was cautious, and I saw her eyes flicker down onto my shackles more than once. "Why are you here?"

I spotted a ring of keys hung up on the wall far beyond the reach of anyone held in a cell, taking them and trying to find the one that one would free her. Five keys into the dozen I managed to open the cage that held her, swinging open the door and offering her my hands to lead her back out of the prison. "I've come to rescue you. Lloyd is waiting. Now, give me your hand…"

Kate did not move, she only glanced away from me. "Thank you, but…it's all right."

"I cannot allow that." I reached again to take hold of her hand and she made no move to stop me. "It is my duty to bring you back."

"…All right." She hesitantly nodded, following my lead out of the cell and beginning out of the prison. Kate glanced back when we passed through the barred gate on the way out, causing me to wonder. The charges against her were partly false, as she'd had no choice but to harbor Lloyd, Zelos, Colette, and Presea for that short time, but I didn't think that was why she had, at first, seemed wiling to accept her punishment anyway. Did she feel guilty for more that she had done, namely, what she had done to Presea? Was that why she'd been willing to die?

That was something I could relate to, feeling as if death were the only punishment that fit my crimes. But Presea had not shunned me, none of the others had, for what I had done. As I took Kate with me into the waiting room unnoticed, I realized the reason that they had wanted to save her. They would not shun her either

Using the Blue Candle we were able to venture through the Temple of Darkness with relative ease considering we still had to contend with monsters and collect the five pieces of the scattered Summon Spirit. That was not nearly as challenging as facing Shadow himself. With powerful attacks and deadly accuracy Shadow fought, using the skills of his element with such ease it was like how a human would breathe. Fortunately, Raine's light skills were devastating to him in combination with the blows the rest of us delivered.

Sheena had yet another pact. We'd discussed just before the battle that our last fight would be with the Spirits of Light, as Aska did not reside with Luna in the Tower of Mana in Sylvarant. I was curious as to what we could do about that, but even so my thoughts kept wandering back to the arena, to the battles that I'd fought there recently as well as long ago.

Perhaps I had not been the only one preoccupied with that matter. As we neared the exit of the Temple, prepared to set out for Sylvarant as that was where we would make the final pact, Zelos came up along side of me with Sheena. The red headed Chosen was grinning as he pat me on the back of the shoulder. "To think the arena and the prison were connected… Good job, Regal!"

I knew he was just being kind, praising me for coming up with an idea when we'd been stuck on what to do, but even so I flinched internally at his words. The only reason I had been privy to that knowledge was because I'd once been a prisoner in that dungeon myself. I had known how to save Kate because I was a murderer that had served time in the prison for my crime, I had fought in that arena for my life, and that was not something to be proud of. Turning my eyes to the ground, I shook my head. "It was a shameful thing that I knew that."

Sheena grinned up at me brightly after catching my gaze. "Well, but thanks to that, we were able to rescue Kate, so don't worry about it."

How something like that could be brushed off so easily I didn't know. Perhaps the others did not see me as a criminal, or as a killer, but there really as no denying what I was. My past was not exactly something to take pride in anymore no matter how useful it had been or who had been saved by a tidbit of knowledge I possessed.

Oblivious to this, the Chosen of Tethe'alla laughed, clapping me on the shoulder again, his grin even wider. "Even if you searched all of Tethe'alla, you wouldn't find another noble who's got connections to high society, big business, and the jail cell."

He was right. I was probably one of the only noblemen that existed with such connections, such ties to both ends of the spectrum. While he didn't mean it as an insult, I could not help but take it as one. I once again had to look away, a deep frown pulling at my lips.

Sheena saw this, instantly jumping to my defense, slapping Zelos in the arm. When he turned to her in question with a yelp, rubbing his newly acquired bruise, she glared at him pointedly and said through her teeth, "Hey, hey, Zelos, knock it off!"

"…A truly…shameful thing." I whispered.

"Regal, I didn't mean it like that." Zelos insisted, still rubbing his arm and trying to meet my gaze so that his eyes could convey his apology.

Sighing, I took a deep breath when we finally made it out of the dismal temple, out into the sunlight and fresh air that was most welcome after hours in almost complete darkness. I couldn't help but shake my head at the fact that while Zelos had been trying to praise me, all I could do was feel the sting of the insults he hadn't meant to deliver. I couldn't deny that I was in fact in a strange situation with my status, but couldn't I at least take comfort in the fact that what I had known had saved a woman's life?

As Lloyd released the Rheairds from the Wing Pack, Presea turned around, and our gazes met. She had wanted to save Kate, in spite of what the young half elf had done to her; she had wanted to rescue her from a cruel end. After what I had taken from the young ax woman, the least I could do was help her now with whatever goals she had. Going into the coliseum had done that. As shameful as the knowledge was, it had helped me begin to atone for what I had done to Presea.

Dirk had insisted that when we came to him looking for an Exsphere Shard to aid us in reviving the Linkite tree, that we all spend the night. With how far we had come, from our discovery in Volt's temple that we could divide the worlds to stop them from competing for each other's mana to now facing our last pact once we could contact Aska, it gave us time to reflect. We had already realized before, while leaving the Temple of Earth, that if we split the worlds, we might just split up our group. Now that we were prepared to fight for the last pact, that realization seemed to truly hit.

Tomorrow could quite possibly be the day that each of us had to decide which world we would stay in. What made it harder was knowing that it was highly unlikely we would all choose to reside in the same world, so we would most likely be dividing our group as well.

Lloyd had gone off with Colette to talk, and Genis was not far behind. The Professor, after a moment, trailed after them, whether because he was curious as to what they might talk about or because she felt the need to keep an eye on them, I'm not sure. But their departure had left four of us in Dirk's small sitting room; Sheena, Zelos, Presea, and myself. The four of us that originally came from Tethe'alla were the ones left.

There was a silence that fell between us that I found all too odd. When had I become accustomed to Lloyd always chatting with someone, a good deal of the time Colette, or Zelos' constant flirting with the females of the group, or in turn, Sheena yelling at Zelos for his lecherous ways. Hadn't I been used to quiet? When had that changed?

"Now we're finally down to the last Summon Spirit." Sheena sighed out after it seemed she could no longer stand the quiet either.

"We from Tethe'alla will have to think about what we're going to do now." I nodded, leaning back against the cushions of the armchair I'd been relaxing in. It seemed that all of us were weighing the decision heavily even if it was difficult to think about. In the time we'd spent together, we'd all become close, even I had to admit it. They were my friends, the first I'd had in years.

"In other words, whether we're going to remain in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla." Zelos sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, his smile fading.

"I…don't care which one I'm in." Presea looked away from us, her ankles crossed and her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She was seated next to the ninja on the couch, her expression blank, and her soft voice void of anything that would express how she truly felt about this situation. "I'm alone in either world."

"I…think I'll be moving to Sylvarant along with the people of Mizuho." Sheena said after a moment, chewing her lip. She did not seem if she was completely sure that that was what she wanted, maybe because she was close to the others.

"I…hmmm." Zelos considered what he was going to say again, pausing. "Sylvarant is kind of inconvenient, but I think Tethe'alla would be more peaceful without me."

They…might all stay here…

"…That leaves me as the only one attached to Tethe'alla." I bit my lip. I could be the only one that stayed in the world the four of us had come from. All of the friends I'd made might stay in Sylvarant, and I would go back to the world I'd always known. What sort of choice did I have when technically I was still supposed to be serving a life sentence? But there was more than that. The ties that held me to my home world were deeper, linked to bittersweet memories instead of laden with guilt.

Sheena frowned, catching my expression. "I don't know. I think we have all sorts of attachments. We still have some time. We should all think carefully."

"…Yeah." Zelos nodded.

My decision is made. Even if I can't go home exactly…I can't leave Tethe'alla.

I can't leave her…her memory…all of the memories…

Alicia stepped off the elevator and into the spacious office carrying the packed lunch that Sanji had given her, a warm smile on her face. She had been looking forward to joining Regal for their usual afternoon meal all week because the Duke had been away at court in Meltokio for the past seven days and this would be her first chance to see him since he'd left. But as soon as her gaze fell on the company president seated at his desk, she stopped, frozen in her tracks.

There was something wrong, she could see it instantly. It was not in his appearance, as he was dressed in an evergreen suit with a light green under shirt and the dark green tie had already been discarded on the desk. His hair was also immaculate, bangs gelled back to stay out of his gaze with the length tied back at the nape of his neck. And it wasn't in the state of the room, because as always, Regal's office was neat and organized. The reason she knew that something was wrong was the blank stare the Duke had fixed upon a piece of paper in his hand that he was clutching so tight his knuckles were stark white. Quietly, she took a step forward. "Master Regal?"

He didn't respond and that caused her to worry even more. So as not to startle him, she quietly approached the desk, set down the lunch, and then walked around to the other side of the large oak structure in the hopes he would notice her. But he hadn't even blinked.

"Regal?" Placing a hand on his broad shoulder, Alicia leaned down to try to meet his troubled gaze, hoping that perhaps her touch might rouse him out of his trance. "Are you all right?"

The page fell from his hand, fluttering down onto the desktop, and then that same hand came up to cover hers, gripping it shakily. She could see that the Duke had set his jaw, that he seemed to be struggling with something, and she wondered what could have been on that paper to have practically frightened the nobleman. It was another long moment before Regal finally rasped breathlessly, "Alicia…oh, Alicia…"

"What is it, Regal? What's wrong?" she asked gently to coax him back to her.

"The letter…that letter…" His eyes fell back on the paper he'd been staring at when she arrived, and for the first time the young woman allowed her gaze to drift over the solitary piece of paper noting the neat handwriting scrawled over it. "That letter was from…Raphael. He must have sent it just after I left for Meltokio. He…he apologized for writing me because…because he knows how I've been keeping my training a secret…but…"

All she could do was squeeze his hand, for she knew if she prodded him vocally to continue that he might never get out just what he was trying to tell her.

"…Master Goatta is gone." Regal murmured as he shut his eyes tight.

"G-gone?" Alicia stammered, hoping, praying that what those words meant were not what she feared they did. She did not want to think it possible. She did not even want to imagine it. But with how hard it seemed for the Duke to tell her what was going on, how his whole body seemed rigid and tense, were signs she could not ignore.

"He…he passed away…in his sleep." Her beloved managed to choke out, his head hung, his hand nearly trembling in hers. "Raphael found him. He's sure our Master didn't…didn't suffer…that it was peaceful. And he discovered that Master Goatta made arrangements some time ago for him to train in a different fighting art in another dojo…that Goatta also made sure that I would be welcome there too, if I wished to go. Then he apologized again…because he did not think it wise to tell me in person…"

"Oh, Regal…" Tears stung her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. Instantly she felt him tense, and it broke her heart that she knew why. No one had been there to comfort him when he'd lost his parents, he'd never had the chance to even mourn them, but now he'd lost someone else and she was there to share the pain. Alicia held him tight, unable to stop herself from crying. Master Goatta had been a wonderful man, a father figure to the Duke, and a friend to the both of them, and she did not want to think him gone.

Of course she felt her own loss. Goatta had been kind to her, welcomed her, even helped her to see deeper into Regal's soul. But she knew that her young master had to be devastated for he'd lost so much more than just his teacher. Alicia desperately wished that there was more that she could do for him, a better way to comfort him, but all she could do was hold onto him.

Yet she would never know what it meant to Regal to have her there, and for her to allow him even that moment to be free enough to grieve.

To be continued

End notes: Here we are at the end of the next chapter. I actually finished this one without thinking about it. I'm pretty happy with it, even if I'm running low on stuff from the game. Guess that means I'm getting close to the final chapter, huh? Hope you enjoyed!