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

12. Twelve

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 12 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: Man, it's just entirely too sad how long I've been sitting on this chapter. To be honest, I thought I had posted it over Winter or Spring break this year. I actually wrote this last summer. So I apologize profusely to anyone still reading. I am currently getting the last parts of the story done though if that's any consolation. Please enjoy!

On my Honor

Chapter twelve

The fact that Zelos had been playing three sides seemed to have fit perfectly into the hidden agenda Kratos had been fulfilling perfectly. While the red headed Chosen refused to admit that it had indeed been the other swordsman that had orchestrated everything including how he had given Colette over to Cruxis. The entire thing had been so that in the end, we possessed Aoinis, the last material that would form the ring of the Pact and enable Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword after making a pact with Origin. While we had been too late to stop Yggdrasill from transferring Martel's essence into Colette, she rejected her brother and his twisted ideas. He was mad, enraged, when we fought him.

Even against his strength, we stood strong, defeating him and reducing him to nothing more than the Cruxis Crystal that Genis retrieved. Kratos appeared only a moment later to make sure none of us thought our journey was over and informing us he would be waiting by Origin's seal in Heimdall for when we were ready to face him.

We left for the village of the elves immediately. Lloyd pleaded with the elf elder to allow Raine and Genis into the village as well for the night so that they could be there for when he faced Kratos, and even though it appeared the elder strongly disliked the idea, he granted our young leader's request. Perhaps the elf had done so because it was already painfully obvious how hard the next day would be on the boy.

To even attempt to make a pact with Origin, Kratos had to release the mana from his body, for he acted as Origin's seal. If the seraphim were to do that it would likely kill him. This had to be weighing heavily on Lloyd's mind, for the man was the father he had never known. We needed Origin to reunite the worlds, and no son wanted for his father to die to further any goal. The night we spent in Heimdall was a restless one for all of us.

When morning came, we were shown to the entrance of Torrent Forest and informed Kratos would be in the deepest part of it. While the journey was treacherous, we made it to the seal where the mercenary waited.

I was surprised that Lloyd wanted to face Kratos on his own, but I understood. The conflict could only be settled between the two of them no matter how hard it had to be to raise arms to one another. Lloyd did not hold back, neither did the angel, but it was the son that triumphed over the father in the end.

Kratos then released the seal. If Yuan had not suddenly appeared and given the other seraphim some of his mana, the swordsman would have died. We were then confronted by the King of Summon Spirits, who did not desire a pact because he'd lost faith in all things. Lloyd, Sheena, and even Kratos, did their best to persuade him, and moments later we battled Origin to prove our worth.

It was perhaps the most arduous battle any of us had ever fought, but in the end we earned the pact. Before we could even celebrate though, the Cruxis Crystal that Genis had taken with him sprung to life, and Mithos' consciousness attempted to take over Lloyd's body. Colette reacted before any of us could, placing the crystal on herself, which in turn gave Mithos control of her body. He then teleported away with her, and a moment later, the Tower of Salvation collapsed, sealing off the way to Derris Kharlan. He planned to take the Great Seed and leave with the planet made of mana.

The crumbling tower nearly destroyed all of Heimdall, but we managed to evacuate the elves in time. We had to save Colette and stop Mithos, so we traveled all the way back to Iselia to Dirk could forge the ring of the pact as Kratos told us, so that we could use the Eternal Sword to reach Derris Kharlan. Unfortunately, the seraphim was still injured from his battle with Lloyd, and he remained with Dirk instead of venturing back to the remnants of the tower with us.

There, Lloyd used the Eternal Sword to transport us to the planet that hovered so close to ours. We fought our way through several crowds of monsters to reach where Mithos might be hiding, but when we passed over a strange symbol on the floor, all of us but Lloyd were trapped, and then transported away one by one.

For a moment, the world was dark. The next, I was in a cage. I was not alone either. Presea lay against the opposite wall of the very cage that I had blasted our way out of during our last adventure on Derris Kharlan. My head was still spinning a bit, something that to be an after effect from the way we had been transported into the cell. Gradually, planting my elbows on the floor, I managed to sit up against the bars. When my vision finally stabilized, I took another look around. Presea was the only one with me, but the others could have been placed in the opposite cage where I could not see them.

"Raine? Sheena? Zelos? Genis? Are any of you out there?" I called out in the hopes they might hear me, or I might wake them up if they were still unconscious. There was no response from the other cell.

"Regal?" Presea moaned out surprising me. She sat up slowly, as if she was dizzy as well, holding her head as her gaze sought mine. "What…happened? Where…are we?"

"That trap…must have sent us here to this holding cell, Presea. We are still Derris Kharlan, but I am not sure where the others are. Lloyd was the only one that evaded the trap…" I told her as I watched her for a moment to see if she was hurt. My healing spells were not nearly as powerful as Raine's, and were limited by the distance between myself and the target, but at the moment it was what we had available, and at the very least it would be effective. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, just slightly disoriented…" she murmured shaking her head to clear it. When she set her hand on the floor it was the first time either of us realized her ax was in the cell with us. "It appears we were merely transported here…we were not even disarmed."

"Perhaps it was just a means to separate us? Mithos plans to leave and he will not want us in his way. We should find a way out of here…back to the others," I commented rising to my feet, grateful that my greaves were still in place. With a frown, I examined the bars, noting that they did not even appear as if I had destroyed them before, as if they had been replaced. With one finger, I tapped them. "These are new. I wonder…if they would be able to withstand the attack I used before…"

"Do you think they could?" she asked with her head tilted to the side.

Nodding, I glanced down to meet her gaze. "Why go to the trouble of replacing the bars and then putting us in a cage we can already escape from? It would be foolish…just as forcing our way out with that attack would be foolish…because it might not work."

"And it weakens you." The flat tone of her statement nearly overshadowed the underlying concern that someone else might have missed, but I heard it and was startled by it. I had thought none of the others, with the exception of Raine, had taken notice of how much of a drain using Dragon Fire really was to me. Perhaps it was easy to forget how observant the pink haired girl could be as she could be almost as taciturn as I was. She had an excellent point as well though. While the technique could possibly free us, it would exhaust me to the point that I would be useless for some time unless I could find a Pineapple Gel, and I refused to be a burden to Presea.

"It seems our only option then is to wait," I sighed leaning against the side of the cell still gazing out between the bars. There was something entirely unsettling about being in a cage again after being free for some time, the feeling slithering down my spine and putting me on edge. What made it all worse was the fact that I as in no position to help Lloyd when it counted the most. If Mithos managed to escape with the Great Seed, and Derris Kharlan floated away, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant would die. And Mithos would be using Colette's body to do it.

Presea grew restless quickly as well, shifting on her feet before ultimately taking a seat on the metallic floor. She sat her ax across her lap, preparing for the wait.

The other had been scattered and were probably trapped as well. I could only hope they were safe for the time being. Mithos' return and failed possession of Lloyd's body, with the resulting kidnapping of Colette, was a twist I had not expected. Should we have? We had seen Alicia live through her stone, and Cruxis Crystal were evolved Exspheres, so it seemed that Yggdrasill had had even more capabilities with his stone that we should have anticipated. Unfortunately hindsight was doing me little good at the moment.

Closing my eyes, I sighed once more. Would it be better to at least try using Dragon Fire to break free? Even if it meant I would be exhausted and only Presea could make it back to the others, at least it would be doing something.

"I'll save you guys!"

Lloyd's voice suddenly filled the air and it caused my head to snap up at the same time as Presea's. For just a second, I saw the red clad swordsman running towards us, but then he was gone. He just simply vanished into thin air. I blinked a few times in confusion.

"I thought I just saw Lloyd," I murmured glancing down to meet the girl's gaze, needing to know if she had seen the same thing or if I was losing my mind. Lloyd had been there, hadn't he?

"Yes…he disappeared," the ax woman replied as she clenched the handle of her weapon tighter. "What could…"

As she trailed off, the door of the cell swung open, seemingly on its own. There was no one on the other side that I could see, and while it seemed that the tow of us had seen Lloyd there was a moment before there was no sign of him there now. What had happened to him? Had our young leader even been there?

"…A trap?" I said quietly, hesitating to move.

Presea did not shrug, but she didn't have to her, her voice seemed to hold the gesture on its own. "Even if it is, remaining here indefinitely…"

"…Would not be particularly meaningful," I finished for her with a nod. Trap or not, there would be nothing to gain by staying in a cage. I started for the open door determined to take this as an opportunity to find the others, to do something to stop Mithos from succeeding. "Let us search for Lloyd."

The moment I stepped from our prison I saw a figure approaching that caused me to freeze in place. Next to me, Presea did the same, a small gasp falling from her lips. Standing only a few feet away was a being that I had thought I would never see again, one that I could not even comprehend being there. Yet, as if to spite the impossibility, the person did not fade, did not disappear like Lloyd had only moments ago.

It…it can't be…

Sweet Goddess…it can't be…!

There, in front of me, was Alicia. She was just as I remembered her, dressed in her uniform, her short pink locks pulled back in pigtails. Her body was solid unlike it had been on the terrace. She was smiling sweetly, her eyes holding relief, and she exhaled loudly like she had been holding her breath. There was no way it could be her though, no matter how alive she seemed, how much I wanted it to be her! When she opened her mouth and spoke, even her voice was just how it should be, gentle, kind. "…I'm so glad you're safe."

"Alicia…" Presea whispered, too stunned by the presence of the sister she believed to be gone to say anything more.

But…it can't be her…

She's gone…because of me…

I set my jaw. My eyes were telling me that my beloved was there, with me, and miraculously alive, but my mind knew better. I had witnessed this young woman die twice before, once the death of her body and the second the passing of her spirit. I knew that she couldn't really be there, my rational mind knew that she couldn't not matter how much my heart hoped that she truly was alive. My beloved was gone, by my hand she had died.

Clenching my hands so tight that my nails dug into my skin, I breathed out, "Impossible…"

A trap…this has to be…some cruel trap…

"Please wait," the perfect image of Alicia pleaded quickly, holding up her hands as a sign of peace. Her eyes bore into mine, silently asking me to believe, to listen to her. "I'll take you to Lloyd."

No…no, this isn't real…she isn't real. She can't be. This is a trap. This is some sort of…trick…

"It's an illusion!" The words were meant to reaffirm the fact in my mind as well as to try to convince Presea as well. She couldn't believe this, she couldn't really think this was her sister after everything that had happened, could she? I took a deep breath to calm myself, to try to release some of my tension and clear my mind so that I would no play into this sick game. "Alicia…is dead!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw the way that my statement caused Presea to flinch ever so slightly for only a second. "…Yes. She was murdered."

"…Yes," I agreed even though there was no need to. We both knew the story, we both knew that I was the reason Alicia was no longer alive. My gut twisted violently, hating how this reminder of her loss had to be hurting Presea more than I could possibly understand.

"Then, what am I, Presea?" the one that wore my beloved's face asked the ax woman gently, turning slightly as if to completely focus on the other girl. This illusion, this fake, was trying to draw Presea into a lie. She looked so real, it would be so easy to believe she was alive, but how could she come back from the dead and why now of all times? "Even though I'm right here, breathing, my very own sister insists that I'm dead?"

Azure eyes widening in surprise Presea nearly shrunk back. Obviously she was torn between her want for her sister to be alive and the knowledge that Alicia was dead, her grip tightening on her ax. "I…"

"It's true that I was murdered by Regal," Alicia remarked, her gaze locked on the gaze of her older sister. Whatever being this was, the reflection of my beloved, it was not Alicia Combatir, and it was trying to pull us into some sort of trap. That had to be what was going on. The woman I loved was dead, a fact that would make me ache in the depths of my soul for the rest of my existence, so I knew that she could not be standing there. Whoever, whatever, was impersonating her was trying to manipulate us. "But here I am alive in front of you. Isn't that enough?"

No…no, it's not enough…it can't be enough…

Alicia…

"…It's only an illusion!" My voice was strained, the conflict bleeding into it, keeping me from being able to get through to Presea. Couldn't she see what was happening? This wasn't Alicia, it couldn't be! I had to keep whatever was pretending to be my beloved from deceiving the ax woman. Taking a few rushed steps I moved into my usual battle stance, challenging the image of my beloved no matter how much it hurt to do so. "Be gone!"

"Ahh!" Alicia's horrified scream nearly broke my resolve, but I quickly reminded myself that not even in the end had Alicia ever been truly afraid of me. This was an imposter, one failing to completely play the part.

Presea rushed forward without warning, putting herself between the image of Alicia and me, a deep frown lining her lips. Her eyes were what held the conflict that didn't quite make it to her expression, flickering with the struggle going on inside of her. On the handle of her ax her fingers began to clench and unclench rhythmically, but she met my gaze determinedly standing her ground.

I was a bit stunned by her actions. "Presea!"

"We…don't know for certain it's an illusion," she exclaimed, the words pouring from her as if unbidden. Was she really being taken in by an imposter? Did she really think it possible for her sister, who was already gone from this world, to come back to life? Or did her hope, her wish for it to be Alicia, overshadow her rational thinking?

"Presea…you believe me, don't you?!" Alicia asked of her sister, staying behind her and watching me warily. If it was truly the woman I loved, would she cower behind Presea? On the terrace, her final request had been to see me one last time, and Alicia, the real Alicia, had not been frightened of me then. The Alicia Combatir that I knew would not have been afraid of me, and that Alicia was gone. Sighing with relief, the illusion of my beloved relaxed a little. "Thank you!"

I clenched my jaw. This thing was impersonating Alicia, and poorly at that. Not only did it seem to be making a mockery of her name, but it was trying to manipulate us. "You..."

Presea's grip tightened on her ax when I took one step forward, and she lifted it as if she meant to use it. Her next statement came out with only half of the conviction I had ever heard in her, but I knew she meant it. "Stop! If you don't stop…"

"Regal, I can't believe you'd try to kill me…" It was Alicia's voice, her eyes focused on mine, at least it seemed like it, and all the same it caused me to hesitate. She did seem so real even if it wasn't possible. She looked like my love, sounded like my love, but my Alicia would have known that I would never hurt her. This false image of her was using her face to trick us, she had to be. Yet, as pain crossed the imposter's face, I felt my heart ache in spite of myself. "I can't believe it…"

"Silence, phantom!" I shouted. I knew this wasn't Alicia, it couldn't be, and therefore I couldn't allow whoever or whatever she was to play these twisted mind games. Presea had to see she was just and elaborate ploy that Mithos had to be using to buy himself more time. "Presea, move!"

The ax woman's expression hardened along with her resolve, and I could see the desperate desire for her sister to be alive easily overshadowing the fact she knew Alicia was dead in her mind. We both wanted the young woman that appeared to be Alicia Combatir to be real, to be the loved one we had lost, but I knew it was impossible while my beloved's older sister wanted to believe their was a chance. She was ready to stand against me even. "…If you want to kill Alicia, you must face me first. Prepare yourself!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Lloyd's voice cut in out of nowhere, appealing to the both of us. While it sounded as if he were standing right next to us, the young swordsman was not in sight, the sound of his voice all that suggested he was close by.

But it was as if Presea hadn't heard it, for she barely hesitated to whirl around, swinging her ax with her, fully prepared to cut me down to keep me from confronting the one impersonating Alicia. I back pedaled in time to dodge the blow, but there was a gasp of pain anyway, one that did not come from either of us, and a puddle of blood appeared on the floor. It was all so unreal. First Lloyd had disappeared into thin air, then Alicia had appeared insisting she was alive, and then I had been certain I had heard Lloyd's voice.

What is going on?

Alicia…she can't be real…it is not possible…

But how is this all happening…

"Lloyd's voice…" I murmured without thinking, shaking my head. This was all so confusion. "…is this an illusion as well…"

Presea had halted her assault, frozen by the sight of the crimson spatter on the floor, her gaze darting to me to see if I was the source of it. Perhaps she had heard Lloyd's voice for she murmured, "But…there's blood…"

"I feel an evil presence from that blood!" Alicia's imposter commented worriedly as she clasped and twisted her hands in front of her, chewing her lip a little. The stance, the expression, and the anxious fidgeting was how my beloved might have acted, but her words did not fit, they didn't seem right. "Be careful, Presea!"

"What's gong on?" I demanded as everything ran through my mind once again. Was this all a trick? "What is real?..."

"It doesn't matter, just settle down!" Again, Lloyd's voice was close, but she sounded as if he was in pain even though he was trying to soothe us both, and there was still no sign of him. Was he there? He had to be if we could hear him. Or was it all part of he illusion? "Why are you fighting each other! You're supposed to be friends!"

Just as he had disappeared before, the red clad swordsman reappeared, kneeling between us. There was blood on his side where he was holding it, showing that he had taken the blow Presea had meant for me. His breaths were deep, even, and he winced a little when he exhaled. Our young leader had moved between us to keep us from fighting. Unless he was yet another illusion.

"Lloyd!" the pink haired ax woman gasped.

"You…aren't an illusion?" I asked cautiously, needing to know he was real and I was not losing my mind. First Alicia, then Lloyd, and if this continued I did not think I could handle it.

I saw behind Presea that figure of Alicia's expression had darkened, a look I could not remember ever seeing on her kind, gentle face when she was alive. She was clenching her hands at her side, nearly glaring at me now. "Why did you stop attacking?! You hate the one who murdered me, don't you?!"

Azure eyes widened, only slightly, and her small body stiffened. Presea seemed stunned to hear her sister say that. "But…"

The imposter then focused solely on me, her eyes hard, a coldness about her that I had never seen before. She couldn't be real, she just couldn't be after I had watched her die twice. But she looked just like my beloved, alive and well, as if none of that had ever even happened in spite of reality. Yet, if none of that had happened or this was truly the woman I loved, would she really look at me that way? "And, Regal…why won't you just let yourself be killed? You've always felt guilty about killing me."

"…" I was utterly stunned. Even if this was not Alicia, it sounded like her, it looked like her, and it almost was her. It was almost as if the woman I loved with all of my heart had just told me she wanted me dead, had said that I should allow myself to be killed. I could not move, I could not even breathe. All I could do was stare.

"Here's your chance to end it all!" Alicia insisted with the same cold note to her tone that cut into my soul with ease. Suddenly, behind her, another figure appeared out of thin air, this one someone that made me clench my hands into tight fists. Mithos was only a few feet behind the imposter, probably just an image since he was possessing Colette's body.

But…if he's an image…then…isn't Alicia…?

Is…Lloyd…?

What is going on? Which of them are real

"Yes. It's for the best. If you are killed, you will no longer feel guilty," Mithos smirked at me, obviously enjoying the emotional turmoil that all of this was causing. There was a cruel light in his eyes as he turned them onto Presea and waved one hand. "If you kill him, you will have your revenge. Crimes must be punished."

"Both of you! Get a hold of yourselves! Don't confuse who you should be fighting!" Lloyd cried out imploringly before he winced once again, clutching at his side as he took in a shuddering breath. His gaze drifted between us, from my eyes to Presea's because he needed to gain our focus, and then he set his jaw against the pain he was in. "Dying won't settle anything! Killing won't solve anything!"

"That is merely logic. People are not moved by logic," Mithos hissed through his teeth as his eyes narrowed viciously upon the young swordsman. He seemed determined to drive us to fight one another, to have Presea continue attacking, but with Lloyd there that was proving to be a difficult task. "If the one you love is killed, you hate the murderer…and murderers must be punished."

You hate the murderer…

But…Presea…she doesn't…does she hate me?

Lloyd shook his head, trying to climb to his feet but all it earned him was another wince and a moment that he could not speak. Once he had managed to catch his breath, the red clad swordsman remarked pointedly, "But if you keep killing people like that, it will only spawn new hate and new revenge! Besides…you're just running away if you die. You'll forget the murder and the pain of that crime."

"…Spawn new hate…" Presea rasped as she rested her ax on the floor, biting her lip as her azure eyes fell to her feet.

"…Running away from my crime…" I breathed out realizing it was the truth. If I laid down my life, how did that atone for what I had done? The guilt was overwhelming at times, and yet it was mine to bear through the life I had promised Alicia, the real Alicia, I would live.

"…What about my feelings?!" the image of my beloved erupted clenching her hands at her sides, her expression turning cold as it locked with mine. The anger, the hatred I saw there, marred the features of the woman that held my heart into a face I didn't recognize. She had never looked at me that way before, not on the terrace, not ever. "You murdered me!"

I blanched. Illusion or not, it was a truth I could not deny. I had murdered Alicia, I had taken her life, and while it had been because she had asked me to, the situation that had brought us both to that point had been my fault. What could I say? Could I actually do anything to defend myself at this point? I couldn't run away from my crime as Lloyd had said, but was there a way to actually atone for my sins?

"It's true that Alicia died. But I know she doesn't want things to end like this," our young leader said after a deep breath. "What you're both doing is selfish!"

"…You're…the read Lloyd," I murmured with relief, grateful to finally be able to see the truth. Lloyd had really come for us, and Mithos had made him disappear to try to pit us against one another with an elaborate illusion. Only the real Lloyd would say what had been said, would stand between us to keep Presea and I from hurting one another. He was not part of the trick Mithos was trying to play.

"…And that Alicia is a fake," the pink haired ax woman said through her teeth, furious that anyone would use her sister's visage in such a malicious way. "Alicia wouldn't say things like that…"

Presea…do you…you truly don't hate me…?

"Are you…going to kill me?!" the image of my beloved gasped out in fear, backing away a few steps.

"Stop deceiving my friends!" Lloyd shouted pushing himself to his feet and stumbling forward after the phantom, drawing one of his swords. He was still holding his side as he moved to swipe at her with the blade but the image of Alicia faded away into thin air before he could. Not long after, Mithos vanished as well. Once the images were gone, the swordsman slowly turned back to us, dropping to his knees once again.

"I came to get you guys…" he laughed humorlessly.

I had to look away from him. I had been ready to surrender to whatever Presea would have done to me even though I had promised Lloyd that I would live. If Presea had wanted to kill me, I would have let it happen. "…I'm sorry. I…lost the will to atone for my crimes by taking comfort in the feeling of being punished. Death is not punishment. Punishment is living with one's crime and working to atone for it."

"…I closed off my heart and turned away from people who were trying to atone for their crimes because it was easier to hate than to forgive," Presea commented while her hands clenched and unclenched on the handle of her ax. She fidgeted for a moment longer before her head finally lifted and our gazes met once again. I expected something harsh, something angry, to be lurking in her eyes some trace of it, but there was nothing like that in her blue depths. The young woman appeared more as if she regretted what had just transpired between us.

"There are so many things you can do before you die. And I don't think everything has to be forgiven," the red clad swordsman granted out as he looked to see how bad his wound was beneath his gloved hand. "But no matter how painful things may be, you can't just dwell on the past."

I nodded, frowning at the fact he was in pain. "…You're right."

"…I…will stop allowing myself to be trapped in the past," Presea remarked softly as she moved to our leader's side and took his arm to help him stand.

"One cannot seek a new world while dragging the past along," I added, mostly for my own benefit. If nothing else, Presea and I had been slaves to the pains of our pasts, and now was our chance to begin again, to have a new and better life. Neither of us would forget the past, but we could no longer allow it to control us.

From high above us, a dagger floated down hovering close to where we stood, the light flickering off of it. I blinked a few times, wondering what was going on and how the weapon was just floating there with nothing attached to it.

"What's that?" Lloyd asked with his head tilted to the side.

"A knife?" I asked curious if this was another illusion or not.

"There are nicks all over the blade," Presea commented as she reached out cautiously to pluck the dagger from the air and examine it in her hands.

"Maybe it's a symbol of your past…" the young swordsman suggested with a slight shrug, swaying on his feet a little.

"Let us think of it that way," I agreed, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips watching the ax woman tuck the weapon into her belt for the time being. Where it had come from, and why, it didn't really matter, for it could at the very least be a reminder for us if we strayed from our new resolve to leave the past behind us.

Presea nodded, her eyes much warmer than they had been minutes ago when we had been pitted against one another because of Mithos. "Yes…so that we may never fight amongst ourselves again.'

"Speaking of which…" I stepped closer to Lloyd, closing my eyes for a moment and fueling my energies into a spell. When I opened my eyes, I saw a green light flicker over him for just a second. "I have you. Grand Healer!"

Relief spread over the teen's face as his wound visibly closed. He stood straighter, a smile crossing his lips as I repeated the spell just to be sure that he was fully healed as we didn't have time to examine his injury further. "Thanks, Regal. I didn't have time to dodge…I guess I wasn't really thinking either."

"You're welcome, Lloyd, but I don't think you really need to thank me at the moment…" I replied as he began to move towards the controls of the platform that would take us back into the angelic city.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Lloyd asked as he stopped, waiting for the two of us to follow. He tilted his head to the side and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The others are waiting, you know. We still have to put an end to all of this…"

Presea looked to me and then sped over to stand next to him, the barest hints of a smile tugging at her lips. She still gripped her ax, the strange dagger that had appeared tucked into her belt, and her expression nearly blank. It was as if she were strangely lighter. "Yes…we're ready."

It was hard to argue with that. I moved to stand on the platform with them. We still had much to do. Even if it seemed as if Mithos was for the moment beaten, as Colette was standing with the rest of the group, we still had two worlds to reunite. The comfort I had at the moment though, was that Presea did not hate me. She was ready to try to accept me completely, even if it did not mean forgiveness, and as I followed after the group, I even felt a bit lighter.

As Alicia had lived on in her Exsphere, so too did Yggdrasill in his Cruxis Crystal. He revealed himself when we reached the throne room of his castle, determined to follow the path he had chosen even though it meant his end when we fought him and defeated him twice. Lloyd destroyed his stone so that the battle would finally be over. Our young leader then used the Eternal Sword to reunite our worlds, making them one as they had been a long time ago.

For a moment though, it seemed that we had done more harm than good because without the Great Seed, the world would quickly fade from lack of mana. To stop the Great Seed from floating away, Lloyd had gone after it, using the wings that his evolving Exsphere had given him to fly after it. Somehow, with the Eternal Sword, he and Colette revived the Great Seed, and the Giant tree sprouted in the remains of the Tower of Salvation. Filled with the souls of those lost to the Great Seed, like Martel, Tabatha became a guardian for the tree, and our battle came to an end.

Cruxis was gone, defeated. The Church of Martel would soon be no more, as it had been part of the front Yggdrasill used to try to create a body for his sister. The Human Ranches had been shut down, a number of them destroyed even, and the Desians had scattered out of sight without the leadership of the Cardinals. So it seemed that all that was left was the aftermath.

Colette returned to Isliea. Freed from the bondage of being the Chosen, she had a full life ahead of her to do whatever she wished, and while she had seemed sad when we parted, she seemed the most hopeful we would see each other again. Genis and Raine had gone to check on Altessa once more before beginning a new journey to teach acceptance of half elves to the reunited worlds. They were both determined, and I believe that the rest of our group all offered assistance should they need it, for their new journey would most likely be long and trying. Sheena returned to Mizuho for she had been named her grandfather's success of during our travels and she would need time to work with her village to adjust to the new world.

Zelos had been gone back to Meltokio, he felt he needed to be the one to tell the King everything so that Tethe'alla could begin again in the new world. He had laughed at the fact he would loose his status as Chosen, and even joked that he might just spend his days lounging on the beach in Altamira unless Lloyd dragged him along on the teen's new journey. Our young leader had decided he was going to set out to collect all of the Exspheres, preventing everything that had happened to repeat and destroy more lives. I told him that I would offer what help I could, scouring Lezareno's archives and shipping records to assist his search.

Lloyd was the only one to see Kratos off. His father felt he needed to go with Derris Kharlan for the remaining angels of Cruxis and to discard the Exspheres on the planet of mana into space. It was probably very difficult for the younger swordsman to allow the father he had never known until now go, and yet the brunette teen had probably been unable to bring himself to ask Kratos to say.

To my surprise, Presea asked to accompany me to Altamira. While I knew her home was gone, after what Yggdrasill had done, I had not anticipated that she would want to come with me to the resort town. I was happy to go home after so long, knowing that perhaps I was beginning my atonement, and I was happy to have Presea with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep her company for long for I had to make arrangements to step back into the position of President of Lezareno so that I could keep my word to Lloyd and do what I could to help the new world.

I had only been gone for a day, but things were already becoming busy since I was having several plans put into motion at once, and get even in all of that, I knew I had to do something before things became that much more hectic. Telling my assistant I would be on the terrace for a little while, I took the elevator up to the top floor of the Lezareno building, needing to visit my beloved's grave. The need to speak with her even though I knew she could not talk back now was not something I could easily ignore.

As soon as I stepped off the lift though, a soft voice reached my ears, one I knew well. "Alicia, I'm finally myself again. Time is finally starting to flow from that night sixteen years ago."

For a moment, I hesitated where I stood. I did not have any right to intrude on the girl's conversation with her sister, not when it might be something private that Presea wanted no one else to hear. But at the same time I wanted the chance to speak with Alicia as well, and I needed to talk to Presea about other matters. Taking a deep breath I decided to at least let the ax woman know I was there and if she asked me for more time alone I could certainly grant it to her.

"You know what?" Presea continued without noticing my approach, hints of excitement underlying the question. "I'm twenty-eight-years-old now. Can you believe that?"

Stepping up only a few feet behind her, I stopped, chewing my lower lip. I felt a bit guilty about interrupting when I probably should have just turned around and left to give her privacy for a while "Were you…talking with Alicia?"

Presea slowly turned to face me, not as if she were startled by my voice, not as if she were furious that someone had been listening, but more as if she had heard me coming or possibly known that I would come. The smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth were warm, a sign that she was not upset with me at all, and it helped me relax a little she then nodded. "Yes."

"I just got back from overseeing the destruction of part of the mine," I replied supplying not only the explanation of where I had been but somewhat why I had made it a point to speak with her and her sister. The demolition had been to the deepest part of the Toize Valley Mine where the Exspheres were found. "Now that that's done, we can rest assured that no new Exspheres will be excavated."

"That's good to hear," she commented, clasping her hands behind her back and shifting on her feet a little. "What are your plans now?"

"I'm going to devote the full resources of my company to revitalization projects in order to build a new and better world," I remarked with a small smile that I could not seem to hold back. Over the course of our journey, I had thought about what could be done to help cities like Ozette and Palmacosta, even Luin, rebuild and begin. Lezareno had more than enough assets to help rebuild the cities that had been destroyed and both worlds make the transition into being one. The fact that my company could finally do something so noble made me a little proud.

Again she nodded, this time thoughtfully, considering what I had said. I had not told her about the idea of the projects before, but now everything was mostly underway. She then glanced up to meet my gaze, her smile growing a bit. "I'll help, too. I'm sure Alicia and Daddy would have wanted me to."

"Presea…" I was stunned. While I had expected her to approve of my efforts, I had not really expected her to offer a hand. It was true, she did not have a home or even a job to return to after Ozette was destroyed along with the sacred wood, she was not tied to Altamira either. Was she choosing to be? She wanted to work with me. I shook my head a little. "Are you certain, Presea?"

"As long as you do not mind my continuing to stay with you…I would like to help if I can…" Presea murmured tilting her head to the side to watch me, gauging my reaction even.

"If you would like to stay and help, Presea, I would be more than happy to have you," I assured her having to grin. She really wanted to stay. While it had probably been presumptuous of me to assume she would move on again and perhaps we would keep in touch, I hadn't guessed that she would ask to stay with me. It meant a great deal to me that she wanted to remain, and help even. "I will most certainly need ideas on how to begin rebuilding Ozette…"

"Rebuilding…Ozette…?" It was her turn to be surprised.

"The revitalization projects will most likely begin with rebuilding Ozette, Palmacosta, and Heimdall if they accept the assistance." Even while I had been preparing the mines for demolition I'd had plans being drawn up for reconstruction.

"I will help however I can," the pink haired ax woman replied after a moment, something flickering across her gaze that I just barely caught a glimpse of. I wasn't quiet sure if I had seen it, it might have been my imagination but I thought I saw gratitude in her gaze for just a second, gratitude that could have been for helping restore the only home she'd ever known. But it had been there for only an instant so I could not be sure.

"Thank you, I am sure we could use all of the help we can get," I said with a nod of my head. The revitalization projects were going to be immense, and any help we could acquire would be very much appreciated as well as needed.

Her warm expression, so more full of life than when she had been restored to her true self, was comforting. I was beginning to think that our friendship was probably far less fragile than I feared for it actually was. She watched me for a moment more and then glanced over her shoulder to the grave that stood before the fountain on the terrace before looking back up at me. "Were you…coming to talk to Alicia?"

Her question made me chuckle in spite of myself. I nodded, my eyes darting to the tombstone for a second. "Yes. It's…been a while."

"Perhaps I should give a minute alone?" she offered gently in her soft voice, her expression remaining warm.

"Presea, you don't have to--" I began to protest instantly. Alicia was her sister, she had every right to be on the Sky Terrace to visit her grave, and I would never try to chase her away from it. She didn't have to leave just because I wanted to speak to her sister, I was more than willing to wait a few minutes.

"It's all right. I will wait for you in the lobby so we can talk more about the projects when you're finished," Presea insisted raising one hand to silence me. She then stepped around me, striding over the path towards the elevator, glancing back to me once to smile again. "Since I am staying, Alicia and I will have more time to talk."

Before I could think to protest once again, the gates closed and the lift began to creek down the shaft towards the lobby. Presea was being more than kind giving me the privacy I should have given her trip to the terrace, and it was incredibly generous for her to give me such time. As she had already left before I could argue, I couldn't waste a moment either. There was so much to do now that Lezareno was going to rebuild cities that had been devastated by Cruxis, I wasn't sure when I would have another moment to myself let alone to visit Alicia.

Slowly, I approached the grave, both relieved and saddened not to see her Expshere embedded there. Relieved because it could no longer keep her spirit prisoner, and saddened because I could not see her or hear her voice as I had on my last visit. It would have been so wonderful to actually talk with her, the real her, after everything, but such a thing was impossible now.

I sat down in front of the stone with my legs crossed, my eyes combing over the elaborate way her name had been engraved, and I had to sigh. After everything, bringing down Vharley, Rodyle, and Cruxis, there was supposed to be peace. There was supposed to be calm. And in the world there was, but in my soul there was not, for my beloved was gone from the world I had fought so hard to save. I could not bring Alicia back.

Yet, sitting there, I still felt connected to her, and that was the reason I had come. After facing down the imposter Mithos had created I needed to visit my beloved even if she could not reassure me of anything or I could not even see her. Feeling like she might be watching, listening, it had to be enough.

Reaching out and brushing my fingers over the spot where the Exsphere had been mounted, I whispered the only words I could manage for her, "I miss you."

I had my word to keep, to myself, to Presea, and to the people of the reunited worlds. I wanted the assets of Lezareno to fund revitalization projects around the world, to help rebuild what Cruxis had destroyed, and to perhaps extend a hand of friendship from the people of Tethe'alla to the people of Sylvarant along the way. It was a noble cause, just as much as it was the right thing to do. There were so many that had lost so much more than their homes, but at least this could be a first step to moving past the devastation and to starting anew.

And now that I had Presea's support as well as her assistance, I was more than ready to set in motion the Lezareno Company's greatest project ever and my first act as the president since my return. While it should have been strange, shameful, to even enter the company headquarters still wearing my shackles and the attire I'd fought so many battles in, I felt lighter than I had in years. For once I knew how to carry my burden, how to go about my penance. So I could step off the car for the Elemental Railway into the lobby just as I would have over either years ago, headed straight for the elevator and my office.

Presea was going to meet me soon, I wanted her to help the contractors design the layout for the reconstruction and expansion of Ozette. As I passed the receptionists' desk they informed me she had yet to arrive. Thanking them, I stepped into the lift, turning to press the button for the third floor when someone grabbed the gates before they could creak shut.

"George?" I raised an eyebrow at my old servant, noting how he was slightly hunched over panting for breath with a practically frantic expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Master Regal, forgive me, but you can't seriously be considering tying up a great deal of Lezareno's assets into all of these destroyed cities! Such a venture could be disastrous!" he exclaimed, shuffling onto the lift after inhaling loudly.

"You should know better than anyone, George, that we have the resources to do it and not lose profits. We still have operational shipping routes, resorts, and restaurants across what once was Tethe'alla, we will not suffer any losses …the budget will just have to tighten for a month or two that's all," I assured him, reaching out and pressing the button to take us up to the office. For just an instant, I caught him staring at the metal restraining my wrists, shifting his weight on his feet and tugging at his tie, before he looked away completely. Besides, this shouldn't be about Lezareno right now; it should be about the people that need help. Who else will step in if we do not? There are so many out there now with nothing left but their lives, and we have the ability to give them so much more."

"But the costs would be--" George started just as the lift began up the shaft, a soft hum filling the air around us.

"Think of it as a long term investment, then, George," I cut in, my tone growing more firm. How could he challenge the idea of reconstructing cities that had been devastation during the battle against Cruxis? How could he put a company before the thousands suffering? "Just calm down. I plan to handle all the details now that I am back for good."

In the light of the elevator he almost looked pale now. "For good? Really, Master Regal?"

"Yes, now that the worlds are reunited." He was acting strangely, I had no idea why, but he was definitely not himself. I brushed it off though, certain it had to be because he did not approve of the revitalization projects that I planned to set in motion. Well, he would see that it was no threat to Lezareno, that would actually help us in the end, as well as all the good we would do. I stepped off the elevator when the gate opened, glancing back at him to find he was fidgeting with something in his pocket. "I plan to front the projects, George, but I will need your help with all of it. We have a lot to do. I've spoken with the acting Governor-General of Palmacosta and he is ready to receive any aid we give, as well as meet with contractors to help them rebuild it like it was. I have Presea ready to work on designing Ozette. The only thing I haven't managed to do yet is get word to Hemidall that were ready and able to help them rebuild."

Striding over to the desk, I lifted up a folder to examine the reports just back from Palmacosta. I heard George tentatively walk up behind me but paid it very little mind, as I was already absorbed in reading. It seemed that the only thing left for the reconstruction of the city to begin now was the building supplies to arrive.

Only two days in…and we've come so far already. Amazing…

"You…should never have come back…" I heard the words, uttered in a somber, slowly building tone, but had no time to react for as soon as my mind processed them, something struck me in the back of my head.

Dazed, I stumbled forward, the folder and its contents clattering to the floor as I struggled to blink away the stars clouding my vision. I knew I was thinking too slowly, that something was wrong, but I couldn't get past that couldn't realize anymore. Then a searing pain tore into my back, near the base of my spine. I screamed and felt it driven in further, harder, before I was hit in the temple and what ever had been plunged into my flesh was torn out.

"Ah!" My legs could no longer hold me. I fell to the ground, landing on my shackled arms with my back on fire but growing damp. The pounding of my heart grew louder, more ominous, drowning out my rational thoughts until all that was left was the pulsing hole that had been made in my back.

"How did you manage to come back?! Every time! Every plan! You always survived!" George's voice pierced the haze, the thudding in my ears as I pushed my thoughts back together; piecing them with what my blurry vision was trying to show me. He was red in the face, as red as the knife in his hand.

But…George…?

His foot connected with my side sending spindles of fire through my nerves, the blood pooling underneath me now even. It all seemed so unreal. The blinding pain, the bloodshot look in my old servant's eyes, the kitchen knife he clutched in spite of the crimson liquid drooling down onto his fingers, and it all was more like a terrible nightmare. Yet the agony of each breath reminded me that this was far too real to ignore.

"Forgive me, Master Regal," George hissed as he crouched down next to me, his voice dripping with distain. "But I have put far too much effort into all I have done to stumble now. I won't overlook anything again…because then you somehow manage to survive! You couldn't just be on the railway that night…or content to rot in prison, no, you had to keep coming back!"

The…railway…? Prison…

His words were becoming jumbled, nothing he spat at me made sense. All I could focus on was the pain, the pain and the labored breaths my lungs barely pulled in now. Why was George doing this? Had he gone mad? He had served my family for so many years, as long as I could remember, and suddenly he was standing over me with a knife, no longer the faithful servant I had thought him to be, a traitor, an enemy.

"You already had everything…more than you needed since the day you were born. What did Lezareno ever mean to you beyond your family obligation? Nothing! But it meant everything to me!" he shouted heatedly.

Around the fog that had settled in my thoughts, the burning pain that threatened to consume every part of me, the rational part of my mind was yelling for me to get up, to resist. I couldn't just allow this to happen. Whatever the reasons, whatever the why, it wouldn't matter if I bled to death on the office floor thanks to a man that I thought I could trust. Moving made it feel as if the flesh on my back was tearing, but nonetheless, I shakily tried to prop myself up on my elbows.

"This has been a long time coming, Master Regal." His fingers suddenly tore into my scalp forcing my gaze to meet his as I gasped, still panting far breath. Through the swirl at the edges of my vision I saw the smirk cross his lips as he raised the knife, my blood still rolling along the steel blade. "And who will miss you? You're the last Bryant…and a murderer…"

"George…" It was all I could force past my lips with what little air I could take in. "…No…"

With a malicious laugh he plunged the knife into my side. I screamed. I screamed, but that was not the only voice I heard, someone else ad to be screaming with me. But I didn't trust my ears, or anything else, because if the pain had been overwhelming before it was all consuming now.

"Regal!" My name echoed around me, but I couldn't find the source of it, not as the blade was violently pulled out only to plunge in again. Red lined my sight now, yet I was sure I saw a hand tear George away from me, and as I crumpled back onto the floor I knew someone else indeed had to be there. Everything was fading, the sounds seemed further away, it was as if my grasp on everything was slipping, and I could barely feel the blood trickling down my back or the way my shackled wrists dug into the wound in my side because of how I was sprawled out.

"You! Of course it's you! She was always in the way…and you look just like her, you little phantom!" George's scream seemed strange. I blinked, trying to focus, to see what was going on around me, but I didn't even have the strength to lift my head. "I should have known the instant I saw you that you would get in my way too!"

"I will not allow you to harm Regal," the second voice, the one that had called out my name before and I swore I knew, cried out. With my blurred sight I could barely make out the scene before me, George facing this person who had come to defend me. Their back was to me, and it took a moment before I recognize just who had placed themselves between my old servant and me. Part of me was stunned I had not realized right away who had come to my rescue.

P…Presea…

"I swear…you might as well be some vengeful spirit…" the old man spat at her, and he moved towards her slowly the knife sweeping out in front of him. "You look just like her…I can't stand it!"

Weakly, I tried to get up once again, to at least move my arms so my metal bonds were not lodged in one of my wounds, but the attempt was in vain. I feel back to the floor, stars shimmering in my vision as I gasped at the new wave of pain. Presea glanced back at me for only a second, the concern on her features all I could make out through the blur, before she sprung at George. She caught him by the wrist, wrenching the knife from his grasp.

"No! I won't let you stop me! I've come so far!" George hissed as he brought back his hand to slap her across the face. But, not only was he frail in his old age, she didn't know of Presea's enhanced strength due to her Exsphere. She stopped his hand easily, then using her grip to throw him to the floor winding him. Struggling to get back up, not even taking the time to be stunned by her strength because of his rage, he lunged to retrieve the knife. "I have gone to great lengths to attain Lezareno…even allying with Vharley…and now it's time for all of that to pay off!"

"Vharley?" Presea murmured, her confusion causing her to hesitate and be too late to stop him from picking up the knife. "You…and Vharley?"

"He always managed to make a mess of things…the Elemental Railway…getting rid of that wretched servant girl…" the servant snarled as he slowly advanced on her, waving the blade before him to get her to move back. "But now I can finally reach my goal. Just Master Regal…and you…remain in my way."

"No!" she shouted as she ducked underneath the weapon, grabbing his arm and then kicking him in the stomach. Still holding his arm as the knife fell to the floor, Presea then whirled around, swinging George in a half circle, before releasing her grip to let him fly across the room. George's back hit the wall with a crack and his body crumpled limply to the floor, now harmless.

I felt blood seep up into my mouth, the taste causing me to gag, then cough until I could bring myself to spit it out. It was then a tentative set of hands clasped my shoulder, and I weakly looked up into azure eyes that were so heart wrenchingly familiar, filled with tears.

"Regal…hold on. I will get help," Presea insisted firmly while her body trembled. She looked torn between staying by my side and going to find assistance. My eyelids were growing so heavy, and the struggle to breathe was growing too much for me, which caused her to panic even more. "Regal! You have to stay awake! Please!"

"I…" I just couldn't keep my eyes open, not even in light of her pleas. As the darkness began to close around me, I heard her retreating footsteps and the click of the intercom on my desk. But I couldn't stay awake, I fought the exhaustion, the blood loss, and I lost. "…Sorry…"

To be continued

End notes: I still can't believe I left this for so long just sitting on my laptop. I apologize again. Hopefully you enjoyed and you'll stick around for the finale? Thanks to Christie again, I really couldn't do this without you!