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

13. Thirteen

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 13 out of 14 parts. Hey, look I have a number!

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: Considering that this has taken me FOREVER to post and to wrap up, I feel I must apologize again. Anyone who is still reading this, I feel as though I might have kept you waiting too long. Sorry for that. I've been doing this in bits and pieces though…and I finally have something to show for it! Next will come the epilogue as well! And I promise, it won't take as long! Enjoy! Thank you for following this for so long!

On my Honor

Chapter thirteen

There was light, as impossible as it seemed to some buried part of my rational mind, there was light that caused me to stir. I should not have been able to do anything, really, let alone stir because of a sudden brightness. Unless this was hell, instead of oblivion, how could I be awake and pondering such things now after George had stabbed me three times? My eyes were not even open and I knew that something wasn't right.

I attempted to sit up. Nothing hurt. Stranger yet, my eyes snapped open me because the movement caused me to learn something startling. My hands were not shackled together.

What in the world…?

Glancing about, I found my surroundings to practically be glowing, but it was nothing like the fire and brimstone I'd anticipated. The ground beneath me was as white and vast as above me, all of it shimmering as if the sun were caressing it with its light, stretching on far around me. I couldn't help but look down at my abdomen, finding it untouched, somehow no longer marred by George's betrayal, and brushing one of my hands over the small of my back confirmed that I was injured. That couldn't be. What was going on? What happened to me?

Last I remembered, I was lying on the floor of my office, bleeding profusely after George had attacked me. I could still see the worry, the fear that had gripped Presea's azure eyes as she had knelt beside me. But there were no markings, not wounds on my body, and I was not in the Lezareno building, so had that all been a nightmare? Or had I…was I really…

"Am I…dead…?" I whispered disbelievingly. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the tension in my limbs, and my eyes straining against the brightness all around me. Wouldn't I have lost those feelings if I had truly died, or was hell just more than I had imagined?

A giggle, a bright happy sound that struck me as familiar, suddenly came from at my side. There hadn't been anyone around me a moment ago, so I whirled towards the source of the sound, and went stock still a second later at the sight that awaited me.

It…it can't be…

"Hello, Regal." The voice was perfect, melodic and warm. The smile that accompanied it was just as I remembered it, just as beautiful as out of his dreams, and he couldn't help but gape. It looked just her, even if that should not have been possible. Yet no matter if I shook my head, or blinked rapidly, she did not disappear.

"Alicia…" But if it's really you…then aren't I…

"I'm so happy to have another chance to see you again, Master Regal." She took a few steps towards me, her grin never wavering. My mind was reeling the closer she came, trying to sort out where I was, what was going on, and if she was a phantom or not.

"But I…am I…" …dead? I couldn't voice that word to her, not if there was really the chance that she was the Alicia I had loved with every fiber of my being because she would never have wanted me to be struck down. She had wanted me to live. Even if it was already too late, even if I had already passed on, I couldn't bear to hurt her with this.

Alicia shook her head, the movement causing her short pink pigtails to whip side to side. "No, Regal. But…I had to see you again…"

So George really…and I'm not…

She threw her arms around my middle and all thoughts were lost to me. No matter the circumstances, the hows and whys of how such a thing was happening, what mattered at that moment was that Alicia was in my arms again. Instantly I returned her embrace, holding her tight, as my eyes fell shut in an attempt to savor the moment. How long had I dreamed of this? How long had I grieved the loss of her gentle touch?

Tears suddenly welled in my gaze as a wave of guilt replaced the initial swell of joy. What was I doing? I didn't deserve to hold her, to have her smile at me, or any of her kindness, not when I had been the one to take her life. She would have lived if it weren't for me. Slowly, hesitantly, I tried to pull back from her.

Her arms abruptly tightened around me, and she buried her face in my chest. Had I always been this tall next to her? I couldn't move though. I'd meant to draw back, and while I could have easily done so if I'd truly wanted to, I could see that she didn't want me to. Alicia held me even tighter, whispering, "Please…Regal…it's been so long…I don't want to let go yet."

"But, Alicia, I--"

"No, Regal, no." Her gaze lifted to meet mine, a steadfast conviction behind the gentleness that I always found there. "I asked you to stop punishing yourself and I meant it. What happened has never changed how I feel for you. I love you, I don't want to see you suffer anymore, and I don't want to waste another minute that I have with you right now. Don't apologize for something that wasn't your fault. Just…hold me…and don't say anything about that."

While there was still a voice in the back of my mind that insisted there were still things that I had to say to her, things that I had held in that day eight years ago, I couldn't resist just pulling her closer to me. I did not want to let her go either. Her scent, the feel of her in my arms, it was like it had always been, how I had strived to keep it alive in my memory. None of this should have been possible, yet it all felt so real, and I didn't want to question it too much, for delirious dream or whatever, having Alicia with me again was well worth it. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that." She looked up at me, still smiling. "I didn't want to see you for an apology, Regal."

"Alicia…"

"I've missed you so much. I love you so much," Alicia murmured in the crook of my neck, her soft voice gradually soothing me, lulling me into forgetting everything else but her. It had always been that way with her before, for when she was close my world drastically shrunk until she and I were all that remained, wrapped tightly together under the stairs. There was an ache that coupled those memories now, the painful reminder that things would never be that way again. "I will never stop loving you, Regal, and that's why I don't want you to keep punishing yourself. I can't stand to see you suffer anymore…I want you to be happy. I want you to live your life without being weighed down by your guilt."

"I…" What could I say now? She didn't want me to apologize, and while I deserved her loathing more than anything else, Alicia wanted me to be happy. I felt her hand on my cheek then, gently coaxing my gaze back to hers and I could not resist becoming immersed in the tender azure of her eyes.

Silky fingertips brushed a lock of my hair back sending a small shiver down my spine, and then one of them traced my lips reverently. "You have so much of your life ahead of you, Master Regal, and you should be free to live it."

"But…" I caught her hand, squeezing it. "I want you with me, Alicia."

Alicia shook her head with a small laugh. "It's not time for that yet."

What did she mean by that? I was so confused. She felt like Alicia, the same sweet scent, the same melodic voice, and yet Alicia was dead. The only way that this could be possible was if I had died as well by George's hand. If this was to be my fate, to be reunited with her, why would my end have been so horrible? How long had I already waited to join her? "But, Alicia--"

"I only have a little more time, Regal, so please let me tell you one last thing." She'd put a finger to my lips again, this time to silence me. Her smile had grown a little sad, and there were tears welling up behind the azure hues of her eyes, those things urging me to hold her closer. "I'm…I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me?" What could this be about? I wasn't sure what was happening, if this was real or not, but the fact that everything seemed right was enough for me to focus more on what she was trying to tell me.

"When you were faced with the choice, when you were ready to lay down your life so that your friends could keep going and continue the fight, Lloyd asked you to keep living…and you listened to him," Alicia told me softly, her fingers caressing my cheeks. "You didn't have to. You could have ignored him, or told him that it wasn't his place to ask you that. You didn't. You chose to live, Regal, and for that, I'm proud of you."

"Alicia…" I started slowly fumbling for words, but stopped when she looked over her shoulder suddenly as if she'd heard something. Her smile had faded just a little, the intensity not quite as luminous as it had been a moment before. "What is it?"

"I can't stay much longer," she whispered as he hugged me tight once again, and then leaning up to kiss my lips. For years I had gone without her touch and now it threatened to overwhelm me, my knees feeling weak as I began to sway. When I had become light headed? Her hand on my cheek made me focus again. "I love you, Regal. I'm proud of you, and I want you to be happy."

"I want to be with you," I murmured even though my thoughts were becoming clouded, my legs still unsteadying as I felt her pull out of my grasp. I tried to reach for her but missed since my vision was blurred, and I heard her take a few steps back from me. She was leaving! No, I couldn't stand to lose her again. I belonged with her, I always had. "Alicia, please…I love you…"

"I want to be with you, too, Master." Her voice was soft, and fading. I'd fallen to my knees, as my legs could no longer hold me upright. I was holding out my hand, pleading with her silently to take it, to stay with me here. The white light that had been illuminating everything around me, the endless white floor and ceiling, was fading as well, darkness edging into my blurred sight.

Even still, I watched her back away, or tried to. "…Please…"

Twice I had lost her. Twice I had seen her die, first her body, eight years ago, and then her spirit which had been trapped on the Sky Terrace, only weeks before. My soul could not take only being half once again. Alicia was what completed me. I needed her.

"It's not time for that yet." Was she shaking her head as she backed away? It was getting so dark, so hard to see her now. "You chose to live. I want you to live."

Do I still want to live?

She wants me to…how can I deny her that?

But…aren't I already dead?

There was only pitch black and the sense of being alone, lost, wrapped in the darkness and suspended in nothingness. My thoughts weren't clear, or coherent. For an instant, I thought I heard her voice again, heard her whisper goodbye and the warmth of her arms around me, yet just as soon as I thought I'd felt anything there was then nothing.

I choked on a breath as my eyes snapped open. I was instantly blinded by hot lights and hit with waves of pain.

"Regal!" the voice that called out my names was familiar, instantly making me feel less startled. Arms wrapped around my neck as my vision gradually cleared and adjusted to the lights. Pink hair rested against my cheek. My heart whispered one name, but my lips rasped out another. "…Presea…"

My mind was catching up to my surroundings. Presea held me tightly, no matter how awkward it was since I was lying on a bed. The lights hung above me hummed dully, shinning a bit too brightly. The pain was in my back and in my abdomen from where I had been stabbed, which was why I was laying on my side. I blinked again, taking in the reality of it. This was real, was it not? Or had seeing Alicia just been the prelude to this dream, this dream where Presea sounded frightened and my entire body was aching?

"Regal?" Over Presea's shoulder came another voice, one that surprised me. My eyes snapped up from the girl that held tight to me to a young man that stood just behind her. The red of his Dwarven-sewn clothes stood out, but it was his eyes that drew mine. He looked so concerned, and at the same time, relieved. He gave me a weak smile. "You really scared us there… How are you feeling?"

I'm…alive…?

"Lloyd?" I tried to look around, to see more of the room that we were in, but Presea drew back and gently urged me with her hands not to move. My voice sounded strange to me, dry, hoarse. "What…George…he…"

"We know, Regal," Lloyd replied gently, biting his lip for a second. "We all came as soon as Presea reached us. Raine helped heal you. You're going to be okay."

I'm…going to be all right…?

But…I thought…

She said it wasn't time…which…is why….I'm still here…

I did my best to look around a bit more, not moving my head as it was throbbing dully, and managing to see that Lloyd and Presea were standing in front of me, five figures that I knew well standing behind them. Not only Raine was there, as they mentioned, but Zelos, Sheena, Colette, and Genis as well. They had all come. Presea had contacted each of them. I couldn't believe it, even though after everything I knew they were my friends, I was still surprised to see them there in that room.

"But…what…" I still couldn't get my voice to cooperate. I was not only parched, but dazed. How long had I been unconscious? What had happened while I'd been out? Presea squeezed my neck a little, gently, being cautious, before she drew back. Perhaps she saw the questions running through my mind in my gaze, because her expression darkened a little, and then her gaze fell to the floor.

"George…he…got away, Regal…" she whispered softly. Her words caused Lloyd's smile to fall away even if she didn't notice. "I'm sorry…when I was calling for help…I…I didn't see him escape. He must have slipped out in the confusion downstairs…"

"Presea, you didn't mean for that to happen, and island security has been looking for him for the past two days," Genis commented gently from behind her, his tone soothing. He was obviously worried for her as well. The fact he was protective of her had not changed, no matter how strong the ax woman had become over the journey, and oddly enough, at that moment, it was reassuring that this wasn't another dream. "We'll find him. Now that we know that Regal is all right, we can find that creep!"

"We're not going to rest until we do, you know that," Sheena remarked as she took a step forward, putting a hand on Presea's shoulder before leaning down to try to meet my gaze. "You really scared us, Regal. How are you feeling?"

"Everything aches…." I answered honestly without really thinking. After I had taken a few deep breaths, I finally managed to get out a more coherent statement, although it probably just worried them all the more. Had they really come all that way because Presea had told them I had been hurt? That question quickly faded from my clouded mind though when I realized that if George had escaped then he would get away with all that he had done, everything he'd mentioned in the past, and everything he'd done recently. "How…bad was it?"

"It would have been worse if Presea hadn't called the paramedics when she did," Raine explained as she took a few steps closer, tilting her head to the side. "Things could have been much worse if they had not arrived as quickly as they did, and I was happy to help them as much as I could. If you'd like, I could cast another spell, it might help with the pain…?"

"No…I think…I'll be all right…" I assured her softly.

"You'd better be. When we find George, we want you on your feet so we can show that son of a bitch he has no right to play with lives, let alone try to take one!" Zelos exclaimed crossing his arms over his chest.

Play with lives…how did they….?

"Zelos, right now is not the time for your babbling. Regal needs his rest!" the female ninja chided him, giving him a look and rolling her eyes once she saw how he deflated.

"He's been out for two days, how much more sleep could he need?" Lloyd asked only to be struck over the head by the Professor. He held the offended area, looking slightly hurt, and then he sighed. "Okay, okay, Regal needs his rest. You could have just said so…"

"Maybe we should let Regal rest then so he'll feel even better later?" Colette suggested looking up to the silver haired half-elven woman with her hands clasped in front of her. She was of course, trying to be helpful, the completely selfless girl that I had met at the beginning of my part of the journey had not changed all that much other than her resolve was stronger, and she seemed to carry herself lighter without the burden of being Chosen.

"That's an excellent idea, Colette. Regal was severely injured, and while it's an excellent sign that he's awake, he needs time to heal. Peace and quiet will certainly give him the chance to do so," Raine remarked a bit pointedly as she let her eyes trail over the group. "It's not as if Regal is going anywhere, we'll talk about visiting later, I think that now I'd like to take a look at his wounds and then let him get some more rest. All of you I'm sure can find something to occupy yourselves with?"

The way she had said her last question, it gave me a feeling I knew just what activity she was referring to, but I didn't really want to think about it at the moment. The throbbing in the back of my skull was enough to distract me, along with the aches in my side and back.

"Right, that…" Lloyd murmured mostly to himself before he flashed me a warm smile. "We'll be back soon, Regal, okay? Get some rest or Raine might start smacking you too."

The Professor shot him a harsh look that had the young swordsman ducking for the door of the room quickly to get out of her reach. Behind him, Genis followed, laughing and waving back at me, and Colette hurried after them both out to door. Zelos snorted from the chair he sat in, looking put off at being pushed out.

"Come on, it's not like I'm going to keep him up…" the red headed swordsman protested with a groan. When all he received was Sheena grabbing his ear, dragging him out of his chair and out of the room, I heard him yelping all the way down the hall, the sound mingled with a shouted goodbye from both him and the ninja. It seemed that while they didn't really want to go, they were going to listen to the Professor as they always did, at least for the moment while they had other things to keep them busy.

I was a little surprised to see Raine reach out and catch Presea's shoulder, stopping her before she could start to walk away. The pink haired girl looked up to her a bit surprised, but she seemed relieved by the gesture that she didn't have to leave at the moment, and it warmed me that she wanted to stay. There was an urge to have her stay, to have her there with me after I had seen Alicia, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her not to go either, especially when Raine seemed intent on making sure I got the rest I needed.

"Presea, as long as it's all right with Regal, why don't you stay for a little while longer?" Raine suggested in a gentle voice, gesturing to a chair that was close to the head of the bed I was resting on. She offered the young woman a warm smile before her eyes passed over me knowingly, as if she'd read my thoughts and knew just how much I wanted Presea there. While I didn't think I could tell her about seeing Alicia while I had been unconscious, I needed her there, especially as I knew she was the reason I was still alive.

"Thank you, Raine," she murmured softly, pulling the chair closer and then taking a seat, her hands clasped in her lap.

"Now, Regal, I need you to tell me where it hurts the most. Please be honest. It's for your benefit, not mine," the Professor remarked still wearing that knowing smile. Perhaps she could read me as well as Presea. "I can use another spell if you think it will help."

"…My side hurts the worst…" I didn't see how it couldn't, especially after I had been stabbed there twice. I bit my lip as I felt Raine's hands begin to lightly travel over my sides and back, which I finally noticed as being heavily bandaged, checking for any signs of bleeding. Trying to distract myself, I watched Presea for a moment. She had seemed so upset when she had knelt down next to me in my office, so frightened, and I couldn't believe that I had been the one to do that to her.

"You're going to have to stay off your feet for the next day or so. Fortunately for you, the spells I used before repaired most of the damage but you'll still need to give your body time to recover," the half elven woman commented from behind me while examining my back. "You shouldn't even have any scars, I believe."

"Thanks to you…and to Presea…" I commented, the corner of my lips curling ever so slightly. "I owe you both my life…"

"Good then perhaps you'll listen to me when I tell you to take it easy for a while," the Professor chuckled before there was a small flash of light from where she stood. "Are you okay? First Aid!"

"How do you feel now? Any better?" Presea asked shifting to sit on the edge of her chair. It made me ache that I was worrying her, that in spite of everything she was so fearful of my condition worsening, and at the same time, it warmed me immensely. If things had turned out differently, Presea would have been my sister-in-law, and even though fate never allowed for that, she still felt like family to me. I would always be thankful for her friendship and would do anything to keep it.

Some of the ache, the burning where the wounds had once been, faded, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Better. Thank you."

Without really thinking, I reached with one hand to feel my side, gingerly, being mindful of the bandages, and had to gasp. Pain did not cause me to do so, the movement itself did. I had moved one hand. One, on its own, completely free of restrictions. My breath caught in my throat as my gaze snapped down. The shackles were gone! The bonds I had worn for eight years, the symbol of my crime, and the punishment I bore willingly were gone without a trace. I could only stare, speechless, stunned.

For so long I had worn those shackles, a manifestation of my sins to make sure that I never forgot what I had done. Eight years of bondage, day in and day out with my wrists chained together, were over.

"…My…" Again my voice abandoned me. I could not find the words to describe the waves of emotions flooding me, the guilt mixed with a sense of freedom I was not certain I could earn. The handcuffs had been my punishment and a selfish part of me rejoiced that that punishment might finally be over. Another part was furious with myself for finding any joy in having been freed when I had murdered the woman I loved. I blinked, but the sight of my bare wrists remained, not fading like a fleeting fantasy.

They're gone…but how…?

"Regal…" Raine's gentle tone somehow broke through my shock, coaxing me back into the moment. "When the paramedic's arrived…they had to treat your wounds quickly…but your shackles made it difficult. They were getting in the way…so…"

"I broke them to get them off," Presea stated bluntly.

"You…" I whispered in disbelief my azure eyes gaspingly wide.

"There wasn't time for much else. The paramedics needed them out of the way immediately, and they were lucky that Presea was there to take care of it," the half elven woman remarked as she moved back into my line of sight. She held her hands behind her back, observing me, her lips pressed into an indifferent line. The only impression I could get from her stance was that she was trying to convey she had no opinion on the matter but the logical one of the fact if the handcuffs were an obstacle then they had to be removed.

But…they were…

Can it be so simple? Can my punishment be over?

"You no longer needed them anyway," the ax woman stated in a voice that left no room for argument, evenly keeping my gaze.

"But, Presea…" It couldn't be so simple, so easy, it just couldn't. Perhaps, before the confrontation with George, I had felt that Id' begun to really atone for my sins, but did that warrant my freedom from my bonds? Did I really deserve to have my hands free, to no longer look like a prisoner or criminal after what I had done? What right did I have to just discard the shackles? True, I hadn't been the one to do it, but could I just go on without them?

It didn't feel right. Would it dishonor Alicia's memory? While the shackles had been a physical reminder of what I had done, I would never forget my beloved even if I was without the metal bonds. Could I truly just shrug off my punishment, my burden?

"On the terrace…you promised Alicia you would remove them when we defeated Cruxis and the people who used Exspheres to hurt others," the pink haired girl interjected quickly, the strength behind her words only matched by the determination in her blue eyes. "We have met that goal. You don't need them anymore, Regal."

I was struck breathless. Not only had she remembered my vow to her sister, but she sounded as if she firmly believed that I no longer needed my shackles. Even though I had taken Alicia's life, Presea did not hate me, she seemed to want me to stop punishing myself just as her sister had on the Sky Terrace. I was dumbfounded, and at the same time I was nearly overcome by a sense of acceptance from Presea, a feeling of joy at the face she felt as she did. Tears began to well in my eyes but I held them back, not sure what to say anymore.

"She's right. You can't break your word," Raine added a bit smugly. Throughout our journey, Raine had been looking after each of us, inspite of the fact that some of us either matched her in age or were older, mothering all of us equally. Oddly enough, I was somewhat used to it.

"Presea…" I murmured carefully choosing my words, wanting to find the right ones to express how I felt. "Thank you…so much. I owe you a great deal…I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you for all that you've done for me or all the kindness you have shown me."

Shaking her head, Presea smiled ever so slightly. "You don't owe one anything. We are friends, and friends look out for one another."

I couldn't help it, I had to grin as well. Hearing her say that, even if it was difficult for me to accept that I did not owe her anything, meant more than I could describe. Her friendship was something I would cherish and strive to never betray. In the brief moments I had been with Alicia while I was unconscious, she had tried to assure me that she did not blame me, and now her sister was trying to tell me that I was not indebted to her. Perhaps this all was a pleasant dream, one to comfort my battered soul, but then why did it all feel so real?

Without realizing it, I had fallen silent, and Raine began to speak softly, privately to the young ax woman. The fact that I was still a bit stunned allowed their conversation to continue for a few minutes while I was trying to picture my life without my shackles. It seemed, in some ways, I was being given my old life back, yet the striking differences did not escape me.

I had lost Alicia, but now I had Presea, Lloyd, and all of the others. I was no longer a prisoner, free to resume my position as President of the Lezareno Company, and I could use such a position to aid the unified worlds. George had apparently opposed that, just as he had been trying to be rid of me for most of my life if I remembered things clearly, but now he was on the run. With my friends looking for him, it would probably only be a matter of time until he was found. When that happened things would be relatively normal.

I…never imagined…things being normal again…

"Regal?" Presea's soft voice broke into my thoughts, grounding me once more.

I blinked once or twice. "Yes?"

"I'll be back in a little while. Raine thinks we should let you rest for a while. Please get some sleep…" While her expression was almost blank it did not mask the concern in her gaze.

"I will, Presea," I assured her, smiling slightly. Even though she seemed reluctant to leave, she turned and started for the door of the room, stopping and turning to glance back as if she expected me to vanish. I watched her go, still marveling at what she had done for me, and at the depth of the bond between us. While I wondered what she might do now to keep herself busy, I was more curious as to what she had been whispering about with Raine and why the Professor had not left as well if she was so concerned about my recuperation.

Raising one eyebrow, I looked up at the silver haired woman. "What is it? I have the feeling you wished to speak with me alone…"

"I thought it best not to address the subject with anyone else around…although it's not as if they don't already know about it…" Raine commented as she took a seat in the chair that Presea had vacated. She sighed. "Regal, I'm sure you're aware there are security cameras throughout the Lezareno building?"

My entire body tensed. The cameras, I had completely forgotten about the cameras in my office! The entire confrontation with George, how he had attacked me, would be in that footage unless the system had been turned off or damaged. I closed my eyes, realizing why she would want to talk to me about that, why she'd do so when we were alone. "The…others…watched the security tape?"

"When we arrived, Presea was very shaken. She did her best to tell us what happened, but it would have been cruel to push her to tell us more. Your security staff gave us the tape because they thought it would help. Presea refused to see it, but I could not convince the others not to view it," she explained slowly while her fingers curled into the length of her jacket. "It's why they are all very determined to find George now. All that he was done…is unforgivable."

All that he's done…

My parents…Alicia…

I can't let him get away with all of that.

"…Raine…I need to see the tape as well. There might be something there….something…that might tell me where he'd go…" I said after a moment. That was only partly why I wanted to see the footage myself. While I'd been bleeding, in pain, and dazed, I'd heard George say things that I wanted to be utterly, absolutely sure of. I needed to be certain.

"Do you think that's wise?" Raine asked with a slight tilt of her head. "I have seen it, and I did not notice anything that would hint to where George may have fled to. If you think you need to see it, at least wait until you are feeling better."

"He and Vharley….they've been behind it all…just trying to take Lezareno from me…" I whispered, shutting my eyes. My family, my beloved, all of them had been caught in this plot to steal the company that had been in my family for generations. "I cannot allow him to get away with it. I have to make him pay for what he has done."

She nodded knowingly, probably having anticipated my reaction. "Island security, royal guards, Mizuho's information network, and the others are all looking for George as we speak. They will find him. What you need to do now is rest so that when they do, you'll be able to be there and make sure that this man never harms someone again. Let us take care of you for now, at the very least for Presea's sake. She was very worried about you."

It seemed that Raine knew exactly what to say to get me to comply with what she thought was best. I had to wonder if it was skill Lloyd had learned from her, or if it was natural for them both to behave as such.

"I trust all of you, Raine, and I appreciate your help," I remarked after a moment. I wasn't going to agree not to watch the security tape, not yet at least.

She grinned in return, climbing to her feet. "Good. Then get some sleep, you'll need it for when you have plenty of company soon. There's a nurse just outside of the room, so let her know if you need anything."

"Thank you. I will," I reassured her with a small smile.

"You should know by now that you're more than welcome," the Professor retorted just before she exited the room without a sound.

"I need to speak with all of you," I said in a voice that was far more even than I expected, clasping my hands in my lap as I watched them all file into the room I'd been staying in under Raine's strict supervision of my recovery. Presea hurried past Lloyd the moment she was inside to take the chair near the head of the bed I was seated in, a habit she had developed over the past three days. Colette took the chair on Presea's left, and Sheena took the one at my feet. Lloyd and Genis opted to stand in the area between where the girls sat, Raine stood on the opposite side to the blonde Chosen and ax woman, while Zelos leaned back in a corner wearing half a smile.

"What's going on, Regal?" Genis asked once everyone seemed comfortable.

Lloyd rested his hands on the hilts of his swords. "Yeah, what did you need to talk to us about?"

"We…would have told you if we…found out anything new, you know," the red headed swordsman commented somewhat reluctantly. He didn't want to say plainly that he didn't have any new information on the whereabouts of my former servant and attacker. Tossing his hair over his shoulder, he raised on eyebrow to give me a pointed look. "And I hope this isn't an attempt to get us to plea for your release from bed rest, El Presidente, because I think you might be well enough to find out how hard the lovely Professor hits if that's the case."

"Zelos…" Sheena murmured in warning but it only earned her a playful wave and a wink.

"I watched the security video," I informed them after a moment. It had plagued my mind for the first two days I was restricted to bed rest just what answers might be contained on the footage of my attack, answers that my faulty, shaky memory might not hold.

"What? Why?" Colette asked clasping her hands in front of her as her young features filled with concern.

"Regal, why…would you want to see that?" the Eternal Swordsman questioned me gently, his fingers clutching tightly to his weapons. He was holding something back, I could see it in the way he had his jaw clenched, but perhaps he was trying to give me a chance to explain. "Why…would you want to live through that again…even if it was on tape?"

"The things that George said when it happened…I know he was raving at the time, but I had to hear them again," I insisted avoiding meeting Presea's gaze even from the side.

"He was crazy, Regal! He hurt you," Sheena exclaimed sitting forward in the wooden chair, frowning deeply. "It can't be healthy to--"

"I believe George murdered my parents." I did not wait for her to finish because to understand why I had viewed the videotape they had to understand my reasons for watching it. "Some of the things he said when he attacked me…I had to be sure. I had to be absolutely sure."

"He…killed…your parents?" Presea whispered as the others gasped, horror gripping them after my words sank in. She reached out, putting a hand on my arm, seeking my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to look at her just yet, not after all I had learned. "Regal…"

"That…how could that have happened, Regal?" Raine inquired the first to say anything else. Being such a rational person, of course the Professor could get past the shock of what I had put together form my former servant's rants with logic. "When did this happen, Regal?"

"Years ago. I was seventeen when my parents were in a terrible accident that claimed their lives…at least…it was always thought of as an accident. There was never any reason to believe otherwise…no evidence of foul play…" I explained taking deep breaths to try to remain calm. I had to tell them what I believed to be true. "The accident happened on the Elemental Railway, at night, and I would have been with them if I…hadn't asked to go talk to someone. There was an explosion. In an instant…they were gone. The investigations I had done never turned up the cause of the explosion."

"So…you never knew what really happened that night…?" Colette whispered hanging her head. Her deflated posture nearly made me feel guilty for including her, but in spite of her continued innocence she had been through a great deal already and while it was unfair to put her through more it would be even more so not to tell her.

"No. Nothing was conclusive other than that my parents did not survive," I replied after a moment my fists clenching on their own.

"That's horrible…" Lloyd said quietly shifting on his feet a bit uneasily.

"I…remember that. I was just a kid, but there was a lot of buzz around Meltokio…and a lot of people devastated," the red headed Chosen of Tethe'alla remarked, pushing himself off the wall and strolling over to stand behind Sheena's chair. "There was even a royal investigation, right? But nothing turned up from that either, I guess…"

"No. The royal investigation did not find anything either." None of the investigations had results though they had continued on long after the funerals. I closed my eyes, readjusting the calm expression I was wearing. After everything, and with George still running free, I could not allow my emotions to get the better of me now when they would only get in the way. "The Elemental Railway was closed for over a month…and I changed the regulations so it no longer ran to Lezareno at night."

"Did he…admit what he'd done?" Genis asked cautiously more than aware of what a sensitive topic this had become. Chewing his lip, the young half-elf glanced to Presea to see that she was all right. "We watched the tape…but we had no idea what he meant sometimes…"

"What he did say was far from a confession, but all of it together…the pieces fit," I said with a nod. "He said 'I have gone to great lengths to obtain Lezareno' and said that he had even allied with Vharley. I…had never suspected that Vharley had been involved with the deaths of my parents, but George blamed him as well as me for it not being a complete success. He…raved about how I always managed to survive, both the accident and prison."

"George did not want you to return from prison…" Raine mumbled, perhaps she'd only meant to say it to herself, yet I was certain all of us heard. She held her chin, considering, theorizing over what she'd heard, what I had told her, and probably her own experiences with George. "Lloyd, you told me that when the rest of you first came to Altamira, George was the one that directed you to Sky Terrace, correct?"

"Yeah, he gave us his employee ID," the young swordsman nodded.

"He thought that I…was Alicia," Presea half-whispered breaking my resolve to avoid her gaze. My former servant had slandered her sister again in his fury, claiming the ax-woman had been in his way as much as my love had been.

"He might have meant…to ward all of you away…or even pit you against Regal if…if you meant to avenge your sister," the Professor stated evenly as a deep frown crossed her lips. "And when you came back, Regal, he…didn't look relieved…"

"He looked more like he wanted to jump off the roof…" Sheena commented dryly.

"As long as I remained in prison…he was the acting President of the company, it was what he'd always wanted…what he'd killed for…" I muttered unable to hold back the bitter not that crept into my tone. "But he…he was the one that sent Alicia away in the first place! He was the on that…that…"

Without a word, Presea stood from her chair, wrapping her arms around me as best she and as carefully as she could. It should not have felt strange to me to put one arm around her, being mindful of my injuries as well, but it was not because of the sudden closeness in our friendship that made it odd, no. Having my hands free again was sadly new to me, alien, but I could not look at it as anything but something to be grateful for because Presea had been the one to remove them. She did not have to say anything to me for me to know what she was thinking.

George and Vharley…took both of our families from us…

But it was my fault. Alicia was caught up in all of it because of me.

"Don't worry, Regal, Presea…we're going to find him," Zelos insisted, the one to break the silence. "There isn't anywhere that he can hide from us."

"Mizuho is working night and day to track him down," the dark haired ninja added to be reassuring, clasping her hands in her lap for lack of something to do. "Once we find him, we'll drag what's left of him to Meltokio for the King to deal with."

"He won't get away with what he's done," Lloyd remarked when his gaze pointedly met mine. The leader of our group, though the words had been saved he didn't seem to have lost that unofficial authority at least, was promising me to find my attacker. I should not have been surprised, when I had first woken up he and the other had all seemed absolutely determined to hunt down George. Now after my realization that the man who had served my family for years had tried to kill us all and had murdered my parents, it seemed that determination had increased. On our journey, we had protected one another, and I should never have doubted that that loyalty and protection would not continue once our goals had been met.

"Yeah, we'll find him, Regal," Colette assured me gently from where she sat, mustering up a smile for my sake. "You just worry about getting better."

"I…might actually know where he is hiding," I murmured quietly my eyes darting off to the side. Though I was loathe to admit it now, I knew George, I had for almost my entire life, thus I had a fairly good idea of just how his mind worked even if I'd never known about the darker parts of it until now. I'd been contemplating it for some time now, and I had a strong feeling about the only guess that held any true merit.

"Really?" Genis exclaimed.

"Regal, how…?" Presea breathed out, trailing off and biting her lower lip. I put my free hand on her shoulder.

"George knows about the security cameras in Lezareno. He knows that he cannot hide out in the open, whether I survived or not, regardless of if he is even aware of it," I explained with a sigh. "Even so, there are only so many places he would think to go because he does not know anything about Sylvarant."

"Then…where do you believe he would hide?" Raine asked curiously, her arms folded over her chest as she observed me. Whenever the silver haired healer was in the room she was continuously watching me for sings of pain or discomfort.

"The Toize Valley Mine." The sight had been in my family for generations, but only now had it truly become a blight upon the world, a place where the curse of the Exspheres had begun.

"What? But, I heard that the mine had been sealed off!" Zelos gasped before he glanced to Sheena, silently asking her without words. Mizuho's Information Network was far more extensive then what our small group could hope to achieve and had to have covered more ground. Our summoner friend would know if the mines had been examined or not to matter what the supposed state of the location was.

Sheena frowned, shaking her head. Either the mines had not been checked or she didn't know if they had.

"George was one of the ones in charge of the demolition. I was there as well, but I did not stay for the entire process," I informed them. "He could be there. What better place to hide than a place that is supposed to be sealed off and abandoned?"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Lloyd laughed shortly, nervously. "We didn't think to look there."

"But we can look now," the young mage insisted pumping a fist in the air, ready to get moving. "If he's there, there's only so deep he can go into the mines, right? We didn't bust up all of the security…he'd still need you to get into the deepest part, right, Regal?"

I nodded. "The security measures should still be in place. Nothing should have been damaged by the demolition that would allow him access to Exsphere mines."

"Then we'll go check it out," Sheena declared as she stood.

"And I will go with you," I nodded.

The slap I received to the back of the head was one I was not expecting, and it was followed by Raine's firm chastisement of, "You most certainly will not!"

Zelos covered his mouth but didn't really manage to hide his snicker. "See? What did I tell you?"

"Raine, maybe it's just me, but I think now might not be the time to start hitting the patient…" Sheena commented gently, safely out of the silver haired teacher's reach. She then raised an eyebrow at me. "Though it might not be time for you to be thinking about being on your feet let alone chasing after bad guys either, Regal. We'll keep you informed about what we find."

"There's a difference between being informed and involved," I pointed out after holding in a slight wince at the throbbing in the back of my head. Zelos had not been joking about Raine's swing.

"There's a difference between giving your body proper time to heal and making things worse for yourself too," Genis remarked. "We can handle tracking George down, you should stay here and rest. You've already worried Presea and the rest of us enough."

Of course the spellcaster was the one to use that argument against me, a reversal from when we first met and he wanted me nowhere near Presea. Yet, I did not think I could back down this time, not even for her sake since it would be more for her as well that my former servant be found. She deserved justice for what happened to Alicia. I bit my lip and shook my head. "I want to go with rest of you. I need to be there."

"Um, Regal, you're not exactly in the shape to head into a fight," our teenage leader said running his fingers through his hair.

"How much of a fight do you think that old man can up? He caught El Presidente off guard last time, and it's not like Regal will be on his own," the Chosen of Tethe'alla remarked putting his hands on his hips and trying to hold back part of his smirk.

"Zelos," Raine started in a warning tone.

"Now, hold on, hunny," he raised his hands up as if in surrender. "I'm just saying…because I think it would be better to bring Regal with us then have him alone, following us, making his injuries worse without your miracle healing magic ready. Don't you agree? You can give him a few more rounds of healing before we leave, and we can escort him from the mines if he seems to be doing worse. Doesn't that sound fair?"

"Do you really want to risk it, Regal?" Presea asked me gently, squeezing my arm slightly, but not asking me outright to stay behind. I was surprised she didn't, but then again, perhaps she felt she couldn't after all that I had just told them. Or perhaps she just understood why I needed to be there.

"Fine, but you will allow us to scout the Toize Valley Mines first to see if George is there or not before you go anywhere. We need confirmation first," the Professor sighed shaking her head at my request. She was probably disappointed in me since I was really the only other adult, or at least I was usually behaved like it, in our group. "Until then, you will rest so that afterwards you might not need to return to this bed."

"Yes. Thank you, all of you," I nodded once again.

"How do you feel, Regal?" Raine asked when she landed the Rheaird she insisted we share on the ground outside of the Toize Valley Mine, watching me intently as I carefully stepped off the back of the vehicle a moment later. For the past few days she had been observing me, watching me for any sign that my recovery was not where it should be and I should be put back on bed rest instead of tracking down my attacker. She was still waiting for an opportunity to send me home even after the information network had reported suspecting that someone was indeed inside the mine and we were there to investigate.

"I feel fine, Raine," I replied once again, having had answered the same question quite a bit recently. Though I couldn't really do more than walk without pain, I could at least move about on my own, and I was determined to use my regained mobility to see just who or what was in the mines.

"This might just be nothing, you know." Sheena came up to my side, one hand on her hip, the other pulling out her Divine Judgment cards. They had all steadfastly refused to bring me if I wore my greaves, so I was technically weaponless at the moment, not allowed to do anything but be present. "It could just be some vagrant, some monster, and you could be straining yourself for nothing."

"I'm not straining myself," I insisted.

"You're not going to convince him to stay behind, hunny," Zelos chuckled slipping an arm around the ninja's shoulders and pouting when she shrugged out from under him. "What? He's bound and determined to go. Besides we have a master healer with us, and almost all of the monsters have cleared out."

"Still, we have to be careful." Lloyd drew his swords with practiced ease, the light in his eyes shifting from the usual mischievousness to something serious, intent. He glanced each of us over, as though contemplating how we were going to accomplish this, and then he sighed. "Did they clear us a path when they came scouting, Sheena, or do we need to get digging first?"

"They said that they didn't even have to. There was a path that wasn't very well hidden already dug out," the summoner informed us.

"Then there really is someone here," Presea commented biting her lower lip for a moment.

Genis smirked up at Sheena. "Still wanna try to convince Regal that it's just monsters out here?"

"Hey! I said it could be monsters!" she exclaimed defensively.

"Do you think that the tunnels will be safe though?" Colette asked falling into step next to Lloyd when the young swordsman started towards the partially blocked off entrance of the mines. There was space enough for the average adult to squeeze through to slip inside, no doubt how anyone had gotten inside.

"Depending on how much of the demolition George actually had done, this may be the only damage done. The interior was always well structured and maintained," I said as I put my hands in the pockets of my khaki trousers and forced myself not to find the action strange. I had only spent eight years in shackles, so moving my hands separate from one another should not have been what felt second nature. "If he only had the entrance to the mines actually closed off, then the rest of the tunnels should still be intact."

"We will just have to be careful," Presea added, nodding in agreement, shifting her grip on her Gaia Cleaver as she fell in step next to me.

The report that Sheena's friends from Mizuho had given us was entirely accurate. While the entrance might have been hidden from them at first, it was obvious now, and it did seem like someone was inside since the closer we came the more I could see the lights were still on inside. The lighting should have been destroyed in the blasts. Lloyd took the lead, looking over the tin passageway before waving for us to follow, turning to the side, and then shuffling through. Colette went in after, then Genis.

"Regal, remember, you have to hang back…and let us handle this," Sheena reminded me before she shuffled in after the young mage. We'd discussed several times how I was to stay on the proverbial sideline, out of the fight and hopefully out of danger. To be honest, they hadn't really been discussions, it had been more like lectures that warned me that I was going but I wasn't going to be fighting.

That was fine with me, I doubted that George could put up much of a fight in the first place, I just knew I had to be there. Zelos filed in after the summoner, grumbling about how it was too drafty in the tunnels, and Presea met my gaze before she followed him inside. The Professor gestured for me to go in first, a smile crossing her features.

"After you," she said softly.

"I wouldn't be much of a gentleman to enter before a lady, Professor Sage," I replied doing my best to resist the tug of a smirk at the corners of my lips.

Waving her Crystal Rod at the opening, she gave me a pointed look. "Doctor's orders."

I wondered how long she was going to use that excuse as I turned to the side, shuffling through the tight gap in the rock for about ten feet before everything opened up like it had before. The others were waiting near the debris of the security system that we had thoroughly destroyed on our first trip there. George had only let the demolition be done on the entrance, leaving everyone to believe that the rest of the mine inaccessible and leaving himself the perfect hiding place.

"Just another sign that he was dishonest son of a bitch," Zelos muttered under his breath, drawing his Last Fencer and then chewing his lip. "And he's making me feel like such an idiot for not thinking he could be here sooner…"

"None of us guessed it but Regal…" Lloyd commented before Genis could slip in a snide comment on the red headed swordsman's intelligence. He was falling into his familiar role as the leader, one that he'd adjusted to with the battle against Cruxis, and it was one of the few times he was completely serious. Even in the short time I'd known him, he had grown so much. "I bet he's camped out around where we found the inhibitor ore."

"We'll comb through this whole place anyway," Sheena said as she quietly stepped towards the door through the ruined security gate. "Come on."

Just as before, we filed through the door, only the ninja was in the lead for a moment, and Raine insisted on staying close to me. It was too surprising that even the machines were still running, just as we'd left them, the hum filling the air when silence began to hover between us. We had to take turns on the moving platforms that whisked us deeper into the mines, two at a time, and everyone else was surveying the area below for signs of our quarry.

I was a little preoccupied with trying not to grimace at the sudden jerk of the platform. I had been ready for it, braced for it, but even so it sent a wave of pain through me. Raine did have good reason to worry about me as much as I didn't want her to, because healing magic could only do so much or serious wounds while the human body had to the rest. She had indeed saved my life. Some of the pain, and the risk of reopening the wounds, still remained though, but would heal with time. Luckily, it had been Presea riding with me, and she hadn't noticed me clamp my jaw tight to keep from gasping.

When all of us were safely on the opposite ledge, we continued our venture deeper. The mine was eerily quiet, even more so then our other trips there. I had only seen a few stray bats clinging to the rocky ceiling with their clawed feet, but no other monsters. Still, my friends were on their guard, weapons drawn to be ready for the first sign of danger, eyes scanning every shadow for an enemy. I felt out of place. I was being hindrance by insisting to come along.

Their pace was slower because of me, I could see it in the shorter strides that Sheena, Lloyd, and Zelos were taking. Colette would normally release her wings in anticipation of a fight but she hadn't because it allowed her to walk at a slower pace. While I knew they were trying to make this easier on me, I couldn't help but feel a trickle of guilt drip into the back of my mind. Even if they understood my need to be there when George was apprehended, was it fair to burden them with looking after me in this situation?

I normally would never try to put them in a situation like this, especially when it could get one of my friends hurt, except this time was about more than just me. George had set up the accident that killed my parents, had been lying in wait for years to steal Lezareno from me, and it had been under his orders that Vharley had taken Alicia or those experiments. He had destroyed my family, helped set in motion the tragedy that befell the woman I loved. It was time that he paid for what he had done.

"It's so quiet…it's kinda creepy…" Colette whispered chewing her lip.

"If we're not quiet, he might hear us coming," the silver haired spellcaster whispered to her.

"I'm sorry," Colette said in a hushed voice quickly. No matter how many times she was told she didn't need to apologize so much, or who told her, she would probably never break that habit.

The tunnels did not seem disturbed at all, even from the blast that made the mine appear sealed, and it wasn't as if there were signs where George was hiding strewn about. We were guessing that he'd be deep inside, and with only one way out, we hoped to corner him, but something like that would still require the element of surprise.

All of the machines were still on, including in the wide digging area where one interwoven path outlined the small pits that were unsurprisingly unoccupied. Had I actually expected to catch George out in the open here? Considering the hatred he'd hidden from me all my life, hiding had to be his strong suit, so why did I expect this to be easy?

"We should check out the lower level before we go further in," Presea said in a soft voice, loud enough to gain the attention of the group members walking ahead of her but not enough to be heard in the rest of the tunnels. The path Lloyd had led us on through the ditches ws going around the area and straight towards the elevator, the hum growing steadily louder and it seemed that we were systematically exploring each area for my former servant.

"Right." Genis nodded jogging ahead with the red clad swordsman and blonde angel right on his heels. They waited together for the lift, then climbed aboard to ride to one of the deeper mining pits, looking a little more relaxed then when we had come in. Perhaps it was the fact the man we were looking for wasn't much of a threat or the fact that we hadn't run into anything that passed any danger.

"Hey, think that bastard would switch back on that trap with the boulder?" Zelos asked keeping his voice low enough it could just barely be heard over the buzz of the elevator. He ran his fingers through his hair before resting it on his hip, watching from the corner of his eye the progress of our friends. "He doesn't want anyone to catch him, right?"

"For once, you maybe right," Raine sighed crossing her arms over her chest. "Would you be so kind as to check it out?"

Before I believe Zelos would have argued about being put in danger and being volunteered for such a task, but he had grown up a bit over the journey and he knew from previous experience that he could outrun the trap if he'd need to. The red head shrugged strolling ahead to the switch on the ground jutting up two inches from the rock, his eyes trained on the space carved out in the wall for the mechanism.

"Regal, are there more traps George could have activated that we did not encounter here before?" the summoner asked curiously as she saw Lloyd shake his head from below. They hadn't found anything. Were we mistaken? Had I guessed worry?

"No. With the other door inaccessible without my voice print and cornea scan, there aren't anymore security measures we should have to worry abut," I murmured chewing my lip to hold in the curses building in my throat. If I was wrong, if George wasn't hiding here, and I had turned the focus of the search to the wrong place, then I could have let him escape. While we were all looking the other way, George was finding a new rock to crawl under. There was no sign that the old servant was in the mines with us now, he could have left, and if he got away, it would be my own fault.

"Then maybe he didn't switch this thing on because he couldn't outrun it himself," Zelos muttered his confident stroll slowing as he neared the switch. Though he knew it might not even be on, he did not appear all that eager to find out by triggering a boulder to chase him downhill.

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair, glancing to the lower level for a moment. Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were waiting for the elevator to return, looking slightly impatient at how slowly it moved. I owed a great deal to my friends, even more so than I would ever be able to repay in my lifetime, and even though I was already deep in their debt, they were helping me now without question. Some would probably argue that that was another part of friendship, but even so I was grateful to each of them. I would always be grateful, and I told myself I had to do everything I could to give back as much as I'd been given.

The lift was about half way down to pick them up when I thought I saw something from the corner of my eye, a shadow flitting out of the edges of my vision. Without thinking, I spun on my heel to see what it was, but in that exact moment, Zelos chose to step onto the trap to test it out. The click echoed throughout the tunnel, an alarm of on its own, but it wasn't signaling the descent of a boulder. At first, nothing happened.

Shrugging, Zelos jerked his head to flip his hair over his shoulder. "Well, maybe he wasn't clever enough to think of switching it on?"

"Zelos, watch out!" the Professor shouted abruptly when a pair of massive fists burst out of the gate of the mechanism, prepared to slam down upon the swordsman.

"Whoa!" He darted forward just before the large hands could hammer him into the ground, and he turned just in time to see a Rock Golem emerge from the darkness, its massive fist already in mid-swing. Hopping back, he managed to avoid the strike. As soon as he landed he had to jump back once again because the golem had locked both arms so they hung down straight, then spinning them around its burly body to try to hit him. Zelos cried out in surprise bringing up his shield to defend himself incase he hadn't made it out of the monster's range.

"Hey, what's going on?" Lloyd called up in concern, the elevator having just made it to the bottom of the shaft. "Zelos, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just have my hands full, bud!" Zelos shouted back. Clenching his jaw, he darted forward the instant the golem stilled, his blade charged with mana as he thrust it out before him. "So, you wanna tussle, huh? Take this then! Hurricane Thrust!"

"Hold on, Zelos." Presea rushed forward without hesitation, her ax already in motion in a powerful upward cut that caught the stunned rock beast in the shoulder. "Infliction!"

"Regal, don't even think of moving from that spot!" Sheena exclaimed running at the monster at full speed not even looking over her shoulder to see if I would obey or not. Throwing her cards out before her, the ninja struck the Rock Golem in the back with a whirlwind of enchanted papers, knocking it off of its feet. "Pyre Seal!"

From the ceiling three of the small, bat like creatures I'd seen before dropped down, swooping low, one of them to swipe at the summoner with its claws, another to sink its teeth into the red headed swordsman's shoulder. When Zelos cried out, I could hear Genis and Lloyd cursing just how slowly the lift was moving as they couldn't do anything to help. I knew how they felt since all I could do was watch the battle.

"It bit me!" the former Chosen growled, leaping into the air after the monster his sword sweeping out in a spiral. "Light Spear!"

"This won't take long," Raine assured me, sprinting forward, her staff already raised. She stayed back from the center of the fray, a bright glow spreading out beneath her feet, the design familiar even to me. "Light! Photon!"

A few bat monsters and a Rock Golem would not stand for long against my friends, and I knew that they could handle themselves, but I still felt as though I should be doing something to help. Every impulse in my limbs said that I should rush right into the fight, yet I knew I would be in more trouble than that golem if I tried anything of the sort. Clenching my hands at my sides, I glanced to see how close the others were to reaching the upper level when a soft mechanical click touched the edges of my hearing and then a strange quiet hit my senses.

The hum of the lift was gone.

"Hey…" Lloyd groaned, his confusion stopping him from saying anything more. About ten feet short the elevator had suddenly stopped.

"It's not working…?" I mumbled to myself, noting that the rest of the group was absorbed in the fight and hadn't noticed what had happened. My brow furrowing, I turned on my heel to see that in one of the ditches, next to the machinery was a shadowy figure quickly trying to climb back up onto the path. They had switched off the elevator! "It can't be…"

Scrambling to its feet, the figure broke out into a run, headed for the passage way to the other end of the mine, towards the entrance. The lighting made it difficult to make out who it was from a distance, but there was no question in my mind just who it was trying to slip past us at the most opportune moment while a portion of the group was engaged in battle and the other portion were trapped on the lift between destinations. I moved without thinking, one step becoming two, two multiplying as I pushed my body past walking, past jogging, into a mad dash.

The pain shot through me instantly, but I ignored it. I pushed it away because I had to go after him. He was headed for the exit and he'd get away if I didn't do anything. The other hadn't seen him, but they noticed me, especially when Presea called out, "Regal!"

"What are you--" the Professor began to demand, the authority she held in our circle of friends flooding her tone, a tactic to try to stop me in my tracks.

But I cut her off, pushing my legs for all the speed I could muster though my abdomen was on fire, yelling over my shoulder, "He's getting away!"

"Regal, wait!" Sheena exclaimed before I heard her throw out her cards once again. The Rock Golem wasn't about to let them just walk away after Zelos had disturbed it. And I couldn't wait for them to defeat it.

George was already barreling down the connecting tunnel, towards the machinery that would take him to the entrance. I was behind, barely gaining, pain keeping me from going faster than my body could handle. I had spent years fighting in the arena injured, and just recently fought wounded against all sorts of enemies over the journey, so I was accustomed to pain, used to pushing my body against the urge to preserve itself. I knew I could do this in spite of the fact I knew I shouldn't, and this knowledge pushed me to keep running. The fact he reached the end of the tunnel made me go as fast as I could.

If he made it to the lift I could lose him. He could vanish once he made it out of the mines and there was no telling if I would ever be able to track him down again. After all he had done to me, to Alicia, to my family, I couldn't allow that to happen.

I could hear Presea calling my name. I could hear the worry, the fear, in her voice, and I knew I would curse myself later for hurting her, but I was the only one that could stop him. George had waited for the best chance he'd have to divide the group, to increase his chances of escape, and the Rock Golem had provided him with everything he needed after Lloyd, Genis, and Colette had separated themselves from the others. He'd managed to hide, to slip by us or to stay out of sight just long enough, but I would not allow him to get away.

Clenching my jaw, I pumped every muscle in my legs for speed, needing to catch my old servant. I was so close, almost to the ledge where I would either be too late to stop him from boarding the lift, or he was stuck waiting for it. I had to hope that fate was on my side. The instant I made it to the ledge I looked around, hoping to see him, but even the transport was empty and speeding back to the other side.

"No…" George wasn't there. He was not standing there waiting to cross like he should have been, and there was practically no chance he had had enough time to get to the other side, out of the mine, and out of reach. The only other way he could have gone though was off the edge. Where had he gone? Gasping for breath, keeping the dam up against the flood of pain ready to overwhelm me, I took a few steps forward looking all over for a sign of him.

He couldn't have gotten away…

No, he's here, he has to be…

I was forcibly plunged back into the moment when something slammed into the middle of my back knocking me to my knees. A flare went off beneath my skin since my wound had been struck, sending searing sparks through my limbs and into my vision, taking my breath away. A hiss sprayed past my teeth as I pried my eyes back open, willing them to focus, to see what was going on, what hit me. Was there another Rock Golem wandering around?

"How many times do I have to try to kill you before you die?" That voice pierced the air, cut through my very being to leave reality to bleed into me. George stood over me, a plank of wood at least two inches thick in his clutches as though it were a bat, his face smeared with dirt but bright red. He had probably hidden to the side of the passageway waiting for me to pass to strike. He'd been here all along!

Shakily, I scrambled back from him, groaning at the trickle of wetness down my back that I knew had to be blood, glaring at the elder man. "Did you really believe that you would get away with all of it?"

In all of the time I had known George, ever since I was a small boy, I had never before seen him seething before. But now his eyes were practically bulging, his teeth bared, a vein popping out on his throat, and every inch of his posture radiated fury. Even in the heat of battle, Yggdrasil had not looked so vicious. For a brief instant, I wondered once again how I could have been so completely blind in the face of such raw hatred.

"It no longer matters, Master Regal," George growled, a beast circling his prey, ready to take advantage of the fact I could not get to my feet yet. "But if I am going to fall then I'm going to take you with me!"

Raising the board over his head, he tried to swing it down onto mine, but I caught it with one hand though the sides of my vision were white blurs. George growled again jerking the plank attempting to pull it out of my grasp. He nearly did but I somehow managed to hold tight, and this caused his desperation erupt into a kick in my side, mere inches from where he'd stabbed me. Several waves of burning agony coursed through my frame making my head spin, but I held onto the board as I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming.

George saw an opportunity even though he couldn't get his make shift weapon back, utilizing the close proximity to kick me in the same place again. "Your wounds can't have healed completely, Master Regal!"

This time I could not hold back a cry of pain, but I held onto the board to give myself more leverage to swing my lower body, throwing my foot up into his gut. As he stumbled back breathless, I filled my own lungs and scrambled to my feet, clenching my jaw tightly. I faltered, but forced my legs to carry me forward, at my old servant so that I could kick out again, this time striking him in the chest. The elder man tumbled back into the connecting corridor away from the lifts.

"I…won't let you escape…" I murmured, one hand holding my side as I slowly shuffled closer to where he had landed on his backside. I doubted that I looked that intimidating, breathless and one hand resting against a support beam to remain upright.

"Ha!" he laughed even though blood dribbled down his chin from the corner of his lip and he hopped back up with energy that should have belonged to a man at least ten years younger. His eyes darted to where I'd dropped the plank of wood behind me, and he probably wondered if he could get around me to grab it. "You can barely even stand!"

"You're not going to get past me," I said flatly.

I couldn't believe, even though my thoughts were clouded with the white hot ashes, that he actually thought he could face me. George had never known about my late night visits to the dojo but he had to have at least heard of my success in the arena, especially if he'd been hoping that I would never return to Altamira alive. He had to know that I knew how to fight when he'd never raised his hand to anyone before, yet he seemed certain he could get by me.

Or maybe he actually underestimated me, thought that I was worse off than I was because of how he'd hurt me. There was no way that he could know about Raine's prowess as a healer, so did he think that I was just out of my death bed?

That expression of rage was still plastered over his face as he darted forward, his fist bawled and swinging for my jaw. His inexperience was telltale in his speed, his angle, but in my condition it was difficult to dodge completely in time so his fist rolled off my cheek. The blow jerked my head back, I saw stars, but it was George who had made the mistake. He'd come in close.

My instincts took over, driving my knee up into his gut sending him gasping several steps back, and without even thinking, I spun to thrust my leg into the same place once again. Completely winded, George could do nothing as I turned once again to gather momentum to kick him in the face, breaking his nose in one hit.

Down the tunnel, Presea was charging towards us, Raine, Sheena, Zelos, and Colette not far behind her. Lloyd and Genis had to be on their heels. If they were shouting, George's loud cry drowned it out bouncing off all of the walls as he held his blood nose taking a few unsteady steps backwards to try to regain his footing. There was only five or so feet between us, and all I needed to do was close that gap with another attack, but the burning in my side caused me to hesitate.

"What are you going to do, Master Regal?" my old servant laughed suddenly, the bitter tone cutting though the haze in my mind from wanting nothing more than to sit down and rest. Even as the blood poured down his cheeks he continued to laugh the dark sound reverberating off the walls. "Are you going to kill me like you did Vharley?"

I froze where I stood, my eyes wide, my breath hitched. What he said was true, I had had a hand in Vharley's death, I had helped Presea subdue him before the final blow was struck. Yet Vharley had had his own hands in the deaths of many innocent people, some I hadn't even been aware of until recently, and because the King was sick and the Pope was manipulating everything the Exsphere Broker would not have seen true justice. But did that justify our taking his life? Could it be justified to bring down George in the same way?

"You really are a murderer, aren't you? A killer. She was just your first taste of blood…pitiful, pathetic girl…" George growled out with a sneer. "You killed her with your own two hands…"

He was trying to get to me, to play with my mind, and he knew exactly how to do so. I grit my teeth, taking a slow step closer. "You murdered my parents. You sent Alicia off to be experimented on. You tried to kill me to take over my family's company."

"I've tried to kill you several times. I even paid guards in the prison to put you into more fights in the arena, but nothing seemed to put an end to you," he replied wiping the crimson liquid off his face as best he could, clenching his fists at his sides. "Are you going to get your revenge, Master Regal? Are you going to kill me like you did Vharley?"

I was moving before I realized it, bypassing the pain, my leg already in motion to catch my former servant in the side of the head. While George was stunned, I followed up with another kick, catching him in the chest to send him onto his back, sprawled out at the feet of my friends as they came to an abrupt stop in the tunnel. I said nothing as I stalked forward, looming over the elder man, then resting my boot on his throat drawing out a rather startled gag from him. His eyes bulged as he began to lose oxygen in his lungs and the ability to pull in enough as well.

"Regal!" Colette gasped out.

"Hey, wait a second…" Zelos started but stopped when Lloyd put a hand on his shoulder. The red head frowned deeply before biting his lower lip.

I knew what Zelos had meant to do considering he had to have heard how George had been taunting me only minutes ago. I also knew what Lloyd was trying to do by silencing the other swordsman. Both of them trusted me, they just wanted me to make the right decision. I had already decided what I was going to do though.

Pressing my foot down a little harder upon his throat, watching as he writhed in pain for air, my eyes narrowed down on him. "After all you have done, everyone you have hurt, all of the lives that you have tainted with you hatred, perhaps death is what you deserve, George."

His flailing increased but I held him in place, not about to let him do anything else. He had already done enough. The people he had hurt, most of them had not been as fortunate as I had been, merely injured and able to recover. My parents had died never knowing their was a traitor in their midst, and Alicia had suffered through Exsphere experiments that I was unable to save her from, all because of this man's greed. Who else had he hurt? Were there others? Though now he bragged about all he'd done to me, he might never admit if he'd committed more crimes.

"But death would be kinder…than the palace dungeons," I muttered, releasing him, taking a few steps back before faltering and leaning against the cavern wall. Sliding down it, I released a harsh breath, holding my side.

"Regal!" Presea exclaimed jogging past the sputtering servant to my side taking my free hand as concern gripped her features. "Regal, are you all right?"

Professor Sage had followed her, dropping down next to me as well, and in spite of the dark clothing I was wearing she saw the small spots of blood. "Your wounds are opening again, Regal. Hold still. This should only take a moment. Help is on the way…Nurse!"

The light made it hard to see that George was struggling to get up, coughing hard, and he was probably ready to make a run for it. He didn't see, or notice, that Genis had pushed his way between the others to stand directly behind the other man. As the ache in my back and sides began to fade, I saw the young man raise his kendama up to smack the servant over the back of the head without warning.

George's eyes rolled up into the lids before he collapsed onto the rocky floor. The others stared at the mage dumbfounded, but he merely turned his gaze to mine, smirking. "That's what he gets for messing with us, right?"

Chuckling, I nodded as I spotted another rune circle flare up beneath Raine's feet. "Yes, Genis, and he'll have more coming…in Meltokio."

Out of the group, Genis had been the last one to accept me as a member, but it seemed that all of that was far behind us now while dealing with George was on top of the list. His real punishment would come from the King, not from me. I had no right to deal out such a thing as death. Taking a deep breath, I tried to exhale out all of the anger I had carried into the mines as it had served its purpose.

I did not want anger on the new path I would soon start.

When I opened my eyes, Sheena was standing in front of me, hands on her hips to match the pointed glare she glare she was giving me. "Do you need to have a lesson in how to follow directions, Regal Bryant, or are you just trying to make all of us worry? Although…I think you did manage to give as good as you got this time…"

"I think he's learned his lesson," Lloyd commented as he helped Colette lift up George after Zelos had nearly hogtied the man. The swordsman didn't need to help the angel, but he was trying all the same. "Especially since everything has been taken care of, right?"

"Not quite. George…still needs to be brought up on charges," I murmured, hurting but smiling all the same. "I don't think my doctor's orders will allow me out of bed for a few days, so…could you see to it he's held until then? Please tell His Majesty that I will come…after I've had more time to heal?"

"Of course, don't worry about it," Zelos assured me tossing his hair over his shoulder.

"My, my…maybe you were hit in the head too, Regal. You're actually going to listen to me? I'll have to check you over again," Raine commented with a snicker.

"I think…I'm just ready to move on from this…" I sighed as I let my eyes slide shut, embracing the urge to rest even though I knew it would worry the others more. But with George finally captured, I could finally rest and when I woke, I could look for that new path without shackles but with my friends at my side.

To be continued

End notes: Wow, I still can't understand why it totally took me so long to get this chapter up. I did change jobs and schools last summer though, and got swept up into a bunch of things. Plus my writing energy got pointed towards trying to please a "Creative Writing" professor that discourages 'genre writing'. How creative is that? I apologize. I'll have the epilogue up soon though!