Well, I hope that you are liking this story so far. I'm working really hard on this piece. I'm putting a lot of thought and emotion into it. I want it to be a dramatic and possibly heart wrenching tale. It may not seem so yet, but you'll be surprised with what I've come up with!!!! Yay!!!!

Chapter SEVEN!!! WOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Mwhahahahahahaha! Why do I laugh, you ask? Simple! I have no idea.

Chapter Seven: The Answers to the Questions

The night seemed to drag on for limitless expanses of time. It felt like milleniums had passed, eons even... but every time she looked at the watch, Tor saw that only a second more had ticked by. She'd tried for ages, in her mind, to get some sleep... keeping her eyes closed and her mind as clear as she could manage. She just couldn't shake the uncertainty.

Sighing, she sat up again. She knew that she wouldn't get any sleep that night, so she gave up on it and began to think again. WAS there anything that she could do? COULD she really manage all of this? She sighed again. Of course not. There was no way that she would be able get herself through this... let alone everyone else. It would probably just save them a ton of wasted time and effort if they gave up now.

"Wait... What am I thinking? How could I-" Tor began whispering to herself. "How? How could I? How could I think of abandoning everyone? How could I think of giving up? I've NEVER given up before... I've never THOUGHT of giving up before... Yeah, giving up is probably the most logical thing to do, but... but... I won't do it." Tor thought. "Why was I even thinking about giving up, losing hope? ... The angel powers... I've been thinking more and more clearly since I got them... Why is that? Is it an effect of them? Is it helping me weigh the chances? No... it can't be. If this is part of the angel powers, they can't expect anyone to make this journey... not if the angels are supposed to think like this... no, NOT if angels think like this. Hmmmm... Is the sense of oncoming danger... bringing out my sense of logic? No, that's just strange... what could it be?"

YAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWN! "Tor, what are you doing up? You restless or something?" Kanny asked, yawning again.

"Oh, um... Hey Kanny. Uh, yeah. I woke up a second ago... can't get back to sleep. Why are you up? I thought you'd be too tired to get up for a good two days." Tor said managing a smile.

"Oh, hahaha." Kanny grumbled. "I'm not that pathetic."

"I did not mean to imply anything, my friend. Everyone was very tired... I expect everyone to need a lot of sleep. We don't usually walk that much in a day. Think about it. We left at noon, then walked for a day and a half with no rest. You all have to be exhausted." Tor whipered... trying desperately not to wake anyone else.

"Yeah, we're all tired... But what about you?" Kanny asked, looking at her friend very seriously. "Are you staying up to watch after us? You can't sacrifice your rest or your health for us. That's not fair to yourself."

Now that she thought about it... Tor realized that she was worried to death that something would happen to these people while they were under her care... THAT'S why she couldn't sleep!

"I'd never do something so foolish..." Tor grumbled. "I'm the most logical person here, my friend. I know that I'm no good to you all if I don't have any energy when I'm needed to." She was lying through her teeth. She knew that she'd be worthless if she was too tired, but she wasn't tired yet... and she couldn't leave them unguarded in the night. She was doing something foolish... but not in her mind. It may seem foolish to her friend, but she had no idea what sort of responsibility this was. She knew that they were saving the world, but not that if they didn't save it... no one would. It may have crossed her mind... but there was no way that Kanny knew that the fate of the world and everyone on it was really and truly resting on their shoulders. Tor knew... she knew it very well. The angels had reminded her over and over, constantly telling her to watch over these people, constantly warning he to be careful, constantly telling her that it was all up to her. It was a lot of pressure for a fourteen year-old to have.

"Alright, but if you need to talk about anything... I'm here for you." her friend muttered, crawling back into her sleeping bag and nodding off.

"What to do? What to do? What to do?" Tor mumbled, beginning to pace slowly. She still couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking. She had to get these kids to JAPAN! How on earth was she supposed to do that!?!

Suddenly, an idea struck her. Not one of those ideas that she would quickly discard either, but a valid idea. How had this journey begun? With a visit from angels... So, how would this journey continue? Tor would speak with the angels again.

"Lloyd!" Tor whispered sharply. "Collette!" she hissed. "I need to talk with you!"

There was no response. "PLEASE! Help me out! I really need to talk to you!"

Still, there was no response. No one was answering. Not Lloyd, and not Collette. "Don't tell me you're sleeping! I NEED help! Please. ANYONE! I NEED help." Tor whispered, on the verge of tears. This just wasn't working out. Nothing was going as planned. Maybe giving up WAS the only way to go.

NO! She wiped away the tears and clasped her hands. How do you talk to angels? How do you get your messages to god(or gods and goddesses... whatever religion you may be...)? What do I do when I'm losing hope? Well, personally I pray. Tor began praying. She thought so hard, willing the prayer to the angels... praying that the prayer would reach the ones it was meant for.

"So... You're the one that Lloyd stuck with the job. I really don't envy you, Tor." a voice whispered in her ear. Surprised by this, Tor spun around. "No need to be afraid! Just please, don't tell me you don't like half elves!" the voice said.

Tor stared at the person in front of her. He was a rather handsome man. He looked very young, and very happy. He looked to be not much older than her cousin Sheen. He looked to be in his mid teens... Maybe even around her age, probably older though. That wasn't possible. He knew about Lloyd, the job she had received, even half-elves. He had to be...

"Are you Genis?" Tor asked as she continued to stare at the boy in front of her.

"You're pretty well informed." he replied in a laughing tone. He smiled. "So, you need some help? Lloyd actually IS sleeping now, the lazy bum. As for Collette, she was never the brightest. So, I'll help you out. What do you need?"

"Wow... I'm actually meeting Genis!" Tor grinned. "Um... Well, after some travel... the members of the group are tired and... just pushed beyond their limits. I don't think that we'll be able to make the journey. Not judged on the way we're all performing now." Tor began.

"Hmmm... Continue." Genis said, looking deep in thought.

"We are supposed to make the pilgrimmage without all of the modern conveniences that we are used to, at least in the transportation field. Somehow, I don't think we'll even be able to get to the next Chosen." Tor grimaced.

"That is pretty bad." Genis muttered. "Maybe you should make a bit of a detour before you get the next Chosen." he suggested.

"What sort of detour do you mean?" Tor asked. She was willing to listen to some new ideas. She was thrilled to be speaking with someone that was said to be so intelligent. Once she had read about Genis and his part in the regeneration of the world, she became something of a fangirl. She wished that she could talk to him and learn more about what had actually happened. When it came down to it, Tor loved history. What a nerd!

"Well, as you read in The Kharlan War, A History, there was an organization known as the Renegades. That organization still exists today. They do what they can to make advancements in science, AND aid the Chosens' group. They try to keep the world in the best shape they can... They should be able to help you." Genis explained.

"The Renegades are still around? Fascinating. Do you really think they can help?" Tor muttered, beginning to think again. What could they do to help? What EXACTLY could they do to help?

"I think they'll be able to help, and would be very excited to do so. Yuan hasn't had work like THIS in ages." Genis grinned.

"Yuan? Like... THE Yuan? Mithos' companion from the Kharlan War? Martel's love, Yuan? THAT Yuan?" Tor asked. "Hmm... Truly fascinating."

"Yes, that Yuan." Genis said grinning. "Now that you've asked me some questions, I've got a question for you. Is that alright?"

"Sure, what is it?" Tor replied.

"Did Lloyd remember to give you your special exsphere?" Genis asked in a tired voice.

"Exsphere? Um... no. The only things Lloyd gave me were these angel powers and these old wooden swords of his." Tor said spreading her wings and pointing to the swords on her belts.

"Lloyd, you idiot." Genis mumbled. "I'll be right back, WITH your exsphere." he sighed. "Lloyd, you amaze me sometimes... after all these years you're still a child, an irresponsible child." He disappeared.

"Wow. Genis is SO cool!" Tor grinned. Okay, maybe he wasn't the coolest person... but Tor certainly admired him... but then again, Tor tends to admire smart people... nerdy people.

A few minutes later, Genis was back. In his hand, he had a gem attatched to an odd piece of metal with strange symbols and letterings.

"Genis, is that really an exsphere? And a key crest?" Tor asked as she gaped at what he had in his hands.

"Uh-huh." he said grinning. "The Renegades developed it. It's the only one of it's kind. It's YOUR Cruxis crystal, but modified. It was already super powerful because it was a Cruxis crystal made for an angel instead of a Chosen, but they made some alterations to it." Genis began to explain.

"I have a Cruxis crystal, too?" Tor asked. "Wow, cool."

"Yeah. Anyway, they used technology that was created from the making of the Angelus Project Exsphere to enhance it. This is the strongest exsphere ever made, and it's a one of a kind." Genis explained. "And Lloyd forgot to give it to you. He's such an idiot sometimes!"

"And that key crest will make it so that I can wear the exsphere without turning into a... monster?" Tor asked.

"Yup. Dirk, Altessa, AND Lloyd worked on it, using all the Dwarven knowledge on keycrests that they knew. They even made sure that it had the properties of a Rune Crest... to make sure that you wouldn't be effected by the disease of the Cruxis crystal. It's a pretty rare occurence, but they wanted to make sure you were alright... they have new protocols on how Chosens are selected and how they get their Cruxis crystals... they make sure that all of them have a Rune crest to equip." Genis explained... ending up in a lecturing monologue.

"The disease... Wasn't it something like... 'Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium'?" Tor asked.

"Yes, very good. That's the disease alright. You've studied quite a lot for this journey, haven't you?" Genis said smiling.

"Well, originally it was for a history project... but once I was told about this journey, I've sort of been working on committing the book to memory." Tor admitted. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that she was spending her free time memorizing that huge old book. She had heard thousands of times that history repeats itself... so she wanted to make sure that she was prepared, just incase it actually DID repeat itself.

"Wow. A human is actually committed to their studies!" Genis said grinning. "Sorry, but when you spend thousands of years with humans like Lloyd, you don't expect humans to actually be intelligent. No offense."

"None taken. From what I see, when you have Lloyd as an example, you have every right to think it a rule that humans are babbling fools... but now that you've met me, you've found the greatest exception to that little rule." Tor grinned back. Okay, she had a bit of an ego... everyone blamed her father for that... and her mother... okay, they all had pretty big egos in her family.

"Indeed I have," Genis said... actually sounding serious.

"Um... Thanks. I really appreciate all the help you're giving to us," Tor murmured as she pocketed the special Cruxis crystal and Rune crest. "About the Renegades, any idea where we could find them?"

"That, I'm not exactly sure about. We haven't been in contact with them lately, so that we could avoid interrupting their research. Sadly, the result of losing contact is losing knowledge of their work and where they are." Genis sighed.

"That is potentially problematic. Do you have any idea as to what country they would be in, at least?" Tor grimaced.

"I believe that they were in Canada last time we were in contact with them. It would be best to start the search there and look for leads." Genis explained.

"Very well then. We'll start heading for Canada once everyone is rested... Is there any particular place in Canada that we should check?"

"I would suggest going into Québec. Check Chisasibi, Québec. It's on the northeastern coast of the James Bay. That's where they were last located. It would be a good place to start an investigation." Genis lectured.

"That's a pretty long way. I don't think we could walk all the way there. I think we would be best off taking some of the older trains... those kinds that were around before... so we should be able to use them if they are the inconvenient slow ones... We can have slightly convenient transportation without going against the rules of the pilgrimmage. Do you think that would work, Genis?"

"Yes, it should. I wish you the best of luck with this journey... I'll try to help you as much as I can." Genis said, beginning to disappear again.

"Oh, um... Alright. We'll do our best!" Tor murmured to him as he slowly disappeared. She'd hoped he would stay longer. She was used to having no one to talk to... but it was nice to be around people. She liked having someone to talk to... instead of having to just keep inside her head, thinking.

"So, we're off to Canada." she whispered, laying down on her sleeping bag. "This is going to be a hassle."