Chapter One: Realization

Noishe whined and pawed at his master's still form. Why wasn't Master moving? Worried, the protozoan nudged him with his muzzle. No response.

Ugh....W-where am I? Dazed, Lloyd sat up holding his head. Sun pounded down through the trees and the gurgling of the stream calmed him. He was on the brink of regaining his composure when he realized something was wrong. Very wrong. He was here...but his body was over there. He blinked a few times, wondering if he had hit his head. Nothing changed. Panic buzzed up from deep within him, threatening to overwhelm him. Scrambling up he took a trembling step towards his body. Startled, Noishe looked up and backed away as something unseen approached. Caught between a need to protect his master and his fear, Noishe whimpered and trembled, his tail between his legs.

"Noishe, c-calm down." Lloyd couldn't keep his voice steady. "W-we're gonna figure something out and everything is going to be okay-" Noishe wailed and fled. "No, wait!" Lloyd went to run after him when he realized something else. His...feet...they weren't touching the ground...and, and why was he transparent!? He struggled to keep his breathing steady, trying to understand what was going on. "Okay me...calm down...deep breaths." He whispered, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I-I still FEEL solid...a-at least to me..." He floated a little closer to his body. "Okay think...what just happened?" He frowned, struggling to remember what happened after crossing the bridge. The only thing that came to him was a rustling of leaves and a whooshing sound. Then there was just nothing...Lloyd sat down and crossed his arms, staring at his body.

After a few moments he began to examine himself. "I don't have any wounds..." He mumbled, running a hand over his face. "But I'm not breathing..." He said after bending over and checking. A nervous chuckle escaped him as the weirdness of the situation dawned. "I'm a ghost. I just died and now I think I'm haunting here." Clenching and unclenching his fists he thought his situation over. "Who killed me? How did I die? Why am I a ghost!?" He floated back and forth over his body, the equivalent of pacing when your a ghost. Considering he just died and became a ghost, Lloyd was taking it surprisingly well. Of course, that could just be a delayed shock syndrome too.

The crunching of gravel reached Lloyd's ears. Whirling around he stared at the path wide eyed. Who was it that was approaching? A friend or a desian? Or worse, was it the guy who killed him? Narrowing his eyes he put a hand on his swords, then paused and looked down. His swords? Quickly he glanced over at his body, which also had swords...so he had phantom swords? Curious, he drew one out and pondered if it could cut anything. Looking at it, he noted it looked the same as it did before...whatever happened, happened, but now it was transparent. He ran a hand down it and discovered that the "blade" was solid. But when he went to whack a tree with it the blade just passed through it like nothing.

"Yeah Lloyd'll be so excited!" His head whipped around as he recognized the voice and relief swept through him. Colette was the one he heard walking and it would seem she was with someone else so it must be Genis. He floated forward and then realization dawned. They would see his body and realize that he was...he couldn't help but wince as he ran the word over in his mind.

"Dead...How can I be dead...?" He whispered. As Colette's and Genis' voices drew near he looked over. "What do I do?" He whispered.

"Noishe? What are ya doing here without Lloyd boy?" Genis knelt down and rubbed the protozoan behind his ears. Noishe whined and gently bit onto Genis' shoulder, then tugged insistently. "Huh? Noishe?" Genis pulled away confused. Whining, Noishe ran forward, towards Lloyd's body. Frowning, Genis crossed his arms. "What's up with him today?" Colette shrugged.

"I'm not sure? Maybe he has something he wants to show us?" Smiling, Colette walked forward. "C'mon, lets see what it is he wants!" Genis nodded and followed after her. Lloyd's eyes widened as they came into view...

lol see? It is longer! Hehe and its got a cliff hanger...Oh but I have plans for the next chapter! Until then~ please read, enjoy, and comment!