A/N: So, slightly shorter chapter, but I really don't give a damn, considering this is my fourth rewrite of this stupid thing. I'm just happy it's as long as it is and that it now sounds decent. But anyway, enjoy!
Aiden leaned forward, trying to see the next floor without actually walking up the stairs. From the base of the steps, all he could tell was that, unlike the rest of the temple, the third floor was brightly lit and that part of the roof had caved in. He could see snowflakes backed by a screen of light gray clouds through the edge of a jagged hole. Otherwise, there was nothing to suggest what was waiting for them up there. "How come that floor is lit but the others weren't?" he asked, practically laying across the steps in his effort to see everything he could.
Yuan started to explain that there were other angels that would have ensured that this room, at least, was nice and orderly, but he hadn't even gotten the first word out before Eli interrupted. "Maybe someone lives up there," he said, also leaning across the stairs to try and see the floor above. "Hello, is anyone up there?" There was no answer and Eli straightened, shrugging. "Maybe they had to go to the store."
"No one lives up there," Yuan said, shaking his head. He just wished they'd hurry up and continue instead of wondering why there was light. The angel's shoulder was throbbing painfully, even after he'd scrounged up a lemon gel from his wingpack. He just wanted this to be over with so he could ask Kratos for a little bit of healing magic. However, no one seemed to be paying any attention to him.
"Or they're just lying in wait," Aiden said, finally standing up straight, though he still made no move to actually walk up to the third floor. "Who do you think might be up there?"
"If there is someone up there, they probably don't want to be bothered," Audrey said from where she was waiting next to Yuan. The angel was actually surprised she wasn't trying to dissuade her brothers from the stupid idea that the temple had a squatter. She had seemed so much more reasonable.
Aiden continued to stare up at the opening to the next floor, a thoughtful look on his face. Yuan was sure that if the teenager had a beard, he would have been stroking it. "Maybe it's a criminal. Y'know, some murderer or something, hiding out from the guards," he said and Yuan sighed heavily, though again he went ignored.
"It could just be a nice homeless person. Or even a family," Eli said hopefully, trying not to think about some killer lying in wait.
"Or a wild man raised by the lobos, with lots of hair and sharp teeth and red eyes."
"What if it's a half-elf, like me and Yuan, hiding here so no one calls them mean names."
"Maybe whoever it is got all mutilated and hideous in some accident, and lives here so that they don't scare anyone," Aiden said with a grin, eagerly latching onto the idea.
Eli frowned, looking up at the third floor again. "I think it's just a hermit. Someone who doesn't like people and wants to be away from them."
Aiden didn't answer for a moment, and Yuan hoped it was because he was out of ideas, so that this ridiculous conversation would end. However, his hope was dashed when Aiden's face lit up and the teenager snapped his fingers, saying excitedly, "What if it's a homeless, mutiliated, murderous half-elf hermit that was raised by lobos!" Eli gasped, his eyes widening, and he took a quick step back.
"Aiden, stop it," Audrey said, wrapping her arms around her little brother's shoulders. "You're scaring him."
"Oh, don't worry, Eli. They wouldn't hurt kids. Coffee may be a different matter...but you'll be just fine!" Aiden assured, shooting a mocking grin Yuan's way.
The angel scowled and rolled his eyes, wondering how long it would take for Aiden to call him by his name. "Then this time there's no reason for you not to go first. Even if there is someone there, which I highly doubt, they won't harm you, if you're telling the truth," Yuan said, gesturing toward the stairs. Aiden glanced up and back, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.
"Why, you scared of what might be up there?" he mocked and Yuan's scowl deepened.
"There isn't even anything up there to be scared of," he scoffed. "It's just an empty room."
"Then I don't see why you're scared."
"I'm not," Yuan said forcefully, moving to cross his arms and then flinching as his shoulder twinged painfully. "You know what, fine. I'll lead the way again. Just because I want to get out of this place today," he huffed, pushing past Aiden and Eli and stomping up the stairs, the three children following behind him.
The third floor was little more than a large room, with windows all around. Even though the ceiling was falling apart and bits of the walls were crumbling, the floor was completely clear of debris. In fact, it was clear of most anything, except for the altar that sat in the middle of the room. The torches that lined the walls looked as if they'd been burning for a while, since the flames were starting to die down in some of them, and Yuan wondered just how long Kratos had been waiting for them to finally get here.
Aiden looked around the room skeptically, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is it? There's nothing here!" he said, disappointment and annoyance creeping into his voice. Shooting Yuan a suspicious glance, he demanded, "You're just messing with us, aren't you?"
"Yes, because I think it's great fun to drag a small group of obnoxious kids through Flanoir and get impaled with a lobo spike," Yuan said sarcastically. Eli pouted, scooting a little closer to his sister.
"It's okay, Eli. You're not really obnoxious. He's just angry at Aiden," Audrey assured the little half-elf. Her words made Yuan feel a little bad for hurting the boy's feelings, which made it much more difficult to retain his full anger. Inwardly groaning, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger, feeling a headache creeping up on him.
"Just...go stand in front of the altar," Yuan said tiredly. Much to his surprise, Aiden listened to him without any sort of comeback or quip, though the teen didn't seem to be very impressed with the idea.
As soon as he got close enough to the altar, a beam of light came down through the hole in the ceiling and stopped at the altar, effectively blinding everyone in the room. Aiden shouted and jumped back, shielding his eyes with his hands, and Audrey squeaked with surprise. Yuan screwed his sensitive eyes shut, turning away. Apparently someone in Welgaia was unaware of just how bright the teleportation special effects were.
After just a moment, the light dimmed until it was barely visible, and it took everyone a moment to clear the spots from their vision. Once they had, they could finally make out Kratos, hovering just over the altar, his blue wings beating slowly and heavily to keep him aloft. Yuan could have sworn he looked faintly uncomfortable, no doubt unsure how to proceed after accidentally disorienting everyone present.
Before anyone else could do much of anything, Aiden spoke up, uttering the single most ridiculous thing Yuan had heard come out of his mouth yet. "You're not a homeless, murderous, mutilated half-elf hermit that's been raised by lobos, are you?" Kratos blinked, debating whether or not that was meant to be an insult or just a really, really stupid question.
"I am Kratos, an angel of judgement," the blue-winged angel said, deciding to simply act as if Aiden had never spoken. He didn't get any further than that before Aiden interrupted again and Kratos scowled in annoyance.
"Just because you're an angel doesn't mean you're not a homeless, murderous, muti-"
"He's not any of those!" Yuan snapped. Well, admittedly Kratos could be murderous, and at some times Yuan wouldn't have been surprised to hear that Kratos was raised by lobos, but he really didn't feel like getting into that at the moment. "For Martel's sake, just let him finish." Aiden made a face but fell silent, crossing his arms over his chest.
"As I was saying..." Kratos said slowly, trying to get the ritual back on track. "I've come to guide Tethe'alla's Chosen, Aiden Norfel, on the third Journey of World Regeneration."
It probably would have been best if Kratos had plowed on through to the next part, since it wouldn't have given Aiden a chance to speak up again. "Wait," he said, and Kratos's eyes narrowed, practically daring him to continue the thought. Either Aiden didn't notice or he just didn't find the look intimidating, as he continued, "If you're supposed to guide me, then does that mean I don't have to travel with Coffee here anymore?"
"No," Kratos said shortly, quickly continuing when Aiden looked ready to speak again. "Yuan will travel with you to ensure your protection. I will help guide you through the...spiritual steps of becoming an angel."
The explanation seemed to be enough to quiet Aiden for the moment, and Kratos pressed on before the teenager could think of any other questions. The auburn-haired, slightly grumpy angel lifted one hand that had been held in a fist by his side since his appearance. He uncurled his fingers and the Cruxis Crystal he'd been holding floated slightly above his hand, glinting in the room's flickering light.
Aiden looked at the stone suspiciously, taking a cautious step back. "What's that, and why's it floating?" he demanded.
"That's so cool!" Eli exclaimed, staring at the floating crystal with wide, awe-filled eyes.
"It's kind of pretty," Audrey said quietly and Yuan snorted. Yeah, it was pretty, if you didn't know that it was going to slowly turn Aiden into a soulless vessel. Actually, at the moment, that didn't sound like much of a downside. At least then he'd be quiet.
Kratos ignored the two kids, not even sparing them a glance, as he explained, "This is a Cruxis Crystal, a sacred object that marks your position as the Chosen. It is through this that Cruxis will grant you the blessings of an angel." As he spoke, the crystal slowly drifted from his hand, toward the wary teenager, who backed up a few steps to keep some distance between himself and the floating stone.
Whenever the Cruxis Crystal got closer, Aiden would move further away, never taking his eye off of the rather innocent-looking crystal. Yuan was sure this could go on for hours if Aiden was left to his own devices, and while it was kind of amusing watching the boy getting chased by a red stone half the size of his fist, it was getting them nowhere fast.
"I don't think it'll hurt you, Aiden," Audrey said reassuringly, though her older brother didn't seem to care about what she thought it would or wouldn't do. He seemed sure that the little stone was out for his blood, and it didn't seem like it would be easy to make him think otherwise. Yuan sighed, something he noticed he was doing a lot of recently, and moved up to grab Aiden by the collar of his coat. The boy's retreat was suddenly halted and he looked at Yuan accusingly, squirming to get away.
"Let go," the teenager demanded, attempting to shrug out of his coat. Yuan just adjusted his grip so he also held the collar of Aiden's shirt, trying to keep him as stationary as possible. Each time Aiden tried to pull away, it jarred the angel's other arm, sending pain shooting through his shoulder and making Yuan clench his teeth to keep from swearing.
The Cruxis Crystal finally caught up to its elusive target, pressing into the hollow of his throat. Aiden closed his eyes and turned his head away as there was a brief flash of light, the crystal fusing to his skin. The Key Crest that formed around it was a simple, circular piece, with minimal engravings and no other adornment.
Aiden slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the crystal on his chest with incredulity. "That's it?" he scoffed, and Yuan slowly let go of his collar, fairly sure Aiden wouldn't bolt. The Chosen poked at the crystal with one finger, shaking his head. "Well, that was underwhelming."
"No, you just made a bigger deal out of it than was necessary," Yuan said, his voice strained as he tried to ignore the new pain. "Now go back over there and be quiet. We're almost done." Aiden obeyed, still messing with the Cruxis Crystal and Key Crest, his attention fixed on them instead of on Kratos, who had been waiting impatiently during Aiden's freak-out.
"From now on, you will be recognized as the Chosen of Mana," Kratos said, not even bothering to try and get Aiden's attention, and Yuan was pretty sure his friend just wanted to teleport back to Welgaia as soon as possible. "Cruxis blesses this event and bestows the Tower of Salvation upon Tethe'alla."
Kratos gestured to one of the many windows in the room, and Eli suddenly grabbed his sister's hand, dragging her over to look. He practically climbed on top of the windowsill, straining to see through the clouds and the thick snowfall that had blown in while they'd been in the temple, none of which was actually getting inside, Yuan noticed. After a brief moment of fruitless searching, the little half-elf jabbed his finger into the windowpane, exclaiming loudly, "There it is, I see it!" Sure enough, the tower could be seen just faintly through the snow, a thin, dark line running from the ground to the sky.
"Chosen," Kratos said firmly, and Aiden finally dragged his attention back with a great deal of reluctance, pulling a sour face as his still unwanted title. "With each seal you unlock, Cruxis will grant you the power of the angels. When you break the final seal and become an angel in full, Tethe'alla will be reborn. I will await you at the Seal of Ice. Good luck." With that, the beam of light flashed again and he was gone, though the light still remained, a faint pillar. Yuan was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that. He was also pretty sure that Kratos had skipped over a line in the speech, but didn't blame the other angel one bit. If he could, he would have already teleported away in order to avoid Aiden's obnoxious...everything.
Eli was still crouched on the windowsill admiring the tower, not that there was too much to admire at the moment, with Audrey supporting him so he didn't fall backwards. Aiden poked at the crystal again, as if expecting it to do something, before saying with a smirk in his voice, "His wings were much cooler than yours."
Yuan scowled, sure the expression would become permanently stuck to his face after this journey, and growled, "Again, I had no control over my wing color." Aiden just snickered and the angel let out a breath, quelling the sudden violent urges that had struck him. "Why don't you three go wait down on the first floor. I have something I need to see to."
"What kind of something?" Aiden pried, raising an eyebrow.
"A mysterious, secret, only-for-me-to-know something," Yuan said. It really wasn't all that secretive, but he didn't feel the need to explain himself to the boy.
"What about the lobo pups? What if they find us and attack?" Audrey asked, lifting her little brother from the windowsill and setting him on his feet. He seemed disappointed at having to leave, though the disappointment increased significantly after being reminded of the pups. He apparently found the top of the temple to be quite a bit safer than the bottom.
"That's why I said the first floor. Their den appears to be the second. But should they find you, I'll trust Aiden to scream in a loud, little-girl-like fashion, and I'll come help," Yuan said, smirking at Aiden's sudden scowl. Being able to taunt the boy for once was a nice change. Audrey frowned but didn't speak up, apparently not wanting to reprimand an angel for rude comments.
The young girl nodded, taking Eli's hand and pulling him over to the stairs. On her way, she grabbed Aiden's coat, dragging him as well before he started snapping back. Yuan watched in amusement as Aiden stumbled for a few steps, and figured that maybe having Audrey around would be more helpful than he'd originally considered.
He waited a moment for them to make their way downstairs, listening for any sign that the lobo pups had emerged from hiding, but it stayed quiet. Finally, Yuan stepped up to the altar himself, saying loudly, "I know you're still there, Kratos."
This time there was no bright flash of light or theatrics as Kratos teleported back, landing lightly across the altar from Yuan. And still the faint beam of light persisted. "Why hasn't that been turned off?" Yuan asked, looking up as if he could find the source of the light.
"It broke. Now it will only get very bright or very dim," Kratos said, frowning at the light. "I thought you fixed it last year."
"I did!" Yuan protested before waving his hand dismissively. "Just hit it with lightning when you get back. That should help."
Kratos raised an eyebrow, glancing from the dim light to Yuan. "You are aware that your method of 'fixing' our technology rarely does more than temporarily patch it, aren't you?" Yuan frowned. He had always found zapping uncooperative technology to be extremely helpful. "Such as your automatic door. It got stuck after you left and now sits half-open."
"Stupid door," Yuan grumbled.
After a brief moment of silence, Kratos asked, "Yuan, why haven't you done something about the lobo's spike sticking out of your shoulder?" Yuan looked at the rather painful white weapon, frowning.
"Because if I remove it, it will cause more damage because it's barbed, and I already used my only lemon gel," he said, voice trailing away at the last part. Kratos sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hadn't thought there would be too much trouble here," Yuan said defensively. "I figured we wouldn't even have to use it until the seal's guardian at the earliest."
"How in the worlds did you even get shot?" Kratos asked.
"A lobo had nested here. We came across the pups, got attacked by the mother, and I got shot trying to get the stupid Chosen out of the way," Yuan said shortly.
"The boy does appear to need extra assistance," Kratos agreed, moving around the altar and looking critically at the spike. "I'm going to remove that. Please try not to deafen me."
Yuan nodded once, steeling himself as Kratos grabbed the spike, his other hand steadying Yuan's shoulder, and pulled. Yuan let out a strangled shout that ended up getting caught in his throat, sudden pain blossoming in his shoulder. He could feel it begin to bleed again, his blood further staining the edge of his cape a dark purple. He had screwed his eyes shut and after a moment began growling out a long string of curses. He heard Kratos mutter, "Healing Wind", and a light breeze played over the wound. The pain immediately died down to just an annoying throb and the wound closed. It took another moment for Yuan to force his muscles to relax and he slowly rolled his shoulder, testing its movement.
"I really need to learn that," he muttered, glaring at the spike that Kratos still held, its sharp, barbed end coated red with Yuan's blood. He rolled his shoulder once more before looking at his cape in dismay. He'd really liked this cape, and now it was stained and had a hole in it.
Silence stretched again as Yuan tried to get his injured joint working properly before Kratos gestured to where the three siblings had disappeared to. "May I ask why you are accompanied by two children?"
"Technically it's three children," Yuan corrected, though he knew exactly what Kratos meant. "But they're the Chosen's siblings. He refused to go on this journey without them."
"You could have made him leave," Kratos suggested and Yuan gave the other angel a look that clearly said he thought Kratos was an idiot.
"You're suggesting that I could have dragged Aiden, kicking and screaming, from his home to force him on this mission?" Yuan clarified and Kratos nodded once with a frown, unsure what the problem was. "If I'd done that, all anyone would have seen would have been a half-elf abducting a human child, and I would have had a very angry town after me. I'm pretty good at fighting, but that might pose a problem."
Kratos's frown deepened and he slowly nodded. "I suppose that wouldn't have been the best course of action," he conceded.
"Maybe I should have just let him stay in Flanoir," Yuan continued thoughtfully. "I know Mithos would have been pissed, but it would probably have been better for everyone. You saw him for yourself - Aiden is uncooperative, unwilling, untrusting, disbelieving, and that's only his attitude toward this journey. At least the Chosens before him were like Martel in some ways, but he's her opposite in every way, even if you don't consider the fact that he's a boy. Maybe I should have just let it be and told Mithos to wait for someone else."
"Mithos seems quite sure that Aiden is the one we need," Kratos said carefully, cautiously trying to keep his friend's temper from flaring. "And perhaps it could work. Look at Spiritua. Her and Martel were almost identical when you looked at their personalities, and yet she was the wrong vessel. Perhaps it will work better when using someone who does not perfectly match."
Yuan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms grumpily. "Now you're just making excuses," he accused. "You know as well as I do that Aiden won't be an effective vessel, either. Mithos is grasping at straws. It's been nearly three hundred years since we split the worlds, since Martel's death, and he's growing impatient, desperate. If you told him Martel's soul would be compatible with a dog, I'm sure he'd try it on the first animal he found."
"That's a little extreme," Kratos interrupted. Yuan scowled, waving the comment away with his hand.
"My point is," he continued firmly, "that this is all a great waste of everyone's time. I'm still going through with it, since I'm as stuck as Aiden is, but I'm not seeing this working. And if Mithos could finally figure that out, all the better."
Kratos stared at the half-elf for a moment before glancing up through the hole in the ceiling. "I'll talk to Mithos," he finally said, and Yuan's scowl abruptly vanished in surprise. He hadn't expected Kratos to actually agree to anything. "I highly doubt his mind will change, but I will bring up your concerns, a little more tactfully of course, and see what he thinks. Just realize it's your fault should he go into another rage."
"Sure, I'll take full responsibility," Yuan agreed, nodding. "Thanks, Kratos."
The auburn-haired angel nodded once, glancing at the light beam again. "I should return and you should go make sure the Chosen hasn't died while we've been talking."
"I'm sure he's fine. That boy's too stubborn to die," Yuan said, but he moved toward the stairs anyway. "See you at the first seal."
"I'll be waiting," Kratos said before he vanished, teleporting back to Welgaia.
Yuan trudged back down the stairs, keeping an eye out for angry pups seeking revenge. None appeared, however, and he assumed they were still hiding, waiting for their mother to return. If so, they'd be waiting for a very long time. He found Aiden, Audrey, and Eli waiting near the base of the stairs on the first floor. Eli was huddled next to Audrey, gently running his fingers over the fletching of one of her arrows, and she had her arm wrapped around his shoulders. Aiden had his large sword laying across his lap and was staring off into space, apparently deep in thought.
"Are we ready to go?" Yuan asked, skirting around Audrey and Eli so he could get to the bottom of the steps.
"Where are we going exactly?" Aiden asked, looking up at Yuan from where he was sitting and making no move to get up. "I know the other angel said something about a Seal of Ice, but I sure haven't heard of it before."
"That's because it's never used except for this journey, which you're only now going on," Yuan said as if speaking to a small child with a limited vocabulary. "And it's off to the east, across the snowy plains. It should only take about two days to reach it, provided we leave now."
"We don't even get to rest for a little bit?" Aiden complained. Audrey and Eli looked between him and Yuan, not sure if they should get up or stay where they were. "We just fought a giant monster and then talked to an angel I'm pretty sure is allergic to anything remotely enjoyable, kind of like you, and now you want us to get up and walk out into a snow storm?"
Yuan snorted, crossing his arms. He was actually pretty pleased that he could do that now without his shoulder causing him too much pain. "There's always a snow storm here," he scoffed. "And you rested while I was upstairs. I'm sure you're fine."
Aiden frowned but pushed himself up, still keeping a hold on his sword. His siblings followed his lead, climbing to their feet and getting their things situated. "Fine. But if we get caught in a blizzard, I'm blaming you." Yuan didn't answer, instead turning and making his way to the exit. Though he was wondering why suddenly everything that could go wrong was being blamed on him.