WARNING: This is the last chapter I have typed and ready to post as of now.

AN: Okay, chapter 1, part 2! Fight!

'This is bad...'

Lloyd shuddered, the effort it took to just stay upright and keep his grip on both swords was almost more than he could manage. Kratos must have been holding back every time they fought before, because Lloyd never remembered him being this hellishly strong. Even in a four-on-one fight, they still couldn't touch him. It was pathetic! Sheena, Genis, and Raine... Right from the start Kratos just pummeled them into submission under a relentless barrage of magic fire, electricity, and light; then blasted them down to the lower level of the Tower before turning his attention to Lloyd.

Thanks to him Lloyd's body was covered with shallow cuts, each positioned in vital spots- Places where, if Kratos had sliced just a little deeper or stabbed from a slightly different angle, Lloyd would be maimed. Or dead. Or both. Probably his way of showing his superiority, Lloyd thought bitterly, wincing as his wounds throbbed in time with his racing heartbeat. And Kratos... He didn't have a scratch on him!

'All this time, he was just toying with us!' The sour, curdling ache of betrayal grabbed Lloyd's heart and squeezed even harder than before.

Below them Lloyd could hear Raine casting spell after spell, working furiously on their downed comrades. He was dying to look down and see if his friends were okay, but knew that taking his eyes off Kratos would be deadly. Not just for him, but for Colette and the others too. As soon as he fell Kratos would go after them again, so he couldn't look away, not even for a second. Don't ever let your guard down. Never let your focus waver in battle and never hesitate, doing either will give your enemy an opportunity to attack. That was, ironically, one of the first things Kratos drilled into him during their training sessions and there was no way Lloyd was going to forget it now, not when it mattered. Of course there wasn't much he could do, even if he was paying attention...

Lloyd tensed as Kratos charged again. This was it. Exhausted as he was, there was no way he would be able to parry another one of Kratos' blows. Kratos raised his blade high, as if he was planning to finish their battle by cutting Lloyd cleanly in half from shoulder to hip; but instead of striking he... Paused? Lloyd couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around the concept of Kratos ever hesitating, ever, but there was one thing his instincts forced him to notice: His opponent's right side was wide open.

Without stopping to ask why, Lloyd dropped the sword in his left hand and lunged with the last of his strength, using both arms to drive his remaining blade as far into Kratos' gut as he could. He could feel the steel catching, scraping over bone as it slid between Kratos' ribs, against his spine, and the slight release of pressure as the sword's tip breached the other side... The sword slipped out of Lloyd's hands as Kratos slumped to his knees, his own blade clattering on the Tower floor as he grasped at the wound.

"Lloyd..." Despite the obvious pain wracking his body, Kratos' voice was smooth and even as always, carrying a hint of... Was it relief? And pride? Why...? Why would Kratos be proud of him for this? That wound was fatal and... The realization hit Lloyd like a crossbow bolt. This should never have happened. Even if he was a traitor, he was still Kratos. Someone Lloyd had come count as a friend, to depend on. His mentor. They should never have been forced to fight! Lloyd gulped and tried to keep his voice from shaking.

"You let your guard down..." Kratos chuckled lowly in response, then looked up at Lloyd and froze, his eyes wide with barely-concealed horror.

"So did you."

Pain! There wasn't even time to look towards the new voice before Lloyd found himself flying, flung to the edge of the dais and away from Kratos by what had to be a spell; his older wounds forgotten in a haze of agony as harsh, searing energy swept over his body. The scorching light ate away at him, leaving Lloyd too weak to do anything but lie still, facedown where he landed on the cool stone floor, and watch as a tall blonde angel hovered in front of Kratos. Was that the guy who attacked him? They were talking... Lloyd could hear what they were saying, but the pain was so intense he couldn't focus long enough to make sense of it.

"Kratos, you're injured. I guess not even you could bring yourself to fight against such an opponent..." The new angel looked slightly amused as Kratos pulled Lloyd's sword out of his abdomen and murmured a strained First Aid to stop the spurt of blood that followed.

"It's nothing fatal, Lord Yggdrasill." Yggdrasill... Why did that sound familiar? The name floated through Lloyd's clouded mind as Kratos began to cast again, his hand still clutching his slowly oozing wound. "Healing Stream!"

The cool tingle of healing mana cleared Lloyd's head enough for him to wonder why Kratos was healing him too. He was laying at the very edge of the spell, but looking at the ground beneath him, Lloyd could see his burned left side was well within the magic circle. It didn't make sense at all. Was it an accident? Kratos wouldn't bother to heal an enemy. As the spell worked, slowing the bleeding from his larger wounds while sealing the smaller cuts completely an soothing the pain of his burns from excruciating to an almost tolerable ache, Lloyd decided that even though it was confusing, he didn't really care why Kratos did it. He could think again! It felt like a bit of his strength had returned too.

Lloyd pulled himself to his knees, head swimming slightly as he did, and threw a quick glance over the edge of the dais to check on how the others were doing. Genis and Sheena looked like they were in as bad shape as he was, and Raine looked especially exhausted. Casting all those spells probably expended most of her mana... They were all at their limit and in no shape to fight, but at least they were still alive. The knowledge sent a small surge of relief through Lloyd, something he desperately needed as he turned back to face Kratos and Yggdrasill; starting slightly when he realized the blond angel was staring directly at him, sizing him up with a cold, unimpressed air of superiority.

"So you are Lloyd."

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine!" Lloyd braced himself. Stalling like this was a dangerous tactic. Even if he could steal enough time to get the rest he needed, how was he supposed to save Colette and the others if he made Yggdrasill mad and got himself incinerated again? Kratos wouldn't save him a second time. Ignoring the risk, Lloyd glared up at the angel, who gazed back for a moment before starting to laugh. Was that a good sign or bad...?

"People need not introduce themselves to a dog." Yggdrasill chuckled again as he saw Lloyd bristle. "However, I will tell you my name. I am Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis and the Desians. You should be grateful I decided to spare your worthless life. Consider it your reward for bringing the Chosen to me." He patted Colette's head with a faint smile, stroking her hair lightly as if she was a favored cat, as he watched Lloyd's defiance drain away to be replaced by desperation.

"No... You bastard..."

Rage. Pure, festering rage and hatred. More than he'd ever felt towards the Desians, all directed at the angel floating in front of him. Damn him! How dare he lay a finger on Colette? It churned inside him, gnawing away at his wounded heart and giving him something in return: Precious energy. A second wind thrumming out in waves from his Exsphere. For the first time since the start of this entire soul-killing nightmare, Lloyd understood. He knew what he had to do with absolute clarity.

If Yggdrasill was the leader, then killing him would stop Cruxis and save Colette. They'd find out how to turn her back to normal then keep searching for a way to regenerate the world. All that was standing in the way was Yggdrasill.

What Lloyd needed was his swords. The right blade was in Kratos' possession and he wouldn't be giving it back, but the left one... Was lying untouched at Yggdrasill's feet. If he could just get to it before they stopped him, he would have a chance. Lloyd hoped he could do it. Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow as Lloyd struggled to his feet.

"Get your hands off her!"

Lloyd charged. Even with the boost his Exsphere was giving, he was too slow. Getting close to Yggdrasill in this state, the idea suddenly seemed impossible, but the angel wasn't making any moves to counter his attack. He was just floating there with that damn smile!

The short distance between them was disappearing fast. Neither of the seraphim moved as Lloyd fluidly reached down and latched onto the hilt of his sword; not breaking stride as he lifted it and swung, aiming to cut Yggdrasill's head from his shoulders. The blade arced through the air, slicing into- Nothing? Lloyd stumbled forward as the momentum of his attack threw him off-balance.

What just happened? Where did Yggdrasill go? He was right there! Wait. Lloyd tensed. Yggdrasill was an angel, what if he could do that thing Remiel did and teleport-?

"Hmph." Behind him! "Is that your gratitude, wretched human?"

Lloyd whirled around just in time to see Yggdrasill's attack, a sharp crescent-shaped wave of white mana, then he was in the air again. It didn't hurt as bad this time. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything at all. He could see the blood, lots of blood, from where the attack tore his old wounds open, but the pain just wasn't reaching him. Everything was numb and floaty and weird... The others, he could hear them yelling about something, but they were muffled and drowned out by an explosive crack as the back of his head slammed into solid stone. Then, nothing.

- X -

All those heroics, so much effort, all for naught. What exactly did that impudent brat think he was going to accomplish by standing in the way of Cruxis' plans? Yggdrasill floated over, hovering in front of the crumpled, bloodied heap of swordsman for a moment before snagging the front of the unconscious boy's red shirt and lifting him up to eye level. So in the end the infamous Lloyd Irving was just another miserable human. How pathetic. Yggdrasill scowled as he gathered an orb of mana in his palm and leveled it at Lloyd's face. He would put an end to the idiot's suffering, for Cruxis and the sake of convenience. It was the least he could do.

"Farewell."

The familiar chime and rush of magic made him drop Lloyd and throw up a shield, his reflexes saving him as a ball of flames splashed against the magic barrier. Who could have cast that? There was no way Lloyd's little half-elven friend could pump out a major spell like that, not in his condition, and Kratos would never raise a hand against him again...

"Damn! The Chosen has already become an angel! We have no choice, we're taking her back with us alive!" A new voice, so there was a third party present. The flames began to die away, giving him a clear view of those traitorous Renegades before the next round of fireballs hit. They had brought only a small number of troops, but an entire company of mages whose sole purpose seemed to be to pin him down under a hail of magic. How flattering. Unfortunately it was working. Infuriating as they were, he had to admire their efficiency. Their leader was already evacuating Lloyd's allies from the lower level as the Renegade grunts rushed to come take the Chosen and Lloyd. All while he and Kratos were forced to hide behind bubbles of mana!

That couldn't be allowed. Martel needed that girl, she needed a body! He couldn't let those traitors steal that from her, not when they were so close to success! Forget being burned, there were healers on Derris-Kharlan. Lowering his shield, Yggdrasill began focusing his hatred for the Renegade mages that held him at bay and infusing those emotions with mana until he could feel the completed spell crackling inside his heart.

"Indignation Judgment!"

The mages vaporized, obliterated under the massive surge of lightning and with the threat of immolation gone, Yggdrasill lashed out; sending bolts of pure concussive force shooting across the Tower. The missiles aimed at Lloyd's would-be rescuers hit their marks, flinging the Renegades who had been struggling to load the boy onto a stretcher over the edge of the Tower, screaming and flailing and they fell into the endless blue space; but the squad of troopers shepherding the Chosen along somehow avoided the blasts, dodging and weaving as they ran back to the safety of their leader's warp field with the soulless girl in their midst, shielding her from the chunks of flying shrapnel as the stone floor tiles exploded around them. The sight of little Colette dematerializing as they teleported away made Yggdrasill want to scream, demolish the Tower, scour all of Sylvarant for the Renegades and annihilate every one of the worthless traitors he found... But he couldn't. He couldn't afford to lose control. The meticulously crafted persona of Lord Yggdrasill needed to be maintained, even if Kratos was the only one around to appreciate it.

'As long as we have Lloyd, his friends will try to mount a rescue. We can recapture the Chosen then.' The logical part of his mind whispered, 'Besides, she would be useless as a vessel the way she is now, even if you did have her.' That was right, but it was still so frustrating...

"Are you all right, Mithos?" Kratos' signature aloof yet concerned tone brought the angel's mind back to the situation at hand.

"Yes... Those Renegades are as irritating as ever." He glanced down at Lloyd, half-slung onto the Renegades' stretcher and gave him a quick kick in the ribs. No response. The brat was still out cold. It was almost impressive. Lloyd was beaten, wounded, and unconscious; but he was still alive. A mere human who was somehow able to survive encounters with both Kratos and himself. Intriguing... "Hm, perhaps I was a little hasty..." How strong was Lloyd really? Strong enough to endure a transformation, perhaps? Cruxis could find some use for him beyond simply using him as bait, Yggdrasill was sure of it. "Kratos, it seems we will have a slight change of plans."

AN: Oh no! What sinister plan does Yggy have in store for our heroes? Tune in next chapter for the thrilling... Well, it's not 'conclusion' yet, not nearly. Um... Thrilling plot advancement? A light refreshment will be served!

Anyway, thanks for reading, guys n' gals. See you next update! Whenever that is... (Sweat drop)