Thanks again for all the reviews and hits. School has been kind of tough, my 'advisor' really messed me up with my current class. Not to mention I am preparing for a big project for my Masters, but I will try to keep my updates on schedule for this story at least. Thankfully, I am several chapters ahead since I am not really in the mood to write right now.

On the story itself, we will finally get our first take on the Dwarven's language. Because of my complete lack of creativity of creating an original language, Dwarven is just a really bad translated form of swedish. I do not mean to offend any Sweden out there. I am just doing this for creative license, nothing more. For future reference, the angel language will be latin. I would also like to give thanks to my beta, zealousfreak27, who makes my story more readable.

With all that done, onward to the story.

Chapter 5: Flow of Time

He kept closed watched on his prey, making sure it never left his sight. This was the first time in a while that he had seen a wild boar and he was not about to passed this chance up. His matched his breathing to the animal as to not to alert its senses. The boar was completely unaware of him as it searched the ground for food.

Once its back was turned from him, he stuck. With one quick motion of his blade, he brought the boar down. The attack was so swift that the boar didn't have time to feel pain as it landed on its side.

With his prey dead, the boy put his sword back up. He wore a tan colored vest with long pants to match. He had gauntlets made of thick cloth on his hands that didn't cover his fingers, but went up to his hand. He had dark leather boots on that matched his over all appearance. Attached to his neck was an extremely long white ribbon that came to two sides of his back and flowed behind him like a cape.

He turned around, picked up his prize, and began his walk back towards his house. It was a fairly short walk until he came to a clearing in the forest. A house stood, fully completed, with a second floor with a balcony.

"I'm home, mom," the boy said to a nearby tombstone, before he made his way to the house.

Noishe barked happily from his stable that was built onto the house when he saw his master.

"Hey Noishe, I got us both a special treat," he said as he held up the boar.

Noishe licked his lips at the thought.

Lloyd then casually opened the door to the house and saw Dirk working on one of his many craft projects.

"Jag är hemma. Hur är sak?" He said.

Dirk looked towards the boy. "Välkommen hem, Lloyd. But you don't have to speak dwarven to me."

Lloyd smiled. "I know, but I wanted to practice a bit. How was it?"

"Your pronouncing needs some work, but it's much better," Dirk said. He then looked at Lloyd's hand. "So, you went hunting, did yea."

"Yep." Lloyd said as he put the pig on the table.

"You're aware you're cooking that yourself," Dirk stated.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "I know, Dirk."

Dirk smiled as he went back to work.

Lloyd and he had a deal. Lloyd loved to eat meat and Dirk said he could have all the meat he wanted if he caught and cooked the animal himself.

To that end, Lloyd taught himself to use a sword, which Dirk forged himself, to be able to go out hunting. He got roughed up pretty badly the first couple times he hunted, but now he was nearly a pro at it although he was still no match for the bigger beasts in the forest. Which made sense since Lloyd was still just eight years old.

Dirk was taken by surprise that Lloyd could handle a sword so well. It was almost like he was born to use one, although Lloyd always looked a little strange using just one sword for some reason. Like he was missing something. But Dirk was no expert in swordsmanship despite the fact he could forge weapons.

"So, have you decided whether or not you'll be coming to town with me?" Dirk asked.

Lloyd paused as he finished gutting the pig. "I don't like going there. People treat me like some kind of outcast."

Dirk sighed. "You can't hide from the village forever."

Lloyd went back to his pig. "Will you tell me if you see a strange man there?"

"I always do." Dirk said.

Even though Dirk has been asking that same question for years, Lloyd still asked him to look for his lost father. Maybe in his mind, Lloyd had given up on the fact that his father was still alive. But his heart refused to let go of the hope.

"I expect you to be in the cave for your lessons." Dirk said as he got up. "Don't spend too much time on that pig." He then left.

"Yes Dirk." Lloyd said in a deadpan voice.

Cleaning the pig took longer than Lloyd expected and cooking it took even longer. Although he knew he couldn't rush since food poisoning was the last thing he wanted. Once the meat was cooked all the way through, he rushed into the cave that was once Dirk's original home. All the furniture had been moved out to the new house and only the furnace was left, which was were where Dirk did all of his forging.

He wanted to do that type of craftsmanship, but Dirk kept telling him he was too young. For now, he was still on small projects like craving wood to make charms, miniature statues, and masks.

"You're late," Dirk reprimanded when he saw Lloyd.

"Sorry," Lloyd muttered.

Dirk shook his head. "If you don't get it together boy, you never be a good craftsman. Remember..."

"I know," Lloyd said in a deadpan voice. "Dwarven Vow nummer tre, gynnsamma är ett steg mot fulländning."

Dirk sighed. "You didn't have to say it in dwarven. Well come on, let's begin the lessons."

For the past three years, Dirk had been teaching Lloyd his craft. Like swordsmanship, Lloyd seemed to have a special eye for this type of work. His keen eye allowed him to spot many details that Dirk himself tended to miss when he was younger. Dirk also noticed early on that Lloyd could use both of his hands equally. A great skill to have for craftwork.

The problem with Lloyd was that he was too impatient. He tended to rush through his work and make many careless mistakes. In his rush one time, Lloyd nearly cut his finger off with a craving knife. Which was one of the reasons why he wouldn't let him anywhere the furnace or work on any steel objects.

"Slow down, boy," Dirk said. "Remember Dwarven Vow number forty-one."

Yes, Dirk," Lloyd said as he attempted to carve a mask out of a large block of wood.

He really wanted to work with steel and learn how to forge weapons. He didn't know why, but every time he watched Dirk worked with weapons, especially swords, he felt a special connection with something that he had long forgotten. Maybe if he made his own weapons, he would remember what it was. Not to mention he could make the most epic sword in the world.

"Lloyd, watch your hand," Dirk warned too late as Lloyd cut his hand. Luckily, his leather gauntlets protected him from harm.

Dirk sighed in disappointment. "You still have a long way to go."

Once the lessons were done for the day; it was time for dinner. As always, Lloyd offered Dirk a piece of his meat and just as always, Dirk refused.

Before they ate, however, Dirk stopped Lloyd at the table. "Okay lad, what was today's Dwarven Vow?"

Lloyd paused for a moment in thought. "Uhmm, Dwarven Vow number...one-hundred and eight, let sleeping dog sleep."

"It's let sleeping dogs lie, actually," Dirk corrected.

"Dammit!" Lloyd cursed.

Dirk chuckled. "No need for foul language, that was close enough."

Lloyd beamed happily.

"For reference, let me hear you say the vow in dwarven," Dirk said.

Lloyd thought about for a moment. "Låt...sovande hundar...ligga."

"Good, now you can eat," Dirk said.

Lloyd smiled happily as he dug into his pork. Dirk also fixed him some red beans with a loaf of bread.

Dirk had a similar meal, except instead of pork, he had some strange item that looked like grains of rock. Lloyd tried to eat some in the past, but could never get used to the taste and the grains tended to get caught in his throat. Although he had taken a liking to Dirk's soups, especially his Pot Luck Surprise. It was something he always looked forward to since he always got a prize in his meal.

"Lloyd, I have been thinking about it and I think you should really come to town with me," Dirk said, breaking the silence of the meal.

"Why?" Lloyd asked shortly.

"Because you really can't stay in these woods," Dirk said. "Besides, Frank and Phaidra have been asking about you."

Lloyd turned his eyes away. "I don't like talking to Phaidra. She always going on and on about how great and good Martel is. I'm sick of hearing it."

Dirk gave a short sighed.

A couple years ago, Lloyd decided that he didn't like Martel, or more specially, the Church. All the priests, besides Phaidra, didn't like how Lloyd wasn't being brought up in the faith and not attending church along with the special school that the Church held before service. To some of the priests, Dirk was a bad influence since he didn't believed in the dogma of the Church of Martel.

Although he had no love for the Church, he would never stop Lloyd from worshipping in it. Faith and religion was a personal choice between an individual and it wasn't something society or caregivers should be involved in. Besides, Lloyd was just a kid and was still developing his own identity. Of course, the priests disagreed and thought all children should be baptized as soon as possible. Death, after all, cared nothing for age and the boy would be lost to the void if he weren't saved.

"You shouldn't blame Phaidra for the misguided actions of a few," Dirk advised. "It would be like blaming all half-elves over the Desians' actions."

"I know," Lloyd said as he started to pick at his food. "I just get tired of everyone trying to get me to accept Martel. Worshipping Martel maybe fine for them, but I just don't feel comfortable with it."

"No one can force yea to do something you don't want," Dirk said. "Not even the Church. Besides, Frank and Phaidra are friends and really helped us out back in the day. The least you can do is stop by and say hello."

Lloyd sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll go."

Dirk smiled. "Good, lad. We leave bright and early."

Lloyd finished his food and gave some of the left over pork to Noishe, who gabbled it up greedily. Lloyd decided to save the rest so he could make bacon or maybe even ham in the morning.

He wanted to stay up late to watch Dirk work, but he was quickly sent to bed since he had to get up early.

Instead of going straight to sleep, however, he spent most of the night trying to work on one of his personal carvings. It was a little statue he had been working on for a while. It was a woman wearing a long dress and with long hair. Once the carving was done, he could paint it with the special mixture he had learned to make from Dirk.

This statue was different since he was trying to recreate what his mother looked like from the edge of his memory. He wasn't sure if this was what she looked like, but he felt he was close. When he was finished, he was going to show it to Dirk and ask him, since he actually saw his mother while she was alive. As he worked at his desk, he unconsciously dozed off into a deep sleep.

It was dark and he felt cold and wet. He could feel movement and shouts coming at him. He was so scared, but someone was holding him, telling him it was alright. The voice sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure who it was.

Suddenly he was thrown forward and he was knocked out of that person's grip. He felt even colder and there was a strange taste in his mouth. Then something grabbed him, but it wasn't the warm, comfortable grip from earlier. This person was harsh, cold, and held him too tight. He could hear people screaming and he looked up to see a person with very narrow eyes. Those eyes seemed to bore into him as a bone-chilling laugh froze his blood.

Lloyd shot awake as he looked around his room in confusion. It was that nightmare again. He had been getting them almost as long as he could remember. Each time, he would forget the dream almost as soon as he woke up. It was like his mind was trying to remember something, but it kept slipping away. They used to be worse when he was younger, but they had been steadily becoming fewer and further in-between.

The thing he always remembered from his dream, however, were those eyes. Those eyes that seemed to burn with pure evil. And that laugh, just thinking about it made him shiver. Who was that man? Why did he feel so familiar? Maybe it was better that he didn't remember.

He could tell from the noise downstairs that Dirk was still working. He could never understand how Dirk could be both a night owl and a morning bird all at the same time. He didn't go to bed until twelve or one in the morning, but he could wake with the sun and never be tired during the day.

When asked about it, Dirk just laughed and said dwarves didn't need to sleep as long as humans. It must really be nice to be a dwarf. Then again, he would be force to eat rocks and grow a beard.

He took off his clothes and decided to go to bed for real. Hoping that his nightmare would not return. His hopes were answered and the rest of the night was dreamless.

Lloyd was knocked out of his restful lure when he felt something shaking him harshly. "Wake up! Time to get up!"

Lloyd moaned as he slowly woke up. "Dirk, just a little longer."

"I said you were getting up early," Dirk said harshly

Lloyd sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Dirk became concerned when he saw the dark circles under Lloyd's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah fine," Lloyd answered quickly.

Dirk stared at him for a moment. "Don't make me recite Dwarven vow number eleven."

Lloyd cringed at the thought. "I had a nightmare."

Dirk's face softened. "One of those nightmares?"

Lloyd nodded.

As sad as it was, those nightmares were a big improvement over those night terrors, especially since Lloyd didn't scream for an hour straight in terror.

"Can you remember anything?" Dirk asked.

Lloyd shook his head.

"Well, maybe it will come to yea," Dirk said, although he doubted it. "Either case, get ready we leave in thirty minutes." He then left the room.

Lloyd snapped out of his funk and began to quickly dress himself and brush his teeth. He didn't bother to comb his hair since it stuck up no matter what he did to it.

Once he was done, he ran down the flight of stairs and made him a quick breakfast. He didn't have time to make the ham or bacon he wanted, so had to make do with some scrambled eggs. He inhaled the meal and then ran out the door.

Dirk was waiting patiently out the door with Noishe. "Bout time. Let's go."

Lloyd nodded and they began to make their way through the forest. The walk was quiet, but peaceful. The only time he felt unnerved was when they passed by the Ranch. Even from the distance they were, that place gave him the creeps. It didn't help that you could hear the suffering from behind those steel walls.

The day that Dirk took him to the Ranch and he saw firsthand what happened to those people was forever burnt into his mind. It was hard to believe that a person could rip apart another person like that.

After about an hour of walking, they made it to the town. As always, two guards were there to greet them.

"Oh, hello Dirk," One of the guards said in a pleasant voice.

Dirk nodded. "Good morning to you."

One of the guards looked passed Dirk. "Wow, is that Lloyd? He sure has gotten bigger since the last time we've saw him."

The first guard nodded. "He's almost as big as you now."

Dirk laughed. "Well, that's not saying much."

"You can come on in, but that creature has to stay out here," the second guard said.

Noishe whined in disappointment.

"Noishe is not a creature, he's a dog," Lloyd said in annoyance.

"I don't care what it is, it can't come inside the village," the second guard said firmly.

"Let it go, Lloyd," Dirk advised as they walked inside.

The village was relatively empty since it was still breakfast time. Lloyd followed closely behind Dirk as people gave him strange looks. They walked until they reached the mayor's house, which was standing outside and gave a small smile when he saw them.

"Good morning, Dirk. Glad you could make it," the mayor said.

"I'm here to do that job you hire me for," Dirk said.

"Yes well, the roof is damage right along that area," the mayor said as he pointed to the roof of his house.

"Not a problem," Dirk said.

"I also have to commend you for the work you continue to do to the Jefferson's house. It's just a shame that nobody has moved into it even after all these years," the mayor said with a sigh.

"As long as you pay me, I will keep doing the up keep until an owner is found," Dirk said.

The mayor began to look at Lloyd. "He sure has grown. Seems you have been doing a good job raising him so far."

"I do my best," Dirk stated.

"Although it will become must harder once he become a teenager," the mayor said. "Maybe you should consider letting someone from the village care for him in due time. They could give him guidance for those rough years ahead."

Dirk was not fooled by the offer. He knew the mayor had no faith in his ability to raise Lloyd as a 'proper' human. He probably thought Lloyd was going to grow up weird in some way, especially since he raised Lloyd out of the sight of the village. He was also sure that the mayor was receiving some pressure from the Church too.

"We cross that bridge when it comes," Dirk said instead. "For now, I need to get to work."

The mayor didn't seem pleased by that answer, but stepped aside and went back into his house. Dirk grabbed a ladder from the side of the house and climbed to the roof.

Lloyd grabbed Dirk's supplies and followed him up. They spent most of the morning repairing the roof. Dirk worked on fixing the damage while Lloyd passed Dirk supplies and studied his Dwarven Vows. Although Lloyd didn't care for home repairs, he still wanted to see Dirk work. It still amazed him that Dirk's huge hands could be so nimble and quick. He wondered if all dwarves were born with this skill.

Once the roof was repaired, they climbed down and Dirk went into the house to receive his payment. Lloyd stood outside and watched the other kids play by kicking a ball around. He looked over each of the faces and saw one he recognized. He knew the person he was looking at was the Chosen, the most important person in the entire Church. Dirk told him that he spent a lot of time with the Chosen when he stayed in Iselia briefly. He honestly didn't remember those days. They were nothing but blurred memories to him.

For a brief moment, the Chosen caught his eye and he quickly turned away. He had no intention in getting involved with her. Besides, he couldn't anyway. Anyone who wasn't a part of the Church could not speak to the Chosen. The only reason why she even knew him was because of her grandmother. They also said that the Chosen's holy light burned nonbelievers.

He never actually believed that, but why tempt fate. Besides, the Chosen was no different from the priests who tried to make him join the Church. He couldn't stand those people.

"Ready to go?" Dirk said as he left the mayor's house.

Lloyd nodded as he followed Dirk to Phaidra's house. Something told him that this was the start of a long day.

I hope you like the little time-skip I did. I know that kid Lloyd is still a little on the emo side, but I promise he will get better. I also promise not to overdo it on the Dwarven, but I wanted you to get a feel on how Lloyd and Dirk use it in their everyday lives.

Since we are kind of at the half-way point with this story, I should update you on how my Tales of Symphonia novelization is coming. So far, I am not as far along as I would like. At this moment, I am at the point where they meet Kvar from the first time. This may sound fairly far, but remember the Journey of Regeneration is only the first third of the game. However, by the time I actually post that part, I should be must further along, hopefully.

With that said, until next time.