To Achieve Salvation
Part 1—Changes
Chapter 2: Dying Promise
Zelos stared at the unexpected visitor, lowering his sword but keeping a firm grip on the handle. "Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite Seraphim," he mocked, circling the edge of the room. "But seriously, why did you leave your tree?"
It was unusual for Yuan to be away from the Yggdrasil tree, as he was its self-appointed guardian. Which meant that there was some serious and most likely annoying reason that the former Renegade had come to visit.
Yuan sighed, looking irritated as usual. "Believe me, Chosen, this is not a pleasure visit."
Zelos knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he just couldn't resist a few subtle digs. "Awww. I thought we were such good friends," he whined, shaking his head.
The half-elf narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in disdain. "Just call your little regeneration group here so I can say my piece and be done with it."
The chosen groaned. Of course. "So, you want me to go to the castle in the middle of the night so we can have a sleepover?"
"You mean they're not here?" Yuan arched an eyebrow in surprise.
"Nah," Zelos replied, "They're guests of honor at the palace."
What he neglected to mention was that he'd asked that they be hosted there. He knew that they'd expected to stay with him, but he just couldn't make himself invite them. Running away again.
"Well, I would appreciate it if you fetched them. I do not like being away from my post for so long," the seraphim said, rigid and cold.
"Fine, fine," the chosen grumbled. He rang for a servant with a bell outside the door.
Yuan sighed in faint disgust. "You're not going to get them yourself?"
"Sheena would probably summon Origin on me if I went to her bed in the middle of the night," Zelos reasoned. "And besides, even though we're such great pals and all, I'm not leaving you alone in my house."
After forty-five minutes of unbearable silence with Yuan, the party rambled into Zelos' room, rumpled, their hair askew. The chosen would have much rather held the meeting in the drawing room, but the Seraphim, stubborn as ever, did not wish to been seen by any other members of his household. So he was stuck hosting a slumber party where all the hunnies would be fully clothed. Joy.
"Zelos, you better have a damn good reason for this," Sheena grumbled, foul-tempered from being roused at such a late hour, "And your 'personal post-party celebration' does not cut it."
She then rubbed her eyes and looked up, her expression changing from irritated to confused when she saw the figure next to Zelos. She opened her mouth to inquire, but Lloyd got there first.
"Yuan! What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
"You missed the party," Colette added, looking a little sad. Yuan gave her a blank look.
"Anyways," Raine said, attempting to get the conversation back on track, "You must have some objective for summoning us here, Yuan. What's going on?"
Glancing around to make sure he had everyone's rapt attention, the seraphim spoke, nodding to confirm the healer's words. "Yes, I do have a reason. I will be frank, because I cannot stay here long." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing.
"I believe that the Yggdrasil tree is dying."
Gasps of disbelief sounded out from the group. Everyone stared at Yuan, wide-eyed, in shock and horror. Even Zelos was a bit shaken up. How was this possible?
Lloyd was the first to react, and his alarm reflected Zelos' sentiments. "But I—I don't understand! We saved the tree, and we've been destroying exspheres. Martel said that as long as we gave the tree love and adoration, it would always be protected!"
"Everyone we spoke to on our travels seemed to care for the tree," Genis insisted, stepping forward towards Yuan with his fists clenched. "There's no way it should be dying!"
"I don't believe it," Colette cried, grabbing on to Lloyd, "Is Martel really going to disappear? We all worked so hard to save the world!"
At this moment Regal spoke up, his smooth baritone cutting through the raised voices, "Let us remain calm. There is no use in getting panicked."
"Yes," Presea agreed, her expression even more grave than usual, "We must save our strength and keep our wits about us. Please continue, Yuan."
The seraphim proceeded, picking up as if he had never been interrupted. "I wish for you to investigate the cause of this problem. After all, I cannot stay away from the tree for too long in its current state. I would propose that you come to see for yourself."
"We'll leave first thing in the morning," Lloyd vowed, squaring his shoulders, "We'll do all we can to save the world. I refuse to let any more people to die in this struggle."
"Good," the ocean-haired angel declared, finally uncrossing his arms. "I will take my leave then. I will meet you at the base of the tree."
With that, Yuan withdrew his blue wings and flew gracefully out the window, taking off into the night sky and leaving only the fluttering curtains in his wake. The night was peaceful and the stars twinkled, belying the problems that had just been revealed. The party was silent for a minute, absorbing the somber news. Finally, unable to stand the quiet any longer, Zelos spoke.
"Didn't we just finish saving the world?" the chosen whined piteously, his posture sagging, "I mean, I just got settled back down and comfortable."
Genis wrinkled his nose at his comment, but Raine sighed. Shaking her head, she said, "Well, we should get packed and ready to go. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's return to the palace."
The group trudged out the door, tired and troubled. Zelos stayedin his room, watching their retreating figures file out the doorway. Sheena was the last to leave, meandering about and lost in thought. As she moved past his desk, she noticed the small broken spider figure that sat there, forgotten in the events of the last few minutes. The ninja looked up towards the chosen, and Zelos met her gaze. Her expression was was full of emotion, contrasting with the blank, lifeless look he returned. Eventually, Sheena averted her eyes and exited the room, leaving the chosen once again alone to the mercy of his thoughts and the arachnid trinket that sat on his desk, mocking him like everything else in his life.
The next morning saw the group meeting outside the palace gates, looking more serious than usual. The sky was a bleak gray, reflecting the overall mood of the party. Even Lloyd was not as enthusiastic as normal, and with every encouraging comment he made, there was a hint of uneasiness in his expression. Everyone made their way outside the city, making standard small talk until they were far enough away to mount the rheairds.
After a few hours of flight, the mana tree came into view. It looked much as it did the day it was planted, small and scrawny, but Zelos, with his angelic sight, was able to notice a few key differences. On the day of the reunification, the sapling was small, but it was full of promise, like a glowing, healthy child. This version of the tree retained the size, but none of the hopeful potential. Its branches appeared withered, and the leaves were no longer a vibrant green but a sickly yellow, threatening to crumble to dust from neglect.
The sharp intake of breath from Presea behind him showed that the appearance of the sapling could now be seen by the others. Wrenching his gaze from the tree, he lowered the rheaird, landing it carefully before dismounting and hurrying towards the other sight that had caught his eye. There, lying on the ground at the base of the tree, was the spirit of Martel.
She lay still with her eyes closed, but her expression was not one of peace. She looked pale and sickly, much like the tree itself, and her hair had lost much of its luster. While she slept, various pained expressions ghosted across her face, speaking towards her silent suffering. Both the spirit and the tree looked to be breaking apart, worn away by some unseen force. Zelos could sympathize; he felt much the same. In fact, as he approached the tree, he swore he could feel some sort of invisible connection, a bond that seemed to ebb and flow, shifting in intensity. The longer the chosen stared, the more he could see the tree pulsing with a faint glow that would brighten and dim in a gentle yet foreboding pattern. It was mesmerizing. He could feel himself become further entranced, as if his soul was waxing and waning in connection with the tree. He half-closed his eyes, becoming lost in the rhythm of the plant, his vision swimming and sounds echoing, when an elbow to his ribs snapped him from his reverie.
He jerked, tearing his gaze away from the tree and glancing towards where the blow had come from, only to be met with the gaze of an irritated ninja.
"Zelos, pay attention!" Sheena hissed through clenched teeth. Zelos then realized that there had been a conversation in the works while he was zoned out, enraptured by the dying plant. At this, the chosen yawned, stretching his arms back and laying one over Sheena's shouldering an exaggerated motion, pulling her into his grip. The summoner pushed him off with a quick slap.
"—as though the mana is being drained," Raine appraised, Zelos catching the tail-end of her words as he began to listen to the conversation surrounding him.
Yuan agreed. "That was my conclusion as well. However, I have not been able to act upon it. I have been trying to transfer mana back into the tree and the spirit."
"Like how you saved Kratos when he released Origin's seal?" Regal asked, staring intently at the other blue-haired man.
"Yes, very much the same," Yuan replied.
Lloyd interrupted, "Well, couldn't we just get a bunch of people to take turns doing that?"
Raine shook her head. "No, that wouldn't work. The only ones who could even attempt to do so would be angels. If any regular being tried to transfer mana like that, they would kill themselves. Besides, the mana flowing from the tree is far greater than the amount that can be safely transferred back."
"She's right," Yuan said with his usual air of superiority, "The most I can do is delay the inevitable."
"How long do we have?" Colette questioned, her large blue eyes wide with concern.
The seraphim shook his head. "I can't say for sure. Not any more than a few months or so if I constantly heal."
Everyone looked troubled at this comment. Even Zelos was grave. Although, in all fairness, he supposed that being told the world would end in a few month's time would have that effect on anyone.
Sheena broke the silence that had descended upon the group. "Can we figure out what's draining the mana? We have to stop this."
Genis stared at the tree, screwing his eyes in concentration. Half-elves as a species were in tune with mana flow, and Genis in particular was more sensitive than most. "It feels like…like it's flowing out in many different directions. I can detect four strong paths…then they seem to branch off."
Raine's eyes lit up. "Could it be…the old mana links?"
Yuan murmured in a thoughtful manner. "Yes…four directions that branch off…that would make sense. Whatever power that is doing this might be taking advantage of the old summon spirit links and using them as channels to the tree."
"Should we go investigate the temples?" Presea intimated, raising her head to better address the group.
Genis began a reply, but the words were lost to Zelos as the tree once again captured his attention. Shadows crept along the edge of his vision, his companions becoming faded blurs of color in the advent of the darkness. Even though the background became distorted, the tree seemed to come into greater focus, the insipid, clear glow contrasting greatly with the fuzzy surroundings. The voices of the others faded into a series of inconsequential echoes, and soon all he could hear was low hum of the light surrounding the sapling. Staring, Zelos could see the light—it must be mana—oozing from the tree, flashing in spurts as the spirit did its best to reverse the damage occurring, to no avail. Time seemed to slow, and Zelos could feel himself being pulled deeper into a trance, his senses dulling even as he became more aware of himself than ever before. The entire world faded, until all that was left was the tree and his spirit. As the mana flowed endlessly away from the tree, Zelos could sense its agony—its agony was his own. Because here, trapped in this void, as the tree was ripped apart, so was his soul. He felt fragmented and broken, with bits of himself fading, the missing pieces becoming cold and empty. And for a brief second that seemed to last forever, the tree flashed brightly and Zelos was gone—broken and blank, his conscience trapped in an agonizing nothingness.
"—los! Zelos! Come on, you stupid chosen!"
The stupid chosen in question took a sharp intake of breath, returning to the real world with a start. Everything seemed at once too bright and too loud. His insides reeled with the pain of what he had experienced, aching from the leftover hurt the emptiness had left behind. Composing himself, he snapped his eyes open and took in the faces of the group surrounding him, their expressions showing various stages of unease and concern. Sheena was directly in front of him, the fear in her eyes for once distracting him from her well-endowed chest.
Unsure of what was happening and still rather disorientated from his momentary blackout, Zelos raised his hand to his hair, scratching his head awkwardly. "Hey, guys. What's up?" He plastered his usual showman smile across his face, projecting his mask of carelessness and confidence, when in reality, he was just as confused as they were.
Sheena raised her handto slap him, but then lowered it, never making the hit. "Are…are you all right?"
"And why wouldn't I be, hunny?" The angel tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.
Sheena remained silent, still staring at him, but Genis chimed in, wringing his hands in a nervous manner. "For a second, you were just…out of it. You looked so…" he trailed off and looked away from the Tethe'allan chosen, as if he were afraid to vocalize what he had seen.
"Empty," Colette finished, her voice barely a whisper.
"For a moment, you reminded me of myself," Presea added in her mournful tone, "Of how I used to be."
"Nonsense," Zelos laughed, his voice light and airy, "I'm just as awesome as ever. I mean, the only thing that could improve me is if I had a hunny on each arm."
However, his usual theatrics were falling flat. His words did nothing to ease the group's concern. They looked at him as though he was a ghost, an alien yet fragile being that would disappear in a gentle gust of wind.
"Seriously, I'm fine!" he whined. He hated pity and he hated concern.
"I don't know what I saw," Raine spoke, her voice a low, quiet murmur as she tightly clenched her staff, the knuckles of her fingers turning white, "But I saw enough to be concerned. If anything is wrong, please tell us."
Zelos swept his eyes around the people surrounding him. He took in everyone, one-by-one, and their worry seemed genuine. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to—no, no, no, he told himself. He didn't deserve their concern. He didn't want their pity. He was fine on his own.
"Will do, professor," he winked, mask fully in place, "I'm just kind of tired. I was zoning out and remembering all of the fun I had last night."
Raine looked unconvinced, but she stayed silent.
"Well then," Regal continued, shooting Zelos a troubled glance before moving the conversation along. "We have little time. We should head to the temples to start investigating the mana flow. Genis, do you have any idea where we should start?"
"Well…they all feel about equal to me," the mage said, shrugging his tiny shoulders, "How about we just look at the nearest one?"
"That would be the temple of lightening. Let's make haste," Presea added, and the group assented and made their way back to the rheairds.
Zelos followed them, purposefully ignoring the pointed glances Sheena was giving him. As they took off into flight, Zelos reflected upon what happened with the tree. The experience had left him with a pit of unease in his stomach, and he knew he should tell the others what he had seen. Despite this knowledge, he couldn't bring himself to. It would open himself up to all kinds of questions he wasn't ready to answer. Frankly, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to answer them. The events seemed fitting to him; he was breaking apart at the place where he broke the trust of the others, at the very scene of his betrayal. Maybe this was the universe's idea of karma. Because Zelos knew he deserved whatever he got.
AN: Thank you to everyone for clicking on this story, as well as favoriting and reviewing. It means a lot to me to know that someone willingly read a storyline that I have spent far too much time on. On another note, I will not have access to my computer for a month, so the next update won't be for some time. Sorry about that.