Welcome back, everyone! Here we have the lovely second chapter...I own nothing, blah blah blah... Reviews! Reviewers are lovely and amazing! Meaning, momentarily, Marina Ka-Fai!

Thank you all once again for sticking with me and letting me know what you thought of my writing! I hope this chapter is satisfying for everyone!

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Chapter Two_Descend

A knock came early in the morning on Scarlett's door, bringing her out of her thoughts. She walked over to her door and opened it, only to see it was none other than Celeste, a forced smile on her face. "Good morning, Scarlett."

"Good morning… Is something wrong?" Scarlett looked up and down the long hallway, wondering if someone was nearby. She thought she had heard something other than her close friend.

"Well, not really… I ran into Kratos last night and he told me about the mission and everything…and he is heading out this morning." Celeste ran a hand through her hair, chuckling weakly. "I just don't have a good feeling about this, but I suppose since Lord Yggdrasill is so certain about this Chosen, it's okay…"

"I see…" Scarlett smiled and tapped Celeste's shoulder. "How about we go see him this morning before he leaves?"

"Sure." Celeste took a step away from the door. "I guess I'll go get dressed, then. Meet you down there?"

"Sounds good." Scarlett closed her door and went to her closet. She brought out her usual uniform that she wore around Derris-Kharlan. It consisted of a white shirt with red sleeves that reached to her elbows and flared out loosely, red embroidery trailing along the seams, accented with a hint of gold, a black belt secured around her stomach. It hung over her loose black pants that were tucked into her black boots that only went to her ankles. Two other belts were on her pants; one on her right thigh and one just above her left knee. She quickly threw her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed Koikage before heading out of her room. She learned that she always needed to be ready with her weapon, just in case. One never knew when Pronyma would show up for a "lesson".

Exiting her room, she began to walk down the hallway when she heard another door open and close. She saw that it was Celeste, now leaving her room, her sword attached to her hip. She wore a black dress with straps that covered her shoulders and went down to her mid-thighs. Under those, she had dark brown leggings and a pair of brown boots of an equal shade. She ran to catch up with Scarlett and fell in step with her. "Well, even though I have a bad feeling, I'm excited for you. Are you nervous or anything?"

"Not too much," was Scarlett's reply. "I'm just kind of curious on why Lord Yggdrasill would send me instead of you. You're a lot better at…acting, and I don't mean that in a bad way. You can infiltrate facilities, get all sorts of information without even batting an eye. Me, I'm just…"

"…Blunt?" Celeste offered with a small laugh. Scarlett gave her a pouty look, but laughed as well. "I'm sorry! You know it's true, though! You're so headstrong, stubborn…fiery."

"Just because my hair is red…"

"Not only that, but it does answer a lot of questions." Celeste nudged her with her elbow. "There are your wings, too. No one's ever seen any like yours before."

Scarlett's gaze dropped as she took a few slower steps, recalling the incident which granted her wings. She had never told Celeste about it because she didn't want to disturb her. After all, it wasn't a pleasant experience. Celeste noticed that she had said something wrong and fell silent, not wanting to upset her friend more. Even though she didn't act like it, Scarlett was a very fragile individual, and Celeste knew it very well, probably more than anyone.

They walked through Derris-Kharlan with ease, knowing their way around like the back of their hands, and even shortcuts from exploring as children. They passed only by the usual crowd of the angels as they flew about aimlessly, no point in their daily lives anymore. When they came to the warp pad that would take them to Welgaia, they quickly moved on to the Tower of Salvation. Hurrying down the uncountable flights of stairs, they spotted Kratos right at the exit. Hearing the two coming, he stopped and turned, a slightly puzzled look on his face. They noticed right away that he had changed out of his Cruxis clothes and into different ones. "…Why are you two here? Yggdrasill will be cross if he knows you're here."

"We just wanted to come see you off. Is that so bad?" Celeste gave him a quick smile. "After all, it won't be for a long while that we-…at least, that I see you again."

"I suppose you have a point." Kratos reached a hand out and ruffled Celeste's hair, much like how Yuan had done to Scarlett before. "Take care. I'll see you soon enough, okay?"

"You, as well!"

Scarlett could feel the weight of Kratos' gaze as it landed upon her, but she couldn't help but feel that it was softer than what it used to be. He walked closer to her until he was standing right before her. When he spoke, it was in a low tone, "When you come, you need to keep your head about you. This will not be an easy experience for you."

"For me?" Scarlett's tone betrayed that she took the comment personally. "I'm sorry I'm not four thousand years old, but-!"

"That isn't what I mean," he interrupted calmly. "I saw you when you returned from your first mission. I know what you tried to do that night. I know every time you kill, it tears you apart." Scarlett averted his eyes, cursing her weak nature. She hated at times that he could practically read her like an open book, but at the same time, it gave her a sort of reassurance. "Even watching from afar, this journey will be filled with peril, blood, and death. I need to know that you can handle it without me having to worry about you every minute."

"I can take it." Her grey eyes hardened with determination as she looked back at him. "Don't worry. I won't let you down."

A small smirk could be seen upon Kratos' lips as he turned and began to walk away silently. After all, there was no telling what could happen if he was late for the receiving of the Oracle. Once Kratos was gone from sight, Celeste placed a gentle hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "Come on. We'd better get back."

"Yeah, okay."

XxXxXxX

"A different mission?" Scarlett echoed with confusion before Lord Yggdrasill.

"For the time being, yes. I want you and Yuan to go and investigate the Renegades out in the Triet Desert. Perhaps we can momentarily stop their meddling, since I know they will find a way to become involved with the Chosen." Yggdrasill peered over his shoulder, his cold, heartless blue eyes on her. "See if you can locate the leader. If you do…bring him to me first. However, if you kill him, it is of no consequence to me. Understood?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Excellent. Go forth then, my little shinigami."

"As you wish, My Lord." Scarlett bowed and left the room, always feeling that rush of relief that she had left the room not only alive, but unscathed. With a silent release of her breath, she felt a chill go up her spine. Turning her head rapidly, she saw Yuan standing off to the side, his arms crossed. "Were you listening?"

"He already spoke to me about this. Are you ready to go?"

Scarlett could have flinched from the icy edge in Yuan's voice. From the sound of it, it appeared like they spoke of more than just this mission. There was no reason why going to the Renegade base would upset him this much. With a nod, Scarlett said, "Yes. I'm ready."

"Shall we be off, then?" Not waiting for a response, Yuan began to walk, heading for the exit of Derris-Kharlan, much like how Scarlett and Celeste had just done that very morning. Scarlett pondered for a moment on if she should go and tell Celeste a quick goodbye. Following after Yuan, she thought, I'm sure this mission won't take long at all. I'll be able to see her again before I go off with the Chosen's group.

At the exit of the Tower of Salvation, Yuan pulled forth his violet wings as Scarlett called on her own red wings. They always emitted a sort of warmth, what with the flames that burned along on the feathers. Yuan eyed them curiously, not having seen her unique wings too many times, but he remained silent on the matter. He had been one of the few present when it had occurred, but he was still fascinated by them. He took to the air, heading straight for the desert, Scarlett hot on his heels.

The flight was quiet and took a couple of hours, neither saying more than a few words the entire time. The most they spoke was when the base came into view, and Yuan told her the plan. It sounded surprisingly simple, for they were just going to try and break in the side door and remain undetected while they searched the facility. Scarlett thought it seemed a little too easy, but since her mentor was much older than she was, she supposed he wouldn't just go into something without thinking it thoroughly through.

They touched the ground and put their wings away, tiptoeing to the side entrance to the base. The duo made sure to keep a sharp lookout since they were in the desert and there was nowhere to hide. Thankfully, it seemed like no one was in sight. When they came upon the door, Yuan allowed Scarlett to step forward. "It should be rather simple, but keep in mind that they are typically booby trapped should you get the code wrong."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow and tossed him a look over her shoulder. "Booby trapped? How would you know something like that?"

"Let's just say I've been on more than one of these missions," he muttered unpleasantly. "Now, hurry up. Before someone comes."

She turned to the keypad for entering the four digit code and grinned smugly. "I've cracked harder than this. It should only take me a few seconds." She ran her fingers over the edges of the numbers, ranging from one to nine, trying to figure out which of the four were more worn down than the others. It didn't take long to locate them; it was one, three, four, and eight. As she tried figuring out the order in which they came, she inquired with curiosity, "What kinds of booby traps?"

Yuan crossed his arms and waited patiently. He gave a mild shrug as he replied, "Usually a very powerful shock. Then the alarms. I can teleport myself, however. You cannot, if I recall correctly."

Scarlett took a moment to give Yuan an icy glare to which she received a chuckle in return. When she got back to work, Yuan pondered for a moment. Once she does this, I can keep her quiet just long enough to go run out and find Lloyd. Then, he will have no choice but to obey me and I can stop Mithos' plans…but at the same time…I could always let Scarlett in on it. After the life that Mithos-…no, that Yggdrasill has given her, she would have no reason to stay by his side if she were given another option, but she may still have…other uses. Perhaps not just yet.

Scarlett at last decided on the passcode and typed it in: four, eight, one, three. It beeped rapidly in succession and the lock on the door hissed open. She was about to turn and see what Yuan had to say about her hacking skills when a violent shock ran a course throughout her body. The last thing she remembered seeing was the sand as she crashed into the ground.

XxXxXxX Vision XxXxXxX

A man tore through the forest, his face hidden by shadows, a bloodied sword in his right hand. He fought for breath as he ran like a madman, chasing after something. At last, he came to something of a clearing beside of a large building that looked suspiciously like a Desian base. Standing there near the edge was a monster of an ugly green, its arms long and grotesque, and its entire body smelling of rotting flesh. It turned to face its pursuer, a small little bundle in its arms.

"Anna…," the man whispered, his voice sounding broken, as if stripped of all hope. "It's okay… I can help you return to normal, I know it… Please, just get control of yourself."

As the beast growled, the little bundle in its arms began to cry hysterically, wiggling around. As if just noticing its presence, the monster looked down at it and raised its free claw.

"Anna, no!" The man bellowed with all the force he could muster. His grip tightened on his sword until his knuckles turned white.

The monster halted, and seemed to be struggling with that particular decision. A woman's voice could be heard, speaking meekly as if she were crying. "Please, my angel… I don't want to hurt our son… Just…please….before I kill him and hurt you…"

"No! Don't say it-!"

"Please kill me…"

"Anna! How could you say such a thing?!" The man took a step nearer. "Just put him down and calm down. We will figure this out."

"Please… Kratos… Ahh!"

The beast began to roar as it moved its claw down towards the young child, whose cries had intensified. In a green and white blur, a strange creature jumped forward, desperate to protect the child. The claw sliced easily through the beast's coat, quickly staining it with blood. It whimpered and yipped like a canine, limping backwards. The monster turned its attention to the child again. Kratos rushed forward so quickly a human eye could have barely caught it, his sword extended. It pierced through the skin of the monster with ease, bringing its movements to a stop. It stood as still as a statue, and a heavy silence fell throughout the area, the only remaining sound being the child's sobs. Kratos' eyes widened with realization of his actions, and he yanked his sword out from the monster. Its legs wobbled as it took a step backwards. With a bright flash of light, the monster began to shrink into a more humanoid figure, the bundle of the child remaining tight in its arms.

When the light faded, in the monster's place was a young woman with short brown hair and light brown eyes that shone with tears. Her stomach was bleeding profusely, her blood splashing to the ground. She began to outstretch her arms to hand Kratos the child when she began to tilt backwards…right off of a cliff.

Kratos dropped his sword and reached out for her, but he wasn't quick enough. Just like that, the wails of his son and the figure of his beloved wife faded to the darkness below.

XxXxXxX

Scarlett's eyes slid open as she took a deep breath. Her throat felt closed up, and her brain was already racing with what she had just seen. That had been Kratos and-…those other two…they were his…

She shook her head to clear her mind of the thoughts. Now isn't the time for this! I'll talk with Kratos later!

Taking a closer look at her surroundings, she saw that she was in a jail cell. The bars were directly in front of her, a guard standing on the other side, looking at her with a grin. "Ahh, so the other one is finally awake. Quite a shock you got, huh?"

With those few words, the Renegade guard walked off a small distance, out of Scarlett's line of sight. She groaned as she felt the lingering effects of the electricity tingle throughout her body. Her head was throbbing, her ears were ringing, and her limbs felt stiff. No matter. It would fade away soon enough. Glancing around the cell, she saw that Yuan wasn't with her.

"Psst!"

The sound nearly made Scarlett jump out of her skin. She turned her head to the wall to her right, which was where she had heard the noise come from. …It must be another cell on the other side! But…that didn't sound like Yuan. He probably had no time to act before the Renegades got me. I'm sure he'll be along shortly. I can already hear everything he's going to say to me…

"Psst! Over here."

Scarlett moved closer towards the wall and whispered back, "Who are you?"

"My name is Lloyd. I'm being held prisoner here. What about you?" The voice sounded like he was nothing but a teenager, Scarlett thought.

"I'm…Scarlett. I was captured, too." She thought of mentioning that she had been separated from her comrade, but held her tongue. Something told her it wasn't a good idea to bring up Yuan unless she found him first. "What did you do to be captured?"

She could sense the hesitation from him before he said, "I was searching for Colette…the Chosen. I sort of…got wrapped up in something else along the way."

This piece of news shocked Scarlett. There's no way I'm this lucky! What better way to earn the Chosen's trust for later than to use this boy? As long as I don't seem too suspicious, this should work out perfectly… Aloud, she said, "The Chosen? Wow…do you know her?"

"Well, yes…" There was a soft, sheepish chuckle from Lloyd to accompany this confession. "We grew up together, actually. She just started her journey, but I wanted to…go along with her. Until the very end, when I get to see her become an angel."

Thankful that he couldn't see her, Scarlett's eyes dropped back down to the floor. "An angel…" Or Martel's vessel…

"Oh…but I suppose this could wait until later." On the other side, Lloyd stood up and examined his surroundings. "All I have is this ring, still…and I could open the lock, but the guard…"

As if on cue, the guard walked back up to the cells and tapped the bars with his sword. "Hey! Quiet down in there!"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at the man giving her orders, but listened to him. Even though she could use magic, she was still unarmed at the moment. The guard walked on past her cell and began to pace on the other side of the bars. Before she knew what had happened, there was a small fireball that flew at the guard, both burning him and catching him off guard. He yelped and ran with shock. Lloyd sniggered, "Man, these Desians are actually pretty wimpy if that's all that took. Now, let me just open this door up…"

Desians? He thinks they're Desians? Hmm…well…I guess I'd better go along with it for now. "You can do that? Open the door?"

A creaking sound was heard, and not but a second later, Lloyd was standing before her cell, a grin on his seventeen year old face. "Of course I can. Give me one minute and I'll have yours open, too!" His brown eyes darted around and found the small control panel for the door. He punched in a few things, and the door soon raised open. Scarlett stepped out gratefully, and when she did, she saw that Lloyd had a hand extended to her. "Nice to officially meet you."

Scarlett looked at his hand for a moment before shaking it. "Indeed, it is." She offered him a smirk of her own. "I guess now the next step is finding where our weapons got to…"

"You have weapons?" Lloyd's tone sounded shocked. "Well…I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You have an Exsphere."

He also doesn't know the difference between an Exsphere and a Cruxis Crystal… "That was a quick observation. Yes, I do have a weapon and an Exsphere. Although…I have a question for you." She took a few steps forward, listening for anyone who may be approaching and also keeping an eye out for her belongings.

Lloyd began to follow her lead, making sure to walk quietly. "What's that?"

"How do you know that you can trust me?"

Without any hesitation, he said, "Anyone caught by the Desians is someone in need. I want to help everyone that I can. What sort of person would I be if I left you to be made into a slave on a human ranch?" With a small triumphant cry, nearly a contradiction to the serious tone he'd just had a moment ago, he passed by Scarlett into a small circular area. "Here's my swords!"

He reached into a small chest and pulled forth twin swords as well as a pack of what Scarlett guessed were other small items he had for his journey. As he attached his swords back to his hip, she spotted Koikage leaning against the wall. Placing her hands on it gave her a reassuring feeling. Now she didn't have to worry about anyone in her way.

The two had just begun to walk away from the area when alarms began to ring and a red light flashed above them. The guard that Lloyd had assaulted must have gone and raised the alarm, alerting the entire base of their escape. Lloyd grumbled to himself, but kept moving forward. Turning his head to look back at Scarlett, he inquired, "What do you do?"

"I've done a little bit of mercenary work. Recently, I was just travelling to go visit a friend of mine when I was captured." Scarlett could've sighed with relief. The lie rolled off of her tongue as though it weren't one. She knew that Kratos had come down to Sylvarant under the mercenary guise, so she thought she could play off of it just a little bit. Besides, she knew that she would have to tone down her fighting skills a little bit, but she was still an impressive fighter, so it didn't come across as suspicious.

"Mercenary, huh? Seems to be a lot of that lately…"

Then Kratos has already joined them. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Besides, looks like we'll have to talk later. We have some company!" Lloyd drew his swords, his eyes set with determination on the approaching Renegades, their swords drawn and ready to attack.

"I'll watch your back!" Scarlett called out to him as he charged forward. There were three of them, but they wouldn't take long at all. Renegades were no match for her skill whatsoever.

Lloyd charged at the first soldier he came across, blocking an attack with his left sword and then striking with his right. It fell upon the armor that the soldier wore, but it still caused him to stumble backwards. Another foot soldier came up on Lloyd's side, attempting to slash at him, but Lloyd barely managed to dodge his blow. Scarlett analyzed the situation quickly and began to cast a spell. She held her scythe at a diagonal angle behind her back while she set into her rhythmic movements of taking her right hand and moving it up, down, and to the left, then backwards, as if forming a backwards L. She could sense the third Renegade running at her, but she cast her spell in time, needing no incantation for such a low-level spell. "Fireball!"

The three fireballs each hit a target. Two assaulted the one that was about to attack Scarlett, and the third hit the back of the man that had tried catching Lloyd off guard. Seeing his chance, Lloyd brought his swords back and put a fatal gash in his chest. The Renegade was dead before he hit the floor. Scarlett ignored the sight of the blood and kept her focus on the enemy in front of her that was recovering from her magic attack. She saw that Lloyd was now exchanging blows with the first man when she ran at the third. She swung Koikage at him with great force, and then tsked softly as he brought up his sword to block her. It was a momentary battle of strength as they tried to overpower each other. When they broke away, Scarlett brought Koikage up over her head and brought it down upon the man while calling, "Fierce Demon Fang!"

She saw his sword shatter just before her scythe came down upon him. When the dust from her strike cleared, she saw the blood dripping from her weapon, but turned to see how Lloyd was doing. He, too, had unleashed his own Demon Fang and killed the last one alive. His eyes shifted to look at her with impression. "Wow, you're a pretty strong fighter."

"You're alright yourself," Scarlett replied. "You barely needed my backup at all."

"Not true!" Lloyd pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped the blood off of his swords with a swift movement. As he sheathed them, he said, "If I had been alone fighting all three, there's a chance they would've overpowered me. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, no thanks are needed. Although…I suppose that we should find a way out of here before we do anything else, huh?" Scarlett propped Koikage on the floor and leaned against it. "What do you think? Should we go together or split up and try to find a way faster?" Scarlett hoped it was the latter, because that would not only give her a chance to find the exit, but she could possibly locate the Renegade's leader at the same time.

She saw the battle happening within Lloyd as he tried to make a hasty decision. "Normally, I would say that we should stick together, but…maybe right now, the quicker we get out of here, the better."

"Right. I'll be able to find you quicker than you'd be able to find me, I think. I've had some experiencing tracking. So let's hope I find an exit faster than you!" Scarlett gave him a teasing wink. "Consider it a challenge."

This brought forth a grin to Lloyd's face. "Well, I accept. Be careful, alright?"

"You do the same."

They parted ways quickly after they walked through the door leading from the holding cells, each one running a different direction. Scarlett couldn't help but notice that Lloyd's movements were incredibly loud. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be spotted again. Still, she couldn't allow him to be recaptured or die…not if she was going to use him to earn his trust along with the Chosen's. Speaking of which…I wonder where they are.

Scarlett practically glided down the hall, her feet hardly touching the ground, making little to no sound whatsoever. Her eyes darted about, looking for clues that could help her while she also kept an eye peeled for the exit. Off in the distance, she could hear sounds of another battle, accompanied by Lloyd's yells. They were not ones of distress, but just of normal battle. I think he'll be okay.

She came to a hangar of sorts, but it was completely empty. Pausing for a moment, she walked over to the computer screens and saw that the hangar contained rheairds. This was no surprise; the Renegades had always had them in both worlds and created a method to go from Sylvarant to Tethe'alla using these machines. How they even knew about the worlds was still one thing that baffled Cruxis members, Scarlett included. The only thing that made sense to her was if they had a mole within the organization, but she wouldn't have a clue where to start pointing fingers.

Rushing footsteps were heard approaching Scarlett, and she turned about swiftly on her heel, weapon at the ready. What she saw instead surprised her. A group of three people entered the hangar, one of which she knew. The first was a young teenage girl with fair blonde hair and gentle blue eyes, and the Cruxis Crystal around her neck told Scarlett that this girl was the Chosen! Behind her was a woman who was obviously not a human with her shimmering silver hair and calculating blue eyes. Last was the one and only Kratos Aurion, giving Scarlett a look as shocked as he could possibly make it. The silver haired woman demanded, "Who are you? Are you with the Desians?"

"N-no, I'm not! I was captive here with another person – Lloyd! We escaped and split up to find an exit." She held up her free right hand as a sign that she wasn't going to attack them just in case they didn't believe her.

"Lloyd?!" The Chosen's eyes widened with surprise. "Where is he?! Is he okay?!"

"Yes, when I saw him, he was fine."

"Professor, Mr. Kratos, let's go! He might need our help!" Hastily, the blonde girl ran out of the room, the silver haired woman following behind her after giving Scarlett one more glance. That just left her alone with Kratos.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Go ahead and get out. Wait for us at the entrance. That woman's little brother is also waiting. We'll talk later." With that, he too ran from the room after the two women.

Scarlett sighed and propped Koikage on the ground, standing still for a moment. She listened for any further movement, but heard none approaching her, so she deemed it safe enough to leave the hangar. Still, she twisted throughout the halls with caution, having to avoid a few Renegades here and there. She figured it would work out better if she escaped without being spotted again. At last, she found the front door, or at least an exit. She glanced left and right, checking to make sure that no one was watching, and she began to make a break for it. She had nearly made it to the door in time when a voice behind her called, "Hey, stop!"

Scarlett froze in her tracks before spinning around to face the Renegade that had hollered at her. She saw his eyes narrow with both suspicion and recognition. This isn't good. I need to get rid of him before he alerts the others…, she thought quickly, not seeing any other solution to her issue. Without even needing an incantation or taking time to call forth a magic circle, Scarlett swung her scythe at the man and hissed venomously, "Grave!"

"You were the one that was brought in by Lord-gahhh-!" The Renegade wasn't able to finish his sentence before the spears of earth broke through the floor and pierced his body. Scarlett paused for just a moment, wondering if he was about to name the Renegade leader that had possibly brought her inside the base after being shocked by the booby trap. Now was not the time to linger on the possibilities of what his last words would have been. Right now, she needed to do as Kratos said and leave.

XxXxXxX

Well, first off, I do apologize for this part at the ending... I know that Lloyd would probably never have agreed to split up, but I couldn't really think of any good way that he would agree to it... So I know that part is probably a bit unrealistic as far as Lloyd goes, but hey! There was action...! Yeah...?!

Well, you all do your thing and I'll do mine and go work on the next chapter now!