"What is this?" The Professor stooped down to examine a box that had been shoved into a dark corner of the ruins. The group had been following her helplessly for the past half-hour or so, and Lloyd was—of course—bored. Kratos, Yuan, and the Professor had banned their younger companions from their game of ping on threat of broken bones, much to Lloyd's disappointment.
The silver-haired teacher proceeded to reach for the box she had found. "Ahh!" She quickly pulled her hand back, cradling it to her chest. Lloyd saw blood. Then, to the entire group's shock, the box hopped forward, its lid open, revealing rows of gruesome, mangled teeth.
"What the hell?" Lloyd gaped open-mouthed at the scene before him for a moment before the sound of swords being unsheathed snapped him back into focus. Following Skah and Kratos forward, he slashed both of his swords in quick sequence, expecting the box to break. Instead he heard a horrible grating noise as metal struck some kind of shell. His eyes widened in fear as the box, unfazed, lunged forward, snapping at his legs. He stumbled backwards.
His companions' attacks weren't doing anything either; Kratos and Skah could hardly keep the box in one place, let along do any damage. Raine stood back, focused on healing her injured hand; her brother was next to her, distracted from casting by his worry for his sister. Meanwhile, Yuan's eyes had focused on their small enemy, closely scrutinizing it.
"This isn't freaking working!" Skah shouted as his sword bounced off the shell again.
"Aqua Edge!" Genis yelled, hitting the box with blades of water. The thing whimpered, hopping back from the attack.
Lloyd's eyes widened. "It's only hurt by magic!" he bellowed at his friend. "Keep casting!"
However, the second he had been distracted cost him. Furious from Genis' attack, the box leapt at him, and he couldn't get out of the way fast enough. He cried out as the thing's ragged fangs sunk into his calf, though his boot. He fell backwards, frantically—and futilely—trying to kick the thing off.
"Lloyd!" He heard his friends' voices over the angry shrieks of the box. He screamed as it gnawed on his leg, jagged edges of teeth mutilating his leg. He dropped his swords and clawed at it, trying to pry its jaws open.
Genis and Colette stood by horrorstruck; Genis wanted to attack, to save his best friend, but couldn't get at the monster without hitting Lloyd in the process. Raine hysterically cast First Aid, trying to prevent permanent damage to his leg. Yuan looked calculating; calmly focused on the teen and the creature.
"Get… off!" Lloyd half-grunted, half-moaned as the box wedged its teeth deeper into his leg, ripping through muscle. He felt tears streaming from his eyes and didn't care; his fingers grasped at the thing's "mouth", slipping off as he tried again and again to pull it off his leg.
Suddenly Skah was there, crouching beside him with a dagger. He jabbed the blade at the box, attempting to wedge it underneath the lid and force it off. However, the edge slipped, slicing instead into Lloyd's already bloody leg.
"Get out of the way; you're only doing more damage." Kratos shoved the blonde to the side, kneeling in front of Lloyd, hands wrapping around the monster's mouth. Lloyd could see where the teeth cut the mercenary's fingers. Grunting, he yanked the jaws apart, swiftly pulling the box off and away from the teen. He backed away, its teeth now clenched on his left hand. "Yuan, now!"
"Indignation!" The runes that had circled the floor around the half-elf disappeared, and the air in the corridor became charged with electricity about to be released.
"Guardian!" Kratos shouted. A blue shield enveloped him, protecting him from the incoming attack, but he held his hand—along with the box—outside of the circle of protection. Purple lightning struck, centered on the creature. It quickly fanned outward, frying the box; its screams were barely audible over the crash of thunder that accompanied the attack. The decimated thing dropped on the ground, still crackling with electricity.
"Raine, take care of Lloyd," Kratos panted slightly as he returned to the teen's side.
"I'm already on it," she replied, kneeled next to Lloyd, gels in hand, as she cast First Aid again. "Do you have a knife?" she then asked the mercenary, scaring the hell out of Lloyd.
"What do you need a knife for, Professor?"
Hearing his frightened tone, she smiled reassuringly, her azure eyes softening. "Don't worry," she said as she took the offered knife from Kratos. She deftly cut away the ripped portion of his pants and worked his practically ruined boot off, exposing the wounds. As she surveyed the damage done, she kept her face calm for Lloyd, even though she wanted to cringe at the sight. She gently placed her hands on the boy's torn skin, rubbing an apple gel into the gashes and carefully examining the depth of the tears in the muscle.
"Lloyd, are you all right?" Colette asked anxiously as she and Genis pressed closer to their friend.
Raine did not want her brother or the Chosen to see the bloody sight before them; they still had a modicum of innocence left, and she would preserve that for as long as possible. They did not need to see this.
"Stay back," Kratos commanded them softly. "Give them room."
Raine smiled a small thanks to the man; he nodded, showing his understanding of the situation. "Lloyd, why don't you lay back," she quietly suggested. Lloyd nodded and slowly lowered himself until he was propped on his elbows, afraid to see what his leg looked like.
"Kratos, how's your hand?" he asked, remembering how the teeth ripped into the skin and the lightning attack it had suffered.
The mercenary had remained by Lloyd's side as Raine examined the wound, silently surveying the damage. At the teen's words, he glanced down at his hand, seeming to have forgotten his own injury. "I'll survive," he replied as he cast a small healing spell, fixing the worst of the burns and lacerations.
"That's… good." Lloyd winced as the Professor continued to massage the gels into his calf. He glanced at his wounds, immediately regretting it. From what he could see, he'd be lucky if he could walk again, let alone fight.
"You'll be fine," Kratos murmured, seeing his terror. "You teacher knows what she's doing."
"It looks bad," Lloyd whispered, not wanting to worry his friends, but shaking at the sight of what the creature had done to him. "It looks really bad…"
"Don't worry." Kratos rested his uninjured hand on Lloyd's shoulder.
Raine looked up at the two males, silently noting the warmth in Kratos' eyes. She cast a quick healing spell on the mercenary, taking him by surprise. His hand was now almost fully healed. In response to the glare he gave her—a glare that said, "Take care of the boy,"—she just shook her head. Her eyes moved to Lloyd, who was looking much paler than usual, whether from the fear, the blood loss, or both, she didn't know.
"Do we have any bandages?" she asked no one in particular, expecting everyone to listen. She was quickly handed a roll of clean linen by her brother; she nodded her thanks. "Now Lloyd, I'm going to start healing your leg while I bandage it; that will make sure the muscles align properly. But I'm warning you now, it's going to hurt."
Lloyd nodded and clenched his jaw, tensing. His leg hurt like hell already, but from the sounds of it, it was going to get worse.
"Kratos," Raine muttered, "you know some of the healing arts, do you not?" When the mercenary nodded, she continued, "Can you try to numb the pain while I heal him? I need to focus."
Raine closed her eyes, centering herself. She needed to be calm. She heard Kratos tell Lloyd to lie down; she opened her eyes to see him do as instructed for once.
Lloyd tensed even more when his teacher began the healing spell. His hands clenched into fists; the only reason he didn't cry out was that Colette and Genis were worried enough already and he didn't want to scare them more. He could feel how deep into his flesh the monster's teeth had sunk; he felt the muscles start to knit themselves back together. It was agony.
Slowly, he became aware of a hand gently running through his hair. The pain began to fade away: not gone, but not crippling. His body relaxed as the Professor continued her spell.
After a few tense minutes, Raine released the mana charging her spell and let go of her student's leg. "It's sufficiently healed now. You'll be able to walk, but until it has more time to heal, no fighting." Looking into her pupil's anxious eyes, she smiled. "You'll be back to normal soon, Lloyd, don't worry."
"Thanks, Professor," the teen murmured, sitting himself up. He pulled his leg up so he could see it: white linen covered his leg from just under the knee almost down to the ankle. He winced as he moved. It still stung a bit, but he'd manage. What he was worried about now was his apparel.
The right leg of his pants was cut off just above the knee, and his boot was ripped almost to shreds; he'd have to buy a new pair now, and he already owed Kratos money… ugh. Pulling what remained of his boot back on, he groaned. "I look like crap!"
Skah laughed. "It's not much worse than how you looked before."
"Sh-shut up!" Lloyd tried to get up, but his leg collapsed under him. Kratos caught him before he hit the floor.
"Can you walk?" he asked softly.
Lloyd tested his weight on his leg, then nodded hesitantly. "I think so." He carefully took a few steps, and although he had to limp a bit, found himself able to get around without too much trouble.
"Let's go find the Seal," he said, faking enthusiasm for his friends' sake. On the inside, he was utterly furious at himself; he wouldn't be any help at all now.
Skah nodded. "Yeah, let's hurry up and get this shit over with." Noticing everyone's eyes on him, he shrugged. "What? I don't like it in here, and the kid should probably be resting or something instead of wandering around in this place."
Reluctantly, Raine nodded, her Ruin Mode abandoned in concern for Lloyd. "Yes, we should move on."
After backtracking slightly, the party walked through one of the immense archways into a huge dome. Interlacing the room were a multitude of raised platforms built above a floor of churning lava. The temperature, which before had been stifling, shot higher by at least ten degrees. The molten rock below them lit the cavern with a vermillion glow; the up-lit faces of the Regeneration group suddenly seemed sinister.
"Well," Yuan said in a monotone, "we're here, we may as well get moving."
They unenthusiastically followed his advice; the heat of the room made them unwilling to put forth much effort.
From what Lloyd could tell, the whole place was just a big maze. They constantly walked up and down stairs, frequently backtracking when they hit dead ends. Luckily, the few monsters they saw for the most part avoided them, so he didn't have to try to fight on his injured leg, but even just walking around made his calf burn.
"Lloyd, are you okay?" Colette asked from beside him after ascending yet another flight of stairs.
"Don't worry about me," he replied, the usual grin plastered across his face, although he felt more like grimacing. However, after more uselessly wandering across the cavern, even his pain wasn't enough to distract him. He was bored again.
"This is pointless!" he exclaimed. "We're not getting anywhere like this!"
"The kid's right," Skah agreed. "This isn't doing anything."
"Well, what do you suggest?" Raine countered. "If you see another way through here, feel free to point it out. Until then, we don't have another option."
"If you're so smart, why don't youthink of something?"
"Professor, Skah, can you please stop fighting?" They both turned to the Chosen, who was watching them somberly. "That's not helping."
Raine looked away, slightly ashamed. "You're right, Colette." She turned away, only to catch sight of a slight depression in one of the walls—rather, a side of a taller platform—near them. "What's that?"
"Oh, no," Lloyd muttered, stepping back. "That's what she said before she found the evil box…"
"It's a sconce," Yuan supplied, approaching the elf from behind.
The Professor frowned slightly. "Hmm, I wonder…" She turned around. "Lloyd, do you still have the Sorcerer's Ring?"
Lloyd's russet eyes lit up. "Yeah!" He aimed the ring at the wall and fired. As the depression was lit and the fuel caught fire, a nearby platform suddenly, with a horrendous grating noise, heaved itself out of the lava and higher in the air.
"That's it!" the Professor exclaimed. "We just need to find the rest and then we can find the Seal!"
They hurriedly set out to accomplish their task. Kratos, from behind them, noted Lloyd's enthusiasm, attributing it to the fact that he now had something productive to do. He trailed after his charge and her companions, eyes scouring their path for enemies. Meanwhile, Yuan fell into step beside him.
"The kid has some pretty rotten luck," he commented.
Kratos made no reply as he watched the teen light another torch recessed in the stone.
"You acted too protective back there."
"I know, Yuan." His voice was cold; he didn't need the half-elf to tell him that. He had been silently berating himself for it since they had entered this cavern. He had acted without thinking. He should not have showed he cared, he shouldn't have caredin the first place, however… when he saw Lloyd in danger, his son hurt, there was nothing else he could do. He closed his eyes for a moment, composing himself. He needed to drop that mentality as soon as possible, otherwise… it couldn't end well.
"You almost blew your cover," the blue-haired man stated.
"I know, Yuan," he hissed back, his hand itching to draw his sword on his "friend".
"Calm down! You're acting like it was me that was trying to eat your kid—"
"Shut up!"Kratos glanced around quickly, searching for signs that anyone had heard.
"Relax. None of them are paying attention to us."
It was true; Lloyd was happily shooting the Sorcerer's ring, Colette and Genis watched in excitement as yet another platform moved. The Professor seemed to be fighting the urge to examine the device to learn how it functioned; Skah impatiently followed the platforms with his eyes, tracing the way to the highest point in the room, where the transporter to the Seal was located.
"I think that's all of them," the blond man said with a smirk. "Looks like we're almost done in here…"
"So now do we just follow the paths?" Genis asked, looking up at the platforms.
"Guess so." Lloyd shrugged. "Let's go!"
The adults sighed at the brunette's eagerness, but followed when he and Skah led the way. They scurried up stairs and across pathways, Lloyd doing his best to keep pace despite the pain in his leg. After a while, he realized that they weren't seeing many monsters around. He would have thought there would be more of them in here… but he saw even fewer of them than in the forest at home. When he pointed it out to Skah, the man merely shrugged.
"They're afraid of my awesome might," he replied with a smirk.
"Oh, yeah, right," the brunette said mockingly. "Are you sure they don't just see your face and run?"
"Can it, cripple."
Their banter halted abruptly when they reached the top of the final flight of stairs. In front of them on the ground was a huge glowing circle; it lit the platform with a lavender shine. Shapes seemed to undulate beneath its glassy surface; giving the impression of an oasis in the center of the lava-filled chamber.
"So that's it?" Lloyd asked as the others caught up.
"It's a warp pad," the Professor stated. "We step on it, and it should take us to the Seal."
Lloyd hesitantly walked forward and was the first to reach the device. He gasped as the room around him disappeared along with his friends, and in front of him he saw an enormous chamber, what looked like some kind of stage or altar at the front. He stepped forward as Skah materialized behind him, followed by his other companions.
The Professor's eyes lit up. "This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!"
"Well, Miss Chosen," Skah said, "what are you waiting for?"
Colette blushed and nervously stepped forward into the room, but as she approached the altar, it began to glow strangely.
"Chosen, look out!" Kratos yelled before a huge beast materialized, two smaller creatures emerging from behind it. Colette jumped back in surprise, falling over in the act. Lloyd swore and ran forward to help. However, when he reached her, the beast circled behind him, blocking him off. He turned to run the other way, but the smaller monsters stayed on that side, effectively trapping the two teens.
"Oh, shit…" Lloyd stared up at the cat-like thing before him. It glowed dimly, red skin rippling over countless muscles. Huge spikes extended from its skull and continued down its back, and its tail swished lazily behind it; the appendage looked dangerous on its own, andhe had to watch out for the teeth and claws… He was screwed.
Straightening up, he pulled out his swords and held them at the ready, waiting for any of his foes to make a move. If there was one thing he had learned so far from Kratos' brief lessons, it was don't charge the opponent; that only got you hurt.
"Indignation!" Lightning struck the huge cat-monster just before it pounced. It howled in pain, temporarily paralyzed. Before it had a chance to recover, Lloyd grabbed onto Colette's wrist and ran as fast as his hurt leg would allow him. The smaller beasts leapt after them.
As luck would have it, Colette tripped as soon as they were past the huge feline, dragging Lloyd down too. His leg had started bleeding through the bandages, but before he could dwell on that he was distracted by the monsters crouched to spring on him.
A swish of purple and Kratos stood in front of him and Colette, blocking the attacks. "Get back," he commanded as Lloyd hauled himself to his feet. Realizing that in his state retreat was the best option, Lloyd pulled Colette back from the fight.
Meanwhile, Genis had begun casting. An ice spell temporarily froze one of the small cat's legs to the ground, giving Colette and Lloyd more time to scramble away. Raine cast First Aid on Lloyd's leg, which stopped the bleeding and a fair amount of the pain. Skah had charged the large beast while Yuan circled behind it holding a huge double-ended blade; Kratos kept busy the small cat that hadn't been hit by the ice as Lloyd and Colette tried to distract the one that had; Lloyd taunted the beast to get its attention as Colette threw her chakrams.
The Professor began another spell, but was interrupted when the ice encasing the monster's foreleg broke and it leapt at her and her brother, aggravated by the attack. Genis hit the thing with his kendama, but the tiny toy-like weapon did little in actual combat, and the Sage siblings couldn't get a spell out before the beast would slash its claws.
Genis summoned a force field as the monster charged; the sharp claws scraped against the shield, which soon faltered. "Help!" Raine shouted as she lashed out with her staff. Lloyd wanted to answer her, but his leg prevented him from being of any real use. Colette tossed a chakram at the monster, creating a large gash on its hind leg, but it ignored her, focusing on the prey in front of it.
"Skah!" Lloyd yelled; the blond swordsman was closest to the elves, he could protect them. However, the man's red eyes flashed to the siblings without showing any emotion and he continued his battle with the gargantuan cat.
Raine cried out as she was knocked back; Genis shouted and started attacking with renewed vigor. However, his efforts were useless: the feline ignored him and advanced on his sister as Lloyd watched.
Yuan swore, dodged the swinging tail of the giant beast, then ducked under it to run to the elves' aid. With a few quick slashes of his swallow, the beast was down. He reached out and pulled the silver-haired woman to her feet. "You can thank me later," he said quickly, before glancing back at her and adding, "maybe tonight…" Lloyd, from across the room, scowled at the man.
She glared at him, tugging her hand away. "Focus on the battle," she commanded. Yuan sighed disappointedly and rushed back into the fight.
Kratos, meanwhile, had taken down the other small cat and joined in the larger fray. This monster was proving to be more difficult than its companions; despite the many gashes and small cuts, it seemed to be at full strength. Yuan cast another lightning spell; the monster froze in pain, leaving a short opening for Kratos and Skah to attack relentlessly. It soon recovered, however; yowling, its tail whipped around, knocking back Yuan, who had just approached, and forcing Kratos and Skah to retreat for a moment.
Colette ran brashly forward, ready to help her friends. Lloyd made a grab for her arm, but didn't move fast enough; she was already out of his reach. Leaving herself fully open for attack, she charged through the center of the room.
"Chosen, get back!" Kratos shouted as the floor around the monster began to glow. Suddenly it released a spell, and the glow disappeared from around the cat and transferred to the ground below Colette.
Lloyd and the mercenary reached the blonde at the same moment; they both pulled her away just as the spell hit. Kratos supported the girl so she wouldn't trip as he dragged her out of reach of the eruption taking place in the spot she had been a second ago. Once the spell finished its course, the man left the Chosen to Lloyd with the simple command of "Protect her," before rushing back into battle.
A couple more ice spells from Genis and more attacks from the swordsmen and the fight was over; the feline collapsed and, before their eyes, fell to ash. The altar immediately began to glow once more.
"Chosen of Regeneration," a solemn voice echoed through the room, "Offer your prayers at the altar."
Colette nodded, murmured, "Yes, my lord." She slowly walked forward to the seal and knelt before it. "Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"
With a spectacular show of light, the angel from the temple in Iselia appeared, white wings fanning gently as he hovered above the altar. The intense illumination blurred the features of his face as he spoke. "Colette, my dear daughter, you have done well."
Colette bowed her head. "Thank you …Father," she said hesitantly.
"The guardian of the seal has fallen," his deep voice intoned, "and the first seal has been released. Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the angels."
"Thank you, my lord," she said, her head still lowered.
The silver radiance surrounding the altar intensified, engulfing the Chosen. Within the glow, a small golden light descended towards her, hovering above her Cruxis Crystal. Colette gasped as it merged into her body; she could feel her muscles tighten and heat. Suddenly, the tension released through her back. Pink rays of light burst out of her, coalescing into wings, wings made of solid light. They fluttered without her conscious thought directing them. She rose in the air to meet the angel before her.
"The angel transformation will not be without pain," he said. "Yet, it is for but one night. Be strong and endure."
"I humbly accept this trial."
"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar."
His voice, although warm, held no real emotion. "Yes, Lord Remiel," she replied.
At her words, the angel vanished. However, his voice rang out one more time. "I shall await you at the next seal, Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter, Colette."
The ethereal glow faded away as she descended, landing gently on the stone floor. However, the rose-hued light emanating from her new appendages remained.
"Colette… has wings!" Lloyd exclaimed, his jaw hanging open.
She giggled happily, enjoying the feeling of air brushing past the pink feathers. "Uh-huh, and look, I think I can put them away, too." She tensed her back, concentrating on the feeling of light that had come just before the wings. Almost instantly, she felt warmth as her wings dissipated into nothing, yet she could still feel them in her back.
Genis' face lit up. "Oh, wow! That's so cool!"
Colette beamed. "Here, look, look!" She released her wings before retracting them again, then drew them out once more. Her younger friend laughed gleefully as she flapped her wings quickly, hovering just above the ground.
Lloyd, however, had something else on his mind as a grin spread across his face. "He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a ship! I can't wait!"
The Professor paled a little. "A ship…hmm. I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now."
"Hey, what's up with this?" Skah's voice called out from a ways away. Lloyd turned to see the swordsman standing behind the altar, looking at the back wall.
"What's up with what?" Lloyd asked, joining him, his other companions following.
The blonde pointed at the huge golden trident-like pillars that lined the wall. "They look kinda out of place, don't they? And I think there's some writing here…"
"What writing?" The Professor pushed past her brother and pupils to examine the wall. "More Angelic!" she exclaimed blissfully. "Colette, come help me translate!"
The girl smiled and skipped forward, but, as usual, tripped over her own feet and sprawled forward, knocking into the bottom of one of the pillars. She gasped as it sunk in slightly, thinking she had broken it. Suddenly, the seemingly solid wall formed a thin crack down the middle, splitting and opening. The group gaped as they saw the passageway open before them.