Konnichiwa!

Kay, one order of business to attend to before the chapter starts: I got a few comments on how Lloyd could have gotten a 300 on his test when he skipped half of it. If you look at the scale of this test, it's got to cover everything from science to math to reading and writing skills to history to everything. This is a very prestigious school after all, so I imagine that while you could technically get to all those points in a four hundred question test, you also wouldn't be able to properly gauge their knowledge and strong points. So I figure that it was a take-the-average-score kind of thing. And not everything was worth the same amount of points. He could skip half the science multiple choice, but the essay was worth just as much. So while he skipped around a fourth of the total content of the test, the things he skipped were generally less-important. Lloyd was going to for a good score, so he knew how to strategically skip.

…what a frickin' long author's note. I'll shut up and let you get to the actual chapter, but one note of warning, while this is actually a decently plotty chapter, it's also rather bipolar mood-wise due to the overall difficulties I had getting around my writer's block. I don't think it'll be too bad, but the moment I know many of you have been waiting for has finally come.

….

To summarize Lloyd's time in Palmacosta, Lloyd had been pushed around by the fake Chosen's group, run into Rodyle—who may-or-may-not also be from the future—scored a three hundred on the Palmacosta test, helped the group find out about Spiritua's Book, and perhaps have gotten back on his dad's good side. He sighed and dropped onto his bed; the mattress groaned under his weight, but Lloyd flopped backwards, his messy hair grazing the wall behind him.

"Gods, my life sucks!" He didn't know who was on his side, who was from his time, who was dead, who was living, or even who he could trust! He wished he could kick something, but there were rooms on either side of his, Colette in one and some poor person in the other, and he doubted his sudden violence would go unnoticed.

After the test, the group had retreated to the Inn and Kratos had explained what they'd found out about Spiritua's Book. It was painfully delayed, but after hearing about the test, the two angels had agreed to withhold the information so Genis could focus. He was such a good friend.

"Seriously," he growled to nothing in particular, "why did I think this would be easy? Where did I get the idea that this would at all fun! I knew it would be a pain, but I never figured it would get this bad…" He groaned and covered his eyes with his bare hands; his gloves were laid messily on the bedside table several feet away. "What the hell am I supposed to do…?"

No one answered, what did he expect? He was too tense to be unaware of everyone in the building; he was starting to learn his lesson in that regard. It was times like this when he wished he had Raine—his Raine, the one from the future—to talk to. She always had the answers, always had some logical idea or direction to send Lloyd in. That was why they made such a good team, she had the complex ideas and he had the insanity to figure out how to pull them off. He missed all of his friends, Zelos, Sheena, Regal, Presea…

Yet…he wasn't quite sure that any of them would understand quite what he was doing. Did the future them know what he was doing? Yeah, it had been Yuan and Raine who had worked out the technicalities of how to use time-travel with the Eternal Sword. It was also them who had told him not to change anything. But when they'd said that…Yuan had understood; he'd seen too much in his four thousand years not to, but Raine…for once she hadn't dissected the concept. Life had been unraveling for them in the future; already they'd seen little changes, flickers of something that wasn't supposed to be happening. They'd moved as quickly as they could.

And so here he was, alone, confused and without direction. He'd assumed that having Yuan on his side would give him an edge, someone to ask about his moral dilemmas. He'd forgotten what an ass Yuan had been before the World had been saved.

"…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I want to go home…" Lloyd sighed and grabbed a pillow to plop over his eyes.

"I am afraid you have already eliminated that option, Lloyd." Raine's voice was soft, but Lloyd resisted the urge to jump. He had known she was close, but not this close. How had he missed the door opening…? "Iselia has banned you, and if the people weren't already shunning your father, they are now…"

"I know, I know…" Lloyd sighed and sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes, the pillow falling to his lap where he fiddled with the fabric. "I get that it's not an option, but that doesn't mean it's not how I feel…" He realized that this was his first interaction with Raine that lacked any of his friends since they had left Iselia.

"…Genis and Colette both miss their homes as well; it's normal for you to feel homesick." She smiled slightly, her blue eyes friendly.

"Thanks, Raine…" Lloyd smiled slightly, her optimism was…cute.

"Of course, it's your first time away from home; I would be more surprised if you didn't feel a little homesick." The amusement in her eyes flickered, then when out, "But Lloyd…if there is something you want to tell me, please, don't hesitate." Her words were slow, as if she was deliberating the best to use.

"I—…" What could he say? There were so many answers to her question. So many problems that plagued his mind, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't tell her anything. Not a word. "…it's nothing Raine, really…I'm just a little homesick, and it's only just really sunk in that I can't go back, ya' know?"

Raine's piercing blue eyes, a few shades grayer than Colette's bright blue, and glittering with more intelligence than her brother's, studied him for a long moment. She seemed to be debating whether or not this answer checked out. His own red-brown eyes fixed on her own, and for a moment, Lloyd wondered if she could read the lies and sense the guilt that burdened his heart. All the same, he didn't look away from her, and a moment later, her eyes softened.

"I understand that it is difficult, Lloyd, but I also know that it was you who insisted you come on this Journey. You cannot get cold feet now."

Lloyd felt shame well in his stomach; it was shame for making Raine think he wanted to return to Iselia, the thing was, that wasn't the home he wished he could return to. The home he wanted was much, much farther away and much harder to get to. "I-I wasn't going to…it's just a phase, you know? A little bit of depression, seeing Chocolate and her mom made me think of Dad…" he invented wildly and, again, Raine's eyes softened.

"…I miss Iselia as well, I miss the students, I miss our home and the simpler times; I understand, Lloyd." Perhaps, Lloyd thought, understand was the wrong word. "However, you must know by now that it is your determination that is driving Colette and Genis. Do not give up, for their sake if not your own."

" 'course," Lloyd forced a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about me."

…

At the moment, Lloyd could think of about one person who he might hate more than Kvar. His name? Koton. The group had managed to cross the entire Palmacosta continent in one full day of walking, they'd rested the night at the small in on Hakonesia Peak, and then gone to see the old man. How did they know Koton had the Book of Spiritua? Lloyd had made it up that he'd heard the fake Chosen's Group talking about it at some point. Although it broke his no changing the past pact with himself, Lloyd had a feeling that this was going to be the least of his worries.

"This was given to me by the Chosen herself!" boasted Koton, his wide, greedy smile showing more than a few teeth missing. "I was surprised that she was willing to part with it, but the holiest of holies understands an old man's dreams…" The bastard stared off into space as if he was having a moment of complete understanding with Martel. Lloyd doubted the man had ever walked into a church in his life.

"It looks very old…" Colette stepped forward, her fingers moving to delicately stroke the cover of the ancient tome.

"Don't touch it!" croaked Koton, his wooden cane lashing out and rapping Colette's knuckles harshly. The girl tugged her hand back; rubbing at what Lloyd was sure would later turn black and blue. Kratos' hand twitched toward his blade, and Lloyd's fingers were longing for his own, but a sharp look from Raine made both men clench their hands and bite back the harsh words that would have poured from Lloyd's lips.

"Hey!" snapped Genis, somehow escaping Raine's warning glare and moving blindly on with his words, "You can't do that to Colette! She's the Chosen—"

"The Chosen's faithful follower!" Raine broke into Genis' brash statement and Kratos, just barely keeping his own fury off his face, nodded. "That is why she was so anxious to see the book, if it belonged to the Chosen it holds deep meaning for Colette."

"Well, the lovely ladies have fine taste!" chortled Koton, his muddy brown eyes twitching restlessly over Raine and Colette's figures and Lloyd wanted to rip the bastard apart. Colette was just a kid, and if that son of a bitch didn't move his eyes away from certain parts of Raine immediately, he would give that monster a reason to use a cane. Luckily for him, Koton moved his eyes back to the Book. "But I'm afraid that it'll cost you more than just looking beautiful to see my precious artifact."

"And what, pray tell, is your price?" Kratos asked in a careful monotone from beside Lloyd.

Koton shot a glare at Kratos and the mercenary returned it with triple the force. "I doubt you would be able to comprehend the price."

"Try me." The threat was strong in Kratos' voice.

"Hmmm," Koton took his sweet time debating over what he would make the price, as if he'd never thought about it before, "well…there is a statue of Spiritua in the House of Salvation between the peak and Palmacosta. If you can get that and bring it here, I'll let you look at the book as long as you like."

…

"Raine, what was that back there!" Genis cried, "Why the heck didn't we just tell him Colette's the Cho—" Genis broke off and looked around, as if expecting a Desian to be standing behind him, listening to their argument. "—the Chosen!" he finished with a hiss.

"Yeah!" Lloyd found himself snapping despite the fact that he already knew the answer. "We could have made that bastard eat his words like Neal and Dorr did!"

"If word got out that this Colette was the Chosen it would lead the Desians strait to us. We are already in enough danger as it is, thus, it is best that we remain as subtle about the state of our affairs as we can." Raine snapped in response to their questions.

"I agree with Ms. Sage, that man is not to be trusted with such knowledge; if it suited him he would assist the Desians, as long as there were a prize for him in the end. What is more important, however, is how we intend to obtain the Spiritua statue."

"The Spiritua statue at the House of Salvation…" Colette blinked for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Professor, doesn't Spiritua's crown contain a real diamond? We couldn't ask the priests for something so valuable!"

Raine sighed, "Colette, I don't think we have a choice. Remiel's clues are too cryptic and Spiritua's Book is said to contain the location of all of the seals. If we could find them, we would be able to complete the World Regeneration much faster…"

Lloyd looked away from Raine, as did Colette, though Lloyd did not see this. "So…what do we have to do then? Just…go up to the priests and ask? If they don't know who Colette is, I don't think they'll just hand over a priceless artifact to a bunch of people on a pilgrimage…"

"If we explain why we need it…and I'm sure we can trust the priests…" Colette suggested optimistically. "I'm sure we'll figure it out."

And "figure it out" they did. It was uncomfortable, explain to the priests what exactly they wanted. At first, Raine tried to ask without giving Colette away, but the head priest was, for obvious reasons against it. His younger counterpart seemed equally as against it, but if memory served, it was because this was the man that had dropped a priceless statue into a geyser. Yes, that was definitely him.

Dear Origin… Lloyd thought as he leaded against the back wall, his eyes half-shut. Who would trust this guy with a diamond? Seems like an accident waiting to happen to me… Then again, he was no one to be talking, considering he was most likely going to get himself and his friends into some very deep shit before this Journey was over. Although, looking back at his memories of the Journey, they had had a knack for such things without his interference. Instead of comforting himself, Lloyd had only succeeded in freaking himself out slightly.

"You must understand; the statue is a very important icon for the Church of Martel."

"…of course it is, but you see, we need this to see the Book of Spiritua…" Raine seemed hesitant with her line of thought and Lloyd almost jumped in. Almost. He held himself back, it was Raine's job to talk their way out of these situations…

"The Book of Spiritua…?"

"Colette is the Chosen of Mana, in order to complete her Journey she needs to see the content of the Book." Much to Lloyd's shock it was Kratos who spoke. Gods, what was the world coming to!

"The Chosen?" chokes out one of the priests, "You should have told us! Of course you may take the Spiritua statue! I am sure Spiritua herself could think of no nobler use for it!"

Lloyd let the breath he'd been holding out and saw that Raine did the same, they had both been worried about the priests' reactions to their claim. Obviously the story of the Fake Chosen had not reached them yet. It was stupid, Lloyd reflected, that he feel worried about this. He'd already lived through it for mana's sake! So why was he acting like it was his first time…? If Raine from the future was around, she'd know some long-winded technical explanation. This thought made Lloyd's lips twitch slightly in amusement.

Until, of course, the other priest cleared his throat awkwardly. He was the younger and darker of the two men, his hair and the beginnings of the beard that curled from his chin was dark chocolaty brown. His green eyes were bright and worried. Lloyd knew what was coming, this time purposely recalling the past situation, but his heart still dropped when he heard the next proclamation. "Actually…I am afraid that this statue is…a fake."

This brought cries of outrage from Genis and the elder priest and Raine and Kratos simply sighed in exasperation. Lloyd groaned, "Dear gods, what next?" This seemed to be an appropriate response—as, in all honesty, Lloyd had known it would be—because Raine caught his eye with the same tired expression and Kratos made a near-silent grunt of approval.

"What do you mean this is a fake statue!" howled the elder priest.

"W-well you see…" The poor man was horrified at what he had done. "When I was on my first pilgrimage, I brought the statue with me, it's very dangerous to leave it here unguarded you see, and we went to—" Here the man paused to gulp guiltily. "—Thoda Geyser… and I was so overcome by the sight of Martel's creating hand…that I dropped the statue into the geyser…"

There was a long moment of disbelieving silence, and then Lloyd broke it. He started laughing. "Dear gods, you seriously dropped the statue into the geyser! That is brilliant. What better way to lose a priceless diamond, not to mention a holy relic, than to drop it into boiling water?"

"…Lloyd knows what a relic is…?" Raine, as with everyone else in the room, seemed shocked by his outburst.

"Lloyd knows what a geyser is?" Genis rolled his eyes. "Well…I guess it is kinda funny…" Genis managed to join Lloyd in a few amused chuckles, but none of the others did.

"…if the real statue is at the geyser, than what is that?" Kratos nodded toward the Spiritua statue that did, indeed, still sit in its place of honor on the altar at the far end of the small church.

"…a fake…made by the dwarf that lives outside of Iselia…" the man murmured miserably. "I did not know what else to do…"

"…if it was made by Dirk, that it certainly is a well-created duplicate, but knowing Koton, I doubt it will fool him. To the untrained eye it would work, but not for our purposes…"

"So I s'pose that means we'll have to go get it…" Lloyd sighed, "Well, if the geysers are anything like what this guy says, it's worth a little side-trip to go see 'em anyway."

"Just one problem, Lloyd," Genis piped up, "you said it yourself, a geyser is boiling water. How exactly do you expect us to get something down in the middle of a pool of boiling water?"

"Hey, you're the mana master! Just cover it in ice long enough for me to jump down there and grab it. I'm sure it'll be fine!"

Both adults and Genis stared at Lloyd, but Colette smiled, first at Lloyd, then her attention swayed to the priests. "Don't worry about the statue, really, it's not a problem to go get it! Besides, I'm sure it'll be fun! Thank you so much for your time! Come on guys, let's go!" Colette grabbed Kratos' hand and pulled the mercenary out of the House of Salvation. Lloyd happily followed the Chosen, but was stopped at the door by Raine and Genis.

"Lloyd, a moment please." Lloyd froze, his hand on the metal handle that led to his escape to the outside. Neither of his old friends looked…happy. At all.

"Uh, sure, what's up?" Lloyd's knuckles were turning white as he gripped the handle harder. It was probably nothing, he reminded himself, most likely he was just going to get chewed out for laughing hysterically in a holy place or something…

"You've been acting…weird…" Genis didn't quite look at him, this did not comfort Lloyd at all. "Since we came on the Journey…no, since before that. Since…I don't know when, but you haven't been acting like yourself… Well, you kinda have, but not really, you know?"

"I concur. What is going on Lloyd? What aren't you telling us?" Raine's eyes were all scrutiny.

"I—…I don't know what you guys are talking about," Lloyd tried to look innocent…and from the looks on his friends' faces, it wasn't a very good act.

"You're a terrible liar, Lloyd." Raine's words stung, but Lloyd ignored the pain for the moment. "You cannot hide whatever is bothering you from your friends."

"…I'm not hiding anything." Lloyd's voice was darker than he wanted it. They could easily read the lie. "Maybe I'm just trying to be more mature for Colette's sake!"

"That's the thing Lloyd, you're not. I tried to convince myself that that was it for ages!" Genis looked almost distressed. "But sometimes you act like you're two, like back there, and other times…other times it's just you sitting there, staring at nothing like you're looking at the end of the world or something! You couldn't look more serious if you were watching someone die! What's wrong?"

He was losing. His whole act was dying faster than it had taken to make it. He had seconds to come up with something. Moments, and he had nothing. His mind had gone blank, there was no corny speech to get him out of this one, and you couldn't swing a sword at an idea and hope it was sliced in two.

But he couldn't tell them. It was one thing to tell Yuan or Zelos or even Kratos because, while the latter two wouldn't have liked the idea, they would have understood the sacrifices necessary to save the world. They had already made some. Hell, Presea and Regal would have at least accepted what he was trying to say, but Raine and Genis and Colette were so… naïve and purely good that there was no way there would simply have let Lloyd do what he already knew he had to do. Genis had already helped in his first sacrifice—Marble—and it had torn him apart. If he had known that Lloyd could have done something about it… Genis would never forgive him. And Raine, so calculating and knowledgeable that she could walk Colette to her own death would have done anything to stop it, had she not believed so brutally in the Church it its ways. She had accepted that it was the only way to save the world, but if she had the knowledge of the future, she would use it to save as many as she could. And that was unacceptable.

"I—" Lloyd's shaky, undetermined explanation was cut short when the door opened in on him. Colette stood framed in the doorway, the bright noon sun shining in around her and her blue eyes wide and tear-filled.

"Lloyd! Lloyd, it's Cocoa! The Desians have attacked Palmacosta and they're looking for Cocoa!"

…

There were no words as the group raced across the fields that surrounded Palmacosta. Lloyd and Kratos were jogging as fast as the rest of the group would allow. Genis and Colette had tired long ago, but that was what Noishe was there for; the Protozoan carried the Chosen and the half-elven child on his back and Raine dashed along at the back of the group as they made their way back to Palmacosta.

Lloyd's heart raced not just from the running, but it jerked painfully as he thought of Cocoa and Chocolat. It was one thing to know what was coming when Magnius was the only Desian in Palmacosta, but Rodyle's actions were unpredictable at best and homicidal at worst.

The wind blew the scent of smoke at them and Lloyd choked slightly. No, please no, Goddess Martel no! But as the group reached the top of a sloping hill, a horrible site met their eyes: Palmacosta burning. Except there was no Palmacosta. The city, once a great beacon of what was left of Sylvarant's spirit, was leveled. Not a single building stood; there was no sound but that of the wind. No screams, nothing.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rodyle's voice echoed from behind. The bastard was amused. "No survivors. Not one!" he cackled cruelly. "Not even that friend of yours. Chocolat, I believe her name was. She and her lovely mother were the first to go!"

"You-…you bastard!" Lloyd could feel himself shaking as he watched he short, purple-haired half-elf with horror-filled eyes. "How could you! That's massacre! You killed thousands of people!" He was on his feet, both his swords out and raised to attack. Suddenly, he didn't care that his friends were right there. Suddenly he didn't give a damn if they knew his secrets or not, he was blind with fury. All he cared was that this son of a bitch died where he stood.

He moved to attack, his motions inhumanly, and foolishly, fast, but never got his chance, for out of the flames and smoke of Palmacosta came another shape. This one was bulky and fast and as Magnius grew out of the smoke, Lloyd saw the world in red. "The vermin are dead. Every last one, Rodyle."

"Heh, perhaps not all are dead…" Rodyle was referring to them. Lloyd jerked forward again, but felt a hand on his shoulder. Raine's hand. She didn't want him to attack, she thought he would lose. She was wrong. "But soon they will be."

Lloyd roared; it, like his speed, was brutally inhuman. Kratos was beside him now, his stance somewhere between attack and defense. Colette and Genis had been pushed behind them and Raine had pulled her staff out as well.

Rodyle cackled as Magnius joined him, looking down over the carnage. "I'd say we've done well."

"But the job is not yet done." Rodyle's voice dropped to a whisper and without another word, without any sign of warning, he shoved a knife into Magnius' back.

….

Yoshi is back ladies and gentlemen! Did you miss me? I'll try to update again before the New Year, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Ciao!

R&R

~Yoshi