Chapter 16:The Truth About Aura

The next day, neither Kratos nor Aura gave any sign that they had left the night before. Only the two and Lloyd knew, but none said anything about it.

The day passed slowly, everyone relaxing, glad for a break from travelling. In the evening, when everyone was starting to get sleepy, Aura approached Lloyd, somewhat nervously.

"Lloyd, can I...talk to you for a second?" she asked. Lloyd nodded.

"Sure," he said, almost reluctantly, still unable to forget last night, or to forgive her for making Kratos forget Anna. He followed her outside, and she kept walking, leading him to the clearing that she and Kratos had been in the night before. Once there, she stopped, then said quietly,

"Lloyd, I..." she broke off. "I have something important I need to ask you, but I'm not exactly sure how to put it." Lloyd said nothing, not looking straight at her. "Damn..." Aura muttered. "I'm such a coward..." She turned to face Lloyd, scratched her head, then said, "Lloyd...I need your exsphere."

"W-wha?" Lloyd backed away a step.

"Your exsphere." said Aura. "I need it."

"But his is my mom's memento!" Lloyd protested. "I can't just give it away!"

"I know." said Aura." She brought her right hand up in front of her, and removed her glove. She then held her hand out to him, palm up. "Here." she said. "Take my hand." Lloyd looked at her warily.

"Why?"

"Just take it!" Aura said impatiently. Lloyd hesitated, then reached out to take her hand. He gasped as his hand passed straight through hers, causing it to go blue and transparent. "See?"

"You're...!" he cried, backing up. "You..what? What happened to you! What's happening to you!" Aura withdrew her hand, and looked down at him with a sad expression on her face.

"I know." she said. "My body may have been regenerated from my memories, and I may be standing here now, but I'm not alive, and my presence is fading fast. I cannot remain here, or even live until my soul has something to possess."

"Wait a minute," Lloyd said, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "You're telling me you want to use my mother's exsphere to possess and gain a body? But, this is my mom's soul!"

"No, Lloyd. My soul. My body, my life is contained within that exsphere. And unless I use that exsphere soon, I'll completely disappear again..and I won't get another chance to come back."

"So...there are two souls in my exsphere?" Lloyd asked, looking confused, trying to make sense of what Aura was saying.

"No, just me."

"But it was my mom's exsphere..."

"I know." Aura put her hand back out and turned her hand over. "Look at this scar." Lloyd looked. A small circular scar was there, the exact size and shape of an exsphere.

"What happened?"

"That exsphere used to be there. It was 'manufactured' on me, as the Desians put it." Aura said, putting her glove back on.

"Wait, that would mean..." Lloyd looked even more confused. "Aura, you're not making any sense."

Aura looked up at the dimming sky that was already dotted with stars, with a slightly happy, slightly regretful expression on her face.

"I had a dream," she said. "It was a memory of my past. It brought everything back. I know who I am now. I know what happened." Lloyd blinked, his head starting to hurt from thinking. Aura looked back at Lloyd. "My real name, isn't Aura." she told him. "My name...is Anna. And you...are my son." Lloyd stared at her in disbelief for a moment, before saying in a shaky voice,

"Mom?" Smiling, Anna nodded and smiled.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, Lloyd. It's me." Before either one could react, Anna's body was engulfed in a bright emerald light and all Lloyd could see was her shadow. "I...I'm running out of time..." she said, her voice shaky and scared-sounding. "I'll fade soon..."

"No!" Lloyd cried, taking a step forward. "How do I... how do I save you? Don't leave me alone again!" He ran toward her and tried to embrace her, but fell right through her and landed on the cold, hard ground. Looking up with tears in his eyes, he tried to hold in his crying as his mother began to fade.

"Just...bring me the exsphere...And don't ever forget...that I love you..." were the last words she said to him before she disappeared, leaving Lloyd all alone in the woods. He stood up slowly, tears now streaming down his face, staring at the spot his mother had been standing in only seconds before.

"I have to bring her back..."