"Colette?" What was Lloyd thinking? Of course she was like this? Even though the aeglos sword was no longer potent, whatever Yuan had done to it had allowed it to convey the knowledge that he was given.

That he chose to receive.

He had told Colette everything that he had learned. The truth about Cruxis and the Desians. The meaning behind the Journey of Regeneration and what it meant to those who could not see it. That there was no goddess and the Chosen was a tool to perpetuate a four thousand year old cycle.

Then she touched the sword.

She was quiet after he had told her everything...too quiet. Quiet enough that he didn't even feel her take his blade and somehow activate the angelic rune along it's tip. After it's contents played, she dropped the sword to the ground and incoherently stuttered in angelic while she stood in place.

"You're...you're not lying..." Colette mumbled, her legs losing strength as she stood shaking. Her hands were clenched on her sides as her hair hid her eyes, "You didn't make this up. Everything you told me was...was..."

"I'm sorry about this..." "But I couldn't go on without you knowing the truth. I...I...hoped that you wouldn't be able to-"

"Believe you?" Colette asked as tears dropped down from her eyes, "Lloyd...you've never lied to me about anything. Why would you start now...even with everything that you know."

"It may seem like I'm being selfish...maybe I am." Lloyd walked towards her, it was a daring move to be sure. But he had to let her know that he was with her, "But you had to know, even if you didn't want to. I couldn't just let you throw away your humanity and your life for some sick game. If you need more proof then I'll-"

"I BELIEVE YOU!" She shouted and sprang onto Lloyd, clamping her arms around his body as she cried into his shoulder.

"Colette..." Lloyd felt water build in his own eyes as he returned her embrace.

"I'm sorry..." Colette said in between her tears, "It's just that part of me...doesn't want to believe you. But I know better...and it's disgusting that the feeling is still there. Everything is explained just from how you were talking..."

"Colette?"

"When I was taught to read the angelic language, I was taught how to tell the faithful from hypocrites." She looked into Lloyd's eyes, revealing beautiful eyes streaming with tears and filled with sorrow and doubt, "So when you were talking, I could tell that everything you said was the truth..."

"Lying is the first path to thievery. Colette..."

"I'm sorry...I'm trying to be brave but...I just...I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize." Lloyd sternly said, slightly frightening Colette, "You don't have any reason to apologize to me or to anyone. If anyone should apologize it's Cruxis for this sick scheme..."

"Why?" Colette desperately asked, "Everyone who...who came before me...were they just repeating the cycle? How could they decide someone's well-being like that? Why us...why me...why did they lie to everyone? To us? To me?"

"Not everyone knows that it's a lie." Lloyd admitted when Colette buried her face into his chest. His eyes darkened as he thought of the people in Iselia and how they so easily turned on this angel in his arms, "They believe that it works, so they accept it. But that...that doesn't make it right."

"I just..." Colette became quiet but kept a loosened hold over Lloyd's body, "Could you hold me?"

"Alright." Lloyd said to her as he lifted her off of her wearied feet. He carried her to his room and laid her down on his bed. But she didn't want him to let go, so he reluctantly laid down with her. When she drifted off to sleep, Lloyd kissed her forehead and feel to sleep himself.

Holding her, just as she had asked.

"So repeat this to me Forcystus." The Lord of Cruxis slouched in his throne as the green haired grand cardinal bowed before him, visibly shaking from the process of his arm's regeneration, "You confess before your lord that you and your men attempted to kill the Chosen despite her importance?"

"And that you did so because you were following my orders?" Yggdrassial asked the Grand Cardinal who remained silent, "Orders that I did not directly give to you, but were handed down through one of my Seraphs?"

"Yes my lord." Forcystus answered, "Seraph Fa-Kai told me that your orders were to kill the Chosen..."

"I see..." Yggdrassial nodded his head to dismiss the desian's guards, "Very well, the failure and deception is not yours Forcystus."

"Thank you lord Yggdrassial." Forcystus said, as those angelic guards would have executed him at Yggdrassial's words, "What of Seraph Fa-Kai? Will he punished for his deception?"

"Normally that would be much for a desian grand cardinal to ask." Yggdrassial mused as Forcystus bowed down his head, "But, you have suffered greatly for his actions. Yuan will suffer in time."

"In time?"

"Yes." The Lord of Cruxis said, "It appears that he is trying to derail my plans for the new age. Tell me, did you suffer injury from the one who bears the Angelus Crystal?"

"Yes my lord." Forcystus rubbed the raw skin of his new arm as his face hardened, "I underestimated the boy and was stricken by him. He appears to be the Chosen's main protector."

"What was his name?"

"Lloyd Irving. He wore a red jacket and wielded twin swords. He was also able to use powerful magic despite being a human. He could have ingested Aionis or..."

"Came into contact with Aeglos" Yggdrassial mused as Forcystus gritted his teeth, "I was wondering why those renegades stole an aeglos sword. Yuan, you cleaver little fox."

"My lord?"

"Of the grand cardinals, you have proven to be the most faithful apart from Pronyma." Yggrassial complemented, "Perhaps this should be rewarded with an additional deal of trust...especially due to...Lloyd Irving..."

Lloyd opened his eyes, the rays of dawn peeking through his window to beacon the new day.

The beginning of his journey.

Colette was still in his arms sleeping soundly and completely at ease with Lloyd. He carefully slipped out of her arms and let them rest on the bed, she would probably wake up soon anyway. He almost didn't want to leave her peaceful sleeping form.

But he had to get ready.

"There you are." Lloyd heard his father say from his open door. Lloyd gulped and walked up to the dwarf who held him under his view, "How is she?"

"Shaken...by everything that happened yesterday..." Lloyd replied, "It...was a lot to take in..."

"Aye, you have a point lad." The dwarf agreed, likely referring to the events in Iselia, "Here."

"What's this?" Lloyd's eyes widened when he realized that it was the necklace that he had started on until...Yuan appeared. Except that the jewel was more runic and covered with the angelic language.

"Something that Kratos helped me forge." Dirk explained, "He said that it was a "special crest" for Colette."

"Special?"

"It's a rune crest, a legendary type of key crest that can only be found in legends." Dirk said aloud, "I don't know what is going on, but he said that it was important for me to make this."

"Dad..."

"Just give it to her as a birthday present." Dirk told the young man, "But you'll be crafting her ring, here me?"

"Ring?" Lloyd blushed when he picked up what his father meant, "Dad!"

"Don't be stubborn boy." Dirk gave his son a pat on the back while laughing, "Whatever you have to do, just don't forget that your father's behind you."

"Dad..." Lloyd saw his father bring out a sheathed pair of sabers and placed them in the young man's hand.

"Take these son." Dirk said to his son, "Some of the best that I've ever forged."

"Thank you..."

"Your friends are in the living room." Lloyd gave a glance to Colette before he walked past his father, "She'll be fine, go on boy."

"Alright." Lloyd said to his father who went off to his room while Lloyd went to the living room to see a friend he expected and someone that he didn't.

"Hey Lloyd."

"Genis." Lloyd said to his young friend, "Professor Sage?"

"Hi Lloyd." The older elven woman greeted as Lloyd began to frown, having spotted the deflated sleeve where her arm used to be, "Before you say anything, Genis already told me everything. While I'm not happy about my arm, I'm not going to do two things. Blame the two of you for what happened and stay out of this journey."

"Professor-"

"I mean..." The woman composed herself until, "HOW CAN I MISS THE RUINS OF TRIET RUINS! NOT TO MENTION THE BALACRUF RUINS OR THE TOWER OF MANA! THIS IS THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME AND YOU WANT ME TO STAY HOME OVER A SILLY LITTLE ARM! THESE THINGS CAN BE GROWN BACK, I MEAN I CAN'T RIGHT NOW BUT WHO KNOWS!"

"Uh..."

"Don't even try Lloyd." Genis said as Raine continued, "Believe me, I did for far longer than I should've."

"That's right." Raine stated, "Besides, someone needs to teach Genis healing magic until I can cope."

"Guys..." Lloyd didn't know what to say, so he just went with the least that he could do, "Thanks for coming."

"In return though." Raine started and pointed to one of the swords sheathed on Lloyd's belt, "You're going to tell me how you learned to channel mana through your body and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Alright..." Lloyd agreed, unsure of how to gauge the response that the professor would have.

"We should leave soon." Kratos entered through the front door with Noishe sitting outside, "Now the desians will be actively hunting not just the Chosen, but all of us now."

"Kratos..."

"To try and cast blame would be a waste of time." The mercenary said to Genis, "What has happened has happened and can't have happened any other way."

"How do you know?"

"We are still alive." Kratos said to Lloyd, "And as long as you are alive, you can still work to atone for whatever mistakes you have made. The mistakes themselves are for you to judge."

"So live and learn, right?" Lloyd said, "As soon as Colette is ready, we move out. Where's the first seal professor?"

"The ruins of Trient." Raine answered with an unfurled map, "It's a few days southeast of Trient which is in the desert itself, the location of the Fire Seal and the Summon Spirit of Fire, Efreet."

"Sounds fun." Genis unenthusiastically replied and lit up when Colette entered, "Hey Colette."

"Genis, Professor...thank you for still wanting to come."

"Colette..." Raine walked over and reflexively moved her left shoulder before correcting and placing her right hand on Colette's shoulder, "I said I'd be there for you through to the last seal and that's not changing."

"Me too." Genis chimed in and was shocked when Colette pulled him into a hug.

"Lloyd." She said as she ran over to the young man and embraced him, kissing him on the check as she did, "Thank you..."

"Any...anytime..." Lloyd saw something very different about Colette's attire. Her jacket was gone and replaced with a simple white sleeveless dress with blue patterns along it with the shoulder cloths from her original attire still in place.

"Oh...sorry..." Colette apologized, "My jacket was torn yesterday...so your dad gave me this."

"Why does that..."

"That was...Anna..." Lloyd jolted his glance to Kratos who looked like he saw a ghost. But seeing Lloyd, Kratos' glance returned to his normal stern look, "Prudent of you Colette, it suits you."

"Uh...yeah..."

"Thank you." Colette said with a blush on her face, "Well everyone, now it's time to depart. I know that I've been really clumsy, but I'll try my best to make sure that everyone comes back alive from this journey."

"Everyone..." Raine glanced to the side for a moment for reasons that Lloyd knew of, "Alright Colette and I'll try my best not to slow anyone down."

"You won't Professor." Lloyd assured his teacher, "Ready?"

"Let's go."

Deep within the Trient Ruins sat a simple well. A well that contained the very fiery essence of Efreet himself, it was this fire that helped forge the Sword that Mithos' holds next to his throne.

It was also here that the Seraph's most hated prisoner was kept.

Yuan exhaled deeply while the chains moved and a figure was raised out of the depths of the well. Hot magma dropped off to reveal a naked, but intact though smoked body much to Yuan's disappointment.

He often wondered if he should kill the man now.

"Is my execution about to start?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Four Thousand years," The prisoner answered boredly, Yuan marched towards the edge of the pit as the man chuckled, "A man can dream, no?"

"I am even less inclined to kill you today." Yuan informed this much hated figure, "Soon, this cycle will all end."

"So you're finally gonna stand up to that brat?" The prisoner asked as he chuckled, "No wonder he got his sister-"

"As for his sister's death." Yuan pulled his arm back into his cloak, using patience formed from thousands of years of practice to restrain himself from killing the coughing prisoner, "I am staring the reason in it's face."

"In that case, perhaps you should look in a mirror as well."

"Security will be placed within the ruins." Yuan stated, "I hope you don't find this problematic."

"Have I ever had a choice?"

"Of course not, I thought it polite to inform you." Yuan mockingly retorted, somehow this man still infuriated him even after four thousand years, "Enjoy the preview of hell."

"All three of you have a place already." The man stated as kept a deathly glare on Yuan while being lowered back into the pit, "I'll greet you as brother when I finally get there."

"Not just yet, murderer."

Author's Notes:

This was a hard chapter to write because I wasn't very sure about how to write Colette's reaction to the Big Lie.

For her, it's like the equivalent of a Christian finding out that God is addicted to crack, Jews discovering that they are not the chosen people or Jihadist Muslims finding out that there are no 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven. Or Highlanders discovering that the Source can't be claimed by evil, so killing each other until only one is left is rendered pointless.

Oh wait...that happened in Highlander: The Source...and how did highlander fans react to that abomination?

It's the foundation of her entire life since she was born and she's finding out from someone who has never lied to her and can actually prove it that she is nothing more than a tool for a system of control and suffering. She's been raised to believe that she was part of a greater good, but now she discovers that she was part of a greater evil.

So what are they journeying for now? You'll see.

Also, Colette's new costume is influenced by Bianca from Dragon Quest V and could symbolize a new life that she'll be taking. What will that life be? How will her sweet demeanor and selfless personality change now that the dark truth has been revealed?

Stay tuned and find out.