Hello again guys! Early update! I'd actually got this finished on Friday, but I had a rehersal/concert weekend... Lucky, lucky me *dies of tiredness overload*

SoS - You'll see why Forcy's being treated so poorly by Yggdrasil as the story progresses, promise.

Symphoniafan - unfortunately, Kratty is busy leading Colette around the world...

Sliver - In chapter 13, if all progresses according to my planning sheet *grin*

PP18 (belatedly) - Sheffield, Manchester and York have all given me offers, and I have received an invitation to interview from Oxford! At St. John's, which wasn't the college I put down, but I'm not gonna complain XD

I now have a Beta! Yay! Thanks to Freakyanimegal456, and also to Nightfoot for volunteering - you're both awesome. (Freakyanimegal - I did try to put some more "OMGness" in, but it just... Didn't fit. Tried though ^^ I think it all just goes over Lloyd's head. Forcy can practically hear it woosh.)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. At all. Not even Forcystus... More's the pity.

I've been wanting to use this chapter title for a long time *giggle*

Chapter eight: Secrets and lies.

The next four days passed without event. Lloyd was quite disappointed to find that Forcystus was not obviously more edgy; otherwise he would have used it and asked questions. He knew, however, that he had to play it safe. He did not want to bear the brunt of Forcystus' anger again.

Forcystus had let him train with him twice more, seemingly quite anxious that Lloyd should learn some moves other than Demon Fang and Tiger Blade. The excuse Forcystus gave was that it gave him something to do – apparently he spent very little time actually in the Ranch. But Lloyd knew that was a lie – he had been using the lens more than he perhaps should have, and he had seen Forcystus making time for him. That confused him a lot more than why Forcystus would want him to be able to defend himself.

However, Lloyd had picked the third training session to as a question that had been bugging him for a long time.

"Lord Forcystus…" He started, as Forcystus put his sword down and picked up his cannon again.

"Hm?" He asked, not looking up as he fastened the cannon to his arm.

"What happened to your eye?" Forcystus looked up at him and sighed, turning back to his cannon.

"…An accident," he murmured. Lloyd frowned.

That wasn't what Yggdrasill said, he thought. "What sort of accident? Lord Forcystus." Forcystus gave him another look, the sort he often gave him when he was late adding the title on the end.

"…Just an accident," he replied. Lloyd gave him a look of his own.

"Please, Lord Forcystus, tell me. I'm interested," he persisted. He was going to find out the truth. Forcystus had finished reattaching the cannon at this point, and he shook his head with a laugh.

"Lloyd…" He murmured. "If you're so interested, look." He moved the eyepatch up so that Lloyd could see what was left of his eye. Lloyd gasped. There were three clear marks across it, and it looked as though they should have continued on but had been healed at some point.

Yggdrasill, he thought instantly, remembering the purple blade-like things that he had cut Forcystus' face with before. "What… Sort of accident could do that?" He asked. Forcystus put the eyepatch back, and it made a strange noise. Lloyd realised rather belatedly that it must be some sort of technological device. Trust a Desian.

"A bad one," Forcystus replied. "It was my own fault, really." He stood up. "You're far too interested in me, Lloyd," he remarked. Lloyd went red. That sounded quite bad, in his opinion. Forcystus laughed. "That's not meant to be an insulting comment, Lloyd. You just constantly question me. Why do you want to know so badly about me?"

"Well, it's just…" Lloyd murmured, trying to come up with an excuse. After all, 'I need something to blackmail you with' would hardly go down well with the Cardinal. "I'm… Interested. Lord Forcystus." Forcystus chuckled.

"Very well," he replied, clearly not believing him. "Come, I will take you back to your cell. I have work to do."

"Can't I come? Please? Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd begged, putting on his most appealing face. Please say yes, I need an opportunity to get more out of you… Forcystus sighed.

"Fine, fine. It's nothing important anyway. But I want absolute behaviour from you, understood? If anything occurs I will not make allowances." Lloyd nodded, swallowing slightly. He would have to be careful what he did. He knew Forcystus was still on edge from Yggdrasill's visit, even if he didn't show it.

Lloyd followed him down the corridors, letting Forcystus take him through the security fields without protest. They passed a few Desians who looked as though they wanted to give Lloyd snide looks, but all they did was salute Forcystus or murmur a few words along the lines of "Lord Forcystus" or "sir" and continue walking. Forcystus made a derisive noise when they were out of hearing range most of the time. There seemed to be very few Desians that he actually respected. Lloyd had seen how he behaved around those he held some respect for, and it was quite different. Roy being one.

"You brought the human with you, Sir? Are you sure that's wise?" Roy asked as they walked in. Forcystus shrugged.

"What harm will he do?" He replied. "Sit down, Lloyd, and don't bother me." Lloyd nodded and went and sat in a corner, watching Forcystus carefully. The Desian was fairly tired – he worked himself as hard as he worked Lloyd when he trained him – but he got to work straight away, directing a glare at the holograph projector as he sat down. Lloyd supposed a lot of unwanted messages must come through that.

Forcystus' job seemed to be sorting Ranch records and various other things regarding the humans held there. Lloyd looked away in disgust when Forcystus started to type in details of what the computer so coldly termed 'processed host bodies'. Forcystus didn't even notice. Clearly, he had a lot of work to do.

Lloyd eventually fell asleep; his head leant back against the wall, until Forcystus lightly shook him awake.

"Mhhnnh?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"Here," Forcystus told him softly, handing him a sheet of paper – Lloyd presumed it was a printout. He blinked. A few weeks ago, he hadn't even known that such a thing even existed. "Take it. Go on." Lloyd took the paper in confusion, and Forcystus smiled slightly at him and went back over to his computer. Lloyd looked at the paper.

"Mom!" He exclaimed softly. At his desk, Forcystus smiled slightly. Lloyd examined the printout. It wasn't the escapee record he'd been looking at before, but rather her Ranch record. He noted that the Exsphere in her hand was identical to his – proof that the Exsphere he had had once belonged to his mother, not that he needed it.

Name: Anna Irving

Age on Capture: 17

Designation: A012

Area taken from: Luin

Ranch: Asgard

Ranch Cardinal: Kvar

And following it were a number of details about her Exsphere, her suitability for being a Host Body and her participation in the Angelus Project. Lloyd looked at that last section more closely.

'Designated suitable for participation in Angelus project; development of Hi-Exsphere (link – Cruxis Crystal) within human host, chance of success within Host Body 62.4%, current success rate – 0.2% Sylvarant.' There was a gap here, as though information had been erased, and Lloyd looked up at Forcystus suspiciously. The Cardinal didn't even notice his gaze; he was so absorbed in his work, so Lloyd looked back at his printout. 'Development phase on escape – phase 3. Reason for termination – outside assistance rendering subject inaccessible.' Lloyd smiled slightly. So someone had broken his mother out of the Ranch – his father, perhaps? Forcystus had never said anything about his father. He hadn't been held at a Ranch, though. That was all Lloyd knew. 'Presumed Hi-Exsphere developmental phase – final. Location unknown.' Lloyd's smile widened. Forcystus hadn't said anything! Ha, and he was meant to be a Desian. But then, Forcystus didn't like Kvar at all… Lloyd looked further down the sheet; at the bottom was a note… 'Note – subject bred with outside human – child known to be male, presumed deceased.' Lloyd's eyes widened. He was thought dead? That would explain why they hadn't come after him in all those years… 'Place of death: Iselia woods, with child.' Lloyd paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to read on.

'Cause of death: Fatal sword wound inflicted by father of the child upon unleashing of Exsphere by Cardinal Kvar. Cause of death of child: Fall, cliff near Iselia Ranch.' Lloyd felt sick. His father? His father had killed his mother? He re-read the sentence. 'Upon unleashing of Exsphere by Cardinal Kvar.' No, his father hadn't killed his mother… Kvar had. He shuddered at the thought of what Marble had been turned into by Forcystus. His mother… That had happened to her… His father would have had no choice… He shook his head slowly.

I guess this is what Forcystus meant when he said no Desian killed mom… He thought, now wishing he hadn't said such cruel things to Forcystus before. He looked at the picture. She was dressed in the standard Ranch clothes, and looked as unhappy as the humans held prisoner in Forcystus' Ranch. She had Lloyd's hair colour, but bright, deep green eyes. I suppose my eye colour comes from my father, then… Lloyd thought. Mom… I wish I'd known you better… He couldn't help but bring to mind one of his earliest memories, one of the few things he could remember of when he had still been with his parents. He was sitting on his father's shoulders, looking up at the stars, and he could hear his mother's voice in the background, cautioning them to be careful, and the deep, kind laugh of his father. They both sounded happy despite the words of his mother. He knew he had giggled and tried to grab at the stars, and his father had put him down, making his mother say, 'be careful, you know he can't fly…' As if it were something normal. He couldn't remember his father's reply, but he could remember his voice, deep and reassuring. He sighed sadly, letting the paper fall. Forcystus looked up.

"What's wrong, Lloyd?" He asked. Lloyd looked up at him, wondering. Now he thought about it… Had he heard Forcystus' voice when he was younger?

"…Nothing, Lord Forcystus… I'm sorry I disturbed you," he murmured, picking the fallen printout back up, folding it and putting in his pocket, alongside the Magic Lens. Forcystus gave him a look before going back to work.

The next disruption was not caused by Lloyd, but rather by the holograph projector. Forcystus cursed softly as he glanced at the code.

"Lloyd, out," he insisted. Lloyd started to protest, but Roy grabbed him and forced him under the consoles as the screen came on. Roy held one hand over his mouth, bending over the console to look as if he were working.

"Forcystus, I trust you are there?"

"Would you care if I wasn't, Kvar?" Forcystus replied. Lloyd fell silent instantly. Kvar! The Desian who'd caused…

"Not. A sound," Roy whispered softly in his ear, taking his hand away to give a more realistic impression of working. Lloyd nodded instantly. Kvar wanted his Exsphere. Kvar… Wanted him dead.

"Well, the inconvenience of having to leave a message would certainly be mildly irritating," Kvar replied. Lloyd shivered, noticing his eyes. They were cold. Black. What had that half-elf been messing with?

"Just tell me what you want. Some of us are working," Forcystus pointed out. Lloyd smiled slightly at that, but Kvar just laughed.

"You've got an interesting Exsphere somewhere in your Ranch, Forcystus," he informed him. Forcystus rolled his eye.

"Oh, please, not that again. Were you the one who told Lord Yggdrasill about Angelic traces? It's just equipment malfunction, Kvar." Lloyd's hand automatically went to his Exsphere, and, just to be safe, he slid it out of the Key Crest. The light in it dimmed, and he held it in his hand, waiting. He was trying not to shake in nervousness.

"My equipment does not malfunction, Forcystus," Kvar spat. Forcystus smiled slightly. "And no, I have not even been looking at your Ranch until today. If someone has been… Speaking with Lord Yggdrasill, it is not me."

"Rodyle, then," Forcystus murmured. "But nothing out of the ordinary has occurred here, Kvar. We have been running as normal." Kvar frowned suddenly, turning away in the monitor to look at something.

"Don't play games with me, Forcystus," he muttered, angry. Lloyd smiled. He'd got one up on the Cardinal! Forcystus frowned.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Kvar," he replied, perfectly honestly. Kvar made an irritable noise.

"I think it's about time I paid your Ranch a visit," he decided. Forcystus shrugged, but Lloyd could see his right hand twitch, like it often did when he was angry or frightened. He wondered which it was, and if Kvar knew.

"Come if you will, but there is no reason for it," Forcystus replied. "And I am sure you do not wish to spend any time away from your precious projects." Kvar made an angry noise.

"Don't patronise me," he spat. Lloyd grinned. Forcystus certainly had the upper hand.

Wait, why am I cheering him on? He's a Desian! Lloyd reprimanded himself.

"I will come to the Ranch presently. I suppose I should anyway, it's been a while since another Cardinal has been to your Ranch."

"I've had visits from Cruxis. I think that more than counts," Forcystus countered. "Lord Yggdrasill himself came to see the Ranch, and found nothing out of the ordinary." Kvar made a derisive noise.

"I note he didn't decide to leave a mark like usual. Maybe he thought you needed your other eye, hm?" Forcystus' fists clenched.

"Kvar, the past is not to be brought up and you know it. What happened on Derris-Kharlan is…" He trailed off and shook his head, cursing under his breath. Lloyd smiled. He had some ammunition now.

"Oh, yes. You do so hate the past, don't you, Forcystus?" Kvar remarked with a slight smile. The tables had turned. "Are you ashamed of it? Or simply worried that others might learn that you were-"

"Kvar!" Forcystus cut him off. "We all have things we would rather keep hidden. Fine, so you are coming. Tell me when so I can have the security fields shut down." Kvar laughed.

"I'll surprise you. Let's see how quick you are on your feet, hm?" Forcystus cursed softly as Kvar laughed. "End Message." The holograph projector went blank, the infamous 'no current message' appearing. Forcystus said a long string of curse words to do with Kvar.

"…Alright, Lloyd… You can stop hiding under the monitor now," he murmured softly, and Lloyd crawled out, Exsphere still in his hand. A look of understanding appeared on Forcystus' face. "I see…" He murmured.

"You lied to me," Lloyd accused. Forcystus simply gave him the look until he sheepishly added "Lord Forcystus."

"Lord Forcystus does not have to tell a human the truth," Roy remarked, but Forcystus silenced him.

"Perhaps not. But you do not want the truth," he murmured to Lloyd. Lloyd looked put out.

"I do, though," he murmured. "I want to know what happened to you… Lord Forcystus. Why this Derris-Kharlan place scares you so much. And what's a Sybak?" Forcystus sighed in resignation.

"And I do not wish to tell you," he replied. "Purely because I have a feeling you will use it against me. I am not exactly a friend, am I?" He turned back to his monitor. "Be careful with your Exsphere. I would rather you didn't have it in at all, but I know what you will say to that, also a human without an Exsphere in a Ranch… Well." He laughed softly. "I will get your Key Crest disguised. It wouldn't do for Kvar to discover you." Lloyd nodded slowly. "Sit back down. I'll be done with this soon." Lloyd, feeling a bit cheated, sat down where he had been before. Why did Forcystus always seem to know what he planned to do? It was beginning to become irritating…

Eventually, Forcystus finished, and he glanced over at Lloyd, who had, somehow, managed to fall asleep again. He shook his head.

"Typical," he murmured, going over to the boy and shaking him awake.

"Wha's… Tha star… Dad…?" He murmured sleepily, before his sleepy eyes locked on Forcystus. "Loo', mom, an angel…" He murmured. Forcystus shook him, hard, and he cried out as he was jarred about. "Ah! L-lord Forcystus, what…?" He asked, trying futilely to ward him off. Forcystus sighed.

"Stupid boy," he muttered. "Come on, you are going back to your cell." Lloyd looked a bit dejected there. "Don't look so glum," he snapped. "You're a prisoner, what do you expect?" Lloyd sighed. Forcystus clearly wasn't in a good mood.

"Were you afraid of Kvar or angry at him?" He asked absently. Forcystus frowned.

"What?" He asked. Lloyd smiled.

"When you were talking to Kvar, you hand was twitching, Lord Forcystus. It always does that when you're angry or frightened. Which was it?" He heard Roy chuckle softly under his breath.

"Lord Kvar, Lloyd," Forcystus reprimanded. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Why should I call the Desian that caused my mom's death Lord?" Lloyd demanded angrily. Forcystus sighed.

"Because he is considerably higher than you within the Ranch system," he replied. "Now, come on. You have a cell to be put in whilst I do some more important work."

"What, going around beating up the prisoners?" Lloyd muttered sulkily, angry that Forcystus had managed to evade his question. Forcystus smacked him across the face.

"Just follow," he spat, getting up. Lloyd reluctantly got up to follow him, rubbing his face ruefully. He guessed he'd deserved that.

"Tell me, Lord Forcystus," Lloyd insisted as they walked. Forcystus stayed silent, as he had every time Lloyd had tried. "Please," he persisted. Forcystus remained silent. "What's so bad about Sybak? And…" He decided to try a different tactic. "Why do you hate the moon?" Forcystus frowned. Yes! Reaction! Lloyd cheered.

"The moon?" He murmured. "Now you speak nonsense."

"Tethe'alla," Lloyd persisted. "You said you hated Tethe'alla. That's the moon, right?" Forcystus laughed softly.

"Lloyd…" He murmured. "Tethe'alla is not the moon. Tethe'alla is the world I was born in." Lloyd frowned.

"Now you're speaking nonsense… Lord Forcystus," he replied. Forcystus just laughed again.

"To you, indeed. To a half-elf, no. You will never go to Tethe'alla, besides. You need not concern yourself with it."

"Is Tethe'alla where you were kept as a slave?" Lloyd persisted. Forcystus looked at him.

"I was never a slave," he said sharply. "Don't pry."

"You were," Lloyd persisted. "Yggdrasill said so." Forcystus stopped, and grabbed Lloyd's arm. Lloyd froze.

"One. Lord Yggdrasill," Forcystus told him in a deadly whisper. "Two. I told you not to listen, you lying little toerag." He hit him, once, although not so hard. "Three. As far as you are to be concerned, I was never a slave. Never!" Lloyd flinched away, expecting another hit. Forcystus sighed and let go of him. "Give me the Lens," he demanded. Lloyd shook his head and backed away.

"I never used it," he replied. "I followed and listened, so there." Forcystus gave him the look. "…Lord Forcystus." He smiled slightly.

"So you disobeyed my orders, then," he replied. "How much did you hear, Lloyd?" Lloyd bit his lip. No point lying.

"…Pretty much all of it… Lord Forcystus…" He murmured. Forcystus cursed softly.

"…All of it. Lloyd…" He shook his head. "Why ask if you know the truth? About my eye?" Lloyd shrugged.

"I… Wanted to hear it from you… I guess…" He replied. Forcystus laughed softly.

"Very well," he murmured. "I have little choice. Come, I will take you back to your cell… Then I will tell you about Tethe'alla." Lloyd's expression brightened. Forcystus was going to tell him! At last!

Forcystus followed Lloyd into the cell, sitting on the end of the 'bed'. Lloyd sat against the wall, looking at him. Forcystus sighed softly and clicked the buttons on his cannon.

"…I was born in Tethe'alla…" He murmured. The cannon clicked open. "In a village called Exire. It is a… Flying village, kept in the air by the power of the summon Maxwell." He took his hand out of the cannon and leant it against the wall. "When I was three… They forced us out." He shook his head slowly. "Tethe'alla is nothing like Sylvarant. Nothing. It is the… Flourishing world."

"Flourishing?" Lloyd asked quietly, trying to process what he had just been told. A flying village in another world… Was that even possible? Forcystus nodded.

"Yes. Tethe'alla is parallel to Sylvarant, connected by the opposing summon spirits in both worlds. Whilst one flourishes, the other declines. The journey of the Chosen is designed so it reverses the mana flow, see? The seals are actually the location of the summon spirits. By awakening the summon spirit – that is, by defeating the guardian of the seal - the Chosen reverses the mana flow of that link. By releasing all five seals, the mana flow reverses completely and… In this case… Sylvarant becomes the flourishing world, the world the mana flows to." Lloyd was just watching him, a slightly lost look on his face. Forcystus shook his head slowly. "…Never mind. Tethe'alla has a lot more mana in the air than Sylvarant… You can't tell, but the mana here is very thin. So, the magitechnology and various other machines are widely used by humans, not just Desians."

"Why don't you go to Tethe'alla if there's more mana?" Lloyd asked. "Surely that would make more sense." It's about the only thing in this whole explanation that does… Forcystus shook his head.

"Desians stay in the declining world," he replied. "To harass the Chosen. It… Is complicated." Lloyd frowned.

"I thought you said you wouldn't kill Colette?" He accused. Forcystus nodded.

"I never said we tried. I said we harass the Chosen," he corrected gently. "It encourages the growth of the Cruxis Crystal. The guardians of the seal do similar. If exposed to stress, the mana in the body…" Lloyd was shaking his head slowly.

"You're talking like… It's an Exsphere," he murmured, taking the printout from his pocket.

'Designated suitable for participation in Angelus project; development of Hi-Exsphere (link – Cruxis Crystal)…'

"A Cruxis Crystal… Is an Exsphere…" He murmured. Forcystus sighed and nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "A special kind of Exsphere that, when placed upon the body, causes it to grow to the effect that angelic effects are produced. The wings, and angelic powers, that are bestowed upon the Chosen by the Angels are simply another stage in the development of the Crystal. That is all Cruxis is."

"People with special Exspheres…" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus shook his head.

"Not… Quite," he cut in. "Half-elves." Lloyd looked up, frowning.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Forcystus looked away.

"Cruxis is made up entirely of half-elves… Ha… Almost entirely," he replied. "The leader of Cruxis, Lord Yggdrasill… He is a half-elf. He wishes to create a world in which half-elves may live in peace, without prejudice from humans…"

"And that requires this?" Lloyd asked, spreading his arms to indicate the Ranch. "All this death? All this suffering?" Forcystus nodded slowly, not looking at Lloyd.

"The Exspheres," he replied. "Lord Yggdrasill needs the Exspheres. I… May have lied a little. I do know what Kvar's Angelus Project was. He was attempting to cultivate an Exsphere, turn it into a Cruxis Crystal within the human body. If he succeeded, he was going to present it to Lord Yggdrasill. Certainly the technique would have been valuable; he would have been promoted most likely… But then your mother ran off with it." He smiled slightly. "I can't say I was upset. I hate Kvar, I have to say. He doesn't believe in leaving the past in the past." Lloyd fell silent, looking at his Exsphere.

So much pain for one little gem… He thought morosely.

"Ah… Anyway. I have gone off track," Forcystus murmured. "Sybak. Yes… Sybak is a town that is… Fairly close to the capital city, Meltokio. It's across the sea, but they have constructed a bridge, the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge." He sighed. "In Sybak there is an institute known as the Imperial Research Academy. It is a place for humans but… You will find half-elves there if you look hard enough."

"If you look hard enough?" Lloyd repeated, confused. Forcystus nodded.

"Yes. They tend to keep them locked up in their labs. Certainly, they are not allowed to leave. Half-elves are filth. Half-elves are savage. Half-elves are stupid, good for nothing, inferior!" He slammed his hand against the wall in anger, making Lloyd recoil slightly in fear. "…I'm sorry," he murmured, seeing Lloyd. "I suppose you think I've no right to be angry, treating humans the way I do."

"…People think that way in Sylvarant, too…" He murmured. "Why doesn't it ever change? I mean, here in Sylvarant you don't help yourselves, with the Ranches, but people need to learn to judge on who, not what, someone is. The world will never change unless its people change, too. And that goes for half-elves as much as humans." Forcystus gave him a funny look.

"…Wiser words than I would have expected from you," he murmured. "I hate Sybak because… I was held there a while. From when I was seven, until… Oh, I will have been in my thirties when I escaped." Lloyd looked at him strangely.

"How old are you?" He asked. Forcystus bit his lip.

"…That isn't important," he replied. "When I escaped, I was on the run for a long while. Eventually I came across a small community of half-elves, but, the first night I was there… Humans attacked. They had been planning it for a while, or so I gathered. They had put sleeping herbs into the water. I was the only one who hadn't actually had any of the village's water, because I'd arrived so late at night… I fought the humans off alone. All of them. They were rather irritated to come across a half-elf that could actually defend himself, I think. They had been expecting an easy job. I killed them all." Lloyd gave him a shocked look. His tone hadn't even changed. "What? They were murderers. They would have killed me otherwise, and, at that time, I had done nothing wrong… Save, perhaps, being born." He laughed hollowly. "I was picked up by Cruxis after that. Anyway. In Tethe'alla there are six summon spirits, four of which form the seals. They are Celsius, disciple of everlasting ice, Gnome, the servant of mother earth, Shadow, the envoy from the dark abyss, and Volt, the hammer of godly thunder." He made a small noise under his breath. "The others are rarely seen. Maxwell, Ancient ruler of the elements, is in Exire, and no human can get there. Origin, Source of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between, Ruler of all…" He broke off with a quiet laugh. "Has a seal in the Torent Forest. A seal as in, it is attracted to the mana signature of a member of Cruxis. Until all the mana leaves their body – that is, they die – the seal remains in place and Origin is still bound to his last pactmaker. It is quite clever, really."

"Someone has to… To die?" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus nodded.

"But the chances of any summoner being let into the Torent forest are minimal. It is guarded by the elves in Heimdall. Only elves get in. And elves don't summon." He sighed and closed his eyes, tugging the eyepatch off his head. Lloyd looked away on instinct, not liking the sight of the scarred skin where Forcystus' eye should have been. "I have seen all the Seals of Tethe'alla, actually. The Imperial Research Academy thought it would be less dangerous if they had a half-elf child crawl around them instead of risking sending a human." His voice sounded bitter.

"…That is cruel…" Lloyd murmured. "…Gah! Why am I siding with you?" Forcystus looked at him, his face expressionless. "You're a Desian! You're holding me prisoner! I don't care about you!" Forcystus nodded.

"Quite right," he replied. "And you are forgetting something."

"…Lord Forcystus?" Lloyd murmured, realising that Forcystus hadn't actually picked him up on that until now. "…You… Weren't a Desian then, I guess. You were just… A child. My age. I'd hate to crawl around temples… For people who hated my very existence. It'd be like you forcing me to do all the work in the Ranch… Is that why?" Forcystus looked at him. "Is that why you do this? Is it… Revenge?" Forcystus shook his head.

"Nothing so petty," he replied. "I do this because I can." He stood up. "This Ranch is mine. I've done some pretty good things with this Ranch. The humans don't suffer as much as they used to – unnecessary suffering is wrong, despite what I was put through. You should see Kvar's Ranch. Terrible, it is. His extraction process, whilst being efficient, is also horribly painful for the humans. Although, I suppose, at that point they don't care any more. Still, I try." He walked over to Lloyd, looking down at him. "Why do you live, Lloyd? You live because you can. That is why I live. I live because I can. I do this because I can. Certainly, now I am a Cardinal I cannot escape it without bringing Cruxis down on my head, but I like to think I have some choice in the matter." Lloyd looked up at him, not shying away at the sight of his scars.

"It's still wrong," he murmured. Forcystus shrugged.

"Who are you to decide right and wrong? From your viewpoint, yes, it is wrong. Try looking at it from mine. Stand in a half-elf's shoes for a second. Look at it that way." Lloyd shook his head.

"It's still wrong! Nothing can justify sacrificing innocent lives for these!" He held up the hand with his Exsphere on. "So don't spout some story about sides at me… Lord Forcystus! It's nothing! It means nothing! These people are innocent. You can't exact revenge on innocents! You can't pay back the hatred you've been shown on innocents! What does their death achieve? Only more hatred, more suffering!" Forcystus knelt by him, and Lloyd moved backwards slightly, as if trying to back into the wall. Forcystus slid the bangle off his right wrist and put it on Lloyd's left, where it shone strangely. Lloyd looked up at him, confused.

"I will hide your Key Crest. Otherwise, Kvar will find you," Forcystus murmured. "We shall see what develops. For the love of Kharlan, don't try to escape from your cell when Kvar could arrive at any time." He retrieved his cannon and reattached it. "Please. I know you are wilful, but… Please don't do anything stupid. Not if you want to live." He walked out of the cell and locked it.

"Wait!" Lloyd called, but he walked out. "Damn it all…" He hit the floor. Forcystus… What the hell are you trying to do…?

A/N - What indeed? I think it might be a while before I can update again because schoolwork/coursework/job work is killing me sloooowlllllyyyyy... But I'll do my best to get chapter 9 up within the fortnight ^^

Thanks in advance for reviews :D They make me happy.