Hi guys! Exams are now over and although I did have a minor nervous breakdown which required a couple of days off school, I'm fine now and writing again!

Thanks to my Beta, Freakyanimegal, who pointed out a few... Personality flaws halfway through. I have summarily changed things. I hope it meets with your satisfaction, XD, I did my best.

And OMG, the chapter title gives nothing away about the content *shifty look*

Liana: It's Lloyd's influence XD the more he's around him, the more he smiles.

LikeaGlintofLight: Hee hee, she was my least fave Cardinal. Does it show?

SoS: That's their main weakness. Forcy knows it but doesn't really care. And there are a few Desians in the Ranch that Forcy will trust with Lloyd, like Roy, and the two guards with him were in that category. Otherwise there would have bene problems.

CBK: Thankyou! I'm pleased you like it ^^

Sliver: ^^ I shall do my best. I'm warning you in advance that Genis occasinally has characterisation issues with me, but I'm sure Freaky will spot them ^^

Aion: The questions will be answered in this chapter. Although I personally am not happy with the way they can get from Hakonesia to Palmacosta and back in the space of a day (they do do it at one point) I've made the rest of the distances more reasonable. It takes a long time to get from Triet to Hima, for instance.

teno: I'd be glad to ^^

Chapter thirteen: Escape!

The next day, for no apparent reason, Forcystus took Lloyd to the infirmary and had him chipped. Lloyd didn't ask why, afraid that it might make Forcystus change his mind.

"This'll hurt," Forcystus warned as the nurse on duty that day gave Lloyd a disdainful look. Lloyd shrugged. In his opinion, it was worth it. He could get out without causing a hassle! The one thing that confused him was that Forcystus had to know that, he'd said he suspected him of trying to escape before, plus he had actually tried before.

It did hurt, like a small electric jolt, but it was only a slight discomfort. Lloyd saw his Exsphere glow, and knew that had something to do with the lack of discomfort. He noticed Forcystus smile slightly at that, too. Maybe they weren't so different…

"There, milord," the nurse told him once she was certain the chip had implanted properly.

"Thank you," Forcystus told her. She smiled brightly – another Forcystus fan, clearly. Most of the Desians in the Ranch respected Forcystus, the only exceptions seeming to be those who had been transferred from Kvar's Ranch. Apparently he wasn't too popular there, but Forcystus had said himself that he didn't care. It was rather hard for the Desians to win Forcystus' respect in return, but there were a few Desians that Forcystus did appreciate, Roy being the most notable one. Lloyd noticed that he tended to give every Desian a chance, however. Clearly those he disliked hadn't made much of the chance.

Lloyd's lessons in how to work computers resumed that week, much to Lloyd's dismay. As much as he knew it would be useful, it was very… Boring. He took slightly more of interest in it with Forcystus as his teacher, but even the Cardinal couldn't make it that much more interesting. He did, however, keep enough of an eye on Lloyd that the teen didn't get an opportunity to fall asleep like he had with Roy.

Lloyd learned fast, despite the boredom it caused. Forcystus displayed a mixture of surprise and displeasure when Lloyd demonstrated his skill by hacking into the main console and disabling all the security cameras, and Forcystus had to do a quick reset and tell him sternly not to do that sort of thing, period. Lloyd had just looked innocent – or tried to – and said that he would never do such a thing. Forcystus had just found that amusing.

Forcystus was keeping a much closer eye on Lloyd, with the teen following him around most of the Ranch rather than staying in his cell, but the Cardinal was still careful to keep him away from the prisoners, and the Rheairds. Lloyd's mental Ranch map was slowly being built up because of this, and he was fairly confident that he would be able to locate the Rheairds on his own when he got the chance. Not that Forcystus seemed willing to give him a chance.

He practised hiding under the console twice that week, when Kvar had two long talks with Forcystus, which inevitably deteriorated into shouting matches. The two Cardinals did not get on at all, perhaps even less so than Forcystus did with Pronyma. Their dislike for each other was clear, in the way they spoke, the way they looked, and in what Forcystus said to him after Kvar had ceased the communication. The hatred was so thinly veiled; it was hard to say it was hidden at all. The third time Lloyd had to hide, the mood changed entirely. It was Yggdrasill.

"Forcystus, I hope you are there," he started, his voice as cold as ever. Lloyd was practically not breathing under the console; for fear that he would be heard.

"Yes, milord Yggdrasill," Forcystus greeted with a low bow. Yggdrasill laughed.

"Your games have been ever so much fun to watch, Forcystus," he remarked. "Kvar has informed me of a very interesting episode that occurred whilst he was visiting your Ranch…"

"I was coming down with an illness, milord," Forcystus replied, and Lloyd could see his right hand shaking. Fear, this time, even Lloyd could feel it. Roy was trying his best not to shake, too; Yggdrasill scared them all. "I forgive any disturbance I may have caused. It could not be helped." Yggdrasill laughed.

"I thought you never fell ill," he murmured. Forcystus swallowed nervously.

"I… Am no angel, Lord Yggdrasill," he replied. Yggdrasill's eyes narrowed.

"You should be," he hissed. Roy bit his lip and looked away, as if indicating to Forcystus that he would count that comment as not having been heard.

"…I cannot claim to be what I am not, my Lord, I apologise for disappointing you," the Cardinal murmured. Lloyd's fingers brushed against the feather in his pocket. How could something that seemed only to bring hatred be associated with comfort to him? Something in his past… He must have seen an angel in his past. An angel with blue wings?

"Be careful, you know he can't fly…" Lloyd shook his head. Don't think about it! He scolded himself. Concentrate. Don't give yourself away to Yggdrasill; else he'll hurt Forcystus… Or me…

"You are simply a lying dog," Yggdrasill spat. Forcystus hung his head.

"…I swear, my Lord, I am not lying to you…" He murmured.

"I will find the truth. You are a success. I do. Not. Make. Mistakes."

"…Of course not, my Lord…" Forcystus murmured, his tone still soft and respectful. "But I have seen no indication of my being an… Angel. Forgive me." Yggdrasill made a mildly irritated noise.

"Dog," he spat. Forcystus nodded quietly. "And Kvar has told me some interesting stories about a human at your Ranch…"

"Kvar exaggerates things, my Lord," Forcystus murmured. Yggdrasill laughed coldly.

"Perhaps. But perhaps I should look into it?" Forcystus shook his head.

"He was killed, milord," he replied. "Constant disobedience. Useless." Yggdrasill gave him a careful look.

"…Hm," he murmured. "I shall choose to believe you… This time. But if I happen to see anything… Out of the ordinary at your Ranch, more humans might end up perishing, and I may just have to reintroduce you to Derris-Kharlan." Forcystus was clearly scared, although he was doing his best to hide it. "One slip up. And that little inferior rat is dead. Do you understand me?" Forcystus nodded.

"Of course, my Lord," he replied. Yggdrasill laughed.

"You are so pathetic," he murmured, ending the transmission. Lloyd crawled out from under the console, shooting Forcystus a terrified look.

"…I had hoped he wouldn't notice," Forcystus murmured. "…I have no choice. It has reached a point where your safety here at this Ranch is jeopardised…" He sighed and looked at Roy. "Look after the Ranch for a while, Roy. I have… Things I must do."

"As you wish, sir," Roy replied, not looking up from his console.

"…Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, confused. Forcystus sighed.

"…Follow me, Lloyd. It's about time you saw a Rheaird up close," he replied. Lloyd did a double-take. Was Forcystus really… About to let him go?

Forcystus walked quickly, Lloyd having to struggle to keep up, and he went through several security fields.

Has he been planning this? Lloyd wondered as he followed. He was no longer scared of the fields of light, but he had displayed some trepidation the first time he had gone through one. Forcystus had assured him that the chip would work, and after sticking his hand through with no ill effects, he had eventually gone through, but if he had hesitated like that here, he would have lost Forcystus quickly.

"The Chosen's group is in Palmacosta," he murmured. "Or, more specifically, have just left Palmacosta and are headed for… Hakonesia Peak, I believe." Lloyd nodded, not that Forcystus was looking at him. "Depending on your driving skills, we should be able to catch them before they get there. How confident are you?" Lloyd looked at the metal thing hovering in the air dubiously. It looked a lot less safe up close. "I shall set it to follow mine, then. All you will have to do is hold on. Sound better?" Lloyd nodded, and Forcystus pressed some buttons on a console and got the Rheairds to unfold. It was like a bird spreading its wings. Lloyd got on the red one, Forcystus on a light blue one, and with a rush of mana they took off.

"H-how do they work?" Lloyd asked as they flew. Forcystus was looking at the fuel gauge of his with a frown.

"Mana. From Volt. Not that Volt is in this world, but we can power them up with fuel cells. It would be a lot easier if we had Volt to hand, of course, but there aren't any summoners among the Desians." Lloyd nodded slowly, glancing at the various dials on the Rheaird. He recognised fuel, internal temperature and one that appeared to be airspeed, but they were written in a strange language which vaguely registered in his mind as "angelic". He looked down, and instantly regretted it. The ground was very far below them, and they were flying fast. They seemed to be flying fairly close to the Tower of Salvation, but Forcystus gave it a wide berth as they got closer. Clearly it was not his favourite place, although Lloyd wasn't sure why. He just recognised the look of venom the Desian had shot at it as being identical to the one he often gave Kvar.

They flew over a lot of sea until Lloyd finally saw land again, and a large number of mountains.

"Behind those mountains. Palmacosta Ranch. Magnius," Forcystus told him bluntly, pointing. Lloyd followed the direction of his finger. "Down there. Remote Island Ranch. Rodyle. On the island near Palmacosta." Lloyd could only just see it. "Nor'nor'west. Asgard Ranch. Three guesses." Lloyd could just see the top of the Ranch watch tower, but even then he had to strain his eyes. They were hovering now. "Down there, on that Island. Thoda Geyser, seal of water." Lloyd nodded; he could just about see it. "Tower of Mana. Kept locked, rarely visited." Lloyd could see that tower behind the Tower of Salvation itself. "Balacruf mausoleum to the northeast. It's a seal, but I'm not certain if you can actually get in without something or other from Asgard. Which is just there, by the way." Lloyd nodded, following Forcystus' finger once more. "Triet desert and the ruins are back there, you might have seen them in the distance." Lloyd nodded. "Hima is on that mountain back there, Luin to the northeast of it. Luin being the town on the lake." Lloyd nodded. "I'm going to land the Rheairds now, alright?" Lloyd nodded, taking a firmer hold on the handles as Forcystus descended fairly gently. As they landed, Lloyd gave the Rheairds a look.

"How are you going to get mine back to the Ranch?" He asked. Forcystus gave him a knowing smile and took out a small, tablet-shaped object, holding it up. In a flash of mana, Lloyd's Rheaird disappeared into it. "Wow!" Lloyd exclaimed, running up and examining it. "What is it? How do you do that?"

"It's a Wing Pack," Forcystus replied. "Very useful. Works with mana. Have it." He passed it to Lloyd who took it and examined it. "Hold it up and press the button on the bottom – not now! – And the Rheaird will come back out. I've plenty; I can say you stole it. Mine, however, is almost out of fuel, so I shall be paying Magnius a visit shortly and getting it recharged. Look after that."

"I-I will!" Lloyd promised. "Forcystus… Thank you. I never thought…" Forcystus smiled sadly at him.

"Just doing my job," he replied. "Now, get going. If you're quick you'll be able to get to Hakonesia peak before the Chosen's group. Here's a pair of swords…" Forcystus handed Lloyd two swords in scabbards, real swords, the type he used, not ones stolen from unfortunate Desians.

"…Forcystus…" He murmured.

"Don't be silly. You need to be able to defend yourself," Forcystus replied. "Here's an Apple Gel. Don't do anything stupid, alright? Just catch up to the Chosen's group. Forget the Ranches, forget me. Do not, under any circumstances, get too angry, Lloyd. You know what happens at the Ranches, I know, and you don't like it. But you will not be able to stop it, and it would be jeopardising the Chosen to try."

"I'm sorry for causing you such trouble," Lloyd murmured. Forcystus laughed.

"I think I created my own trouble, bringing you to the Ranch. I never anticipated that you would be so difficult, but… I think it may do you good, in the long run. Remember, though, I am your enemy now." He got back onto his Rheaird. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured, and the Cardinal laughed.

"I thought you hated me?" He murmured, his Rheaird taking off. Lloyd watched him fly over the mountains, then set off in the direction of Hakonesia Peak.

"Did you see it, Professor? Look!" Colette cried, pointing into the sky where a Rheaird was flying. Kratos looked at it, a frown on his face.

"Interesting… I wonder…" Raine murmured. "If only there were some way to get close to it…"

"Aw, sis. You don't have to study everything," Genis complained, and had to evade a smack for it.

"The chances of catching it are very low. We should move on," Kratos said curtly. "You cannot forget that we are on a mission." Colette hung her head.

"…Yes, Kratos," she murmured. Kratos cast another glance into the sky.

Rheairds… Either it's Yuan, or… What are the Desians up to now? He wondered. And if it's Yuan… He shook his head slowly. Colette was up ahead, almost out of sight, and Raine called out to her to be careful.

"I will, Professor – ah!" Colette tripped on… Probably nothing, and fell out of view. Kratos shook his head slowly as Raine ran forwards, and there was a monster call. He drew his sword, moving forwards, but as Colette got up and moved backwards, afraid, the monster fell mid-jump.

"Colette!" Genis cried out, running forwards.

"Wh… What?" Colette murmured. Lloyd sheathed his nice shiny new swords and walked into view.

"Hey, Colette. Seems you need me after all," he remarked with a grin.

"Lloyd!" She exclaimed, getting up and throwing her arms around him. Genis cried out, shocked but happy, and ran forwards to join in hugging his best friend.

"However did you manage to escape the Ranch?" Raine asked, and Kratos walked up then.

What is Forcystus playing at? That explains the Rheaird… He thought. I suppose Lloyd would… He's so like Anna…

"I… Escaped," he replied eventually. "Stole a Rheaird and one of these awesome little packing deelies, look!" He got the Wing Pack out. Kratos went up to him and took it without a word. "H-hey!" Lloyd complained, but before he could protest further, Noishe accosted him, pinning him to the floor and licking him, whining happily. "Hey, Noishe. You missed me?" Lloyd asked, grinning.

"I wanted to go back for you," Colette murmured. "But Kratos and the Professor said…"

"The Journey of Regeneration comes first. It should've done, Colette. I can handle myself!" Lloyd replied. Genis made some comment to the contrary, and Lloyd glared at him. Kratos opened the wing pack.

"…Hm," he murmured, seeing the Rheaird. Raine instantly pounced on it.

"This is amazing!" She declared. "This is clearly magitechnology! Lloyd, you simply must let me study it!" Lloyd ran his hand through his hair with chagrin.

"Well, so long as you don't damage it," he replied. "It's the only one I've got, and I'd like it working. Its controls are all written in angelic, and it's not exactly got a wonderful amount of fuel left in it, though…" Kratos gave him a long look.

"And you're saying that a Grand Cardinal just let you walk out of a Ranch?" He asked, his voice full of disbelief. "Without any sort of retaliation?" Lloyd stood up, pushing Noishe off him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'd been planning." Kratos nodded slightly.

"I… See," he murmured. "Are you certain he hasn't put a tracker on you? He could be using you to get to Colette, having anticipated this." Colette gasped, horrified, but Lloyd shook his head emphatically.

"He said the Desians don't want to kill the Chosen," he replied. "Besides, I trust Forcystus. He's… He's different."

"You trust a Desian?" Genis repeated, shocked. "But… He's a half-elf!" Raine looked up from where she was obsessing over the Rheaird. Lloyd shrugged.

"So?" He replied. "Dwarven Vow #46! Judge by character, not appearance!" Genis smiled weakly.

"Yeah… Of course…" He murmured, glancing back at Raine, who had gone back to trying to take the Rheaird apart without actually taking it apart.

"I would be cautious before placing your trust in him. He is likely using you," Kratos told Lloyd firmly. "Raine, we haven't the time…" Raine looked disappointed, but moved away from the Rheaird as Kratos glanced at the Wing Pack and held it up; trying to give an impression that he was making an educated guess of how it worked. The Rheaird disappeared into it, and he handed it to Lloyd, who pocketed it and shook his head.

"He isn't," he replied. "I know he isn't!" Kratos raised his eyebrows, as if asking for proof. "He… He's not like the others." Lloyd bit his lip, considering his options. "He… Kinda… Tried to keep me safe," he admitted. Kratos' eyes widened, and Colette looked confused..

"But why would he?," she asked. "He's a Desian… You're human. And… And he's been feeding you lies! The last Chosen was killed by Desians!" Lloyd looked at her and sighed.

"It's complicated," he admitted. "But… I got the feeling he was telling the truth… That's all."

"Even so, be careful with what you believe," Raine advised. "It could all have been a ploy."

"Why bother when he could've just treated me like the rest?" Lloyd asked. "I'd've still tried to escape. He could've got more out of me by beating me, but he… Stopped them from doing it." He bit his lip. "I trust him and that's not gonna change."

"I… See…" Kratos murmured. "We have no time for this, anyway. Lloyd, I suppose we have no choice but to take you along."

"Some good telling me to stay at home like a good boy did me," the teen shot at Kratos, under his breath, and Kratos shook his head slowly.

"We are going to Hakonesia Peak. Supposedly there is a record there, written by Spiritua. We are going to attempt to procure it to help with the journey, since Remiel's words are often cryptic." A ghost of a frown touched Lloyd's face.

Remiel. An angel of Cruxis. Yggdrasill is… He blinked, the frown vanishing. Remiel was no Yggdrasill. Remiel was Colette's father… Colette had an angel for a father. He wondered absently what Forcystus would have to say if he heard that.

Lloyd walked with Genis and Colette as they continued on to Hakonesia Peak, telling the pair of them about the Ranch. He decided to leave out what Forcystus had said about Tethe'alla and Cruxis, purely because the latter would likely upset Colette and he didn't think they'd believe him about the first. He did tell them all about what the Ranch did, making the Exspheres, and about the Grand Cardinals that he had seen. He told them what Forcystus had told them about Magnius and Rodyle, but he didn't actually know anything, and he did let them know that he was just saying Forcystus' opinion.

"Oh, and Forcystus printed this for me!" He added as an afterthought, getting out his printout about his mother. "It's my mom." Colette and Genis took it, and Kratos looked over for a second. "She was at Kvar's Ranch. I hate Kvar. He's creepy and…" He trailed off. He hadn't mentioned any of the pet comments to them. It was too embarrassing. "He hurt Forcystus, too. Hit him. Forcystus kicked him out, and good on him too."

"She's got your hair colour," Colette murmured. Lloyd nodded.

"Yep. But not my eyes. I figured I must get them from my dad."

"Did he know anything about your dad?" Genis asked. Kratos watched them carefully then, and Raine shook her head with a slight smile. Lloyd shook his head.

"No. Oh, but he wasn't held at a Ranch. I think he broke my mom out of the Asgard Ranch," he replied. "'Cause Kvar would never have let her go. Forcystus says he doesn't like the word 'escape' to exist in his vocabulary. He's a right Ba…d guy." He changed what he had been about to say for Colette's benefit, and Raine saw a slight smile touch Kratos' face as the mercenary looked away.

"…Children," he murmured. "Somewhere, they lose that innocence. Somehow…" Raine gave him a careful look.

"Do you regret leaving him?" She asked. "Because, it meant he was taken to the Ranch. If I'd known that would result, I…" Kratos shook his head slowly.

"No… We weren't to know. And Lloyd is a strong boy. It seems the Desians treated him differently… I'll ask Lloyd about it, but he does not seem to be too badly affected by it." Raine made a soft noise of agreement under her breath.

"Perhaps…" She murmured. I still think we should have gone back, even if I didn't say as much… how can you be so cold as to not care about a young boy held captive? By Desians? Lloyd… Doesn't hate half-elves… So perhaps he hasn't suffered, but… If he had…

They soon arrived at the Peak. Lloyd asked about the soldiers, and Genis explained that you needed a pass to get through. Lloyd shrugged and murmured something about a Rheaird, but Kratos put a hand on his shoulder and cautioned him, directing him towards the house. Lloyd jerked away from him irritably.

"I know, I'm going, already!" He protested, making Colette laugh softly.

The man in the house was anything but friendly.

"If you want a Road Pass, that's 100,000,000 Gald," he told them bluntly.

"That's extortionate!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"I see… You're working with the tourist company," Raine remarked. Lloyd frowned, not knowing about the existence of any company, but the man glared at her.

"Well, if you don't want one, get out," he muttered.

"Actually, we've come about the book of Spiritua's journey that was taken from the Palmacosta government building and supposedly sold to you. Do you know anything about it?" Raine asked. Lloyd looked at Kratos questioningly, but the swordsman just put a warning hand on Lloyd's shoulder, telling him to stay quiet.

"Ah, no, you misunderstand," the man replied. "You see, the Chosen of Mana herself gave me this book at a very generous price." Lloyd frowned, but Kratos' grip tightened on his shoulder before he protested.

"May we see it?" Kratos asked. The man glared.

"No! Why I should I let you look at it? You'll get your filthy hands all over it and ruin it, I dare say!"

"But Colette is the Cho-" Genis started, exactly what Lloyd had wanted to say, but Raine hit him before he could finish.

"Shush," she scolded him. "Please. We are devout followers of the journey of Regeneration, and Colette is versed in the language of the Angels. To be allowed to view such a priceless artefact would be a great honour." The man looked as though he was considering it.

"…Well…" He murmured. "There's something I've been wanting for a long time – The Spiritua statue on display at Palmacosta's House of Salvation. Bring me that, and I'll let the maiden and the beauty have a look at it." Lloyd glared.

"You're a horrible person," he spat. "Like it costs you anything to let us have a look at it!" Kratos' grip tightened to the point where it made Lloyd wince.

"So? Either bring me the statue or skedaddle!" The man replied, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Lloyd glared at Kratos, who shook his head in warning and let go of Lloyd's shoulder.

As they left, there was a large number of people gathered outside.

"What's going on?" Lloyd wondered aloud. One of the people turned.

"Oh, they say there's Desians headed for Palmacosta. I'd stay out of the area for a while," he told them.

"They say that Magnius is with them," a woman added.

"Wh-what?" Lloyd murmured. Please don't let Forcystus be involved… "We… We have to help the town out!" Lloyd decided. Kratos sighed.

"…Stubborn," he murmured.

"Yeah! We have to go back!" Genis agreed. "Right, sis?" Raine looked dubious.

"…It would be dangerous to expose Colette to the Desians… However, I do agree that we cannot just abandon the people of Palmacosta," she agreed eventually. Kratos shrugged slightly.

"Very well. To Palmacosta," he replied, walking away. Lloyd glanced at Genis, who shrugged.

"He's always like that," he whispered to Lloyd, who laughed.

A/N - Lloyd's finally escaped! But don't think this is the last we'll hear of our turquoise-haired friend, not at all. R&R ^^