Greetings, all. It's quater to eleven at night where I am and I have a full day of the wonder known as school tomorrow, so I really shouldn't be up. But I am, because I've managed to finish this chapter and want to get it posted!
First, though, a warning. Coursework is eating me and updates will likely be fortnightly until I finish. As much as you might want me to, I can't sacrifice coursework for story, XD.
On a lighter note, I got my A2 module results today. Two a's, three b's and a c! I'll be retaking the c, but apart from that I'm on my way to uni ^^
Freaky - I fixed all the things you pointed out. I changed a couple of paragraphs entirely. Thanks so much for all the help, I'm needing it more than ever right now XD
Symphoniafan: Writing interactions between Kratty and Lloyd makes me happy, so I'm glad you liked it, too ^^
Kirimori: Hee hee, that's so true. I once didn't realise I'd got into a fight until I glanced up at the victory screen. Right now, my life is too busy to write out sxtras, but if I do explain the Inhibitor more I'll put on a warning ^^
Skedaddle-san: I know so much how you feel. Seriously *drops dead from stress* And I'm glad you like the story ^^
ethargh: Not that constant *shifty look**hides in corner* Hmm, sad smiles? I shall pay more attention to that in future, thankies ^^
LaGoL: I don't think I've ever seen Kratos' name used in full, at least before he betrays them. But yes, he will have told people.
When they go to Tethe'Alla there'll be a lot more about Forcy's past, why he doesn't mind the treatment so much, etc. And yes, if all goes to plan he should stay with them.
I often write out thoughts for characters when they're speaking, so there will be a lot more ^^ I have a planned backstory for Kratos, too, all those little details they never fill in, which should come into things fairly soon. I'll try and fit in a decent description of the Inhibitor inthe future but I'm using up all my free time (of which there is little) to write, so I can make no promises -_-
~Text like this~ Is Angelic tongue. Text like this is thoughts. To clarify ^^
Chapter four: The Second Seal
The group, plus Forcystus who had been kicked awake by the Innkeeper in annoyance a lot earlier than the rest of the group had risen, headed out for the Thoda Geyser the next morning. Colette was enthusiastic about the mission to retrieve the statue, but Kratos and Raine were being quietly pessimistic, because that was 'the safest bet'.
They didn't encounter many monsters on the way, and Forcystus proved to be useful in that he dealt with most of them before even Kratos had a chance to draw his sword. He was a lot quicker with his magic than Genis, who had confronted him about that, he had explained that he had been casting magic a lot longer than the younger boy, and that he knew less spells if that made him feel better. Apparently, it did.
"Hi, and welcome to the Thoda Island Sightseeing Boat Dock!" the woman at the desk in the House of Salvation greeted as they entered.
"Wait until you see the boats," Forcystus told Lloyd in a low voice.
"This is the most convenient way to view the Thoda Geyser!" She continued, not having heard Forcystus. "Um… Well, the only way, in fact."
"Can we hire a boat?" Lloyd asked. The girl nodded enthusiastically.
"Sure! It's 200 Gald for a round trip!" She informed them. Lloyd glanced at the others, and Kratos rolled his eyes and produced 200 Gald. Clearly he was the one in charge of funds. "Thank you very much! The boats are out back, make your own way thee and back!" The girl continued, and Lloyd noted that the money had disappeared very quickly. He glanced at Forcystus, who was clearly trying not to laugh, and they walked out to the boats.
Or even 'boats'.
"It's… A washtub?" Lloyd murmured, bemused. Forcystus laughed then.
"Great, aren't they?" He remarked, chuckling. Lloyd glared at him.
"Washtubs, hmm…" Kratos murmured, walking up. Genis sighed.
"Yup, it's a washtub," he decided. There really was no other word for them. Colette ran up happily, a huge smile on her face.
"Wow, this looks like it should be fun!" She enthused. Lloyd gave her a look of utter disbelief.
"I think… I'm going to wait here," Raine decided. She had gone a decidedly green shade. Forcystus looked at her.
"What's the matter? Scared?" He teased. "Never known an elf be afraid of the water!" Raine looked at him as though he were crazy.
"N… No," she replied. "I'm just… Not getting in that thing." Lloyd examined one, putting a foot in experimentally.
"Well, I'll admit they don't look that safe, but we don't exactly have much choice," he told her.
"Yeah, Raine!" Genis insisted, grabbing her hand and making her cry out in absolute horror. The whole group stared at her as though she had gone mad, except for Forcystus, who seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing.
"Sure you're not afraid?" He asked her. She shook her head determinedly.
"No, I was, um, just starting to say… Ah, this should be fun!" She insisted, going over to one of the washtubs and getting in determinedly.
"Um… Sure," Lloyd replied, clearly disbelieving, and Kratos laughed softly under his breath. Anna had hated the washtubs, too. Forcystus hurried Lloyd into one of the others, the one he had his foot in, then got in beside him, and Genis got into Raine's and took the paddle. Kratos glanced at Colette, who nodded, and they got into the third washtub, Kratos taking up the paddle. It was, after all, his job to look after Colette.
Forcystus grabbed the paddle off Lloyd when they were halfway across, insisting that if he continued to paddle like that he was going to capsize the already precarious washtub. Lloyd noticed Raine go a lot greener at the mention of that, and he only protested mildly. He noticed that Kratos looked over at them a lot, and it worried him slightly. Had he done something wrong?
"We've… Finally arrived…" Raine murmured, stumbling out of the washtub as soon as they hit the wooden dock.
"Water came in and I thought we were going to sink!" Genis exclaimed, climbing out after Raine and kicking the washtub irritably. Lloyd jumped out excitably once his washtub hit the boards, and Forcystus exited slightly more calmly and secured the tub to the jetty. Kratos helped Colette out, regarding the washtub with amusement.
"That was a rare experience," he commented as Colette enthused about it. Forcystus shrugged, regarding the 'boat' with a critical eye.
"Rare, huh," he murmured. "That's… One word for it." Lloyd hit him playfully.
"You know you enjoyed it really," he teased. Forcystus shook his head.
"…You're hopeless," he decided. "I trust you are alright, Miss Sage?" Raine looked up at him, pale.
"Call me Raine," she replied, walking decidedly away from the washtub. "And yes, no thanks to your comments." Forcystus laughed.
"Very well, Raine," he replied. "You do realise we have to make a return journey?" She paled slightly. "Ah, don't worry," he added. "Lloyd and I will take the leaky boat, won't we?" Lloyd gave him a frightened look.
"Wh-what? Do we have to?" He replied. Forcystus smiled slightly.
"Yes, since you enjoyed it so much," he replied. "The Geyser itself is up ahead. I presume you've come for the seal?"
"Seal? It's a Seal?" Colette asked. "Really?" Lloyd put on a sulky expression.
"I did say, like, three times," he pointed out. "But we've come to retrieve a Spiritua Statue that a Priest lost last year. If we give it to this guy at Hakonesia Peak he'll let us have a look at this record made by Spiritua." Forcystus nodded.
"I… See," he replied slowly. "That would be… Koton. He is a very stingy fellow. What do you need to look at Spiritua's writing for, anyway?" Lloyd grimaced.
"So we know where to find the Seals," he replied, making Forcystus laugh.
"You're aware that you could just ask me… Right?" He reminded him, and realisation hit Lloyd.
"Oh yeah!" He exclaimed. "Kratos, wait a second!" He ran over to the mercenary and had an enthusiastic conversation with him, which seemed to involve a lot of hand-waving and pointing on Lloyd's part, and a lot of frowning and uncertainty on Kratos'. Forcystus shook his head in despair.
"…Kratos says we should get the statue anyway," Lloyd reported back. Forcystus rolled his eyes.
"So you can give it back to wherever it came from. I know what I'm talking about," he replied.
They walked up to the geyser to look for the Spiritua statue, with Forcystus attempting to argue his case with an unamused-looking Kratos.
"Wow!" Lloyd exclaimed as he saw the geyser erupt. "That's amazing!"
"Lloyd, a geyser is a type of hot spring that periodically erupts with boiling hot water and water vapour," Genis told him. Lloyd went red.
"I… I knew that!" He protested. Forcystus went up to the fence and peered over, down into the geyser.
"I reckon you could freeze this," he decided. "There's the statue on the opposite side, look." He pointed across the geyser, where there was a sparkling given off by light reflecting off the halo. "Although…" The geyser erupted again. "You wouldn't have much time to fetch it." Genis ran over to a gap in the fencing.
"C'mon, Lloyd, I'll freeze the geyser," he told the swordsman, who nodded and ran over. "You'll only have as long as the ice will last. I reckon you won't have more than thirty seconds," he continued. "So you'll have to be quick."
"I'll direct you from up here," Forcystus offered. "I've got a fairly good view." He studied the arrangement of rocks. "There are a lot of rocks, so if you just sort of let yourself slide along the ice…" He suggested. "There should be enough for you to just slide in a straight line once you're out on the ice." Lloyd nodded.
"Ready?" Genis asked. Lloyd nodded. "Icicle!"
"Be careful," Raine told him as he stepped out onto the ice. "Even my healing arts have their limits!" Lloyd glared at her.
"You do have a habit of getting cocky. Be careful," Kratos warned, and Lloyd almost wasted time looking up to glare at him. Almost. But, he didn't have long between eruptions, and so decided that he could glare at Kratos once he'd got the statue; skidding himself along the rocks instead. He clambered up onto the ledge as the ice dissolved under the full force of the geyser's eruption and grabbed the statue.
"Yeah!" He celebrated. "I did it!"
"Well done," Forcystus remarked with a slight grin. Colette grinned.
"I knew we could count on you, Lloyd!" She remarked. Kratos looked at him sceptically.
"You still have to get back," he pointed out. Lloyd glared at him.
"I'll freeze it again," Genis decided. "You ready?" Lloyd nodded, and once Genis had frozen it he carefully made his way back across, keeping the statue in one hand. Once he was safely to the other side, he passed the statue to Raine triumphantly. Forcystus had gone over to the big sign just behind them, examining something behind it.
"Where are you going to put it?" Lloyd asked Raine. She held it up.
"I was hoping your Wing Pack would be of some use," she remarked. Lloyd nodded, fishing around in his pockets for it and holding it up, pressing the button in slightly. The Statue disappeared inside it.
"The only problem is, I'll probably have to get the Rheaird out with it…" He murmured.
"No, you just need to learn how to use it properly," Forcystus replied, resting his hand on the Oracle Stone. A rock at the top of the geyser moved, and a effervescent path appeared. Forcystus jumped backwards like he'd been scalded.
"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed, running up. "What's this?" Kratos walked up.
"…Looks like an Oracle Stone," He replied. "There was one at the Triet Ruins, too." Forcystus was looking at it as though it had done him a grave injustice.
"…Not possible…" He murmured. Lloyd shrugged, putting the Wing Pack back in his pocket, then drawing his hand out with a yelp.
"That feather… It's burning hot!" He exclaimed. Colette, Genis and Raine rushed up then.
"I thought only I could open those…" Colette murmured.
"Only you should be able to!" Forcystus yelled, unhappy. "Dammit, Yggdrasill, what have you done to me?!" Kratos walked over to him and hit him, hard. Lloyd cried out in protest as Forcystus staggered back from the force of it, one hand on his face.
"Kratos! What the hell?" Lloyd demanded. Kratos made no sound, simply indicated up the path. Nervously, Colette headed up it, giving Kratos a scared look, and Raine and Genis followed quickly. "Kratos! Answer me!" Lloyd demanded.
"In," he told Lloyd sharply, and Lloyd walked forwards angrily, but Forcystus shook his head.
"Go," he murmured. Lloyd looked taken aback.
"But…" He murmured, but Kratos indicated the Seal irritably, and Lloyd stormed up it, angry. Forcystus looked after him, worried, one hand still on his cheek.
"Go," Kratos told him, his tone softer than expected. Forcystus glanced at him.
"…I didn't… Mean…" He murmured, but Kratos shook his head.
"Go. Lord Yggdrasill does not hear everything you say, and I am sure we can explain this to Lloyd. He sometimes provides his own explanations." Forcystus nodded slowly and walked up the ramp, still rubbing his cheek. Kratos cast a glance back, seeing the assassin from before run up, and walked up the ramp himself, before clicking his fingers. Reacting to the angelic trace within his body, the ramp disappeared, and he walked in without a backward glance.
"It looks like that girl didn't make it inside," Kratos murmured as Lloyd stormed up to him angrily.
"What girl?" He asked, thrown by the sudden remark.
"An assassin. She's after Colette. We met her once before on the Ossa Trail," Kratos replied.
"Th-there was someone following us?" Lloyd exclaimed, surprised. Kratos turned to him.
"You didn't notice?" He remarked. Lloyd glared.
"I was angry!" He replied. Kratos frowned.
"Never let your guard down, ever," he cautioned. "Presuming you want to survive." Lloyd glared at him angrily.
"Oh, yes, because you're so perfect," he spat. "You'd never screw up!" Strangely, a saddened look appeared in Kratos' eyes.
"…Even I make mistakes," he murmured softly. "I… Made a terrible one…" Will you ever forgive me, Lloyd, when you find out what I am?
"…What?" Lloyd asked simply.
"Lloyd!" Genis called from further in. "Don't fall behind!" Kratos closed his eyes and shook his head.
"…Nothing. I… Shouldn't have said that. Forgive me," he replied, walking on. Lloyd looked after him, bemused.
"…Forgive you?" He murmured. "What?" You really don't make sense sometimes, Kratos… He ran to catch up with them, slowing to a walk when he drew level with Forcystus. "…Hey," he murmured. Forcystus looked up at him, an angry mark on his cheek from where Kratos had hit him.
"Hey," he returned. "This is the fifth summon spirit temple I've had to crawl around, you know." Lloyd frowned.
"You're not mad at Kratos?" He asked. Forcystus laughed.
"Should I be?" He asked. "I overreacted. He stopped me from doing… Or saying… Something foolish." Lloyd sighed.
"You're… An angel… Aren't you?" He asked softly. Forcystus laughed sadly.
"I am surprised it took you so long to discover it," he replied. "Yes, I am. As Lord Yggdrasill said." Lloyd put one hand on his shoulder, making him look at him in surprise.
"…I don't hate you," he murmured. "You seem to think I should. But I don't, you know? I don't care what you are, same for Colette. You're you. That's all, really." Forcystus sighed.
"…Lloyd…" He murmured. "Don't you ever lose sight of your innocence," he murmured, taking his hand off his shoulder gently. Lloyd blinked, confused, then smiled.
"Sure, I guess," he agreed readily. Forcystus chuckled softly.
"You are a strange human," he remarked, which made Lloyd laugh before running to catch up with the others.
"…You're weird," he called back as he reached Genis. Forcystus smiled slightly.
"Yes, Lloyd, you could say so," he murmured.
Lloyd made a surprised noise when he saw something he could put the Sorcerer's ring into, and he pounced on it instantly, wondering what it did. The ring flashed and he took it away, using its power. Water shot out of it.
"Oh, water!" He observed. Genis looked at the puddle Lloyd had created.
"The geyser would be a plentiful source of water, so maybe it reacted to that," Genis suggested. Lloyd nodded.
"Maybe," he murmured. "Well, it should come in handy later on." Raine nodded.
"Yes. We should be able to supply water to distant areas with this," she agreed. "And there are bound to be a few traps that need water. This is a Seal, a trial, and the Triet Ruins needed lamps to be lit. We were just lucky we had Genis and Kratos' magic then." Genis grinned proudly, but Kratos didn't seem to have registered the comment as a compliment. Lloyd ran forwards and to the right, Forcystus casting some swift magic from the back of the group to stop a water elemental killing him.
"Concentrate!" Kratos snapped at Lloyd, who had reached a broken memory circle.
"Hey, aren't these things meant to be lit up?" He wondered. Kratos walked up.
"We hardly have need of it," he murmured. Lloyd scuffed at the symbol on the ground with one foot, and Forcystus walked up and examined it.
"Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, confused, but the half-elf stood back, and glanced at Colette.
"Try using a feather," he suggested. "They can be useful in more ways than one." He smiled slightly at Lloyd, who looked away uncertainly. Colette spread her wings, pulled a feather out with a notable wince and dropped in onto the circle. White light rushed up from it.
"Wow!" She exclaimed. Raine frowned.
How would a Desian know something like that? She thought to herself, making a mental note to give him a thorough quizzing once they were back on the mainland. She paled slightly at the thought of the washtubs, and wrote the note down on a sheet of paper, just to be safe. Lloyd stepped into the Memory Circle, enjoying the rush of mana it produced.
"I've always thought these are cool," he remarked. Kratos shook his head, a slight despairing smile on his face.
"We haven't the time to be messing around with memory circles, Lloyd," he told him. "Unless you're so injured you have to hide from the monsters?" Lloyd shook his head, affronted. "Then let us continue on." Sulking, Lloyd walked out of the memory circle, muttering under his breath about stupid killjoy mercenaries.
Lloyd seemed to have a lot of fun slicing up the many fishy creatures that tried to put a stop to their quest for the seal.
"How do they swim in the air?" He asked, hacking a Float Dragon in half as Raine made a few notes on a piece of paper she'd produced from seemingly nowhere.
"Magic. They are creatures of mana," Kratos replied, killing a Water Elemental with a lightning spell. "The presence of water at this seal is so high; they do not necessarily have to be in the water to 'swim'." Lloyd nodded slowly.
"…Right…" He replied, clearly not having understood any of it. They went through a door, and Lloyd regarded the huge block as Kratos and Genis walked up to the scales. "…Well, everything about this screams 'trap'," he decided. Forcystus rolled his eyes and cast Air Blade on the rock, pushing forwards until it fell into a recess under the door.
"If in doubt, push the rock into the hole," he told Lloyd. "I've been around four of these temples, it works every time." Lloyd laughed as Genis used his magic to light the torches by the scales.
"Hey, the pot opened!" He exclaimed. Lloyd ran over.
"Cool!" He observed. "Maybe I could try filling it with water from the ring?" Kratos nodded, and Lloyd aimed the Ring at the pot and used its power. Water shot out of the ring, and a sizeable amount went into the pot, weighing it down. There was an ominous rumbling, and the whole group turned to see the door trying to close, only to be thwarted by the block.
"If in doubt, push the rock into the hole," Forcystus repeated with a smile on his face. Kratos shook his head slowly.
"Indeed," he murmured. "Let us hurry on." Lloyd nodded, and they backtracked into the cave and took the other exit, where a new platform was now visible. Lloyd made an excited noise upon seeing another memory circle, and walked over, going up to the edge and looking over to the water below. The memory circle reacted briefly as he stepped through it, but Lloyd barely noticed, disappointed by the lack of anything new over the edge of the platform.
"This place is all dark and humid," he complained. "Let's hurry up and get out of here!" Kratos walked in as Genis and Forcystus went up to another set of scales.
"We must release the seal first," he reminded Lloyd gently. Lloyd kicked the wall irritably.
"It's so… Wet, though!" He protested. "Nah, don't start, I know…" He walked up to Kratos. "To be honest, well…"
"You are bored?" Kratos asked, a slight smile touching his lips. Lloyd went red.
"Um, no, that's not it!" He protested. Kratos laughed softly and ushered Lloyd towards the scales.
"There isn't much more to do," he promised. "Use the Sorcerer's Ring to fill the pot like before." Lloyd nodded and did so, and there was a rumbling as a platform raised itself up to their level.
"A teleporter," Forcystus observed, walking over. "The Seal will be through here. It's practically guaranteed." Kratos walked over with Lloyd in tow.
"I would imagine so," he murmured. Lloyd walked onto it.
"Oh, it feels different…" He murmured, confused. Forcystus nodded.
"The mana here is almost completely water-oriented. In the Ranches it was electronically produced," he explained. Lloyd nodded.
"I get it… I guess…" He replied as Raine and Genis walked onto the teleporter, too. Kratos hit the button with his foot, and they were warped to a different area of the seal.
Colette walked up to the seal hesitantly when they arrived. Forcystus regarded it with a strange look in his eyes.
"…I should leave…" He murmured suddenly, but Kratos put a hand on his shoulder and wordlessly shook his head. It was too late for him to leave. Mana welled up from the Seal, and Lloyd drew his swords suspiciously.
"Be careful!" Kratos cautioned, drawing his own sword and motioning for Colette to stand behind him. "We will handle this." A mermaid-like creature along with two smaller ones appeared from the Seal, and the two underlings instantly flew at Lloyd, who beat them back. Colette cried out, rushing back to Raine who, typically, had a Magic Lens out and was scribbling information down in between casting healing and support spells. Genis was making good use of a spell he'd practised recently – Thunder blade. None of the creatures liked it.
"Atlas!" Forcystus yelled, a sphere of mana energy surrounding the main creature and pummelling it, making it yelp. Kratos finished the spell up with a lightning blade, and the creature flew back, irritated, as Lloyd killed the first underling with a Fierce Demon Fang.
"Light Spear!" Kratos cried, flinging himself up into the air with a whirl, and Lloyd whistled appreciatively. It looked impressive. Genis cast thunder blade on the second underling as Forcystus cast Cyclone, and Lloyd just stood back and let the magic work its… Magic.
"Holy wings, I beg of thee to reveal thy glory. Angel feathers!" Colette cried, razor-sharp feathers whipping past Lloyd and burying themselves in the main creature. Forcystus winced automatically, his hands shaking slightly for some inexplicable reason. He drew his sword, stopping using magic for the moment, and charged into the fray with Kratos, who instantly changed his tactic to accommodate the other swordsman. Lloyd backed up a little, watching. The two of them fighting together was more like a complex dance than a battle, and it made Lloyd appreciate just how little he knew. Kratos seemed to be able to change his tactics effortlessly depending on who he was fighting with.
Lloyd ran to Colette and pulled her into a Guardian as the large creature cast a water spell at them, and Forcystus glanced at Kratos and said something strange. Kratos nodded, and the two of them hacked upwards as one, following up with a sword rain in perfect tandem. The creature fell to the floor in pieces and summarily dissolved. Forcystus landed gracefully and sheathed his sword.
"That wasn't so bad," he observed mildly as Kratos shook the creature's blood from his blade and sheathed it also.
"It could have been worse," he agreed curtly. "Is something wrong, Lloyd?" The teen realised then that he'd been staring.
"Uh… No," he replied quickly. "Um, that was… Pretty cool." Forcystus laughed and went over to Lloyd.
"Don't you worry. You'll catch up with us in no time," he reassured him. Lloyd sighed, putting his own swords back into their scabbards as Colette approached the altar once more.
"Chosen of Regeneration, you have done well. Now, offer your prayers at the altar," The voice of Remiel spoke, and Lloyd jumped, surprised.
"Where did that come from?" He wondered aloud as Colette walked up, her angel wings spreading from her back.
"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" Lloyd heard a soft derisive noise from Forcystus, not loud enough for Colette to hear, and a light pulsed down and Remiel appeared from it. Lloyd looked up at Forcystus, asking for an explanation of how he did it, but Forcystus just shook his head.
"You have done well, Chosen One, Colette," Remiel told her. "The second Seal is now released…" He trailed off, his eyes on Forcystus, but for some reason a glare from Kratos made him look away.
"Thank you, father," Colette murmured, not seeing this.
"…Accept this blessing from Cruxis. I hereby grant you additional angelic power," Remiel continued eventually, light flowing down into Colette's Cruxis Crystal.
"~What a filthy liar,~" Forcystus murmured. It was so quiet, even Lloyd, who was stood next to him, barely heard it. Kratos, stood further away, frowned at something, as did Remiel.
"Ah… Father?" Colette asked, confused, her wings giving off a stronger glow than before. Remiel blinked and corrected himself.
"…The next seal lies far north, in a place that gazes upon the end," he told her. "Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land."
"Father, have I done something to displease you?" Colette asked, confused. Forcystus laughed softly.
"…It matters not," Remiel told her curtly. "All that is needed is for you to become an angel." Lloyd noticed with surprise that Forcystus was miming along with it. "I will be waiting for you at the next seal." Forcystus glanced at Lloyd, a slight smile on his face. "Colette… My daughter. Hurry and become a true angel." He had mouthed that last sentence. "Do not disappoint me."
"Because Cruxis so hates disappointments," Forcystus murmured. Remiel looked as though he were about to add something, but Kratos' look had become quite deadly. Light gathered about Remiel and he vanished in a glow of feathers, which fluttered to the floor around the seal. Forcystus, despite the look he got from Kratos, went forwards and picked one up, handing it to Lloyd.
"Why not start a collection?" He offered. Lloyd looked at him dubiously, but took the feather anyway. Colette smiled slightly at him, her wings still out.
"You can have one of mine, Lloyd!" She offered, reaching for a wing and pulling out a feather. "Ow!" She exclaimed. "That hurt more than I thought it would…"
"Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed, going over to her. "You didn't need… To…" He trailed off as Colette pressed the pink feather into his hand with a grin. Lloyd sighed. "Thanks, Colette," he murmured. "I wonder if there are any angels with blue wings…?"
"We should leave," Kratos snapped curtly, shooting Forcystus a dangerous look. The half-elf shrugged slightly and murmured under his breath, and Kratos' glare intensified.
"What's up with him? He always talks like he's so important," Genis muttered sulkily. Raine smacked him across the face.
"Apologise to Colette!" She hissed. Colette sighed, her wings disappearing.
"It's… It's alright. Father… Remiel really is like that," she murmured. Lloyd gave her a concerned look, and there was pity in Forcystus' eyes.
"Well… We should get going to the next seal, like Kratos said," Lloyd murmured. "Although he sure was cryptic… Maybe the record will help…"
"Stop complaining," Kratos admonished. Lloyd hung his head. "Let's get moving." He had given Colette a careful look, as though assessing something, and he turned abruptly and headed for the teleporter.
"…Why do you call him father?" Forcystus asked Colette quietly as they walked. Colette sighed.
"He… He is my father," she replied. "He said so." Forcystus smiled sadly.
"You know that he isn't, don't you?" He murmured. It was an observation, not a question. Colette hung her head.
"Please… Don't tell the others," she murmured. "I just want them to be happy… I want Lloyd to be happy…" Forcystus nodded, understanding.
"He is your reason for living this long," he murmured. Colette looked at him, confused. "I know more than you think about the journey of the Chosen, you know." She looked at him with a frown, clearly untrusting, and he sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. "It's hard on you, isn't it? This journey?" He asked, and Colette nodded, biting her lip. "I thought as much. I apologise for causing you such worry by holding Lloyd captive, Chosen." She looked up at him, confused. This Desian… This half-elf who should be trying to kill her… Was addressing her with respect and apologising? That made no sense. "Every angel is different," he murmured.. "Some can hide their wings, some can't. Some were once human, like you. Some were once half-elf. Maybe there are others, who knows?" He laughed softly. "You speak the angelic tongue, do you not?"
"I, um, I read it…" She murmured. Forcystus smiled sadly.
"It's largely phonetic, I think you'll find. ~Do you understand this?~" He said the last part in a flowing language, his voice taking on an almost holy quality. Colette gasped.
"You… You speak…" She stammered. Forcystus chuckled.
"It's a knack," he murmured. "I learnt it when I was just a boy. I wasn't a Desian then. In fact, I've only been a Desian twenty years or so. The first half of my life, I was just a half-elf… And where I lived, that wasn't much at all." He smiled at her. "Don't give up hope, Chosen. There is always a light at the end. Believe in Lloyd, he believes in you. And he knows more than you think, and he will always believe in you."
"…I know…" Colette mumbled. "I… I just want Lloyd to be able to live in a world where… Life is easy…" Forcystus nodded.
"Indeed. Let Sylvarant flourish!" He spread his arms. "For it has been a long time since it has. You are truly blessed, Chosen, to have the courage to continue on this journey when you know what awaits you at the end. Few others do." Colette smiled slightly, and Forcystus gave her an encouraging look, before slowing so he was at the back, closer to Raine and Kratos, the former giving him a suspicious glance, the latter a careful look. He shrugged. You're hardly one to chastise me… Angel of Cruxis, he thought, letting it pass with an easy smile.
A/N - First bit = not so good, last bit = better, imo. Please give me feedback, I do read it all ^^