I'm not dead! -cue excited cheers- Although that may not last, if my illness has its way (Swine flu :O joke, joke...). Yes, you heard right. I'm sick again. -sighs-

Right right, this and what will be the next chapter were orignially just going to be one chapter, but when I wrote it out I realised it was getting, well... Rather long. So I have decided to split it up into two. So on the plus side: More chapter for your (non-existant) money. On the bad side... You'll have to wait a while for Kvar to get his just desserts.

I'm not promising that the next chapter will be up next week. I'm in the last fortnight of school now (ends 22nd of May) so if things get hectic I may have to postpone it by a week. But I will try! I promise! I feel kinda bad for making you all wait so long for this chapter as it is...

Big thanks to freakyanimegal, even if most of her email consisted of fangirl squealing XD I did cut out that bit you suggested... You have a good point. It will slot itself in later ^^

I've decided to leave in the apology with the review responses, because I am so lazy/pushed for time (I've got to go to work in... An hour as of writing and I haven't had anything to eat yet), so I shall provide some happy lyrics (tm) instead.

There are no flowers, no, not this time. There'll be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.
I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak. I'd share with you, could I only speak, just how much this hurts me.
~AFI, This Time Imperfect.

...Well, you didn't expect them to actually be happy lyrics, did you?

Also, a big thank you and a hug to everyone who has favourited/story alerted Symphony. There's... Rather a lot of you, so I guess a list would be impractical, but I really appreciate your support. Thank you 3.

Disclaimer: Tales of Symphonia is not mine. It (unfortunately) never will be. No Renegades were harmed in the making of this summary.

"This is normal speech." This is thoughts. "~This is Angelic language.~"

Chapter two: Deceit

Lloyd watched Kratos as they walked, thinking hard to try and take his mind off the fact that he was betraying Forcystus.

So much about him made no sense to Lloyd. His reasons, his motivation… He was with them for the money, because it was his job, but still… He frowned slightly. That said, he had arrived at a very convenient time. 'I was in the area and heard the screams' was as good an excuse as any, but why go up to Iselia looking for work anyway? The small village was the only place for miles around on the peninsula, and the likelihood of someone there wanting work was very low indeed. Unless you knew what was going on.

He spoke angelic, too; Lloyd had overheard him having conversations with Forcystus in it. Whilst that was not in itself a cause for suspicion – Raine could read angelic as well as any, and Colette had been obliged to learn – he was more fluent than Forcystus by the looks of things, and Forcystus had connections to Cruxis. Not to mention that the language hadn't been heard spoken in Sylvarant for years.

He knew Forcystus, or at least he seemed to. He had kept none of the suspicion that the rest of the group still felt towards the half-elf, he seemed to know him better than Lloyd did. In fact, Forcystus seemed to almost be scared of him, or at least quietly respectful. Lloyd had never known Forcystus to be scared of anyone, except perhaps Yggdrasill…

Yggdrasill was an angel, an angel of Cruxis. Lloyd wondered if he didn't eat, if he no longer felt heat, cold, pain, the touch of another…

The previous night, Kratos hadn't felt the pain of the wound he'd taken. Often he would only look around when his name was called, rather than at a touch designed to get his attention. He knew that the weak point of an angel was the wings – Lloyd had thought nothing of his reasons at the time, but had he even known that Forcystus was an angel, then? He frowned, trying to remember when Forcystus had shown him his wings, and decided that he probably might have done, but even so – why would Forcystus talk to Kratos about something he hadn't even told Lloyd? And why would Kratos even think it necessary for him to fight an angel? True, he had promised to help them, and Kratos always seemed to keep his promises…

Tentatively, Lloyd reached out and prodded Kratos in the arm. The mercenary didn't react, just kept walking. Lloyd's frown deepened.

He said he only knew Remiel and Forcystus, but he got so worked up when I talked about fighting Yggdrasill… He thought absently. If he was against us he would have let the Giant Plant eat me and said he couldn't save me – if he hadn't had a panacea I would probably have died of the poison anyway… But he always adds qualifiers to his promises… He prodded him again, still with no reaction. That brought to mind their time in Asgard – Kratos had agreed with Lloyd when he had said the rain was cold, but it had been warm that night.

He did not feel anything.

A strange, sick feeling started to build inside Lloyd, but he forced it down. Kratos was on their side. He had promised him that much, even if he always added extra on the end… He was on their side, even if it might appear otherwise.

Once this was over, he would find out the truth.

"Lloyd?" Raine called. "Lloyd!" She sighed and shook her head, walking back over to the rest of the group. "It's no good," she told them.

"What's up?" Forcystus asked, from where he was knelt by Sheena, casting Healing Wind on the ninja.

"It's Lloyd," she replied. "He's gone missing." Forcystus' eyes widened, and he glanced around and swore eloquently.

"Language," Raine reprimanded, covering Genis' ears.

"Lying little toerag," Forcystus muttered, standing up. "He promised me he wouldn't go to the Ranch!"

"He's what?" Raine demanded, letting go of a highly unamused Genis. Forcystus cast his eyes around again.

"…I don't believe it," he murmured. "I can't believe he'd do something so reckless, so stupid…" He ran a hand down his face, shaking his head slightly. "…Kratos. Where's Kratos?" Raine paused, thinking.

"…I haven't seen him either…" She realised. "You think they… No, Kratos would never do something so uncharacteristic…"

"Where Kvar is involved, I wouldn't put it past him," Forcystus muttered. "Urgh, the fools. Stupidity runs in the blood…" He shook his head. "We have to go after them. No matter how angry they are, they're no match for a Ranch full of angry Desians… Two humans would stand no chance."

"So why will we make a difference?" Genis pointed out wryly. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Because we have the Chosen," he responded. "And Kvar won't touch her if he knows what's good for him." He looked back at Raine. "Well?" She nodded.

"As much as I don't want to believe they'd do something so rash… We have no other choice," she agreed. "We shall storm the Ranch." Sheena stood up.

"I'm coming, too," she told them determinedly. "You guys… Lloyd… Saved me. I owe you. So I'll help out." Raine looked dubious, but Forcystus nodded.

"The more the merrier," he agreed. "If we run, we might be able to catch up with them before they get to the Ranch. Without knowing how long they've been gone, though…"

"Well then, the less time we waste talking, the better," Raine decided primly. "Let's get going. Colette! We're leaving!" The young Chosen ran over.

"What's going on?" She asked, confused.

"We'll brief you on the way there," Forcystus promised. "I'll take the lead, I know the way."

They walked out of Luin.

The journey to the Ranch was worryingly short. Kratos had a determined look on his face that Lloyd suspected was probably mirrored in his, and he was walking at a swift pace without stopping. The Ranch loomed on this horizon and was hard to miss, but Kratos seemed to know the way even without the reference point.

They paused in the forest on the edge of the Ranch, Lloyd looking up at the imposing towers on each corner. They made good surveillance posts, Forcystus' Ranch had sported similar towers… Lloyd found himself wishing he had something to take out cameras at long range with.

"So, how are we getting in?" He asked Kratos, tugging on his sleeve to try and get his attention before remembering that – if he was right – that wouldn't work. "Are we gonna storm it?"

"Did we storm Magnius' Ranch?" Kratos asked him pointedly. Lloyd bit his lip and frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, that was different," he decided eventually. "Is there gonna be a side entrance here?"

"There could be," Kratos responded. "A supply tunnel, a late-entrance gate, an emergency exit… There are many options."

"Emergency exit?" Lloyd repeated. "What's wrong with the main doors?" Kratos chuckled.

"If you have a fire, or some other equally catastrophic electricity failure, what use are giant front doors that you cannot open?" Kratos reasoned. "There will be something manual in case of just such an emergency, don't you think?" Lloyd nodded slowly.

"I guess so…" He agreed. "Never thought about that… Guess the gates must be wired up… I wonder if Forcystus' Ranch has a side entrance? I never got to see those very often." Kratos smiled slightly.

"I should imagine not," he responded. "It is not normal to take prisoners up to the gates, except to put them in the Ranch." Lloyd grimaced.

"You're telling me," he muttered. "So, we're looking for a side entrance?" Kratos nodded.

"Most probably concealed," he agreed, and the pair crept around to the side of the Ranch, both of them wary for security.

"…Hm," Kratos murmured when they came across a large, solid-looking boulder. "Troublesome."

"Is it blocking the door?" Lloyd asked, clambering on top of it. "Aw, that's just a ventilation shaft! Won't there be a door elsewhere?" Kratos looked thoughtful.

"…Possible…" He agreed. "But I would rather take this way in if possible… Come down from there." Lloyd slid off the boulder, and Kratos braced his shoulders against the boulder and tried to push, to no avail. Not for want of trying, however – Kratos was panting by the time he gave up. "…Irksome," he decided, kicking the boulder in a highly uncharacteristic show of irritation. Lloyd tried to push it, but gave up almost instantly.

"Geez, what did they do, bolt it to the floor?" He complained. Kratos ran a hand over it, examining it.

"…It's possible it's connected to some sort of mechanism…" He mused, before sighing and shaking his head. "At any rate, we can't get in this way."

"Could we climb in over the wall?" Lloyd suggested. "I reckon we could make it from here." Kratos glanced up at the wall.

"Tantamount to suicide," he disagreed. "They have cameras covering all the walls in case of escapees. It would be easier to go in through the front than over the wall."

"How come?" Lloyd protested. "They're covering the door, too!"

"If you go over the wall, you present an easy target for spells, for a long time," Kratos informed him wryly, before frowning. "Quickly, behind the trees." He pulled Lloyd into the woods, Lloyd once more thanking conveniently-placed hiding place objects. Always there for him.

A Sergeant and an unranked spearwoman walked past, talking in bored voices.

"The Patrol," Kratos told Lloyd. "There will be more of them. We will have to be careful." Lloyd watched them thoughtfully.

"…Perhaps we could get in through the front door," he remarked. "Why don't we steal uniforms?" Kratos shook his head.

"Half-elves can…" He started, then trailed off. "Actually…" He paused, thinking. "…Tell me. Do you know the name of the Desian who had you held at the Iselia Ranch?" He asked. Lloyd put one hand on his chin, thinking hard.

"Lord For- Uh, Forcystus mentioned it a few times," he remarked. "Sorry… I'm in Ranch mode again…" He added, somewhat sheepishly. Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Oh, well, you see, the Desians always got really snappy when I forgot Forcystus' title, so I just ended up tagging it on automatically around them," he explained. "Seeing those Desians, being basically in a Ranch and questions about Forcystus… it adds up." He shrugged. "I think it was Aurion. Lord Aurion," he added. "But he wasn't a Desian, I don't think. Forcystus said he was higher up. Maybe Cru…" He trailed off and bit his lip. "…Higher up," he finished lamely. Kratos' eyes had narrowed somewhat dangerously.

"…I see," he replied eventually, his voice cold, like ice. "…Very well, then. I have a suggestion."

"…yeah?" Lloyd asked, somewhat sheepish now.

"Kvar saw you when you were at Forcystus' Ranch, did he not?" Kratos asked. Lloyd nodded.

"Forcystus said that he'd want me for this-" he held up the hand with the Exsphere on – "if he knew who I was, so he… Oh, he gave me this." He rummaged in his pocket and brought out the weird device Forcystus had put on his arm, all those weeks ago.

"A masker?" Kratos remarked, sounding surprised. "Where did he get one of those?" Lloyd shrugged lamely. "…I see…" He murmured. "This could be useful. Put it on." Lloyd stuck it onto his arm, grimacing at the prickling sensation. The Key Crest instantly disappeared. Kratos' eyes widened, and he took Lloyd's hand, running a finger across his skin. "…Clever," he remarked. "Very clever… He must have modified it himself… How very like him." He chuckled softly. "That is a very useful thing to have. Keep a close eye on it," he cautioned. "It may make our task all the easier. Did you have a number?"

"All Ranch prisoners must have a number," Lloyd replied. "That's rule number 31." Kratos sighed softly.

"That's interesting, but what was yours?" He pressed.

"L025," Lloyd replied. "Forcystus didn't use it much. He always called me by name."

"Probably because you deserved it," Kratos responded, glancing down the pathway. "Listen. The next pair of guards that walk this way, we are going to jump and steal their uniforms. Hopefully one of them will fit me… I will pose as this Lord Aurion who held you captive and pretend to take you to Kvar. They will take us straight to him, or, failing that, at least we will get through the door without trouble." Lloyd shook his head.

"He was higher up… And a half-elf," he pointed out.

"Do you know for certain he was a half-elf?" Kratos disagreed. "Or even that it was, in fact, a he? Not all those within the Desian organisation are male half-elves, you know." Lloyd sighed.

"Yeah…" He agreed. "Although how humans can betray their own kind like that…"

"Humankind can be unkind to many," Kratos responded softly. "Their own and others. It is human nature to look for weaknesses in others to hide your own. Sometimes, it can hurt people enough that they will turn against their race, their friends, their family, even their whole world." Lloyd opened his mouth to disagree, then closed it again, thinking.

"…That's giving up," he replied eventually. "The only way to win against things like that is to keep on fighting. Even if it seems like there's no hope, there's always a way, right?" He looked up at Kratos, who closed his eyes.

"…You may well be right," he agreed softly. "But not everyone is so strong." He glanced down the path at the Desians heading their way. "…I shall go as I am. It is the only way. But we may well end up fighting our way out of this." Lloyd nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Give me your swords. A prisoner would not be expected to keep their weapon. Should trouble arise, I shall give them back." Lloyd unstrapped his swords, pausing only to let the patrol pass them by, and handed them to Kratos, who slung them over his shoulder.

"Let's do this," Lloyd told him. "I'm not leaving this Ranch until Kvar is dead… Or I am."

"I will not allow the latter to happen," Kratos told him, somewhat fiercely. "Now. Be meek. You are my prisoner." Lloyd let himself slip back into Ranch mode, best-behaviour mode, into being the little inferior that stayed silent no matter what they did to him. Kratos looked away at the sudden transformation. I have done this to you… It is my fault that you are like this… My son… Forgive me. "Come."

"As you wish, Lord Aurion," Lloyd responded obediently, making Kratos wince.

The things revenge would make them do.

The Guards at the door snapped to attention as Kratos approached, spears instantly in hand.

"State your business," one of them snapped.

"Or join the work line, inferior," the other one added snidely. Kratos fixed the latter with a look so akin to the derogatory distaste Lloyd had seen on Yggdrasill's face that it made him recoil.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" He demanded. "You mean to say you do not know my face?" The guard seemed to double take. "I am Lord Aurion. Stand aside and open this gate, else it shall not be my wrath you feel – although you may wish it were."

"Y-yes, my Lord! Forgive me!" The guard stammered, rushing to activate the mechanism.

"Forgive him, my Lord, he did not recognise you," the other added with a low bow. "We shall alert the Ranch to your presence. The mistake shall not be repeated. Do you wish to speak with Lord Kvar?"

"That is my intention," Kratos agreed with a nod. "I am not in the mood to be held up, either. I will not suffer fools lightly." He gave the second guard a long look at this, making him pale.

"O-of course, my Lord," the first reassured hurriedly. "We shall make sure the way is clear for you…"

"Good," Kratos snapped. "L025, come."

"Yes, Lord Aurion," Lloyd murmured softly, and they walked through the gates.

"As if he brought another one of those inferior rats with him," the second muttered as they went. "Lord Kvar will have that one, no questions asked…"

They passed a number of Desian guards, who all saluted Kratos as he passed. Kratos ignored every single one of them.

"Welcome back, Lord Aurion," a Sorcerer at the door greeted. "Lord Kvar… May not be too pleased at your appearance," he added, somewhat softer. "There's been something of a situation over at Iselia. They say Lord Forcystus has deserted."

"Imagine," Kratos responded drily, and the sorcerer swallowed slightly.

"Well, yes… that, and the recent Renegade raids, coupled with… Uh… The incident from eighteen years ago… He may not appreciate a visitor from Cruxis right now."

"Well, he has one," Kratos responded coldly. "I do not intend to leave."

"I was not suggesting you do!" The Sorcerer responded hurriedly, hands up in a placating gesture. "Just… Be aware that he will be in a foul mood."

"On the contrary," Kratos muttered. "He may well be very pleased to see me. Move." The Sorcerer instantly did so, and Kratos swept past him and into the Ranch, Lloyd following quickly.

"I can't believe that worked," he whispered once they'd shut the door. "No way they believed that." He fixed Kratos with a look. "And there's certainly no way they would recognise you."

"…Cruxis," Kratos murmured. "It always comes back to Cruxis…" Lloyd grabbed his arm.

"Tell me-" He started, but Kratos batted his hand away.

"Do not think we are out of the danger zone yet," he chastised. "Until we reach Kvar, you must keep up the act, do you understand me?" Lloyd instantly fell back into his good behaviour posture, eyes turned down, mouth shut.

They walked down the corridor for a fair way until they came up against a rather unexpected blockage.

"You!" Botta exclaimed, stopping the two Desians with him. "What are you doing here? Are you mad?!" Kratos sighed.

"Quite possibly," he agreed softly. Lloyd frowned, confused.

"You know each other?" He asked. "Aren't they… Aren't they Renegades? Forcystus said-"

"I am aware of what Forcystus said," Kratos snapped, his nerves clearly pushed to the limit. "We ran into them at Iselia. That is as far as it goes."

"Two humans alone in a Ranch…" Botta muttered. "You are a fool, Kratos."

"So is your leader," Kratos shot back. "Send him my regards. We have not spoken for too long." Botta paled slightly.

"…I'm sure… He'll appreciate your thoughts…" He murmured, swallowing slightly. "Good luck. It's a good thing we were already leaving."

"Stealing Exspheres?" Lloyd asked mischievously. Botta nodded.

"That's most of what we do," he agreed. "Please try to refrain from destroying too much of the building before we leave."

"I make no promises," Kratos responded, his voice carrying a deadly serious tone. Botta nodded slowly.

"…Let's go," he told the two with him. Lloyd presumed they must be Renegades, if they were with Botta, but it was truly impossible to tell them apart. Kratos watched them leave carefully, then eyed the door at the end of the corridor. The label by the side of it read 'Processing plant', and the words alone made Lloyd shiver in revulsion.

"Just a little more of this foolery," Kratos muttered, pressing the button to open the door.

The would-be rescuers ran up to the Ranch, and Forcystus swore rather prolifically.

"Idiot," he fumed. "That total fool. I can't believe he would do something so Kharlan-damned stupid! With Lloyd at stake, too!"

"Too late," Raine murmured, somewhat sadly, but Forcystus shook his head.

"Not by a long shot," he disagreed. "We can get into the Ranch. There should be a back way in."

He took them around to the ventilation shaft, which was still blocked by the giant boulder. Forcystus swore again.

"Forcystus, please," Raine cautioned. "You are teaching the children bad language!" Colette looked blank.

"I don't think I've ever heard that word before," she remarked. "What does it mean?" Forcystus smiled wanly.

"Nothing you should know at your age," he responded. "I'd switch to Angelic insults – ha, the irony – but you'd understand those, too, most likely… Ah, but no, you learned by rote from books. Excellent." He kicked the boulder. "We need another way in."

"Desians coming!" Colette cautioned suddenly, her angelically-enhanced hearing helping her out in that respect, and the five of them hid in the trees, unaware of how similar their actions were to those of Kratos and Lloyd.

"…That's an option," Raine remarked. "Knock out the guards, steal their uniforms, and take the others prisoner." She looked at Forcystus. "Would they recognise you in a helmet?" He grimaced.

"I'm warning you now, those things smell foul," he cautioned. "And they steam up something awful. But no, they won't recognise me. You're hard pushed to recognise the people you work with, never mind those you don't. But would taking Genis prisoner really hold water?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," she remarked, before seeming to realise what she'd said as Forcystus frowned. "Well, wouldn't you know?" She challenged.

"He should?" Sheena asked, understandably oblivious to Forcystus' connections to Desian authority.

"I should," Forcystus agreed bitterly. "And as much as I hate it, it does happen sometimes. Ah, well. We must just hope for the best." Colette hushed them.

"Guards coming," she told them. Forcystus drew his sword.

"Then we may as well take these ones," he remarked. Raine nodded in agreement and got her staff out.

"W-wait, weren't we only going to" Sheena started as they two leapt out. Raine's staff connected with the back of a spearwoman's head, and Forcystus hit the sergeant in the back with the pommel of his sword and clapped his hands to his temples. He was out like a light in an instant.

They dragged the two unconscious Desians behind their handy trees and proceeded to strip them, Sheena shielding Colette's eyes helpfully. Colette was, understandably, rather irritated by that.

"Gah, I'd forgotten just how much I hated this uniform," Forcystus complained irritably, brushing off the sleeves. "And I've been demoted, too."

"That was a given," Raine reminded him.

"I don't like it," Genis decided. "You just look wrong in that uniform, sis."

"Is it designed to show as much skin as possible?" Sheena asked dubiously. Forcystus rolled his eyes.

"None of them wear it properly," he responded. "There's actually an undershirt that covers this gap here, and that one there." He indicated them with vague hand waves, and Raine slapped his hand away. "But not only is the uniform stifling enough as it is, most of them are going out of their way to impress their senior officers. And many of the Desian NCOs think with their sex drives rather than their heads." He shook his head in despair. "Once you get higher up the chain, to the likes of the Commanders and the Generals, and… Usually… The Grand Cardinals, the second factor doesn't feature as much."

"Did you ever promote anyone based on lack of undershirt?" Raine asked, sounding amused. Forcystus glared.

"Of course I didn't," he snapped. "I promoted people based on merit." He slammed the helmet's visor down irritably. "Let's go."

"Touchy, aren't we?" Genis remarked snidely. Forcystus aimed a glare at him through the visor.

"…Was he a Grand Cardinal?" Sheena murmured softly. "…Heavy…"

They had just got past the gate when the far side of the Ranch exploded violently. Forcystus stopped mid-swear and switched to Angelic.

"That looks like that backfire sequence I…" He muttered. "…No. Lloyd would never have…" He shook his head slowly in despair. "…Ridiculous. Ridiculous." He drew his sword. "They're in trouble."

"Then we need to move," Raine agreed. "Do we drop the act?" Forcystus glanced at them, hesitating.

"…Find the Prisoners," he told them. "…I'll go after those two."

"That's insane!" Raine disagreed, shaking her head violently.

"You will be killed," Genis agreed wryly. Forcystus shook his head, pulling the helmet off irritably.

"You underestimate me," he disagreed. "Kvar and I are well-matched. Get to the prisoners. If you don't, they may well end up going up with the Ranch." The others paled.

"…Ok," Raine agreed, although she didn't sound happy about it. "Bring those two back alive, you hear me? We meet in front of the gate."

"Most likely at running speed," Forcystus agreed. "And… I will." He turned. "Go in that door over there, take the second right, then a left. That will lead you to a Ranch map. It will tell you how to work the Ranch mechanism. After that, you're on your own."

"Thank you… Good luck," Raine told him.

"Kharlan be with you," Forcystus responded, running at full speed towards the main building of the Ranch.

Lloyd clenched his fists as they entered the Plant.

"I hate these places," he growled. "I hate them. I hate them." Kratos gave him a cautionary glance. "…Would it be wrong to introduce a virus to their processing system?" Lloyd asked in a quiet whisper.

"…Go ahead," Kratos allowed. Lloyd grinned, producing the disc he had 'borrowed' and altered somewhat from Magnius' Ranch, and shoved it into the nearest available computing system. "What does it do?" Kratos asked. Lloyd shrugged.

"Search me," he responded. "I copied it from Forcystus, though, so I guess it blows stuff up." Kratos sighed wearily, then looked up sharply just as a sound that was all-too-familiar to Lloyd echoed through a now-silent room.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

It seemed Kvar was coming to them.

"Well, well. Kratos!" He observed, a sadistic kind of smile on his face. All work in the room had completely ceased now. "I must say, whatever techniques you employed to get past my guard must have been good to get him through, too." Lloyd glared at him.

"You Desian bastard," he spat. Kratos didn't even bother trying to caution him. "You killed my mom!" Kvar walked right up to them, without guards, his staff still clacking on the floor as he went. Clack. Clack. Clack. Kratos wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

"Now, now, don't blame me for that," Kvar told Lloyd with a chuckle. "Your father killed your mother." He looked straight at Kratos when he said that, but Lloyd didn't even register it, as angry as he was. "It was only a fitting punishment for their crimes. They stole that Exsphere from me, an Exsphere that took years to develop!" He hit his staff on the floor. "I must say, the level of deception that Forcystus went to certainly was masterful to hide my own Exsphere from me, but now I know the truth, I want it back. And I will quite happily take you, too." Lloyd's hands flew to the hilts of his swords.

"Over my dead body," he hissed in unison with Kratos, turning slightly in surprise at the older swordsman speaking. Kvar simply laughed.

"And is it truly without a Key Crest?" He added, glancing down at Lloyd's gloved hand. "A truly stupid move on your part… But helpful for me. Whilst I am fairly certain it has already reached completion, I am sure more sustenance won't hurt it." Lloyd growled animalistically, making to move forwards, hands on his sword, but Kratos grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Not yet," he murmured in his ear. "Wait. We will strike together." Lloyd nodded, and Kvar only laughed again.

"Oh, you do amuse me, Kratos!" He remarked. "You waltz in here, presuming I won't have put in place defensive measures, and make idle, empty threats? It's such a shame… Lord Aurion… That I will likely get into trouble with Lord Yggdrasill if you die. So perhaps we shall settle for killing your spirit? How would you like to watch the life drain from Lloyd's eyes, hmm? See him slowly die, in your arms, perhaps… And do nothing, the way you did nothing for your wife?" Lloyd started. Kratos had lost someone to Kvar… Lost far more than Lloyd had first thought. But why hide it? If that was how he was connected to the Desians, why not own up?

Was he not strong enough for that?

"Do not speak ill of the dead," Kratos growled, drawing his sword. Kvar laughed.

"Just like your father did, Lloyd," Kvar continued, calling three robotic things around his head, with crystals embedded in the centre of them. "Once her Key-Crestless Exsphere was removed, she turned into a monster… And your father cut her down. Pathetic, don't you think?" Kratos' hand was white; he was gripping the sword so hard.

"Don't you ever talk about my parents like that!!" Lloyd yelled, lunging at Kvar just as the virus finally kicked in and made the closest processing machine explode. The resulting smoke and smog caused Kratos to choke, as well as several of the Desians, and the other three machines followed in quick succession. Lloyd lashed out blindly, enraged and determined despite the smoke, but Kvar was able to easily dodge every blow.

"How pathetic," he mocked. "I can smell you coming, Lloyd Irving!" Lloyd yelled out angrily, pressing forwards, despite Kratos calling for him to stop, to think, to come back before the smoke…

He felt the Desians grab for him and swung around, catching one in the throat and making him fall back to the side, clutching his throat and choking on his own blood, but the other four managed to get his arms, and one kicked him viciously in the stomach. Kvar surveyed the destruction with a look of angry fire on his face, and Kratos stood determinedly, sword in hand.

"If you hurt him, you will answer to me," he hissed. Kvar ignored him, turning to Lloyd almost idly. The teen was panting hard, his swords confiscated but hatred still burning fiercely in his eyes, almost a weapon in its own right.

"Of course, your mother and father were just a pair of worthless human maggots," Kvar remarked softly, bringing his staff up. "Filthy creatures."

"Die," Lloyd hissed.

"You…" Kratos started, taking a step forwards, sword in hand, murder written on his face.

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't," Kvar cautioned, smacking the metal tipped-end of the staff into Lloyd's chest. The teen grunted, but refused to wince. "You wouldn't want me to… Accidentally hurt him, would you? Or perhaps pull the Exsphere out of his hand? Oh, wouldn't that be fun? Would you like to replay history, Kratos?" Lloyd tried to kick out at him then, shouting angrily, but the Desians held him down, one with a sword to his throat. Kratos, fear in his eyes now, moved forwards, his eyes going from Kvar, to the Desians, to Lloyd, a haunted look in his eyes.

Not again.

Kvar laughed.

"Familiar, Kratos?" He taunted. "Oh, she cried out for help, too! And what did you do? You killed her. You took out your sword and you cut the life from her. Would you like to do the same to Lloyd?"

"Monster!" Lloyd exclaimed. "You… You depraved… You scumbag! I hope you burn in hell! No… Hell's too good for you!" He struggled blindly once more, desperate to get to his swords and cleave Kvar clean in two, but the Desians, now struggling to hold him back, were stronger. The one with the sword, on a nod from the now-impassive Kvar, ran it straight down Lloyd's front. He screamed.

"Lloyd!" Kratos cried out, distraught, running forwards but not knowing what he could do. He couldn't go through Kvar without the Desians killing Lloyd first; there was no way he could use his angelic magic without Lloyd suspecting…

"How truly sad," Kvar remarked. "You care more about the appearance you have so carefully cultivated than your own s-"

"Kvar!" The Desian was cut off by Forcystus running in. He had his sword out, and there was a considerable amount of blood on it, although none of it seemed to be his own. He was panting – he had run the whole way. "Stop this, now!" Kvar looked over at him, a sneer forming on his face.

"Oh, how precious," he remarked. "Coming to aid your Lord." He glanced down. "I told you I'd get your little pet in the end, Forcystus," he remarked. "Ironic, is it not? I never thought you would stoop so low to hide one of my own inferiors from me. Because, as Ranch laws state, the progeny of any Ranch inmate belongs to the owner of the Ranch they were held at…" Kratos used the distraction to rush past him at light speed, not wasting time trying to disable the Cardinal, simply using his distraction as a method of getting to Lloyd. The guards holding him went down within seconds, Kratos' sword a blur of cold steel. Kratos gathered Lloyd up with one arm, supporting the moaning teen with one hand, the other holding his sword.

"Come closer!" He challenged. "I will cut you all down before I let you hurt him again!" Kvar's eyes narrowed, but before he could take up the challenge, Forcystus stepped forwards.

"You want irony?" He cut in, sword now at his side, his face set and determined. "Fool." His white wings spread out from his back. "Call me what you will, Kvar! Your projects never even came close to those of Lord Yggdrasill!" Kvar made a noise of shock as Kratos glanced at Forcystus, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Sacred powers…" Kratos whispered, keeping Lloyd held close.

"…Cast your purifying light down upon these corrupt souls…" Forcystus chanted, eyes closed. Kvar took a step back.

"You were…" He murmured, shaking his head. "Impossible…" Forcystus looked directly at him.

"Rest in peace, sinners," he finished softly. Kvar cursed and clicked his fingers, the energy stones glowing bright white and teleporting him out of the room. "Judgement!" Lloyd could have sworn he heard Kratos whisper the same, and bright white light, so bright that Lloyd had to close his eyes, rained down within the confined space, destroying almost everything in the room. It was like a bright, white Armageddon, annihilating everything in the room, save for a ring around himself and Kratos, which the lights didn't even touch. Kratos kept a tight hold on him until the spell was over, before lowering him gently to the floor, light now filtering in through the hole that used to be the ceiling, piercing the smoke and fire.

"Lloyd," Kratos whispered, his voice distraught. Forcystus ran over, his wings disappearing as he ran, as Kratos' sword hit the floor with an all-too-loud clatter in the by now deathly silent room. "Lloyd…"

"Holy Kharlan…" Forcystus murmured upon seeing the wound, unable to manage much else. "Kvar… Tch. I should have expected no better."

"K-Kratos… It… H-hurts…" Lloyd whimpered, noting with trepidation that his blood appeared to be all over Kratos' clothing rather than inside him. That was bad, surely? But… Kratos would fix it, wouldn't he? He always managed to. Even before, with the Giant Plant…

"Lloyd… Don't worry, Lloyd, it'll be all right. You'll be all right," Kratos reassured him softly, holding one hand above the wound and channelling healing energy into it. Forcystus knelt by him and added his strength to Kratos', but the wound remained stubbornly open and deep.

"K-Kratos…" Lloyd started, trying not to choke. Kratos didn't stop trying to heal him, a determined look on his face. "I-I'm… Sorry… It's my fault… You didn't get to kill Kvar…" He continued. Kratos looked at him, sadness deep in his eyes.

"Lloyd…" He murmured, brushing the teen's hair back with one hand. "It's not your fault." Lloyd closed his eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears.

"I just… Got in the way… Like you said… I would…" He murmured. "I'm just… A liability…"

"No, Lloyd," Forcystus disagreed with a shake of his head. "You're just learning."

"…Lloyd…" Kratos managed, his voice sounding somewhat choked. His face was torn, distraught, and there was such self-loathing in his expression that Lloyd made a slight noise, trying to disagree. This wasn't Kratos' fault. "And I… I cannot even cry…" Kratos whispered, Forcystus putting one hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Please… Don't die…" He whispered, trying desperately to heal him again. Forcystus just watched this time, regret and pain in his eyes.

"It's too deep," he murmured. "If you could heal it with magic, it would have closed by now. Ah, if only I'd been a bit quicker… Damn it!" He hit the floor angrily.

"No!" Kratos hissed. "No…" Lloyd could feel him shaking, his hands and his voice betraying how he truly felt no matter how he tried to hide it. "I will not lose him. I will not! I do not care what it takes, I will save him…"

"I-I'm… Sorry…" Lloyd managed. "I wasn't… Strong enough…"

"There will be a way," Kratos whispered. "There… Has to be a way… I won't let you die, I won't!" Silently, Forcystus picked up Kratos' sword from where it had been abandoned on the floor and faced the entrance, not willing to watch.

"Do what you can," he murmured. "I will not let anyone touch you, or him." Lloyd tried weakly to raise his hand, but Kratos didn't let him.

"Anything…" Kratos whispered, holding him close. Lloyd made a slight noise, certain he could see blue light at Kratos' back, and Forcystus turned with a noise of surprise as something inside Lloyd reacted, something he had no name for, a force he couldn't fathom. White light surrounded him, he felt something within him change, and heard the distant clatter of a sword hitting the ground, Forcystus having dropped his weapon in shock.

"No…" Forcystus whispered, shaking his head softly, watching in disbelief.

"I will not lose you, too," Kratos told Lloyd softly, and suddenly Lloyd realised what he was doing. He was giving him mana! A portion of his own life to save him… that was what was reacting in his body. The mana… Forcystus, almost agonisingly slowly, reached for his dropped sword as the white light faded and Kratos' wings disappeared, the mercenary not wanting to give Lloyd any concrete evidence.

Lloyd's did not vanish so quickly.

"Impossible…" Forcystus whispered softly. Lloyd looked up at Kratos weakly.

"You… Saved me…" He whispered. Kratos gave him a look filled with such a sadness, he could hardly bear to watch.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, touching his hand to Lloyd's back. The wings vanished, and Lloyd twisted around at the unexpected light, but saw nothing.

"Let me heal you both," Forcystus suggested, running up and casting Healing Wind over the spot the two of them were occupying. "Don't think I'm going to let you continue on this fool's quest of yours unless you're both able."

"I said I wasn't leaving with Kvar still alive," Lloyd growled in disagreement, standing and picking up his swords. Kratos took his back from Forcystus.

"…~It seems Lord Yggdrasill's theories were correct,~" he remarked sadly, glancing at Lloyd. Forcystus winced.

"I'm proof of that," he murmured, drawing his own. "Do you feel alright, Lloyd? No weakness or pain from the injury?" Lloyd shook his head.

"I'm fine. More than fine. I'm going to kill him," he hissed. Forcystus sighed.

"…You promised me you wouldn't do this," he reminded him softly. "You said you would leave the Ranch be." Lloyd winced at the reminder of his deceit.

"…I'm sorry," he murmured. "But I couldn't leave it… Not after… What he did to Luin… Everything he's done…" Forcystus sighed.

"I suspected as much, but I thought I would have the chance to stop you," he remarked. "I wish I had. None of us want to lose you, Lloyd." The teen glanced back at Kratos, who looked away slightly.

"…I haven't forgotten," Lloyd muttered, and Kratos sighed softly.

"Then let us do this now, so we can return to Luin," he remarked. "The sooner Kvar lies dead, the better." The fiery determination had returned to his eyes, and Lloyd nodded, equally eager for the half-elf's blood. Forcystus shook his head softly.

"Fools, the both of you," he remarked. Lloyd gave him a look.

"Like you wouldn't kill Yggdrasill if you could," he shot back. Forcystus winced.

"I could never be that strong," he murmured. "But I am not letting the pair of you out of my sight again." Kratos chuckled softly.

"Then let us be going, so we do not inconvenience you overmuch," he suggested. "Lloyd, this way." The teen nodded and ran to catch up with Kratos as he walked through the devastation towards the teleportation portal, Forcystus shaking his head softly and following behind.

A/N - There is more to come. Much more. I promise the delay won't be as long as it was for this chapter Real life burns.

You can click that little review button, if you like. I'd like to know your thoughts/opinions/whatever. This chapter was one that I've had planned for a long time.

And yes... WINGS!