Lloyd brought his sword down as hard as he could, imagining Kratos to be on the sharp end.

"Like I told you, I went to Ozette… Kate was there."

How could he do it?

"It turns out she'd been captured by Kratos to stop you guys from knowing about the ambush."

Every time Lloyd thought that maybe Kratos had a plausible explanation for what he was doing, he turned around and did something incomprehensible. He helped them bring down the human ranches only to reveal that he had been working with the Desians. He helped them bring the Giant Kharlan Tree under control, gave them clues on how to cure Colette, and then ambushed them at the Tower of Salvation. He taught Lloyd how to fight only to turn his blade against him.

"She managed to escape, but by then, you guys had already been taken into custody."

He wanted to trust Kratos, but how could he if the seraph wouldn't give him a good reason to?

"It's lucky she managed to get out before they killed her."

Lloyd was done thinking that there was some ulterior motive he wasn't privy to. Whatever it was, it was not worth being strung along like this.

"But Kratos was in the area, probably pursuing Kate, and attacked us. It's a miracle that we survived."

Noishe whimpered from the shade of his pen. He could probably sniff Lloyd's anger.

He sighed. "Sorry, boy. I just hate this. Everyone's running around doing things I don't understand. Yuan was trying to get me and my exsphere and then he forms an alliance with us and helps break everyone else out of Welgaia, and let's not even talk about all the other times I've been in the dark about everything."

The dog whined, his tone comforting. Encouraged, he went on. "Y'know, it was like what Colette said. Most bits were fuzzy but I think I was always kind of aware of what was going on. At least, a teeny part. And Kratos… He acted like he was… like he didn't want to see me working for Yggdrasill. I think he even said…"

He promised that Lloyd would get back to normal. Didn't he?

"Lloyd, are you quite all right?"

He flinched, swords coming up as he fell into a trained stance. Realising it was only the Professor, he relaxed, extracting the pointy end from her throat. "Sorry, Professor," he said, sheathing his weapons.

"I haven't caught you off guard like that in a while," she noted, inclining her head in acceptance of his apology. "At least your reflexes are in order."

Lloyd laughed sheepishly. "Just a bit lost in my thoughts. How's Mithos?"

"I never imagined this day would come," she ribbed before falling back into seriousness. "Mithos will be fine with some bed rest. Genis is with him, as you would expect."

"They're really close, huh." He was glad that Genis had managed to make another friend. He was so nerdy that most of the other kids in Iselia didn't want to hang out with him. And, now knowing what he did, Lloyd guessed that he had also been afraid to reach out, scarred by half-elven prejudice.

The Professor smiled a little. "Indeed. However, I caught the tail-end of your little monologue to Noishe. If you don't mind my prying, what is it that Kratos said?"

He looked to the side, shifting and scratching the back of his head. "I… I don't really know. Maybe I was just imagining it."

"Perhaps. Or he may have inadvertently revealed some crucial aspect of Cruxis."

"I don't think I heard or saw anything that could have been like that." He frowned, casting his mind back. "Wait…"

The Professor's eyes glinted. "Yes?"

"I think I heard a boy's voice at one point," Lloyd answered slowly. "Talking and laughing. It felt like I knew him."

"Genis?" She blinked, her knuckles whitening against her staff.

"No, I don't think so. But that doesn't make sense, does it? Why would a kid be there?"

She paused, sifting through the information he had imparted. At last, she stated, "I will have to think on it further. There may be something of substance to your testimony. Anything else?"

Lloyd palmed the pommel of his right blade. "Nah." Why was he so reluctant to share what Kratos had said and done? Was he that determined to parse the specifics by himself?

The Professor hummed, longing to sort through whatever Lloyd had said (or had left unsaid). "Very well. If you remember more fragments that may be relevant, please let us know."

When she walked away, Lloyd realised he could no longer feel the pommel's smooth surface, nor the weight of the swords at his sides. Or anything else, for that matter. There had been a dull ache in his back that he hadn't noticed until it was gone.

He swallowed.

But Dad would finish the key crest soon.

"And then Lloyd says, 'Genis tags along so he can cook me food!', so I was like, 'Am I your personal slave or something?!' and he just laughed! Can you believe that?"

"Sounds just like him," Mithos giggled. "It's good to see that he can still eat a lot without his key crest."

Genis nodded jovially. "He can't sleep anymore but I think he'd take it really hard if he couldn't eat. He loves his food."

"He can't sleep?" Mithos' eyes narrowed in concern.

His friend nodded again and heaved a sigh. "Not a wink last night, he said. But Dirk should finish the key crest by tonight, so he should be good to go."

"Yeah."

"I just… Why does Cruxis keep targeting my best friends? Colette and now Lloyd…" Genis balled the edge of the blanket into his fists. "I just want everyone to live in peace together. Like Lloyd said."

"Some people won't accept that." For a second, Genis thought Mithos' face had hatred written across it—he blinked, and it was gone.

Genis looked at his friend's bandaged hand. "Maybe… and I think it'll take a long time. But I think it's possible. It has to be. Lloyd won't accept anything less, and neither will I."

"What if there was a foolproof way?"

Genis glanced up again, perplexed. "Huh?"

"What if everyone was the same race?" Mithos asked. "No elves, half-elves, dwarves, or humans. That way, nobody would discriminate against each other."

He hesitated. No one vying for racial superiority? That sounded amazing. But… "Is that all? Do you think that would fix the worlds?"

"I think it would," Mithos replied, taking Genis' hand.

"But that's not the only source of inequity," Genis argued, squeezing back. "When we were in Meltokio, there was a huge dichotomy. The rich were so affluent they poured all this money into the coliseum, but the slums were so dirty and the people there only had the ragged clothes on their backs with no guarantee of their next meal. That's not the only thing. I think that discrimination comes whenever people can't accept the differences between themselves and others."

Mithos was quiet for a while. Then, "You may be right. But if that's the case…"

"Yeah. It's gonna be really hard. But for the people I like in this world and for you… I'm gonna do my best." Genis stood, having made up his mind. "We'll stop Yggdrasill so the Desians and Cruxis can't cause any more discrimination against anyone."

Mithos straightened. "Okay."

"Hey, Mithos."

"Yes?"

"I want to be friends."

Mithos tilted his head. "Huh? Aren't we already?"

"Yeah!" Genis bobbed his head up and down. "But I want you to know that I really want us to be friends. Okay? No matter what."

Mithos gave a small smile. "In that case, I want to be friends, too."

"Good! And, you know, being friends means we should also tell each other if what we're doing is wrong."

He kept Genis' gaze. "Do you think I'm doing something wrong?"

"No, I don't know," he replied. "But if you are, or if you do, I'll tell you."

Lloyd swung his legs over the balcony railing in one smooth movement. The sun was low in the sky, barely visible behind the dark green-black silhouettes. The heels of his feet bumped the palings; his fingers drummed away—though he could no longer feel the pressure of callused pads against wood, years of habit won out.

He saw a zephyr swishing between the leaves and through his hair. But his skin was like iron: unresponsive and unfeeling.

He turned slightly at the sound of the door opening behind him. "Lloyd?"

"What's up?" he asked. "Is it time for dinner?"

Colette shook her head. "Not yet," she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

He pouted, eyes roving again over the landscape. Lloyd didn't protest as she came up beside him, but he held her arm as she hauled herself over as he had done a few minutes prior.

"Careful," he teased, keeping his grip firm even if Colette seemed to have stabilised her balance.

She giggled and held onto the railing tightly with her free hand. "Don't let go!"

He stared at her until she met his gaze. "Never."

She blinked, holding eye contact for the barest second before blushing and looking away.

Lloyd exhaled, mustering the courage to speak. "Colette…"

She looked at him. Her hair was burnished copper in the sunset.

He'd missed the signs for years. So he had to put things right.

"Colette, I'm sorry."

Her brows furrowed, lips pressing into a thin line. "Why are you saying sorry? That should be me."

"No," Lloyd rebutted, "I tried to push you too hard. You weren't ready—and maybe I wasn't ready, either. Maybe I'm still not."

"You didn't. I'm just… afraid." Tears began to pool along her lower lids.

His eyes fell on where he held her by the arm, sliding down to take her by the hand. "I want to tell you that you don't have to be afraid of anything while you're with me, when I'm with you. I want to tell you that we'll defeat Cruxis and we'll all live our lives out together. I want to tell you that you're free." His shoulders fell. "But, right now, I don't know if I can give you that certainty. I don't know if I can be free."

Colette grasped his hand with both of hers, flailing briefly as she tried to reorient herself. Lloyd pulled her upright on pure instinct, as he had always done.

"I believe in you, Lloyd," she said almost desperately. "Whatever you do, I'll be with you. And, do you know? No matter what they do, no matter what happens to your exs—Cruxis Crystal, as long as you don't give into Yggdrasill… you're free."

He smiled. It was as though an invisible weight had lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks."

She frowned—but it came out looking more like a cute pout. "I mean it! Maybe it's not much coming from me, but I really really want you to know—!"

Lloyd cut her off with a hug. A surprised noise escaped her and, tentative, she curled her arms around him as well. Her head was against his chest, face towards the ground to hide her burning cheeks.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I know. And I do appreciate it. As long as you're here… As long as we've got everyone with us, we can do this."

"Yeah."

"Please don't ever feel like you have to hide anything from me." He brought her closer.

"But… just because we talked about it, I can't just change straight away."

Lloyd smiled as he stroked her hair. "Okay. We'll keep working on it."

A pause. Then, "You don't mind?"

"Of course I mind, if only because I want you to understand that you're worth everything I can give you."

Colette gave a small jolt. "If you really want me to, then I'll try," she stammered.

"That's all I can ask for. And… as you said, no matter what Yggdrasill says or does, you can't give him what he wants."

Colette's head shot back up. "I-I know that, but…"

He grinned again. "Dwarven Vow number one: Let's all work together for a peaceful world. Got it?"

She giggled. "Got it."

Lloyd swallowed. He should tell her. Even if he was going to go back to normal soon, he should tell her that he couldn't feel the warmth of this embrace.

"Colette, I—"

A triumphant shout reverberated through the house, wood shaking from the force. The hyper-sensitive couple jumped apart reflexively and Colette lost her balance again. Her arms windmilled and her wings came out as she tried to prevent herself from tipping over the railing. Lloyd reached his hand out only for a wing to slap him across the face.

"Ah, sorry!" Colette cried, now fluttering before him. She went to cup his cheek which he batted away, laughing.

"It's fine! And don't apologise!"

"Oh, sor—"

"Gah!" Lloyd threw his hands up once again in defeat, forgetting what he was about to say. "Never mind! Let's go see what that's about. Maybe Dad's done."

He shoved himself off the balcony and landed with a solid thump on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Colette followed in a gentler fashion, her wings flapping for a smooth landing, and somehow did not trip over her feet.

Lloyd was about to enter his front door when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned fully to face it, thinking it was Zelos (he had taken off for a stroll in the forest earlier, which Lloyd had thought was weird but didn't bother to question), but the familiar flash of purple and white made him draw his swords.

"Kratos!" he yelled, then faltered. "Yuan?"

Beside him, Colette hadn't made a move to retrieve the chakrams from the pouches hanging at either side of her body. "If they're here together… then I was right, wasn't I?"

"Huh? Right about what?" Lloyd could only spare her a glance, preoccupied with glaring down the seraphim walking up the path towards them.

"I don't think Kratos is on Cruxis' side." She bit her lip, knowing that Lloyd wouldn't believe her. "I think he's been trying to help us this whole time."

To her amazement, Lloyd gripped his blades tighter but didn't disagree. "When he took my key crest off… he said he was sorry."

Colette gasped at the revelation. "Then—!"

"But he went after Mithos and Kate," he continued, eyes hardening with resolve. "So I can't welcome him—I want answers."

She nodded sadly. As much as her heart wanted to believe Kratos was a good man, she knew they couldn't simply disregard the contradictory evidence.

Behind them, the door opened to admit their friends. "Lloyd!" called Sheena. "I heard you say—Kratos! Yuan!"

"Put your weapons away," Yuan huffed, his eyebrow twitching. "Kratos isn't with Cruxis."

Genis growled. "Fat chance! He—"

The Professor placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. He ground his teeth instead. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Kratos stayed quiet, leaving Yuan to roll his eyes and man the conversation. "We know the way to merge the worlds the way they were originally and germinate the Great Seed."

"Is that so?" Regal stood tall, his eyes narrowed marginally. "Then tell us."

"The Eternal Sword."

Lloyd scoffed. "Tell us something we don't know. Like where it is."

Yuan suppressed a sneer. "I see your arrogance has returned along with your soul."

"Shut it!"

"Lloyd," said Colette. He glowered but did not retaliate against Yuan's bait any further.

"Well, all right." A corner of Yuan's lips lifted. "You would have seen a large purple sword in the Tower of Salvation. That is the Eternal Sword."

"Now that you mention it, I think there was a sword stuck in the ground." Lloyd mused. He perked up. "Hey, wait, wasn't that the one Yggdrasill hit me with? That hurt a lot! Literally broke a pillar from being thrown across the room…"

Sheena winced in sympathy.

"And what do you hope to accomplish by telling us this now rather than earlier? Or, indeed, at all?" The red orb at the tip of the Professor's staff began to glow as she prepared for an incoming strike.

Yuan sighed again. "Why must you be so eager for a fight? Is not the fact we came here with important information you require a sign of our goodwill? The Eternal Sword is currently under Yggdrasill's control. In order to wield it yourself, you must defeat Yggdrasill and be acknowledged by Origin. But first, to do that, Origin's seal must be broken."

Presea spoke up. "What do you mean by Origin's seal?"

"Origin has been sealed through my mana," Kratos intervened. Now everyone's attention was fully on him. "Only I can lift it. But there is no point in doing so until the Ring of the Pact has been forged."

Lloyd's head was starting to hurt from all the new words he was learning today.

"I have brought most of the materials with me," he went on, "but am missing one. We should be able to secure it soon. Nevertheless, there is something that must be said."

Lloyd was slow to respond and his Cruxis Crystal was beginning to glow, surrounded by shimmering heat that he could not feel. "Like what? Are you going to explain why you attacked Kate?"

Kratos' brow furrowed and he blinked. "Kate? I did not harm her."

"Yeah, like we'd believe that! Mi—"

"Kratos, I am growing impatient," said Yuan, his voice right in Lloyd's ear. Before he could jerk back, the seraph had him by the arm; they were by the trees in the next second, several metres away from his friends.

"Hey, let go!" He struggled in Yuan's grip, but the angel had gotten a good grasp on Lloyd in the commotion, and he stilled once he saw cool metal resting on his collarbone. The rest of the group erupted into shouts of anger, save for Kratos who stood in deathly silence. His burgundy eyes burned into the two.

Lloyd remembered those eyes from his time trapped in the Cruxis Crystal.

"Release the seal, Kratos, or I will kill your son."

His friends were losing their minds over the last few seconds but Lloyd could only look at Kratos, frozen by more than the threat of the swallow blade at his throat.

"Your name is Lloyd?"

The way Kratos had looked at him upon learning his name. The way he had stood in front of his mother's gravestone.

"Don't die."

How he had sounded so resigned that morning in Hima. How he looked as though he might fall apart if he thrust that blade through Lloyd.

"Do your best."

The amused half-grin he gave when Lloyd told him he wanted to save both the worlds. The pride in Kratos' voice which he had thought imagined.

"I apologise, Lloyd."

A look of helplessness as he moved in for a hug—the light touch, trembling and unsure. A foreign song he had heard only in his dreams.

"We love you, too, Lloyd."

Lloyd stared at the father he had always dreamed would come to find him. Yet he had never imagined it would be Kratos, of all people.

"You're my… dad?" he whispered, testing the word as it rolled off his tongue. Strangely, it was fitting. It felt right.

He thought he would be furious. That Kratos would keep something this big from him; that his father would just let him think he was dead or had abandoned him or—

But as Lloyd gazed at him, he remembered all the times Kratos had sworn his parents wished only that he was well and happy. He remembered how Kratos had been unbelievably angry at Kvar on behalf of Lloyd and his mother. His wife.

Instead of rage, something akin to satisfaction settled his being. Flowing water to smooth the storm.

Kratos nodded, choppy and absurdly unlike the mental image he had always had of the man: unruffled, austere, and eloquent.

Forgetting the steel against his skin, Lloyd smiled. Joy bubbled up along with a thousand questions he thought he'd never get to ask. "I—"

Then his voice stilled. His forehead wrinkled in puzzlement and he tried to speak again. But nothing would come out.

Everyone's eyes widened with alarm. Yuan's grip on him slipped a bit, but Lloyd was too distracted and shocked to take advantage of it.

"Angel Toxicosis," breathed the Professor. "Yuan, he needs the key crest! Let him go!"

Now Yuan strengthened his hold, inflexible in his goal. "Not before Kratos lifts the seal."

Why was the disease progressing so quickly? This morning, the one thing he had lacked was the ability to sleep!

"Stuff the seal!" Genis howled. Beside him, Colette held her hands to her mouth, tears beginning to form.

Presea frowned. "Kratos, please do as he says."

Kratos—his father—closed his eyes, his shoulders only slack enough for a fellow angel to notice. His wings of brilliant aqua slid out and something intangible surged.

"He's releasing his mana," the Professor observed, her body tensing. So that was what mana felt like?

"What?" Genis looked up at her, then jerked his head around to stare at Kratos. "But if he loses all of his mana, he'll die!"

Despite the dead air, Lloyd felt cold. Kratos opened his eyes again, and burgundy met brown.

"Goodbye, Lloyd."

No!

Lloyd strained, trying to get free; Yuan swore as he attempted to stop him.

He couldn't lose Kratos. Not when he had just found him again. Not when he still hadn't gotten the answers he needed.

Then, so quickly he could barely process it, a blurry spear of yellowish-white smashed into Kratos, flinging him away and halting the mana flow. Before Lloyd had drawn his next breath, Yuan was writhing on the floor and someone else was holding him immobile. He fought instinctively but was shoved onto his knees by a force he could not resist.

"Kratos, I'm disappointed. It seems every one of you has betrayed me."

He knew that voice. It was pitched lower than he was used to, but the frenetic quality infusing it reminded him of—

"Mithos!" Genis cried. "What are you doing?"

"Yggdrasill," groaned Yuan.

Lloyd froze in his struggles and turned his head slowly.

It was Mithos. A boy shorter than him, younger than him, was holding Lloyd down effortlessly. Their friend.

You're…

His voice still refused to function. But now, in the void of his failing throat, the memories flooded him.

"Oh, seems like you remember now. A little too late, though." Mithos looked at him with disdain, the expression twisting the youthful face—unfamiliar and yet recognisable.

Mana began to build at Lloyd's back.

"Lloyd?!"

The incorporeal, alien energy wrapped around Lloyd. Like a vacuum, it sucked the strength from him until only the hand on his arm held him upright.

Then it erupted.

Translucent wings many times longer than his arm span burst from his shoulders, indigo and periwinkle bleeding into a blue the colour of the sky, and then into white.

He panted in its wake, overcome by the mana he had only just learned how to detect.

"Ah, there we go," said the voice above him. "I've been waiting for them to reappear."

Reappear…?

"Reappear?" Sheena repeated. "You mean he—"

She covered her mouth in disbelief.

Mithos smiled toothily. He still gripped Lloyd, and Lloyd's grip on reality was too precarious at the moment to even attempt to shake it off. "Yes. I was not present for that momentous event, sadly, but Kratos could tell you all about it. The moment when Lloyd Aurion truly followed in his father's footsteps."

Lloyd Aurion.

That was his name.

Heedless of Lloyd's inner turmoil, Yggdrasill's eyes hardened. "Speaking of the devil. You know what I will do should you break that seal."

Kratos clenched his fist and made to move forward, only for Mithos to hold up a hand. "Not another step. I don't want to hear your excuses. In fact, I don't even trust you enough to force you back to Derris-Kharlan. So you can stay here with the rest of these humans you so love."

"So that is how you discovered Yuan's intentions. You went about with them in this form." Kratos narrowed his eyes.

"You are quite correct in saying so. Much too late to do anything about it, though."

"Mithos?"

Genis looked at him, his hands trembling and his eyes bright.

White feathers engulfed Mithos, swirling around him and into the sky, and Yggdrasill replaced the figure of a young half-elf.

Genis dropped to his knees. "Then you're really… Were we really ever friends?"

"Don't be stupid," Yggdrasill scoffed, his face contorted in fury. "You are the one who declared to the world that you hate me. Several times, I might add."

"I didn't know it was you!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Yggdrasill snarled.

"Yes, it would!" Genis screamed back. "I wouldn't have said I hated you! I just… I just wanted Lloyd back! And I still do! So please…"

There was a pregnant pause, filled with the sound of fast heartbeats and panicked breathing. Lloyd upturned his face to glower at Yggdrasill.

You… How dare you betray my best friend!

"So you'd pick Lloyd's side…" Yggdrasill mused. "That's not what you said at Fooji. You even said we'd stay together forever. I suppose you didn't mean that."

"Stop taking everything I say out of context!" he said, voice shrill. "We can be! Just stop all this!"

Yggdrasill's eyes narrowed and he stood tall, yanking Lloyd to his feet. "No. I don't think I will. You've all betrayed me, and so I have no reason to go along with anything you say."

"Mithos—!"

"I've heard enough," he growled. "Martel's vessel, come."

She took a step towards them, then hesitated.

No, Colette! He struggled feebly once more, not wanting Colette to give herself up for his sake.

She shook her head. Hope began to swell in Lloyd's heart.

"Excuse me?"

She inhaled shakily. "Dwarven Vow number one: Let's all work together for a peaceful world!"

He grinned, exhilarated. That was shattered with Yggdrasill's next words.

"Fine. Zelos, take her."

And with a soft gasp, Colette was dragged the rest of the way by a being zipping across so quickly Lloyd's eyes would have been hard-pressed to follow if his angelic senses hadn't kicked in by then. When the others moved to stop them, a green-haired woman—Pronyma—appeared between them alongside a whole host of angels.

But Lloyd's gaze was on the one who had taken Colette.

"Zelos!" cried Genis, getting to his feet in shock.

Sheena was rapidly turning beet red. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Zelos frowned. "Oh, shut up. I'm just putting myself on the winning side. What you're trying to do is hopeless and meaningless."

The winning side? That wasn't right. Lloyd was going to win with his friends.

Dwarven Vow number seven: Goodness and love will always win!

Even if he cringed at how corny it was, it was true. It had to be.

Surely… Zelos was lying.

"I promised to set him free of his fate as a Chosen," declared Yggdrasill, smug. "And he was willing to turn against you for it. How does it feel, to be going through what I did just now?"

No. No, there had to be something more to it.

As the light of the warp consumed his vision, he concentrated on Zelos. He'd helped everyone. He cared for his sister. He wasn't afraid to knock Lloyd over the head when he was being stupid.

Their eyes met.

I still trust you. You're the one that told me I could trust you!

A/N: By this time two weeks from now, I will have finished my degree and should be back to not forgetting to post on time. We're getting to the climax!

Tell me what you think. Even if you think I suck. Well, don't be rude, but aren't reviews supposed to help people decide whether they want to read a fic or not?