There was light.

It washed over them all, luminous against the dark atmosphere of Derris-Kharlan.

In the aftermath, all was still. Even Mithos, who had fallen to his knees when the Angelus Project exploded with power, did not move.

Almost unconsciously, Sheena's voice slipped out. "Did it work?"

She covered her mouth and went red with embarrassment. But no one took notice; their eyes were fixed on Kratos, Lloyd, and on the blue jewel that rested on the back of his hand.

There was silence as they waited for the key crest to do its magic.

"Huh…?"

Russet eyes blinked blearily at them. "Guys?"

"Lloyd!" Colette cried, throwing herself into his arms. Having just regained control of his body, the teenager was nowhere near ready to be angel-slammed and promptly hit the ground. With his remarkable reflexes, Kratos had disentangled himself before he, too, could lose his footing.

In spite of the sudden pain, Lloyd grinned weakly.

Pain was proof of his humanity.

He lifted a gloved hand and placed it on her blonde locks. "I'm back… again. And Colette—you're okay!"

Colette's head rose to take in his features. His steady heartbeat pulsed with warmth. The twinkle in his eye had always made her heart ache. His hand cupped her neck: an eternal comfort. His gentle smile, which she had missed whenever they were apart. A tear slipped down her cheek and she hugged him tighter.

"Welcome back."

Kratos smiled.

After what felt like a second to the two (in reality, it had been about half a minute) someone cleared their throat. Like two peas in a pod, they looked up, registered the presence of their friends, flushed brilliantly, and tried to scramble up and away from each other. In true Colette fashion, the girl tumbled, a foot lashing out in an attempt to find the floor, and hit Lloyd in the face, much to their companions' dismayed amusement. It did not help that Lloyd was yet inexperienced in manoeuvring his wings; they only got in the way even as they flapped in desperation.

"Ow!" he yelped, holding a hand to the reddening mark. "Why'd I have to get totalled this quickly?!"

Colette's expression was all consternation. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I'll kiss it better!"

Laughter rang out. Genis doubled over, gasping. "Of course this happens as soon as we get Lloyd back to normal!"

The tension that had been in the air ever since their imprisonment at Welgaia vanished. Like an overflowing dam, most burst into either tears or giggles or both. The more reserved simply smiled widely, and that was enough.

Without them even realising, Lloyd had become the heart of their group. His irrepressible cheer, while sometimes vexatious, had won them over sooner rather than later.

Zelos let out a whoop and dashed over to sling his arm over Lloyd's shoulder.

"Zelos! You're here!" His mouth hung open.

"Well, duh! I wasn't about to leave you all flailing around without the great Zelos, was I?"

Lloyd grinned. "You came through!"

A crimson brow arched. "That's exactly what Colette said earlier."

"Oh, did she?" Lloyd tilted his head. "But it's true! Zelos, see, we trusted you!"

He gave a short bark of laughter. "Yeah, I guess you did. And now our bud's back!"

Regal nodded. "Indeed. It's good to have you again."

The swordsman couldn't wipe the smile off. "Yeah. It was starting to get a little stuffy in there!"

Sheena choked in laughter.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing."

"As if!"

"She is merely glad that you are with us," Presea put in.

Sheena looked at her in betrayal.

"Huh? Okay," said Lloyd. He rubbed his arm. "Thanks for looking out for me. But… you guys shouldn't have had to."

"You kidding me?" Zelos groaned. "Don't even go there. Just say, 'Thanks so much, Zelos, you're the best we'll-be-buds-forever, I'll give you all the girls from now on—' yow!"

"Don't you dare," Sheena seethed.

Lloyd barked out a laugh. "All right, all right!" He began to get up, picking up his swords on the way.

He saw a shadow on the ground before him and looked up. Kratos—his father—was there, his eyes impossibly fond.

Lloyd stood then. Their stares conveyed what their voices would not.

"Let's finish this."

The beam on Colette's face would not disappear.

Mithos had been staring at the floor the whole time; as they approached, his hands curled into fists. "You all… You're all getting in my way."

"Your way?" Sheena shook her head. "The only reason we oppose you is because you're trying to change the world from the outside. It's not going to work that way, Mithos. You can't just make everyone lifeless beings and expect the interior to change."

All I want is to build a world without discrimination. Somewhere we could live in peace."

"Discrimination comes from the heart," said Lloyd. "If you want to change the world, start with yourself. You can live anywhere you like, as long as you do that."

"What's wrong with wanting a place of our own?" Mithos growled. "Nobody accepted us. We opened our hearts, but no one took us in. That's why I'll make one of my own on Derris-Kharlan!"

A blue magic circle flashed briefly around Mithos. Water gushed from a crack in the centre of the room, beginning to whirlpool wildly.

"It's Tidal Wave!" Kratos yelled. His wings unfurled and he scooped up Lloyd and Regal. "Everyone in the air!"

Between Colette, Zelos, and the Sylph—Sheena, luckily, had already been preparing to summon the trio—they managed to clear the ground before the waves crashed into them.

Genis pointed his kendama downwards. "Thunder Arrow!"

The boulders that had fallen previously due to Genis and Zelos' Rock Pillar unison attack had disintegrated, mixed with, and ionised the water, and now the lightning that was called down spread throughout to electrocute Mithos. Unfortunately, angels were made of sterner stuff; Mithos shook off the jolts without much issue.

"Burn, baby! Eruption!" Zelos cackled, and lava spewed into the midst of the water. It evaporated instantly, cooling the lava into rock.

Fairess dropped Presea over one particularly large stone. Mana injected her axe as she smashed into it, spraying large fragments in all directions.

Lloyd landed now, soon followed by the others. Then he blinked.

"Hey, wait. Zelos can fly?!"

Genis snorted. "That took you a while." Then he, too, blinked. "Wait, what?"

Regal and Kratos smiled.

"Okay, okay, I know we're all jealous of the amazing Zelos," Zelos himself exclaimed, fluttering his bright orange wings of mana, "but we're kind of in the middle of the fight of our lives here! Eep!"

Zelos ducked; a lance of light from Mithos' Ray spell soared over his head. "Case in point!"

Now the slightest curve of Raine's lips signalled her amusement. "Point taken."

"Thy faithful servant asketh for thy blessing. Honour us with the special… uh, whoops." Colette giggled, abashed. "I messed up."

"You messed—" Sheena began, only to cut herself off as magic symbols appeared beneath Colette.

"Wha…?" uttered Colette, and then the light came down.

"What just happened!" Sheena screeched, feeling the pink aura bolster her reserves even as the white pillars assaulted Mithos.

"It seems that she was able to cast Holy Song and Judgement at once," observed Kratos. His tone was dry as he continued, "Her luck is truly something to behold."

"Oh, Martel."

Everyone flinched. "Maybe don't say that here? Right now?" said Zelos.

"Oh, um, right."

"Enough!" Mithos yelled, and a cyclone began to sweep up everything in sight.

Lloyd swore.

"Mouth!" chastised Raine immediately, using the scolding almost as an incantation to cast Barrier over the group.

Regal charged towards Mithos, who fired an Yggdrasill Laser at him. At the very last moment, mana coursed over the man's body and he vanished. A step behind him, Presea had to skirt around the shot as it continued halfway into the wall.

Mithos' head jerked around, looking for Regal. His angelic senses alerted him, but too late; Mirage wore off just as Regal drove an armoured leg into him. Mithos staggered, clutching his side.

"Da—Kratos!" Lloyd shouted. "Hurricane Thrust!"

Capitalising on Mithos' opening, Lloyd dashed in, the wind tearing at his sword. Mithos swerved away from the worst of the blow somehow, but could not quite dodge Kratos, who came in a moment later with his own Hurricane Thrust.

"Follow it up!" Kratos ordered.

As one, they lunged forward and cried, "Cross Thrust!"

Their blades sank deep into Mithos' chest.

With a wet noise, the swords came out, dripping and dark. And Mithos grabbed at his chest as he fell to one knee.

And just like that, the war was done.

Cruxis was no more.

The thought bled tension out of Lloyd's shoulders. He knelt beside the boy. "Mithos. It's not too late."

Mithos scoffed lightly. "Yes, it is. Don't try to change my mind anymore. I'm tired of all this."

"Mithos," said Kratos.

Mithos blinked up at him. "Teacher…"

"One final lesson. So long as you are alive, there lies within us the capacity to grow." Kratos took his hand. "Do not waste these moments."

"Surrounded by my enemies, and yet treated like this." Mithos exhaled and shook his head. "Is this what humanity is capable of?"

"Mithos!"

Genis scrambled up, his kendama forgotten on the floor. There were tears in Genis' eyes. "Why… I never hated you. I still don't. Why is this the end?"

Mithos' expression smoothed. His eyelids closed partway. "Genis. I'm sorry. But this is what I chose. Maybe if we had had more time… Maybe if I'd looked back before guilt convinced me it was too late… But there is no more time for maybes. Now, there is only the path I have chosen, and there is the path you have decided on with those beside you."

"Yes, you're right." Genis sniffed. "But if there's no place for speculation, then here's a certainty: I will always think of you as my friend."

Mithos smiled. "Me, too."

He was home.

Lloyd breathed in deeply. The air was fresh and earthy from the recent rainfall. Birds twittered in the trees, high-pitched and piercing to the point it almost hurt. Everything was so colourful. Clouds speckled the azure heavens. While he had been more or less conscious of his surroundings, his senses had not been sharp. He hadn't been entirely lucid, as though he had been submerged in a bog. Except he could not swim.

It felt great to move of his own accord.

Now that he did not have to worry about being consumed by the Angelus Project due to his missing key crest, Lloyd could reflect without panicking too much. Everything looked brighter than before he got his wings (again), smelled cleaner, and resonated more loudly. He could hear Genis walking along the road with Noishe, returning from grocery shopping in Iselia. He could feel each grain of wood beneath his fingers. The beating of his heart in his ribcage, the weight of his own body. Mana… pulsing within people, for lack of a better word, and faintly in everything. It was almost suffocating. How much of that was due to not being able to appreciate his basic functions prior to this whole predicament and how much was acquired through his angelic transformation?

It scared him to find out.

He huffed, running fingers through his hair. He had not wanted this. Sure, it was useful to see further, have more sensitive hearing, et cetera et cetera… but was it worth the consequences?

Was his lifespan extended? Was Colette's? The good thing about that possibility was that he would be able to spend more time with Genis and Colette and Da-Kratos and the Professor, but he didn't really want to outlive people. At least he had neat wings, although it was kind of weird for them to be so dissimilar to any other angel. And they were so big!

He shouldn't grumble about it; Lloyd knew that. Colette had gone through the same thing—in fact, had been even worse for her. She had lost her senses and voice for far longer and had borne the pain alone. While he hated that she had and had felt that she'd had to, a part of him admired her for it. And he'd gotten off much better than so many other people. He was lucky.

Lucky?

Lloyd fingered the sturdy wood-and-metal figurines he had made for each of his friends to commemorate the time they had spent together. He knew they would like them, simple as the designs were.

He truly had amazing friends. He knew he could rely on them. After spouting stuff to Colette and everyone about letting others help, he would be a hypocrite if he didn't do that when it came to himself.

Therefore, the problem was with Lloyd himself. Regardless, knowing what was best and going through with it were two separate things.

It was fine. They had time.

"Hey, Sheena."

She turned. The sun was low in the sky, casting shadows into the trees and along the forest floor.

"Let's talk."

She pivoted on her heel, looking towards the riverbank where Presea sat with her toes bare. "What's there to talk about?"

Zelos sighed. "C'mon, you said yourself we'll talk after the whole shebang with Mithos."

"Origin's not unsealed yet."

"We have a whole day to get to that. Sheena."

"Fine, okay?!" she spluttered, whipping back around to face him. "You already know I can't… I'm not trusted. Not in Mizuho, nor in Meltokio. Then I was the failure of Tethe'alla; I ruined our world's future. Do you know how hard…"

She stopped. Swallowed. She crossed her arms, her warm hands flattening the goosebumps. "No, I guess you do know. I tried to trust you, I really did. But you made it difficult, all right?"

"Is that why you like Lloyd?"

Sheena stared at him.

"You think I haven't noticed?" Zelos flicked his long hair over his shoulder. "Of course I have."

"What?"

"And I can't blame you for it. But I wish you could see me, too."

She shook her head. "I did like him."

He frowned. "Did?"

"Yes, did. Or… maybe still. Only a little, though. I'll get over it. Because with Lloyd… I could always see who he was, what he stood for. He made everything so clear; there was no room for error. Maybe that's why. I was always doubting myself and I needed someone whom I would never doubt. Back then, it couldn't have been you. Because I feel like I never knew the real you." She fiddled with a sleeve.

"Do you want to?"

"We all do, Zelos. It's been a long time coming but… we trust you." Sheena held a hand out to him, her open palm facing the sky.

"I've always wanted to get to know you. To see who you really are. So please, let us try."

She waited as he eyeballed her hand, wondering absently if she was going to throw him into a suplex as soon as he gripped it and wrestle him into a million pieces. Finally, she rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, we already made sure you paid for your dumb actions earlier."

"Dumb?! You should blame Kratos! He's the one that forced me to go hunting for his aionis!"

"Yeah, and you're the one who handed Colette off to Yggdrasill."

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, right? So there's nothing to worry about!"

Sheena growled at him.

"Just take my hand, stupid Chosen!"

Zelos took it, laughing, and pulled hard. She slammed into his chest before she could think to resist—but he was twisting away in pain after the next second.

"Sheena! How could you?"

"How could I? How could you?!"

"Kratos."

Upon hearing his name, the man half-turned. Lloyd stood there, face unreadable. After a moment, Kratos began to walk away, gesturing for him to follow.

They stood before a grey tablet, decorated with a few delicate blossoms. His wife's favourite. Although he had burned the etchings into his mind that night so long ago—and yet so fresh in his mind—he continued to stare intensely.

The silence stretched onwards. Beyond a comfortable length, to the point that Lloyd started to get more restless than what was standard.

It was Lloyd who ultimately broke the silence. "Look—"

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Taken aback, Lloyd could only stare as Kratos plunged on.

"I allowed Mithos to take your soul. I imagined it was better that way than dead. But you were conscious the entire time, were you not? And it was beginning to look permanent. Even before that, I jeopardised you all. Because of me, everyone kept coming after you—Yuan, Kvar, and Mithos. And I had the nerve to raise my blade against my own son!

"I won't ask for forgiveness," he said, eyes fixed on Anna and not on the man they had sired together. "I know I do not deserve it. And I cannot hope to atone for everything, either, but I will do what I can. Origin's seal must be lifted and there is no other way to do so but to offer up my life. I have lived for too long; longer than any human—no, any mortal—should. Perhaps it will serve to make up for the millennia of injustice I have perpetrated and the decades I wasted thinking you dead. Besides, I am certain you would not want me around; Dirk has done far better by you than I ever could have—"

"Stop thinking from your point of view and think about what I want!"

He stiffened when arms wrapped around his waist; a head pressed into his back. "You're a deadbeat dad, you know that? But you're still my dad."

Lloyd released him so they could lock eyes. Something about windows? His father's swirled with guilt, making Lloyd's heart sink briefly. Yet, there was newfound bewilderment, and maybe even a glimmer of hope. "Sure, you did all that. I can't say I wasn't mad about what you did because I definitely was. So angry I couldn't think straight for days after. And then I couldn't work out whose side you were on, being so freaking cryptic all the time!" Kratos' face fell a little further, but Lloyd needed to keep going. Needed to get this off his chest.

"But you're also the one who taught me swordsmanship and always told me off when I was being reckless, and it's thanks to those lessons that we've gotten this far. You did your best to protect me and my mother, and you've been beside us all this time, and I get it now. Every time we fought, it was because I started it, wasn't it? And you never attacked with mal…ay? Malie? Um, meaning badly?" He cursed his restricted vocabulary. Couldn't he get words out, at the very least when they counted? He ignored—or didn't notice—Kratos' brief moment of levity.

"And, anyway, that bit wasn't part of the plan, yeah?" He gestured to his shiny new key crest, and his father winced. Whoops. He scratched the back of his head in frustration. Why did he have to keep messing this up?

"So, uh, it's fine," he finished lamely. "You… Please don't treat your life like that. Don't throw it away. Not like Mithos did."

Kratos merely blinked at him.

"Ugh, I know it was terrible! Don't give me that!" Lloyd whined.

"What did you say at the beginning?" asked Kratos.

Now it was Lloyd's turn to blink. "Uh… I dunno. What did I say?"

He suppressed a laugh. "About… us." His son's gift of oratory was rubbing off on him, wasn't it.

Another blank look.

Heat began to crawl up his neck. "What you said about… me… being your…" He gulped. An uncharacteristic display of emotion.

Lloyd's face finally lit up in understanding. "Dad!" he chirped.

Kratos took one agonising step forward and held his son close. There, on the dusty road, in front of a quiet gravestone, a family was reunited.

"You… would like me to stay?" He closed his eyes, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

A silence, long enough for Kratos to doubt himself. Then, "Yeah. I do."

He shuddered. "I…" Could he? Should he? Would he not be happy enough with Dirk?

"It's okay if you can't decide now. I'll wait."

Kratos exhaled, grateful for more than he could express.

"Thank you, Anna, for giving me Lloyd," he breathed. "You are gifts I do not deserve."

"I don't know if we could ever deserve another person," said Lloyd, "but I'm happy that Mum chose you. So I want to thank her, too. And thank you, for being there."

It would be a long road, but Kratos thought privately that it would be the best one—besides, perhaps, the one he had taken with Anna all those years ago.

Dirk stood in the smithy, examining the culmination of months of his work. It was a deep, translucent blue in the centre, paling to white along the edge. He held it horizontally and nodded in satisfaction. The point of balance was right where he desired it. He gave it a couple of experimental swings to test its movement. Although he had forged many excellent blades over the years, this was undoubtedly his magnum opus. This one was for his son in all but blood, after all.

A knock sounded at the door. He'd drilled it into Lloyd to always knock and wait for a reply before entering the room in case he was forge welding or similar. Being a dwarf, Dirk had tougher skin and greater innate resistance to heat, so he did not need as much protective equipment while working as any other race did. He could basically live in the furnace.

With care, he put the sword down just out of sight of the entrance and went to open the door. As he had predicted, Lloyd was waiting beyond. Dirk had to crane his neck to see his face—even after all these years, he still hadn't gotten used to his boy being taller than him, even if, as a human, it was natural for Lloyd to shoot up over his head, as saplings did. From what he had gathered in his discussions with a few Iselians, he wasn't alone in that.

"Hi, Dad," he greeted with a grin.

Dirk embraced him heartily. Lloyd had not been around much for the last year, having travelled all over both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, so it wasn't as if he hadn't grown at least a little used to living by himself again. But it was one thing to miss his son, trusting him to be safe and protect his friends, and another thing to know that he was in the clutches of the enemy.

He drew back and took Lloyd's left hand. They observed the key crest in silence.

Dirk let go. "Don't you go taking that one off, you hear me?" Lloyd laughed in response.

"No way! Once was more than enough!" His son sobered a bit. "But seriously, thanks, Dad. I owe you a lot."

He grunted. "When it comes to a parent and a child, you don't think about owing."

"Huh?"

Dirk looked at Lloyd's baffled face. He smirked. "You'll understand one day."

Kratos made his way outside following the festivities. After an outstanding feast courtesy of Genis and Regal, Zelos and Sheena had drunk themselves silly. They had endeavoured to drag Raine into their games and had somehow succeeded. She'd partaken of a little alcohol, precisely enough to convince them of her 'tipsiness' and proceeded to demolish them in poker. Luckily, she had prevented Lloyd from touching any of Dirk's beer that night; after what had occurred, nobody wanted to test the extent to which he had recovered. Colette had spent most of the evening looking on happily—until Lloyd pulled her into a merry jig to the beat of their friends' clapping. Eventually, they had pushed the table to the side to form a makeshift dance floor for everyone.

In the end, Lloyd's seemingly limitless energy had exhausted itself. In reality, he'd had a little less than usual, more than likely due to the recent ordeal, but it went without comment. The party had wound down slowly after that. It was just as well: it was getting quite late and they would challenge Origin come morning. Kratos was sure that Lloyd would also adore lying on a mattress under a cosy blanket and sleeping again. They would have to keep a close eye on him for any lingering effects, but they had him back, and that was what mattered.

With his son tucked safely into bed, Kratos tilted his head back to gaze at the midnight sky. Even though he knew they were unmoving, white dots seemed to sparkle in his vision. For a moment, a pleasant, light weight settled on his shoulders. His forearms lifted slightly, imagining gripping his three-year-old's chubby legs as they viewed a meteor shower together.

"Daddy, daddy!"

"Careful, Lloyd," he warned despite the smile dancing on his lips, "if you wiggle too much Daddy will drop you."

"Nuh-uh!" his beloved son denied. "Daddy will never drop me!"

He chuckled. "All right. Daddy will never let you go."

They were so bright tonight. Away from the smothering lights of the townsfolk, millions upon millions of stars were scattered across the night, the sky an unchanging canvas. He would teach Lloyd about each constellation in time and point out the indigo-and-cream galaxies many light-years away. But for now, they were both content to watch falling chunks of shining rock with tails of white and icy blue. Not that Lloyd knew that yet.

"Daddy, I want to reach the stars one day."

"Oh? How are you going to do that?"

The tiny boy flung his arms out. "I'm gonna fly!"

"'Going to'," his father corrected mildly. "What are you going to fly on?"

"My wings! I'm gonna have super cool ones, just you wait! They're gonna be red!"

Kratos shook his head slightly. He did not want to give up on trying to correct Lloyd's speech, but at this stage, it seemed a hopeless effort. Anna was not improving matters. And he was getting a strange obsession with red nowadays…

He decided to play along for the time being. "Very well. When you get your red wings, may I fly with you?"

"Duh!"

He struggled to contain his ever-widening grin. He prayed that Lloyd would never get those wings—what a curse of inheritance that would be—but his child's effervescent demeanour was one of the only things that kept him going, kept him on the run. Kratos wanted to protect that innocent smile.

"Love you, Daddy! Mama!"

"We love you, too, Lloyd."

A/N: I procrastinated with posting this chapter for ages because I was tossing up whether this fic needed an epilogue or not. In the end, I am going to include it, but I might also post a short one-shot sequel eventually.

It's the penultimate chapter and yet I keep asking for constructive criticism. I've still got loads of stories to tell, not necessarily within this fandom.