AN: It's been such a long time since I last picked up this fic! Well, at least in ffnet. I did get the bug to finally continue this fic a few months back and I've been revamping the initial chapters and posting them on AO3. Where I just added this chapter, so I wanted to update it here too, for those who might have once subscribed to this and are still interested in an update lmao. In the case you are, look me up in ao3 under rynoa29! I'll be posting future updates there!

Chapter Seven

"Hey. I'm feeling pretty restless, so I think I'm going to go out for a walk. That cool?"

The last time Zelos had run off during the night, he had gotten caught red-handed and just barely managed to avoid suspicion, so with the opportunity at hand, he wasn't going to miss out on the chance of establishing some kind of alibi.

If Lloyd thought it strange that Zelos was checking in with him, he didn't show it.

"Oh," was all he said. Colette's absence and Kratos' reappearance had caused such a back to back blow to his psyche that he didn't seem capable of even thinking that Zelos was up to no good.

"Yeah, sure," he said. Then, finally some worry creased his forehead. Not because of him; rather, for him. "Be careful though, okay?" he added.

Zelos flashed him his most reassuring smile. "You got it! See ya later then, Bud!"

"Well? What do you have to report?" Yuan asked in a distracted sort of voice as he picked up Zelos' call. The half-elf was frowning over a pile of paperwork on his desk, looking harried and not particularly happy to be interrupted.

Zelos was instantly irritated by his reception. A scowl twitched at the corner of his lips but he reigned in his expression as he promptly began his report. "Well," he said pointedly. "To start with, our darling little angel's been kidnapped—"

"What?!"

"—by Rodyle, so we'll be stopping by for the Rheairds soon in order to go rescue her. According to Kratos—who, by the way, keeps skulking around for some reason, would love to know why—but anyway, he said there's been trouble in paradise lately, so Rodyle's little move here was apparently against orders. That's all well and good for all of us for now, but I'm sure it won't be long before Pronyma gets wind of this," Zelos pointed out, taking particular enjoyment in the way Yuan's face rapidly lost color with each word that left his mouth.

"On top of that," Zelos continued smoothly, "there appears to be some sort of conspiracy going on in Tethe'alla. The Pope's been consorting with the Desians—"

"That's of no importance," Yuan said, interrupting him with a sharp, dismissive hand motion. He proceeded to pinch the space between his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger as if it would help to relieve his stress. "How long ago was Colette kidnapped?" he asked curtly.

Zelos' eyes narrowed, annoyed by the dismissal. "It's been only a few hours," he said shortly before continuing on as if Yuan had not interrupted him. "Anyway, as you know, the Pope himself has been trying to get his own hands on Colette for a while now. At first I thought it was merely to kill her. But given his recent involvement with the Desians, not to mention an unknown number of Mizuho ninjas, I'm beginning to think that there's more to it."

Yuan gave Zelos' hologram a flat, unimpressed stare. It was clear that he didn't deem the Pope as a threat. "Is now really the time for this, Zelos?"

Unmoved, Zelos looked back at him just as impassively.

Yuan let out a sigh of frustration before acquiescing. "I'll have my men look into it," he said, although not very committedly. "Now, as for your next destination…?"

Zelos allowed himself to be momentarily distracted. The question had him grimacing with unease. "Mizuho. And after that, we'll probably head to Volt's Temple."

"Hmm." There was a moment of silence as Yuan considered his words. "Very well. Then our next course of action will be to gather information on Rodyle's activities. I'll have some of my men keep Cruxis distracted for a while as well. This should buy us some time." He nodded decisively. "We'll keep you informed of any developments. Contact us the moment your group is on their way to meet with us."

"No."

Yuan blinked very, very slowly, his expression the epitome of calm. "Excuse me?"

"I said no," Zelos repeated in a slow drawl.

Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Chosen, I am sure neither of us have the time to be playing games. Care to enlighten me what this is all about?"

"Just who is playing games here?" Zelos asked coolly. "Need I remind you about the terms of our agreement? I'll do nothing for you unless you hold out your end of the bargain."

"You'll do as you're told…!"

"I'll do what's most convenient for me, and don't forget it!"

There was a terse silence. Yuan glared at Zelos. The pen between his fingers quivered as he forced himself to untense and swallow back his temper.

"What is it that you want, Zelos?" Yuan asked in an even voice, giving the redhead a look of profound patience.

Zelos met Yuan's stare, matching it with one of his own. His face was a blank canvas and his posture remained upright and confident, not in the least bit cowed.

"You have people infiltrating the Desian bases, right? I'd like to know the extent of the Pope's connection with them. Also," here, a grimace crossed Zelos' face, "there is the matter of the Seals…"

Yuan's eyes narrowed at the repeated insistence of the first request but he was momentarily sidetracked by the mention of the second one. His cold expression let up briefly, flickering into something that might have seemed like concern if one looked hard enough, but Yuan averted his gaze, not wanting to reveal anything further.

"So you are going to go through with it?" he asked quietly.

Zelos swallowed, feeling a hard knot in his throat. Like I have a choice, he thought bitterly.

"We all have to play our parts," was all he cared to explain, keeping his tone carefully bland. "So if you want me to continue mine, arrange a distraction in Volt's temple that will allow me to sneak off."

A part of him had once been tempted to use Yuan as a resource to find out more about his sister's situation, but at this point, he trusted Yuan about as far as he could throw him. He didn't need anyone else pulling his strings.

Thankfully, Yuan didn't think too much on his answer. He merely leaned back on his chair as he absorbed Zelos' explanation. "I warned you of this before. Don't treat this choice lightly," he cautioned with an unreadable expression. "There are some things you can't go back on, and this is one of them."

"Sorry, did I miss the part where I asked for your opinion? Because I'm pretty sure I didn't." Zelos sneered.

Though his eyes narrowed, Yuan didn't rise to the bait this time. "Very well. Is that all? If so, you are dismissed. Report back to me when you get new information and I'll make sure to do the same."

"What about Kratos?"

"What about him?"

"He's becoming an eyesore," the redhead repeated, purposely slow. "Got any idea why?"

For a moment, Yuan looked pensive but when he met Zelos' eyes, the expression slid away like water. He gave nothing else away. "I don't. But if I do find out, I'll be sure to keep you posted. I expect you to do the same should you find any new information."

Zelos frowned, disappointment and suspicion warring in his heart. Did Yuan really not know anything? He stared at the half-elf, doubting his words. So he decided to dig a little more.

"One more thing. That little stunt you pulled at the mountains, what the hell was that about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy. It doesn't suit you. What's with your interest in Lloyd?"

A twitch. Though Zelos' eyes zeroed in on it, Yuan remained firmly evasive.

"I'm afraid that's none of your concern. And I suggest you keep your nose out of it, before I decide that you're beginning to outlive your usefulness."

"Tch. Oh, fine, fine, whatever."

Satisfied, or as satisfied as he ever looked, Yuan said nothing further and cut off their connection without even a goodbye.

Zelos rolled his eyes and shoved the transmitter back into his pocket, making sure to deactivate it to prevent any incoming calls. He wasn't fully satisfied with the outcome of that conversation, but he'd take as much out of it as he could get.

I'd better hurry back. Zelos wasn't too worried about anybody questioning his absence, but it was best not to risk it. Plus, he wasn't too eager to stick around in the depths of the Gaoracchia Forest. Though he could take care of himself just fine, the lack of company and lack of light from the Sorcerer's Ring made this place a lot creepier. There was a consistent, repetitive thud in the distance that he hadn't heard last time he was here too and it reminded him of the ghost story he had scared Lloyd and Genis with before.

There's no way though, right? Zelos tried to brush it off, but now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard that sound when he had first entered the forest..

And… now it stopped. Hahah…

Zelos froze in place and strained his ears. Only the sound of the wind blowing by and rustling the leaves around him rang in the air. Then, Zelos heard a nearby crunch—

His head snapped to the side, his hand at the hilt of his sword, and his heart jumped up to his throat when he spotted—

"You again?!"

It was Kratos. The man was pulling along a sled full of wood in one hand and holding an ax in the other. Zelos took a cautious step back, his hand automatically seeking the hilt of his sword.

"What? Have you decided to quit your day job to become a woodsman? Can't say it doesn't suit you."

"Chosen…" Kratos silently considered Zelos' presence as the redhead failed to surreptitiously shuffle back a few more steps. Finally, he spoke.

"I heard from Pronyma that you will be undertaking the trials necessary to become an angel. What do you aim to achieve by doing something so unnecessary for someone in your current position?"

Wow. What a motivating endorsement from another top ranking member of Cruxis. Well, at least it was kind of him not to bring it up in front of everyone else. Still, not knowing exactly where this guy actually stood was putting Zelos on edge. Kratos seemed to be playing sides as much as Zelos was.

"The gossip mill sure runs hot wherever you guys are holed up, huh?"

Kratos didn't entertain the question. Instead, he gave Zelos a look that bordered in disapproval.

"I would have thought that given what is currently happening to your counterpart, you would have been too scared off to pursue this. It's not too late to change your mind."

You think I don't want to? Zelos could have sneered.

Instead, he gave Kratos his most passive aggressive smile. "Well, I'll certainly take your advice into consideration. You sure are full of them, aren't you? Got a soft spot for the group you betrayed?"

Kratos ignored that question as well. "You are aware, of course, that you will not be able to easily hide the symptoms of the Angel Toxicosis even if you are able to receive Cruxis' blessings without anyone else none the wiser," he said. "The Aionis we had you ingest will only hold back so much."

"Thanks for the concern," Zelos drawled. "But it really is none of your business."

"Hmph. As you say."

That seemed to bring the conversation to a close because Kratos didn't spare him another glance. Instead, he continued on towards the forest's exit, dragging along with him the stack of thick, freshly cut wood.

Zelos watched him go, though before Kratos could go too far, he called out after him.

"Hey, what exactly is happening to Colette?"

He did not receive an answer, leaving Zelos to his own worries. And he was worried. Kratos had deepened them in this short conversation alone. Was whatever that was happening to Colette going to happen to him too? Perhaps he'd be able to get a straight answer out of Pronyma…

Not that he was looking forward to his next meeting with her.

The tension in the air couldn't be more electric. The fact that they were in Volt's temple had a lot to do with it, but Zelos was sure if anybody were to even bump into Sheena right now, they'd get a far worse shock than the painful zaps they had been enduring every time they ran into one of the many traps scattered around this damn temple.

"I wonder if Sheena's okay…" Genis murmured as he snuck a glance up at her.

Zelos was tagging along in the rear with him and Lloyd. Sheena, who was more familiar with the layout of the temple, was reluctantly in the lead position, along with Raine who was basically vibrating out of her skin with excitement as they explored the temple. Zelos wasn't sure if her manic energy was making Sheene feel more out of sorts or not, but in the end, Regal and Presea were the only ones brave enough to keep up with those two so closely.

"We have to believe in her," Lloyd said, bumping his elbow against Genis. "If we don't, who will?

The too-sincere earnestness in Lloyd's voice grated Zelos' ears. A sardonic smirk ghosted over his lips.

"Ah, what beautiful mutual trust," he said airily.

Lloyd gave him a sharp look. "Stop making a joke out of it!"

Zelos held up his hands defensively. "I'm not! Just think for a moment, if I were the one that was about to make that pact now, you wouldn't be able to freely put your trust in me, right?" he pointed out all-too-reasonably.

Genis snorted. "No kidding," he muttered.

"The brat can shut up, thank you."

The two of them exchanged a look of mutual dislike before Zelos continued. "Look, I was just thinking about how you have a beautiful mutual trust born of the time you've spent together, that's all."

Lloyd seemed to find that to be an acceptable answer, nodding slowly. "Sheena's our partner. Of course we trust her. ...And so are you, after all. I trust you, too."

That… caught Zelos off guard. He hadn't expected Lloyd to say that. And he knew even less how to respond to that. So he didn't. Thankfully, a few of the temple's monsters decided to test their luck just then, so they were easily able to put this strange conversation behind them as they became engaged in battle.

Still, those careless words stayed with him as they got through the rest of the temple's irritatingly tedious puzzles. They stayed with him through the battle with Volt. He tried to dislodge them, tried to keep his eyes on their opponent instead of letting them drift towards Lloyd. It felt silly to acknowledge how much they had gotten under his skin when Lloyd couldn't have possibly meant them that strongly, but then, he'd been out of sorts from the moment they had stepped foot inside of this damn temple.

The dread of what would come after this battle had been slowly building up inside him as well. But when Sheena was finally able to make her pact, when Undine showed up after and told them that they'd manage inadvertently to sever the link between the two worlds…

The shock was enough to clear Zelos' head and screw it on straight for a moment.

"That's… perfect," he said, as stunned as everyone else. "Then, if we keep this up with the rest of the Summon Spirits, our worlds will finally stop competing for each other's mana!"

Just what were the odds? A bubble of hope, of excitement, began to tremble at the base of his stomach. He couldn't believe that Lloyd's idealistic goals might actually have a leg to stand on. He grinned wide and sought out the brunet's eyes. Lloyd's face was brimming with determination.

"Let's do it," Lloyd declared and nobody had any reason to argue against this decision. They were all on board with the plan and there was only one thing left to say.

"Thank you, Sheena." It was Presea who was the first to offer those words. "We owe it all to you, and Corrine as well," she said softly.

"Huh?" Sheena looked taken aback, so Presea made sure to clarify further.

"It's because the two of you risked your lives to form the pact with Volt that we now know what the seals do.

"That's right," Lloyd said. "It's thanks to the both of you."

The brave face that Sheena had been keeping on faltered for a moment as her bottom lip visibly quivered. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her chest. Within it, Corrine's bell was tightly safeguarded within her fingers.

"Corrine, thank you," she murmured.

A respectful silence stretched before Lloyd spoke again, his voice gentle.

"That said, before anything else, we have to get Colette back, so let's get going."

"Right." Sheena nodded. She straightened up and put her game face back on, prompting the rest of them to take that as the go-ahead to get moving.

Despite the somber mood the conversation had ended on, the group was for the most part in good spirits, Zelos included. They were tired, in need of a good rest as well as time to process through everything that had happened, but even so there was hope, and that was what helped them move forward.

Naturally, it was at that very moment that the other shoe dropped. As they exited out to the main area of the temple, they were all forced to a stop as they came face to face with an intimidating amount of Renegades, all who were ready for battle, already pointing their weapons towards them.

(Zelos had been expecting it of course. But after getting so wrapped up in that last major development, it had slipped his mind for one careless moment.)

"Crap! Everyone, get back!" Lloyd shouted.

They scrambled back to the inner chambers of the temple.

"This way!" Sheena shouted, directed them towards one of the many pitch-black corridors, clearly hoping to use the lack of visibility to their advantage.

"I don't know about this…" Genis said nervously as he pressed close to his sister. A flash of thunder illuminated the room for a second and everyone did their best to find a good spot to stand in, avoiding the dangerous edges.

"We should be careful," Regal cautioned, keeping his voice low so as to not attract any unwanted attention. "There's too many of them for us to face head on, but drawing them in here puts us as well as them in an equal state of disadvantage."

"If we stick by the walls, we should be fine, but you're right, there's not a lot of space. What if we split up? Half of us on this side, half on the other? We can chip their numbers down little by little," Sheena suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Raine agreed.

"Oh, pick me, pick me!" Zelos quickly volunteered himself in an attempt to put himself on the team that would suit his plans best. "I'd like to team up with my cute little Rosebud, my Ultra Cool Gorgeous Beauty, and my Voluptuous Hunny!"

"Oh, give me a break, Zelos! Is now really the time for this?" Sheena growled.

"Tch. Well, if you're going to be like that, then you don't have to come with me, you Violent Demonic Banshee!" Zelos stuck out his tongue at her.

"Why you…!"

"Let's not waste any time," Raine said sharply, cutting off the conversation there before it could get any further. "Lloyd, why don't you decide?" she asked.

"Right," Lloyd said. He'd been put in this role enough times that the responsibility hardly fazed him anymore. "Since we're at a disadvantage, we should split our abilities evenly, so I'll take the Professor, Genis, and Regal. Presea and Sheena can go with Zelos," he decided with quick efficiency.

Sheena, huh… She wasn't actually Zelos' first choice and he'd been hoping to piss her off enough to land her on the other team. She was not only sharp in the most inconvenient of moments but was soft-hearted enough to go looking for him if he went missing. He'd have to make do, but…

"Alright! I sure lucked out! Don't worry, ladies. The Great Zelos will be sure to protect you, so please make sure to reward your knight in shining armor thoroughly later~" he said in a sing-song voice.

He had to keep himself back from laughing a little when, during the next flash of thunder, Zelos saw the horror that spread in Genis' face all too clearly.

"L-Lloyd, are you sure that's a good idea? This guy's bound to get distracted with only women in his team. I can switch places with Sheena!" he offered quickly.

"That's fine by me," Sheena muttered, happy to complain at the first opportunity given.

"Then it's settled," Raine said sternly before anyone else dared to waste any more time.

"Right then, stay safe you guys!" Lloyd said before leading his half of the group back the way they came from. They had to make a quick dash across the other side of the room which was already crawling with Renegades, but a quick smoke bomb from Sheena let them get away easily.

"They went that way!"

Hook, line and sinker. Of course, Zelos' group had to attract some attention as well, so he leaned across the doorway and waved a few of them over tauntingly.

"Hey! Over here!"

The moment he made eye contact with one of the Renegades, Zelos hurried back to the darkened room and he pressed his hands to the top of his companions' backs.

"Let's hurry to the top. It'll be easier to handle them from up there."

Genis and Presea didn't question him, thankfully. So, they used the occasional flash of lightning to guide themselves towards the upper level. The Renegades pursued them close at their heels and Zelos and Genis used a few magic spells to take out some of them from the distance whenever they could, but their opponents' growing numbers urged them to find a better battle ground. They exited out into the next area, glad to be able to see properly again.

"Heh. Looks like the others had the same idea," Zelos pointed out, bringing his companions' attention to the group fighting on the other side of the room.

"Lloyd! Sis!" Genis cried out, relieved to see them.

"Watch out!"

Preset's warning came too late for Genis to defend himself but Zelos had already been diving forward. His sword clashed against one of the Renegade's, and Zelos dared to spare a glance at the half-elf brat.

"Our little Rosebud is right," he said. "Now's not the time to get distract—yikes!"

In the dirtiest move he'd ever had to suffer through, Zelos felt someone grab him by the hair. The shock was enough for him to loosen his grip on his sword, and then he was pulled in, kneed in the stomach, and flung away with a hard kick. He was set flying out the door they'd just come out of, and then he dropped down into the abyss with a yelp that was drowned out by the sound of thunder.

Seriously?!

He landed in an awkward, painful position that had him groaning loudly as he pushed himself up so he could sit back on his heels. He'd been lucky not to have stabbed himself honestly.

"Ouch," he grumbled as he sheathed his sword. Then, as he had been about to cast a quick First Aid spell to get himself back in order, the sound of approaching footsteps put him back on the defensive.

It was just another Renegade though. And they didn't look hostile. They had no reason to be now that there wasn't anybody else around.

"Just you. Good. We'll keep the other doors busy to keep anyone else from coming this way, so hurry up and finish your business."

The instructions were direct and to the point. Zelos felt a kindling of annoyance but the tight timeline he was on urged him up to his feet and made him hold back any smart comments.

"Yes, yes, thank you, I've got it from here."

He hurried to the altar without a glance back. With each step that he took up the long staircase, the dread that he'd shoved down amidst everything else regurgitated itself. His stomach twisted itself into knots that knotted further into themselves, over and over again. He didn't want to do this. He didn't. But he had no other choice, much less time for second doubts.

It was when he was standing in front of the altar that he faltered. What was he supposed to do here exactly? The rituals he had studied when he was younger couldn't be further from his mind. Surely he didn't have to actually kneel, right?

His rising anxiety was quelled when a bright light announced Pronyma's arrival. The Desian appeared in front of him as the flash of light disappeared. She stared down at him with her arms crossed in front of her and an amused smirk on her lips.

"We meet again, Chosen One. I had my doubts that you would go through with this despite our little talk, but here you are after all."

Spare me the theatrics. Zelos held back a sneer. He offered Pronyma a thin smile instead.

"Shall we leave the business talk for later? I'm kind of in a hurry here."

"Very well."

Pronyma shrugged, not at all bothered by his short tone, and the amusement etched on the lines of her face didn't fade in the least as she waved a hand in the air. The motion seemed to activate something because the altar began to glow. The mana in the air felt palpable, not unlike when they had first summoned Volt just a while ago.

Then, Zelos' Cruxis Crystal began to glow as well.

He let out a gasp as he felt… something. The space in his chest where he had equipped his Cruxis Crystal began burning hotly, the sensation searing his nerves as much as his skin. His hand shot up to cover it, but just as he felt overwhelmed by the rush of mana that hit him, it just as quickly disappeared, leaving only a vague sense of dizziness in its wake.

"...That's it?" Zelos said once he was able to catch his breath.

Pronyma inclined her head as she crossed her arms across her chest again.

"You have an advantage over others, you realize. As the Chosen of the prospering world, your body is better prepared for this," she said, reminding Zelos of Kratos' words. The Aionis. If it hadn't been for the fact that Cruxis had gone out of their way to give him every advantage to protect himself for the sake of continuing the Chosen Lineage, he'd be in much hotter waters.

"Your Key Crest will also delay some of the effects of the transformation. We have no interest in you as a vessel at this point, so I won't ask you to take it off. But the changes in your body chemistry will come, one way or another," she said, and the smirk on her lips told Zelos she had no interest in elaborating further.

"Now, since I've done my part, it's time for you to do yours. Tell me, what is your colorful little crew currently up to?"

"Their solo focus right now is retrieving little Colette, hence why we're here. Kinda need a good power source to help us travel around the world and get her back. I imagine they'll want to investigate figuring out what's wrong with her after that," Zelos reported, purposely leaving out the rest of their half baked plans. It was too early for him to show that hand. Plus, he was interested to see if Pronyma would at least give him some sort of crumb on the subject given that Kratos had chosen to be tight-lipped about it.

No such luck.

"I see... Well, if anything else changes, do let me know at once," was all Pronyma said before tossing something over his way.

It was his transmitter. Of course.

The Desian left without another word in another flash of light just as theatrically as the one she had arrived in. Zelos let out a long sigh, but now that he was by himself again, he immediately began to wonder how long their exchange had taken. He hurried over to the ledge and glanced down and he was relieved to see the bottom floor thoroughly empty.

Time to meet up with the others then.

He carefully put everything that Pronyma had told him in the back of his mind and he schooled his expression into something more appropriate as he hurried down the stairs. He kept his sword at the ready just in case he had to jump straight into battle. The temple felt eerily quiet, and the way his footsteps carried across the chamber that he was in made him wonder if his conversation with Pronyma had too.

It's fine, he reminded himself. The constant rumble of thunder in the other chambers was noisy enough that it made it hard for them to talk to each other even when they were standing closely. He was in the clear.

Of course, it was as soon as that thought rose in his mind that Zelos felt a jolt in his body that made him stumble. Thankfully, he had been on the last step so when he fell forward, he managed to catch himself with his hands. And it was at that very moment that his companions decided to reappear.

"Zelos!"

Zelos looked up and saw Lloyd racing towards him with concern etched on his face, the others close behind him. "Are you okay?"

The flare that tripped him up disappeared as quickly as the last one. Zelos got up to his feet and put on a smile as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No worries, no worries! I'm good!" he said with cheer that he didn't feel in the slightest.

He didn't have a hundred percent confidence in his own words, but Zelos could only hope that they would prove to be true. At least until they made their way out of this damn temple. And if he was lucky, until he had a chance to disappear again without everyone none the wiser.