Another chapter out so soon? Yeah, I am feeling the muse at the moment. Hopefully won't get burnt out as fast. Thanks again to all my assumed readers since this site's traffic stats are still broken even a month later. Hope you are enjoying the story.

Now, to the chapter.

Chapter 65: Fear of Thunder

There was a long, deafening silence as Lloyd stared into the sky.

He had utterly failed. He allowed Colette to be captured. He broke his promised to her once again. Now...she was in the hands of Cruxis who would used her to revived Martel. When that happened...Colette would be truly gone.

He nearly fell to his knees as grief overtook him.

Dammit all! Why couldn't he protect anything!? Just when he thought he had gotten a little stronger, he failed when it matter most. He's so useless.

"Lloyd, will you help Presea?" the strong, but still gentle voice of Regal asked.

Lloyd turned towards the older man, who was giving him closed to a pleading look. He glanced at Presea who stared blankly at him, not knowing nor caring about what she had done.

Although she helped Colette to be capture, he couldn't be angry. Not even a little. Presea was just a puppet who was used and abused. It wasn't her fault this happened and she shouldn't pay for the evils of others.

"Yeah..." Lloyd answered as he slowly stood and reached into his pocket. He gently took out the makeshift key crest as he walked over towards the young girl and carefully connected it to her exsphere. Hopefully, this would work despite it not being a real key crest. More than ever, he wished his dad taught him how to process the ore.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, Presea jolted and her eyes became less foggy. She blinked several times almost like she had just woken up from a very deep sleep. In many ways she did.

"Presea, are you okay?" Genis asked, deeply worried for her.

"What? What am I doing?" Presea asked as she looked at them. She wasn't sure what was happening. "Where's my daddy?"

Another deafening silence fell over the group.

Lloyd bit his lips as he glanced at Raine. Despite being known for being blunt, even she didn't want to say anything.

"Presea..." Raine started since no one else had the heart to tell her. "Your dad...your dad passed away."

Presea stared at her in disbelief. "That's...that's impossible. I saw him not long ago. He was sick...but he was still alive."

Regal walked up to Presea. "I think you should go to your house."

Lloyd gave Regal a shock expression.

"She needs to see it," Regal said shortly, although it pained him to say it.

They walked Presea to her home and like them, she was nearly knocked over by the smell. She broke away from the group and ran into her dad's room. No one followed her.

An audio gasped could be heard. "I…what have I been doing!?" She then screamed. It was a scream of unimaginable sadness mixed with denial.

Regal ran into the room along with everyone else. They saw Presea kneeling over her father's bedside, sobbing restlessly.

Regal walked over to her and knelt down. He too was closed to tears.

Lloyd felt like crying. He remembered acting the same way when he saw his mother's grave for the first time. That heart-wrenching, sicking feeling that you were alone in the world.

Presea had it worse. She lived with her father's corpse for the spirits knew how long. Her father faded away and she knew nothing of it. He didn't want to imagined that agony.

"Lloyd," Raine put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his teacher as he attempted to wipe his tears, "we should help her bury him."

Lloyd slowly nodded. It was the only thing they could do now.

He walked over towards the bed where Presea still cried. He tenderly put a hand on her back.

"I know it's hard," Lloyd spoke softly. "It will be hard for a long time. But...it does eventually get better."

Presea turned towards him. Her eyes still filled with tears.

Lloyd gave a small, yet sad smile. "The first step is to give him a proper burial. We'll help."

Presea stared at him for several seconds before nodding. "Tha...Thank you."

Lloyd turned towards Zelos and Sheena. "Please, dig a grave for him. I'll go and find a stone to act as the tombstone."

For once, Zelos didn't complained as he left with Sheena. He was followed shortly by Genis who wanted to help.

Lloyd left not long afterwards to search for a proper stone. Since it was night, it was nearly impossible to see anything, especially with all the tall trees blocking the moon. He was nearly blinded when Raine came out with her staff glowing.

"I figure you would need a light," Raine answered the unspoken question.

"Thanks," Lloyd said as he began to searched the area.

"You seemed especially dedicated," Raine noted.

Lloyd paused in his search. "I don't remember much from when dad found me. Those first years are really a blur... But…..what I do remember is that dad not only buried mom but he made a tombstone for her."

"And you want to do the same for Presea," Raine surmised.

"It's the least I can do," Lloyd replied. "Her dad died and...she wasn't aware of it. I can only imagine how he felt in the end." He fought to hold back his tears again. "I can't give them that time back, but I can correct one wrong from all of this."

Raine smiled softly. "You have a good heart Lloyd. You seemed to understand these things."

"Honestly...it's an understanding I want no one to share with me," Lloyd said as he finally found a proper rock. "I can make use of this."

He carried the rock inside the house where Presea was still dumbstruck in her father's room with Regal attempting to comfort her. Lloyd walked in and knelt before the girl.

"I want to make a tombstone for your dad. But I need his information. His name will be enough," Lloyd said.

Presea snapped out of her stupor and stared at Lloyd. "I...I can make the carving myself."

Lloyd was taken aback by this. "You can carve?"

"Yes. Although it's mostly wood, I know how to carve into stone," Presea said.

Lloyd nodded. "Okay then. I'll help where I can."

With Lloyd and Presea's combined efforts, the stone was sharped into a rectangle and words were carved onto the top. They finished just in time when Zelos, Sheena, and Genis came inside, telling them that the grave was ready.

Despite being handcuffed, Regal was able to carry the remains to the grave, which was on the far side of the house. He gently placed the body in the hole and helped Zelos fill it.

Lloyd felt guilty that they didn't make a coffin for the poor man, but that would take days even if he rushed since they would need to find the right type of wood, hollowing the wood, make sure it was the right size, and finding nails to bolt the top. Presea was already mentally at her breaking point and didn't need for this process to be prolong.

Presea put the gravestone down and placed her father's axe upright, using two sticks to tie it in place so it would never move. She bowed her head, giving a short prayer before turning towards the group.

"Thank you for assisting me with my daddy's burial," Presea spoke softly. Her eyes were shiny in both sorrow and gratefulness.

"Have you calmed down a little?" Raine asked gently.

Presea gave a short nod. "I've been a great burden on you all."

"You remember?" Lloyd asked. A part of him hoped that she didn't.

Presea looked down. "Yes..mostly..."

"Why did you have an exsphere like that on you?" Genis asked the question on everyone's minds.

"I received it from a person named Vharley," Presea answered.

Regal growled and his hands clenched. "I knew it...Vharley!"

"I wanted to save my sick daddy. I wanted to learn how to wield an axe, so I could work in my daddy's place. So Vharley introduced me to Rodyle, and I was taken to the Research Academy in Sybak," Presea explained in a flat tone.

Zelos sneered. "The experiments on you were carried out by order of the Pope, right?"

Lloyd folded his arms. He was also shaking in rage. "Which means that Desian is in league with the Pope!"

Those words felt odd leaving his lips. The Pope was the head of the Church of Martel, similar to how Phaidra was a High Priestess. They were supposed to be the sworn enemy of the Desians, even if it was a lie created by Cruxis. Instead, this scumbag teamed up with one of them and took advantage of the innocence girl who only wanted to help her dying dad. He wanted to cut something.

"Presea, do you have an older sister?" Regal suddenly asked.

"No," Presea replied.

"Do you have any other family?" Raine questioned further.

"I have a younger sister. She left to go into service for a noble and that was the last I saw of her." Presea's eyes became downcast. "And my mommy died when I was a child."

"When you were a child?" Zelos repeated. "You're still a child now."

Presea jolted. "Oh…yes, of course. That's right."

Lloyd tilted his head. Did he miss something?

"At any rate, we can't just leave you here in this village by yourself if you have no one to turn to," Sheena said, speaking up for the first time in hours.

Raine nodded in agreement. "Yes, the people of this village seem to avoid her."

Lloyd sighed and rubbed his hair. This entire situation was messed up. Her world was gone and there was not a thing he could do for her. It was more painful since he knew that feeling. But he had Dirk and Noishe. Who did Presea have?

"I…uh…I'd like to go with all of you if that would be alright," Presea suddenly spoke up.

Lloyd lifted his head. "Huh? Why?"

"It's my fault that Colette was taken away," Presea said in a voice filled with regret. "So please, let me help in her rescue."

"Please allow me to come along as well," Regal said as he stood next to Presea. "It seems that my fate is linked to your enemy."

Lloyd looked at the man. He knew he was supposed be their 'prisoner', but he had melded with the group so well that he had honestly forgotten what he was. He fit better than Zelos did when they first met.

Not to mentioned, he really saved their butts against Sword Dancer. The man could had left them for dead and they wouldn't been able to stop him. Having his power was only a benefice and they needed as much as they could get against the forces they were fighting.

As for Presea, she was still a child. She really shouldn't be on a journey such at this. But he couldn't deny her power and even as a half-dead zombie she helped them It was just wrong to leave her behind and shortsighted to turn down an ally.

Lloyd finally smiled. "Of course you're welcome to join us! Help us save Colette!"

"I will!" Presea exclaimed, getting fire into her eyes.

"Thank you," Regal said humbling. "I'm in your debt. I shall not betray your trust."

"Now let us hurry and find Colette," Raine urged. They couldn't let Cruxis have her again.

Lloyd slammed his fist into his palm. "Alright. They headed east."

"So, you lost the Chosen," a familiar voice said.

They turned to see Kratos standing close by. His face was illuminated by the fireflies.

"You again!" Lloyd growled. "What have you done with Colette?"

"Rodyle is ignoring our orders and acting on his own. I know nothing of it," Kratos answered.

"Internal strife? How pathetic," Raine scoffed.

Kratos glanced at Raine. Secretly, he agreed. "Say what you will. Either way, he will have no choice but to abandon the Chosen."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd demanded.

"The Chosen is useless as she is now. Let her be," Kratos stated.

"You got to be kidding me! We're going to rescue Colette no matter what! And if you get in our way!" Lloyd drew his swords and charged Kratos.

Kratos easily blocked his blade. "What have I told you about striking in anger? You rashness will get you killed." He pushed Lloyd away, nearly knocking the boy over. He turned his back on him. "If you insist on saving the Chosen, I suggest you seek the Rheairds and head for the eastern skies. I'm sure the people of Mizuho have located the Rheairds by now."

Sheena was surprised. How did he know they were looking for the Rheairds?

Kratos said nothing more as he left as silently as he came.

Lloyd trembled in anger. Dammit, he was still so weak compared to him. Even if he wasn't tired, that man was still every bit his superior. It really pissed him off.

He kicked a nearby rock. "What's that guy trying to do?"

"Ah, well, who cares? If he's useful, make use of him," Zelos said, although he did agree that Kratos was being a jerk. But that was par the course with him.

That SOB Rodyle was the one he was worried about at the moment. What did he want with Colette? A bargaining chip to use against Yggdrasill? He heavily doubted that. He supposed he shouldn't care. Until Pronyma came calling him, what the Desians did wasn't his business.

However, how the heck did the Pope get involved with him? Yeah, he needed to straightened that out soon.

"I agree," Sheena said, bringing Zelos back to current affairs. "Let's head back to Mizuho for now. We need to tend our injuries and rest."

Genis smiled, wanting to go on a bright note. "Okay, then, just to make it official," he turned towards Presea, "welcome to the group, Presea!"

Presea nodded. "Thank you."

Zelos grinned, always happy to have more females. "My cute little Presea, I'll protect you, okay?"

"Thank you, Zelos," Presea said gratefully.

Genis blushed. "Oh! Oh! I'll…I'll…"

"Come, let's go!" Lloyd ordered as he and the others walked off, leaving Genis behind.

"I'll protect you too…" Genis finished when no one was around. He growled. "Stupid, stupid Lloyd!" He stomped his feet and caught up with everyone.

The walk was slow, both from the physical exhausting of the group and the mental strain of the entire day.

"That man you called Kratos, who is he?" Regal asked Raine who was walking a little behind the group.

Raine glanced at Regal from the side of her eye, deciding if she should answer him.

"If you don't want to tell me..." Regal started.

"No. It's best that you know since we will most likely have to deal with him in the future," Raine said. "That man, Kratos, was one of our companions on the Journey of Regeneration. He's an agent of Cruxis who used and betrayed us."

"Betrayed," Regal repeated. "I see. That's why I sensed such anger from all of you when he was presence."

"Lloyd felt it the worse of all of us," Raine continued. "Kratos trained Lloyd and they built a strong relationship during our journey. When Lloyd learned it was a lie, all to make him stronger so he could give Colette to Cruxis..."

"Say no more," Regal cut off. "If it was me, I would tear such a person apart too. Given what a kind-hearted and trusting young man Lloyd is, what Kratos has done is inexcusable."

"So you understand why I can't trust you," Raine stated bluntly. "We as a group have already felt the sting of betrayal. To get close to someone who may backstab us is not something I want any of my students to experience again."

"I can only give you my word, which I know does not mean much," Regal said, not at all offended. "I will never betray you, especially to a man who went back on his word."

"So, it is as you said in the mine. You took the deal to capture Colette not to lighting your sentence, but to get Vharley put in jail," Raine surmised.

"I deserved my sentence. I would do nothing to have it taking away," Regal spoke in a tight voice. "However, Vharley must be made to pay for his crimes too. If the Pope won't bring him to justice, I'll seek it myself."

Raine said nothing more. It appeared Regal was what he said he was. Although, he was obviously hiding many things from them.

Until she knew everything, she couldn't trust the man. She trusted Kratos despite her growing suspicions of him. She trusted him with Colette, Lloyd, and even Genis' lives and looked how that ended. No, she would't be fooled again not only for her sake, but for everyone's.

The walk to Mizuho was slow. By the time they reached the village, everyone was practically dead on their feet.

"We should rest before we talked to Tiga," Raine suggested.

Lloyd sighed, knowing Raine was right. As eager as he was to save Colette, in their condition, no one was ready to move forward and they needed to be at full strength. And he needed to patch his jacket, again. "Yeah, you're right."

They walked to the guest house while Sheena returned to her own home. So many things had happened that they all just wanted the day to end.

Regal noticed that Presea was especially forlorn within the group. Given everything that has happened to the poor girl, he could hardly blamed her. It was surprising that she was still functioning.

"Are you okay?" Regal asked, attempting to bring her out of her shell.

Presea said nothing for several seconds. "I wonder if Colette is alright."

"The only thing we can do is pray that she is safe," Regal answered. Although there was no Goddess to pray to, there had to be some being out there who was watching over Colette.

"I swear I will rescue Colette," Presea swore with determination. "It was my fault that Rodyle took her."

Regal turned his head away from her. There was really nothing he could say to comfort her. "We cannot change the past. We must do what we can do. Earnestly, and sincerely."

"Yes," Presea whispered as they entered the guest house.

Rodyle was practically dancing for joy as he stood on top of his floating platform.

At last, after so many years of scheming and waiting, he finally had his Cruxis Crystal. With this, he could powered his Mana Cannon, giving him the power of the spirits themselves. He could finally usurp that fool Yggdrasill as ruler of both worlds.

It was only ashamed that he couldn't get a more powerful crystal from the Angelus Project, but it was what it was. That worthless Presea and her even bigger failure of a sister couldn't produced a crystal despite matching everything in the research notes, and that boy's exsphere was still merely an exsphere, although a powerful one.

But enough celebrating. It was finally time for the next step in his plan.

He moved over the unconscious Colette to take her crystal, licking his lips in anticipation. When his hand touched the crystal, he got a nasty jolt.

"What is this?" he asked out loud.

He looked over Colette and saw something on the edge of her shoulder, barely visible. He pulled her outfit down and saw that her skin was turning green. It also had a strange crystal-like formation and texture, and it was hard to the touch.

"Wh...What is this!?" he demanded.

"The Chosen is sick," a voice spoke from behind Rodyle.

He turned away to see Pronyma floating behind him. "How did you find this place!?"

"The Chosen has a unique signature that makes her easy to track," Pronyma replied with a smirk. "Besides, flying away on dragons is hardly subtile. In your excitement, you dropped your guard."

Rodyle growled. "I won't let you stop me, Pronyma!" He took out his staff. "I have come too far!"

Pronyma continued smirking. "Relax. I didn't come here to fight you."

This took Rodyle off-guard. "What?"

"I have come to help you," Pronyma said as she leaned into her palm. "I knew of your betrayal for some time. You want to use the Cruxis Crystal to power the Mana Cannon that you have been building in secret for several years. You and Kvar were working together to create a Cruxis Crystal from the Angelus Project, while you played that fool Magnius like a puppet to gain funds to build the cannon and even tricked him into trying to kill the Chosen to take her Cruxis Crystal as a backup. I have to admit, you fooled everyone, except me."

"Yet, you didn't come to stop me?" Rodyle asked in disbelief.

"As I said, I come to join you," Pronyma spoke.

Rodyle narrowed his eyes. "Really? Lord Yggdrasill's most loyal servant outside of Forcystus wants to join me? I find that hard to believe."

"Ever heard the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Pronyma asked as she brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "I have only been pretending to be loyal to Cruxis. Did you really believe after I lied, cheated, and murdered my way to the top of the Desians that I would be satisfied with only being second to the Four Seraphim? No, I want to rule everything. Cruxis, the two worlds, everything."

Rodyle chuckled. "I see, so you really are the crafty and cunning woman Kvar always pegged you are."

Pronyma smirked. "Indeed. You do not get on top by settling for second, especially to beings who thinks they're angels. I wanted to destroy Cruxis from the inside, until I learned of your plan with the Mana Cannon." Her smirk got wider. "What better way to throw Cruxis and the two worlds into chaos than by destroying the Tower of Salvation itself."

Rodyle's eyes widen before he chuckled. "Destroy the Tower of Salvation. I actually never considered that." He laughed louder. "Yes! That would be perfect. Not only will it show off my power, but it will destroy the faith of the humans within the two worlds and undermines Cruxis' hold. My, my Pronyma, what a twisted mind you have."

Pronyma snickered.

"But in order for my plan to work, I need a Cruxis Crystal." He glanced down at Colette's unconscious form. "You say the Chosen is sick?"

"Afraid so," Pronyma answered with a small sigh. "Her body is actually rejecting the Cruxis Crystal and it is slowly killing her. Her body is so unstable that it is currently impossible to remove her crystal."

Rodyle sneered. "This Chosen really is worthless."

"It is no big concern," Pronyma said. "With my connections and that fool Yggdrasill thinking that I'm loyal to him, I can have a Cruxis Crystal ready by the end of the month."

"Then I have no need for this worthless Chosen. It's better to kill her now so Yggdrasill can't use her," Rodyle said.

Pronyma shook her head. "No. I think she can still be useful to us."

"How?" Rodyle asked.

"Her friends will be looking for her. We can use the Chosen as bait to lure them here and get rid of them all in one swoop," Pronyma stated.

"Why should I care about the Chosen's group?" Rodyle asked in annoyance. "They're nothing but humans and two traitorous half-elves. The only one among them that is even a small concern is the Chosen of this world since he is a spy for Cruxis."

"One among them is highly valued by Yggdrasill," Pronyma replied. "If Yggdrasill have an interest in anything, it is best to remove it from the picture."

Rodyle rubbed his chin. "This person wouldn't happened to be Kratos' boy. I've heard many things about him years ago. He is an Angelus, correct?"

Pronyma nodded. "Yes. A true angel and supposedly the ultimate life form."

Rodyle snorted. "True angel? What a fairytale. I have no interest in it, especially with the meager power I saw today. I have no clue why Kvar was so obsessed with it to the point of getting himself killed." He paused for a moment. "But you do have a point. It is best to remove it, even if it is just to spite Yggdrasill."

"Glad we can reach an agreement," Pronyma said with a smile. "I will leave you to set the trap while I collect the Cruxis Crystal. Together, we will destroy Cruxis." She disappeared.

Rodyle chuckled. "No, Pronyma, I will destroy Cruxis."

He didn't know what that woman's angle was, but he definitely knew that she couldn't be trusted. Once she gave him a Cruxis Crystal, he would be sure to get rid of her.

He turned to looked down at Colette. This girl may not had giving him a crystal, but she would still be useful. Very useful.

Despite how tired he was last night, Lloyd found himself waking with the sun. He hated that Kratos had turned him into a morning person. It was one of the many, many things he needed to get that bastard back for.

He left the house to go into one of the many fields within the village. He supposed given what Mizuho was known for, it had plenty of places to train.

"Lloyd!?" Sheena exclaimed in surprised when she saw him.

Lloyd was taking off-guard seeing Sheena in the field with Corrine. "Oh, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Aw…well…I just wanted to get some practice in before breakfast," Sheena stuttered before turning her head. "Had a feeling that today was going to another long one."

Lloyd stared at her and saw the dark circles under her eyes. "Nightmares."

Sheena blushed. "It was that noticeable?"

Lloyd shook his head. "I know what to look for."

Sheena jerked. "Yeah...guess you would."

Lloyd gave a small smile. "Well, I know a good way to help make those nightmares go away." He took out his swords.

Sheena took up his challenged and pulled out several cards.

Within seconds, they were both dueling.

Sheena was shocked by how strong and fast Lloyd had become. He was nothing like the person she fought on the Ossa Trial or even the Balacruf Mausoleum. When they fought then, they were more or less equals. Here, Lloyd clearly had the edge.

Then again, she had noticed that Lloyd had been getting steadily stronger, especially after coming to Tethe'alla. And there was that Sword Dancer fight where Lloyd pulled moves she didn't even knew he had. They were many things to be said about Kratos, but she had to give him credit. He pushed Lloyd's skills beyond what they could ever been on his own.

But she wasn't going to fall behind. She was going to get stronger too for the sake of her world as well as Colette.

"Looking sharp, Sheena," Corrine cheered.

Sheena smirked as she deflected one of Lloyd's attacks. "This is far from my best."

Lloyd also smiled. "I can tell. And you're much stronger than the last time we fought. If you pulled half these kind of moves when we first met, we all would be dead."

"I could say the same about you," Sheena said as they broke away. Both of them were breathing fairly hard from the sparring.

Lloyd sheathed his swords. "Got to admit. That really helped calm me down."

"Yeah, I often come out here to train whenever I'm worried about something," Sheena said.

Lloyd chuckled. "It's amazing how much alike we are."

Sheena blushed at the comment and turned her head. "Yeah..."

"Let's go to the house. I'm certain breakfast is ready by now and we need to talk to Tiga about the Rheairds," Lloyd said.

Sheena nodded. "Yeah."

They walked to the guest house where everyone was up. Genis had cooking duty and made everyone bacon with omelets.

"You're really very good, especially given your age," Regal complimented.

"This is the first real meal that I can remember," Presea said.

Genis blushed. "I'm glad you enjoy it. I can always make your favorite."

Presea said nothing as she continued to eat.

Once breakfast was done, the group made their way to the chief's house. Tiga was there and smiled upon seeing them. "Good timing."

"What is it?" Lloyd asked.

"We've located the Rheairds just last night," Tiga informed.

"It's just like Kratos said," Genis said in awe.

Lloyd growled in frustration. "Why does he do things like that to help us if he's our enemy?"

"But now we can save Colette," Presea said, getting everyone back to the matter at hand.

Tiga turned towards Sheena. "Sheena, before you recover the Rheairds, I must give you a test."

Sheena's eyes widened in surprise. "A test, vice-chief?"

Lloyd looked at the man. Was this really the time for a test? Colette was in danger.

Zelos looked on in interest. He had an idea what he was going to say and he knew Sheena was going to react very badly.

"Yes. Even if we recover the Rheairds, if Volt's mana runs out, they will crash again. Thus, before recovering the Rheairds, you are going to form a pact with Volt," Tiga said in a regretful tone.

All the color drained out of Sheena's face and she was visibly shaking.

Tiga sighed as he lowered his eyes. "I know it's hard, but it is a test you must overcome."

Sheena shook her head. "I...I can't!" she yelled before she bolted out the door, startling everyone.

"What was that all about?" Genis asked.

Tiga sighed again and shook his head. "Sheena failed to form a pact with Volt once before. That is the reason why the chief is in a coma."

Lloyd glanced at the unconscious man in the bed. Was that what happened?

Zelos folded his arms. "It's a pretty famous incident. A quarter of Mizuho's population died."

"A quarter!?" Genis exclaimed. "But...summon spirits rarely take the lives of mortals!"

"Well this one did," Zelos said before sighing. "She puts on a strong face, but she's really alone in this village."

"Afraid the Chosen speaks the truth," Tiga replied, his voice full of regret and shame. "Although we are taught since birth to never hold a grudge, especially in an accident, it has been hard for many to move on and forgive Sheena." It looked he was going to add something else, but stopped himself.

Raine shook her head. "Volt is a poor choice for any novice summoner, no matter how gifted they are. Volt is known as one of the most violent summon spirits. Him nearly wiping out a village wouldn't be out-of-character." Although not out-of-character, it was still extreme. What could have made Volt so angry?

Tiga lowered his head in shame. "If the chief knew this, he would have never forced Sheena to make the pact. We….we were both responsible for what happened, but it's Sheena who took all the blame for our ignorance."

Genis shook his head. "So that's why Sheena didn't want to form pacts."

Lloyd rubbed his hair. "After she went through that...how can any of us ask her to make a pact with Volt? It would be almost cruel."

"Sheena looked like she was about to cry. But I believe…the deeper the wound, the more important it is to overcome it," Presea spoke up.

Zelos turned towards Lloyd. "Go cheer her up, man. She seems to have a thing for you."

Lloyd stepped back. "Me!?"

"Sheena is still too young,too frail to accept the cruel fate forced upon her," Regal said. "Lend her your strength."

"You understand the pain of involving others in an incident you caused. Go to her," Raine also encouraged.

Lloyd flinched. He knew... He knew too well. Still, he wasn't sure if he could do it.

Still, without another word, he left the chief's house and started his searched for Sheena. It didn't take him long to find her. She was sitting near what appeared to shine near a flowing river. Corrine was with her, laying his head on her lap.

"Don't worry! If it comes down to it, I'll save you! Just like you saved me a long time ago," Corrine assured.

Sheena shook her head. "I can't..."

Lloyd slowly approached her, causing Sheena's head to turned towards him. It looked like she had been crying.

"I can't do it," Sheena repeated. "You heard, didn't you? So many people died because I failed to make a pact with Volt."

Lloyd nodded. "We heard." He gave a small smile. "What about it?"

"So I may wind up killing you too," Sheena said miserably.

"We won't die," Lloyd assured.

"Why?" Sheena questioned.

"Because you're going to succeed," Lloyd answered with complete certainty.

Sheena stood up and glared at him. "How do you know that!? I already failed once!"

"You'll succeed. We've been helped by your summons countless times, just looked at yesterday." Lloyd said. "You are not the old Sheena. You've already made a pact with a summon spirit. It'll be fine. You'll do great. I guarantee it."

"Yeah, Sheena!" Corrine cheered. "I'll help too!"

Sheena lowered her head. "And if Volt goes berserk again?"

"Then I'll cut him down myself," Lloyd answered as he patted his sheathed swords. "And that will be the end of that. Okay?"

Sheena remained quiet.

"Remember when I told you that I was afraid of lightning?" Lloyd stated. "I understand. You don't like lightning either because it remains you of your failure. Of the ones who died because of you weren't good enough..…" He held out his hand towards Sheena and smiled. "Let's face the thing that scares us and put an end to both of our nightmares."

Sheena stared at him, taking aback by his words. To face the thing that scared her...it seemed too much to ask. If she failed again, everyone would die.

But...on this journey everyone has been facing the things that scared them. Raine and Genis coming clean to their friends about being half-elves and Lloyd confronting Kvar, the man who murdered his birth family. Not to mention Colette. That poor girl has suffered so much and now she was in the hands of a Desian.

It wouldn't be fair to her, to any of them, that she gave up because she was afraid. For the sake of her friends, she had to do this.

"Alright, I'll try," Sheena finally said as she took Lloyd's hand.

Lloyd smiled. "Thank you, Sheena."

Meaty chapter this week. Presea and Regal officially joined, Pronyma plays Rodyle like a fiddle, and Sheena prepares to face Volt. Big chapter coming up.

Until next time, take care.