Here is the next chapter. Thank you for the review and the favorite. More feedback is always welcome since it helps me write a better story.

Now, to the chapter.


Chapter 26: Deceit


The trip out of the temple was smooth and the group was met with no fighting.

Lloyd was happy to be out in the sun again and freed from the humid atmosphere of the cave. From the looks of it, they were in the temple for at least six hours since the sun was beginning to set.

He doubted Raine would want to sail back to the mainland since it would be dark by the time they reach shore. If she was bad during daylight hours, she would be a terror at night. Even he didn't feel comfortable rolling that washtub in the darken sea.

He didn't have long to dwell on that subject before he saw Colette collapsed from the corner of his eye.

"Professor Sage, Colette's sick again!" Lloyd yelled in alert as he ran to Colette's side.

Before he could get too close, however, Raine pushed him away and began to examine Colette. "Just like last time," she whispered before she shook her head. "We must let her rest immediately."

"Time to set up camp, then," Kratos muttered as he wondered off.

Lloyd glared as the older man walked away. Seriously, was Kratos expecting this or was he just being a jackass?

Raine gave a short sigh, gaining Lloyd's attention again. "If this is going to happen every time she releases a seal, Colette is going to have a difficult journey ahead of her." She put her hand on her chin in thought. "For the time being, I'm going to call the phenomenon Angel Toxicosis."

Colette lifted her head slight and attempted to look at her friends. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. She looked ever worse than at the Fire Seal.

"Colette, are you okay? Does it hurt?" Genis asked in worry.

"I'm fine," Colette whispered in a faint voice. She attempted to smile, but that apparently wore her out. "It'll go away soon… I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

"Okay, that's enough," Lloyd scolded gently, unnerved by Colette deteriorating state. He attempted to give a smile on his own. "You're not allowed to apologize any more, okay?"

Colette gave a short laugh. "...I'm sorry."

Genis chuckled. Sick or not, some things would never changed.

"Bring her towards the fire," Kratos ordered.

Raine helped Colette to her feet and walked her over to the far side of the island, away from any of the remaining tourists. Once they reached the fire, she carefully set Colette on the ground and allowed her to relax.

"Who turn is it to cook?" Genis asked, his eyes never leaving Colette.

"I believe it's the Professor's turn," Kratos said, hiding his own thoughts on the subject.

"Raine, are you sure?" Genis asked in horror.

"We have been preventing her for cooking for weeks," Kratos stated. "It's passed her turn."

Raine smiled. "Good, there are a few new recipes I've been wanting to try."

Genis sighed. "I knew it would happen eventually."

Lloyd looked between Kratos and Genis. "Is her cooking really that bad?"

"Of course not," Raine answered before anyone could speak. "They just don't have a sense of discovery when it comes to experimenting with new foods."

Kratos wondered if he should dull his own sense of taste, but quickly decided against it. Even if he couldn't taste the Professor's cooking, it still wouldn't save his stomach.

Genis looked towards Lloyd and gave a sadist smile. At the very least, Lloyd would finally learn the horrors of Raine's cooking abilities.


After another two hours had past, Lloyd slowly rose from the bushes. His stomach still felt funny, but at least he got the last of whatever Raine was feeding them out.

He was warned for weeks about Raine being dangerous in the kitchen, but he didn't listened. His years with Dirk had made him cocky about his ability to eat anything. His dad may make questionable meals, but everything he cooked was still edible. Whatever Raine just made was only a step above poison.

"Feeling better?" Genis asked in a teasing voice.

"Shut up, Genis," Lloyd groaned as he gave a loud burp. He still had that foul small on his breath.

"If you want, I can remake dinner," Genis offered.

"No thanks, I had enough for today. I probably couldn't keep it down anyway," Lloyd said as he rubbed is stomach. "How are you so well anyway? You ate the same meal as me."

Genis chuckled. "I was raised on Raine's cooking. I would never live as long as I have if I didn't have a certain immunity to it by now." He started to blush. "Besides, Kratos helped by casting First Aid on me."

Lloyd's mouth dropped at that last part. "Why didn't he used First Aid on me?"

"You ran away from camp before he could do it," Genis stated dryly, causing Lloyd to blush furiously.

"By the way, Colette is doing much better now," Genis said, changing the subject. "Color is beginning to return to her cheeks."

Lloyd lost his previous anger and sighed. "That's good to know."

"You better get some sleep," Genis advised. "We leave first at first light again."

"Figures, especially since Kratos doesn't seem to sleep," Lloyd said. "I wondered if that guy is even human."

Genis frowned. "Yeah, there seems to be something off about him."

"Huh, I was kidding you know," Lloyd said.

"Oh, of course," Genis quickly said as he shook his head. "Well, I'll see you in the mourning." He left to go back to camp.

Although Lloyd wasn't being serious, there was something not right with Kratos. It was strange enough that a human could use magic, even with some elven blood, but he simply didn't feel like a human. In fact, he reminded him more of Colette as of late.

Genis shook his head and rid himself of those thoughts. It would seem Raine's cooking was starting to affect his mind.

The night past slowly and Lloyd was having trouble sleeping. His stomach still felt woozy and a little bloated. As he shifted in his sleeping bag, he saw Colette standing on a hill under the moonlight. It was strange sight since Colette was usually not a night owl. She usually slept early in fact. Not to mention that she was currently ill.

Lloyd slowly pulled himself out of the sleeping bag and walked up towards his childhood friend. "Colette, you're still up?"

Colette stiffened for a moment before she turned to face Lloyd. She gave a smiled and gave a short giggled. "I couldn't sleep."

This took Lloyd by surprise. As long as he had known Colette, she had never had trouble sleeping. "You may feel better now, but you still need to rest."

"I know, I'll go to sleep in a little bit," Colette assured as her face dropped before brightening up again. "Don't worry."

Lloyd frowned. "But still..."

"Kratos is still awake, too, see?" Colette suddenly said pointing towards the lone swordsman who sat quietly by the fire. The only person keeping Kratos company was Noishe.

"That's because he volunteered to be the night watch," Lloyd stated. Besides, Kratos was hardly normal. "You need to rest."

Colette paused for a moment. "...Okay."

Lloyd didn't believe Colette. Her tone sounded eerily familiar to how she spoke the night before she left. But he was hardly in any position to force her to bed. He just wished Colette would trust him. Before this entire thing with the Journey of Regeneration, she used to tell him everything. Now…

Lloyd sighed in defeat. "Okay, good night." He left to try to go to sleep again. For some reason, his stomach wasn't bothering him anymore.

"Good night," Colette called off as Lloyd left.

Colette continued to look at Lloyd as he walked down the hill. She gave him a sad smile. She hated lying to him, but she didn't want to worry him anymore. This was her trial to becoming an angel. She had to do this to save the world. One day, Lloyd would understand.

"Please, dream some good dreams for me, Lloyd," she whispered.

After his talked with Colette, the night seemed past by quickly. It felt like Lloyd had just sat his head down before Kratos was getting everyone up as soon as the sun rose. For once, he didn't feel like complaining about being woken up early.

"Hey Lloyd, you're up for eating some breakfast?" Genis asked. "I'm cooking."

Lloyd smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I feel much better."

"I'm sorry about last night," Raine sighed as she sat by the fire. "I thought I had the recipe right this time."

Lloyd gave a weak chuckle.

"Eat light, we have a long walk ahead of us, along with rolling back to shore," Kratos said. "From where we are, it will take us about week to return to Hakonesia Peak."

"Urg, do we really have to see that creepy guy again," Genis groaned.

"It's the only way we can see the Book of Regeneration," Raine said before she sighed. "It's a tragedy that such a priceless treasure fall into that man's hands. Countless people lost their lives preserving it."

"I still say we should had stolen the book and roasted Koton," Genis muttered.

"After what I went through to get that stupid statue, we deserved more than just the honor of reading that thing," Lloyd said as leaned into his hand.

"It can't be helped now. We did make a deal with him," Kratos said, although he didn't like it either.

After breakfast, they walked back to the dock where they were again greeted by the notorious washtubs.

Raine began to shake the moment she saw them. "I've forgot about these."

"The same grouping as last time," Kratos said without missing a beat as he climbed into his washtub. Colette followed shortly behind him, although she was unstable on her feet and almost dive head first into the washtub.

Lloyd had to gently lower Raine into their washtub and he had problems climbing in himself since the professor had a death grip on his hand. Genis had the easier time getting into his tub, despite Noishe taken up most of the room.

Halfway through the trip, Lloyd was starting to wish he had a full night's worth of sleep. He was quickly being worn out by the rolling. He kind of wished Raine could helped him even a little, but she was too frozen in terror to do anything other than cut circulation to his arm. The sea was also rougher and he found himself rolling against the tide.

It took about five hours before they finally reached the dock. Everyone was more than happy to bid a final farewell to the dreaded washtubs.

"We should stop by the House of Salvation to rest," Kratos advised as Lloyd and Genis attempted to catch their bearings.

"Good, my arms feel like they're going to fall off," Lloyd said as he rubbed his stiffed shoulders.

"How do you think I feel?" Genis moaned. He was completely spent. Noishe attempted to comfort him by licking his face.

Raine was still badly shaken as she leaned against the dock on all fours. "Let's hope we never have to go to the sea ever again."

"Aw Professor, that's part of the fun," Colette said happily. Her health had greatly improved over the course of the boat ride.

After a few more minutes of resting, they made their way to the House of Salvation. They got an unwelcome surprise when they saw a large soldier waiting by the door.

"Huh, who's that?" Lloyd asked.

"Judging from the armor, he's a soldier from Palmacosta," Kratos stated.

"What's he doing way out here?" Genis questioned.

"Chosen One!" the soldier called as he ran towards the group. He looked almost panicked and they could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"What is it?" Colette asked politely to the tired soldier.

The soldier took several deep breaths. "I have a message from Governor-General Dorr."

"Dorr?" Lloyd repeated. What could he possibly want with them?

"He would like you to temporarily postpone the Journey of Regeneration," the soldier continued.

Kratos gave the soldier a sour look. What could Dorr be thinking? This journey was already taking an ungodly long time. "What is this about?" he demanded.

"A Church of Martel pilgrimage tour guide has been kidnapped by the Desians a couple days ago," the soldier explained. "In light of this and other recent events, the Governor-General has decided that this is the time to gather Palmacosta's forces and launch an attack on the Human Ranch controlled by Magnius."

Kratos eyed the soldier. Something was seriously wrong.

Dorr should know that attacking the Ranch was only a temporary solution for dealing with the Desians. Their best bet was to wait until the Chosen finished her journey since that would neutralized the entire Desian threat, at least in this world. It was also strange that one kidnapping would push Dorr to take such drastic actions. A Governor-General would know better than to risk their entire army for just one person.

He glanced at the Professor and saw she was thinking the exact same thing.

"How is that related to us?" Genis asked the soldier, breaking Kratos out of his thoughts.

The soldier became very nervous. "We would like you to rescue the kidnapped tour guide in concert with our attack."

Colette tilted her head to the side. "Who is this kidnapped tour guide?"

"I think you are familiar with her," the soldier said. "Her name is Chocolat."

"Chocolat!?" Lloyd yelled in dismay.

"Oh no," Raine whispered.

Her statement was not completely out of concern for Chocolat, but out of concern for what she knew was going to happen. There was no way Colette wasn't going to get involved, especially since they personally knew the victim. Not to mention Lloyd and Genis' emotional investment.

"Chosen One, please help us," the soldier pleaded.

Colette turned towards Lloyd with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Lloyd, let's help them."

"You don't have to ask me," Lloyd said as he clinched his fists. "I won't let the Desians get a way with this."

Raine sighed. It was exactly what she was expecting.

"Attacking the Ranch will do little in the long run," Kratos stated, attempting to keep everyone on track. "The sooner we complete the Journey of Regeneration, the sooner that everyone will be saved."

"We can't just leave Chocolat to rot in that Ranch!" Lloyd yelled at the older man. "It may be too late by the time we finish our journey!"

"Lloyd, I know you feel responsible about the part you played in that family's tragedy, but we must be realistic," Kratos said in an even tone. "We simply can't save everyone who runs into trouble with the Desians."

Lloyd shook his head. "If the people of Palmacosta have the will to stand up and fight the Desians, then we should help them. Isn't that what this journey is about?"

"I'm with Lloyd," Genis spoke up. "We can't just abandon Chocolat."

Kratos was going to argued further when he felt Raine put a hand on his back. "It's pointless to argue this any further. The Chosen has made her decision on this matter. As her guardians, it is our duty to carry out her will."

Kratos knew she was right. Just like what happened at Hakonesia Peak, the Chosen's mind was set. That, however, did little to ease the uneasy feeling he got from their current situation. Nothing about any of this entire sounded right.

"Where is the meeting point?" Raine asked the soldier.

"You are to meet Neil within the forest of the Human Ranch," the soldier said, sounding greatly relieved. "He'll be the one leading the attack and he will fill you in with the rest of the details."

"Very well," Kratos said in resignation.

"Then let's get going!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"We first need to eat and rest," Kratos said. "It would be fatal to go into any battle fatigue and you'll be of no use to Chocolat dead," he added before Lloyd could open his mouth.

Lloyd lowered his head in defeat. He knew Kratos was right. But he wanted to get to the Ranch as soon as possible. Who knew what kinds of torture they were subjecting Chocolat to.

The meal was quiet, since everyone was in their own world and no one felt like napping like they did when they left the dock. Nonetheless, Kratos forced everyone to rest for at least three hours before they were ready to go the Ranch.

The soldier came prepared and lent three horses for the entire party. Kratos, of course, rode with Colette while the Sages shared a horse. Lloyd rode by himself with Noishe following along side of them.

What would have been a day and a half journey was completed within half that time. Nonetheless, the sun was low over the horizon by the time the Ranch came within sight.

"Just like the Ranch by Iselia," Lloyd murmured as he winkled his nose. "Has the same smell and everything."

"Raine, have you ever been to a Human Ranch before?" Genis suddenly asked.

Raine shook her head. "No one, besides Desians, have ever went into a Ranch and return alive. There is precious little known about them besides the fact they use long lost technology."

"You mean magitechnology," Genis stated.

"Precisely," Raine said with a nod. "There is much we can learn once we enter the Ranch."

"Who cares about all of that," Lloyd asked with an edge of annoyance. "Regardless of what technology they use, it can't be anything good since it hurts people."

"Technology is only as good or bad as the people who uses it," Raine countered gently. "If we can understand how their equipment works, we may have a better defense if the Desians ever return once they are sealed again."

Lloyd was silent for a moment as he felt his pack where the Spiritua Statue was safely hidden. "This Spiritua woman the statues are base on, she once saved the world, right?"

"That's right," Colette said, pleased with changed of subject. "Thanks to Spiritua, the world was filled with mana and the people were saved. And Spiritua was guided into heaven."

Lloyd frowned. "If she already saved the world back then why is everyone suffering now with mana shortages and the Desians?"

It was always an issue he had with those who believed in the Church. Up until now, however, he didn't dare to voice it in fear of having to hear another lecture.

"The world stopped receiving its blessing because the Tower of Salvation disappeared and people belief in Martel waned," Colette explained. "When people loses their belief in Martel and the Church the seal on the Desians weaken and they eventually break out to cause chaos in the world."

"Lloyd, are you actually studying?" Genis asked in humor. Truthfully, he was surprised he would ask anything regarding the Church.

"Not really. It's just been bugging me," Lloyd answered absently.

"In the end, the only way we'll find the answer is to complete the salvation of the world," Kratos added.

Lloyd turned to look at Colette. "When you become an angel, I wonder if you'll go to the Tower of Salvation, too? If that's the case, we should just ask you after you go. I'm looking forward to your stories!" He gave a wide smile. If he could, he would asked these things to Martel's face.

Colette looked pain for a moment before she returned the gesture. "Okay...sure."

Raine gave her a look of pity before turning her attention back towards the road. Within a couple more minutes, they were within range of the forest.

"Off the horses," Kratos ordered as he jumped down and helped Colette off the steed

"Why do we need to get off here?" Lloyd complained.

"The Desians will see us if we come in riding on horseback," Kratos explained.

Genis looked around. "I wonder where Neil is."

"Maybe he's closer to the Ranch," Colette suggested.

Kratos opened his senses, but didn't feel the presences of an army. Strange, they should be in position by now and they couldn't hide the mana of so many people.

They walked further into the forest, careful to stay out of the sights any Desian.

"Chosen One, please wait," a voice whispered from the brushes, startling everyone except Kratos.

"Neil!" Genis exclaimed.

"What are you doing? We heard Chocolat's been kidnapped," Lloyd said once his heart rate returned to normal.

Neil was visibly pale and he was sweating badly. His normally strong eyes were troubled and he lacked the confidence that they had seen before. "Yes, I wish to speak with you regarding that. Please, come this way..." He disappeared into the brushes.

They followed shortly behind him until they were in a small clearing some distance away from the Ranch.

"Neil, what's wrong?" Colette asked in concern. "Are you ill?"

Neil looked towards the ground for several seconds before he sat straight up and stared at Colette. "I would like you all to just go ahead and leave the Palmacosta region."

This took everyone off-guard.

"But if we do that, what will happen to Chocolat?" Colette asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we're supposed to work in conjunction with the Palmacosta army to save Chocolat," Genis said with a mixed of anger and determination.

Neil's conviction wavered as he looked back towards the ground. "No, that's..."

Neil's posture and demeanor told Kratos everything he needed. "So, it is a trap."

Everyone, saved for Raine, was shock by Kratos' statement.

"What!?" Lloyd exclaimed in disbelief.

Raine sighed as she put her head into her hand. "Of the several possibilities, it looks like the worst one came true."

"Kratos, Professor, what are you talking about?" Lloyd demanded, truly confused.

Kratos folded his arms. There was no point sugarcoating any of the details. "It was a mystery that the Desians would simply leave a city with an army alone."

"Choosing not to crush the seeds of rebellion must mean they were never a threat to begin with," Raine continued as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Or perhaps, because they are in fact beneficial."

Neil's body began to shake. He never once lifted his head to look at them. "It is as you say. Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap."

"How do you know such a thing!?" Lloyd all but yelled.

He couldn't believe that a person like Dorr, who was beloved by the citizens of Palmacosta, could deceive the very people who trusted him. No, not just trust him, but also relied on to saved them from the Desians. It was the ultimate betrayal.

"More than sure," Neil said bitterly. "It was by accident, but I heard him speaking directly to Magnius days ago."

Kratos had to fight to keep his face neutral.

He didn't know what Magnius could be thinking. Why was he trying to kill the Chosen? He must know that Mithos would never approval of any of this, especially with this Chosen. Magnius maybe undisciplined, but he wasn't insane.

"That would explain why there is no military force here despite the so-called attack," Raine surmised. "You must have ordered the soldier not to come, otherwise, it would have been a mass slaughter of hundreds of men."

Genis shook his head, not believing anything he was hearing. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"He didn't used to be like this," Neil whispered as he clinched his fists. "He always thought of the well-being of the people of the city. Even five years ago, when he lost his wife, Clara, he swore to fight against the Desians."

"Then why..." Colette started, truly confused. How could Dorr become one of the Fallen?

"I don't know," Neil answered in frustration as he shook his head. "At any rate, entering the Ranch now will put the Chosen's life in danger. Leave Chocolat to me and please, go on your way."

Kratos nodded. At the very least, things didn't turned out as badly as it could had. Once this journey was over, he would report Magnius' treachery to Mithos. "It would be best to abandon the situation here for World Regeneration."

"No, I can't just ignore this!" Colette suddenly exclaimed, startling Kratos.

"Colette's right," Genis said, regaining his previous fire. "If we leave things as they are now, Palmacosta may be destroyed just like Iselia."

"Yes, what you say is true," Raine reluctantly conceded. "But I still wish to side with Kratos. If you don't want to see cities destroyed, you should avoid contact with the Desians."

Colette shook her head. "No, that's not right. Regenerating the world and saving the people in front of us are not exclusive of each other."

"That was my intention from the beginning," Lloyd said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Remember what I said, I'm going to destroy them all!"

"If that is how you feel, Colette, then we do not have the right to stop you," Raine said as she took a quick glanced towards Kratos. This time, he had nothing to say. "The only one who has the right to make decisions on this journey is you, the Chosen One."

"But..." Neil started. He was stunned that they would still want to help them even after learning about the betrayal and trap.

"It's alright," Genis assured with a small smile. "Colette is saying this is what she wants."

"Now, we have two courses we can take," Raine stated, getting her mind into gear. If they were going to this, they had to be organized. "The first one is to go on ahead and infiltrate the Ranch and rescue Chocolat and the other captives." Everyone could tell by her face that she didn't care for the first option. "Our second option is to confirm Dorr's true motives. If he has planned a trap, then he knows the layout of the Ranch well."

"The second option appears to be the best," Kratos stated. Now that they were involved, for better-and-worse, it was best to do things right.

"What are you going to do to Dorr?" Neil asked hesitantly.

Kratos had to pity the man. Despite the fact that the man he admired had betrayed him and the people of the city, he still showed concern for his boss. It was sad he had to learn the truth this way. Well, at least he learned before anyone was killed.

"You'd better not ask that," Genis warned as he pointed towards Raine. "Raine's punishments are painful."

Not amused by Genis' statement, Raine gave him a hard smack across his face, causing Nail to wince. She turned towards Colette. "It's your call, Colette. Which option do you chose?"

Colette bit her lips for several seconds before turning towards Lloyd. "What do you think, Lloyd?"

"Me!?" Lloyd exclaimed in shock.

Kratos was just as surprised.

Raine sighed. She knew this would eventually happen. Colette hated to take command despite being the Chosen and would defer to Lloyd whenever she couldn't make a decision.

"You're better at these type of things than me," Colette said shyly.

Genis looked expectedly at Lloyd. "So, what do you want to do?"

Lloyd folded his arms and thought about his choices.

He really wanted to burst into that Ranch and saved Chocolat as soon as possible. He owned her that much for the part he played in her grandmom's death and her mother being injured. Not to mention getting pay back on the Desians for everything they've done.

But, he knew it was dangerous just to rushed in blind with no plan. The Desians were waiting for them and were expecting them to come charging into the Ranch like a bunch of idiots. If they messed up, Colette would be killed along with Chocolat.

Not to mention he was curious as to why Dorr could sell out his people and work for the Desians. He didn't want that guy getting away with anything.

"Let's return to Palmacosta. We'll hear what Dorr has to say first," Lloyd finally spoke.

Kratos was shocked by Lloyd's decision. He was certain that Lloyd would take the direct route regardless of the danger. May be Lloyd was maturing faster than he thought.

"My, even Lloyd can make rational decisions sometimes," Raine mused. She didn't sound all that surprise, however. It was as if she was half expecting this choice.

Genis frowned, not happy with the decision. "But Chocolat..."

Lloyd could also see the guilt plain on Genis' face. He felt the same way, but he could just recklessly endangered Colette because of his own shame and guilt. He put a hand on Genis' shoulder. "This is for the best. As soon as we confront Dorr, we'll return here and save Chocolat. We'll save everyone!"

Colette nodded. She wasn't too please either, but she respected Lloyd's choice. He knew what was best in situations like these. "But let's save Chocolat as soon as we can. I'm sure she's scared and lonely by herself."

"What should I do?" Neil asked anxiously once everything seemed to be settled.

"Stay here, we're going to put the squeeze on your commander," Lloyd said before he looked at Kratos and Raine from the side of his eye. "It's better if you don't see it."

"Actually, you may want to organized the militia within Palmacosta," Kratos stated. "If things go well with the Governor-General, we will be launching a full assault on the Ranch. We would require all the assistance we can get if we are to succeed in this under taking."

Neil nodded. "I will have the message sent and the men will be ready within a day."

Kratos turned towards the group. "Now then, let's go."

Without another word they made their way back to the horses. They all knew the somber task that lay ahead of them.


The confrontation with Dorr is coming up along with one of the big wham parts of the game. Hope you are here to read it.

Until next chapter.