With not much to say, thank you once again for all the feedback and hits.

Now, to the story.

Chapter 12: Seal of Fire

The passage was dark and Lloyd could barely see in front of him. The heat was even worst and it felt like he was slowly baking. Even Dirk's cave wasn't this bad.

"Man, I can't see a thing," Genis said.

"This will be a problem if the entire temple is like this," Raine noted in a worry voice.

Colette moved further into the hallway and suddenly the walls began light up. Colette fell backwards in shock as several more lights came on. They quickly realized that the torches mounted on the wall had bust into flames.

"Astonishing, the torches reacted to Colette's presences," Raine said in awe as she looked the torches. "Interesting, they seemed no different from regular torches. I must examine them."

"Later, Raine," Genis sighed.

Kratos looked at the walls with dim interest. Yuan must had rigged the torches to react when they felt the Cruxis Crystal of the Chosen. It was a simple, but very clever set up.

He was more concern about the monsters that had breed within the temple. They would be stronger than the ones outside since they were force to fight for their lives to survive within the enclosed space for untold centuries. Without Centurion Ignis to guide them, they would be wild and dangerous.

"This place is kind of creepy," Lloyd said.

"From what I've read, these ruins used to be part of an old temple that worship the spirit of fire," Raine stated.

"What happened to the other part?" Colette asked.

"It has long eroding away by the desert," Raine said sadly. "The only reason this much remains is because the Church has been maintaining it."

With no more to discuss, the group began to move carefully through the musty hallways. So far, they hadn't seen any monsters, but they did leave their mark. Everywhere they turned, they saw skeletons and other remains of fallen monsters. The smell of decaying flesh also flowed throughout the halls.

Lloyd shuffled his coat around as he attempted to cool himself. He was drenched in his own sweat. "Dang, it has to be over one-hundred degrees in here."

"Yeah, my clothes feel like I jumped into a swimming pool," Genis groaned.

"Keep yourselves hydrated," Kratos warned. "Becoming dehydrated will lower your reflexes and fool your senses."

Raine reached into her bag and gave Genis a jug of water, which he greedily gulped down. "Don't drank so fast. You'll make yourself sick."

"Yeah, and save some," Lloyd said as he snatched the jug out of Genis' hand and drunk a mouthful himself.

Once Lloyd had enough he handed the jug to Colette, who shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Hey, you're sweating just as bad as any of us," Lloyd argued. "We don't know what we will find down here and you have to be ready."

Colette nodded as she took the jug. "Thank you, Lloyd."

"Is it just me, or isn't it getting hotter?" Genis asked.

Raine wiped some sweat from her forehead. "Yes, the temperature has been steadily increasing as we walked down these halls."

"There's a light ahead," Kratos said. At the end of the hall was a red light.

"What could that be?" Lloyd asked.

"We'll find out soon," Raine said as they continued to move forward.

Once they finally reached the end of the hall they came to an opening that branched into three directions. The heat was much worst in this area and felt like it was coming in waves. It was almost unbearable.

Lloyd wondered how Kratos could be okay. His clothes was actually made to take this kind of heat, but Kratos was wearing full armor. Yet, he was doing better than all of them.

"Which way?" Genis asked as he looked in both directions.

"All directions leads to monsters," Kratos stated.

"Well, that's helpful," Lloyd said sarcastically.

Kratos turned towards Colette. "As the Chosen, it's your choice."

"Mines?" Colette questioned as she thought about it. After a few minutes she turned towards Lloyd. "You can decide, Lloyd."

This took Lloyd off-guard. "Why me?"

"Well, you're good at directions," Colette said shyly.

Lloyd bit his lip as he looked down all the possible directions. He was afraid that the one wrong choice would lead them to their deaths. "Well...how about right?"

Kratos nodded. "Very well."

He led them down the right hallway. The hall was fairly long, but not nearly as bad as the front passage. When they reached the end of the hall they found a doorway, along with a treasure chest that was tucked into one of the far corners.

"Hey, look at this!" Lloyd exclaimed as he ran towards the chest.

"Lloyd, be careful," Raine warned. "It could be a trap."

Lloyd turned to face his teacher. "But it could be something good too. We won't know unless we open it."

Genis frowned. "I don't know. There's something funny about that chest."

"It is strange that any kind of chest could have remained unopened after all this time," Raine said in deep thought.

Lloyd ignored their warnings and carefully lifted the lid opened. Strangely, it wasn't lock like he had expected. What he also didn't expect was the chest to suddenly closing on him, nearly taken off his hand.

"What the hell!?" Lloyd exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Lloyd?" Colette asked.

"The chest try to take my hand off!" Lloyd yelled.

Kratos suddenly reached for his sword. "Move away from it!"

At that moment the chest came to life and the opening of it suddenly grew several rows of sharp teeth.

"A Fake!" Raine yelled.

The Fake shot forward and attempted to bit Lloyd's head. Colette was able to knock it aside, causing it to slid across the floor. Kratos released a wave of mana, knocking it further back. The attack hit dead on, but the chest got up like nothing had happened.

"Physical attacks don't work on a Fake," Raine warned. "We have to hold it back with magic."

"On it!" Genis yelled as he prepared a spell. Kratos quickly did the same.

The Fake lunged at the two casters, but Lloyd intercepted it by slammed his sword into it. His attack bounced off the hard metal shell and did little to no damage.

"Dammit," Lloyd cursed.

Colette threw several Pow Hammers at it, but the toy hammers harmlessly bounced off it. It did, however, distracted it long enough for both Kratos and Genis to finished their spells.

"Icicle!" Genis yelled as the ice entrapped the Fake. Kratos followed the spell with Stone Blast. The two hit it together, causing the chest to shake violently. After a few moments, however, it was fine and on the attack again.

The Fake floated towards Genis with amazing speed, but Kratos quickly cut off and was locked into battle with it.

"I thought you said it was weak against magic!" Lloyd yelled to Raine.

"No, I said we had to use magic," Raine said. "Fakes are strong against all elements of magic. They were used to guard important treasures from intruders."

Lloyd gave a low groan. "I wish you've told me that sooner."

The Fake passed Kratos' guard and was able to bit deeply into his arm.

"Mr. Kratos!" Colette yelled as she saw blood dripping from his arm. Colette threw her chakrams at the Fake to get the chest off of him. The attacked failed, however, it kept its gripped on Kratos.

"Lightning!" Genis yelled and struck the Fake directly. The chest seemed to screech as it pulled away from Kratos.

Kratos gave it a final farewell by performing a horizontal spin that left a spiraling trail of light behind him. "Light Spear!" he yelled as he finished the technique with a strong downward thrust into the floor. The attack was so strong that it left several cracks in its wake.

"Amazing," Lloyd muttered. It seemed that Kratos become even more unbelievably the more he see him fight.

Kratos was breathing hard as he grabbed his injured arm. It was bleeding pretty badly and it pulse with pain. He was lucky that his armor was thick or else that chest would had taking his entire arm. If only he could used his full strength, this fight would had been over.

"First Aid!" Raine yelled as Kratos felt his arm heal. It felt much better, but he could still feel the open wounds. Miss Sages wasn't strong enough yet to heal such injuries with just one healing spell.

The Fake slowly floated up again. It was badly dented and was slower than before, but more than able to still fight.

"What does it takes the kill this thing?" Lloyd asked in annoyance.

The Fake roared at them as it made it way back towards Kratos. Apparently, it wanted to finished the job it had started.

"Pow Hammer!" Colette yelled as she threw more toy hammers at it. The Fake looked more than annoyed by her antics and began to charged direction at her.

Kratos suddenly had an idea. "Use that attack again, Chosen!" He began to chant another spell.

Colette didn't questioned it as she threw her toy hammers at the Fake again. The moment Colette made her attack Kratos cast a lightning spell.

When it merged with the hammer, a strong wave of lighting ran through the Fake, causing it to release a piecing screech.

Genis saw his chance to finished it and cast Wind Blade right into its open mouth. The blades of wind cut through the Fake and it finally fell for the last time. The Fake withered a little in its death screams, but it eventually went completely still.

There was several seconds of silence as the group approached the now still chest.

"Is it dead?" Lloyd asked cautiously.

Kratos stabbed his sword into the chest and saw that it didn't move. "It's dead." He sheathed his sword.

"And good riddens too," Genis added as he wiped his forehead.

Colette saw something shining in the remains and she bent down to pick it up. "What's this?"

Raine's eyes widened in surprise. "That's an All-Divide!"

Lloyd looked at his teacher in confusion. "What's an All-Divide?"

"It's a special item made during the Kharlan War," Raine explained. "It was created to weaken particular powerful enemies and make them easier to kill. It was extremely rare, no wonder it was being guarded by a Fake."

"Sounds pretty handy," Lloyd stated.

Raine gently took the item from Colette and put it into her bag. "We might need this in the near future."

"After all the trouble we went through to kill this thing, it better come in handy," Genis said.

"We wasted enough time," Kratos said.

"Agreed," Raine stated as they once again moved forward.

They took the doorway into the next room and found the source of the light and the heat. The sudden increase in light also hurt their eyes.

"The...the entire room is filled with lava!" Genis said in awe.

"That would explain why it is so much hotter down here," Raine stated. "I know the lack of ventilation couldn't be the only reason."

"I wonder if the dwarven kingdom is like this?" Lloyd asked mostly to himself. Dad did tell him that the dwarves lived in a very hot environment surrounded by fire.

"It's possible," Kratos answered.

Genis looked around the maze of stone and pillars, but saw no open passage. "Looks like we went the wrong way. I don't see anywhere we can go."

Raine frowned. "There must be something we're missing here." She saw something that caught her eye on the wall. "There's a torch on the wall." She slowly walked up to it.

"Raine, this entire place is filled with torches," Genis pointed out dryly.

"Maybe so, but these aren't lit," Raine noted.

"Well, there's no need for extra light in this room," Lloyd said as he glanced down at the lava.

Raine put her hand on her chin. "Perhaps, but why put torches in a room that doesn't need it. Maybe the puzzle in this room is to light the torches."

"Sounds too simple," Genis said.

"We won't know until we try," Raine said.

"Looks like we have to go back to the hall and get a torch," Kratos stated.

Colette turned towards Lloyd. "Lloyd, don't you still have the Sorcerer's Ring from the temple?"

Lloyd looked at the ring on his finger. "I keep forgetting that I have this. But yeah, this thing can shot fire. So, maybe we can use it to light the torches."

"The Sorcerer's Ring?" Raine said in surprise. "You mean the ring that was buried within the temple that no Chosen could touch? How did Lloyd get it?"

Genis shook his head. "I still don't know. Lloyd just picked it up like it was just a piece of jewelry."

Raine put her hand on her chin. "Interesting."

Kratos took a quick glanced at the ring. He too had forgotten that Lloyd was able to take the ring. Rather he like it or not that had to mean that the planet had chosen Lloyd. It wasn't too surprising since the Sorcerer's Ring measured a person's potential, which Lloyd had a lot of given his usual birth.

His mind suddenly went back to the words of Origin. He said if one chosen by the Sorcerer's Ring awaken their innate potential, they could literally change the course of history. Both Mithos and Zilveren were chosen and they certainly did change the course of the world. Too bad it wasn't for the best.

"Wow, the floor move!" Lloyd's voice snapped Kratos out of his musings.

Raine looked very impress. "Just as I expected. We should light any empty torches we come across."

They went through several mazes of moving floors and finding the right torches to light. They even had to go back to the main hallway in ordered to get to a different section of the same room. The heat really started to get to them and they went through several jugs of water to eased their thirst.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Lloyd said as he attempted to fan himself. "When are we going to finally be out of this temple?"

"Normally I would get on Lloyd about this, but I have to agree," Genis said in exhausting. "It's like an oven in this place."

"It could be part of the trial to test the Chosen's endurance," Raine said.

"The Church did say that fire is both endurance and strength," Colette said.

"I wonder if the other trial would be organize the same way?" Raine asked.

Kratos was suddenly on guard. "Something coming!"

From the shadows, several strange humanoid figures came at them. Their bodies were red and they had golden pieces of armor on them. They also had long swords that looked to be in the shape of a flame.

"Fire Warriors," Raine said.

They charged them and Kratos quickly had to quickly parry one of them. Lloyd was also force to hold one off. Its body's was so hot that Lloyd could feel the heat pouring off of him.

Kratos attempted to break the defense of his opponent, but it was able to hold its own against the skill swordsman. He couldn't take this thing too lightly. He saw from the corner of his eye that two more was heading right for them. This was bad.

"Icicle!" Genis yelled as the Fire Warrior fighting Lloyd screamed in pain.

"Tiger Blade!" Lloyd yelled when its defense was broken. The creature slammed into the floor and it glared at him with a vengeance. Lloyd quickly finished the monster by thrusting down right into its eye.

Colette was forced to fight in close combat with her Fire Warrior who was able to bypassed Kratos. She held her chakrams in each hand was able to dodged and parried the monster's attacks. She, however, was quickly becoming overwhelm. Raine kept her going by healing all her injures after she was hit.

Kratos finally managed to kill one of his Fire Warriors by performing a Super Sonic Thrust. It was so powerful that even the second Fire Warrior, who was behind its partner, felt it. Kratos quickly finished him off by tearing it a part with a Double Demon Fang.

Lloyd, meanwhile, came to Colette's rescue and stabbed her Fire Warrior in the back. It gave a screech of pain as Colette finished it by cutting its throat.

"Sorry," Colette said as it fell lifelessly to the floor. Colette put her weapons up and gave a short pray to the fallen monsters.

"We can't stay here," Kratos warned. "More will be here."

Just as he said that, a flaming bird suddenly hit Kratos from behind.

"Whoa, what's that!" Lloyd cried as he dodged the bird.

"Fire Bird!" Raine yelled.

"I need an orange gel," Genis huffed. He had no mana left to give for a spell.

Raine closed her eyes and chanted. "Charge!"

Genis felt immediately rejuvenated as mana rushed through his body. "Thanks, Raine." He chanted another spell and sent a blade of water at the bird. The water slowed it down, but it was still able to shoot several fireballs at the group.

Colette in turn was able to strike it with her chakrams, but she wasn't causing enough damage.

Lloyd attempted to hit it with his Demon Fang, but it was too low to hit the monster. "Dang, I need to get higher."

An idea came to mind and he began concentrated his power from his exsphere. It glowed for a second as Lloyd jumped into the air. "Tempest!" he yelled as he cut the Fire Bird several times with his swords.

The bird screeched as it plummeted to the floor. Kratos was there to get his revenge on the bird for the cheep shot earlier by cutting it in half as it fell down.

"Man, the monsters around here are ruthless," Genis noted.

"I feel dizzy," Lloyd said as he attempted not to spill his lunch.

"That move is both careless and crazy," Kratos said.

"Maybe, but it got the job done," Lloyd said smugly, once he regained himself.

Kratos sighed in defeat as they moved again before anymore monster could ambushed them.

They were still attacked, however, several times by both Fire Warriors and Fire Birds. Between the constant fighting and the heat, they were all becoming severely weaken. Only Kratos managed to keep the same level of strength and began to take on more responsibilities as the group slugged their way through the temple. It didn't help that they still needed to solve the puzzles.

After what felt like an eternity to the group, they finally reached a glowing platform.

"Hey, that looks like that thing from the temple," Lloyd said.

"That 'thing' is called a warp, Lloyd," Raine scowled. "This must take us to the main altar."

"We can only hope," Genis said as they stepped through the platform.

They were now standing in a large room with several pillars and a large altar that was very much like the one back in Iselia. The heat was also more bearable.

Raine looked around in awe as the group passed her. "This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!"

They all stopped short of the altar.

"So, what now?" Lloyd asked. "Does that angel returns?"

Colette shook her head. "No, before I can break the seal, I have to pass one more test."

"Not another test," Lloyd moaned. "What is it this time?"

"To defeat the guardian," Colette answered.

Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise. "Guardian?"

At that very moment the altar began to light up.

"What the...?" Genis shouted in shock as waves of mana assaulted his senses.

Kratos reached for his sword, waiting to see what creature Mithos had created for this trial.

A huge pillar of fire erupted from the altar and the silhouette of the creature appeared. A loud roar suddenly echoed across the room as a large catlike creature came charging towards them. Its entire body was red with black stripes, and it was covered in flames. It had a silver spiky mohawk on its head and two sable tooth fangs. Its eyes was a burning crimson and it was ready for blood.

"A Ktugach," Raine grasped. "I thought they only existed in ancient myth."

"Well, it looks very real to me," Genis said as he prepared a spell.

The Ktugach wasn't going to give him that chance and ran over to him. Genis couldn't finished his chant in time before the creature hit him and sent him flying across the room.

"Genis!" Raine screamed in horror as Genis hit the floor and didn't move from where he laid. She quickly ran over to check on her baby brother.

"You'll pay for that!" Lloyd yelled as he hit the Ktugach with several fast thrusts to its lower paw.

That just annoyed the creature and he swiped Lloyd across his chest. He barely had time to move as the claws just missed him. However, flames shot off from the attack and Lloyd's jacket caught on fire.

He quickly dropped and roll to put out the flames. It worked and Lloyd gave a sigh in relief. His jacket wasn't even harm in the blaze. Dad was right when he said that this material was fire proof.

Colette hit the Ktugach several times with both her chakrams and her Pow Hammer. The monster roared in anger and attempted to gut Colette, but she was able to perform her Damage Guard before it reached her and deflected the attack.

Kratos moved in and hit the creature hard with a wave of mana that actually pushed it into a nearby wall. It left a nice size dent in it, but the Ktugach didn't seemed overly hurt. If anything, it just seemed even madder.

Kratos had to keep himself from laughter. It seemed Mithos made these Guardians more powerful than usual just for him. He supposed Mithos couldn't make things too easy.

The Ktugach charged Kratos and an Eruption went off under his feet. While Kratos was distracted, the Ktugach swiped in and knocked him to the floor. Before it could do anymore damage, however, it was hit by an Icicle.

"Forgot about me, didn't you?" Genis mocked.

Before the Ktugach could recovery, Lloyd charged it and hit it with a Tempest. The monster screamed in pain, but it seemed to just get more powerful as it cast another Eruption. This time the runes were so big that it covered most of the battlefield.

"Move!" Kratos screamed, but it was already too late.

The giant Eruption went off and Kratos quickly covered himself with Guardian. It barely held as the barrier shook from the sheer power of the attack. Once it was finished he dropped the spell. He looked around in relief to see that both Raine and Genis' Force Fields had hold. Colette's was able to hang on too, but she looked very tire from the ordeal.

Lloyd wasn't so lucky as burnt marks could be clearly seen on his face. He would had been more damage if it wasn't for the clothes he was wearing.

"Hang on, First Aid!" Raine yelled as Lloyd injuries were healed.

The Ktugach attempted to take advantage of their weakened state and went after Colette. Genis was ready for it and hit it with a jet of water. Colette then attacked it with her chakrams, cutting him deeply in several place.

Kratos moved in to finished the beast by performing a Light Spear. The Ktugach sensed him at the last second and deflected him with his tail. Kratos landed gracefully but was annoyed by his lack of success.

"Kratos, why don't we do something like you did against that treasure chest?" Lloyd asked as he ran up to the older man.

"What?" Kratos asked.

"When you merged your attack with Colette," Lloyd clarified.

It took Kratos a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "You mean a union attack."

"Whatever, we can use that to take this thing down," Lloyd said.

"We could..." Kratos muttered.

"It's our best bet," Raine said, hearing their conversation. "I'll help too."

Kratos nodded. "Very well, follow my lead."

He ran toward the Ktugach with Lloyd shortly behind him. Raine ready her own spell as Colette continued to hold off the Ktugach with Genis help.

"Sharpen!" Raine yelled as both Lloyd and Kratos' weapons began to glow.

"Move!" Kratos warned Colette and Genis. Colette saw them coming and quickly gave them room. Kratos built the mana into his blade as he got closer to the monster.

Lloyd followed his lead, seeing what he was doing. The Ktugach turned to face them and gave a loud roar as it prepared another Eruption.

Before he could do it, however, both Kratos and Lloyd hit with a Sonic Trust at the same time. They did it in a cross formation, leaving a giant 'X' in the middle of the Ktugach's chest. The Ktugach gave a cry of pain as flame like blood dripped from its wound. It, however, completed its Eruption with Kratos and Lloyd were in the middle of it.

Knowing Lloyd couldn't performed Guardian correctly yet, Kratos covered the boy in his arms and protected them both with his own barrier.

"Icicle!" Genis screamed as ice exploded around the monster.

Colette followed it by throwing her chakrams into the beast's month. The Ktugach began to chocked as it attempted to dislodged the weapon.

Kratos saw his chance and jumped into the air. He pointed his sword into a downward thrust. "Super Sonic Thrust!" he scream as he buried his sword deep into the Ktugach's spine.

The Ktugach gave one last roar as its body dissipated in a flash of flames. Soon, only embers were left of the once great beast.

Kratos jumped down and land smoothly on the floor. He casually put his sword away.

"Amazing, Mr. Kratos," Colette cheered.

Lloyd shook his head. "Man, is there anything you can't do?"

Kratos didn't have to answer as the voice of Remiel filled the room. "You, the Chosen of Regeneration. Offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette snapped to attention as she looked towards the altar. "...Yes, my lord." She walked towards the altar and knelt down in prayer. "Oh Goddess Martel, valde patronus quod nurturer of orbis terrarum, tribuo mihi thy vires!"

The glow steadily brightened after a few seconds had passed. Then, the light broke apart and a golden aura appeared from the ceiling. Soon, Remiel floated down in a sparkle of light.

"Colette, my dear daughter, you have done well," Remiel said in a gentle voice that was filled with pride.

Colette bowed her head humbly. "Thank you...fa..ther."

"The guardian of the seal has fallen and the first seal has been released. Efreet will surely awaken soon," Remiel stated. "In the name of Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the angels."

"Thank you, my lord," Colette said in a slightly shaken voice as she put her hands together.

A beam of light suddenly came towards Colette and her Cruxis Crystal began to glow. Colette's body jolted back as the rush of mana streamed through her. It almost felt like fire in her chest and the heat gradually began to move to her backside. Colette had to suppressed a scream as mana suddenly erupted from her back. She barely heard her friends grasp in both shock and surprise as she attempted to recover from the pain.

Two pink wings with purple highlights were now flowing out of her back. They sparkled like stardust and were nothing like Remiel's wings.

Lloyd looked at Colette, unable to even form words. Something told him he should remember something like this. Like, this was the way a real angel was suppose to look.

Colette began to flap her wings and she effortlessly floated into the air like a delicate butterfly. It was just like all the legends and stories the Church tried to tell Lloyd. He began to wonder if maybe he was wrong about the Church and the Chosen's quest, but something still seemed off.

He glanced at Kratos who looked surprisingly unimpressed. It was just like the temple. Did anything fazed this man?

Kratos for his part had to keep himself from cringing at Remiel. He could see the flicker of envy on Remiel's face as he looked at Colette's wings. He knew the cause since the mana made wings of an angel were a symbol of high rank within Cruxis. Only the Seraphim had those wings and Remiel obviously wanted them too. His greed was going to give him away.

"The angel transformation will not be without pain," Remiel spoke in a tightly controlled voice. It was both to hide his envy and his delight that the Chosen was going to suffer to have those wings. "Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."

"I humbly accept this trial," Colette answered without a hint of fear.

"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar," Remiel stated.

Colette. "Yes, my lord."

Lloyd couldn't help finding it odd that Colette would call her dad 'lord' and used such stuffy language.

Remiel once again vanished in a wave of light and feathers. "I shall await you at the next seal, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter, Colette."

Colette descended towards the floor and everything was silent for a moment.

"Colette...has wings," Lloyd stated rather dimly. He still couldn't get over what he was seeing. It was both amazing yet...wrong at the same time.

Colette turned to look at him and smiled. "Uh-huh, and look, I can put them away, too." Without even concentrating, her two wings disappeared from sight, shocking everyone even more.

"Oh wow, that's so cool!" Genis exclaimed.

Colette's smile grew wider. "Here, look, look!" She made her wings reappear and flapped them quickly. Genis jumped in delight. It was like the entire fight never happened.

Lloyd tore his eyes away from the scene and looked at the two adults. As much as he enjoyed Colette's wings, there was something else that Remiel said that had gotten his attention. "He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a ship!"

Lloyd had to keep himself from joining Genis jumping up and down. He never once been to or seen the sea. He always wanted to go. He even dreamed of building his own boat one day and sailing across the world to see everything. "I can't wait!"

Raine, on the other hand, looked like she was going to be physically sick. "A ship..." She quickly put herself together. "I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now."

"We should head to the coast to see what we can find," Kratos advised.

Lloyd turned to look at Colette and Genis, who were still playing. "Okay you two, we get it already. That's enough."

Genis and Colette stopped their play and nodded.

Kratos knew that the Chosen was not going to be well soon, so it was best to hurry out of the temple. If he could help it, he wasn't going to carry her out and risk leaving the group opened to an attack.

Without anymore discussing they all made their way to the warp.

The first seal is done. Hard to believe that it took twelve chapters just to get to this point. The battle scenes were also kind of hard to write given the limited move selection that the characters have at this point, especially Colette and Raine. Also, the battle with the Fake was not just filler. You just have to take my word for it for the time being.

Kf2104, thanks once again for your continue support. Although I put it in the chapter, I most likely did not explain it well. Lloyd has trouble with Guardian because he has trouble maintaining a steady amount of mana of a period of time. Lloyd can use mana well in short bursts, like for his Demon Fang, but not well enough to use a shield. Although, Lloyd will get better given time.

Kiomori, thank you too for your continue support and feedback. I also thought that random bit of humor is something that Lloyd would do. Also, it is easy to make fun of Kratos given how stiff he can be. I decided to add that bit about how the different shields work because within the game some characters have different names for their shields for whatever reason.

With that said, until next time and have a good Labor Day for those who live in the US.