It has been nearly five years since I last updated this story. God does times fly.

I really have no excuse outside of suffering from severe burnout while working on this story and wanting to do other projects like my One Piece and Dragon Ball stories. But I never once considered abandoning this story to the point that I never closed the Word document on it (yes, I kept this story opened for nearly five years despite going through two computers in that time). The one bright spot, my grammar should be better after my five year break...I hope.

Regardless, this story will be finished even if no one reads it since I don't want an incomplete story on my profile. Now, onward to the story.

Chapter 38: Shadow of the Past

Lloyd was really starting to worry him. Since they have left the Balacruf Mausoleum he seemed ill. Kratos had checked his mana a number of times and it appeared healthy. If anything, it was much stronger than before.

Then again, Lloyd's mana has been steadily increasing for some time now. It would be easy to assume it was because of all the extra training he had been doing with the boy, but he was not sure if that was completely the case.

Yes, Lloyd has grown stronger since he started to mentor him, but most of Lloyd's mana growth happened only about a week ago. Specifically, it happened the night that he learned of the Chosen's condition. It was around the same time that Lloyd's exsphere began to bother him.

Kratos could tell that Lloyd was in pain by the way he winced every few minutes and looked at his hand. He could also see the exsphere glow brighter off and on throughout the day. To add to his concerns, Lloyd has not been sleeping well lately. He kept waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares. Thankfully, there had been no night terrors, yet.

"I can't wait to reach Luin," Lloyd said as he stretched his arms. "It's been too long since I've slept in a real bed."

"I hear you," Genis sighed. "It will also be nice to be out of the cold. I never knew the mountains would get this chilly at this time of year."

Colette turned towards Raine. "Professor, you never told us where we go after Luin."

"After some research and going over Remiel's words, I would guess that the next seal is in the Tower of Mana," Raine surmised.

"Tower of Mana?" Lloyd repeated.

Genis sighed, too tired to make fun of Lloyd's ignorance.

"The Tower of Mana is a sacred site to the Church of Martel," Raine explained patiently. "A long time ago, it was used for rituals and holds one of the biggest library in the world." Her eyes lit up. "The tower is a treasure trove of knowledge! I can't wait to explore it!"

"Is the next seal really there or do you just want to go to the library?" Genis asked dryly.

This earned Genis a slap to the head.

"If the next seal is in the Tower in Mana, then we would be in luck. The tower is not too far from the city of Luin," Kratos said.

"Really?" Lloyd said slowly.

So, they were closer to the end than he thought. He glanced at Colette, who was walking happily with no care in the world as she played with Noishe.

Colette already lost her ability to eat, sleep, and even feel. What more could she possibly lose? He shivered at the thought of her losing more of her humanity.

"It will not be that easy," Raine said. "The Tower of Mana is lock to the public. We will have to ask permission from the Church in Luin to gain entry."

"If those imposers haven't come here yet, we can just tell them that Colette's the Chosen," Genis replied.

Raine nodded. "True."

Kratos suddenly stopped. His entire body was tense.

"Huh, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked the older man.

Raine did the same and her eyes narrowed. Over in the distance, they could see smoke rising from the mountains.

"Is that..." Genis asked slowly, unable to finish.

Kratos nodded. "It is in the direction of Luin."

Lloyd's heart froze in place. "No…did the Desians attack?"

"Very likely," Kratos answered calmly, although he was enraged to the point of shaking. This was the second time he had witnessed Anna's home being destroyed by the Desians.

"No, we need to go and help!" Colette exclaimed.

Raine shook her head. "It's too dangerous. The Desians may still be in the area. Kratos and I should check ahead and make sure it is safe."

"No, if the Desians are there, then I must fight them," Colette insisted. "I...I can't let the people think I'm afraid of them."

"I won't be left behind either," Lloyd growled. He was also shaking. "I won't let the Desians get away with this."

Raine was about to argue furthered before Kratos put his arm in front of the professor. He already knew they were fighting a losing battle.

"Just stay close to me," Kratos said coldly. "It will be your own fault if you're hurt or killed."

"That's kind of harsh," Genis mumbled to himself.

"Let's move," Kratos ordered as he cautiously moved the group forward.

He opened all his senses to see if any Desians remained in the area. Specifically, he was searching for Kvar. The man rarely attended his own raids, but he could never be too careful. Given what the man has done, he was never going to allow him near Lloyd. He would end him himself, with or without Mithos' permission.

When they got closed enough to the city, they could see the devastation. There were still houses on fire and the smell of death and burning flesh lingered in the air.

"...This is..." Lloyd spoke softly in disbelief. This was far worse than Iselia.

"Horrible..." Genis finished for Lloyd. He felt sick to his stomach. How could anyone be so cruel?

"I do not sense any Desians," Kratos said as he scanned the area. He also could not sense any survivors. Did Kvar completely wiped the town? "From the looks of things, I would say this raid happened over a day ago."

"We have to look for survives," Colette said. Her voice left no room for argument. Kratos could not helped but to be reminded of Martel.

Nothing more was said as they made their way into the burning city. The smell was even worse and Lloyd coughed several times as he covered his mouth. He thought he was going to be sick.

"Are you alright?" Kratos asked.

Lloyd quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Raine looked around the city with a neutral expression. "I can't sense anything. It would seem that everyone was either taking to the Ranch or killed."

Colette shook her head in denial. "There must be someone still alive."

"You guys...!?" a soft voice exclaimed.

They all turned to see Corrine staring up at them.

"Hey, it's that fox thing that's always around that woman," Lloyd said.

"The name's Corrine," he said in annoyance.

Raine narrowed her eyes. "So, the assassin is here too."

"Listen, you can try to kill us after we help the people of this city," Genis said, more than a little annoyed.

Corrine was silent for several seconds. "Even though we're enemies, I need your help."

This took everyone by surprise.

"You need our help?" Lloyd repeated.

Corrine nodded. "It's Sheena. She's been badly hurt in the attack."

"Oh no!" Colette exclaimed.

"And you want me to heal her," Raine surmised coldly.

Colette paid no mind to her teacher. "Please, take us to her."

"This way!" Corrine yelled as he ran ahead.

Colette quickly ran behind him with the others following shortly behind.

They kept going until they reached the fountain, which had been left intact. Slumped against the fountain was Sheena. She had several deep gashes all over her and looked utterly exhausted. What got everyone's attention, however, was the heavy bleeding in the middle of her stomach. The wound was bandaged with several layer of cloth, but it was still leaking badly.

Kratos could tell by looking that it was a mortal wound. If she did not bleed to death, the acid from her stomach would slowly eat through her insides, promising a slow and painful death. It was quite remarkable that she was still alive.

Corrine ran towards his mistress and shook her body several times. "Sheena, Sheena, I've brought help!"

Sheena slowly lift her head to look at her savers. "…Oh, it's you guys."

"What happened? You're badly wounded," Lloyd asked as he stared at the wound. It was amazing it wasn't infected.

Sheena coughed up some blood as she stared at the young swordsman. "If you want to finish me off, now's your chance. I don't have any strength left to fight."

"Don't say that!" Corrine yelled. He was closed to tears.

Colette turned desperately towards Raine. "Professor, please heal her."

Raine crossed her arms. "I will, but first, I want you to tell me what happened here. It seems she has companions, and this may just be a trap to catch us off guard."

Colette gasped at how cold her teacher was being. "Professor!"

Sheena chuckled humorlessly. "You're as devious as you look."

Raine was unmoved by her words. "Call me what you like."

Sheena focused her glare at the elf. "Take a look at this city. Everything's in ruin. The Desians...invaded."

Lloyd growled. "I knew it!"

"It seems a little strange for the Desians to attack a city off seasoned, especially this fiercely," Kratos stated.

"Do you know about the Human Ranch northeast of here?" Sheena asked as she fought to remain conscious. "The people of this city had been hiding some folks who escaped from the Ranch. The Desians found out about it and attacked the city."

Colette clasped her hands together. "Were all the people killed?"

"No," Corrine answered as he faced the Chosen. "They rounded up most of the people and took them to the Ranch nearly two days ago."

Genis sighed in relief. "Then, there's still a chance to save them."

"So, how were you injured?" Colette asked.

"Yeah, you're so strong that I can't believe a Desian could beat you like this," Lloyd said.

Sheena couldn't help being moved by his words. "I was doing pretty well, but I lost to their leader, Kvar."

Kratos' eyes widened and his heart stopped. "Kvar was with them?"

Sheena nodded before giving a soft sigh. "I stood no chance against him. He threw me into the lake and left me for dead." She coughed up some more blood, scaring Colette further.

Raine glanced worriedly at Kratos. She has never seen him so shaken up.

Before she could think about it any further, a loud scream filled the sky. Everyone turned to see a badly injured priest running down the road.

"Help me! Someone help me!" he screamed in terror. Behind him a giant monster chased him. It roared loudly as it attempted to impale him several times with its long claws.

Lloyd's eyes widen in shock. "That's..."

"It's Clara!" Raine exclaimed in equal surprise. "She managed to get all the way here!"

The man tripped on some debris and Clara bear down on him, ready to gut the poor man.

Colette opened her wings and flew between Clara and the priest. "Clara, please calm down!"

Clara stopped and stared at Colette. She seemed to almost recognize her. Within a few seconds, however, the spell was broken and Clara viciously slashed Colette across her arm. It was only by her unnatural high reflexes that Colette kept herself from being seriously injured.

"Colette!" Lloyd yelled as he caught his friend.

Colette gave Lloyd a reassuring smile. "I'm okay."

Clara used this time to make her escape.

"Clara, come back!" Genis yelled desperately.

Kratos gently put his hand on Genis' shoulder. "It is pointless. She can no longer hear us and we do not have the means to help her."

Genis' shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know..."

Sheena wasn't sure what to make of the scene. Did they know that monster?

"Thank...thank you.." the priest stuttered as the shock wore off.

"Relax, the monster's gone now," Raine reassured calmly.

"That monster just came out of nowhere when I was watching the church," the priest spluttered. "I was trying to lure it away so it wouldn't get to the children."

Sheena looked up when she heard this. "The Desians didn't get any of the kids?"

"Some were taking, unfortunately," the priest replied sadly. "But thanks to the efforts of many of the villagers, they were able to keep the Desians away from the church."

Sheena leaned further against the fountain as relief washed over her. "Thank Martel for that."

"We also owe you a great thanks," the priest said humbly to Sheena. "Without you, we would have had no chance at all."

Sheena smiled before she groaned in pain again.

"Sheena, please don't move too much," Corrine said worriedly.

"She has lost a lot of blood," Kratos observed.

Colette looked towards her teacher, who was currently healing her injured arm. "Professor, please!"

Raine gave a defeated sigh once she finished with Colette.

That woman could not be trusted, but she did risked her life to defend this city. The priest would never lie about something like that. Despite whatever alignment she had, she was still a good person.

"Fine, but I swear, you're all way too softhearted for your own good," Raine said as she walked over towards Sheena.

She very gently put her hand over Sheena's wound and carefully healed it. She kept her senses opened for any infection, but felt nothing. Even half dead, Sheena did a good job caring for her injuries.

Sheena felt the warm mana soothe her and felt her pain eased away. When Raine was done, she slowly stood up and looked over herself.

"Why…why did you save me?" Sheena finally asked as she stared at the group.

"Probably for the same reason you protected this city," Lloyd answered with a warm smile.

Sheena wasn't sure what to say.

The priest looked over the remains of the city. "Look at what they did. After everything….we may not be able to recover from this."

"Why?" Genis asked. "I thought this city survived a number of raids."

"Never one this bad in which almost all the people have been taking," the priest spoke morbidly. "It's one thing for the Desians to destroy our buildings and infrastructures, those things can be rebuild and replaced. What makes a city are its people."

Raine nodded in understanding. "Without the people to rebuild, the city will eventually die."

"You can't possible give up on this city after everything you've been through," Colette said in horror.

"What choice do we have?" the priest asked hopelessly as he sat on a nearby piece of debris. "The kids can't survive here without their parents and the remaining adults can't take care of them for long given our limited supplies. We also don't know how long it will take for the Chosen to regenerate the world. The best thing for everyone is to move to either Asgard or Palmacosta."

Colette bit her lips. "What if we go rescue everyone?"

Kratos felt a cold chill run down his spin.

"You...you can't be serious!?" the priest exclaimed in horror. "Don't you know what you're getting into? Kvar is one of the Grand Cardinals! You're just a bug compare to him!"

Genis puffed his chest. "Yeah, yeah, we've already taken out one of those."

The priest stared at him in disbelief. "You mean...of course." He turned his eyes towards Colette. He immediately stood up and grabbed Colette's hand. "Those wings, that glow...how could have miss it!? You're the Chosen of Mana!"

Colette blushed meekly. "Yeah, I am."

"Chosen, forgive me for doubting your power," the priest said humbly as he gave a short bow before her. "But I can't possibly ask you to go to the Ranch. I mean, what if you're killed?"

"He has a point," Kratos said neutrally.

"We can't just leave those people to die," Lloyd said with heat.

"But...if the Chosen is successful in her journey, the Desians will be banished and everyone will be saved," the priest said.

Raine nodded in agreement. "The only long-term solution to getting rid of the Desians is to complete the Journey of Regeneration."

"I guess..." Colette said slowly.

Kratos felt like sighing in relief.

"You can do what you want. I'm going to save those people," Sheena said firmly.

"Sheena, you can't possibly be thinking of going there alone!" the priest exclaimed. "As strong as you are, you'll die."

"I'd whether die fighting then waiting for someone else to help those people," Sheena replied with conviction. "Everyday for those people in the Ranch is hell. I can't stomach to think what is being done to them even now."

"But..." the priest started.

Sheena turned her back to them. "Chosen, I swear to repay my debt to you one day. Until then, farewell..." She ran off with Corrine right behind her.

"She's going to get herself killed," the priest mourned.

"It is her choice," Kratos stated in a cold voice. "We cannot stop her."

"Dammit, I hate this!" Lloyd yelled in frustration as he slammed his fist into his right hand. "Here we are just sitting here while people are suffering! Sheena is the one who's right in this! We can't just let Colette continue to carry the burden of the entire world! We have to do something too!" All the frustrations of the last week exploded within him. He could feel his exsphere flare.

"Lloyd, please calm down," Colette said gently.

"We need to go to the Ranch and save those people," Lloyd said, leaving no room for argument.

"Lloyd..." Raine started.

"I agree with Lloyd," Genis said firmly. "Raine...I've seen the horrors of the Ranch with my own eyes. I've seen what they did to Marble." He gently touched his exsphere. "Even if we do succeed in regenerating the world, how many people will die in that time?"

"I understand where you all are coming from," Raine said softly. "But we must be realistic here. Just because we have destroyed one Ranch does not guarantee we can do it again. If we fail, we take the only real chance this world has with it."

"Professor Raine, I want to go," Colette spoke up as she stood by Lloyd's side. "It's just as Lloyd said in Palmacosta. How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?"

Raine stood silent as she looked at each of her students. There was no changing any of their minds. "Since you are the Chosen, it is your choice. I just hope you understand the danger you are putting yourselves in."

Colette turned towards Kratos. "What about you, Mr. Kratos?"

Kratos wanted to shout a firm no. These kids had no idea who they were dealing with. Kvar was nothing like Magnius. Kvar would not just kill them, but make them suffer. That bastard would loved nothing more but to get his hands on Lloyd to twist him into some kind of weapon.

However, he could not disobey the Chosen. He was bound to obey this girl until the end of her journey. It would raise suspicions if he suddenly broke rank now. He also knew it was impossible to change her mind. She was dead set.

"Since you are my client, I will follow you wherever you go," Kratos finally answered, hiding all his feelings. "I highly disagree with your actions, but it is your choice to make."

The priest looked between everyone in the group. "You're really going to do this?"

Lloyd nodded. "There's no point of you trying stopping us."

The priest sighed in defeat. "Then...I will just pray to Martel for your success."

Colette walked up to the priest and grabbed both of his hands. "Don't worry. We'll save everyone. I promise."

The priest gave a small smile and squeezed her hands. "Thank you, Chosen."

"We better get going then," Kratos said. "If we leave now, we should reach the Ranch by late afternoon."

They gave their last goodbyes and made their way out of the city. The trip was silent and somber with the task before them. Noishe whined and bark to try to lightened the mood, but it was impossible.

Kratos was even more distance than usual and tried to keep ahead of the rest of the group. Raine, however, was eventually able to match his pace, with some effort.

"You know what we are about to deal with," Raine said, getting to the point.

Kratos nodded. "I have some knowledge of Kvar, which is why I wanted to avoid him. I should also warn you that the Desians that works at his Ranch are more train and discipline than Magnius' group."

"I understand," Raine said with a nod. "However, we will need more information if we are to assure our success."

Kratos was not sure how much to tell without given himself away. "Kvar...loves to experiment. He has a mountain of research build off the blood of his human prisoners. There is no telling what creatures he has hidden in that Ranch."

"I see, and how does his fighting ability compare to Magnius?" Raine went on.

"He is not as physically strong, but he has very powerful magic and is a strategic fighter. He did not beat that assassin easily on a fluke." He paused in thought. "His biggest weakness is his arrogance and his habit of toying with his victims before killing them."

Raine sighed. "That's not much to go on, but it is better than nothing."

Kratos said nothing more as they continued their walk.

It was after two hours of walking when the smell hit them. It was the familiar foul stench that they knew of the Ranch.

Lloyd felt like he was going to be sick. It was something that he could never completely get used to.

"Be on guard," Kratos warned as he felt for any Desians.

They snuck through the woods that covered the Ranch and got their first glanced at the security.

Much like the Palmacosta Ranch, the place was surrounded with Desians. Unlike the other Ranch, however, the Desians here were heavily armed and there were several magic users among them.

"The security is intense. It's completely different from the last Ranch," Genis noted in worry.

He could see several dozen Desians guarding the entranceway. On top of the regular guards, there were security cameras everywhere.

Lloyd shook his head. "Even if we get inside..."

Raine rubbed her chin in thought. "There is a way though."

Their options were limited. They did not have the advantage of last time of having a key card or an army to back them. Also, if what Kratos said were true, Kvar would not be careless enough to leave a blind spot. If only they could pass themselves off as Desians.

Raine's eyes widened when the idea struck her.

Lloyd caught the change in his teacher's demeanor and he knew that she had an idea. "Professor, I bet you're thinking the same thing I'm thinking," he said with a smirk.

Colette looked between the two in confusion. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll disguise ourselves as Desians and sneak in," Lloyd said, loving the idea.

Genis tilted his head. He secretly cringed at the thought of being in a Desian's uniform.

"That is very bold," Kratos said. It reminded him all too much of what they did during the Kharlan War.

"I don't think this is the best plan either, but do we have any other choice?" Raine asked with a sigh. Who would have guessed that she would agree with Lloyd on any plan? Especially one so half-baked.

Lloyd stepped forward. "I will hide and ambush them."

Kratos side-eyed Lloyd. "That is quite risky for you to do alone."

"I'm the fastest and most agile in the group," Lloyd stated. "I'll be able to get in and back the quickest."

Kratos wanted to disagree, but he knew what Lloyd said was true. Despite Lloyd's loud personality, he was actually quite good at stealth. He was also fast, faster than even him on the draw if he didn't used his Cruxis Crystal.

He finally nodded. "Very well. Be careful."

Lloyd smiled and nodded as he jumped over the bushes and ran off.

There, the group waited for what felt like hours for their friend to return.

"What's taking Lloyd so long?" Genis asked worriedly.

Colette put her hands together. "You don't think he has been caught?"

"Doubtful, the alarm would had gone off," Kratos said in his most neutral voice. Inside, however, he was just as nervous as the others.

It was another fifteen minutes before Lloyd finally returned. He was dragging a dead Desian ungracefully towards them. Kratos helped him dragged the body into the bushes and out of sight.

"Sorry for taking so long," Lloyd apologized as he huffed in exhaustion. "Trying to drag a body while remaining unseen is tough."

"That sounds so wrong on so many levels," Genis said as he rubbed his head.

Kratos began to check the corpse. From what he could see, Lloyd did good work. He managed to kill the Desian with doing very little damage to the uniform. From the looks of it, it seemed the Desian died from a single thrust to the heart from the back. The Desian probably didn't even get the chance to cry before dying. It kind of unnerved him that Lloyd could be such an efficient killer.

Raine did her own examination of the dead Desian. "Well done, Lloyd." She dispassionately unclothed the body, causing Colette to turn her eyes away.

Genis looked towards Lloyd. "You only brought one uniform."

"Give me a break," Lloyd huffed. "It took me nearly twenty minutes just to drag this guy here."

"Girl," Raine corrected.

Lloyd blinked. "Girl?"

"The Desian is a woman," Raine said as she removed the helmet. Underneath was a blond-haired woman who looked to only be a teenage around Lloyd's age. Here eyes were wide opened and blank.

Lloyd turned away the moment he saw her. This was the first time he'd seen a Desian unmasked. It was unnerving to see just how 'human' she looked. He always saw the Desians as masked monsters then living people, although he knew better. And to see a Desian so young too…..it was unnerving.

Colette put her hands together and prayed over the soul of the fallen Desian.

"You could had just undressed her instead of bringing the body here," Genis pointed out.

Lloyd quickly snapped out of his trance. "I'm not going to stripped a Desian."

"It's done now. There's no point in arguing about it," Kratos said. "We just need to ask ourselves now on who will be the Desian."

Raine nodded as she finished taking the final piece of the uniform. "Everyone else is going to have to be prisoners."

Lloyd raised his hand eagerly. "Me, me, I'll be the Desian!"

"This is not a game," Kratos said firmly.

"Although the uniforms of the Desians are gender neutral, I will be the Desian," Raine said, leaving no room for argument.

Lloyd immediately pouted. "Hey, that's not fair, Professor!"

Genis gave Raine an odd look. "Raine..."

"I will go change," Raine said as she turned around and walked into the woods for some privacy.

"Why do you want to be a Desian so badly anyway?" Genis suddenly asked. "You don't even like them."

"I hate the Desians, but I think their uniforms are cool," Lloyd said as if that was the most obvious answer.

Kratos sighed. They had no idea of what they were walking into.

I'm kinda annoyed where I ended this story. My first update in years and it's a setup chapter, I'm still in Sylvarant, and I'm just now getting to Kvar. Like, good lord past me. I wished I at least stopped in Tethe'alla since that is where I am in my draft version.

Regardless, thanks for reading.