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Chapter 9
It was strange. One moment, Sheena was flying through the night sky peacefully. And the next, everything shifted and warped around her. A shape appeared above her, seemingly swallowing her up. Her stomach turned as she felt like everything was twisting around her.
Silence. For a fleeting moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, everything was nothing and nothing was everything. The sensation passed, and she heard the sound of the machine, as she was flying once more.
"Oh geez, that was intense. They really should've warned me."
"I agree!" Corrine appeared on her shoulder. He looked around for a moment. "But at least it worked."
Sheena tilted her head. "You can tell? It's too dark for me to see."
"I can feel it; the mana level here is much lower."
Just then, the Rheaird, began to make concerning noises. "Oh ooh."
"What's going on?" Her small friend asked with a panicked voice.
"This thing runs on mana. Because the levels are low here, it can't keep flying. Hang on, we're going down!"
She tried her very best to go down with grace. It would be very bad if her one ticket out of this world would be damaged beyond repair. By landing it on its bottom first, the wings were spared. Hopefully, it would still be functional when she wanted to use it again.
"Are you alright, Corrine?"
The small, man made summon spirit lifted his head up and nodded. "I'm fine. How about you, Sheena?"
"Still in one piece. Let's store this thing for now."
Holding up the wing pack, the machine was automatically stored into the small cube she could keep in her pocket. Following this, the ninja took a moment to survey her surroundings with the assistance of the moonlight.
"Do you know where we are?"
"I had our destination set for the Ossa Trail. It's looking like we crashed down on the very top. Finally I'm getting a bit of good luck."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sheena."
Corrine said it in a small voice and she petted his soft head. "Thanks for being here with me."
"Of course! It's the least I can do after you've saved me."
Smiling at him, she gave him a couple more scratches. "I still appreciate it."
Their environment wasn't all that noteworthy: a rugged mountain range with a trail that meandered along the natural contours, occasionally diverted by human intervention where the terrain proved impassable.
It was still dark, the full moon just beginning its decent. Carefully, she jumped down one rock at a time. As a ninja, she had no doubt in her abilities, but with these unknown surroundings, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"What now?" Corrine asked when they ended up on a larger cliff face.
"The Renegades told me to wait here. According to them, the Chosen would have no other choice but to follow this path."
"They knew exactly when the Chosen would come here?" The little fox tilted his head curiously.
"It's no secret they casually travel between the two worlds; how else would they know of the true nature of things? There's no doubt in my mind they keep a close eye at all times."
"But they don't make their own hands dirty." He huffed.
"There, there." Sheena scratched under his chin. "It's my chance to prove myself. To right the wrongs I did."
Maybe it was a bit too hopeful, and yes, selfish unlike Zelos thought. Sure, she wanted to save their world. It was very wrong of her to put her own wish to be accepted into the village again, to be forgiven, above that. Still...
"Sheena?" Corrine's soft fur brushed against her cheek as he tried to shake her out of deep, dark thoughts.
"I'm okay." She smiled to him, taking him into her arms and sitting down on the soft patch of grass. "We'll have to wait here, until someone shows up."
Looking up at her, Corrine tilted his head, making the bell around his neck ring softly. "You really going through with this?"
"I'm here, aren't I? Would be a waste of a trip..." It was clear she was trying to make light of the subject.
"Taking the life of someone you don't even know. It's not like you, Sheena. I know that's how ninjas tend to do it, but it's not how you work."
Cupping the small fox's face, she looked him in the eyes. "I have to. The world where my loved ones live, will otherwise be destroyed. I don't want to lose you, Corrine. You are my only friend."
"The same goes for me." He licked her hand to show affection. "Not even that red head?"
"That idiot Chosen? Please." Sheena huffed and shook her head.
"He is kind to you, even came to wish you luck and goodbye."
"I bet he does that with every woman."
Even Corrine knew the young man was a charmer. That was saying something, as he had been in captivity for quite some time.
Still, blood on Sheena's hands, he did not like the sound of that. Sure, he knew she wasn't clean. But all the other cases, were either not her fault or people who deserved it. He also knew that pushing the subject was useless, as her mind was set. Secretly, he hoped she would have a change of heart.
Lloyd woke up at the scent of coffee tickling his nose. He sat up and stretched, seeing Raine and Mithos by the campfire. The former was preparing sandwiches while the latter was taking care of the coffee.
"Goodmorning, Lloyd." Raine greeted him, looking up from her work for just a moment.
"Morning." He stood up, looking at Genis and Colette, who were still asleep.
"You are up surprisingly early." His teacher remarked. "I'm so used to you being late to school most of the time."
Chuckling awkwardly, the teen scratched the back of his head. He couldn't deny it, but the reasons for it, he did not really want to go into.
"Well, you both seem busy. I can wake the others up?"
Mithos nodded to him. "Please do."
First, he approached his young, best friend. He was huddled up in his sleeping bag and fast asleep. How could Lloyd tell?
"Wow, that's some impressive snoring." What was the expression? Something to do with cutting down a forest.
The most effective way to wake someone up from that: pinching their nose. Genis shook his head almost violently the moment this was done, glaring at the person who woke him so rudely.
"Lloyd, why'd you do that?" The boy complained, who expected his sister instead.
"Had to wake you up somehow." Chuckling, he stood back up from his kneeling position. "Morning, Genis."
"Awh, it's morning already?" Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"Did you not sleep well, little brother?"
"I was a little cold."
"You rolled away from the campfire at one point for some reason. I did not want to disturb your sleep by dragging you back." Mithos explained.
"Oh. Sis, are you making breakfast?!" Suddenly wide awake, Genis was up on his feet and rushed in to salvage whatever he could.
Laughing softly to himself, Lloyd than walked over to Colette, who he approached very differently. Setting down on one knee, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Colette, it's time to wake up."
Despite the soft-spoken words, the girl was stirred by the warmth of his hand. She opened her sky-blue eyes and met friendly, deep brown eyes that bordered on red. She smiled.
"Goodmorning Lloyd."
"Morning. Here." He lifted his hand from her shoulder to offer it to her.
Taking it, Colette was helped up to her feet. "Thank you. Morning, everyone."
"Goodmorning, dear. How are you feeling?"
To most people, Raine's look was stern. But Colette saw the concern underneath that as she knew her well enough.
"I feel fine."
This was not a complete lie. The girl did feel a lot better than the night before. As the two teens joined the others by the fire, they happily received a tin cup of coffee.
"So, I was wondering: where we going now?"
Raine arched a brow as she looked at Lloyd. "Did you not pay attention to what the Angel said?"
"He probably forgot already." Genis remarked teasingly.
"Hey!" But the teen really didn't have anything to defend himself; he honestly had not heard a word from the moment Colette sprouted those wings.
Sighing, the teacher repeated the words. Lloyd tilted his head in thought. "Across the sea. That means we get to sail on a boat!"
Colette agreed with his enthusiasm, saying: "It's very exciting."
"Sure, but where are we going to find one?" Genis wondered.
His best friend cupped his chin. "I remember a place, right on the shore. Odds are we find one there, right?"
"You are speaking of Izoold, a fisherman's village." Mithos stated.
"How come you remember things like that, but not last week's homework?" Scolded the teacher, crossing her arms.
"It's cause he wants to travel the world. When it's something Lloyd interested in, he won't forget." Genis added on.
"Stop ganging up on me, will you?"
"In any case, we will need to cross the dessert first. The Ossa trail will follow after that."
Mithos was clearly trying to keep the group focused on their goal. And the others realized that he wasn't wrong in doing that.
"Let's get moving and try to get out of this place before it gets too hot."
They all nodded to Raine's suggestion and got to their feet. The campsite was cleaned up, after which the small group set off, breakfast in hand.
"Are you still not feeling well, dear?" Raine asked the blond girl after a little while, walking next to her to keep the conversation between the two of them.
"Huh? I feel fine, Professor."
Her disbelieve was clear, as her grey eyes looked at the sandwich that was still in Colette's hand. All the others had finished their meal quite some time ago.
"You don't have to keep up a brave face for me. You know that, right?"
Raine had taken hold of the girl's hand and gave a small squeeze. She showed her a small, thankful smile.
"Yes. I feel... better. It's just that I still don't have much of an appetite."
"I see. Try to eat in smaller portions regularly over the day; you need to make sure to keep up your strength."
"I will, pro- Raine. Thank you."
It was certainly appreciated that the woman looked out for her. Colette really couldn't wish for a better person to watch over her during this journey.
As Raine let her go so she could walk next to Lloyd, their sword for hire unexpectedly joined her side instead. Usually, he'd be ahead of the group, scanning for danger. He likely had done a scan of the surroundings and judged it safe.
"You have a very close bond with the Chosen one."
"Is that so wrong?"
Mithos shook his head, not facing her, but instead looking straight ahead. "Not exactly. I just wonder if you aware of what is waiting at the end of this journey."
Once again, she wished she could see his complete facial expression when touching these kinds of subjects. Just a mouth was really hard to read anything off.
"That information is only shared to the people who are closest to Colette."
"I am aware." The man turned his head slightly; Raine could feel his eyes on her. "So, you do not know?"
"She told me, in good trust." She said after a short silence.
"Are you against it?"
"Would I join if I were? I'm here to support and watch over her. Ultimately, it's up to Colette and she want to save the world even with all its faults and imperfections."
"You would not do the same?"
"I do not hold the same love and devotion." Raine admitted, setting her eyes on Colette, who was happily chatting away with Lloyd and Genis.
"That's understandable."
"Are you asking me this because you are afraid, I will falter at the end? Because I can assure you it is not me you should be worried about."
Two sets of eyes settled on the brown-haired teen. Mithos his mouth was a thin line. "So it would seem."
Colette than pointed ahead, calling out happily: "Look, mountains. We're at the trail."
"Good, I was getting tired of this dessert."
"Gee Lloyd, what a surprise." Genis remarked sarcastically.
"Let's have a small break before we start hiking up." Raine suggested.
"Oeh look, water fresh from the mountain. Let's fill our water bottles back up."
"Great idea, Colette. I'll do it."
As Lloyd held out his hands to receive all their flasks, he was about to walk up to the fresh spring water when a voice called him to a halt.
"Stop right there!"
All eyes turned upwards to see a young woman standing on a higher ridge of the mountain. What struck them most was her extraordinary outfit, truly unlike anything they had ever seen before. It captured their attention immediately.
Tilting her head curiously, Colette looked over to Lloyd. "Is she a friend of yours?"
The teen raised a brow and shook his head. "Not that I know of."
"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" The unknown woman interrupted before they could drift too far off topic.
"Oh yes, that's me." Smiling, Colette set one step forward. "Do you need something?"
"I need you to die!"
Suddenly, she was armed (oddly enough with what seemed to be a card) as she jumped down and charged straight towards Colette.
Lloyd and Mithos both moved simultaneously, an unfortunate choice that resulted in a collision between the two. This left the Chosen wide open, and she fell back in shock at the sudden turn of events. In the commotion, she hit something, triggering a click that caused the ground under the assassin's feet to open up.
"Aah!" She yelled as she disappeared into the darkness of the unexpected trap.
"Oh no. It happened again..." Feeling bad right away, Colette looked down the pitfall.
"Just what was that?" There was a rare hint of annoyance in Mithos' voice as he faced Lloyd.
The teen was rubbing his forehead, as he had hit the man's helmet pretty hard. "Auw... I'm sorry-"
"Actions like that can lead to fatal mistakes." He was cut off with the sharpness of a knife. "We cannot have this happen again. From now on, you will have training sessions with me whenever we get the chance."
"Hey, who made you the boss?" Lloyd raised his voice, clearly getting agitated. The nerve of this man!
"Mithos is not completely wrong. I do believe that, as our two sword fighters, you need to learn to fight together."
"Professor, not you too..."
"I hope she's okay."
The worried tone of Colette made them all look over. Sheathing his rapier, the sword for hire crossed his arms.
"You do realize she was making an attempt on your life?"
"Well, I do feel a bit sorry for her." Lloyd admitted, walking up until he was standing next to the girl. "She got some bad luck, falling down a trap like this."
Raine shook her head, not understanding the empathy for this assassin. Then again, they were still children. Pulling at the lever that Colette had accidently fallen against, the hatch closed up again.
"It is not a trap; it's a maintenance tunnel for the mines in the mountain."
"Something like this will not stop an assassin set to kill the Chosen. I have no doubt we will see her again. Let's move along before she shows up."
"Agreed, these surroundings are not ideal for a fight."
Nodding to Mithos' and Raine's words, the group moved on, following the trail after they'd quickly refilled their water bottles. Elevation was nothing new for Lloyd: the track he took each day to go to school, went over the foot of a mountain after all. Raine seemed to be rather confident at it as well, which the teen found curious.
The youngest pair were struggling, however. Genis' main reason was that he had short legs. He had trouble keeping up and the rugged terrain was something he was not used to. As for Colette, she did go to Lloyd's place, but it was rare because people found it too dangerous. And the track to the temple was a very easy one. This was a whole other can of worms.
After tracking for a little while, Mithos paused. "The summit of the trail is close. I suggest we rest there, for their sake."
It was not hard to guess he who he was talking about. Lloyd slowed his pace, offering Colette a helping hand. Raine did the same for her little brother. Because of that, it did not take too long before they reached their half way stop.
"Thank you." Colette panted a little, happy to sit down after such a challenging climb. "I know we can't really stop..."
"Do not worry, this is the ideal point to do so."
This was true; the summit had a lot more space as opposed to the path the group had been following. It gave the ideal overview of the full trail. That was not what the Chosen was interested in, however. Her eyes looked at the view of the rugged terrain and the green hills that seemed to follow after. Looking on further, it seemed to all even out and lead to the ocean.
Lloyd sat down next to her, taking it in as well. "Wow, nice views, huh?"
"Yeah, it's amazing."
"Definity better than just looking at a lot of sand."
Colette laughed at that. "You're right."
"I guess at least now, we'll be going downhill, so it should be easier." Genis remarked.
"That does not mean you can relax." The mercenary said curtly.
"You really mean to train me?" Lloyd asked him, clearly still hung up on that.
"It feels like the sword skills you have acquired, are self-taught. Am I wrong?"
"N-no. But so what?" The teen huffed.
"Your techniques and movements need work. I have a lot of experience and if you want to contribute as a valuable member of this group, you need to be better. If you cannot do this, go back home."
Balling his fist, Lloyd was about ready to hit this guy right in the jaw. Spotting that, Colette placed a hand over his.
"He's just looking out for us. Mithos, you've made your point but please think of the feelings of others too."
After a moment of silence, the man nodded. "As you wish, Chosen one."
Genis was looking out over the valley stretching below them, observing the low hills that eventually lead to the great ocean. At its coast, there was a collection of small houses. He pointed towards them.
"Is that the place we're heading for?"
"Yes, that is right. The small fishermen's village known as Izoold." His sister nodded.
Both Lloyd and Colette were squinting in the direction the boy was pointing. "Man, elf eyes really do see much further, huh? I can barely see those houses."
"You guys really are amazing." The Chosen said impressed.
"...I suggest we start walking again. With a bit of luck, we can make it to the village by lunchtime."
"Ooh, that sounds good!"
Always motivated by the sound of food, Lloyd was on his feet quickly. Mithos let the teen lead; it was an easy road and he rather watched every one's back for more than one reason.
The group set off once more, their pace much faster thanks to the path going downward. Some monsters were in their way, but they were hardly a challenge. If this kept up, they would arrive even before lunch, so the teen liked to think.
However, as they reached the end of the trail, their progress was halted. The entrance to the mine was blocked off by large, wooden boards to keep people out, but the fortification was not really built to keep anything in.
With one good, hard kick, Sheena had kicked the wooden barrier down. She was covered in dirt and would have been hopelessly lost in those dark, nonsensical tunnels if it wasn't for Corrine's amazing, sharp nose.
As the dust and sand settled, she was a little surprised to see the same group again; what were the chances they would bump into each other at the other end at the same time? This she could not let go to waste.
"Hold up, don't move!" The assassin called out, arming herself.
"Oh, she caught up with us." Genis was just as surprised.
"Thank goodness you're alright."
Before the Chosen could step closer, Mithos stepped in front of her, drawing his sword. "You're outnumbered. I suggest you draw back if you value your life."
Showing a grin, the assassin pulled another card. It had a certain insignia inscribed upon it but before it could be read, it went up in smoke. The cloud grew bigger and bigger until a large, intimidating being immerged.
"Aah, what is that?!" Genis called out in fear.
It was easily twice as tall as a full-grown man and had big, sharp claws. But what stood out the most was the wheel attached to its back.
"A Guardian." Mithos was taken by surprise; this sort of technique was never used. Only by a certain group of people. Was she...?
A large gust of wind interrupted his thoughts, as it headed straight towards the group. Using the barrier technique, he was mostly able to stop it. However, their opponent turned out to be a crafty one: using the distraction, she had changed her position quite suddenly, appearing on the opposite side of the group in a matter of seconds.
Lloyd just barely managed to block the woman's first attack by crossing his swords. Gasping, Colette threw her chakram in hopes to push their opponent back. The fight developed into chaos quite quickly. The guardian was big and used a combination of wind magic and its sharp claws. And the assassin almost seemed to teleport around at will to attack with cards or a flurry of harsh kicks.
Mithos tended to hold back while fighting, Lloyd did the very opposite; the teen slashed wildly, trying to bring down the guardian and hoping to catch the assassin in between. Genis kept his distance, doing his best to concentrate and cast spells, mostly focusing on the guardian since that one was an easier target to hit.
Colette was kept in between Raine and the two sword fighters; they wanted to keep her protected and it seemed to work. The healer did her best to keep eyes on every one and help out where needed, while also having to focus on protecting herself.
At one point, a big gust of wind blew Lloyd away from the others, isolating him. Without getting the chance to recover, the assassin came at him next, kicking him several times.
Calling out, Colette threw her weapon once again, hoping to distract their attacker. At the same time, Mithos rushed in, picking the teen up by his left arm. As his concealed face looked down on him, his invisible eyes almost seemed to be glowing.
"I knew I was right; you are nothing but a bother, a liability. Children like you should stay home."
Something flared up inside. Quiet water was suddenly and violently turned to its boiling point. The world turned into a twisted, red tinted tunnel vision, with two shapes right in the middle of it. The guardian was the initial target of an onslaught of sword thrusts, executed with such speed that the weapons blurred into a silver haze.
Sheena was caught off guard. It was happening so fast, she could only stand and watch. It was hard to even keep track and before she knew it, a harsh force pushed right against her chest, taking her breath away. It was not a physical blow; she knew that much as the teen was still a few steps away from her.
She could not move, not even fall back. In the blink of an eye, he stood directly in front of her, his swords crossed and poised at the delicate curve of her neck. That was not was gave her fear, however. It was the look in his eyes. One would expect anger, frustration, maybe even hate. But his... his were empty. For some reason, that was all the more frightening.
"Lloyd, please stop!"
A flicker of light, a voice joined in with Colette's, calling out. The barrier cracked, breaking into pieces right after, the red taint fading away. He blinked, as if he had just awoken from a dream. His eyes went wide as he processed their position.
Carefully, Lloyd pulled his swords back, making sure his blades did not cut any skin in the process. He seemed completely put off by his own actions, as if he had not intended to do them in the first place.
Even though she was just as confused by all of it, Sheena knew she could not linger here. Taking her chance, she grabbed a smoke bomb.
"Just you wait. I swear I will kill you all next time!" After that statement, the assassin disappeared into the large puff of smoke.
More concerned for her best friend, Colette arrived at his side, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd, are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah..." Slowly, the teen placed his swords back in their sheaths, visibly confused. He didn't understand what had just happened. He was never to kind to do something like that, to threaten another human life so casually.
"For now, I think we should be thankful it turned out like this. That assassin had the element of surprise, I am just relieved there were no casualties."
"You're right, professor. Thank Martel for that." Colette folded her hands together for a short prayer.
"Wasn't it odd? Not only that big guardian thing, but also her clothes, even her fighting technique. Just everything was off about her." Genis remarked.
"It does not matter: all we need to know is that we always need to be ready for a fight." Mithos said evenly.
"But why? I'm trying to help."
"Not all people long for salvation, Chosen one. Now I suggest we move on; the village is not far and much safer."
Raine had reiterated it multiple times, yet for Colette, it remained a bitter truth to accept. Who would not desire for their world to become a better place?
After ensuring everyone was unharmed, the group continued their journey. The mountains faded into the distance as the village came into full view on their right. Due to the altercation, they arrived just past midday.
"Let's have a short rest first, I believe we could all use it."
"Actually professor, I'll take guard duty this time."
All the others looked at Lloyd for his offer.
"It's the least I can do for all the... trouble I've caused. Besides, Mithos should have a break for a change."
"Lloyd, you haven't made any trouble!" Colette was quick to rebuttal.
The teen shook his head, showing a faint, unconvincing smile. "It's okay. Please, I insist. Besides, I'll have Noishe with me for an extra set of eyes."
Said pet was right next to him. He barked, raising his head proudly and wagging his bushy tail. It gained him a nice scratch on the head from his owner.
"Very well. We will have a short rest of a few hours. You can have one after that." Mithos nodded.
After they agreed with this plan, Lloyd stayed outside with Noishe as the rest of the group stepped inside the small but cozy inn. As expected, the two rooms it had were divided between boys and girls, which meant Mithos and Genis shared one and Raine shared the other with Colette.
Completely drained from all the walking and the very scary fight, the young boy drifted off as soon as his head hit the pillow. As for Mithos, he had more than enough to mull over. The project had some interesting triggers to say the least. For a thing that typically numbed emotions, it was almost ironic that those would also cause some kind of reaction. And the power behind it, was impressive. For a human, at least.
The Cruxis leader was grinning to himself as he looked out the window but seeing nothing. He was imagining how much more he could push this, and what might happen next. In his distorted mind, he believed he was simply experimenting with a concept, not playing games with an actual human life.
As for the other room, the mood was quite different. Raine could tell that Colette was worried, so she set down next to the girl on the bed, asking what was on her mind.
She was lightly squeezing her hands together, looking down, avoiding eye contact. "What happened back there, that wasn't like Lloyd."
"When people want to protect someone dear to them, they can do things that seem extreme, out of the ordinary. You do mean a lot to him, Colette."
"Maybe so, but still..."
Raine placed her hand on the girl's. "You have more than enough on your mind as it is. Leave the rest to us, dear. Try to focus on what you've set out for."
Her blue eyes looked at her. "But I care about all of you. If something happened to any of you, I would never forgive myself."
"Oh my dear, sweet girl." She pulled Colette into a warm hug, since that was the only way she could comfort her. She had way too great a heart for her own good. To ask of her to just ignore all of that, was asking the impossible. It would be out of character indeed.
Colette was experiencing her own transformations, yet she chose to keep them private. She continued to prioritize others over herself, always placing her own needs last. After all, she was prepared to sacrifice her life so that the rest of the world could have a better one.
Meanwhile, Lloyd looked around over the small, fishermen's village. The smell of the sea and freshly caught fish, the style of the little, wooden homes, the calls of the many seagulls overhead. It all felt...nostalgic?
"Hey Noishe, be a good boy and stand guard here, okay? I'm going to scout out this place."
The dog tilted his head for a moment, but then barked obediently. Lloyd smiled, this time scratching under his pet's chin.
"I'll bring you some fish as a reward."
That garnered a happy bark. The teen started his walk, under the excuse that he was making sure the place was safe. But honestly, this place was giving him a strange feeling he couldn't quite place.
He walked around, looking for answers. Why was there this weird pit in his stomach? Was it good or bad? Even that was hard to tell. Eventually, he arrived at the pier. There were three docks with a variety of boats tied up to it, bobbing around aimlessly.
The strong sent of fish made Lloyd look over; there was a small stand where freshly caught ones were being sold. As he stepped closer, he noticed there wasn't as much as one would expect from a village known for fishing.
"Ah, good day there, young man. Interested in some fish?" An elderly man greeted him.
"Uh yeah, maybe something for my dog. But, how come you have so little?"
"Ooh, you are a sharp one. Yes, it's true, we haven't been able to catch as much fish lately. The reason? Monsters! They roam the ocean as if claiming it as their territory. We barely dare to leave the bay now, it's a real shame."
The man shook his head, clearly torn up over it. So that's why all the boats were in. "No one would want to sail to Palmacosta then?"
"Goodness, no. Way too dangerous!"
This was a problem. Lloyd needed to inform the rest of this. If they couldn't go by sea, there was one other way, which was by land. But that was a very long way around.
"Hm, say lad. You just arrived here, didn't you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I don't know, you have something familiar." The elderly man leaned in, taking a closer a look at Lloyd. "Can't place my finger on it."
"Uh, first time here so I wouldn't know..."
Was that really true? Something in his gut told him otherwise. But that did not make any sense, so he shook it off.
The old man waved the thought away. "Ah, never mind. Here's a cod, I bet your dog will love it. Only fifty Gald."
Well, that was cheap. "Sure, sounds good, thanks." Lloyd nodded, handing the old man the money.
The fish was wrapped up in some paper before it was handed over. The man squinted once again, obviously picking his own brain trying to find out why this teen looked familiar to him. Feeling a little awkward, Lloyd did not want to hang around.
"Thank you." He waved and turned to walk back towards the inn.
The village was flanked by a narrow stretch of beach that extended from the pier. Lloyd decided to follow it to really see everything. A few kids were playing around in the midday sun. Some were tossing a ball back and forth, others were running along the waves of the ocean.
One kid was building a sandcastle as his parents looked on, smiling at the fun their son was having. The sounds faded, then seemed to double up, but not quite the same. The image overlapped, distorted and vague. A little brown-haired child, chuckling while playing in the sand, his mother and father looking on lovingly. Their faces... why could he not see them?
With a long stretch, Colette woke up from her nap. It was short, but it was something she really needed. She looked over to see Raine wake up at the same time.
"Hello dear, how was your rest?"
"Good, professor. How about yours?"
"Got what I needed. Let's see if Genis and Mithos are up."
Colette nodded and got dressed. As they exited their room, she took a look outside the window, which gave a good view of the ocean and the small beach. What she spotted there, had her worried.
"Uhm, I'll be right back."
"Colette, where are you...?" The girl was already out the door before Raine could stop her.
The brown-haired teen was kneeling on the beach, his gaze fixed on the horizon while he absently let the sand slip through his fingers. Colette approached, cupping his face to try and snap him out of his trance gently.
"Lloyd, Lloyd?"
His name echoed through his own head, again it was overlapped by other voices. Familiar yet distant, close yet far at the same time. His eyes refocused, looking upon the kind, sweet face of Colette.
After taking a deep breath and fully snapping out of his reverie, the two of them sat down together on the sand. When Colette asked what was going on, he just shook his head.
"I don't get it myself. It doesn't make sense; it feels like I've been here before. But that's not true."
The girl tilted her head in thought. "Dirk never took you along, did he?"
"On his job? No, never. He left me either with the professor or with your dad."
"Right, we played a lot together." Colette chuckled at the happy memory. "But you were somewhere else before you were in Dirk's care. Maybe it was here."
"Huh..." The teen blinked, trying to process it. "That would explain the feeling. There's even an old man here who was sure he's seen me before."
"So maybe this is where you were born?"
Lloyd considered this. It seemed to make sense, fit in with all the lose puzzle pieces, but still, he did not have a complete picture.
"My parents... I can't see their faces. They're blank."
Shuffling closer, Colette placed her hand over his. "You were very young. I think it's already great you've found out your connection this place. Doesn't that feel amazing?"
Looking at her smiling face, he couldn't help but to answer it. "Yeah, you're right. It does feel good. Like I've found a piece of myself."
"I'm glad. I'm sure you'll remember more. Just don't push yourself, okay?"
"Gotcha. Thanks, Colette. You're the best." He pulled the girl into a hug.
She held on to him. "Always happy to be here for you, Lloyd."
From just outside the inn, the rest of the party looked on. Genis tilted his curiously.
"What's that about?" He wondered.
"That's for the two of them to share. Do not pry, little brother."
"We should get moving as soon as we can to keep ahead of the assassin."
"You're cold..."
"Genis, he is just thinking of our safety and he is right. Lloyd can get his rest on the ship if he needs it."
The boy nodded, knowing it was useless to speak up against two grown-ups. They were joined by Noishe, who did not seem too worried over all.
The pair looked up when the rest of the party approached them, breaking their hug.
"Sorry to interrupt..."
"That's okay, professor. Did something come up?"
"Not exactly, but it is not wise to linger here, when the assassin is possibly still close by. I believe we will be safer if we cross over."
"Oh yeah, about that: I found out no ships are sailing. Turns out monsters are ruling the sea and it's too dangerous." Lloyd explained.
Genis looked up at their sword for hire, as he knew the man was very resourceful. "What do we do?"
"Walking around is not an option: that will take far too long. We can always try to buy a boat of our own."
"You know how to sail? It is not a small stretch and if the sea truly is dangerous, we have bigger things to worry about." Raine remarked.
"Excuse me folks. I couldn't help but overhear." A young man interrupted, dressed up in typical sailor attire. "If you really need to cross, I'm willing to take you. It will cost you however and you lot will have to man the harpoons I've set up on my ship."
It sounded exciting, which caused Lloyd's eyes to sparkle with anticipation. The opportunity to shoot harpoons at monsters was something he didn't want to miss out on!
Raine was the complete opposite; not liking the sound of it whatsoever. But she knew she had to push her own fear aside for the greater good.
"What is the prize?"
The young sailor looked them over. "Ten thousand Gald for the lot of you."
Genis his eyes almost popped out from the shock. Ten thousand?! There was no way they would be able to afford that.
With all the calm in the world, Mithos gestured to the blond girl within their group. "Is it truly your intention to impede the Chosen of Regeneration in her endeavor to bring salvation to the world?"
It was the sailor's turn to be surprised. "I-I'm sorry, I had no idea. No charge, it's on me." He apologized, bowing several times.
"Um, that's okay. I know I don't look much like a Chosen. Thank you."
The group was asked to follow as he led them towards the docks. His fishing boat wasn't all too big, which made Raine all the more hesitant to step on board. He explained the harpoons were just recently added because of the monsters. No one was brave enough to come along to try them out however.
Now was as good a time as any to do so, Lloyd figured, way too excited to really consider the dangers. Genis looked to his sister.
"It's alright, sis. Just sit in the middle and leave it to us."
"Yes, we got this, professor." Colette chimed in.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Raine nodded. She tried not to look at the water or the bobbing of the small boat as others already stepped on board. A hand was extended to her and when she looked up, she was surprised it was Mithos.
"Sit with me; we can meditate together. I will talk you through the voyage."
"Oh... Very well."
The man could be harsh and strange, but caring at the same time, in his own way. It was hard to really understand him. She figured, he was just here to help, that was what he was hired for after all. And he did his job excellently. Perhaps it was time to let go of her suspicions and fully embrace him as a member of the group.