Let me first start off by saying that this chapter and any future chapter will not be as grammatically correct as the earlier chapters. My beta, zealousfreak27, has fallen ill. I want you all to put her in your prays as she goes through this rough period. If any of your know anyone who would want to beta this story please pm me. In the meanwhile, I will do my best to keep up the quality of this story.

On a happier note, thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and hits. I hope you all keep reading as things start to heat up.

Now, onward with the story.

Chapter 5: Fitting Punishment

The minute Lloyd's feet hit the forest's floor he was off running faster than a bat could fly out of Efreet's lair. He didn't stop until he was well into the safety of the trees and the Ranch was out of sight. His heart hummed in his chest as he attempted to catch his breath.

He couldn't believe that he just took down three Desians like that. He didn't even think as he mercilessly cut them down. Even at the temple, he didn't go in with the pure intention to kill them. He had little choice this time because he was fighting alone and he couldn't let those Desians be able to identify him. It would put the entire village in danger.

It wasn't the first time he had killed. A couple years back, some thieves attempted to rob his dad and him during one of their outings in the forest. During the fight, Dirk had crushed one of the thieves' skulls in and Lloyd had slit one of the bandit's throats. It stunned him to see so much blood and the guy's eyes go empty.

He couldn't say he felt too sorry for the thief since he did bring it on himself, but he still wasn't happy about killing him. In fact, he remembered having nightmares for months after the incident.

These were Desians, however, not petty thieves. They would have happily done the same to him and more. They would've showed him no mercy, so he couldn't show them any in return. Despite all his justifications, Lloyd still felt a pang of guilt.

"Lloyd!" a voice yelled.

Lloyd got his swords ready before he realized it was Genis. "Over here!"

Genis followed the source of the call until he was standing right across from Lloyd. He had tears running down his eyes and was shaking badly. "Lloyd, they saw your face!" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Lloyd patted Genis' head in an effort to comfort him. "Don't worry about it." He didn't blame Genis for any of this. He was the one who put Genis in that position in the first place.

"But..." Genis started.

Lloyd smiled. "I took out the ones that saw my face and the rest of them are still back up on the cliff. As long as we hurry up and get out of here, they'll never know."

Genis didn't quite believe him as he slowly calmed down. "...Okay."

"Just do my homework for me, okay?" Lloyd half-joked to lighten the mood.

Genis nodded and wrapped his tears. "Alright."

Lloyd removed his hand from Genis' head. "You should head back to the village."

Genis nodded again and gave a small smile. "Thank you for helping with Marble."

Lloyd smirked. "What's a friend for."

They both gave each their regards and went their separate ways. Lloyd made sure to take the long way home since he wanted to make sure he didn't run into any more Desians and led them to his house. He had enough of them for one day.

"Damn, who was that guy?" one of the Desians asked as they looked down the cliff. "I was not expecting him to jump."

"Have you found the intruder?" a man asked as he approached the solider.

"Sorry, Lord Forcystus," the Desians said in shame. "He got away."

Forcystus approached the cliff and looked down. He carefully scanned the forest, but sensed no movement. Whoever was here was long gone. "Analyze the data from the gate surveillance system!"

"Yes, sir!" the Desian said as he ran off to fulfill his order.

Forcystus rubbed his chin in thought. "How did a mere human make that kind of jump?"

Genis didn't stop running until he was out of the forest. It felt good to leave that place. He approached the guards that allowed him to pass without question. The village was relatively empty now that the high of the oracle had worn out. Everyone knew that the Chosen would be going on her journey tomorrow. A journey that would decide the fate of the entire world.

He walked into his house was assaulted by a terrible smell in the air. He knew it could only be one thing.

"Raine, are you cooking?" Genis asked as he went into the kitchen.

It was filled with smoke as Raine stir a pot. "Genis, you're just in time," she said with a craze look on her face. "I'm in the middle of a break through."

"What, how to set a person's stomach on fire?" Genis asked in a deadpan voice.

"You know how there's sweet and sour soup," Raine said, ignoring her brother's snide remake. "Well behold, salty and spicy soup. The merger of these two flavors into a soup is a break through in cooking."

Genis sighed. Looked like he would be punished today after all. "Raine, what made you decide to cook today of all days? You should be resting for tomorrow."

The manic looked left Raine's eyes and she suddenly had a somber expression. "This will be our last night together for awhile. So, I wanted it to be special."

Genis looked up in surprise. "Raine...how long will you be gone?"

"I don't know," Raine admitted. "The Chosen's journey could take months, maybe even years."

Genis sat at the table and lower his head for a moment. He began to look around the small house that held all his recent memories. When they first came here, the house was not lived in for many years, but Dirk kept up the repairs as part of some strange deal he made with the mayor. He did a great job and it was very homey. It was the best house he could ever remember living in.

"Why can't I come?" Genis suddenly asked without thinking.

Raine put down the spoon that she was using to stir the soup. "It's too dangerous. There's no telling what dangers will fill our path."

"But it will only be Kratos, Colette, and you!" Genis yelled. "You won't have the other priests to protect you."

Raine closed her eyes. "As harsh as this may sound Genis, those priests who died today would had never made it on this journey."

"Raine!" Genis grasped.

"It's the truth. The journey of world regeneration is filled with dangers beyond the Desians," Raine stated. "If the priests couldn't handle a hand full of them, they could had never dealt with the perils that we'll most likely face in the future."

Genis looked down at the table, he knew she was right. "But I'm strong and I can get stronger," he whispered.

Raine gave Genis a gentle smile. "I know."

There was a long paused. "When the Desians are sealed away, will we join them?" Genis asked softly.

"Genis, why would you ask such a question?" Raine asked.

"The...the Desians are half-elves," Genis said slowly.

"We are not like them," Raine said sternly. "Even if we share the same blood, we're different from the Desians. They chose to turn their back on Martel and do evil in the world. The Desians are friends to no one."

"I guess," Genis sighed. "Do...do you think it will be okay if I finally tell Lloyd?"

Raine frowned. "I personally wouldn't advise it."

"But he's my friend," Genis said.

"Lloyd is a good person despite his beliefs or lack of," Raine said as her eyes became downcast. "But Lloyd is still a human. He also has been deeply hurt by something and I fear that hurt is purely the Desians' fault."

Genis knew that was true.

"But it's not my decision to make," Raine said in resignation. "If you feel comfortable about telling him, then you should do so. Just be aware of the consequences of your actions."

"Will you tell Colette?" Genis asked.

Raine paused. "I might, but that all depends."

Genis knew that was about as much as an answer he was going to get out of Raine.

"Now, it's time to eat!" Raine yelled as she put the pot down.

The stew was bubbling over the side and it was a pinkish red. It smell horrible, but Raine didn't seem to notice as she glowed over her creation.

Genis stared at the pot and rubbed his head. He wondered if he had any sandwiches left from earlier.

Dinner passed painfully slow before Raine finally allowed him to fix a make up meal. No matter how long you lived with Raine, you could never build an immunity to her cooking. He wondered if Raine had ever eating one of her own meals or did she used him as a test subject to see if it was poisonous.

A knocked at the door got his attention as Raine went to open it. Standing in front was Colette and Kratos.

"Colette, what are you doing out so late?" Raine asked. "We leave early in the morning."

Colette patted her hands together nervously. "I wanted to see Lloyd before I left. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"

Genis became briefly worried about the Desians who were still looking through the forest for them. He quickly calm down when he realized that Kratos was coming with them. Kratos was stronger than anyone he had ever met, including Lloyd.

"Can we, Raine?" Genis asked.

Raine paused in thought. "Did you get permission from the mayor? Going by Lloyd's house requires passing by the Ranch"

"The mayor has granted us permission," Kratos said casually.

Raine nodded. "Very well, let me get my staff." She went to the back of the house.

"So Colette, are you excited about the big day tomorrow?" Genis asked.

Colette nodded. Genis noticed, however, that she looked a little sad. "Yeah, this is the moment I was born for. Leave it to me, I will regenerate the world," she said with a smile.

Genis returned the smile. "Of course you will. You're the Chosen, after all.

"Ready," Raine said as she walked back towards the group. She now had a long wooden staff with a curl at the top. "We better get going. It takes some time to reach Lloyd's house and the monsters are more dangerous at night."

They left the Sage's siblings house and made their towards the forest. It was a quiet walk and no monsters strangely bothered them. Genis could sense their presence, but they appeared to be in hiding. He wondered if they were sensing something that they didn't like. It could be the Desians, but he felt no one besides them in the immediate area.

"Mr. Kratos, are you okay?" Colette suddenly asked as she looked up towards the mercenary. "You look a little pale."

"No, I just have bad memories of a forest," Kratos said.

"What kind of bad memories?" Colette questioned further.

"That is private," Kratos answered curtly as he walked ahead.

Genis didn't like the sudden flare in his mana, but said nothing.

They were soon in an opening in the forest where a large two-story house laid. The ground was very peaceful and the sound of running water put everyone at ease.

This peace was shattered, however, when they got close to the door.

"...That exsphere is your mother's keepsake," Dirk's voice said sadly through the door. His voice was also filled with anger as he spoke the next part. "The Desians killed your mother in order to take it from her."

There was a long paused from everyone. Genis could even see Kratos stiffened from the corner of his eye. He felt his blood run cold as the realization hit Genis. Lloyd's mother was murdered by the Desians. She was killed by half-elves.

"...They did?" Lloyd whispered after he was able to find his voice again.

Dirk sighed. "I told you about how I found you at the cliff near the Ranch, right? Your mother was still conscious at that time, so she explained everything. There's no doubt about it."

"Why didn't you ever tell me!" Lloyd yelled in rage. His voice was filled with such anger and hate that it scared Genis.

Colette looked ready to run inside and comfort Lloyd, but was held back by Raine. This was moment between father and son.

"If I had, you'd have run out and tried to take revenge on the Desians," Dirk stated. He seemed to hesitate on the next part. "The Tower of Salvation appeared today. Just leave the rest to Colette. That'll take care of the Desians, too." He didn't seemed to believe his own words, however.

That did little to comfort Lloyd. "But still..."

They heard footsteps coming towards the door. "Don't get involved with the Desians. Your mother protected you and that exsphere with her life. Don't go throwing either away."

There was another long paused. "Will...will you make me the key crest?"

"Lloyd, have you been listening at all!" Dirk yelled in frustration.

"Yeah, I heard you!" Lloyd yelled in complete disrespect. "But you can't expect me not to do anything now that I know!"

"Du dumma pojke, betyder inte att ditt liv något för dig!" Dirk yelled in dwarven, slipping back into his native tongue

"Du förväntar dig att jag ska vara okej och låta Desians har sitt sätt?" Lloyd answered back in Dirk's own language. "Tror du att jag bara kommer att låta saken Martel, att veta att hon bara kommer att falla 'sover' igen och orsaka Desians att komma tillbaka. Var slutar den?"

"Du är bara en mot en ond kraft!" Dirk shouted. "Du kommer att dö en dårar död.!"

"Åtminstone jag är villig att dö istället för att leva som en feg, som om du har!" Lloyd yelled.

A crack was heard inside and everyone realized that Dirk had hit Lloyd. There was a brief moment of silence before they heard Lloyd slowly stand up.

"Du behövde inte slå mig!" Lloyd yelled before the door flow open. He had a large red mark on his cheek and they could see it was already swollen.

He looked up in surprise and saw everyone staring at him. "Oh…let me guess…you heard that just now?"

Raine looked at him disapprovingly, knowing exactly what he had said to Dirk.

Colette looked extremely sad and near tears.

Genis looked frighten of Lloyd.

Kratos had a neutral face, but he appeared disappointed and shock at the same time.

"I'm sorry," Genis muttered. "Because of me, you..."

"It's not your fault," Lloyd said quickly. He glanced at Raine who looked between them, she knew they were hiding something.

"Lloyd, you should talk to Colette," Raine said, deciding to grill Genis later.

Lloyd rubbed his hand through his hair. "Just a minute, I need to cool off." He walked off to the side of the house.

Colette watched him worriedly, but said nothing as she walked towards a bench that was on the other side of the house.

The others also spread out and were lost in their own thoughts. Kratos looked around the area and saw a small grave on the far side of the house. He instinctually walked towards it and bowed his head in respect.

Since he was a former soldier, he always felt he should honor the dead. It was actually a practice his father started him on. Despite his father's brutal and cold nature, he still gave his enemies respect.

Once he had finished paying his respect, he took a look at the gravestone. It was well kept with fresh flowers lining the grave. It was obvious that this person was someone greatly loved. The stone was also well cut, no doubt by Dirk, and had a slight blue tinge to it. His eyes fell to the name on the grave and his heart stood in place. It couldn't be?

"Hey," Lloyd said as he walked over to the grave. He lowered his head and gave a silent pray.

"Whose gravestone is this?" Kratos asked once Lloyd had finished. He already knew the answer, but he had to hear it for himself. He had to be rid of all doubt.

"You heard, right," Lloyd said in a hollow voice. "It's my mom's."

Kratos said nothing for a moment. There was no denying any of it anymore. This boy, no man, that stood before him was his son. The child he had long thought dead after that terrible night.

Many thoughts ran through his mind, but he could only think of one other question to ask. "Is your father still alive?"

Lloyd looked back at the grave before answering. "...I don't know." There was a note of bitterness mixed with lost. He could hear the pain in Lloyd's voice. "But Dirk is my dad."

"That was a careless thing to ask," Kratos said in a soft voice.

As much as it pained him, Lloyd was no longer his son. He wasn't raised by his hand and cared for when he was sick and in need. Those were the marks of a true father. Not a broken man who turned his back on life. "I'm sorry."

Lloyd sighed as he rubbed his hand through his hair. "It's nothing, I just don't remember my father. When I was younger, I used to look for him and even believed he would come for me someday. In time, I just kind of accepted that he would never come back."

"I understand," Kratos said. So, Lloyd had given up on him. It was most likely for the best. He was safe here and Cruxis didn't know of him. If he attempted to build a relationship with him now, he would be handed him to Mithos.

He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed that Lloyd had started to walk away. Fate was so cruel. He had lost his son not once, but twice in a lifetime. He supposed this was his punishment for fighting against destiny.

Lloyd heading towards the bench where Colette waited for him, when he caught sight of Genis, still looking downcast.

"Are you still upset about earlier?" Lloyd asked his young friend. "I told you it wasn't your fault."

Genis shook his head. "It's not that, Lloyd."

"What is it then?" Lloyd asked.

Genis looked up to Lloyd. "The Desians are half-elves, right?" he stated hesitantly. "So, does that mean half-elves are responsible for your mother's death?"

Lloyd's eyes widened in shock. "Not all half-elves are Desians." Although he couldn't think of any half-elves he personally knew, he knew an entire race couldn't be born evil like the Desians. "I don't care if they're half-elves or not."

Genis gave a strained smile. "Y..yeah."

"You should talk to Colette now," Raine said as she approached them. "It is getting late and we have to leave soon."

Lloyd's face fell as he looked at Raine. "You're going to leave tomorrow too."

Raine gave him a rare smile. "Are you going to miss me?"

"Of course," Lloyd answered without any hesitation.

Raine chuckled lightly. Although Lloyd wasn't her brightest student, he had a good heart. She prayed to Martel that it wouldn't be tainted by the darkness of the Desians. Despite Lloyd's word to Genis, she doubted he meant everything he said. If he knew the truth, could he honestly look at Genis and her the same again without seeing his mother's murderers?

"Did you finish Colette's present?" Raine asked, changing the subject.

Lloyd's suddenly became very uncomfortable. "It's...it's almost done."

Raine chuckled harder. Lloyd would never change. "Well, I'm sure it'll be fine. You're at least good at craftwork."

Genis giggled loudly when he heard the comment.

Lloyd glared at both of them. "Har ni båda måste prata så?"

Raine smiled sweetly at him. "You've stalled long enough. Go talk to Colette."

Lloyd walked away from the siblings, feeling better than earlier. Despite all the teasing, he knew there was no malice behind it.

"Are you ready?" Colette asked as she stood up.

Lloyd smiled at her. "Yeah."

He grabbed Colette's hand and took her into the house. He managed to avoid Dirk's eyes as they went upstairs. After passing through Lloyd's room, which was still messy from his late night work, they reached his terrace.

They stood in a comfortable silent as they stared at the stars.

"I'm sorry for not finishing your birthday present in time," Lloyd suddenly said.

Colette squeezed his hand slightly. "It's okay, don't worry about that."

Lloyd sighed. "But this sort of thing is special because you get it on your birthday, you know?"

"Well..." Colette said as she bit her lip. "Will you just wish me a happy birthday?"

Lloyd smirked. "Of course. Happy Birthday."

Colette gave him a quick hug. "Thank you, I'm glad I was able to live to this day."

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked in confusion. The statement was both strange and disturbing. It sounded like she was surprise to still be alive. "You're going to keep on living and regenerate the world, right?"

Colette pulled a way and turned her eyes. "Yeah..."

He didn't know much about the whole regeneration process. He wasn't even sure he completely believed in it, but he trusted Colette. He couldn't help but to believe that she could saved their world.

Lloyd began to shifted around when nothing was said for a couple of minutes. "About tomorrow, I can't come along with you, can I?"

Colette frowned. "Well, it's just that the Desians will be after us and it's going to be a dangerous journey."

"Desians," Lloyd growled with more anger than usual. "I always thought my mom died in an accident, but she was murdered by Desians!" He slammed his hands against the rails, startling Colette. "There's no way that I could keep living in a village that has a treaty with them."

Colette lowered her head once Lloyd was finished. "I understand."

She could feel Lloyd's pain. It radiated off of him like the light from the moon. She could also feel his anger and hatred that burnt within him. As he was now, Colette feared what he could become. Lloyd didn't have the protection of Martel to guide him. He could be led astray and become a truly bad person just like all nonbelievers who didn't accept the Goddess.

She wanted Lloyd to be reborn as a true believer in the newly regenerated world. She knew for sure that once Martel's glory filled the world Lloyd would be touched and finally opened his eyes.

More then anything, however, she wanted Lloyd to be happy. To live a long life free of the evils of the Desians. If he went on the journey, he would face mortal danger. Lloyd was strong, but the trials could destroy them. If she failed, she didn't want Lloyd to share in her fate.

"We're leaving tomorrow at noon," Colette said quietly. "So, would you come to the village around then?"

She couldn't stop Lloyd from coming if she said no. So, she had to mislead him. It hurt her to lie to him, but he couldn't know the truth. If they did succeed, she didn't want Lloyd to see what would happen after the journey end.

Lloyd gave a wide smile. "Okay, you got it." He turned towards the sky. "Now I'll be able to see you become an angel with my own eyes."

They both looked at the moon together for a few minutes without talking.

"Lord Remiel really is my father," Colette suddenly said, breaking the peaceful mood. "I'm the child of an angel."

"Does it matter?" Lloyd asked as he looked at her. "Regardless of who your real father is, you're still you. You just have two fathers."

It took Lloyd a long time to realized that himself. It was funny that it was Colette's words that first night she stood over that made him see that. It almost felt like a full circle moments.

"The path to happiness is found in those around you, remember," Lloyd said. "Just think of yourself as being lucky for having more than most people do."

Colette nodded, but she still had a trouble look on her face. "I suppose you're right."

"World regeneration, huh. It's kind of exciting," Lloyd said, his voice picking up in pitch.

"Yeah, releasing the seals, becoming an angel, then finally..." Colette's voice trailed off. Her voice was filled with sadness.

Lloyd looked at Colette. "And finally?" What did exactly happen after Colette became an angel? He never bothered to ask before.

Colette shook her head. "Nothing."

Lloyd didn't believe her, but decided not to press it. He knew she had a lot on her plate at the moment.

Raine appeared at the door at that moment. "Time to go."

Lloyd nodded towards his teacher before he turned to look at Colette. "See you tomorrow."

Colette stared at Lloyd a moment longer. "Goodbye, Lloyd." She went to join Raine and they both walked out the door.

Lloyd was too stun by Colette's words to say anything back. Colette had never told him goodbye before. It was always, 'see you later' or 'see you tomorrow'. It was never just 'goodbye'.

He snapped out of it as the rest of his friends walked into the forest. He waved to them as they left. He decided not to worry about it. Colette could just be nervous and he really couldn't blame her.

He walked back into his room and look at the mess. Looks like he was going to pull another all nighter.

Forcystus leaned back into his chair as he watched the surveillance tapes. He had been studying them for a while, getting a good look at the worm who disrupted his Ranch and killed several of his men.

The intruder's skills with the sword were subpar at best, but he made up for it by being so fast. He managed to kill two of his guards before they could even defend themselves. He was also fairly strong if he managed to break someone's neck with wooden blades.

What really caught his attention, however, was his exsphere. During the struggle, the cloth he was using to cover it had fallen off, revealing the blue stone. Exspheres were usually red, not blue. It also looked vaguely familiar.

The hologram in his room suddenly lit up and a woman appeared before him. "Lord Forcystus, thank you for giving me your report."

"Lady Pronyma, what can you tell me of that exsphere?" Forcystus asked. While he didn't like dealing with Pronyma, she was the only one among the Five Desian Grand Cardinals allowed to speak directly to Lord Yggdrasill and had access to the computer system on Derris-Kharlan.

"What you have found is none other than the Angelus Project," Pronyma stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

Forcystus' one eye widened in shock. "You mean that special exsphere that disappeared nearly fourteen years ago?"

"The same," Pronyma confirmed.

Forcystus rubbed his chin. "This is unexpected, but how did that human get it?"

Pronyma chuckled. "Honestly Forcystus, I thought you would be able to figure it out. Who else do you remember that disappeared that night?"

Forcystus thought about the question for a moment. "You mean...the Angelus. So, it lived as well."

"The bio scan leaves no doubt of that," Pronyma replied.

Forcystus couldn't help but noticed that Pronyma didn't seemed surprise. A creature that Lord Yggdrasill had chased for several years fell into their laps again and she seemed almost bored. In fact, he sensed she was hiding information from him, which was typical of Pronyma. Nonetheless, it wasn't his place to question it.

"So, are we to capture it?" Forcystus asked.

"No, at the moment Lord Yggdrasill only wants his exsphere," Pronyma said. "Get it by any means necessary. But the Angelus is not to be killed."

Forcystus nodded. "I see. Leave it to me."

Pronyma disappeared from his view.

Forcystus began type something on his computer and pulled up all the local files. With a few scans, he was able to find all his information on Iselia. He looked through all the birth, school, and political records until he found what he was looking for.

"Hhmm, Lloyd Irving," Forcystus muttered. "So, that's the name he has been hiding under. A bit of a public clown in the village too."

He spent nearly an hour reading up on Lloyd's file before someone entered the room. Several Desians escorted Marble in and saluted him. "Lord Forcystus, we've brought in host body F192, just as you've requested."

Forcystus turned to look at Marble with unsympathetic eyes. "So, you're the one who has been in contact with outsiders."

Marble shook her head. "I haven't been in contact with anyone."

Forcystus snorted. "It's pointless for you inferior beings to lie. We know a boy from Iselia helped you today."

Marble stood silent for a moment. "I accept my punishment whatever that may be. But please, spare the boy and the village. It was me who did wrong."

Forcystus' respect for the woman went up. By this time, the humans would be selling each other in order to be pardon or even get a free day off from working. Even if she was a lowly human, she had some class.

"You know we can't do that," Forcystus said as he got out of his seat and walked towards Marble. "That boy and that village must be made examples of. Otherwise, we would be welcoming rebelling."

Marble fell to her knees. "I beg you. Take my life or give me twice the workload. He's just a child. He doesn't know any better."

Forcystus stared down at her. His face was completely blank. "A child or not, he should had been taught better." He reached down and grabbed her hand. "However, your life will end here." He pulled on her exsphere, but not far enough to make it completely dislodged.

Marble screamed in pain as her body began to spam violently. The guards held her up as she went limp in their arms.

"Put her in a cell until morning," Forcystus ordered. "By then, the transformation should be finished." He turned towards one of the soldiers. "You, stay here for a moment."

"Yes, sir!" they all exclaimed as they dragged Marble out of the room.

"Prepare a squad for a raid on Iselia," Forcystus said. "The attack happens at 1230 hours."

The Desian looked questionably at him. "Why so late, sir?"

Forcystus casually scanned his data. "Because we want to make sure that the Chosen is as far away as possible. I don't want her to come running back if she sees her home in danger."

The Desians nodded. "Understood." He ran out of the room to prepare for the attack.

We are finally reaching the climax for this section of the story.

KF2104, thanks for your review and glad to see you back. I am happy to like my overview of Kratos' mindset. As for Lloyd, I did not go out of my way to make him smarter mostly because I never really saw Lloyd as stupid. He is naive, specially at the start of the game, and book dumb, but he isn't stupid. Although I will admit that Lloyd's character did not really grow until around the third seal.

guikat, thanks for your feedback and hope you continue to read. I glad the story is coming out so well and I do my best to make sure everyone is within character and true to the spirit of the game. With that said, there will be some story differences in my major compare to the source material. It just is not apparent yet since we are still on the intro. The best way I can describe this story is that this is my interpretation of Tales of Symphonia and me filling out some holes that were left in the story.

With that, until next time.