Sorry about the late chapter. Got caught up in the Fourth of July since this was really the first time I've seen many of my family members in months and I was late this week because I got a migraine on the day I usually edit my chapters. But thanks for the support as always.

Now, onward to the chapter.

Chapter 45: Monster Hunt

Lloyd didn't return to the house for the rest of the night. Colette stood worriedly by the window as she waited for Lloyd's return. The pure rage and helplessness in Lloyd's voice before he ran off echoed in her mind. To her, the pain Lloyd was in was far worse than any discomfort she went through after a seal was broken.

"He will be alright," Kratos said as sat by a table. "Lloyd is still within Luin. He just needs to clear his head."

Colette shook her head. "He's in pain because of me."

"It isn't just you," Kratos said. "He has been through a lot. Learning the truth about his mom and the exspheres has done a lot to destroy his world's view."

"He has been through so much and it's my fault," Colette muttered softly.

"It was Lloyd's choice to come on this journey. Even with what happened in Iselia, Lloyd chose to follow you," Kratos replied.

Colette was silent for a moment. "Do...do you think Lloyd hates me? Does he hate me for becoming an angel?"

Kratos shook his head. "From what I have seen, Lloyd is incompatible of hating you. He maybe frustrated, but that's because he cares deeply for you."

"Will he ever understand why I must do this, Mr. Kratos?" Colette asked.

"In time, perhaps," Kratos said. "Lloyd is a very passionate individual who thinks with his emotions instead of with his head. He knows that only you can save the world, but he doesn't want to lose you in the process. He is indeed an archetype of his spirit symbol."

"If I could, I would never leave his side," Colette whispered so softly that a normal person wouldn't hear her.

Kratos closed his eyes and turned his head away from Colette.

When the sun rose the next day, Kratos was out as always practicing. It was more out of habit since he had long reached his fighting peak. It was an hour into his training that Kratos felt a familiar aura.

"You're late," Kratos said neutrally.

Lloyd said nothing for a moment as he stared at Kratos. "Yeah..."

Kratos stopped as he glanced over his shoulder. "Did you clear your head?"

Lloyd sighed. "Yeah...I know I can't stop Colette. Once she gets an idea, nothing can stop her. Not even me"

"So, what are you going to do?" Kratos continued to question.

"The only thing I can do," Lloyd said as he took out his swords. "Protect her."

Kratos turned towards Lloyd. "You're starting to sound like an adult."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lloyd asked in annoyance.

Kratos casually pushed some hair away from his eyes. "It's nothing. On guard!"

Before Lloyd could think, Kratos was right on top of him. Instinctually, Lloyd easily blocked the sword swing.

Kratos nodded in approval. "Good. Your reflexes are much better."

Lloyd gave a wolfish smile. "For Colette's sake, for my mother's sake, and for the sake of those who were turned into exspheres, I will become stronger!"

He pushed Kratos' blade aside and went on the offensive. Kratos blocked and parried Lloyd's attacks with ease, but he was impressed. Lloyd had greatly improved. Kratos glanced at Lloyd's exsphere and saw it glowing faintly.

Kratos' eyes widened for a second.

Was his exsphere also growing stronger? That shouldn't be possible since the exsphere had a key crest and couldn't drain Lloyd's life. He also noticed a subtle change in Lloyd's mana. What was happening?

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and he continued to spar with Lloyd. Whatever the case, he could not worry about that now. Still, it was something he had to keep an eye on.

Kratos and Lloyd sparred until it was time for breakfast. Everyone attempted to act normal and ignore the fact that Colette wasn't eating. With her secret out, there was no point in pretending anymore.

"So, are we heading towards the next seal?" Lloyd asked.

"We need to get the key from Clara first before we can go to the Tower of Mana," Raine said as she explained the current situation. "She stole it when she attacked the head priest several days ago."

"Clara..." Lloyd whispered as his eyes became downcast. "How can we find her?"

"Sheena said that Corrine can track her," Genis answered as he ate his eggs.

"I hope she's okay," Lloyd said softly.

With breakfast over, the group was ready to leave. The people of Luin gathered around Colette as they walked to what was left of the entrance to the town.

"Chosen, thank you for everything," a woman said gratefully as she bowed.

"You saved our city," another person said near tears. "We are eternally in your debt."

Colette smiled bashfully. "I didn't do much. I couldn't save Luin from the Desian's raid."

"We can always rebuild," a man said. "A city means nothing without its people and you gave that back to us, Chosen. And you freed us from Kvar's rule."

"Even so, I wish I could have done more," Colette said.

"The only way to stop the tragedy of the Desians from continuing is to complete the Journey of Regeneration," Kratos said. "Only then will peace be restored."

Lloyd turned away from Kratos.

Sheena did the same as she looked away from the town people.

"Let's get going, Colette," Raine said.

Colette nodded her head and they walked out of Luin. When they were far enough from the city Sheena summoned Corrine.

"Corrine, I need you to track down that monster that attacked Luin the other day," Sheena said.

"Monster, you mean the one who attacked that priest?" Corrine asked.

Sheena nodded. "Yeah, you remember her smell?"

Corrine nodded. "It's impossible to forget."

Sheena gave a sad smile as Corrine began to sniff the air. It took a few minutes before Corrine stalled in place.

"It went in that direction," Corrine said as he pointed towards the mountains.

"That's in the direction of Hima," Raine noted.

Colette grasped. "Oh no! The people there will be in danger!"

"If anything, Clara will be the one in danger," Kratos informed.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"Hima is filled with self-proclaimed adventurers who regularly hunt monsters. To them, Clara would be considered an ideal prize to mount on their wall," Kratos stated.

"He's right," Raine said in worry.

"Then we have to hurry," Colette said with urgency.

The group began their journey to the mountain town. No one spoke much during the walk. Even Lloyd and Colette were unusually quiet. Lloyd would take glances at Colette, but would immediately turn his eyes the moment Colette noticed him.

"You're acting like a baby," Genis suddenly spoke up, causing Lloyd to jump in surprise.

"Huh, what does that mean?" Lloyd asked.

"I mean you're acting like a scare child around Colette," Genis said in annoyance. "Just talk to her."

Lloyd sighed. "What's there to talk about? I've already told Kratos that I will protect Colette, even if she wants to be an angel. I still don't like it, but it's her choice."

"That's all well and good, but you need to actually tell that to Colette," Genis said. "She's been worried about you since you ran off last night."

Lloyd lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry about that, but...I was just so angry. Colette is slowly fading away before our eyes and she just willingly accepts it. Not only that, the entire world is pushing her in losing her humanity."

"Yeah...I know how you feel," Genis said softly before shaking his head. "But we have to believe in Martel. She has a plan and she would never do anything that would cause unnecessary suffering to one of her children."

Lloyd glanced at Genis. "You say that with such faith."

"That because I believe in Martel. I know you don't believe in the Goddess, but didn't you say once that you believe in Colette?" Genis asked.

Lloyd was stunned by the question. "Yeah."

"Then, believe in Colette," Genis said.

Lloyd looked towards his childhood friend and felt tears build in his eyes. Without another word towards Genis, he walked over to Colette.

"You're pretty wise for someone so young," Sheena said. Genis looked towards the ninja. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhearing."

"It's no problem," Genis said as he rubbed his hair. "Truthfully, I'm just as mixed up as Lloyd."

"Yeah, I never realized how screwed up the Journey of Regeneration is," Sheena admitted. "I just assumed the trials were there to test the Chosen. I never would have guessed it would twist their form like this to become an angel."

"Maybe it is because the angels look so much like us that we assume that there were little difference. I mean, to us, the angels are humanoids with wings," Genis said.

"It still seem so unfair," Sheena said in frustration. "Does being an angel have to be this painful?"

Genis began to chuckle. "You're starting to really care about Colette."

Sheena immediately blushed. "It's just..."

"Don't worry, I know what you're going through," Genis chuckled. "Colette had the same effort on me when I first met her."

"You didn't like Colette when you first met?" Sheena asked in disbelief.

"Well, it wasn't that I didn't like her, but I do tend to have trust issues." Genis lost his smile as his eyes became downcast. "As an elf, it can be tough learning to trust people. Colette was the first person to open herself up to me. Lloyd wasn't far behind, though."

"It can be tough being an outcast," Sheena said somberly.

Genis looked at her in surprise. "Are you an outcast back home?"

"We need to keep up with the others," Sheena suddenly said as she walked away from Genis. She revealed too much about herself.

After a full day of walking, they found a safe place to camp near some woods. They weren't expected to reach Hima until mid-afternoon tomorrow. Lloyd was happy to finally break for the day given his overall lack of energy. He didn't sleep too well last night.

"I wonder what angels really are, exactly..." Sheena asked as she prepared her sleeping roll. From what she read of them, she would've never guess they felt nothing at all. It just seemed uncanny.

Lloyd sighed as he ran his hand over his hair. "I don't know...but the way things are now, Colette is suffering too much."

This was all so unfair. Why did someone as sweet, caring, and selfless as Colette had to suffer?

Colette overheard Lloyd and walked over to him. "No, it's okay. I'm fine. After all...the whole reason I was born...was to become an angel and save the world. This is Martel's will."

"Born to save the world?" Sheena said more to herself. It was hard to think that someone was born to lose so much. Especially given the Chosen from her world.

Lloyd turned towards his childhood friend and glared at her. "No! You were born to live your own life. Not to be some...tool for a goddess." He softened his tone. "I mean...you're more to me than just the Chosen."

Colette looked taken aback by his words.

Lloyd sighed. "What I want to say is...I care for you as Colette. Not the person born to save the world."

Colette gave a small smile. "Your words mean a lot to me, Lloyd. But...I'm okay with this. It is my honor to be transformed into an angel and serve as Martel's vessel. You don't have to worry about me."

Lloyd sighed. "Saying not to worry makes me worry even more."

"Well, there's no point keep going over it. It isn't like we can change her mind," Sheena replied as she tucked herself in for the night.

"I know," Lloyd moped as he got into his own sleeping bag.

"Sleep well, you two," Colette said cheerfully.

"Yeah..." Lloyd whispered, knowing that Colette couldn't enjoy the simple happiness of sleep. After only a few minutes, he was completely out.

The rest of the journey to Hima was mostly quiet and somber. Outside a few conversations between Raine and Kratos, everyone was mostly in their own world.

"She's close," Corrine said as his fur rose in alert.

"How close?" Sheena asked.

"If I would have to guess, I saw near or within the town," Corrine stated.

"I also sense an irregular mana signature. It has to be Clara," Kratos said.

Nothing more was said as they made their way into town. As they got closer, they could hear what sounded like a crowd gathering.

"It looks like there's something going on in front of the inn," Lloyd said as he began to run towards the inn. Colette quickly followed behind him.

Lloyd stopped when he saw a group of people surrounding something. The people were all dressed in traveling clothes and had their weapons out. It was obvious that they were a group of adventurers.

"Alright, it's weakening! Finish it off!" one of the adventurers exclaimed.

Lloyd's eyes widened when he saw the creature surrounded by the crowd. It was Clara. She was beaten and blood covered the remains of her outfit. The acid blood dipped on the rocky ground, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Her breathing was rough and Lloyd wondered if she was going to die on the spot.

"Stop!" Lloyd yelled as he ran in front of the group and blocked them away from Clara.

"Don't interfere! This is our prey!" an adventurer sneered.

"You can't hurt her!" Colette said, trying to reason with the adventurers.

"Her?" one of the adventurers asked in confusion.

"Clara, stop! We want to save you. Please calm down," Raine pleaded as she walked towards Clara's fallen form.

Clara moaned in pain.

"It's alright, Clara," Lloyd said in a smooth voice as he knelt down at the poor woman. "You'll be okay. We won't let them hurt you anymore."

Clara suddenly roared and stood up, knocking Lloyd away.

"Lloyd!" Colette exclaimed.

Before she could run to him, Clara charged toward Colette and knocked her out of the way. Clara didn't stop running as she left of Hima.

"Clara can still move that fast even with those injuries?" Genis asked in awe.

"An Exbelua can recovered quickly," Kratos said absently.

"Exbelua?" Genis repeated.

"Dammit, after that monster!" the adventurers exclaimed as they ran after her.

"Stop it! She's a human!" Sheena yelled, but the adventurers were out of earshot. "Dammit, we have to go after them."

"Colette, Lloyd are you alright?" Raine asked as she helped Colette up.

Colette nodded. "I'm fine, Professor."

Lloyd quickly dusted himself. "Dammit, we let her get away. Even worse, those crazy adventurers are after her."

"I can find her," Corrine said as she began to pick up the trail.

"I don't think we need to," Genis suddenly spoke up as he picked something from the ground. "Clara dropped this."

Raine walked over to her little brother and quickly looked over the object. "This is the key to the Tower of Mana. I recognize the symbol on the key."

"So, there is no longer a need to chase after her," Kratos said.

"But those people are after her," Sheena said with some heat. "She'll be killed if they catch her."

"Despite her injuries, Clara is still more than capable of protecting herself," Kratos assured. "Besides, we currently do not have the power to save her."

"But there must be something we can do," Genis said in despair.

"The Boltzman," Raine muttered.

"Professor?" Lloyd asked.

"The healing technique in the Boltzman maybe able to help Clara," Raine explained.

"So, you're saying that book can not only save Pietro, but Clara as well?" Colette asked hopefully.

Raine nodded. "I believe so, but I won't know for certain until I get the book."

"Then, let's hurry to the tower," Lloyd said as he slammed his fist into his open palm. "We have to heal Clara before she's killed."

"It's going to be at least a three day journey from here to the Tower of Mana," Kratos said. "We should rest here for the night and continue fresh in the morning."

Raine nodded. "That would the wisest course of action."

Night came quickly, but Lloyd found himself unable to sleep. This was becoming all too common since he started this journey. It seemed that one thing after another was happening to cause him great worry.

Lloyd found himself staring aimlessly into the starry sky as he sat outside the inn. Not even the stars could bring him any comfort tonight.

"Hey, can't sleep?" someone asked.

Lloyd turned around to see Sheena standing behind him. "Yeah, I have a lot on my mind."

Sheena titled her head. "You're thinking of Clara?"

"Am I that obvious?" Lloyd asked humorlessly.

"You've been somber ever since we saw her," Sheena said.

"I can't help but worry," Lloyd sighed. "Clara's out there all alone being hunted like an animal. I want to save her." His eyes narrowed. "I have save her."

Sheena said nothing for a moment. "What is your relation with her?"

"Huh?" Lloyd asked.

"I mean, where do you know her from? Is she a friend?" Sheena questioned.

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I honestly only met her a little over a month ago. I don't even know what she looks like as a human."

"Really?" Sheena asked in surprise. "I just guessed you knew her since you're so determine to save her."

"I made a promise to myself that I would save her," Lloyd replied somberly. "I owe it to a dying man."

Sheena looked really confused.

"Did you know who Govern-General Dorr was?" Lloyd suddenly asked.

Sheena searched her memory. "Isn't he the govern of Palmacosta?"

"Yeah. He acted like he was for the people, but he was actually working for the Desians," Lloyd said with little emotion.

"What!?" Sheena exclaimed in surprise.

"He was blackmailed by the Desians to betray his people after they turned his wife into that monster. He was then murdered by them and the creature that killed him bragged about how it also murdered his daughter," Lloyd explained as anger returned to his voice.

Sheena lowered her eyes and her body shook in fury. "The Desians are a bunch of monsters."

"As Dorr laid there dying he asked me if his daughter was still alive," Lloyd continued. "I...I didn't have the heart to tell him that she was long dead. I wanted him to have some peace as he died despite what he did."

"That was a noble thing for you to do," Sheena said with a small smile.

"Even so, I promised then and there that not matter what I would save Clara," Lloyd said. "I don't want the Desians to have the last laugh in destroying that family."

Sheena leaned herself against the inn's wall. "I would feel the same way if I was in your position. I also bet seeing Clara like this reminds you of what happened to your mom."

Lloyd nodded. "The thought that my mom suffered the same way as Clara makes me physically sick. The more I continued on this journey, the more I hate the Desians. How can anyone with a soul treat another living being like this?"

"I don't know," Sheena said. "History is filled with unspeakable atrocities from all races. I guess in the Desians' case, we're nothing more than cattle to them."

"Or lab rats," Lloyd muttered as he remembered Kvar.

"Don't worry, we will save her," Sheena assured. "Once we get that book, we can save both Clara and Pietro. We won't let the Desians have anymore victims."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah."

The days passed quickly after the group left Hima. Most of the days were filled with Kratos and Lloyd training while Colette and Genis continued with Raine's studies. Even Sheena joined in on the study groups, but found herself held back by the history portion.

Raine eyed Sheena suspiciously when she scored even worse than Lloyd on a mock up test. She knew some basic stuff like the history of Mithos and the Kharlan War, but her knowledge seemed to end there. She knew literally nothing about the Sylvarant Dynasty or barely knew the name of any cities.

She could've chalked Sheena's ignorance as poor education, but she knew that was not the case. Sheena was well educated in math and science, so she did have some kind of schooling. If anything, this confirmed Raine's suspicions about Sheena.

She contemplated confronting Sheena about her origins, but eventually decided against it. If she came off too strongly, Raine would give herself away. Whether she liked it or not, she had to wait for Sheena to reveal the truth herself.

It was midday on the third day that the Tower of Mana finally came into view.

"Marvelous! So this is the Tower of Mana, built to gaze upon the Tower of Salvation!" Raine exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"Wow, it's even bigger than I thought," Lloyd said in awe as he stared up at the huge tower. He couldn't see the top.

"I can feel the mana flowing through this place," Genis said. "It's much stronger than at the other seals."

Colette smiled. "This tower was used as a temple by the Church of Martel to offer prayers to the tower of Salvation. Although, it was closed a long time ago since monsters started appearing inside, as well as to protect the library from looters."

Kratos looked as impartial as usual.

Raine's eyes lit up in excitement. "The tower that holds the biggest library in the world. It has always been my dream to come here!"

"Oh no, Professor is in Ruin Mode," Lloyd sighed.

"Ruin Mode?" Sheena questioned.

"My sister turns into a nut when she's around or near ruins," Genis said, earning a hard slap from Raine, causing Sheena to winced.

"Let's go inside," Kratos said. "The next seal awaits."

No one said a word as Kratos led them to the tower's door. Kratos quickly took the key out and carefully unlocked the door. He firmly pushed it opened.

The Tower of Mana was finally opened to them.

Not an eventful chapter, but we have finally come to the final seal. It feel like an eternity to reach this point. Hope you all come when the next chapter hits.

Until next time.