Sorry for the month break. Honestly, LibreOffice is giving me problems lately. So if you have noticed more grammer errors than normal, that is part of it. Anyway, thank you all for your support for this story. Glad to see that people are still interested despite my wonky updates and long breaks.
Now, onward to the chapter.
Chapter 70: Devil's Arms
The city of Flanoir was truly a beautiful city. It had a charm that couldn't be seen anywhere in Sylvarant since Sylvarant rarely got so much snow even in the mountains. It was especially enchanting during the night and Lloyd often found himself going to the balcony next to the local church to stargaze. For some reason he felt a special connection to that place along with it having the best view of the stars he had seen anywhere. It was almost like he could touch the sky.
It also gave Colette and him some much needed bonding time that they missed while she was kidnapped. They both enjoyed playing in the snow. The idea of building a snowman, making what they call snow angels, and snowball fights were as foreign to them as desert was to Tethe'alla. It was Sheena who taught them these many wonders. Even Presea got into the fun and told them about something called 'sledding'. She even offered Lloyd to show him how to make a sled when they had the time.
If Lloyd had one major complaint about this city, it was it being so freaking cold.
He shivered as he tightened his coat closer to his body. The weather was so unbearable that almost everyone was forced to buy heavy duty winter coats. And even then, Lloyd was still freezing. Even the extra layer of socks did nothing to keep his feet warm. He hasn't been able to feel his toes since the morning.
Another negative was that it was almost always dark since there was a permeant overhang over the city during the daylight hours. It's been days since he has seen the sun. It only cleared at night and usually around midnight.
"Oh Lloyd, it's so beautiful today," Colette spoke cheerfully as she walked beside him.
Lloyd couldn't help being envious. Despite getting all her feeling back, Colette didn't seem to be as affected by the weather. She wore little more than a light jacket over her normal church robes and and was all fine.
"It's been a long time since I could enjoy snow. It reminds me of when daddy used to take my sister and me sledding on his days off." Presea said. She had a rare smile on her face as she recalled the fond memory.
Lloyd was happy to see Presea having a good time. Despite breaking into a happy smile little more than a week ago, it still wasn't something Presea often did. Most of the time, she wore a forlorn expression that made her look much older than what she was. Part of the reason why they were even out here was because Colette wanted to cheer Presea up. To that effect, they did a little shopping trip around town.
"Well, regardless, we should be getting back to the hotel soon," Lloyd said. "The penguinist gloves should be ready today."
They came to this city about four days ago to rest, restock, and mentally prepare themselves to make their pact with Celsius after having a tough battle with Gnome.
Despite Gnome being a very sassy spirit, he proved to be tough match to the point everyone was out the next day. Which made the idea that Mithos managed to solo him both impressive and scary. He was beginning to wonder if the Mithos that the summon spirits were bonded to was the same Mithos as the hero of the Kharlan War. That would explained why he was so powerful. But there was no way the hero Mithos could still be alive. The war ended over four-thousands years ago. Not even elves lived that long, that much he knew.
Regardless, they were delayed when they learned that Celsius' altar was blocked by a lake of water. Normally, they could swim, but the water was way below freezing. Undine was also out of the question since the area was too cold for her power to be effective and Undine herself could freeze.
They seemed out of luck until they learned that a weird flower known as the Celsius' Tear could freeze the lake. Problem was, touching a Celsius' Tear without burning yourself was impossible without penguinist gloves, which were out of stock all over the city and the stores that did have them wanted a small fortune. Apparently, Celsius' Tears sold for an absurd amount of money and penguinist gloves were made from the hide from a peculiarly vicious monster.
If Zelos wasn't currently wanted by the Church, he could have easily used his vast fortune to pay for the penguinist gloves, but that just wasn't an option and their funds were already stretched thin with all the pineapple and lemon gels they kept needing to buy after fighting a summon spirit.
Thankfully, they were able to strike a deal with one of the store owners to collect the material needed for the penguinist gloves in exchanged for buying the gloves at a relatively cheap price. While the 'cheap' price was still expensive, it beat selling his swords to pay for stupid gloves.
Still, at the rate they were burning through their gald, he really needed to consider making wares to sell.
A loud, hacking cough reached Lloyd's ears.
He looked from the side of his eye and saw a man kneeling by the side of a building. His face was pallid and his eyes sunken in like he hadn't slept in days. It like he had a really bad cold, but his labor breathing spoke of something much more serious.
Colette also sensed the man's distressed and walked over to him. "Sir, are you okay?"
The man responded by coughing louder and struggling to catch his breath.
"Do you need a doctor?" Lloyd asked. He looked around and was annoyed to see that people passed the man without even giving him a glance.
The man finally stopped coughing and slowly stood up. He still looked very sick. "I'm sorry…. It seems I've been struck by evil energy," he wheezed.
"Evil energy?" Lloyd repeated.
The man stared at Lloyd for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened. "Do you by any chance posses the Devil Arms?"
Now Lloyd was really confused. "Devil's Arms?"
"Please, may I see your bag," the man all but begged.
Lloyd glanced at Colette and Presea before he shrugged. He saw no harm since he carried no money or any of his tools in his beg and everything else could be replaced. Besides, given how sick the man was, he doubted he could run far.
"Sure," Lloyd replied as he handed his traveling bag over.
The man gently took the bag and dug through it with unsteady hands. After about a minute, the man stopped his search. "Y…yes. This is one of them." He pulled out two black chakrams.
Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise. He had utterly forgotten that he had those.
"The Evil Eye that you possess is one of the Devil's Arms," the man said as he held up the chakrams. He seemed transfixed by them. He paused for a moment before he dug through the bag again. This time, he pulled out the black cards that they received as a 'gift' for helping those lousy gnomelettes back in Gnome's cave. "A….another one….the Heart of Chaos…"
Lloyd stared at the man. "Who are you?
The man seemed to come out of his trance. "My apologize. My name is Abyssion. I'm the last surviving member of a family of demon hunters."
Lloyd smiled. "I'm Lloyd I'm on a journey with my companions."
Him being a demon hunter did make some sense given that he was decked out in high-end armor.
"What does a family of demon hunters do?" Colette asked.
"There was once a man named Nebilim who attempted to conquer Tethe'alla. Nebilim was eventually defeated by a single swordsman, but his lingering hatred fused itself into the swordsman's nine pieces for arms and cursed the swordsman's descendants," Abyssion explained.
"That's pretty scary," Lloyd whispered in awe. It honestly sounded like one of those ghosts stories that his dad used to tell him.
"The family of demon hunters are the descendants of the swordsman defeating Nebilim. Every member of my family lost their lives to the curse of the Devil's Arms," Abyssion finished in a grave tone. It seemed just telling his story had physically exhausted him.
Colette gasped in horror. "That terrible! Can anything be done?"
Abyssion said nothing for several seconds. "If all nine Devil's Arms are gathered and sealed, the family curse will be lifted."
Lloyd nodded in understanding. "So, that's why you asked us about the Devil's Arms."
Abyssion took several deep breaths as he attempted not to cough. "Yes….however, the curse has progressed more quickly than I expected. It's….it's now impossible for me to continue to gather the remaining Devil's Arms. At best…I probably only have a few months."
Colette was near tears as she turned towards Lloyd. "We have to help him!"
Lloyd wasn't too sure if they could. They were already on a massive quest and adding another one seemed a bit much. Like, how would they even find these remaining Devil's Arms? He mean the two they did find was purely by dumb luck.
At the same time….there was no way he could in good consciousness leave this poor man to die in such a miserable way if he could stop it.
"Yeah," Lloyd finally answered. "We already have some Devil's Arms anyway. Might as well go for the entire set."
Abyssion's head shot up and stared at Lloyd with shocked, glassy eyes. "Are you sure? It's no minor task."
Lloyd smiled at him. "Dwarven Vow #2, never abandon someone in need."
Abyssion looked like he was going to collapsed. "Thank….thank you kind strangers. There's no way I can ever repay this debt."
"Think nothing of it," Lloyd assured with a wave of his hand.
"Then please take these swords and key," Abyssion said he took out two swords that were on his person. Much like the Evil Eye and Heart of Chaos, the swords were black and had an unsettling aura around it.
Lloyd took the swords and immediately felt unease. He felt a strong urge to chucked the blades into the nearest river and pretend that he never saw them.
While he examined the swords, Abyssion took the time to put the key into Lloyd's traveling bag before handing it back to him.
"The Devil's Arms carry the will of Nebilim and the pieces response to each other," Abyssion explained. "When this sword reacts, you will surely find Devil Arms in the area. When you have collected all the pieces, please return here. If I'm not here, I will be staying in the local hotel by the church."
"Does the curse of the Devil's Arms affect anyone besides members of your family?" Presea suddenly spoke up. She had been so quiet that Lloyd had honestly forgotten that she was there.
Abyssion seemed confused by the question. "No it shouldn't."
Colette turned towards the younger girl in concern. "What is it, Presea?"
Presea quickly shook her head. "No. It's nothing…"
Lloyd frowned, knowing that Presea wasn't being truthful. Really, what was with everyone hiding secrets from one another? He decided not to push it as he turned back towards Abyssion. "Okay then, we'll be back as soon as we can."
Abyssion fell to his knees before the group and placed his head in the snow. "Thank you. I am truly in you debt."
Colette quickly picked the man up. "Please don't do that. You'll get a cold and you're already quite sick."
Abyssion coughed weakly. "Yes….yes, you're right. I have to maintain my strength for as long as possible. After what you're doing, the least I can do is not to drop dead."
"Do you need help getting back to your hotel?" Lloyd asked.
Abyssion shook his head. "No…I can find my way back. I'm not that weak yet."
Lloyd frowned. Given Abyssion's heavy breathing, he doubted that. But he understood as a fellow swordsman about keeping one's pride, even when it made no earthly sense. "Well, just take care of yourself, okay?"
Abyssion gave a weak smile as he walked away from.
"I hope we can help that man before it's too late," Colette prayed.
Presea said nothing as she watched the man leave until he was out of sight.
Lloyd on the other hand was worried about how he was going to explain to Raine that they agreed to hunt for curse items. Something told him that she wasn't going to be happy.
The walk out of the ice cave was long since everyone was exhausted from the battle with Celsius. They were nearly frozen to death by the Disciple of Everlasting Ice and only managed to pull through thanks to Genis spamming his high to mid level fire spells and combing them with Lloyd's swords. Unfortunately, this left the young half-elf tired to the point that Regal had to carry him.
Lloyd was also not happy about the condition that his swords were in. Setting his swords on fire was cool and all, but it really wore on the blades. He needed to sharpened them later tonight.
"Geez, I wonder how many more of those types of battles we can take." Zelos breaking the silence among the group.
"Fighting the summon spirits is taking a toll on not only our supplies, but also our mental health," Raine noted. "Lloyd, it maybe best if we take a break. A few days of rest between summon spirits is simply not enough."
Lloyd couldn't help but agree." Yeah, let's rest up Flanoir and then we can head back to Mizuho. I think taking a week off between summon spirits should be enough. Maybe we can even ask Tiga for some money for the resupply."
"I can carve wares for us to sale," Presea offered. "That was what I used to do before becoming a lumberjack."
Zelos sighed. "As fun as Mizuho is, why don't we rest up in Altamira. I mean, that place have spas, fancy hotels, casinos, beaches, amusement parks….it's just the best place ever to go to relax." Hearts appeared in in his eyes. "Not to mention, it's loaded with beautiful hunnies."
Sheena side-eyed him. "That's the real reason why you want to go, isn't it?"
Colette smiled. "That sounds like so much fun. I've never been to an amusement park before."
"My poor little angel, you have no idea what you've been missing out on," Zelos cooed.
Sheena sighed. "Despite his motives, I would kill right now to be on the beach. All this fighting along with being stuck in the cold all these days have worn me down." All this time being without the sun was also making her feel depressed.
"I guess we'll head for Altamira then," Lloyd said. Zelos' talks about the city had gotten him pumped up. He also never been to an amusment park before.
"If you wish to go to Altamira, I won't protest. But I will stay outside," Regal suddenly spoke up.
This got everyone's attention.
"You're really willing to sleep in the field instead of in a city?" Genis asked in disbelief.
Regal was quiet for several seconds. "I don't like that city."
Zelos gave him a peculiar look. "Oh, really. You got some sad memories there or something?"
Regal glared at him. "Chosen, I've heard that when it snows in Meltokio, you go on a pilgrimage and spend a long time in a city to the south."
Now it was Zelos' turn to look uncomfortable. "Okay, okay, okay. Looks like we both have wounds we don't want touched."
This left everyone else quiet and they decided to drop the subject.
Although, Lloyd was curious by what Regal meant about Zelos taking a pilgrimage when it snowed in Meltokio. Now that he thought about it….he has noticed that Zelos didn't seem to like Flanoir. He spent almost the entire time in the hotel locked in his room. At the time, he chalked it up to Zelos hating the cold. If he did have painful memories connected to snow, he could hardly blamed him for being uncomfortable around it. He still felt that way around lightning and thunder despite Kvar being dead. Maybe they shouldn't spend another day in Flanoir if it made Zelos so unhappy.
"Oh! Look at the sky!" Colette suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone looked up to see what looked like a rainbow, except it had less colors and had a more glassy appearance.
"Wow! So cool!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"I've seen that before!" Genis shouted in equal excitement. It was at the very edge of his memory. So faded that he had forgotten until now.
"Aurora borealis," Raine stated. She swore she seen one in her childhood.
"Aurora-what?" Lloyd questioned.
"It is natural light display in the planet's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions. Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky," Raine went into one of her lectures.
"Well…whatever it is, it's pretty," Lloyd summarized.
"It is," Presea spoke with a rare smile. "We never get stuff like this in Ozette."
Zelos chuckled. "You bumpkins get in awe at the strangest things."
Sheena slapped Zelos upside the head. "Let them enjoy this moment!"
"I have to admit, it has been years since I've seen the aurora," Regal came close to whispering. She always loved them. She once said it was like the Goddess painted the sky with light.
"Does something like this exists in Sylvarant?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes, mostly in the Asgard region. We just wasn't lucky enough to see one since it's an extremely rare event," Raine said, smiling despite her lecture being ignored. It filled her with joy to see the younger members of their group so happy. It appeared despite the unbearably cold weather, Flanoir did a lot to lift their spirits.
The peaceful and almost magical moment was shattered when a loud bang filled the air. Lloyd felt his heart stopped and he unconsciously reached for his swords. It sounded like thunder, except a million times louder.
Sheena had a similar reaction as she looked around frantically.
"What's going on!?" Zelos exclaimed.
Genis looked up from Regal's shoulders and gasped. "Look over there!"
They all looked in the direction Genis was pointing and saw a swirl of dark clouds hovering in the distance. Another crack of thunder was heard as a giant lightning strike fell, causing the entire earth to tremble.
Lloyd began to shake uncontrollably. He could see that day again…that day when Kvar turned his mother into a monster…
Without a word, Colette grab Lloyd hands, bring him out of his waking nightmare.
Lloyd turned to her and gave her a silent thank you.
Sheena wasn't that much better, but managed to keep herself together better than Lloyd. She slowly realized that Zelos had put a hand on her shoulder. Normally, this would have annoyed her, but he took comfort in his silent support.
"That is not a natural storm," Raine noted in worry. It actually reminded her of old pictures she has seen in books. The Church called them divined judgements.
"That's…the direction of Ozette…" Presea suddenly spoke up in horror.
Regal felt his mouth go dry. "You're right."
"What could it be? There's a staggering amount of mana flowing from that lightning…" Genis started, but couldn't finish. The hair on the back of his neck were standing on end.
Raine voiced Genis' thoughts. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Lloyd gritted his teeth, getting his mind back together. "Let's go!" he ordered as he took out his Rheaird. Looks like their little vacation was put on hold.
It took them about an hour before the group reached the Ozette area and just by looking from the sky, things looked terrible. The forest where Ozette laid was on fire and thick smoke blot the sky.
No words were wasted as they group landed the Rheairds and all but ran into Ozette. The scene was even worse than they thought.
"No…" Colette whispered in horror.
The town was nearly destroyed and the few remaining buildings that were left intact were on fire. The air was also reeked with burning flesh and wood.
"This is…horrible," Presea whispered. Her eyes were wide and it looked like she was about to cry.
Regal quickly walked to the girl's side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, knowing that he couldn't do much else.
Lloyd was left speechless.
After seeing the Desians' raids, especially against Luin, he thought he knew what death and destruction looked like. How wrong he was. This looked like a bomb went off.
"Look!" Genis exclaimed, pointing forward.
Lloyd followed his friend's line of sight and saw a young blond boy lying prone on the ground. Pieces of flaming debris fall around him, threatening to crush him.
Lloyd quickly rushed to boy's side. "Are you okay?" He quickly checked the boy's neck for a pulse and was relieved to find one.
The boy groaned softly under his touch.
"Is he…" Genis started to ask as he approached Lloyd.
"He's alive," Lloyd answered. "And he doesn't appear to be harm." Another piece of debris fell near them, shaking the ground. "But we have to get out of here." He quickly, but gently picked the boy up.
"Follow me back to my house," Presea ordered as she led the way.
By some divine luck, Presea's house and the entire area around it was left intact. In fact, from where they stood, the only evidences of the attack was the dark smoke cloud in the distance.
As soon as they reached the house, the boy began to stir in Lloyd's arms. "Oh….oh…!" the boy moaned before he started to panic.
"It's okay, you're safe now," Lloyd assured as he put the boy down.
The boy looked at each of them with terror in his eyes.
"We're not going to hurt you," Genis spoke. "We came here help after we saw the dark cloud in the sky."
The boy visibly relaxed. "You came to help us….. Thank you."
Zelos tilted his head. There was something odd about this boy, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"What happened here?" Lloyd asked for everyone.
"I don't really know. Suddenly, lightning fell from the sky, and angels attacked the village," the boy said.
"Angels?" Raine repeated.
"They had wings. Those with wings are angels, right?" the boy asked.
Lloyd growled. "Dammit, it must have been Cruxis!"
Now Zelos was really confused. Why the hell would Cruxis send their angels to destroy this backwater hamlet? Was it to get back at Rodyle? That made no sense. Why attack Ozette instead of Presea?
"Cruxis…so angels destroyed the village…" Presea spoke. Her voice was controlled, but there was an edge to it.
"Presea, are you okay?" Regal asked in concern.
There was a long pause. "I'm fine. But…this unsettling irritation…is this…anger?"
By the way her voice quivered and her body shook, Lloyd could confirmed that Presea was more than just angry.
"I'm impressed you survived," Zelos said. "Are you the only survivor? What's your name?"
From what he could tell, he was all but certain that Cruxis killed everyone. When Cruxis attacked anything, they don't leave much behind.
"My name is Mithos. I lived by myself on the outskirts of the village, so…"
Lloyd eyes widened. "You have the same name as Mithos, the hero!"
"Mithos is a pretty common name around here," Zelos pointed out. Although, he felt unsettled.
Genis stared at the boy for a long moment. "Wait….are you a half-elf?"
Mithos' eyes widened and it looked like he was going to break into a run. "No..no I'm not…"
Raine stepped forward and gave a gentle smile. "Relax. You can tell, can't you? We have the same blood flowing through our veins as you do."
Mithos looked at Raine in awe. "You're half-elves too!? But you're with humans!"
Colette smiled. "It's okay, we're all friends."
"Humans and half-elves as friends?" Mithos repeated with a mixed of disbelief and shocked. "You're lying!"
"No, it's true. My sister and I are part of this group," Genis said proudly. He smiled as he looked towards Colette and Lloyd. "And these are my best friends."
Mithos just stared at him, still not believing what he was hearing.
Regal stepped forward. "Your reaction is understandable. I've heard that the village of Ozette is particularly known for its contempt for half-elves. If you lived an isolated life in this village, you must have suffered."
Zelos nodded in agreement. That could be one of the reasons Cruxis decided to fry the place, although it still made little sense. Cruxis was petty, but they wouldn't act this rash so suddenly.
"What happened here?" a gruff voice asked.
Everyone turned to see Altessa and Tabatha. Altessa had an expression of absolute horror, while Tabatha remained impassive.
Mithos looked especially surprised to see him.
"You're Altessa, right? What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked.
"I saw the lightning of judgment fall towards this village. But what in the world…" Altessa started.
"It was the work of Cruxis angels," Presea answered before he finished his sentence.
Altessa looked at Presea in surprise. "You've regained your true self!?" He paused as he took in her words. "How could they do this? Is this their punishment for failing the experiment?"
This got Sheena's attention. "What do you mean, punishment?"
Altessa seemed to have realized what he said. "Nothing. It's nothing!" He then ran off at a speed that was surprising for someone of his age.
"Wait!" Lloyd yelled, as he went after him. He was cut off by Tabatha.
"THE MASTER BELIEVES THAT IT IS HIS FAULT THAT OZETTE WAS DESTROYED," Tabatha stated.
"Altessa is connected to Ozette?" Colette asked, completely lost.
"YES. EXCUSE ME. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE MASTER," Tabatha said before she turned around and went after Altessa.
There was another long pause among the group as they took in what happened.
"I'm going to follow him," Presea said, breaking the awkward silence.
Lloyd nodded in agreement before he turned towards Mithos. "You should come with us."
This request took Mithos completely off-guard. "But I'm a half-elf and…"
Lloyd gave a gentle smile. "That doesn't matter. Besides, what are you going to do if you stay here and the angels come back?"
He left out the part that he would be surrounded by death and decay if he stayed. A part of him wanted to go back into the town to bury the dead. But…..something told him that there wouldn't be much to bury, and he didn't want to see bodies that have been blown to pieces.
"Lloyd's right! Let's all go together!" Genis encouraged to his new friend as he held his hand out.
Mithos looked to be near tears by the gesture. He broke into a small smile and grabbed Genis' hand.
"Now that's settled, let's get going," Lloyd said as he led the group away from the village. As he did, he noticed that his bag was shaking. "What?" He reached into his bag and saw that the black swords that Abyssion gave him were shaking.
"Does that mean a Devil's Arm is near here?" Colette asked.
Mithos stared in interest when heard Devil's Arm.
"If what Abyssion said is true, then yeah," Lloyd answered.
"Then, we should go get it," Colette said.
Lloyd frowned. "But what about Altessa?"
Colette tapped her fingers together. "I know that it's important to talk to Altessa, but….. Abyssion needs our help too."
"Well, if what you told us was true, then this Abyssion guy is closed to death's door," Genis pointed out.
"I have to agree with Colette," Regal spoke up. "While I want to confront Altessa as soon as possible, we should collect this Devil's Arms when we can. Especially given the dire need you said Abyssion was in."
Lloyd looked at everyone. "Well, if it's okay with you all, okay."
He allowed the swords to lead them into Gaoracchia Forest.
The walk was relatively quiet since everyone was lost in their own thoughts and the monsters were scared off by the raging fire still going in Ozette.
"My village… I no longer have a home to return to," Presea said softly to herself.
Despite its softness, Genis heard her since he was walking next to her. "I suppose, I can't really tell you to cheer up. But I don't have a place to return to either." There was a short pause. "Lloyd and I were chased out of our village."
This got Presea's attention. "Really?"
"Yeah, so, I understand what you're feeling a little," Genis said before he perked up a little. "But you know, if we can just do something about this world, I have a feeling we can find a new land waiting for us."
"Yes. It's a big world, after all," Presea said as her voice picked up with hope. "Genis, you're small, but wise."
Genis blushed, but was also a little annoyed. "What are you talking about? You're smaller than I am."
Presea appeared embarrassed as she realized what she said. "Oh…right…"
While this was happening, Mithos took this time walk up to Lloyd. "May I ask, why are you looking for the Devil's Arms?"
Lloyd looked at Mithos in surprise. "You know what the Devil's Arms are?"
"Just….just from stories," Mithos stuttered. "I've heard nothing but bad things about them."
"Yeah, the story behind these things are really creepy," Lloyd replied. "But, we're doing this to help a guy we met in Flanoir. His family was all but wiped out by the Devil's Arms' curse and he's gravely ill."
Mithos stared at Lloyd in disbelief. "You're doing all this for some random guy you met?"
"Dwarven Vow number two, never abandon someone in need," Lloyd repeated from memory.
Mithos paused in thought before he chuckled. "It's been awhile since I've heard anyone cite the Dwarven Vows. And I certainly didn't expect to hear them from a human." He became serious again. "Still, you may want to reconsider. Nothing good will come from messing with the Devil's Arms, despite your good intentions."
Lloyd frowned. "Truthfully, I have a bad feeling about them too. But, we promised to help Abyssion, and we can't go back on our word now."
Mithos closed his eyes. "A person who keep promises no matter what. Another odd trait in this day and age. You're so weird."
After a few more minutes of walking, the black swords led Lloyd to a dead end. On the upper corner sat a black chest that was covered in moss.
"This must be it," Lloyd said. As he said that, he felt something vibrate in his bad. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Nebilim Key. "Yeah, this is definitely it."
Carefully, he opened the chest and pulled out a black dagger. Just like all the other Devil's Arms, it gave Lloyd a creepy feeling.
Presea suddenly double over, getting everyone's attention.
"Presea, are you okay!?" Genis exclaimed as he rushed to the girl's side.
"My head…it's hurts," Presea muttered.
Regal helped steady her. "Could it…. Could it be the Devil's Arms affecting her?"
"But Abyssion told us that the Devil's Arms doesn't affect anyone besides his family members," Colette said, deeply worried.
Raine sighed. "Honestly, I wish I could have met with this Abyssion person before you made this promise."
Lloyd was beginning to get worried. Between his bad feeling, Mithos' warnings, and now Presea getting ill, he was wondering if they should keep collecting these Devil's Arms.
Presea seemed to have read Lloyd's thoughts. "I'm alright."
"Presea, if it is the Devil's Arms making you sick…" Regal started.
Presea shook her head. "It's fine. We made a promised to Abyssion who is slowly dying. If our efforts can save one life, then I can bear the discomfort….. Too many people have already died today."
Lloyd sighed in defeat. "Okay, but please tell us if this becomes too much for you."
Presea gave a small smile. "I will, thank you."
Mithos silently took note as the group began to make their way out of Gaoracchia Forest.
"Mithos, you lived by yourself, right?" Genis asked during the long walk back. He had been so quiet since they started to look for the Devil's Arms.
Mithos glanced at Genis. He seemed almost surprised that Genis was even talking to him. "That's right."
"Where are your mother and father?" Genis continued to question.
Mithos' eyes became downcast. "They're both dead."
Genis lowered his head. "Just like mines…"
At least he thought. He honestly had no clue what happened to his parents. He just kinda assumed they died since Raine has raised him for as long as he could remember and Raine never talked about them. And honestly, he felt no need to wonder about his parents. Raine, Lloyd, and Colette were the only family he needed.
"Really? We're kind of alike, aren't we?" Mithos mused, bringing Genis back to the present.
"Yeah, we are," Genis concurred before he smiled. "I think we can be good friends."
"Friends? Really?" Mithos asked in disbelief.
Genis' smile got even wider. "Yeah. Let's be friends, okay?" The thought excited him. He never had a half-elf friend before. It's like he'd found a kindred spirit.
After a few seconds, Mithos slowly returned the smile and walked closer to Genis. "Thanks…."
It took a little less than an hour before the group to finally leave Gaoracchia Forest and reached Altessa's house. To their surprise, Altessa was standing by his door with Tabatha. It was like the was expecting them.
"I was a craftsman who worked for Cruxis," Altessa stated bluntly the moment Lloyd walked into hearing range.
This caught Lloyd completely off-guard. "So you're on the side of the angels…of Yggdrasill!"
Altessa looked at Lloyd in utter shocked. "You know Lord Yggdrasill!?"
"Know him!?" Lloyd growled. "Because of him, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were twisted into worlds that fight for each other's mana!"
Altessa stared at Lloyd for several seconds before his eyes turned to Colette. "That's a Cruxis Crystal… I see. You must be the Chosen of the declining world." He paused in thought. "This may be fate." He fell silent again before he gave a long sigh of despair. "What happened to Ozette was my fault."
Presea slowly approached the dwarf. "What do you mean?"
Altessa put his head down in shame. "I went to work for Cruxis many years ago because they studied exspheres and Cruxis Crystals that are forbidden within the dwarven kingdom. While I gained great knowledge that would have been impossible to get anywhere else, I came to hate the work I did, for it was indirectly taking people's lives. So, like a coward, I ran from Cruxis and hid myself in Ozette." He sounded utterly broken. "Because I worked on the forbidding arts, I can never return home." He paused for several seconds as he tried to shallow his grief. "But I was found by a Desian named Rodyle. He ordered me to create a Cruxis Crystal in exchange for my life."
"So, that means that the research on Presea was organized by Rodyle and the Pope, who then had you and Kate carry it out?" Zelos questioned, although it was more of a statement.
Altessa nodded. "Rodyle, while a Desian in service of Cruxis, was also planning to revolt against Cruxis. Because I supported him in that…Lord Yggdrasill grew angry and he…" It looked like he was going to cry. "He destroyed the town of Ozette, which had protected me!"
"So this is how Presea, this girl who reflects my distant memories… This is how she was caught up in this… This is terrible beyond words," Regal stuttered as he took in what has happened.
Altessa looked directly at Presea. "I'm sorry. I can never apologize enough, but…apologizing is all I can do now."
Presea gave him a cold look. While there was no anger in her expression, there was an aura of disgust and loathing around her. "My time will not come back. The people of the village and daddy will not come back."
"Presea…." Genis whispered sadly.
Altessa lowered his head. "I'm…I'm sorry…."
Presea turned her back on him. "Don't apologize. Even if you apologize, I can't forgive you right now."
Altessa could say nothing as he turned around and walked into his house.
"PRESEA, I BELIEVE YOUR LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT. BUT PLEASE, DO NOT LOSE YOURSELF AS WELL," Tabatha urged. Despite her voice being utterly emotionless, there was a tinge of sadness behind her words.
Mithos was left shocked by Tabatha's words as she made her way back into the house.
"I can understand Presea's feelings a little," Mithos suddenly replied. "Some things…never come back… Even if he apologizes…even if you want to forgive, you can't control those feelings."
Lloyd looked at Mithos. For a moment, he looked much older, too old, given his age. His words and expression spoke of more than a little understanding. Lloyd began to wonder what has happened to this boy.
"Not being forgiven even by your own kinsmen…that may be punishment," Regal spoke softly.
Lloyd glanced at Regal. Why did he get the feeling that he was talking about himself? Regardless, he shook his head. "I don't think that's right. Forgiving or not forgiving isn't a punishment… I can't really explain it well, but…"
"Ah, well, anyway, let's not get into a philosophical discussion right now," Zelos cut off. "Presea doesn't need to force herself to forgive him or anything. Let's just think about what we can do now."
Raine nodded in agreement. "As for me, I think we should take this opportunity to ask Altessa all he knows about Cruxis. We currently don't have enough information." She looked directly at Lloyd. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Lloyd knew that Raine was trying to get him back on track. While they all wanted to help Presea, there was nothing that anyone could do for her. And it wasn't like her forgiving or not forgiving Altessa would change anything. Her world….was utterly destroyed.
The only way they could help her now was to stop Cruxis and the system that allowed her to suffer. It was a cold comfort, but….it was all they could offer.
"Yeah," Lloyd finally replied as he turned to face Presea. "Would you rather wait here?"
Presea slowly shook her head. "No…I'll listen as well."
With that, the group made their way into Altessa's house.
The house was utterly quiet and everything was still. Tabatha stood silently in the kitchen and made no move to stop them as they walked into Altessa's workshop.
The man was leaning heavily against his desk, like the entire weight of the world fell on his shoulders. He immediately setup when he heard Lloyd's group approach.
"Do you have business with me?" Altessa asked, pulling himself together.
"Can you tell us about Cruxis?" Lloyd asked, getting straight to the point.
Altessa sighed. "It will be a long story."
"That's okay," Colette said for everyone.
"Yeah, it isn't like we need to be anywhere," Zelos half-joked.
There was a long paused. "Tabatha!" Altessa yelled.
"YES, MASTER," Tabatha replied.
"Get the tea ready," he ordered.
This was a pack chapter. Mithos finally joins the group and Abyssion makes his appearance for one of the most annoying side-quests in the game. And as mentioned years ago in my profile, I won't be covering all the summon spirits since I did that back in Kharlan Chronicles and it feels repetitive for me to do it again. The remaining summons spirits I will cover are Luna/Aska, Maxwell, and Origin because they tied strongly into the main story. Yes, Maxwell ties into the story and not just a bonus summon spirit in my retelling, but you will see what I mean once we get in there in hopefully not ten years. *fingers crossed*
Very excited since I feel Act 2 really opens up after Dragon's Nest. Hope you all still be here to enjoy it too.
Until next time, take care.