EDIT: These past few weeks have been crazy with finals and my computer crashing (resulting in the loss of much of my story). Because of this, I haven't been able to update for a while (even though I had planned to do so once a week). Rest assured that I will continue to update, however, despite the delay.

A/N: I've decided I'll most likely update about once a week. Also, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one. Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Half-Elves In Our Midst

Genis stormed quickly through the darkening forest – well, as quickly as was possible with legs as short as his. His kendama was ready in his hand in case he came across any monsters – he'd roast anything that tried to stop him! – but the night was oddly quiet. So he contented himself with furiously blasting fireballs every which way.

He couldn't believe Rai. At first when Rai had tried to discourage him from returning to see Marble, he'd thought it was just because he was afraid of the Desians, but now he wasn't so sure. Did Rai even care about the suffering of all those people in the ranch? Marble was such a nice person, and even though those Desians were doing horrible things to her she still treated Genis so well and refused to give up living. And there were even little kids at the ranch, even younger than Genis was! He clenched his fists. How could Rai possibly condone something like that?!

He stopped and collapsed next to a tree, burying his face in his hands. He remembered what Rai had started to say – "People are suffering, but there's nothing we can do." How could he say something like that so calmly? How could he, knowing that people were suffering, simply stand by and ignore it? Genis could never live like that!

He realized that subconsciously, his legs had carried him to the human ranch. Sighing, he stood and turned to go; there was no point in being here now. Marble would be locked up somewhere inside, probably asleep. Tomorrow he'd ask Lloyd to take him to the human ranch on his way home so that he could take Marble some food. He doubted the Desians even fed her at all. Those Desians were so…!

But they're half-elves, just like me…

Furious, Genis gave one last blast from his kendama, forgetting temporarily how close he was to the ranch. A yelp came from a few metres ahead of him and Genis froze. Don't tell me…

"Ow! You brat! Get back here!" The singed Desian caught him by the arm and swung him around forcefully. "What are you...you're a half-elf!" His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you actually live together with those inferior beings."

"Look who's talking," Genis retorted sarcastically, inwardly burning with fury. Who does this guy think he is?

The Desian looked angry. "It's people like you who cater to them that keeps those inferior beings thinking they're on the same level as us! I can't believe a fellow half-elf could associate with such filth." He shook his head in disgust. "I guess I'd better take you in. I was thinking of letting you go since you're a half-elf and all, but evidently you're no better than the inferior beings you call friends."

Genis struggled, but it was no use; the Desian was much stronger than he was, and soon enough he found himself stripped of his weapons and thrown into a dark cell.

…

Lloyd was utterly shocked. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Colette cry, but here she was, tears running down her delicate face. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and let her sob into his chest. When she had calmed down a bit, he pulled back and held her at arm's length. "Okay," he said firmly. "You need to tell me what's going on. I knew something was bothering you, but since you hadn't said anything I thought I'd respect that. But if it's hurting you this much, I'm not going to let you go through it alone!"

"Lloyd, I…" Colette started, but before she could finish a voice interrupted them. It was the Professor. Lloyd felt a flash of annoyance – did she have to come in now? – but pushed it away. The Professor probably had a good reason.

She took in the looks on their faces and said, "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I just wanted to ask if either of you have seen Genis. I can't find him anywhere." The worry was clear in her voice.

Lloyd felt a spurt of panic. He'd heard Rai and Genis having some kind of argument earlier, but he'd been too preoccupied with Colette and her unexpected outburst to go look for Genis. What if he'd gone to the forest and gotten hurt? Or maybe even encountered some Desians? His friend had been acting a little odd lately…

He leapt to his feet. "Professor," he said urgently, "did Genis say anything out of the ordinary to you today?"

The Professor furrowed her brow. "No," she sighed finally. "I talked to him for a moment after school, but after that he went off with Rai and I haven't seen him since…" Before she could finish, Lloyd had raced out of the door.

He had to find Rai. For sure that argument he'd had with Genis must have something to do with this. He sprinted over to the Sages' house and flung open the door. "Rai? Genis?" The house was empty, as he'd expected. Where else could Rai be? Just then, he heard a voice from behind him.

"What are you doing in my house?" Rai said, sounding annoyed.

"This isn't the time for that!" Lloyd said forcefully. "Genis has disappeared, and the last one to see him was you. I need to know what you were arguing about earlier!" He saw Rai's eyes widen fractionally and narrowed his own accusingly. "You know something, don't you?"

For the first time since he'd met Rai, some of the boy's calm façade cracked and he looked worried. "I…"

"Don't tell me he's gone to the human ranch," Lloyd pressed on. Genis had been sneaking away some of his lunch for the past few days now, although to give to whom Lloyd hadn't known; but if he wasn't in the village, the only other place was…

Rai's mouth thinned. "…That thick-headed idiot. Even if he was upset, I can't believe he actually…"

Lloyd grabbed the elf by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Do you really think this is the time for that?!" he demanded. "If Genis has gone to the ranch, we need to get him back right away, before those Desians do something horrible to him!"

Rai's eyes closed and he didn't respond for a moment, and then they flashed open. "Then it's best if I go."

Lloyd stared at him. He'd never expected Rai to say something like that; he didn't seem like the type to barge into a human ranch on a rescue mission. "I'm coming too," he said firmly. Rai sighed.

"Lloyd, there's something you need to know," he said, "but you can't tell anyone else in the village about it."

"Fine, fine," Lloyd said hurriedly, "as long as we can save Genis. What is it? Do you know something?"

Rai looked conflicted and slightly hesitant, and Lloyd wondered briefly what it could possibly be that was affecting him so. Finally he said, "I'm a half-elf. So if I go to the Desians, I can pretend I want to join them and get Genis out that way."

Lloyd gaped. So he was a half-elf, fine…that was unexpected, but Lloyd could understand why he hadn't told them. But to go to the Desians, pretending to be one of their own…

"What's going on here? What's this about the Desians?" the Professor's voice cut into their conversation. Lloyd whirled around and faced the door, and Rai turned more slowly.

"I told Lloyd I'm a half-elf," he explained. "Genis has likely gone to the human ranch, so I'll go scout things out. It's safest for me to go, since I can always pretend to want to join the Desians if I need to save him."

The Professor looked shocked. She must have known about Rai being a half-elf, Lloyd realized. She started to say something, but Rai interrupted her. "It's okay, I told him about you guys being pure-blooded elves, and that you hid my identity to protect me," he said. The Professor said nothing, but she looked sad and knowing as she gazed at Rai. Rai was pointedly looking away.

"Well, let's get going now then!" Lloyd said, trying to diffuse the tension. "We should try to get to Genis as soon as possible."

Rai looked at him steadily with his clear green eyes. "Actually," he said, "I was thinking it might be better if we wait awhile."

Lloyd was shocked. "Why?" he asked. "How could that possibly help Genis?"

"Well, it's the middle of the night right now," Rai said reasonably in that infuriating way he had. "If Genis did go to the ranch, then he's likely already captured by now, and since he's an elf, the Desians probably won't do anything to him right away. And if he didn't go to the ranch, then we should give him a chance to come back. If he isn't back by tomorrow, we'll make a plan to go see what's going on. Plus, I think we should do it without letting anyone else in the village know. After all, if Genis has gone there, then he's broken the non-aggression treaty – I doubt the mayor will like that."

Lloyd clenched his fists. He didn't like the idea of just waiting while his friend was in danger, but he could see that Rai had a point, and the professor was nodding as well. Finally he said, "Fine, I guess that makes sense, but…how can you be so…uncaring? It's your brother who's been captured!"

Rai's eyes flashed with such fury that Lloyd was taken aback. "How dare you imply that I don't care about Genis," he snapped. "It's because I care about him that I'm trying to be reasonable. Just because I don't rush headlong into danger at the drop of a hat – "

"That's enough, Rai, Lloyd," the Professor cut in, stepping between them. "Rai is right – it would be foolhardy to try to storm the ranch now. I'm worried about Genis too, but we shouldn't lose our heads."

Lloyd sighed. How the hell was he supposed to sleep with his best friend captured? It would be a long night.

…

Genis jolted to alertness as he was abruptly jerked out of his cell into the early morning light. Disoriented, he looked around and realized that all the human prisoners were also being released and herded out towards the courtyard out back. He shivered with foreboding – he doubted they were being led towards anything good – and then glanced around to see if he could see Marble anywhere, but there was no sign of her. He glared at the Desian holding his arm and to his surprise, the Desian actually let go. Then he moved closer to Genis and whispered, "You can avoid all this unpleasantness if you give up those inferior beings and join us. After all, you are of the superior race yourself."

Genis glared at him and said nothing, mind racing. It occurred to him that he could pretend to be interested in joining and look for a way to escape, but then they'd probably expect him to start mistreating the humans – if he refused, his cover would be blown and he'd be in an even worse situation than before. At least right now the Desians weren't sure where his allegiances lay; maybe he could stall by pretending to be interested in their organization. Quickly, he wiped the anger off his face, hoping the Desian hadn't noticed it or would attribute it to fear. Trying to sound timid, he asked softly, "Are half-elves really superior? The humans always said…"

Just as he had hoped, the Desian's face tightened with anger on Genis's behalf. "Those filthy humans said you were inferior? Those beasts. With us, you'll be accepted for who you are, and no one will discriminate against you based on the amount of elven or human blood in your veins."

Despite himself, Genis was interested. No discrimination? They'd accept him? But…no. Don't forget the horrible atrocities these people commit, he reminded himself. The Desian seemed to have noticed the confusion on Genis's face, because his face softened and he clapped Genis on the shoulder. "Think about it," he said softly. "But for now, since you're still a prisoner, you'll have to go with the rest to watch the execution. I'm sorry."

The blood drained out of Genis's face as the Desian walked away and he was pushed forward with the crowd. Execution? No way. This is sick…He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to vomit or pass out, and steeled himself for what he was about to witness. I can't lose control, I can't lose control…

They entered a wide-open area at the back of the ranch that was familiar to Genis; it was here, by the perimeter, that he used to meet with Marble. Marble. I hope she's all right, he thought worriedly. Why wasn't she here with the rest of the prisoners? He felt a trickle of unease as he realized…No, it can't be….

Genis looked up and felt as if he had been turned to ice. Being dragged up to the front, flanked by a group of Desians, was Marble.

…

Colette bit her lip nervously. She couldn't stop worrying about what might be happening to Genis right now at the hands of the Desians. He'd probably gone there because he wanted to save the people at the ranch…

She sighed. She'd thought about it many times herself; people were suffering at the ranch, so shouldn't she, as the Chosen, be able to protect them? She'd comforted herself with the fact that once she regenerated the world, they would be saved, but she knew that many of them would be killed before their salvation came…

Her eyes closed. This was her fault. She was the one who was supposed to save everyone – because she couldn't save the people at the ranch, Genis was in danger. Genis, I'm so sorry…Tomorrow, she'd definitely go with them to save Genis, she decided. I can't just stand by and let something bad happen to him!

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud thump, and she realized that Lloyd had driven his fist into a nearby tree trunk. He lowered his hand and she could see blood running down his knuckles and dripping onto the ground. "Lloyd!" she cried in dismay, running over to him. "Please don't beat yourself up over this! Genis will…be all right…" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded hollow and unconvincing, but she gently picked up Lloyd's hand and pulled off his glove. He stared unseeingly past her, as if he had forgotten she was even there, so she guided him towards the trunk and pushed him into a sitting position so she could bind his hand.

"Lloyd," she said finally, as gently as she could. "It's not your fault…"

Lloyd's eyes finally focused on her, and he looked so helpless…Her heart broke at the sight of seeing Lloyd, who was always sure of himself, reduced to such a state. After a pause, he spoke falteringly.

"But…I knew he was giving some of his lunch to someone. I should have realized what was going on, I should have…I should –" His voice broke and Colette wrapped her arms around him comfortingly, just as he had done for her not too long ago.

"There's no way you could have known, Lloyd," she murmured. "No one would have expected you to. Besides, it's –" She stopped herself before she could say 'It's my fault, too'. She knew that would only agitate Lloyd more.

As she held her best friend, she realized that part of her was relieved that Lloyd had forgotten about her earlier loss of control, at least temporarily. She hoped he wouldn't ask about it again; she didn't know how long she could lie to him…

She felt a sudden stab of guilt. How could she be feeling glad that this had happened, just because of her own selfish reason? I should be thinking of Genis right now, not myself! She closed her eyes and sent a prayer up to the Goddess Martel. Please, Your Grace. Let him be safe.

…

Rai stared into space, his eyes blank. He couldn't believe that he'd revealed himself to Lloyd, of all people. He was proud of being a half-elf, but he'd had to hide for so long that just coming out and saying it…felt wrong. He hoped he'd managed to pull it off without seeming too ruffled, but his heart had been pounding like a drum and he'd broken out in a cold sweat at the thought of finally telling someone.

Still, it had to be done. After all, Genis…

Rai sighed. He still couldn't understand why he always became so weak when it came to Genis. In both this life and his previous – if that was indeed what his odd memories signified – he had always acted in his own self-interest. Even actions that pleased others were usually carefully calculated so that others' affection for him would grow, or so that he could curry favor and later receive favors back in return. But Genis…when Lloyd had told him that the younger half-elf had disappeared, Rai's heart had skipped a beat and for a second he had feared it would stop altogether. It had been an odd and dangerous feeling, one that he did not much want to experience again. Just don't let Genis get into trouble again. But that wasn't an answer. Why did he care about Genis's safety so? Yes, he should care about his brother, but if he got into trouble because he was an idiot, Rai shouldn't have to be responsible…

That was what his mind said. But still, Rai had a nervous tension in his chest that refused to go away. Even though he had been the one to point out that they should wait and not go to save Genis right away, he still felt as if he should immediately go to his brother's aid. Have I become an irrational idiot who acts impulsively on his emotions? he thought of himself in disgust. He ran his hands through his hair, pushing the long silver bangs out of his eyes, and then propped his chin in his hands. Well, there was no point in brooding about it – it would hardly change anything. He'd decided to wait until at least mid-afternoon tomorrow before going to the ranch after Genis, so he'd stand by that decision. He should get to his nightly practice in magic.

What an odd relationship he had with Genis, Rai mused as he got to his feet and dusted off his knee-length black pants. He cared about him to the point where he almost (almost, but not quite) became irrational, but at the same time was so envious of him that he had to practice spells every night in secret to keep up. It was a secret he had kept from Genis for almost a year, and his brother had come close to finding it out the other day. In fact, in a way Lloyd had saved him by rolling into the classroom, Rai thought with dry amusement.

He raised his hands, palms facing out. It was the pose he used in order to channel his magical power, since unlike Genis, he did not use a weapon. He focused his mind with practiced ease and hissed, "Icicle." As the sharp frozen shard spiked up from the ground, he examined it critically. He had noticed over the past few weeks that by tailoring how he focused his mind and how precisely he channeled his mana, he could alter the density, height, and width of the icicle. Every night he would practice his control, making the ice spike higher or lower, testing its strength, measuring its thickness with his eyes.

He had also realized that saying incantations for spells was entirely unnecessary, although very helpful. Without voicing the incantations aloud, it was very difficult to cast magic – however, it was still possible, as Rai had finally proved two days ago. As long as he could prevent his mind from wandering and keep it firmly focused on the spell and the spell only, he could manage to cast completely nonverbally, although it took a lot of concentration.

Rai had long since concluded that although he had better concentration of mind, Genis had a natural control over his mana. This was what prevented Rai from easily mastering new spells and what allowed Genis to almost intuitively shape his body's life energy into new attacks. Each different element required the mana that fueled it to be released in a specific way, and had to be infused with specific feelings. Wind was cutting, thin, and razor-sharp; ice was biting and cold; fire was fury and heat. Rai found it impossible to harness light magic or earth magic, but he could harness ice, fire, and darkness with extreme ease, while wind, lightning, and water were achievable but more difficult.

As he ran through his mental exercises and cast fifty times in each element, as he did every night, he did his best to keep his mind from straying to thoughts of his brother.

…

Genis felt like a hollow shell, and his eyes burned as if someone had thrown alcohol in his face. When he had first seen Marble, ice had spread through his body, and soon fire had followed it; now, neither was left.

He remembered how he had screamed and cried, how he had spewed profanities he hadn't even known he knew, how he had struggled and lashed out at the Desians restraining him, and how Marble had…

Marble had…turned into a monster…

And then the Desians had…hunted her, as if she were an animal…

Genis shuddered, and even though he had thought he must have dried up all the water in his body by now, his eyes once more filled with hot tears. All my fault…

They'd killed Marble because she'd been secretly meeting with someone from outside the ranch. As an example to the rest of the prisoners. My fault. She was meeting me.

And it wasn't enough to just kill her – they'd had to make her, a gentle, kind old lady, lose control and then make sport of ending her life…

He was still horrified, but his tears were drying up again. If he wanted to gain control of himself, he'd have to think about something academic, and not about how Marble…no. Now was not the time to brood about it. He'd cried and cried, but he needed to find a way out of here, and then he could mourn Marble properly.

A thought occurred to him and he opened his right fist. The round, blue stone gazed back at him. He knew from seeing Lloyd's similar gem that this was an 'exsphere', a tool for increasing one's innate abilities. But then why, for Marble, had it…

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, thinking. The Desians had removed the stone from Marble's hand, and as soon as they had done so, the mana that made up her body had begun to pulse, and twist, and…he shuddered again to think of it. It was horribly unnatural, and he knew it must have been extremely painful.

He wiped his eyes angrily before he could begin sobbing again and directed his mind back to the matter at hand. If removing the exsphere had caused her mana to go out of control, then somehow her body must have become dependent on it. He doubted Lloyd's exsphere worked like that though...Dirk wouldn't have given his son something so dangerous. So there must be some fundamental difference between Lloyd's exsphere and Marble's…but what?

He yawned despite himself – his body was horribly taxed, he realized, feeling how his own mana was several times more depleted than normal – and leaned back against the wall. He'd ask Lloyd about it later when he got out, and he couldn't think of a way out when he was so tired…

"You! Out, now!" He opened his eyes and glanced at the bars. It was the same Desian who had tried to convince him to join before – Alai, as the others had called him. Before Genis could move, the Desians had thrust the cell door open and pulled Genis outside.

Genis was led along, prodded periodically in the back by the Desian. Nobody seemed to question where they were going – likely the Desian had orders to remove Genis. But when he was shoved out of the human ranch and into the forest, he turned around in shock. "What –?"

"Shut up," hissed the Desian quickly, grabbing Genis by the upper arm and dragging him further away from the ranch. When they were several metres away, he glanced around and then said, "You're only a kid, and a half-elf to boot; I feel sorry for you, and I don't think you should have had to see that execution. So I'm going to take you back to your village – but don't think I'm on your side," he added sharply, as Genis opened his mouth. "I'll not mention it to Lord Forcystus or the other higher-ups this time, but don't expect any other special treatment in the future." He paused. "And, of course, I'll be warning the inferior beings that any further breaches of the treaty will not be taken so lightly." He glanced at Genis and added, "I think you'll soon see, though, that half-elves have no place among humans. If they knew what you were, they would turn on you without a moment's thought."

With that, he resumed the quick pace, dragging a shocked Genis in his wake.

…

"Get out here, inferior beings!" The harsh yell rang in Rai's ears, and he hurriedly sprang to his feet and exited the house. By the village entrance was a Desian, and next to him – Rai felt a rush of relief – was Genis.

Within a few minutes, all the villagers had gathered. There was a strangled yell from Lloyd. "Genis!" The swordsman attempted to rush forward, but Raine caught his arm. Rai knew why. There was no knowing what the Desian's intentions were in bringing Genis back.

"Listen up, filth," the Desian snarled. "This brat has been found on our property – in clear violation of the non-aggression treaty." Shocked whispers sprang up throughout the crowd, but the Desian held up a hand for quiet and they subsided. "However," he continued, pausing – for dramatic effect, Rai thought – before he finished his sentence. "I have seen fit to condone this one time, and neglect to report this for Lord Forcystus." Before the crowd could make a sound, he added loudly, "After all, this child is of the superior race – a half-elf, much more deserving than filth like you. I could hardly condemn one of my own kin."

There was a shocked, heavy silence. Rai could probably have heard a pin drop, if there were one to hear.

"At any rate, you have all been warned," the Desian said. Before he released Genis, who looked petrified and ashamed, he bent over to whisper something into the boy's ear. From Rai's vantage point, he managed to make out the words "…for your own good." He frowned, wondering what that could mean – and then it became clear. The Desian had revealed Genis's race in an effort to show the boy that humans were not to be trusted.

Rai gritted his teeth angrily. Although that was true – humans were indeed by and large a fickle and dull-witted race – that was hardly a good reason to expose a mere child to such cruelty as would now be heaped on him by the villagers.

Several thoughts entered his mind at the same time as he scrambled frantically for the best course of action. His first thought was that one option was to simply let Genis take the fall, but he rejected that possibility almost immediately for multiple reasons – one, that Rai's own identity as well as Raine's would then come into jeopardy, and two, that he simply didn't want Genis to have to face that. He also considered that if Genis and Raine were both to be exiled, even considering Rai escaped the same fate, he would then be alone in a now suspicious village – not a very appealing thought. And there was also the debt he still had to Raine, he admitted grudgingly to himself; she had raised him and for that she deserved something in return.

Suddenly another thought came to him, and slowly, his mind cleared. Yes – there was a way he could resolve this, a way in which he could kill two birds with one stone. He smirked slightly. Things were always better when one had a plan.

A/N: If there's anything that seems confusing, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Thanks!