Ch 2 – Resolve

He had awoken when Yuan returned once more with a new tray of food. Neither had said anything to the other as Kratos began to wordlessly eat his food. Once he had finished Yuan left with the empty tray and so Kratos was able to think more clearly now with a belly full of food and peace to himself.

He attempted to recall his steps previously before he had awoken in his room. He had been laying in a field of flowers, thinking about his past and looking at the stars when he was suddenly approached by the summon spirit of fate. Three sisters, much the same as Sylph was like. He was surprised to see summon spirits beyond Norn on Derris Kharlan, but if Aselia was able to bore summon spirits then it made sense that Derris Kharlan would be able to as well. It still puzzled him why they had approached him, but nonetheless he was here now and so he would do what he could.

Now that he knew the date, he needed to ascertain his current position. If he recalled after he had hurt himself, he had been banned from leaving his room for quite some time. He couldn't exactly recall how long since the period of time was a blur for him but after some years he was sure he was let out. If the angels posted at his door was anything to go by, then it was certain that was the case now for himself. From the freshness of the wound, he could deduce that it had been only a couple of days since the incident. Which judging by the intense pain he was feeling from it, that certainly was the case. The most he could do at the moment was lay in his bed awake, ensuring that his movement didn't disturb the healing process.

Healing process. Yes, there were plenty of facilities in Derris Kharlan that could heal his wound faster, but then they'd have the issue of him being a run away again. Most likely Mithos ordered the others to let his wound heal naturally to ensure that the pain would keep him at bay for the moment. If he could get to one of those healing stations, he's certain he'd be able to heal it enough to be less of a burden. Leaving his room was the first obstacle with those angel's posted at his door. He wasn't in any state to subdue them and there was no convincing them. His authority over the angels most likely has been revoked and much of his access to the rest of Welgaia. That led him to the question of how he was going to leave this place. If he wanted to do anything productive, he couldn't do it under the watchful gaze of Mithos.

Kratos glanced down to his left hand, the hi-exsphere glimmering upon the mount. The addition of inhibitor ore decorating it meant that his full usage of his hi-exsphere was out of the question. He wouldn't age, but otherwise all his faculty members were in full use. He would tire, he would hunger, and he would ache. He needed to be rid of this device and he needed more information, but most of all he needed an ally to help him because there was no way he was going to do this by himself.

He sat there thinking of who he could possibly use and the answer he got was always the same. Yuan. Yuan was the closest of an ally he was going to get, but that was a gamble. He never quite understood what the man was thinking and his agendas were always kept close to his chest. Yet, he could surmised that he did know what Yuan's objective was. It was to unify the worlds and plant the world tree in order to fulfill Martel's wish and to lay her to rest. That had always been at the heart of all of his decisions. The question is if Yuan would be ready to trust him after he had just recently betrayed that trust. Coming back to Mithos and destroying the ring of pacts was proof of that, but maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to convince Yuan to reconsider their positions. They had worked best in the past together than apart. That proved true towards the end, but even then Kratos had been so useless.

Kratos' gaze moved towards the empty nightstand next to his bed. He resolved in his heart this time he wouldn't be so passive as he was in the past. He would fulfill his promise to Martel and he would look after Mithos, even if it meant being the end of him. This is not how Martel or the younger Mithos would have wanted him to end up. His hand moved to the locket at his chest, gripping it tightly within his grasp.

Just what path did he want to take? Would he remain in the shadows or would he take front stage in this play? The thought terrified him, but the thought of leaving everything in the hands of his son terrified him even more. There was no guarantee that everything would go the same way as it had previously, especially since he knew. That was a burden too great for a young boy and yet he allowed it to happen. Kratos' brows furrowed together at the thought. No, he resolved it in his heart that he would do something this time and that meant he wasn't going to leave everything to his son. His son deserved better and this was a problem that Kratos should have dealt with a long time ago.

What he regretted the most was not being able to be there for Lloyd, but was being present in his life the wise choice? Would he just muck it up like he always did? Kratos uncurled his fingers around the locket, carefully opening it to look at the image of himself, Anna, and baby Lloyd in their arms. His fingers brushed along the image of Anna, he knew that if Anna had been here he'd be getting an earful for even thinking of not taking care of their son. That's right, he's his son and that meant he was his responsibility. It was time he stopped shirking his duties because of fear. He snapped the locket shut.

First things first, he needed to get out of here. Rising from his place on the bed, he hissed in pain but did his best to ignore it. He'd get out of these clothes and into something more appropriate for traveling. Kratos moved to his closet, opening it to look at the sparse amount of clothes he retained. His old knight's uniform remained folded at the bottom of the closet while some more simpler clothes remained hung up. It was old, but it had proved useful to him. He pick up his knight's uniform and set about putting it on as best as he could without causing himself pain.

As he buckled the last belt, he glanced in the mirror to see himself staring back. The collar of his under-armor covered the bandage which was good. He adjusted it for a moment and paused as the sound of whooshing alerted him to someone coming into his room. The swordsman shifted his attention towards the door to see the form of Yuan coming through with another tray of food.

"You can send the angels instead." he sounded out, adjusting one last part of his outfit before fully turning to face Yuan. He could see the other close his eyes and sigh.

"But would you eat it?" Yuan questions and Kratos remains silent. They both knew the answer to the question, he didn't even have to really answer it. Of course in the past he wouldn't have, but now that he had reason to live, he was more willing to eat. Kratos exhaled through his nose and out stretched his hand ready to receive the tray. Yuan eyes him before eventually handing it over and crossing his arms as he remains. Kratos for that matter makes his way over towards his bed and sits down, setting the tray on his lap as he picked up the steamed bun that had been prepared for him.

"Why the clothes?" came the next question that Kratos was prepared for. Chewing on his bun, he took a moment to swallow his food before answering.

"Should I go about naked?" he questions lightly, taking another bite of his bun. Wine hues met with green ones and Yuan scoffed at the mild humour afford.

"Don't be so damn difficult."

"That's rich coming from you."

Kratos could see Yuan grit his teeth and hold back whatever petty remark he was about to say. The man looked down right angry and in that moment Kratos recalled that he needn't pick a fight with Yuan but gain his trust. Clearing his throat, he lowered his head and brushed the his eyebrow with the back of his thumb as he thought the next best course of action. Squabbling with Yuan was almost second nature for the ex-knight that he hadn't even realized what he was doing until he had done it.

"My apologies, Yuan." he states as he closes his eyes to regain his composure. He could hear another scoff coming from the half-elf, but did nothing to respond to it. Opening his eyes, he saw the quizzical and caution look coming from Yuan once more. Yuan could tell was something off just from the sudden change of behavior in the past 24 hours. It was no surprising, Yuan was a quick one so it was usually difficult to hide something under his nose.

"I want to leave." Kratos explains.

"That's not happening." comes the response. Of course not, Mithos probably made it very clear that Kratos was not leaving under any circumstance. The only way he was going to convince Yuan was if he played on the man's empathy, something he knew existed despite how much he attempted to hide it. Setting his bun down and putting the tray aside, Kratos clasps his hands together and leans his weight onto his forearms.

"I need to find Lloyd."

"He's dead Kratos, you said it yourself."

"I...I don't know what I saw or didn't see. I only found his shoe, but not his body nor Anna's for that matter. Perhaps I didn't look hard enough."

"Let's just say, what if, that boy is alive, are you assuming that a three year old could survive the forest by himself?"

"Noishe was with us. If Noishe is still alive, yes."

A large groan came from the half-elf who threw his hands up into the air and clasped his hands to settle along the top of his head. Yuan turned away and so Kratos waited, hoping that the man would have some semblance of care for Kratos. Without realizing it, his body began to tense as he watched Yuan with intensity.

"Mithos won't allow it." came the eventual response from the half-elf, his voice quiet and serious.

"I don't care, I have to find him Yuan. Even….Even if it's just his remains—" his voice caught in his throat at the mere thought of Lloyd's little lifeless body. No, he shouldn't think like that. Lloyd is alive. He's seen it before and he's certain.

Right?

"Please, Yuan." he stresses out, coughing and quickly grabbing his throat to stabilize it from the shuddering movement. His body shook with each cough that racked through his body shooting burning pain from his neck down into his chest. He closed his eyes due to the pain, trying to overcome it without making a sound in response to it. Soon the sensation of something cool on his shoulder could be felt and he cracked his eyes open to see those concerned green hues looking at him. The cold hand of Yuan's rubbed along his shoulder until the coughing fit subsided and Kratos was more or less not keeling over from the pain. Silence blossomed between the two, Kratos allowing for Yuan to think on it. From the corner of his eye he could see the other biting their bottom lip, which meant they were seriously considering the matter.

Eventually, a loud and exasperated sigh escapes from the half-elf's lips; the man having come to a conclusion on what he would do. A finger was pointed in Kratos' direction, hard green hues settled on his frame.

"We go together or not at all." he emphasized, making it clear that Kratos wasn't going to rebuttal the topic and get away with it.

"That's dangerous."

"I know, but you're not in any condition to go anywhere by yourself and I doubt you're willing to wait at least a week to heal up." the shake of Kratos' head was enough of an answer on the subject. "Besides, I have a better chance of smoothing it over with Mithos if I come than if I don't come."

This caused Kratos to furrow his brows, not sure where Yuan's train of thought was but it was evident the man had thought of something to a degree to at least get himself out of the trouble they both could be in.

"Soon. Tonight preferably." Kratos asserts. Yuan waves him off and this causes Kratos to frown at the man. Sometimes he couldn't tell if Yuan was taking him seriously or not, but the response he got made him hopeful.

"Fine, fine, but I need time to set things up. So wait here like a good dog," Kratos furrowed his brows and scowled at the likening. "and I will be back in a bit."

And with that, dramatically as always, Yuan swept his cape and left through the door without another word. Whether Kratos wanted to say something or not didn't matter at this point. Yuan was gone and that was the end of that.

Kratos returned his attention towards the mirror, checking that everything was order until his left hand settled upon his sword's belt. Empty. Obviously all sharp objects would have been confiscated from Kratos' premises. Not that there was much to take, but all his weapons had been taken. That is something he'll have to remedy and perhaps hope is part of Yuan's brilliant 'set things up' plan. For now, all he could do was wait and so wait is what he did. Laying back down onto his bed, he settled his hands along his chest and closed his eyes. Where fields of red flowers blanketed his thoughts.