Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Darkness was all encompassing. I had never known a darkness so deep, so unforgiving as this. I could see nothing. I could feel nothing. There was little I could do besides exist, and hope to escape from this black eternity. I was an isolated consciousness, barely aware of my own thoughts. Gradually, I lost awareness of everything...

TALES OF SYMPHONIA: NEW REALITY

Wetness. A drop of rain.

"Is she all right, Professor? That scrape on her forehead..." A male voice came from my right. It was one I certainly didn't recognize.

"She's fine. It seems she's only unconscious. We should get her out of the rain before she gets sick." Now a female voice spoke, presumably the Professor.

My back ached. The voices were also coming from above me, which meant I was probably lying on the ground. How had I ended up there? I wanted a warm bed, someplace to get a restful sleep, not the hellish one I had been trapped within earlier. I tried to open my eyes, and found I had the strength to do so. The light hurt, though, and I forced them shut again.

"I think she's waking up!" Another voice came, that of a young girl, one my age…that was a strange thought. How old was I again? Now I opened my eyes fully, allowing my sensitive pupils to adjust accordingly. Gentle hands helped me sit up, and dizziness caused me to rest my head between my knees. Finally I looked up, faintly curious as to who had helped me.

Five people stood before me. They were all wearing clothes that I immediately considered strange; though when I tried to remember what normal was supposed to look like, I found that I couldn't.

There was the woman kneeling next to me, the Professor—she had short silver hair and wore an orange tunic, and she had some kind of staff in her grip. There was some concern in her gaze, but at the same time she seemed wary.

The others…there was a brunet boy in red, a blonde haired, blue-eyed girl, and a young silver haired boy that looked like he could be related to the Professor. Finally there was the man at the back of the group, standing a little further away from the rest. He had spiky auburn hair and a piercing gaze; he watched me quietly, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his hip.

"Are you okay?" The boy in red asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts. I realized that his voice was the first I'd heard upon waking up.

"Give her a moment to think," the solemn man finally spoke, "it's only natural for her to be disoriented."

I blinked, unable to find my voice at first, unsure if I even had one. After a few seconds I was able to force my mouth to form words. "I…I'm fine. Just a little sore, I guess." I was wet, too, but surely they already knew that.

"What were you doing laying unconscious in the middle of the woods like that?" The silver haired boy (the Professor's brother?) spoke up.

"I..." I was unable to think of an answer.

"What's your name?" The blonde asked. Her face was open and friendly; I naturally wanted to confide in her, to ask her for help. Unfortunately, I couldn't answer this question either.

"I don't know..."

"Amnesia. It must be from the head injury," the Professor said, frowning. "I'll do what I can, but first we'll have to get you inside and out of the rain."

Nodding vaguely, I went along with them. The group seemed to know what they were doing, and I highly doubted I could accomplish anything on my own in this state. My head began to throb, and I tried desperately not to think. Amnesia...of course that would be it. I didn't want to think about the implications of that right now. All I wanted to do was…was…

I realized faintly that I had fallen over after only a few steps. Giving up, I let myself slip into unconsciousness.

I was warm and comfortable. Was my hell finally over?

I was able to open my eyes easily this time; the light in the room was gentle, pulsing softly. The fireplace in the corner of the room was the source of it. I was in a cozy bed, wrapped in blankets. My mind had been cold, numb; I felt it begin to thaw in this homely room.

Then, of course, the events that had transpired started coming back to me. Waking up in the forest with a group of strangers. The words that had been exchanged…Amnesia.

I gritted my teeth, trying hard to think. My name…my name was Brittany. That was right. I knew that much; it was the first thing that came to mind, and it just seemed right.

But my name wasn't the only thing I had forgotten…I couldn't even remember my surname, or where I lived, or if I had any family. Did I even have friends? Who was I?!

A sudden feeling of panic hit me. Where was this place? What was I supposed to do? There was no one here to give me the answers that I needed, and I didn't even know where to start. Was I really…all alone here? This wasn't right. I wanted…I wanted…

A faint image caught in my mind, and I shook my head as it faded. I wanted someone to comfort me, but I couldn't remember who I would have turned to. The panic faded as a horrible sense of loneliness set in.

"Oh, you're finally awake. How are you doing?" The brunette boy from earlier had entered the room. His voice was welcoming, friendly. I couldn't answer him. I stared at the blanket on my lap, feeling empty. He sat down in the chair next to my bed, a puzzled expression now on his face. "...Hello?"

I spoke suddenly, without realizing it. "My name's Brittany." My eyes remained glued to my lap.

"Brittany?" He said my name, and at that instant I knew it was indeed mine. "So you remember!"

I shook my head, and finally looked up at him. "Nope. Just my name. That's all I know."

His grin fell. "Ah...still, it's better than nothing."

"Yeah..." I did have to agree with this. My name was the one scrap of identity I had left.

He smiled again, seemingly wanting to brighten the mood. "Glad to meet you, Brittany." He seized my hand, shaking it. "My name's Lloyd."

I was startled into a laugh at his cheerful gesture and attitude. "Lloyd, then. Thanks."

"You're awake!" The blonde girl entered the room now, a delighted expression on her face.

Lloyd's smile grew. "Colette! This is Brittany. She finally remembered her name!"

"That's great!" She exclaimed, genuinely happy. "I'm Colette," she said to me.

"Nice to meet you." I found myself grinning. Their names seemed oddly familiar, but I was sure that I didn't know them. At least they seemed nice enough.

The other three of the group came in, roused by the sudden conversation. Lloyd began introducing me to them, and vice versa.

"Brittany, this is Genis, Professor Sage, and Kratos." Genis was the young boy who bore resemblances to Professor Sage, and Kratos was the solemn one.

"Thank you all for helping me earlier," I said.

"Were you able to remember anything aside from your name?" The man called Kratos asked me, and I shook my head.

"My name is all I have. I don't even know who I am or how I ended up where you found me."

"You have a mild concussion," the Professor explained, "it most likely caused the amnesia."

I felt my forehead, and my hand encountered a lump and scabbed skin. It didn't even hurt. How had it happened, though?

"Is there any way you can help her, Raine?" Genis asked, but the woman only shook her head.

"Unfortunately, amnesia isn't something that can be cured through the healing arts. There have been some theories, but any spells are only in the experimental stage. We may do more harm than good in an attempt to restore her memory."

"The mind is a fragile thing," Kratos said, elaborating further, "amnesia is not truly a loss of the memory. A head injury only temporarily impairs the mind's ability to remember past events. If we try to speed up her recovery, we may only worsen her condition."

Genis and Lloyd looked as glum as I felt. Colette, however, remained optimistic. "Why do you all look so sad, then? You heard what Kratos said. Amnesia isn't permanent. Your memories are still there, Brittany, and they'll come back to you soon."

I nodded. "…Yeah, I guess you're right."

I needed to remain positive. But still…I found myself agreeing just because I was completely lost and I didn't know what the right answers were anymore.

We spoke for a short while longer, but it was evident that the group had other business to attend to. They explained that I was at a House of Salvation near a town called Palmacosta. A House of Salvation, apparently, was a type of rest stop for travelers. It also served as a small church for those on pilgrimages. They seemed surprised upon finding out that I had no idea where Palmacosta was, or even Sylvarant, for that matter.

"Sylvarant is the world," Lloyd said, an incredulous expression on his face, "how could you not know where it is? We're in Sylvarant right now!"

"Lloyd, there's no sense in getting worked up about it." Raine admonished him.

Still, the fact that I couldn't even remember the name of the world we lived in was more than a little disturbing. What could have caused me to forget so much?

"We've talked for long enough." Kratos frowned, "We should be going. Have you forgotten about Chocolat?"

"That's right, we have to go put the squeeze on Dorr," Lloyd's eyes narrowed, "before Chocolat is..."

"Is someone in danger?" I asked, concerned.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. We have to go save her from the Desians. You should stay here in the meantime; it's too dangerous."

"Okay," I replied reluctantly. I didn't want to be left behind, but I also didn't want to get in the way.

And so, they left. I didn't know if or when they would come back. The caretakers of the House offered me that room to stay in for a while; they were very kind. Upon hearing that I'd lost my memory, they'd decided to teach me of this strange world called Sylvarant. First, being priests, they taught me of the Church of Martel.

Martel was a goddess who slept at the center of the world. Because she slept, the land and people suffered and Desians had free reign.

"How do you wake her up?" I asked, confused. What I was hearing seemed familiar, but wrong at the same time.

The priest laughed. "That, my dear, is the job of the Chosen of Regeneration."

"The Chosen of Regeneration...is that a person? Who is it?"

"Why, you've met her." He answered me with a twinkle in his eyes, "Lady Colette is the soon-to-be savior of the world."

I looked up at him, fascinated. "Colette?! But...what does the Chosen do? What's her job?"

"She travels the world and faces many trials," he said, "releasing magical seals until she reaches the Tower of Salvation." He then pointed the tower out to me, an impossibly tall structure that stood out against the blue sky. "Then she will enter the tower and offer her prayers of Regeneration. The Chosen will become an angel, and the goddess will awaken. The world will then be saved."

"Wow," I said in near-disbelief. Magic? Angels? Goddesses? The people in this place seemed to take these things as a matter of course, but for some reason my mind revolted against the ideas like they were ridiculous. I knew what I was supposed to say here, though, so I spoke. "That's…that's really amazing."

The priest seemed pleased with my reaction, and so he began to tell me more stories of the world. Despite how confusing it all was, I listened intently, hoping to uncover some of my memories in the process. Still, my past remained hidden from me.

That night as I lay in bed, I realized that it really didn't matter. I needed to stop dwelling on it so much because I had very little control over all of this.

The present and the future—that was what I should focus on. I knew what the problem was, and now I had to decide what I was going to do about it. I wasn't going to remember everything if I spent all my time despairing over the fact that I couldn't remember.

…All right. I would wait here for the others to come back. They were the only people I had at this point. Colette was the Chosen, right? She was supposed to become some savior of the world. If that was true, and if she was really as kindhearted as she seemed…then maybe she and her group would help me. I would do what it took to get my memories back.

With a game plan in mind, sleep took me much more peacefully this time.

Chapter Text

After four long days, Colette and the others returned. I was inwardly relieved; I knew they probably had more important things to be doing, and I had worried that they might decide not to come back after all. I greeted them all with a smile, but Lloyd seemed oddly downhearted.

As the other four went about the process of preparing some dinner, I approached him.

"…Lloyd?" I hesitated, trying to overcome a sudden feeling of shyness. "What's wrong? Were you able to rescue that Chocolat person?"

He shook his head slowly. "No…Chocolat was taken to another human ranch. She didn't want to be rescued…"

"…Human ranch?" I faltered, confused. Was that something to do with the Desians? Ranches were for raising livestock, weren't they? That didn't mean…it couldn't possibly mean what I thought it meant, could it?

Lloyd gave me a look of surprise, and then averted his gaze. "So you don't remember what those are either. Or the Desians."

I gave him an expectant look, hoping he would explain. If it was that important, then I needed to know. In reply he turned to Raine, who was arranging some supplies on a nearby table.

"Hey, Professor, we're just going on a quick walk."

"All right. Don't wander too far; dinner will be finished soon," she said.

Lloyd nodded and motioned for me to walk with him. I quickly caught up, unnerved by the way Kratos was watching us as we left. Was it really that serious, what Lloyd was about to tell me? I didn't like the way this was adding up.

Wanting to break the silence, I attempted to give him a place to start. "So, um…I tried asking about the Desians around here, but the priests wouldn't say much. Are they really that terrible?"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed and his lips turned down in a grim frown. "Yeah."

"Who are they?"

"Half-elves," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked. "They have bases all over Sylvarant and all they ever do is terrorize innocent people."

"What about human ranches?" I pressed.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. They're monsters—they imprison people and treat them like cattle. They think they're better than us, like they can do whatever they want and just get away with it!" He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing. "It's…it's what happened to my mom. My mother is dead because of the Desians. I was only three…she died saving me."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. The pain in his eyes was clear as day. I wasn't sure if I had a mother, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

He shook his head, suddenly looking tired. "You don't need to apologize."

"So…why didn't Chocolat want to be rescued?" I changed the subject, knowing his late mother was probably an uncomfortable thing for him to talk about.

This road was no better; I saw Lloyd's shoulders slump. "Back in Iselia, my hometown, there was a human ranch. I tried to save Marble, Chocolat's grandmother…but because I got caught, the Desians turned her into a monster. I…I had to kill her. That's why Chocolat hates me."

Monsters and human ranches…this whole thing sounded crazy, like when I had learned about the Journey of Regeneration. But the serious look on Lloyd's face said it all—he was telling the truth. Why would he lie about something like this? Still, though…knowing how dangerous this place really was…was kind of scary.

"That's not really fair," I said quietly.

His brow furrowed. "Why not? I killed Marble with my own two hands."

"Do you think she would've preferred to live on as a monster?"

"It's still my fault that she was turned into one in the first place," Lloyd sighed. "I tried to stop her from being whipped…she might've been okay if they hadn't seen me. But I rushed into the situation like an idiot…she died because of it."

I just shook my head. Why was it Lloyd's fault for standing up like that? I knew I would've been too scared to do anything, and I would've let it happen. How did cowardice make me the better person? That was stupid!

"It's wrong to stand by and do nothing, though," I said, frowning. "I…I guess you could have done it differently, but…how can Chocolat say she would've done any different if she had seen her grandmother getting whipped?" I bit my lip. "And besides that…what if you had stood by and they had ended up killing her then?"

"Brittany…"

"Nothing's going to change if everyone tries to lie low so the Desians don't come after them," I said quietly. "I think…I think it was brave of you to do that, even if it turned out badly. You shouldn't hate yourself for wanting to help people."

"…Thanks." He smiled sadly. "But…that doesn't change the fact that Marble died. Either way…I've learned that I have to live with that guilt. I have to bear the burden of all the lives that were lost because of me."

I looked up at the stars, trying to imagine what he must be feeling. The thought of that kind of guilt…I couldn't fathom it.

"…Then make up for the time they lost," I said. "Help Colette regenerate the world and make it a peaceful place for people like Chocolat to live."

"Yeah. I won't give up on her yet."

We were quiet for a moment, both of us staring up at the night sky. Crickets chirped around us as a soft breeze rustled the grass at our feet.

"Did you remember anything while we were gone?" he asked suddenly.

"No," I replied. "But I did try to learn a little more about Sylvarant from the priests here. I thought some of the information might ring a bell."

"Right," he said, his eyes lighting up. "Yeah, you just mentioned the world regeneration. So how'd all that go, then?"

I shook my head. "Nothing really helped. I was a little surprised to find out about Colette, though."

He grinned. "Pretty cool, right? She's got wings and everything." Then he faltered, seeming to remember something. "Oh, right, Remiel! Maybe we can get him to restore your memory! He's an angel, after all."

"An angel?" My eyes widened. The thought of actually meeting one…maybe if I saw one in the flesh, I might be able to believe all of the fantastical stories I was being told.

"Remiel serves the purpose of granting the Chosen her angelic powers. He isn't there to take requests, Lloyd." Kratos interrupted us, walking up.

Lloyd frowned, obviously frustrated with the new arrival's words. "But it's just one little thing! Angels are supposed to be good and all-powerful, right? Why can't he help just this once?"

"If her memory does not come back to her soon, the fastest way to restore it would be to have Colette regenerate the world. Then you can ask her to do it herself." Kratos said.

"Yeah...I guess." Lloyd's cheer dissipated. "What're you doing out here anyway, Kratos?"

"Dinner was ready ten minutes ago." The man gave Lloyd a mildly annoyed look.

"Oh, uh…right." Lloyd suddenly looked sheepish.

The three of us walked back together in relative silence. Kratos didn't seem to be in a mood that encouraged conversation.

The next morning, we sat around in a rough circle and discussed our plans. Lloyd, Colette and Genis were all for me coming along. I really wanted to go with them, but I remained quiet; the decision wasn't up to me, and I didn't want them to feel like I was imposing.

They were going to cross a mountain pass and head for a town called Asgard, ever closer to the Tower of Salvation.

"Come on, Professor," Lloyd said. "Let's at least take her to Asgard! It's not like she'll be in a lot of danger. We aren't near any Desian ranches right now."

"Maybe we can get her to see a doctor in Asgard," Colette said.

"Exactly!" Lloyd said. "Besides, we can't just leave her here in the middle of nowhere when she has amnesia!"

"…I agree with Lloyd and Colette," Genis said. "Judging from where we found her, she might be from either Asgard or Palmacosta. We might even be able to find someone who knows her."

Finally, the Professor sighed. "You have a point. All right, I'm not opposed to taking Brittany along for now."

"No further than Asgard," Kratos said firmly. The authority in his tone earned him a glare from Genis' sister.

"Kratos…" Lloyd scowled.

"Remember that I was initially opposed to taking you along as well," Kratos said, his eyes hard. "This is not a journey for children or civilians to undertake. We would only be endangering her by bringing her with us."

Lloyd's eyes narrowed at the word children, and I saw his fists clench. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but when he did he turned his head away with a huff and focused on nothing in particular. Kratos leaned back, having won the battle of wills.

Despite that little episode, I found myself sighing with relief. I was going to a real town…that was still a step forward.

The next six days were spent solely walking, just to reach the mountain pass that led to Asgard. I deduced that whatever life I had led before this amnesia, it had not been an overly athletic one. I was exhausted. In order to distract myself from my sore muscles, I attempted to learn a little more about everyone I was traveling with.

Lloyd, I found, was the easiest for me to talk to. Though he had a bit of a temper when Kratos was concerned, around me he was friendly and easygoing. Ever since our little talk at the House of Salvation, chatting with him had been natural.

Genis was younger than me, but mature for his age and very bright. He was Raine's younger brother, and they were both elves. He was nice enough, though admittedly a little bit harder to talk to.

I did get him to tell me about Exspheres, though—they were the strange gems that everyone in the group wore. The Desians, apparently, were the ones who created and used them. The one Genis used had belonged to Marble; Lloyd told me about how an Exsphere could turn an person into a monster if it didn't have a Key Crest to balance out its effect on the body. With a Key Crest, an Exsphere enhanced a person's strength a great deal. That explained the unnatural stamina everyone in the group seemed to have.

Genis, Lloyd, Colette and I all got along well. I spent several afternoons trying to learn how to use Genis's weapon, an odd thing called a kendama. I couldn't quite get the hang of it, but Colette and Lloyd had about as much luck. Genis seemed to find this greatly entertaining, until someone lost control of the weapon and it knocked Raine in the back of the head. She held on to it for us for a while after that.

On the sixth day we camped out at the foot of the mountain pass, sitting around a roaring campfire. I spoke quietly to Colette, who couldn't seem to sleep. Her strength amazed me; even as she told me of the harsh trials she and the others had undergone, she kept a cheerful smile on her face. Eventually I grew concerned. Was that smile real, or was she just putting on a brave face for the others' benefit?

"Doesn't it scare you at all? Becoming an angel, I mean."

Colette's positive attitude wasn't fazed. "Well, I guess it does a little," she admitted, "but then I think about how I'm giving hope to all the suffering people of Sylvarant, and I feel better."

Was she for real? That was incredible. Maybe selflessness was an inherent quality that Chosens possessed. I admired her for it; I wasn't sure what I would've done if I had been her position. I guess only people with such pure thoughts and intentions were capable of becoming a being as holy as an angel.

We continued on to the other side of the pass, and I took it upon myself to speak to the Professor this time. She was pleasant enough, mature and grown up. Raine was also rather blunt, saying the harsh truth rather than sugarcoating it. I knew it was only for the benefit of the other person. It was actually sort of refreshing.

Finally, I found that Kratos was the only one I hadn't tried speaking with. I told myself I would talk to him as soon as the opportunity presented itself, because I found myself unable to simply walk up to him and start a conversation. He was a mercenary hired for Colette's protection; this meant he was the strongest out of all of us, as well as the most intimidating.

"If you try too hard, you aren't going to remember anything. There's no use in brooding." Ah, it seemed Kratos had solved my problem for me. His words startled me into a laugh, and he raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Did I say something funny?"

I shook my head, calming down. "No, it's not that. Your assumption just wasn't anywhere close to what I was really thinking."

"What was it, then?"

I decided to tell him the truth, feeling braver now that we were actually speaking. "I was thinking about how you were the only one I haven't really talked to yet."

He cocked an eyebrow. "How convenient."

We slowed down for a moment, seeing that the others were lagging behind; Colette had tripped again. I frowned slightly, contemplating her as we resumed. "Where is the next seal that you're all headed to, anyway?"

"We aren't entirely certain just yet," he replied. "It may very well be in Asgard."

"And after that?" My brow furrowed. I really had no idea what this whole Journey of Regeneration really entailed.

Kratos was unreadable. "After that will be two more seals, and the world regeneration. The details…are they truly any of your concern? You should focus more on what you are going to do when we reach Asgard."

…Yeah, Kratos was definitely the hardest to talk to. He immediately made it obvious that my curiosity was unwelcome.

"You really don't trust me, do you?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"No. But it is my job not to trust you," he replied. "The safety of the Chosen is my top priority. It isn't personal."

Not personal…even so, his words stung a little. I didn't know why I cared what he thought; it was probably because these were the only people I had right now, and I wanted them to like me. Unfortunately, I doubted someone like Kratos would ever see me as anything more than a nuisance.

A bit of annoyance seeped through. I suddenly understood why Lloyd was so temperamental around this guy. I hadn't done anything wrong, so couldn't he at least refrain from giving me those cold looks?

"Yeah, well…who are you to talk about trust, anyway? I thought mercenaries sold talent, not their loyalty."

Kratos' expression didn't change. "Hmph…a valid point."

That was it? He wasn't even going to get defensive or anything? What the in the world did he mean by—

"Hey, you guys, wait up!" Lloyd interrupted our conversation, running over to us. He bent over, panting. "Man, you walk way too fast! Everyone's falling behind!"

I cocked my head to the side, confused. I couldn't recall walking any faster than I did normally; I would've noticed the difference if Kratos had picked up the pace.

Raine caught up as well, smacking Lloyd on the back of the head. "I apologize for slowing you down. We were doing fine until Lloyd started goofing off." She was holding Genis's kendama again.

"I just wanted to see if I could do it this time!" He whined, rubbing his head. I had to suppress a laugh, glad to leave the solemn mood behind.

"Everyone, look!" Colette pointed ahead of us, an expression of delight on her face. We looked ahead as well; a town that could be none other than Asgard was visible, off in the distance. It was settled between two cliffs, looking almost picturesque. Lloyd suddenly forgot his pain, looking up eagerly.

"It's Asgard! C'mon, let's go! I wonder what it's like? I can't wait!" Now he ran on ahead, gesturing for us to follow.

"I hope you can maintain that enthusiasm..." Kratos was watching Lloyd with a mildly exasperated expression.

"Is he always like that?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Lloyd was already standing off in the distance, waiting for us impatiently.

"More often than not," the mercenary replied.

"Knowing Lloyd, he'll be bored with the town before we even get a chance to look around." Genis remarked, rolling his eyes.

Everyone moved to follow Lloyd; I fell back and let Kratos take the lead, thinking to myself as we walked. Asgard, huh…hopefully I would find the answers I needed there.

Chapter Text

The town turned out to be as interesting as it looked, but Lloyd didn't disappoint. As we checked in to the Cool Breeze, he sighed.

"The town's neat, but these ruins are kinda boring."

Raine smacked him for the second time today. "Lloyd! How dare you say such a thing! During the final era of the ancient Balacruf Dynasty, this ruin was..." She began to lecture, and my short attention span prevailed.

I frowned. "She's got a scary look on her face..." I murmured to Genis.

"Don't mind her," he mumbled back, looking embarrassed, "she'll be done in a minute..."

"Genis! Brittany! Are you two listening? This is important information!" Raine brought us back to attention; she continued to talk even as we all set our stuff down in our rooms. Thankfully, as we left the inn, she finally stopped.

"Oh man, glad that's over..." Lloyd said quietly to me, relieved. Raine heard him, and hit him once again.

"Oww!"

"I get the feeling that bruise is going to be there a while." I grinned, indicating the back of his head.

After a short while, we ascended a large staircase that led to the famous Asgard Ruin. Everyone had speculated about this being a possible seal, though I had overheard Kratos mention a place called the Balacruf Mausoleum earlier. Judging from the stories Colette had told me, I had a feeling Kratos' guess was going to be correct. All of the seals the group had visited so far had involved trekking through large buildings that were full of traps and monsters, and I couldn't imagine anything like that being so close to a town.

The Asgard Ruin turned out to be a huge stone dais, and Raine went into ruin-mode again. She was so consumed by her lecture that a few of us began to have side conversations after a few minutes. Colette was the only one who was really listening intently.

Kratos was waiting rather patiently, arms crossed. Somehow I ended up standing next to him. Though I was a little bothered by his cold demeanor, I stubbornly decided that I was going to talk to him anyway.

"She really is passionate about ruins, isn't she?" I said to him, keeping my voice down.

"Hmm. One can only wonder what that kind of fanaticism stems from," he murmured back, watching her.

I frowned at that, following his gaze. What it stemmed from? Was he implying that some kind of life event had made her crazy about ruins? Huh…that was an interesting thought. I had no idea what would cause something like that, though.

Then my gaze went past Raine, and I spotted a figure in red wandering further and further away. Lloyd's short attention span was worse than mine. Really, wandering off? He was going to get caught for sure.

I sighed in mock exasperation before I could stop myself. "Someone needs to keep that kid on a leash." Upon receiving no further input from Kratos, I moved to follow the teenager. Maybe Lloyd's company would at least be more entertaining.

I walked up to him, watching as he poked around; he jumped when he noticed I was there.

"Don't do that!" he whispered, "I thought you were the Professor."

I laughed quietly. "You wouldn't have anything to worry about if you weren't goofing off."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, and you looked like you were really interested too."

I rolled my eyes in reply. "What're you doing, anyway? You think you're going to find a hidden passage or something?"

Lloyd shrugged, continuing his examination. "I dunno. I just figured, most old ruins have cool secrets, right? There has to be something more to this big... rock thing."

"Dais?" I snorted.

"Yeah, that." He shrugged.

"You know, the Professor would probably flip if she heard what you just said. You've got the spirit of an archaeologist, Lloyd!"

"Gimme a break..."

I paused, frowning. We had walked along the side of the dais in our investigation, and now we were nearing the side opposite Raine and the others.

Lloyd stopped, too. "What is it?"

"Listen."

"...Voices? Let's go check it out."

We walked around to the back, stopping at the corner. There were two boys about Lloyd's age standing there, arguing quietly. A strange mechanism stood between them.

"All right. My Breaker should be enough to bust this apart." The red haired one said.

His companion hesitated. "Wait, Harley, you can't destroy the dais! It's a very important ruin and research artifact..."

"Who cares?! If things continue at this rate, Aisha will be killed!"

Lloyd chose this moment to make an entrance. "What's going on here?" He walked further into view, and I followed. The two boys jumped, startled.

"N-nothing!" the shrewder of the two exclaimed nervously. "I mean, it's not like we were trying to blow up the dais or anything!"

I resisted the sudden urge to press a hand to my face. Wow, buddy, that was smooth.

"What's going on over here?" Professor Sage towered above us, looking down from on top of the stone platform.

"These guys say they were trying to blow up the dais." Lloyd replied shamelessly.

"What?!" Enraged, Raine jumped down from the platform. "And you call yourselves human beings?" She kicked each of them in turn.

"H-hey!" The red haired one, Harley, blinked incredulously at her. Then he frowned. "...I'm a half-elf."

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Raine growled. "I'll have you know, this ruin—" she pointed to the ruin, flicking the switch to the bomb, "—has history that dates back to even before the fall of the Balacruf Dynasty…"

The four of us all jumped back, shocked, as the bomb's mechanism began to tick. This was bad.

"Professor..." Lloyd said, wide eyed. His expression had no effect on her, and she scolded him for interrupting before continuing on her rant.

"Professor Sage, you set off the bomb." I said, trying to pitch my voice over hers. She paused mid-sentence this time, frowning. Raine looked down at the bomb, and gasped. She turned to Harley.

"Disarm it, quickly!"

"Are you crazy? The unstoppable Breaker can't be disarmed!" He replied, and was kicked once more.

Lloyd sighed. "Guess I'll have to do it." He walked up to the bomb, and began tinkering with it. Within a suspenseful minute or two, he managed to stop the ticking. I raised my eyebrows; this was a new side of Lloyd I hadn't seen before. What he'd just done hadn't been guesswork. He obviously knew how to take things like that apart.

"Wow, Lloyd! You're really good!" I remarked, surprised at his work. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aw, it was really nothing."

Harley looked a bit upset. "I can't believe he stopped the Breaker..."

"Don't make things that you can't control!" Raine scolded, looking as if she wanted to kick him again.

Suddenly there were other voices, coming from the opposite side of the dais. "What are you doing here? Trespassing is forbidden in this area!"

Lloyd frowned, alarmed. "This looks bad. Let's get out of here!"

We followed his lead, leaving the dais before the newcomers discovered us with the disarmed bomb.

Everyone gathered in front of the Cool Breeze, and Lloyd and I told the others of how we'd discovered the bomb.

"I can't believe they were actually trying to blow up the dais...I wonder why?" Lloyd said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"That's right!" Professor Sage's eyes narrowed. "We have to go stop them from doing something so irresponsible again!"

"The Professor's right." Colette said, "I mean, we should at least ask them why they were doing something like that."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, let's go find them."

We all split up, searching Asgard on our own. Raine was determined at first, but the other ruins in the city quickly distracted her. Kratos, Colette and Genis all checked through different inns. Lloyd went into the weapon shop, and I went to the food store next to it. I asked the people in the shop, but none seemed to know who I was talking about. I was about to leave, when at the last minute I remembered the name of the red haired man who had created the bomb.

"Excuse me, do you know where Harley lives?" I asked the shopkeeper. His eyebrows flew up, and I wondered if I'd said something offensive.

"That boy? He's a half-elf."

I frowned. "So?"

Now his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "So I don't know where he lives, miss. Try asking his fool of a friend, Linar. He lives in the residential area on the eastern edge of town."

"...Okay, I'll do that. Thanks," I replied stiffly, turning to leave. What was his problem? Harley was a half-elf, but he didn't seem much different from a regular human. And who was that guy to judge me just because I didn't share his contempt?

That was when it hit me—Desians. That was right…Desians were half-elves. If I replaced the words 'half-elf' with 'Desian,' then our short exchange made more sense. But obviously not all half-elves were Desians, right?

Well, whatever. It didn't matter. I had gotten some useful information out of him anyway; I suspected Linar was the other boy we had seen.

Lloyd was waiting for me outside. "Any luck?"

I nodded. "We should check the east side of town. Apparently some guy named Linar lives there, who is a friend of Harley."

"You think it's that other guy?"

"Yeah. Either way, we can probably find some sort of a clue there."

Lloyd nodded. "Okay, let's tell the others."

We began to walk towards the Cool Breeze, where everyone was supposed to meet after their search. Kratos had been searching the inn, and we could see him waiting at its doors from where we stood.

"Hey, Lloyd..." I spoke as we walked, "Where'd you learn how to disarm bombs? I didn't know you could do that."

He shrugged. "I was raised by a dwarf. Dad makes a lot of stuff, so he also knows how to take it apart. I guess I sorta picked it up from him." I laughed at this, and he frowned. "What? What's so funny?"

"I just realized why the Professor gets so angry with you. If you'd just pay attention, your grades would be a lot better. You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for, Lloyd."

"I-I am?" He blinked.

"Yup. I mean, anyone who can disarm a bomb has to be pretty damn smart." I grinned.

He grinned too. "Aw, I'm blushing."

"Are you done?" Kratos interjected; we'd arrived at the inn. He didn't wait for us to answer, being able to tell by the look on our faces. "...Good. We'll wait for the others, then."

Genis, Colette and Raine arrived after a few minutes. Neither they nor Kratos had learned anything, so I told them of what I'd found out. After a short discussion, we agreed to go to the residential area in the eastern part of the village.

Our search didn't take long. At the second house we went to, the man called Linar answered the door; he was indeed one of the people who had been up at the dais earlier. Harley was there, as well. His presence proved to be to our misfortune; as soon as he saw us, he quickly told us to leave.

"You should've just let us blow up the dais! Because of you, Aisha may be killed!" Aisha appeared to be the woman amongst them; from what I gathered, she was Linar's sister.

"Killed? What are you talking about?" Lloyd said, surprised.

Linar looked down unhappily. "...I began research on the Asgard Ruin not too long ago..."

Harley glared at his friend. "And because of it, he accidentally awakened the Summon Spirit sleeping within the dais, and it started demanding sacrifices."

Aisha shook her head. "Harley, that doesn't excuse your behavior. The people of this city are the ones that would suffer if that ruin was destroyed."

"And your suffering doesn't matter?" Harley growled. Then he turned to us. "Thanks to you, Aisha's going to be sacrificed to the Summon Spirit tonight. Get out of here!" After that, he pretty much slammed the door in our faces.

"Human sacrifices…?" I stared at the ground, trying to get my head around the idea. There was so much danger here…

"We have to do something!" Colette said, urgency in her voice.

"Let's go talk to the mayor. Maybe we can learn some more about this." Raine suggested, and we agreed.

The mayor of Asgard frowned, remembering us from earlier. He was standing on the stairs leading up to the ruin; they were probably making preparations for the ritual. "The ruins are off limits, I told you."

"I'm a scholar. Please, could you allow me to study the dais? I promise not to disturb anything," Raine said calmly.

"There's an idiot like you in this city already," the mayor replied with a glare. "Thanks to him, the city's tourism industry is on the verge of collapse. I refuse."

"We've heard about the sacrifices," Colette piped up. "Please, isn't there anything we can do?"

His eyes softened a bit and he shook his head. "You must understand; we can't allow anyone to disturb the dais any further and risk bringing down the wrath of the Summon Spirit of Wind. The only one who may step up upon this stage is the Summon Spirit dancer."

"Then I shall become the dancer," Raine said. "Then it would be fine for me to go up onto the stage, yes?"

"Professor!" Lloyd protested, taking a step forward.

She glanced over at him. "According to the Book of Regeneration, this should be the next seal. It's possible that the sacrifice that the Summon Spirit seeks is the Chosen of Mana. We won't be able to tell unless we see it firsthand."

The teen's face fell, and he nodded reluctantly. The Professor turned back to the mayor.

"Please," she said.

He sighed. "…Do as you wish. I won't be held responsible if it costs you your life."

"I...I don't think it's right for me to let you take my place, but...thank you." Aisha bowed her head, undoubtedly feeling guilty.

Harley had let us in again upon hearing the news; Raine needed the traditional outfit in order to perform the ritual. Once she had changed and Aisha had shown her the basics of the dance, we all headed up to the stone dais. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach; despite the Professor's reassurances, I couldn't help but worry. What if this Summon Spirit was too powerful for her to handle?

The sun was setting as we all crowded before the large stone platform. Harley, Linar and Aisha were there along with the mayor; the rest of the people were townsfolk I didn't recognize. Did everyone normally show up to watch the spectacle, or was this only because an outsider was performing the ritual? The feeling of anxiety coming from the crowd was so thick it was almost tangible.

Raine climbed on to the dais and raised her staff; the sun shone down on her, briefly casting a silhouette over her form. She looked strikingly beautiful in the sacrificial clothes; I had a hard time believing that it was still the Professor up there. Then, with a grace I hadn't known she possessed, she began to do the ritual dance.

Her staff struck certain points on the dais with perfect accuracy, and I saw that these points lit up with mana the second they were struck. Eventually she created a circle around herself. My body tensed with anticipation; the circle lit up, and she knelt to the ground, staff held out before her. Everyone watched expectantly for the Summon Spirit to appear.

What appeared was a monster. Everyone else looked on, tense, but I balked. Was this what a Summon Spirit was supposed to look like? It stared at the Professor hungrily as I shrunk back.

"I have come for the girl," it growled.

"N-No!" Colette cried out. "Professor, that's not a Summon Spirit! It's an evil creature!"

Everyone's reaction was immediate. Raine quickly stood, backing off and holding her staff out defensively. Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Kratos all drew their weapons and leapt on to the platform without a single hesitation. A collective gasp came from the townsfolk as the scene on the dais quickly descended into chaos.

I found myself backing away along with everyone else. Over the sounds of battle people were nervously murmuring to each other, praying that Colette was right and that we weren't all about to suffer the Spirit's wrath.

All I could do was watch in awe as they fought. How could they be so brave? Lunging head-on into battle like that—weren't they afraid of dying? That thing looked dangerous. We had been approached by monsters on the way to this town, but those were small fry compared to this. At several points I saw Lloyd duck under a swipe of the thing's claws and my heart caught in my throat.

I could never have strength like that. That kind of confidence… how did they pull it off?

A negative part of my mind told me I was weak, and I believed it. I could feel it…I had never been strong. I couldn't compare to them. Even with my memory, I…

The monster's cry broke me out of my thoughts. Kratos had finished it off, swiftly thrusting a sword through its middle. He pulled the blade out, sheathing it.

The others put their weapons away as well, as Raine bent over to pick up something that the monster had dropped. The look of instant fascination on her face told me that it must've had something to do with the ruin.

The townsfolk breathed a collective sigh of relief. I heard someone sobbing somewhere; I couldn't imagine what they must've gone through before all this. I saw Harley hugging Aisha, who was looking pretty teary-eyed herself.

"Raine, that was amazing!" Linar exclaimed enthusiastically as she climbed off the dais. He spent the next few minutes fumbling over his words in an attempt to thank the group.

They quickly got into a deep discussion, however, when she showed him what she had picked up. It appeared to be a stone tablet of some sort.

Their discussion proved to be so lengthy that we waited the rest of the night for them; Raine spent the night at Linar's. The words on the tablet were written in the ancient Balacruf language, they said, and they needed time to decipher it. One one side of the tablet was writing, and on the other was a map of where the Balacruf Empire once existed. Everyone else was now convinced Kratos had been right; the seal was indeed within the Balacruf Mausoleum.

As the sun set, Genis and I went to the food shop nearby to buy some supplies. He was quite a formidable cook; as we walked, I asked him about what he was planning to make.

Raine was nothing like her brother when it came to cooking. Even when she followed Genis's instructions, her food never came out right. If it wasn't burnt to a crisp, she would ruin it by attempting to give it her own personal flair. She tried to explain herself to Lloyd and I once. In her view, if cakes were normally sweet, a spicy cake would be a breakthrough.

Needless to say, I now understood why her cooking was dangerous.

We entered the store, Genis instantly picking out some foods with an experienced eye. I simply watched, trying to guess what he was making based on his selections. The shopkeeper glared at me when Genis went to purchase the items; I considered glaring right back, but looked away when I realized that he could probably refuse service to us if I did so. I followed the elf out, glad to leave the rude man behind us.

"Geez, what was up with that guy?" Genis frowned, looking at me. "He was glaring at you the entire time."

I frowned, trying to calm the irritation that had flared up at the sight of the man. "He's the one I talked to earlier when we were looking for Linar and the others. He wasn't happy when I asked about Harley."

Genis looked puzzled for a second, but then he seemed to get it. "Oh. Because Harley's a half-elf."

"I don't get it," I said with a frustrated sigh. "Half-elf, human, elf… what difference does it make?"

The elf gave me an incredulous look. "What do you mean, what difference does it make? Is your amnesia really that bad?" When I cringed, he looked away. "Sorry. That was kind of mean…"

"It's okay," I replied. "I mean, it is that bad."

The boy looked uncomfortable. "It's just… everyone hates half-elves around here. That's how it's always been, and probably how it always will be."

"Why? Because of the Desians?"

"I think so," he said, shifting his bag of groceries from one arm to the other. "I don't really know how it started. But that's the reason nowadays."

My brow furrowed. Part of me still felt indignant over the whole thing; didn't anyone realize how wrong that was? People had to, right? Back home, it wasn't…

…Back home? What about back home? No… I couldn't finish the thought anymore; it was gone.

"Still," I said, "Harley doesn't look like a Desian to me. He actually seems like he's not so bad; he was just scared for Aisha. I just don't get why we should assume things about him based on what other people did."

"Would you still think that if a Desian had killed your family members?" Genis murmured darkly.

That was an unpleasant thought. "I… I guess I can't say. For all I know, maybe they did. But I still can't agree with the way that shopkeeper acted."

Genis was silent at that. After a pause, I realized something and glanced over at him. "Hey, do you hate half-elves?"

"No… not really," he replied, avoiding my gaze. "But I'm an elf. Desians don't even come after my kind. Do you really think that about half-elves?"

"Well—yeah," I said, nonplussed. Was my way of thinking really so strange? And Genis seemed to have a point, but he also had a lot of human friends. He didn't feel defensive over them? Somehow his excuse seemed flimsy. Why was he so reluctant to agree with me?

He gave me a doubtful look. Then he forced his gaze back to the path in front of us, finally offering a grudging smile. "You're not so bad for a human. Just don't go changing your mind when you get your memories back, okay?"

"I won't," I said, smiling back.

Though inside, I had to wonder…

That night, I found myself unable to sleep. It wasn't the first time this had happened. Too many thoughts plagued my mind, and I could never think of a sufficient way to distract myself. It was annoying; something told me that I'd once had a method, but I could no longer remember it. After what seemed like hours of simply laying there, I finally gave up.

Sitting up, I decided to get some fresh air. The rooms on the higher floors of the inn had small balconies; I went out on to mine, leaning on the rail. I sighed; the stars were bright over Asgard, and yet...they felt cold and unfamiliar. Somehow I recognized this world of Sylvarant, but I felt I didn't belong here.

Where was my home, then? Did I even have one? I was no closer to recovering my memory than I had been over a week ago. Every time I thought I was about to remember something, my head began to hurt and the memory danced out of my mind's reach.

I kept telling myself that I wouldn't progress if I tried too hard, but that didn't change how lost I felt. Not only that, I was slowing this group down...as much as I liked them, I only got in the way. I had realized that as I watched them fight earlier. Finally, I was starting to understand what Kratos had meant and why he had only been willing to let me come this far.

There was a knock at my door, causing me to turn around. It opened slightly, and Lloyd poked his head in. "...Mind if I come in?"

"No, not at all." I replied, startled at this unexpected visit.

He walked in, closing the door quietly behind him. "Sorry if I interrupted something. I was just outside and I saw you up on the balcony."

I blinked. "What were you doing outside?"

"Colette's...not sleeping again. I get worried when she does that."

"Yeah, me too," I agreed.

"Speaking of which, what're you doing up?"

"My room started feeling a little stuffy, so I came out here." I replied, deciding it would be better not to use Colette's usual excuse.

He looked away, out onto the town. "You looked... sad, when I saw you up here. It was the same after we defeated that monster earlier, too."

"...Did I?" I looked at him. So he'd noticed? I hadn't realized my expressions were so plain on my face.

"What's up?" Lloyd frowned at me; was he worried about me, too?

I sighed. "It's just... I haven't remembered anything, that's all."

"But it's only been a little over a week! You have all the time in the world to regain your memories. Remember what Kratos said? We can even get Colette to help you once she becomes an angel."

"Y-Yeah..."

"But that's not the only thing bothering you," he said.

His words surprised me again; Lloyd was more perceptive than he let on. I looked away, pausing for a moment, mulling over what I should say. I decided to confide in him. "You're all going to be leaving soon."

Lloyd's face fell. "…Right. That…"

I shook my head, sighing. "I… I understand why, though. I'm just a burden on you and the others. It's just… well, it's scary, that's all. I'm sort of… alone. Even if you'll come back and help me after the world regeneration, that's so far away…"

He scowled. "Dammit… you're not a burden, okay? And I don't want to leave you behind, either. We can't just expect you to function here when you can't even remember the name of the world we're in! There's gotta be something we can do…"

I sighed in frustration. "I don't have any money and I don't know how anything around here works. I guess I'm going to be dependent on someone no matter what… I don't even know how to fight."

His eyes suddenly lit up. "…I can teach you."

"Huh?" I looked over at him, confused.

"That's it!" He grinned, getting excited. "I'm pretty good with swords. I'll just teach you, and then you can help us out! Then you could come with us without worrying about being in danger."

"U-Um…" I blinked, taken aback. Was he really that willing to help me? Not that I didn't want to learn, but I would've expected some kind of resistance—

"This isn't a game, Lloyd." Oh. There it was. Kratos was walking out to join us on the balcony, looking displeased.

"Kratos? What're you doing up here?" Lloyd frowned.

"In case you've forgotten, my room is a floor below."

"O-Oh. Heh, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, and Kratos raised an eyebrow at his antics.

The mercenary then turned to me. "Learning to wield a sword isn't something you do overnight. It isn't easy."

"I—I know that," I replied, frowning. He didn't have to treat me like a child.

"Is that so? Then you should also know that even if you begin to learn, you will still be of little help. An inexperienced fighter will get in the way just as much as one who doesn't fight at all." Kratos continued, arms crossed.

"Kratos!" Lloyd glared.

"It's fine, Lloyd," I replied, sighing. Then I attempted to gather my resolve, working up the courage to meet the mercenary's gaze. "But you won't deny the fact that Sylvarant is dangerous, right?"

His eyes were hard. "That is precisely why you should remain here. The immediate threat is gone; you'll be safer here than you ever would be following us."

"There's no doctor here!" Lloyd burst out angrily. "Kratos, you know the doctor skipped town as soon as the sacrifices started! There's no one here that would know how to help her with her amnesia!"

Kratos looked over at him, eyes narrowed. After a few long moments he heaved a grudging sigh. "…And what would you suggest, then?"

"Let's take her with us," Lloyd insisted. "At least to Luin. She doesn't have to come to the seals with us! If we do anything really dangerous, we can just leave her at the nearest town. Besides, I bet Luin will at least have a doctor."

He seemed to actually mull this over; still, though, he didn't look too happy about the whole thing. "…We'll discuss it in the morning."

Apparently that was as good as a yes, from the way Lloyd's eyes lit up. I tried not to get my hopes up too much. His idea sounded great, but Kratos was clearly opposed to me coming along. What could I do to get him to take me more seriously? I wasn't completely helpless, right?

"Kratos." I spoke up just as he was turning to leave.

He paused, turning to look at me. It was hard not to shrink back from sheer intimidation.

"I don't want to hold you back," I said. "And I want to be able to take care of myself when we do end up having to part ways. Please, teach me how to use a sword."

Lloyd immediately jumped in on this. "Come on, Kratos. We already train every morning anyway, right? Why can't she join in?"

The mercenary glared at him. "Don't think that having an extra person would make your training any easier."

"I don't think that!" Lloyd backpedaled, but then halted suddenly. "Wait—so you'll do it? You'll do it, right?!"

Kratos turned to stare at me, his eyes analyzing. "...Fine. If you truly wish to learn, Lloyd and I will teach you. Keep in mind that I am a strict teacher and I do not take kindly to people wasting my time. Don't make me regret this."

"Y-Yes, sir," I replied timidly. When I was pinned under that gaze, the prospect of training with this man seemed utterly terrifying. But if it meant I had a higher likelihood of staying with the group… I had to try. At least Lloyd would be there.

Finally, he turned away. "We'll meet every morning at five a.m. sharp. Don't be late."

"W-Wait a minute!" Lloyd protested, looking panicked. "That's way earlier than before! What gives?!"

"If I must spend equal time with each of you, it's only natural that the time required for the training session will double," Kratos replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "You brought this upon yourself, Lloyd. Goodnight."

The teenager swore, watching helplessly as Kratos closed the door behind him and was gone.

"Oh, man..." Lloyd sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hate it when he does that."

"Sorry," I said. It kind of was my fault.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't apologize, dummy… I still want you to come train."

"I can't believe he really agreed," I said, leaning my elbows on the railing and looking out over the city. "I mean… I was really thinking he'd outright refuse for a minute there."

"Just show him how much you want to learn," Lloyd advised. "He'll have to keep teaching you then, right?" He grinned. "This is great! It'll be fun having another person around to spar with."

"You think so…?" I frowned, a little doubtful. I just hoped I could be of some use. Even though I wanted to learn, it was hard to picture myself being able to do anything with a sword. Unless in my past life I had used one…somehow I doubted it.

"Oh, speaking of which…" Lloyd's grin turned sheepish. "We should probably go to bed now if we have to get up at five."

I gave him a dismayed look. "You're right."

He sighed. "I don't know how I'm gonna get out of bed…well, good night, then. See you in the morning."

"Night, Lloyd."

Chapter Text

Somebody was laughing.

I could hear it; it was clear and beautiful, like the ringing of a bell, and somehow it was familiar as well. I had heard that laugh before—it sounded similar to my own.

I was in a room. My surroundings were hazy, the bright lights blurring with the faces of the people I was with.

There were…two couches. The floor beneath my feet was polished wood. To my right was a fireplace, warmth emanating from the coals within. Directly in front of me, there was a tall pine tree decorated with ornaments of all shapes and sizes. There were many wrapped boxes beneath the tree; a similar box was resting on my lap, some of the paper torn off.

The laughter was coming from a woman sitting next to me. She was close to my height, with shoulder-length brown hair and…and…

…No matter how much I strained, I just couldn't make out her face. Trying to do so made my head hurt.

This…this was…

Someone was saying something to me, but the words were too muffled to make out. I looked up at the source of the masculine voice and saw a man standing near the tree, but his face was hidden as well. I felt…affection?

There was another man sitting next to a woman on the opposite sofa. I couldn't make out anything from them, but they seemed familiar too. I knew them and I loved them.

…Family…

No…no! I wanted to know who they were! Why couldn't I see them? I opened my mouth to speak, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing would come out. Why? Why?!

I continued to try, redoubling my efforts, but there was nothing I could do but watch the scene playing out before me. The figures spoke, they moved and they laughed, but I couldn't hear the conversation…I couldn't take part.

I wanted…I wanted to…

'...up.'

...What?

"Brit, wake up."

The voice jolted me out of the dream. My eyes opened of their own accord, and I was met with the sight of Lloyd leaning over me.

"Oh..." I almost wanted to cry.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Now his sleepy face was puzzled.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to force my thoughts away from the dream. It hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it now. "Bad dream… don't worry about it. Is it time to get up already?"

Lloyd nodded, glum. "Yeah. We'd better get going or Kratos will get all scary."

I examined him for a moment; suddenly I found my lips quirking up of their own accord. His hair was sticking up all over the place, practically defying gravity, and the look on his face just made it even funnier.

"Lloyd, you look terrible," I said, laughing despite myself.

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes, running a hand through his messy hair. Then he straightened, making his way over to the door. "Well, I'm gonna go grab my swords. Meet me at the front doors when you're ready, 'kay?"

"Okay. I won't take long," I replied. The last thing I wanted was to keep Kratos waiting after the exchange we'd had last night.

Lloyd left the room and I rolled out of bed, getting ready to face the day. It was going to be a long one, I could tell already.

The sky was starting to lighten in hue by the time I met Lloyd by the doors to the inn. It was just a little chilly outside. There were a few birds chirping somewhere, but other than that the entire town was still and silent.

"Ugh…" Lloyd opened his mouth for a wide yawn. "Can't believe he's making us do this… it's still dark out!"

"It's starting to look a little lighter, kind of…" I noted, knowing it was a poor consolation. "I guess I'll just go to bed earlier from now on."

I was exhausted too, but I was trying my hardest to hide it. To be honest, I was still really sore from the traveling we had done to get to this town. The thought of having to train with Kratos right now was bad enough, never mind having to walk for hours on end afterwards. I couldn't let anyone know that the traveling alone was hard for me, though… I needed to convince them I could keep up.

"Well, anyway…" Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck. "When he woke me up earlier, Kratos said he'd be waiting near the entrance to town. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I replied.

We started walking. There were one or two early birds out and about, but other than that all of the buildings we passed had the curtains drawn and the doors closed tight. If I remembered correctly, the entrance to town was about a mile down the road. Kratos probably wanted an open area to train in, one that was away from buildings and any potential civilian traffic.

"So…" Lloyd shoved his hands in his pockets, offering me a sidelong glance. "What was your dream about?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "I think I almost remembered something."

His eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Mmhmm," I said, feeling myself relax a little. I hated my current situation, but talking to Lloyd about it couldn't hurt. "I was in a room with a bunch of people… I think they were my family. But I couldn't see their faces."

"Oh…" He frowned, looking thoughtful. "So that's why… but that's not so bad, right? Maybe it means you're getting closer to remembering."

My brow furrowed. "Actually… you're right, I think. There were two older people, a man and a woman… I think they were my parents. And then there was another man and woman there too, but they sounded like they were more Raine or Kratos' age."

"So you did remember something!" Lloyd exclaimed, grinning. "Maybe those were your older siblings."

"Huh…" I mulled this over. "I have an older brother and sister…?" Somehow, it sounded true. The thought of it comforted me immensely—one less mystery about myself.

"That's great," the teen said. "I wonder what they're like? I've always thought it'd be cool to have an older brother."

His words cheered me a little, and I laughed. "I hope I remember soon so I can introduce you to them." Then I faltered. "Oh! That reminds me, there's something else. Lloyd, what's 'Christmas'?"

"Krissmas?" He tested the word out, confused. "Uh… I dunno. Where did you hear that?"

I shrugged. "The word has been in my head since this morning. I think it has something to do with the dream."

"Hmm…" He tilted his head. "Maybe we can ask Kratos or the Professor."

I nodded, feeling encouraged. Parents, siblings and 'Christmas'… it was small, but I at least had something to hold on to. It was better than being completely blank like before. Maybe if I at least found my family, the rest of my memories would come naturally.

We continued onward in a companionable silence, drawing closer and closer to our meeting place. It was when I saw the town gates and the distant purple form of Kratos that the apprehension started setting in.

My upper legs and my calves still hurt every time I moved to take a step. What was Kratos' training going to be like? Was it going to be painfully obvious how lacking I was in stamina?

It was obvious enough that my fighting skills were going to be terrible. No matter what happened next, I had a feeling there would be nothing I could possibly do to impress Kratos. I would have to accept his criticism without getting discouraged, even if he was harsh. I couldn't feel sorry for myself; I had to keep giving it my all no matter what.

…Could I do that?

"Hmph. So you're actually on time." The mercenary watched us approach, arms crossed.

"That's right. Now let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep," Lloyd said, his hair finally straightened out.

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "By the time we're done, Lloyd, the others will be up."

"Aww…"

Though I had to fight a smile at this, Kratos was stone faced. He just sighed, tossing me a wooden blade and his own shield. Thankfully the shield was also made of wood, and it was relatively light. The sword was actually a little heavier.

Lloyd was given his own set of wooden swords as well. The teen lifted them, grinning a bit.

"These are just like the ones I used to use! Where'd you get these, anyway?"

"Borrowed from the local militia," Kratos replied, crossing his arms. "Control your strength. These aren't expensive, but if you break them, we'll be paying for them regardless."

"All right…"

"Don't you need a shield, Kratos?" I asked, a little confused. "Why'd you give me yours?"

"You will not land a hit," the mercenary replied. "I have no need for it."

Next to me, Lloyd made a face but said nothing. I understood exactly how he felt.

The three of us stood facing each other, and I tensed when Kratos finally lifted his own wooden blade. His eyes focused on me; I had to fight to keep my body from freezing up with intimidation. This was not going to be fun.

"First," he said, "show me your stance."

"My stance?" I balked a little, but then forced myself to take a deep breath. Okay… start acting a little tougher or he'll never take you seriously, Brittany.

Steeling my resolve, I straightened and held my sword in a tight grip, preparing myself.

He shot forward like lightning, his blade moving in a blur. I attempted to react, but I was too slow. His sword hit mine and it was wrenched out of my grip, sent flying through the air. I wobbled and stumbled backwards, managing to catch myself just in time.

"You're gripping your sword too close to the pommel," Kratos noted. "Retrieve it."

I obeyed, hesitantly walking over to pick up the fallen practice weapon. I faced him once more, adjusting my hold so that my grip was further up the handle. Um… that was what he meant, right? The pommel was the bottom of the hilt... ugh, I didn't know swords very well.

"Spread your feet shoulder width apart," he ordered. "I could have easily knocked you over before. Balance is crucial—if you fall, you die."

I did so, breathing slowly in an attempt to calm my rapidly beating heart. Kratos was really intimidating, and I felt extremely nervous just being in this situation.

"Hold your sword waist high—relax your stance. Excess tension inhibits speed."

"R-Right," I replied, attempting to follow his instructions. It felt like every move I made was under scrutiny, and I was painfully inadequate. I half expected him to tell me I was blinking wrong.

He watched me for a second, and then nodded. "…Hm. Acceptable. Now, Lloyd. Adopt a defensive pose."

Lloyd straightened a little, surprised at suddenly being addressed. "Huh? Oh, okay." He slid into a posture similar to mine; I noticed how natural it seemed to him, and felt just a bit envious. He lifted his dual blades and positioned them in a loose X formation.

Kratos examined Lloyd's pose for a minute, and then looked over at me. "All right. Brittany, fight Lloyd to the best of your ability. I will watch and correct your mistakes."

I blinked, looking between the two of them. "Fight Lloyd? Uh…"

W-What was I supposed to do? First Kratos asks me to show him a battle stance without teaching me what it's supposed to look like, and now he wanted me to fight Lloyd before he even taught me how to fight? I didn't even know what to do! Even if I was lacking my memory, something told me that I had never run at someone with the intent of harming them before. I wanted to learn to fight, but only so that I wouldn't be left behind; honestly, the thought of even attacking monsters made me cringe.

"All right, I'm ready. Do your best!" Lloyd said, smiling encouragingly.

It was his smile that gave me the courage to act. Something about that expression told me that I had nothing to be afraid of, not when I was sparring with him. It was Lloyd—maybe Kratos scared me, but I didn't have to be nervous with Lloyd.

I tried to relax, remembering what Kratos had said about being too tense. It looked like Lloyd was going to let me attack first. Was that a potential advantage? Maybe there was a chance I could keep him on the defensive.

I gripped the wooden sword tightly, raising my shield and trying to recall all of the times I had seen Kratos and Lloyd fight. The monsters on the way here, and that monster they had defeated up on the dais… that was what it looked like to fight with a sword.

With those images in mind, I lunged. Lloyd quickly lifted his left blade and held it at an angle so that my sword glanced harmlessly off of it, then used his right blade to swing. His parry had caught me off guard and the momentum was carrying me forward; raising my shield to block was all I could do. The impact of Lloyd's own attack was enough to knock me off balance, and I wobbled for a moment before falling awkwardly to the ground.

"You all right?" Lloyd grinned, holding a hand out to help me up. "Heh, you looked like Colette for a minute there."

"Hah, whoops…" I offered a sheepish grin, inwardly feeling embarrassed and very conscious of Kratos' stare. Another slip. Not that I'd expected to win a match against Lloyd, but honestly, couldn't I have lasted longer than two seconds?

Kratos sighed. "…We will have to take some time to help you grasp the basics. Once your stance is perfected, we will move on to footwork. After that I will teach you sixteen of the simplest attacks and parries—you will commit these to memory and practice them at the beginning of each session. Only then will we begin to spar in earnest."

I felt myself shrink a little under the weight of those words. He didn't intend to cover all that stuff today, did he? Hold on, footwork? Sixteen attacks and parries? That was a lot…

The mercenary crossed his arms, locking gazes with me. "Learning to wield a sword effectively is an extremely difficult task—not to be taken lightly. In addition to that, you have the build of a civilian. Until you build some muscle, these training sessions are going to wear on your body as well as your mind. I am a harsh teacher and I will not coddle you. Even knowing this, do you still intend to continue?"

He was testing me, wasn't he? Part of me was insisting that I wasn't cut out to be a fighter, that I would never last, and that Kratos knew this. But then, at the same time…

If I didn't learn and figure out a way to stay with this group, I was going to get left behind. What if my family was out there, but halfway across the world? I couldn't travel by myself. If I was left in a village, I might be stuck there for a long time.

And somehow… the thought of being separated from these people terrified me. It wasn't just that they were the only familiar faces around, my only friends here. It was…just something about them. Something was telling me I was supposed to stay with them.

Kratos was watching me, waiting for a response. I had to speak.

I gulped, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. "…I do. I'll work hard, I'll do what it takes. I have to learn so… so that I won't have to always rely on other people." Especially if I was alone…

"Right," Lloyd said, standing a little straighter. He moved to stand beside me, turning to face Kratos. "Dwarven Vow number four! Don't depend on others; walk on your own two feet!"

The mercenary breathed another sigh. "…Self-sufficiency is an entirely different matter, but I suppose learning to fight would be a step in the right direction. Hmph…if you're that determined, then so be it. Ready your blade—the real lesson begins now."

And that was it; I was in. I lifted my practice sword, bracing myself for whatever was to come.

Kratos hadn't been kidding. The lesson lasted from five to eight, and it was three hours of pure pain. He shifted effortlessly between training me and sparring with Lloyd, not even breaking a sweat. Both Lloyd and I were run ragged in the process.

It was hard. I wasn't prepared for it, and it was hard. My muscles were already sore from traveling and I didn't have very much stamina; I found myself running out of breath embarrassingly quickly, and Kratos was ruthless. He just pushed and pushed and pushed, and I could hardly meet his gaze because he was always giving me that don't say I didn't warn you look.

By the end of the training session, I wanted to flop over and pass out somewhere. But we didn't—we went straight to our rooms to clean up, and then immediately went down to meet the others for a quick breakfast. I was so exhausted that even the effort of chewing food felt like too much.

"…I see." That was Professor Sage, mulling over Lloyd's proposal that I be allowed to travel with them to Luin. We were all sitting around a large table in the lobby area of the inn.

"I think it's a great idea!" Colette exclaimed, smiling excitedly. "Can she, Professor? It'll be so much fun!"

The woman put a hand to her chin, looking thoughtful. "The next seal is likely to be dangerous. And there is that assassin to consider—"

"What about that House of Salvation we passed on the main road?" Genis piped up. "It's on the way to the Mausoleum. We could leave Brittany there and come back afterwards."

"Yeah!" Lloyd nodded emphatically. "That's perfect! And that way that assassin girl will never know she's with us! There's nothing to worry about."

Kratos just frowned, giving Lloyd a look. "If she has been following us, it's entirely possible that she already knows."

Raine was wearing a similar frown. "If that woman sees us together, she may attempt to take Brittany hostage and exchange her life for Colette's…"

"I don't think she would do that!" Colette exclaimed, horrified. "She seemed nicer than that!"

Genis pressed a palm to his face. "Colette, she tried to kill you."

"…Assassin…?" I murmured, completely lost. Why would someone be trying to kill the potential savior of the world? That was…really scary. I had been worried about defending myself from monsters, but people? That was entirely different…

"Hm…" Finally Kratos leaned back in his chair, looking resigned. "A hostage situation is unlikely. The assassin must know that the worth of the Chosen's life overrides everything else—she would accomplish nothing."

"Kratos!" Lloyd glared, clenching his fists.

I stared blankly at him for a moment before the meaning of Kratos' words set in—he was saying that I would never be taken hostage because Colette was the Chosen and they'd never trade her for me, even if it meant me getting killed.

…That was harsh. Kratos was a charming man, I was learning that very quickly.

"…Even I believe that could have been worded a bit more tactfully," I heard the Professor mutter under her breath. Kratos was sitting all the way at the opposite end of the table, but I saw him lock gazes with her the instant the words left her mouth.

"It's the simple truth," the mercenary continued, crossing his arms. "Fortunately, this means that leaving her at the House of Salvation should not pose a problem."

"Whatever the reasoning, I'm okay with that plan," I said, feeling the need to put in my two cents.

Lloyd relaxed a bit at this. "…Yeah. So she's coming, right?"

"Well…I suppose it won't hurt," Raine said with a sigh.

"The more the merrier!" Genis piped up.

"Great!" Colette clapped her hands together happily.

"Okay. Welcome aboard, Brittany," Lloyd said, clapping me good-naturedly on the back with a bright grin.

"…Hmph." Kratos stood up, his chair scraping back as he left the table. "Don't get too comfortable. We have a long journey ahead of us." With that, he exited the room.

…Very charming man.

We set out not long after breakfast, and I took comfort in the fact that I had accomplished my sole objective—leaving Asgard with the group. I at least knew I was going to make it to this House of Salvation with them, and hopefully to that Luin place. After that…I didn't know. But I would have to think of something.

Several days passed, and Kratos pushed me to my limits. Each training session started bright and early and it was at least three hours long; those three hours felt like an eternity. We covered a range of topics over that span of time, working on my stance and the placement of my feet when I was moving in battle. I was in the process of practicing those attacks and parries I was supposed to memorize. No matter how many times I tried to copy Kratos' movements, I was always unsatisfactory in some way.

…It felt like I wasn't improving at all, and it was extremely frustrating. Every day I went out there with Lloyd and essentially got beat up, and even though I put forth every last ounce of effort I possibly could, I still wasn't good enough. Nothing was changing; it was the same thing every day. There were times when I very much wanted to cry.

Needless to say, I held it all in. But after a week of this, I just wasn't sure how much more I could bear. It was awful—I couldn't do anything right during the training sessions, and on top of that I could barely keep up with everyone when we traveled. I was so tired by the time training was over that I found myself lagging behind. Colette usually stuck around to walk with me, but I knew she was just trying to make me feel better—she wasn't nearly as tired as I was.

I knew I was fighting a losing battle by trying to compare to these people. I just wasn't cut out for this—I wasn't physically built for it, I wasn't experienced, I didn't know anything… I didn't even have my memory. I was useless, really.

…But I had to keep trying. That terror of being separated from them remained…

"You're off balance," Kratos said, facing me on another cool morning of training.

"Huh? No she's not!" Lloyd objected, frowning.

Was I? I tried to check the positions of my feet without taking my eyes off my opponent. I felt balanced, so I decided to trust Lloyd. I readied my sword and shield in a defensive stance.

The auburn haired man sighed, and ran forward at his usual alarming speed. Sword drawn, he attacked me from an angle that totally shattered my defenses. My eyes widened, and I wobbled dangerously. Kratos took this opportunity to shove me with one shoulder, knocking me onto my back. He pointed the wooden sword at my throat.

"D-dammit, Lloyd... I'm never listening to you again." I grumbled, trying to inch my throat away from the harmless looking blade.

Said teenager rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah. Whoops. But I thought... huh."

The mercenary raised an eyebrow at me. "Your judgment certainly hasn't improved."

"Urgh..." I mentally slapped myself. Why had I trusted Lloyd over the fighting expert, anyway? That really was a stupid move. It didn't help that Kratos was rubbing it in, though...

The sword was finally moved from my neck, and I stumbled to my feet. Kratos proceeded to lecture me on my stance again, even though he said the same words to me just about every day. I wondered when he'd finally give up and say that some people just couldn't be taught.

After a little while longer, I was allowed to rest. I watched Lloyd and Kratos train, still feeling pretty pathetic, still reminding myself that Kratos didn't think too highly of Lloyd's skills either. And Lloyd was still so much stronger and braver than me...

The two men trained with real swords, not wooden ones. It looked much more dangerous, and it actually made me feel a little squeamish. How the hell would I handle a real battle if I couldn't even handle this? They used techniques I couldn't even dream of performing, with cool names like 'Demon Fang' and 'Sword Rain'.

It couldn't really be helped, though...Lloyd and Kratos had Exspheres enhancing their abilities. That was why they could train with real swords, because they were stronger than me. As an added bonus, if they were injured badly, the Exspheres increased the effectiveness of healing spells. They could afford to get injured. I, on the other hand, would probably die. I found myself wishing that I could get ahold of one of those stones. Maybe then, I could keep up with them.

I just... wanted to fit in with the group. I didn't want to be left behind, but I didn't want to get in the way... if I didn't get stronger soon, it was going to be a lose-lose situation for me.

At long last, we arrived at the House of Salvation. I recognized the familiar structure easily from afar; it looked very similar to the one I had stayed at before. The familiarity was comforting.

Since it was only noon when we arrived, the others elected to take a short break for lunch before setting out for the seal. Everyone split up, going about their own business; Lloyd and Colette were playing with some dogs that lived with the priests, Genis was putting together lunch, and Raine was organizing the group's supplies.

I didn't know where Kratos was, but I'd had enough of him during training a few hours ago. I was more than content to wander off alone, finding a grassy knoll to lie down on and watch clouds drift by overhead. A pleasant, earthy scent was carried to me on the breeze, and I let out a long sigh.

It was relaxing out here… my limbs were still on fire, but the pain was so much more bearable when I could just let go and lay here like this.

Though I was a little glum that I would have no company for the next couple days as the others went to the seal, for the most part I took it as a blessing. I really needed a break. The thought of sleeping in and relaxing was extremely appealing.

Of course, Kratos had ruined it by giving me a heavy manual on fighting and telling me to memorize the contents of the first five chapters and practice the techniques described therein. Well…I'd work on that tomorrow. I had the feeling that even if I memorized the whole book, the mercenary would still find a way to be dissatisfied. Part of me wanted to just give up and start mentally preparing myself for that lecture now.

I sighed, stretching my arms before cushioning the back of my head with my hands. I was worrying too much… more excuse to take the rest of the day off. Maybe I'd concentrate better on the studies without any of the others around—I wouldn't feel so self-conscious and inadequate.

My thoughts were cut off when I suddenly caught a strange scent on the breeze. My brow furrowed; what was that? It was oddly familiar, but I couldn't remember where I knew it from.

Metal. Machinery. Chemical. Industrial.

The words entered my head and I paused, thinking. That was almost…

I closed my eyes. Machines… computers… factories… technology… yeah, that was it. The smell reminded me of—

The metallic ring of clashing swords met my ears and my concentration was broken. Something in my mind slipped, and I couldn't understand what I had been thinking before. What was a computer?

Never mind that—those were the sounds of a conflict I was hearing. I was instantly on the alert, jumping to my feet and growing tense. The sounds were coming in the direction of the main building; were the others in trouble?

That was right…there were people out there that wanted to kill Colette. What if it was that assassin? Oh, no…

I hesitated, looking towards the House of Salvation and then looking behind me, where there was forest and fields and the path going back towards Asgard. I didn't have a weapon, and the thought of going towards any sort of fight made my knees shake. Should I run? Could I make it back to Asgard?

No, I couldn't. I was defenseless and I had no supplies. Now I was caught in the middle of two bad situations; I couldn't run, but if I went towards danger, I was just as likely to die…

...But I knew what the right thing to do was. It was terrifying, but I couldn't just abandon everyone that had helped me. I had to at least see what was going on.

Finally arriving to a decision, I quickly began to make my way back to the House. I listened carefully and tried to discern where the sounds of the fight were coming from, using the building to shield me from view. The element of surprise was an edge I couldn't afford to lose.

I hid around the side of the building, slowly edging around until I could see what was going on. After a moment I slowly bent down to pick up a fist-sized rock, keeping it in a tight grip as I observed the scene.

The fighting was over. Lloyd, Kratos and everyone else was surrounded and outnumbered by a group of strange men; they all wore metal helmets that hid their eyes from view.

The main thing I noticed, though, was that each of these men was armed. Many of them used swords or halberds, but I shuddered when I saw a few that actually had whips on their belts. Who were these people?

Ah. The snarl on Lloyd's face was more than enough explanation…they were Desians.

"We've found you, wanted criminal #0074!" The man that appeared to be their leader strode forth, smirking. "Lord Kvar will most definitely be pleased..."

"Bastards!" Lloyd growled. "Let Colette go!"

My eyes widened; they held Colette separate from the group, spears and swords pointed to her throat. One weapon was actually jabbed in a little—only a little, but blood dribbled down her neck. This was a very delicate situation.

"If you want the girl to live, you will come with us," the commander said.

"Lloyd, don't do it!" Colette urged, but he only looked down.

"I... all right. Just let her go already!"

The Desians around Colette backed off, grabbing Lloyd instead. Now he was separated from the group as well, and there were too many enemies for just Kratos, Raine and Genis to fight off. This was bad, very bad. But...what could I do? I didn't even have a weapon, let alone the skills to wield it!

The commander laughed cruelly, approaching Colette. "You stupid inferior being. You actually believed me? I have no need for this piece of garbage." He raised his sword, ready to slash her throat open. Colette's eyes widened in fright; her chakrams had been taken away from her, and she was defenseless.

"N-NO!" Lloyd cried out as the Desian's sword descended rapidly towards Colette's neck.

Colette was going to die. Not just the Chosen, not just the savior of the world—Colette, the cheerful girl that had been so nice to me. This was really happening.

Then the sword's progress suddenly halted as it flew out of the commander Desian's hands. He let out a yell of surprise and pain, reaching up to clutch at his jaw. It was gushing blood.

What? How—?

They were looking at me. Everyone saw me. My hand was empty. The rock—

It was sitting at his feet. In my panic, I had thrown it without even thinking.

Some Desians with staves were approaching the commander, healing magic at the ready, but he turned away from them to face me with murder in his eyes.

He was coming towards me. My stomach did a somersault and I felt a surge of vertigo; could this be real? I was really going to die, right here in front of everyone? All because of a thrown stone…

No! I wasn't ready to die yet! There had to be something I could do!

But if I just ran, they might kill everyone else…

As the commander approached me, I saw the sun shine off a jewel dangling around his neck. He had been fumbling with it earlier as he spoke to Lloyd. It certainly didn't look like a piece of jewelry, that was for sure. Maybe it was valuable…

That gem was my only bet at turning the tables here. This had to work… I had to make it work.

"Brittany, run!" Lloyd cried, breaking me out of my reverie. Now was the time to act, as the Desian commander was drawing near.

"You.. .pathetic little human..." He said to me, disgust lacing his voice. "How dare you!"

Now he rushed at me, sword angled at my throat. I tensed up, ready to move—if I messed up now, I would be impaled. This was real. I couldn't do this over if I made a mistake. Things seemed to be moving impossibly fast, too fast for me to process, and my heart pounded in my ears.

Evasion is far more effective than defense, particularly against larger, stronger foes.

In a split second, Kratos' lesson from yesterday came back to me, and I knew what he would do if he were in my position. I waited until the last minute and then dodged to the side as quickly as I could, sidestepping the deadly blade. In that instant, I reached up and caught hold of the jewel hanging around the commander's neck, using my forward momentum to rip it free of its chain.

I didn't wait around to see what would happen. Tucking the jewel into the pocket of my pants, I broke out into a sprint—running past the other Desians and my shocked group, away from the House of Salvation.

The commander cried in outrage a second time, foiled again.

"The Desian Orb!" I heard him shout. "After her, fools, or Lord Kvar will have our heads!"

Now I could hear the sounds of many footsteps in hot pursuit. Good; that meant the majority of them were chasing me. Lloyd and the others should be able to defeat the rest. At least they were safe.

My safety was another matter. The second I had thrown that rock, I had doomed myself. Stupid, stupid! What could I possibly hope to do against a horde of angry, armed Desians?! I didn't want to die!

There was a forest nearby. If I could just make it there, I would increase my chances of losing them. I desperately needed somewhere to hide.

Now that my course was set, I focused on running as fast as I possibly could. An bolt whizzed past my shoulder, causing my eyes to widen in alarm; they had crossbows?! This was looking worse and worse by the second. I had to get under cover or I would get shot down.

The trees were just ahead. I shot into the woods without hesitation, instantly ducking off the path in favor of the dense trees and undergrowth. I heard the Desians crash through the bushes behind me. Adrenaline coursed through me, my heart still pounding. I tried to watch everything in front of me; if I tripped, I was done for. I wove in between trees to the best of my ability, trying to throw them off. It worked for a few, but that wasn't good enough; I was running out of breath. I needed to lose them now, so I could find a suitable hiding place to rest.

The forest grew even thicker, making my flight nearly impossible, but also causing difficulty for my pursuers. The bushes and grass were knee high, some even reaching my waist. I risked a look back for the first time; the Desians were hidden from me behind all of the dense growth, but that also meant that I was hidden from them. I could hear them, though, and they sounded a moderate distance away.

I turned to run again, and finally saw the perfect hiding spot; there was a hollowed out tree nearby. The crack in the bark was difficult to see, but it was there. If I could just stand in there for a while, they would pass me by.

Acting quickly, I tried to step cautiously so I wouldn't leave a trail. I stepped into the hollowed tree, taking in long, deep breaths as silently as I could. I would have to hold my breath when they passed by. Then I grew as still as I could, listening. The Desians drew ever closer, and then suddenly they stopped. Ah, they were listening for me as well, now. The silence dragged on for a minute or so, and I heard some muffled talking. Then the forest became dead silent.

I waited. There was nothing more I could do at this point. When the waiting became too much, I started to count in my head. When I got to two thousand, I told myself, I would try to escape once more.

And so, I counted. Counting to two thousand was a lot more difficult than it sounded in the beginning, especially given the circumstances I was in; I kept losing track and having to start over. My heartbeat wouldn't seem to slow. I couldn't stop myself from trembling. After what seemed like forever, I made it to the number I'd specified. There hadn't been a single sound from the forest during this time. The Desians must have left. And if not...well, I couldn't just stay here all day. If they combed through the forest thoroughly enough, I'd be found if I didn't move. Maybe if I moved from hiding place to hiding place, I could escape without exhausting myself completely.

With this final thought, I stepped out of the protection of my tree.

"Well, well. Look what I've found."

I gasped, turning to find a sword pointed at my throat. The commander had been waiting for me?!

He laughed. "I knew you were somewhere around here. It was only a matter of patience, which you humans seem to lack." The Desian grew closer. "I'll have to ask you to give me back what you stole, pitiful creature. As a reward for your stupidity, I think I'll take you to answer to Lord Kvar personally. It is your fault, after all, that we lost the wanted criminal."

So I'd succeeded with one thing, at least...oh Goddess, but I was scared. What the hell had I been thinking?! I remained taciturn, trying to keep my expression as indifferent as possible. I couldn't let him see my fear…

The Commander obviously grew frustrated with my less-than-satisfying reaction, for he knocked me to the ground with the flat of his sword. I curled up, my face contorting with pain.

"I'll see to it that you're tortured in the worst way possible!" He growled, and kicked me hard in the gut. The shock from the blow caused me to pass out.

When I awoke, I found that I was being unceremoniously carried like a sack of potatoes. I tried to move my legs a little, but the person carrying me was holding them down, and they were also extremely sore. I remembered what had happened, and my heartbeat sped up considerably. That's right; I had been running from...

"Heh. So the little wretch is awake." It was the voice of that damned commander. I managed to get my head up, and saw he was walking beside the Desian carrying me. I was still too dazed from my previous unconscious state to think up a sharp retort, not that I was brave enough to do so anyway. I did my best to glare at him.

"Stop carrying her. She can walk the rest of the way." He said, and the other Desian simply plopped me down on my knees, jarring them rather painfully. I winced, and did my best to hide it. The commander roughly jerked me up and forced me to walk.

I complied, being far from understanding the situation. Where the hell was I? The metal hallways and doors of this structure felt the same as the rest of Sylvarant: familiar, and yet unfamiliar at the same time. An anxious feeling came over me. The inner reaches of my mind were telling me that this was a bad place, and that area deep in my mind was the only portion of my brain that seemed to know what was going on.

As we went deeper into the building, other warning signals started appearing. I thought it was just my nerves at first, but then it all became too hard to ignore. I could hear... screaming. People were screaming. It became harder and harder for me to hide my true emotions; what kind of place was this? I couldn't see them... but they sounded like they were in so much pain…

Suddenly, my mind cleared and I realized with horror just where I was. Lloyd's angry words from so many nights ago came to mind once again:

It's exactly what it sounds like. They're monsters—they imprison people and treat them like cattle.

...So this was a human ranch. I could only be thankful that I was unable to see the atrocities that were no doubt being committed here. My steps slowed slightly; I felt like my shoes were weighted with lead.

"Keep moving, slime!" The commander growled with obvious satisfaction as he kicked me. I moved onward, desperately wondering how I was going to get out of this. I couldn't count on being rescued by the others. So what hope did I have on my own? What was going to happen next?

I felt my skin pale a shade as I remembered what the commander had said before knocking me out; he was taking me to that Lord Kvar person. I had heard Raine and Kratos talking about that guy before; he was something called a Grand Cardinal, which was apparently some powerful leader of Desians. And he was the head honcho of the Asgard ranch.

Wait, what?! How... how had I...? But I'd also heard them say the Asgard ranch was even farther away from Asgard than the Mausoleum! There was no way we could've gotten here so fast... I couldn't have been unconscious for longer than a few hours...

I took a double take at the rooms around me, all possessing some familiar looking high-tech stuff. They must've had some method of travel that was unknown to the people of Sylvarant.

Within the next few seconds we entered a new room, even larger and more technologically advanced looking than the others. The Desians around me roughly forced me to my knees, swords pressing painfully into my back. I looked up, wincing, and saw that someone new was approaching. Who... wait.

The man was tall, ears pointed, whitish blond hair slicked back. His eyes were slit nearly shut, but I could see that they were black where the whites should be, and his irises were red... that didn't do much for my nerves, either.

"Hmm..." The man said in a smooth voice, looking unimpressed, "So this is the maggot that interfered. I see."

And this was Kvar. I forced myself to look directly into his horrible eyes, clutching my hands into fists. Why? Why did I recognize him? He was familiar and unfamiliar, too. But I knew his voice, dammit! So why...

"Tell me, inferior being, what possessed you to think you could actually outrun my men?" the Grand Cardinal asked me, looking like he really didn't care anyway.

He was speaking to me. I had to say something, but my mouth was too dry. It took everything I had to keep myself from trembling uncontrollably. If I tried to speak, I knew my voice would crack and this person would know how pathetic and weak I really was.

I kept my face blank, fighting a mental battle with myself. It seemed easier not to speak.

The commander wasn't having any of that. "Speak when you are spoken to, insect!"

He jabbed my back with the tip of his sword. I started to cry out, but bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself. A warm liquid soaked the back of my shirt. My blood...oh...

Kvar smiled—only it wasn't really a smile, because there was no kindness or humor in it. "I suppose it doesn't matter. You've provided me with quite an inconvenience, girl. If not for you, I could have had criminal #0074 safely contained."

"...He has a name," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Ah?" Kvar fingered his weapon, an extravagant but formidable looking staff. "Speak up, human."

He was prodding me, his voice terrifying. I knew he'd heard what I said, but I couldn't take it back now. I was scared, but there was an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach... disgust? My fists clenched even harder. The feeling was... anger.

I remembered the way Lloyd had spoken about the Desians, the pain he hid behind a brave face. They had destroyed his hometown and killed his mother, and I couldn't stand the way this man spoke to me like I was a lower form of life.

There was no avoiding it; I had to speak. Considering where I was, the likelihood of me surviving this seemed extremely slim. There was no sense in groveling to save myself.

"I said, he has a name." I spoke, forcing the tremble out of my voice. "His name is Lloyd. He's a person, not a num—aaah!"

The half elf chuckled infuriatingly, even more so as the Desians restraining me suddenly turned on me, beating me down and kicking at my sides ruthlessly for my behavior. After my initial shocked yell, I clammed up, my breath coming out in a hiss through my gritted teeth.

"I don't care about the name of a human maggot," Kvar said, sneering. "That boy has something of great value to me. If he prefers to die protecting it just as his mother did, then so be it."

My eyes widened. "You..."

My mother is dead because of the Desians. Lloyd's words rang through my head.

Something about it triggered something in me. Kvar and Lloyd's mother… there was a story behind that. I knew the story.

However, Anna and I were pursued by Cruxis. We traveled from place to place, and when you were born, with you as well… but we were finally caught by Kvar.

Lacking a Key Crest, the mana in her body went out of control and she turned into a monster.

I… killed her.

Kratos. Kratos told that story in Flanoir.

That hadn't happened yet. How could I know that?

Tales of Symphonia. This was a video game.

The truth about this situation sank into me in a haze of reality and unreality, and I felt dizzy; if I hadn't been kneeling already, I would've collapsed right there. All this time... I had been so discouraged in the past few weeks, but in reality I had been inching closer and closer to the memories I sought... in the space of merely half a second, my amnesia was no more.

Earth was reality. Sylvarant was fiction. This didn't make sense! How had I gotten here? How could this be happening?!

Another second passed. There wasn't time for me to mull over this. I still felt dazed with the impact of my newly reclaimed memories.

"No matter. It hardly concerns you." Kvar said, coming even closer.

I panicked, trying to understand exactly what was going on; too much information had been dumped on me at once. Kvar... Kvar used magic, he was cruel, and there was no way I'd live in a fight against him.

This had to be a fucked up dream. There was no way a Grand Cardinal was standing before me like this, there was no way I could be in a Desian ranch.

I tried to convince myself, but it just wasn't working. The warmth of my own blood soaking into the clothing on my back proved me wrong, as did the cuts and bruises I felt from the Desians' kicks. And I still remembered all of the events preceding this, all the way down to being found in the forest, and they had seemed real enough back then.

"However..." The Desian Grand Cardinal continued, giving me another one of those horrible smiles, "I must thank you for saving me the trouble of tracking you down as well."

Whoa, whoa. What?

The Desians to my sides seemed equally confused. "L-lord Kvar, is this human..."

He nodded. "Another part of my Angelus Project, recommended as an ideal host body by Lord Yggdrasill himself." Now his eyes narrowed. "Do not allow her to die before the experiment is seen through, understand?"

They stood straighter, nervous at his glare. "Yes, sir!"

I raised my eyebrows in utter shock, completely baffled by this new piece of information. Even the whole video game thing made sense to a certain point, but this was just too much.

"What are you talking about?" I blurted out at Kvar; the Desians were suddenly ready to beat me up again, but their leader held up a hand.

"You certainly are oblivious, aren't you." It wasn't a question, merely a snide remark. Anger flared up within me again. There was no way I could be caught up in his stupid Angelus Project, I was from Earth! And what was all this crap about Yggdrasill? This was my first time even being at a human ranch!

"No offense," I growled in a tone that meant I certainly did mean to offend, "But I think you're the oblivious one. You've got the wrong person."

Kvar's dangerous smile twisted into a sneer, and he dropped the hand he'd been holding up. The Desians fell on me, beating me down, kicking me repeatedly on the floor. I couldn't stop a few cries from escaping. My... my anger had overcome my fright, and I'd said the wrong thing again... they finally stopped, leaving me lying broken and bleeding on the floor.

"Stupid human..." Kvar walked up, placing his own foot just below my rapidly beating heart. "Consider yourself lucky that I cannot kill you yet." The pressure from his foot increased suddenly; he was balancing more and more weight on to me, and my eyes widened. What? But, no. This kind of cruelty only happened in movies, or in history books, not to regular—

Kvar brought his foot down hard, snapping two of my ribs.

My eyes widened, and I choked on a breath, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The sickening snap, and then the pain, oh my God the pain the pain make it stop-

I screamed. I didn't care about showing or not showing weakness anymore, he was breaking my bones and I'd never felt so much blinding, excruciating pain in my entire life. I kept screaming, running out of breath and gasping for more, wishing I could just pass out, but somehow my body remained conscious despite the horrors it was facing.

The bastard wasn't even laughing, like a typical villain. He was just...watching me. He was watching me with the mild interest of a bored boy who had picked up a magnifying glass to kill a few ants. When I finally stopped screaming and glared at him, tears streaming down my cheeks, he simply turned his back to me.

"Take her away. See to it that the Exsphere is properly implanted."

"Yes, sir." The Desians chorused in reply, and I was dragged out of the room. When I was unable to walk on my own, they proceeded to guide me by using my hair as a handhold. That day was agony.

Chapter Text

I was taken to a small room, where the Desians held me down. Yeah, as if I was going to put up much of a fight in my current condition. The pain from my snapped ribs was torture; all I could do was bite my lip and try to focus on what my captors were doing. Two of them dug through some boxes, but my clouded mind didn't recognize this room or know if it had any significance.

One of them finally found what he was looking for. He extracted a spherical stone, a little larger than a marble, deep blue in color. An Exsphere...oh God, were they putting it on me? The next Desian pulled out something gold...a Key Crest. But why would they give me a Key Crest for my Exsphere...?

"Hold still, maggot." The Desian next to me growled, but I ignored him. I was too busy racking my mind for some answers. Think...think...what was Kvar's Angelus Project, again? Dammit, I'd beaten the game four times, I should remember this!

...Oh. I remembered now. Presea...I was going through the same thing as Presea, wasn't I? That had to be it. I vaguely remembered the basement scene in Sybak, Kate telling the group about Presea's experiment. It was an attempt to get an Exsphere to evolve into a Cruxis Crystal by equipping a special Key Crest that slowed the Exsphere's effects.

Okay, so I was probably not going to die right away, since they couldn't kill me until they created a Cruxis Crystal. That was going to take a while, so I had from now till the time I lost all awareness and emotion to get the hell out of here. How long was that? I had no clue.

On the other hand, the experiment might fail, and I'd turn into an Exbelua like Alicia had. That seemed slightly worse. I had to hope for the best, then.

That seemed exceedingly difficult in these circumstances, as the Desians walked toward me with cruel smirks on their faces. I had two broken ribs, maybe three, I was beat up, and I was trapped at a human ranch.

The Key Crest was held firmly onto the skin just below my collarbone, as a second Desian brought the Exsphere in contact with my skin as well. There was an odd, almost painful sensation as the stone attached itself to my flesh and the Key Crest. I winced, my entire body feeling strange.

All of a sudden, my mind flashed back a few days before. I had been watching Kratos and Lloyd train, eyeing their Exspheres...and hadn't I wished I could get one for myself? How horribly ironic...it was strange how ignorant I had been back then, how much different a person I was now. I hadn't remembered anything back then. I hadn't even known my last name, for God's sake!

The process was done. Now the Desians gracefully dragged me out by my hair once again, even though I made honest attempts to walk despite my pain. Before I even realized it, I had been thrown into what looked like a jail cell. Scratch that, it was a jail cell.

I looked up at the Desians who had closed the gate on me, and they leered.

"Heh. Consider yourself lucky that you're a special case, or you'd have to start working right away like everyone else."

I didn't reply, knowing that doing so would not be in my best interests right now. I simply stared at them until they walked away, then fell over on my side. "Oh...oh, Jesus Christ." I murmured, wishing that the Savior of my religion could hear me right now. If I needed anything right now, it was a miracle. There was no answer, of course, and I cursed myself for never going to church. I couldn't even remember a sufficient prayer.

It looked as if I'd have to do this myself. No one was going to come and rescue me.

I tried to sit up, and choked on a gasp of air again. Falling back down, I laid still. So, getting up wasn't an immediate option. I couldn't even black out, so there was no peaceful sleep for me...

That was fine. I...needed time to mull things over, and now I had it. I stared at the grimy ceiling of the cell, doing my best to ignore the pain in my ribs, which had settled to a dull but tormenting throb.

I needed to calm down. Augh, easier said than done...focus on one thing at a time...

Okay. First, I was in Tales of Symphonia. How the hell that happened, I didn't know. It wasn't possible for me to just magically warp my way into the TV or something, and I hadn't even played the damn game in over a year, but whatever. None of it made sense but I had to accept it, because what was happening was most definitely real. Real, and it was not cute and chibi-fied like in the game. People were dying out there, and I was in bad shape.

Second. Whatever it was that caused me to end up here had dumped me in the woods, where Lloyd and his group found me. I'd had a head injury...but that really didn't make sense, either. In any case, I had come into the plot just before they'd gone to interrogate Dorr about his dealings with the Desians. Apparently they'd already done the Thoda Geyser and all that crap...and they'd come back to get me after blowing up the Palmacosta ranch. It looked like I hadn't disrupted the plot too much, which was probably a good thing...only I certainly didn't remember a Desian attack at any of the Houses of Salvation. That wasn't supposed to happen at all. Speaking of which, it was also probably a good thing that I'd saved them, since they weren't supposed to be attacked in the first place. Fuck. Not that I really liked my situation right now.

Third. I was not supposed to matter. So, maybe some dimensional fluke or something or other had dumped me into a friggin' video game. All right, so at best, I'd be an interesting NPC. I was kind of doing the same thing Mithos had done later in the game. That was fine, as long as I didn't do anything to prevent Colette and the others from finishing their journey. But...what the hell was all this about the Angelus Project? I reached up to finger the Exsphere now embedded in me, wincing when it stung a little. I hadn't existed in this world until a couple weeks ago. How could I suddenly be part of a project like that? I hadn't even been involved with Kvar or the Desians before today. And what had he said about Yggdrasill? I mean, what the hell did Yggdrasill know about me? He probably didn't even know I existed.

All right, that brought me to my fourth point. Kvar was mistaking me for someone else and I had to get the hell out of here before he realized it. He'd just assumed I was spewing bullshit earlier, but sooner or later he'd realize something wasn't quite right. Maybe Yggdrasill would pay him a visit on his projector and see me, then call him out on his screwup. Either way, this sucked. I needed to escape, because if I didn't, the outcome would be bad no matter what.

That felt better. Although my physical pain was far from being cured, at least I was all straightened out mentally. I was in Symphonia, I'd met the heroes early on, I was a minor character, and Kvar was an idiot. I could do this.

I just had to conduct a Great Stealthy Escape from the Desian ranch, without getting killed in the process. At least I knew a few fighting techniques. Sort of. I fingered the Exsphere again; maybe it would help me? Presea's had given her strength, hadn't it? Okay, so I'd use it to my advantage until it sucked out my soul.

Having sorted everything out, I tried simply laying there for a moment, clearing my mind. Maybe I could sleep before the bastards made me work.

It was no use. Not thinking caused the pain in my body to be so much more obvious, and it was terrible as it was. I quickly tried to find a way to occupy my mind again, frantic.

...That dream I'd had in Asgard...my eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Oh, this was a bad thing to think about. But I couldn't stop, now. Not now that I could remember everything. Before Lloyd woke me up, I'd been dreaming about Christmas morning with my family a few years ago. It hadn't been as full of presents as the previous Christmases, but it had been such a nice day. We'd eaten a family breakfast, and dinner, and everything. The tears fell freely, but I couldn't help but crack a weak smile at the memory. My dad had confused me by putting some of his gifts in the box to an ordinary household item. My sister had been taking pictures of everything, earning more than a few objections from me. I'd taken a few for her, and in one of them my dad had poked his head over her shoulder and made the funniest face...

I would've given anything to go back and see them at that moment. A wave of homesickness washed over me. Why was I stuck in this stupid place, anyway?! I didn't belong here!

No, family was a bad thing to think about right now. I pushed the subject away from my thoughts, desperately trying to find another subject to dwell upon.

I wondered how Lloyd and the others were doing...augh, that was bad, too. I needed to stop.

Suddenly the bars to my cell opened again, and there were numerous people standing at the door. I looked up, watching them stumble inside with Desian guards at their backs. The bars were slammed promptly shut again, closing me in with the new arrivals. They looked just as curiously at me as I did at them...ah, it was not they who were the new arrivals; I was.

My curiosity faded quickly, and I looked away. Looking at them was...hard. Very hard. The game, of course, did not justify the brutalities that were obviously done to these people. In the game, they'd just looked like decently fed homeless people. Here...oh, God. They were all so thin and bony, their hair scraggly, dirt and grime worked into their pores. Some had bloody marks across their backs- I realized with horror that they were from the lashes of a whip. Those...Desian bastards. Every prisoner had a Key Crest-less Exsphere. And every prisoner would probably have it removed later, only to die or turn into a monster.

Seeing these poor, abused people, I found my mind flashing back to pictures I'd seen of Holocaust victims. The difference was little to none. There was the same hollow, broken look in their eyes. My stomach twisted in revulsion to the Desians, even more so now that I associated them with Nazis, the old terrors of my world. Each group did the exact same thing; genocide. Not just killing people from a certain race or culture, they were torturing them and working them towards a slow and nasty death. I remembered reading about the purpose for many of the Nazi's actions in the concentration camps; they had wanted to break the spirits of thier prisoners, cause them to lose touch with their humanity. Prisoners had been assigned numbers and were called by their numbers, they were forced to chop all of their hair off, they relinquished all of their personal belongings, and they even had to trade in their clothes for filthy prisoner's garb. The Desians wanted the same thing; they wanted the people here to lose their sense of individuality, importance as a person. That was why a lot of these people looked like mournful zombies.

I remained on my back, staring at the ceiling, knowing that I would have to move despite the pain sooner or later. I highly doubted Kvar would get his pompous ass down here and First Aid me. Neither would any of the bastards on this ranch, for that matter.

"...So you're a new prisoner." A girl who looked to be about my age crawled up to me, looking like she still had at least half her sanity left. That was good. "My name's Elena. I...just got here a few weeks ago."

I smiled at her, instantly associating her with the Final Fantasy character because of her short blonde hair. "Hey. I'm Brittany. I just got here...well, like five minutes ago."

She smiled back, with a touch of sadness; she seemed to know that I'd lose my good humor soon. Hell, even I knew that. This ugly place was getting very old, very fast.

We sat-well, I laid-in silence for a moment, and then I spoke up. "So where're you from, Elena?"

"Asgard." She replied, her voice pained. She probably missed her family as desperately as I did.

"I was just there around ten days ago." I said, and her eyes widened.

"A-ah. I wonder, could you tell me...who was the next performer of the ritual on the dais? My...my sister might..."

I laughed quietly, the movement hurting. "It's okay. The Chosen came, and her group stopped the monster. There won't be any more sacrifices."

Elena visibly relaxed, her eyes lighting with hope. "The Chosen of Mana? She saved...oh, thank the Goddess!"

"S-shh! Don't let them hear you!" Another prisoner hushed her, and she apologized quietly before turning to me again.

"Do...do you think the Chosen will come to rescue us?"

I sighed. "I don't know."

She looked disappointed and I wished I could cheer her up, but I didn't want to lie to her. I knew I wasn't going to sit around and wait to see if they came. In the game, Kate had said the development of the Cruxis Crystal could take place over several days to several decades. The former meant that by the end of this week, I could be an emotionless doll. I had to get out of here, and fast...especially since Lloyd was pretty much my only hope of getting a proper Key Crest on this thing.

The Desians came around an hour later, giving bowls of what they tried to pass off as soup to the prisoners. I made a face, and offered mine to Elena.

"You should eat," she urged, gulping hers up, "they don't feed us often."

I shook my head. My stomach still had a bit of Genis's good meal from that morning in it, and I didn't really want to vomit that up in favor of this disgusting slop. I winced, knowing I'd have to eat it next time. I might even be eating it for a while. I was beginning to really feel sick...

Before long, a Desian guard came into our cell and wrenched me out of it by the hair. I was really starting to think it was just the same guy who enjoyed a sick joke. Fuck, it was like millions of needles driving into my skull. The only thing that eclipsed that pain was the pain from my ribs. Maybe the broken ones would poke into my lung or heart or something, and I could just die quickly. He pulled me into another room, and promptly tore all of my clothes off, down to my bra and panties.

"W-what the-" I was unable to even finish as I looked at him, mortified. Was I about to be-oh God, but I was a virgin, I...

The Desian smirked at my assumption, and shoved prisoner's clothes in my face. "Change. Now. You'll be wearing these from now on."

I tried to glare at him, but I was still too shaky from how scared I'd just been. I brought the Nazi and Desian comparisons back to mind; had the Nazis...yes, they had. They'd raped women, deflowered them, sexually brutalized them in unimaginable ways. This wasn't really a game if it existed right here in front of me, I reminded myself. The Desians probably did sink that low. And I probably could be a victim of it, as well as Elena or any other woman in the cell I stayed in.

No. I couldn't think about that now, I was only scaring myself. Dying was one thing, but being raped and then dying? Or being raped to death? That was...too horrible to put into words. I obeyed the Desian's orders, putting on the clothes as he watched, glad to at least have the cover of the dirty material. I had to appear indifferent, I thought, willing myself not to tremble. Didn't sick men like that enjoy the thought of a vulnerable, helpless woman? Probably. Maybe I was physically vunlerable, but I could at least try to be mentally tough. The Desian led me back to the cell, where I sat next to Elena, staying quiet for a while. I wouldn't ask her if they did things like that here; I didn't want to know. It would just add to my worries at the moment.

After another hour, several Desians came, most holding whips- holy shit, one of them was holding a flail. I realized that before coming to this ranch, I hadn't even been close to knowing what fear really felt like. My only consolation was that they couldn't technically kill me yet, or they'd be disobeying Kvar.

We were all forced out of the cell, and into a large barren area outside. There were large stone blocks resting everywhere, as well as shovels. Half the group was split off to dig holes, and I wondered if they were in fact digging their own graves. The Desians needed somewhere to put the bodies, right? I was sent with the rest of the group to the blocks. I remembered this sort of thing happening in the game, though I'd always wondered what the point was of making the prisoners push the damn things around. I soon learned that there was no point. The Desians didn't explain themselves, for it seemed most of the people here were uninformed on how the process of manufacturing Exspheres worked. I understood now, though. They just wanted to put us through physical stress and trials to activate the Exspheres. It made the work even harder, and pretty fuckin' humiliating. We weren't doing anything that had an end, like building something. We were just pushing huge goddamned blocks around in a circle. It was stupid, but if we stopped, we were punished. And the stone blocks were heavy. Several of us pushing hard only got the thing to budge a little. And I supposed that was only because of the Exspheres we wore, even though they weren't full of human life yet.

"Faster, maggots!" A guard growled, causing rage to build up in me again. Rather than swearing at the guard and getting my ass kicked, I tried to channel the anger and hate into the work I was doing. It worked, but only barely. I still felt like it would be a lot more satisfying to scream at the bastards. Oh God, I wanted to go home...

Hours melted into days, days passed into weeks. I wondered how Colette was doing. They'd reached the Mausoleum by now, no doubt. I hoped they hadn't hurt poor Sheena too badly, or vice versa. Maybe...maybe it was hopeless, and they were in Tethe'alla already. I'd never find Lloyd once he hopped on a Rheiard.

...No, that wasn't right. They weren't going to leave before destroying this ranch, as far as I knew. Unfortunatley, what I knew wasn't absolute...after all, I wasn't even supposed to be here.

Elena and I became fast friends, as she was the only person I really could get to talk out of the people in our cell. We spent many of our days conversing quietly when off work. We talked about Asgard, our families, life in general...anything to remind us that we were still us, not cattle belonging to the Desians. I often fingered my Exsphere uncomfortably, wondering if it was going to really change soon.

One day she caught me doing it, and decided to voice a question that had obviously been bothering her for a while. "What do you suppose those things are for?"

I blinked. "Uh? You mean this?" I pointed to my Exsphere.

She nodded. "They put one on every person at this ranch, but I have no idea what they do...I don't really like them."

"I know, me neither."

"But...everyone disappears here sooner or later, right? And it's not just like they were killed for misbehaving...they disappear in groups. What do you think...um..."

I knew exactly what was happening to those people, but couldn't bear to tell her. "I...I have no idea."

Elena looked at me sadly, as if she knew I was lying.

Chapter Text

I threw up for the second time that day, Desians whipping me across the back. I couldn't take this anymore. People around me were suffering, dying...I was going to break if I had to deal with one more second of this...

I returned to work when they finally stopped, wincing, knowing I was in desperate need of medical attention. I wouldn't die...probably, but this was bad for my body in the long run...My ribs had never been healed, and I was sure the bloody whip slashes across my back were going to get infected if they weren't already. My entire body was an aching, stinging pain.

When we were finally situated back in the cell and the Desians were out of sight, Elena slipped me something. I looked at her gratefully; she'd finally managed to smuggle in a dull pocket knife, at my request. I didn't plan on trying to escape with this, that'd be suicide. I just...figured I'd do away with one of the pains in my body.

Elena watched me sympathetically as I reached up and began to slowly cut my hair. It was painful doing it with this dull knife, and the work was tedious, but it would be worth it. I cut my hair to a boyish length, knowing it probably looked horrible, but relishing the fact that no one could grab on to it anymore. Maybe my splitting headaches would go away now.

This wasn't like with the Nazis. I wasn't taking away my own individuality by cutting my hair; on the contrary, I was making a statement. It was a small victory against the Desians; they had one less thing to torture me with now.

I...I had considered myself a pessimist, even before coming here. I remembered that now, I was indeed prone to bouts of depression. Being here worsened that. And being a pessimist in the face of things like this, I knew, was probably deadly. The only thing that kept people alive during times like these was hope. But the things I'd seen here...how could there possibly be hope, for anyone? A lot of the prisoners took consolation in the fact that the Desians were half elves. They blamed half elves, hating them, thinking that only half elves would do things like this. But I knew better...after all, World War II was entirely the fault of man. There was only one true race on Earth, and that was man, but man still separated himself into groups and attacked his brethren. Everyone had the potential in their hearts to become a Nazi or Desian, even me. There was darkness in the hearts of anyone who was capable of consious thought and emotion. If that darkness was allowed to grow, or if the person was pushed to their breaking point, anyone was capable of performing atrocities like this.

Mithos...he'd once been a hero, hadn't he? But he, too, had more than his share of darkness...

Despite my extremely negative mindset, the next day I finally stumbled upon a source of hope.

A new man had been transferred to our cell from another; this happened quite often, so it wasn't anything special. But the second I saw this person's face, I nearly jumped to my feet. The new prisoner in our cell...was Pietro.

Eyes wide, I had to stop myself from calling his name. After all, I technically didn't know him yet. Elena looked at me, confused.

"Do you know him?"

I snapped out of my shocked thoughts, and shook my head. "Um, no."

She continued to stare at me skeptically, though, so I just shrugged. "Come on, Elena. We might as well talk to him."

We did this every time our cell got a new prisoner; we wanted to see if we could at least meet someone who hadn't broken yet. It had worked a couple times, but after a while they were either transferred once again, or simply...disappeared. I glanced at Elena. She'd been with me from the beginning; I wouldn't let anything happen to her. We were a team. So if they ever tried to take her away, well...I'd have to form an escape plan right then and there.

"All right." We walked up to the man, and introduced ourselves with as much cheer as we could muster. Somebody had to act happy around here, or everyone would just get even more depressed.

Pietro smiled weakly at us and introduced himself in turn. Good, so he still had his sanity. He seemed kind, and Elena took an instant liking to him. Although I tried to hide it, I felt like my heart was beating a million miles a minute. Pietro. His name shined in my head, lighting the way through my darkness. He had escaped from the ranch, hadn't he? We just had to follow his lead.

Elena, Pietro and I spoke during our free time for the next day or two, and we generally stuck together. I continually tried to figure out when he was leaving the ranch without being too obvious, but to no avail.

During one of our conversations, he asked me how I'd ended up at the ranch. I contemplated this, wondering how I would explain it without it being too long of a story. Suddenly I remembered the item I'd stolen from the commander Desian- the Desian Orb! Maybe I needed to mention that to him...I told the story as best I could, emphasizing how I thought the Desian Orb was pretty important. When I finished, Pietro was very quiet, obviously deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, concerned.

"What did this Desian Orb look like?" He asked me.

I told him, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. So he knew about it? Maybe he knew where that commander was so we could jump him and steal it! Wait, that might work out badly...

Pietro's voice lowered considerably, barely above a whisper, and he looked around cautiously before pulling something out of his pocket. "Do you mean...this?"

I had to stifle a gasp. In his hand was the very same item I'd stolen on that day. "W-where did you get that?" I hissed, unable to contain my excitement any longer.

"I found it on the floor...I thought it looked important, so I hid it. There's been Desians getting worked up about it all day; haven't you noticed?"

I frowned; I had noticed they were upset about something, but I never paid attention. There was always one new recruit that lost something, but it never ended up in the hands of the prisoners. Never. That commander...must've really messed up. Maybe he fixed the chain I broke incorrectly? In any case, wearing the damn orb as jewelry probably wasn't his smartest move. I was giddy.

"What do you suppose it does?" Elena whispered as Pietro hastily put it away. At that moment, I decided to just tell them rather than hint at it. It would waste precious time, time that none of them had. I hadn't said anything about knowing what the orb did when I included it in my story, but I couldn't worry about the details now.

"You know, don't you? It's something good." Pietro leaned towards me, expectantly.

I nodded. "I...overheard some guards talking about it one day. They said it was used to open a secret passage to the outside of the ranch."

"Y-you're serious?!" Elena said, hope causing her eyes to light up.

Pietro's eyes widened as well. "We can use it to get out of here," he breathed. "If only we knew where that passage was."

"I can show you," I said eagerly, "they were standing right by it when they were talking about it. We can just slip into the passage when we're being led outside for work. They won't even notice we're gone until it's too late."

Pietro and Elena looked at me, awed with the enormity of the information I'd just given them. We could escape. Finally, we could get out of this hellish place. This human ranch, this concentration camp.

"...When?" Elena finally asked.

"Tomorrow. Let's do it tomorrow morning." Pietro said firmly, determined now. Good; I rather wanted to relinquish the leadership position to him. I'd just supplied information, but he was the one really cut out for it.

That night the three of us slept well, dreaming of freedom.

The next morning...did not go as planned.

It was wrong from the start. We were supposed to escape while being led out for our first shift of work, but a shocking revelation stopped us from proceeding.

Elena was gone. Vanished.

Only she hadn't vanished; I had a pretty good idea of what had happened. As Pietro and I slept, Desians had crept in and snatched her in the night. She had been here the longest out of the three of us; her Exsphere was...ripe.

Pietro and I panicked. It wasn't supposed to happen this way; why did Elena have to be taken now?

"I won't leave without her." I said firmly to Pietro, and he nodded.

"I know. I don't want to either."

"We...we need to rescue her."

Pietro looked at me cautiously. "You realize what may happen to her now, don't you? And what will probably happen to us after we leave the ranch?"

Ah, so he knew the truth about Exspheres. It hadn't really been made clear in the game, but he had learned firsthand when suffering from the illness, after all. I nodded at him. "If we don't stop them, they'll take off her Exsphere. But there's still hope if we all escape!"

"Yes..."

"What are we waiting for, then?" I asked desperately.

It seemed that aside from Elena's disappearance, luck was bending our way that day. Only one guard came to take us out to work, instead of the usual three. Pietro and I nodded to each other, and jumped him. Although we barely managed to subdue him unarmed, we thankfully made it out alive. The other prisoners stared at us in awe as I reached into the Desian's belt and took all of his card keys.

"What are you hoping to do? We don't know where..."

"I do." I said firmly; I knew, but we had to hurry. Really, really hurry. Because if we ran into a single Desian, we were probably dead meat. "Just follow me; I've caught a glimpse of the room they're taken to before, and I'm positive I know where it is."

A little knowledge of the game didn't hurt either, although the real Asgard ranch was vastly different than it's in-game counterpart. Pietro nodded, trusting me. We ran as fast as we could, through confusing sets of halls, through warp pads. I knew that there was probably a surveillance system here, like at Iselia. And Kvar was probably either really pissed or morbidly amused right now. Dammit, who cared about Kvar?! We just needed to grab Elena and get the hell out of here.

Pietro and I ran through another door, into a familiar room full of conveyor belts carrying crates.

...Oh. Crates full of activated Exspheres...

"You there! What the hell do you think you're doing, vermin?" We swung around to come face to face with a Desian, armed with a sword. Shit.

He came at us, and I tried to remember Kratos's advice about dodging, but after all this time it seemed all jumbled up in my head. I tried imagining his voice, how scary he would be if he realized I'd forgotten...and managed to remember some. Pietro dodged a swing from the sword, as I ducked in and punched the Desian in the nose. Not a very strong punch, my body was still weak...but it was enough to startle him. I grabbed ahold of his blade, which appeared to be a zweihander, and yanked. At first the Desian seemed as if he wouldn't let go, but then Pietro got a good punch in, and I ripped the sword free. Rather than harming the bastard, although I knew he probably deserved it, I knocked him out with the flat of the heavy blade.

Panting, kicking the Desian aside where he wouldn't be seen, I scanned the large room for the right doorway. Suddenly I remembered something else that had been in this room in the game...and glanced up. There was indeed a conveyor belt up there...carrying humans. I stood there for a moment, my mind not comprehending. I'd seen this before, but it had been in a game, just pretend...

That conveyor belt was leading them to their deaths. Human lives were being cashed in for Exspheres. I watched the belt move, watched the people...I recognized most of their faces. They saw us down here, too- for a moment their eyes were alight with hope, only for that hope to die down as they realized we were just as helpless as they.

Oh my God...they couldn't even move. There were too many on the conveyer for any of them to make an escape, and there was, without a doubt, a Desian forcing them on at the other end. They were trapped, they...they...

I watched each face go by, frozen in shock, realizing that each person had a life, a family that cared about them, and a history...just like me. They deserved to live just as much as I did. And each face I saw...their life was snuffed out mere seconds later. I...I had to stop this!

"Pietro...let's go, we have to go shut that thing off!" I said to him, desparately. He started to comply, but then froze in horror, looking back up at the conveyor. I suddenly felt cold; if there was one thing that could make Pietro look more horrified than he already did, it was...

Elena. Elena was one of the people on the belt.

My eyes widened; no, no, no! This couldn't happen! Elena was-she was-

"Elena!" I cried out, willing it to stop, for the carnage to just end.

She heard me. She looked down at us through the glass, her eyes full of tears. She turned, putting her hands on the glass, searching for some sort of grip, anything to stop the conveyor belt bringing her to her death. Elena was screaming, crying our names. Everyone else around her looked at us, trembling. I ran forward, calling her name again and again, and Pietro followed. There was nothing we could do; it was too high above us, and we didn't have enough time...

Suddenly, she understood. She pulled her hands away from the glass, still watching us, tears streaming down our cheeks. Elena seemed to lose all of her energy, all of her passion. "I'm sorry..." She mouthed to me, just before the belt carried her out of sight.

Out the other end of the conveyor belt...came another crate. Another crate with Elena's life in it.

I trembled uncontrollably, watching the place where Elena had been killed, unable to believe that she was gone, just like that. Why? Why had she apologized? None of this was her fault, none of this was right! She had been an entire year younger than me, why?!

Pietro put a hand on my shoulder, utterly shocked himself. "Brittany...we have to go. We have to go now, or Elena's family will never know what happened to her. Her death will mean nothing if we don't live on in her place. We have to move!"

I finally nodded, trying to move my feet...

"Well, well. What a sad sight." A disinterested voice mocked us from behind, and I swung around to face none other than Kvar.

Pietro and I looked on in dismay; this completely destroyed all chances of escape. The Grand Cardinal of the ranch had caught us himself.

"I had only come to inspect our progress with the dispatching of the host bodies, and here I see some rather lost inferior beings...trying to escape, perhaps? You certainly wandered into the wrong place."

"You..." Pietro glared at Kvar. "These people...!"

"Such pathetic intellects you humans have...I would've thought you'd realized by now that this is an Exsphere manufacturing plant. This is where the Exspheres are removed and the host bodies are...disposed of."

Disposed of?! How could he-he spoke of it so damn casually! How could he just toy with people's lives like this, only to throw them away like garbage?!

I was still trembling, but no longer from fear or shock. I hated Kvar. I had never hated anyone in my life as much as this pathetic excuse for a person. "You fucking bastard! They're not host bodies, they're people with names, and families, and they're alive too, dammit! You can't just treat people like this!"

Kvar brushed off my angry speech, adopting his dangerous smile again. "Who cares about the lives of you filthy inferior beings? You are dirt." He emphasized each word of this last sentence with a new and deadly spell. Pietro and I dodged out of the way of Lightning and Eruption, only barely missing Air Thrust.

Suddenly the ground rumbled, causing all of us to tense in alarm. Several of the machines in that room started smoking, and Kvar snarled. "Damn Renegades!"

Pietro and I took this chance as he was obviously distracted, and I reminded myself to thank Yuan or Botta when we got out of here. As I ran past Kvar, though, I felt so much hate and revulsion swell up inside me...I decided to make Kratos and Lloyd's job that much easier. Lifting the zweihander I'd stolen with both hands, I slashed Kvar in the side. His inhuman eyes widened with disbelief, but I didn't take time to truly look at what I'd done. I was just as panicked as Pietro- as fast as we could, we raced to the safety of the secret passageway. Kvar would alert the entire base once he recovered. We had to hurry.

Chapter Text

We made it. We really, truly made it. The passage had been even closer than I'd hoped, and we'd gotten out less than a minute after escaping from Kvar. Pietro and I ran through the cool morning air, as fast as we possibly could. I felt like I was soaring, running like this; I hadn't had an unrestricted view of the countryside in so long. I was so tired, but I didn't want to stop. The wind in my hair like this felt so good, and I never wanted to stop running from that horrible ranch, never wanted to lose my freedom again.

We had to stop, eventually. My legs gave way as soon as we found the cover of a forest. I had tired faster than Pietro, for the sole reason that I'd insisted on taking the heavy zweihänder with me. Even if it was difficult for me to use, especially in the weakened state I was in, it was better than not being armed at all.

We rested in the shade of the woods, taking turns on keeping watch, feeling unsafe here but feeling much safer with monsters than with Desians. Pietro managed to find some edible berries when we started moving again, and we ate a considerable amount of them. After the slop at the human ranch, they were the best tasting things I'd ever eaten in my life.

Pietro and I walked this time, rather than tiring ourselves out by running. The only thing about walking, though, was that it gave me room to think. I really, really didn't want to think right now. I didn't want to think about Elena. I didn't want to think about Kvar, either. I'd never actually spilled anyone's blood until that moment. I still wasn't sure if I was comfortable with what I'd done, but I still felt he deserved much worse than the gash I gave him. I half wished I could watch Kratos slaughter him later on, but I never wanted to go back into that ranch.

On our third morning of walking, we reached Luin. When the townsfolk saw two half-dead looking people show up in thier town wearing prisoner's garb, they were shocked beyond belief. They took us both in with welcoming hands, showing us to warm beds and good food. Our filthy clothes were taken away and we were given clean garments.

I was amazed. People were not suspicious of us, no one questioned our story too deeply. They knew we were escapees from a Desian ranch, and they were hospitable. A family allowed me to use their bath, the mother helping me comb the snarls out of my short hair.

"Oh, you poor girl..." she murmured comfortingly, her eyes kind. "So young, too young..."

At this my eyes welled up with tears. Elena...

The woman didn't ask my reason for tears, she simply pulled me into her arms. I was so touched that I only cried harder, missing my own mother, wanting to go home, wishing I could just escape from it all. I felt so...so damn weak.

A full meal and a good night's sleep cured me of my teary mood, but I still felt very depressed. Luin...these people...they were going to be killed or taken off to suffer the same fate I did, all because Pietro and I had escaped.

I shook my head, determined. No, I wouldn't let that happen. I would fight the Desians off. I had to, or...or there would be more people like Elena.

Soon after we arrived, Pietro began to grow ill. Even knowing what the sickness was, I couldn't help but be concerned. What if this time around, he wasn't saved? No. I couldn't think like that. If I did, I would just beat myself down before I got to accomplish anything.

For the time being, I was the only one who seemed to notice; Pietro just didn't seem quite himself sometimes, and I knew the Exsphere was affecting him. After two days, he announced that he was leaving for Hima.

"Hm? Why?" I asked, although I knew it really didn't matter; he was doing what was canon according to the game, so all was well.

"I...have a friend I wish to see." He simply answered, and I realized he must have cared deeply for that girl who had defended him during his sickness in the game. Sophia, that was her name...

Wait, wasn't there a different reason for him going to Hima? He had gone...to find the Chosen. The gears in my head finally started turning. Apparently I'd had a major brain fart back at the ranch, because I'd still screwed up the plot a little. I remembered now; Pietro was supposed to learn about the Mana Cannon at the Ranch, and he was supposed to break out in order to tell Colette about it. I had sped up the process without really realizing it, convincing him to break out before he even learned anything...

I contemplated this for a moment, and couldn't see any long term effect for what I'd done. Pietro was still going to Hima, and the Mana Cannon was going to come up plenty of times later on. Pietro's warning was actually redundant for the most part, except to offer a bit of foreshadowing in the game...Ah, well. He was still going to be saved, that was the point. The others would still need to cure him in order to get information about the Asgard ranch.

"Are you sure you should be going alone?" I asked Pietro, genuinely concerned. Sure, in the game he was just another useful NPC, but here he was my friend, dammit. Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn't be much help when it came to fighting...

"I'll escort you." A female voice came from our right, and we turned to see Sheena the Clumsy Assassin herself strolling up. Or was she the Resolute Assassin by now? Huh. Either way, her breasts seemed just as impressive in real life as they were in the game. Jeez, it was almost like whe was trying to make flat people like me feel self-conscious...

Wait, Sheena?! Shit- at that instant I almost bolted to hide behind something, anything to keep the assassin from seeing me, until I remembered that she had never even seen me with Colette's group. Oh, well, that was pretty convenient. That meant I could talk to her freely! Sweet!

"Ah, Sheena...thank you. I'd very much appreciate it." Pietro said, and I vaguely wondered how he'd met and befriended Sheena before me.

I blinked, trying to look surprised at her sudden appearance. "Well, I don't think we've met."

Pietro also looked surprised now. "I never introduced you two? It must have slipped my mind..."

"Well, now's as good a time as ever. You're the other escapee, right?" Sheena said, smiling at me. She held out a hand. "I'm Sheena Fujibayashi."

I grasped her hand, shaking it. "Brittany. Nice to meet you."

"Forgive me, Sheena, but I had been planning to leave today..." Pietro interjected, and we both noticed that he was indeed carrying a backpack. I worried even more; I was still feeling weak from the ranch, so he must've been, too.

"Okay, that's fine." Sheena nodded.

"Um, Pietro...you're not planning to carry that big thing by yourself, are you?" I pointed to his bag. "You may be fine now, but after walking all the way to Hima..."

"Don't worry, I'll help him." Sheena grinned reassuringly at me, and I gave her a grateful look.

"But-" Pietro began to protest, but I stopped him.

"You heard her. It's probably a bad idea to overwork yourself after all that's happened."

He sighed. "...Yes, you're right, Brittany. By the way, what are you planning to do now?"

"Me?" I shrugged, frowning thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna stay here in Luin for a bit. Maybe if I do enough odd jobs, I can buy a sheath to this sword." I was referring to the sword that hung on my back with a leather strap. I'd gotten the idea from the SOLDIERs in Final Fantasy VII, thinking of how Zack and Cloud carried their buster swords. As it turned out, carrying a sheath-less sword was rather uncomfortable and took a lot more care. I never let it leave my side, though, constantly on the alert for a Desian attack.

"You're thinking of using that thing?" Sheena turned to me, surprised.

I looked her in the eyes. "I...don't want to be caught defenseless again. Besides, I'd already had some sword training before I went to the ranch. I might as well continue it."

Pietro smiled. "Well, then you make sure you don't overwork yourself either." He turned, ready to leave. "Goodbye for now, Brittany. Thank you for all your help."

"Bye, Pietro. I'll come visit soon, I promise. And be careful. You too, Sheena."

Sheena nodded, following Pietro. "We will!"

I watched them leave town, wondering when Sheena would return.

Over the next few days I followed up on the plan I'd told Pietro of. I ran errands for people, helped men unload their boats when they reached the dock, and did various other odd jobs. I helped out at the inn as well, to earn my stay. The innkeeper was already kind enough to supply me with free meals because of how I'd recently escaped from the ranch. I was immensely grateful to the people of Luin, and well aware of the debt I owed them for their kindness. I had to help fight the Desians off during the attack. I couldn't let these good people be carried off to the ranch. Even if Lloyd and the others were going to destroy it later, some of these townsfolk might die in the meantime. I didn't want that to happen.

After three days, I'd earned just enough to buy a decent sheath for my blade. It was nothing special, but enough to keep the sword from accidentally cutting me if I was careless. It was difficult, though...the sword was good quality, and it was my only weapon, but it was also a zweihänder; a two-handed sword. Kratos had only taught me the use of a one-handed sword. Still...maybe the same basic rules applied. I tried practicing on my own, but it was much harder. I could practice the foot movements, but pretending I had an opponent coming at me was a lot harder than actually having one. Not only that, the sword was very heavy, and I was unsure if I was wielding it correctly. Rather than learn to do it the wrong way, I focused on strengthening my arms so I wouldn't get tired so quickly. In order to do this, I continued to ask for jobs that involved lifting even though I no longer required money. At least I did manage to get some of the basic techs down; I taught myself how to do Demon Fang and Sonic Thrust, though I wasn't too confident in my skills with them.

That was how I lived in Luin. I kept myself busy, every second of every day. I couldn't afford to stop to think. I was good at hiding my conflicting emotions, but I was really losing it inside. To say Kvar's ranch had been traumatizing...would be an extreme understatement. I had seen things that lived on in my nightmares. Elena's death also plagued me with guilt; if only I had acted sooner, maybe she could've been saved...I had to do whatever I could to stop the Desians.

I felt...lost. I knew what should happen next, and what I should do, but I still just wanted to go home. I was sick of this world and its cruelties. Lloyd and the others were capable of finishing their journey without me. I wanted my life back...

Not long after I'd purchased my sheath, a traveler arrived in town. I had been carrying some supplies into the item shop when he approached me, holding some life bottles. I recognized him from his unusual clothes; they looked more like the clothes of an adventurer than a mere traveler.

"Miss, you dropped these." He said, holding them up to me with a friendly smile.

I blinked, surprised. "Ah, thanks! Guess I'd better be more careful...at least they didn't break." I took the bottles with one hand, balancing the box with the other. He watched me go set the box on the store counter, and was still standing by the door when I came out. I was done for the day, so I decided it couldn't hurt to talk to him.

I turned to him, opening my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it. "Those boxes looked heavy. You must have strong arms to be doing that kind of work."

I shook my head. "N-not really."

He laughed. "Now, there's no need to be modest. I've seen you around town. Why is it that you opt for heavy lifting over..."

"More feminine jobs?" I finished for him, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose you could put it that way." His blue eyes danced with amusement, glancing at the dress I was wearing.

Embarrassed, I said, "I borrowed this. I'm going to buy more practical clothes soon."

His smile grew, and I realized he was still waiting for an answer to his question.

"I need to have strong arms...well, you of all people should be able to tell why." He, too, wore a heavy looking sword at his back.

"I thought so." He replied. "You wanted to take up the sword because you feel insecure after your time at the Desian ranch." He'd heard of my escape, too...well, the news was bound to find the newcomer's ears sooner or later. Desians from the Asgard ranch had come through the town several times, searching for me. Kvar apparently still hadn't realized that he'd gotten the wrong person...or maybe he just wanted revenge for that gash I'd given him. Heh.

I looked away. "That's part of the reason, yeah. Problem is, I've only trained with a normal sword, not a two-handed one."

"I'd be happy to teach you," the traveler said.

My eyes widened. "Y-you would? You aren't busy with something else?"

"I came to Luin to relax for a while, take time off from my travels." He said, "But I must keep practicing with my sword in order to retain my skills. I wouldn't mind if I had someone to train with."

"Thank you." I accepted his offer immediately. This was perfect! "I really appreciate it, mister."

The man chuckled. "Please, call me Lucian. And you are?"

"Brittany." I grinned, taking the time to really examine him now. Lucian had short dark hair, a deep brown that looked almost black, and looked to be in his late thirties. His eyes were a pale blue, and they softened his harsh features. He had a scar on his right cheek that reminded me distinctly of Zack Fair. I had a feeling I would take a liking to this guy.

Training with Lucian was vastly different from training with Kratos. It was strange to think that although this man looked ten years older than Kratos, Kratos was the more experienced one. Either way, I still learned a lot from the traveling swordsman.

Lucian preferred to train at night, under the watchful gaze of the stars above. We often practiced just outside of town, where we knew we wouldn't wake anyone. He showed me the correct way to hold my zweihander, as well as the correct way to fight with it. Over the course of the next four nights, I learned how to defend and attack with my new sword. We often practiced on the monsters and beasts in the countryside as well.

One day we sat together in the grassy plains, resting after a training session. We'd always talk for a little while as we rested, before returning to town.

Lucian looked hesitant. "...Forgive me for asking, Brittany, but...what was it like at the Desian ranch?"

I glanced at him, surprised, then looked away. "It was...indescribable. I can't even find the words for it...the Desians are unbelievably cruel." I ran a hand through my short hair, sighing.

"Why do you always do that?" He asked curiously, gazing at me.

"It used to be long..." I replied, "But I cut it at the ranch because they kept pulling it."

"I...I see..." Lucian shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've known a lot of people were taken away to the ranches and never came back. I wish I could rescue them somehow."

"Don't try infiltrating, Lucian. Trust me, it's suicide." I said firmly; it seemed odd to be admonishing someone who was old enough to be my father, but I needed to tell him. "Even if you can get by the normal Desians, the Grand Cardinals are way too strong...I don't want you to end up like I did."

He sighed. "Yes, I know. I only wish there was a way."

I found myself wanting to tell him about Colette and her group, but stopped myself. It was true that they would destroy the ranches, but I didn't want Lucian to get involved. He didn't have an Exsphere...I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he got killed because of me.

Chapter Text

Sheena returned, a full week after she left. I greeted her when she came back, and we often stopped to talk in between the jobs I did. Sheena gave me a sense of security; as long as she was here, I had a connection to the game's main plot. It couldn't continue unless Lloyd and the others came here and ran into her.

"Here, let me help you with that." She walked up, grabbing the other end of the crate I was carrying. "...Ugh! This thing is heavy!"

We managed to get it from the boat on to the dock, and the owner of the vessel thanked us.

"You carry things like that all day? Don't you ever want to relax?" Sheena asked me, as we walked back to the center of town.

"Relax?" I merely repeated, frowning.

"Yeah. You know, sit back and just let go for a while."

"That sounds really great."

"Then why don't you?"

I shrugged. "Because I think too much."

Sheena looked confused for a moment, and then it sunk in. "...Oh."

There was an awkward silence, and I grew so uncomfortable that I almost started fidgeting. Instead, I decided to speak. "Huh. I should probably do some clothes shopping. It's hard to work like this, and Lucian keeps making fun of my dresses..."

"Clothes shopping?" Sheena smiled. "I can help."

"All right! I was hoping you would." I grinned. "I need to get something cool, like the stuff you wear."

She glanced at me, looking suddenly embarrassed. "You think what I wear is...cool?"

I laughed quietly, having predicted her reaction. "Yeah!" Although her boobs hung out a little too much, I added silently. Oh well, Sheena wouldn't be Sheena without them.

We strolled through the markets around town, browsing the various types of clothing. I had no idea what to look for; I was so used to my usual wear, jeans and a t-shirt. Not only was I unlikely to find either here, they were impractical in these circumstances. As I searched through the clothes, I thought about what everyone else wore. Sheena's attire was no doubt meant for stealthy movements. Raine's and Genis's...well, they were magic users, so that probably wouldn't help me. I was fairly sure Lloyd wore lightweight armor beneath his red coat, and Kratos did as well. Kratos's clothes were also very tough looking as they were. So, what would be best for me...?

I would need armor, like Lloyd and Kratos, since my fighting type was short range. I was sure of that much. It should probably be lightweight; my sword already slowed me down enough. Hmm, what about chain mail? Was that lightweight? I'd never even touched it, so I couldn't be sure. I walked up to one of the vendors, recognizing the mail. He allowed me to lift it, inspecting it.

No sir, it was not lightweight. Despite how it looked, it actually felt rather heavy...lighter than I thought, but it would still probably impede my movements. Still, I would no doubt get hit one way or another in a fight, so it would probably be better to at least try using armor. I looked at my other options; there was what I assumed to be splint mail, but it looked even heavier.

"Go with the leather guard." Lucian's voice came from behind me, causing me to jump. He'd pointed out another option, something that seemed much easier and affordable.

He chuckled at my reaction. "And speaking of guards, don't drop yours."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I purchased the armor, and hoped the rest wouldn't be too expensive.

"What are you doing buying armor?" He asked me, and I shrugged.

"I'm not staying here in Luin forever. I've got to go home at some point, and I don't want the Desians to catch me again." It was the truth, although I'd left some things out. Lucian seemed to accept my answer, but he frowned thoughtfully.

Sheena came running up. She said hello to Lucian, whom she'd apparently met before, and then turned to me. "There's some things over here that I think you might like." I followed her down to a new set of stalls.

Now we were looking at normal clothing, rather than armor. I felt a smile tugging at my lips. These did have a very Symphonia-like flair. After a few minutes of pondering, I ended up choosing a dark blue sleeveless coat with sky blue trim.

The colors were pretty, but I was going to end up looking like Zelos at this rate...I had to hold back a giggle. The sleeveless coat was the only thing I could think of that would suit me. Well, I might as well go all the way while I was at it; I bought a pair of long, tough fingerless leather gloves that matched the coat. With it came some dark pants and traveling boots.

"Finally," I sighed happily as I picked up all the items, "clothes of my own. Thanks for the help, Sheena."

"No problem." She replied, eyeing my selections curiously. Did she notice the similarities to Zelos? The colors were different, but the style...well, at least I didn't have poofy pants. I stifled a laugh as we parted ways. Maybe I could start wearing a white headband just to screw with her.

Ten minutes later, I stood in my room at the inn, inspecting my clothes. I was wearing everything now, even the leather guard beneath the coat. My eyes were wide as I inspected myself in the mirror.

I looked like full-fledged Symphonia character now. It scared me a little; I wanted my old clothes back, just so I could be reminded that I was really a teenager from Earth. But my old clothes were gone...even if I could find them now, they were ruined from all the blood I'd gotten on them my first day at the ranch. I almost looked like a completely different person now. My face was the only thing that remained the same; my long hair had been cropped short, and I'd lost a lot of weight. I would be happy about the weight loss, if it didn't remind me of the ranch. I had lost too much. The first day I had eaten upon my arrival here, I had thrown most of it up. My body was still recovering from food deprivation and malnutrition.

The clothes did seem to suit me, though. I liked them. Would this become my trademark outfit for the rest of the journey...? Well, at least it wasn't purple. I laughed to myself. Kratos, the Purple Terror...

"You think your outfit is funny?" Lucian caused me to jump again; he had walked in, and was now looking me up and down.

I frowned. "L-Lucian!"

He smiled. "You left your door open, and I couldn't resist. Twice in one day, Brittany..."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try to be more alert." I sighed.

"Are you wearing the armor you bought? ...Good. We'd might as well test it out."

"It's time for training already?" I looked out the window. Yes, it was pretty dark. The day had flown by.

Lucian nodded. "Shall we go?"

I grabbed my sword, following him out the door.

"Concentrate, Brittany." Lucian frowned, knocking me over for the third time. I lay on the ground, wincing and catching my breath.

"I'm...trying." I replied, and he knelt down next to me with concern in his eyes.

"Are your ribs paining you?" He asked softly as I sat up. He'd learned about my old injury during one of our first training sessions; at random times, I would feel a jolting pain coming from my broken ribs. I knew they'd healed incorrectly, and the pain was probably a bad sign, but there weren't any healers in Luin that could help.

I nodded weakly. "Can we...can we just sit for a minute? I'll be fine."

He helped me sit up, understanding. "All right."

And so we rested, waiting for the pain I felt to subside. The night was cool as always, and a gentle breeze caused the grass around us to sway. I found myself wishing Apple Gels could heal broken bones; I'd tried out a few upon my arrival to Luin. The red gels were helpful for curing flesh wounds when spread on the skin, but their healing abilities only went so far. Even a Lemon Gel wouldn't really help; I'd probably need healing magic or an Elixir to fix this, and I had neither. For the moment, I had to live with the pain.

"...So," Lucian said, trying to make conversation and distract me, "have you named your sword yet?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Named? Why would I...?" I was familiar with the practice of naming swords, but hadn't heard of anyone doing it in this game. The swords were just referred to by their build and type...well, maybe except for the Material blades. Kratos's sword had been called Flamberge, and the ice one...hadn't that had a name too?

He smiled easily. "You said you stole that blade from a Desian, did you not? If you travel alone, it will be your only companion for a long while. Don't you think it deserves a name?"

"You talk as if it's a living person or something."

"Maybe I'm just old fashioned." He laughed. "Traditionally, if the sword is to be named, it is the smith who names it. But in this case, its smith was probably involved with the Desians. If you rename this sword, you will be disassociating it from them."

I frowned, troubled, as I gazed at my sword. In truth, it did still remind me of my captors. It may have helped me turn against Kvar, but...perhaps Lucian was right. If I named the sword, it would probably ease my mind.

"...Well, what do you think I should name it?" I asked, unsure.

"Only you can know that." He replied, and I stopped to think.

I frowned thoughtfully; I wanted a name that truly matched this sword. Huh...or maybe I could just steal the name from another fictional character. Tetsusaiga? I almost giggled at that thought.

...No. I wanted a name that fit the situation but reminded me of Earth...

"Loki." I said, finally sure. I'd always been interested in that particular Norse god.

"Loki?" Lucian looked at me questioningly.

"In myths back home, Loki was the god of thievery and deceit." I grinned. "I did steal this, after all. Plus Loki could also shapeshift...just like the purpose and owner of this sword had changed."

He laughed heartily. "Not bad at all. Loki it is, then."

I looked down at the blade, and quickly noticed the change in attitude that came with this naming. Loki...I liked it. I liked this sword now that it reminded me of mythology from Earth and not the Desian ranch.

The two of us sat together in silence for a moment, and I finally spoke. "Lucian?"

"Hmm?"

"...Thanks."

The night was lit up with sparks from our clashing swords; I'd felt better and we'd taken up our training once more. The weight of the leather guard did slow me down a bit, but it was inconsequential. It absorbed some of the blow when I was shoved to the ground, and I was glad I'd bought it.

We stopped for a moment, catching our breath.

"Your footing and sense of balance is good." Lucian remarked, and I couldn't help but smile victoriously. It'd better be good, or Kratos would kick my sorry ass. "But," He continued, "you continually hesitate."

My smile quickly fell. "I do?"

He nodded. "A good swordsman goes with the flow of battle, calling techniques and skills to mind instinctively."

"How do I do that?"

"Practice hard. In a true fight, a single hesitation could be fatal."

I nodded, understanding. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

We readied our swords once more, and then Lucian himself hesitated. He looked over my shoulder, his sword lowering, eyes wide. I turned to follow his gaze.

A short distance away, Luin was up in flames. It glowed in the night, clashing with the cool darkness and comforting breeze. My eyes widened and my body tensed; the Desian attack had already begun.

"Oh, no..." I said, clutching Loki even tighter.

"The Desians." Lucian's eyes narrowed, and he turned to me. "I'm going to try and stop them. What will you do?"

"I'll come, too." Anger was already causing me to shake. "I won't let them hurt the people that helped me!"

Luin was in worse shape than it had looked from our training grounds. My anger had subsided a little, replaced with horror. The heat of the flames felt as if it was burning my skin, and there were dead villagers everywhere. We were...too late to save everyone.

I looked up at the inn I had stayed at, shocked to see it slowly collapsing because of the flames. I could hear the screams of the people trapped inside.

Lucian acted without a second thought. "Find Sheena," he told me, "perhaps she can help."

"Be careful!" I called, as he ran into the burning building.

Now that I was alone, fear was stacked in with my jumbled emotions. I shook my head, turning to go. I would die if fear caused me to freeze up in a place like this.

"You! Inferior being!" The voice of what was no doubt a Desian caused me to whip around. My lip curled in a scowl; I hadn't missed that demeaning language one bit.

There were three Desians waiting for me. Two carried whips, and the third was a mage. The one that had addressed me was one of the two whip holders. He spoke again, his voice loud so it would carry over the screams of townsfolk and the roaring flames. "You are wanted criminal #0097, charged with escape from the human ranch, assaulting our guards, and injuring Lord Kvar! Come with us or the people of this city will come in your place!"

"You bastards," I growled, "you think I actually believe you?! You'd kill everyone anyway!"

"Stupid human!" The second whip holder frowned, "You have no choice!"

Both Desians with whips ran forth, ready to attack, while the mage stood back and began to cast. I lifted Loki, heart racing. Shit, I had to take out that mage before he sent a spell my way. The two Desians raised their whips, and I was forced to dodge out of the way. They were between me and the mage; I couldn't run around, either, because there were burning houses at my back. I swore, running forward to attack.

It was difficult to take two on at once; while I slashed at the one in front of me, the second whipped me across the back. I cried out, having never gotten used to that pain. The Desian in front of me shoved me back, and I raised my sword again. The two closed in on me; I ran forward and raised a leg to knee one in the stomach, then turned to slash at the second. I had a clear shot; I could easily take this one out. I could kill him.

As soon as the word 'kill' entered my thoughts, I hesitated. It was a big mistake. The one I'd turned my back to recovered from the blow, pulling me back with his whip held over my throat. The one in front of me smirked, using his whip to catch my sword and loosen my grip. I gasped; was it over already?

Suddenly the one behind me fell, and the smirk dropped off the face of the one before me. I got my sword back when Sheena ran forth, pressing two cards into the chest of the Desian.

"Pyre seal!" She shouted, and sent him flying backwards into the flames...to his death.

I stood watching her, shocked even as she looked back at me. Her eyes widened.

"Brittany, what the hell are you doing?! Move!" She ran towards me, grabbing me and just barely managing to pull me out of the way of a large fireball. So the mage had cast his spell...

The mage was dead within the next few seconds, as the female ninja sent an attack his way. I blinked, frozen up, unable to process what had just happened. They were...dead...really dead...

"Brittany!" Sheena shook me, causing my clouded mind to clear.

"Sheena? T-thanks."

"You've gotta keep your guard up." She frowned, looking around us quickly.

I nodded, though I knew that wasn't what the problem was. I had hesitated, and nearly paid for it with my life. But...could I really find the strength to actually kill someone?

More Desians came, spotting us, and I lifted Loki once more. I had to; these were the enemies. It was either kill or be killed. I had a duty to protect these people, as well.

"Shit. Let's go!" I growled, and we both ran head on into battle. Even as we fought, more and more enemies showed up. I ran at the first Desian I saw, dodging his whip, and tried to rely on instinct as Lucian had taught me. Without hesitating this time, I ran him through with my sword. Warm blood coursed down Loki's blade and onto my hands; I nearly dropped it, eyes widening in shock. I had really taken someone's life...

Sheena's shout brought me back to reality once again, and I saw two more coming at me. I turned, panicking, and dodged an attack. I kicked one as I slashed the other. The one I'd cut was killed, and the one I'd kicked fell to the ground; I turned to him, without hesitating, and thrust Loki into his throat. He gurgled as blood spilled out his mouth and down the sides of his face. His helmet tipped off, and I could see his eyes looking straight at me. They were wide with fear; my hands shook, and I forced myself to look away from the dying man. He was an enemy, and he would've done the same to me. I just had to keep repeating that.

The rest of that night was a blur. Sheena and I fought together, killing Desian after Desian, trying to clear out the townsfolk. Lucian showed up at random intervals, but I could never keep track of where he was. There were so many attackers that the simple techs I knew became irrelevant. By some miracle, I managed to learn Beast over that time period; I wasn't joyous in my breakthrough, though, because it was merely a new method of killing.

Despite all this, though, we were still overwhelmed. We barely managed to survive during the fight, sustaining many injuries of our own. I lost track of time; it seemed like we'd been fighting for an eternity. I could no longer tell how much of the blood on me was my own, though I was sure I was bleeding profusely.

The sky began to brighten. Had we been fighting all night? Sheena and I had been split up; luckily, as the light came, the Desians subsided. I fought the last few off, and realized that there truly were none left. Dripping with blood, I quietly wiped my sword clean on the shirt of one of the Desian corpses.

Luin was...devastated. My eyes filled with tears at the very sight. The flames had died down, the houses still smoking. Bodies were everywhere. The coppery smell of blood filled the air, mixing with the acrid stench of smoke. No building was left standing. The Desians...no matter how hard I'd tried, they had won.

I stepped over corpses and rubble as I walked through the streets; Lucian was nowhere to be found, but I had an idea of where Sheena might be. Stumbling towards the bridge to the town's fountain, I held a hand to one of my wounds in an attempt to quell the blood flow. Once again, I was in very bad shape.

"...me off, now's your chance." Sheena's voice reached my ears. She was talking to someone. "I don't have any strength left to fight."

"You're hurt badly. Professor, please...heal her." I heard Colette's voice now, and my weary mind was finally put at ease. If Colette was here, then all was well.

"...I will, but first, I want you to tell me what happened here." Raine said. "It seems she has companions, and this may just be a trap to catch us off guard."

"Professor!" Colette protested.

I saw Sheena smirk, about to say something, when suddenly she noticed me walking up. Ever the graceful one, I stumbled and fell to my knees, catching the attention of everyone else in the group. I noticed Kratos's hand rest on the hilt of his sword, and fought a smirk of my own. They didn't even recognize me.

"It looks like whatever companions she has are wounded as well." Kratos remarked, and I felt his eyes on me.

I started to laugh, and ended up in a coughing fit. Looking up the mercenary, I said, "Bet I surprised you, though. I'm so stealthy, you didn't even notice me coming."

His eyebrows flew up, recognizing my voice, and the others had similar reactions.

Lloyd stepped forth, shocked. "W-wait, Brittany?! But how did you-I thought you were-huh?!" Ah, he was so good with words. I had to fight laughter, not wanting to cough again and rupture a lung.

"First thing's first." Professor Sage interjected, remaining cool. "What happened here?"

"Take a look at this city. Everything's in ruins. The Desians...invaded." Sheena said, her voice weak.

"What?!" Lloyd gasped.

"Do you know about the human ranch northeast of here? The people of this city had been hiding some prisoners who escaped from the ranch, including me." I said, coughing again.

"The Desians found out about it, and not only was the entire population forced to go to the ranch, but the city was destroyed." Sheena finished.

"That's...horrible..." Lloyd looked down, eyes narrowed.

"Ahh! Help me, please!" A new voice cried out, and a man I recognized to be the pastor of the city's church ran by me. I turned to see an Exbelua coming straight at me.

"Th...that's...!" Lloyd's eyes were wide.

"It's Clara!" Raine said, "She managed to get all the way here!"

I stood and raised Loki weakly, but a sudden pain from my ribs caused me to fall to the ground again. Sheena ran to my defense, alarmed.

"Stay back, you monster!"

Clara pulled back an arm and hit Sheena with it, knocking her backwards into me. I lay on the ground beside her, the wind knocked out of me. Clara came even closer; she readied an arm to attack again. Colette took out her angel wings, flying over to the Exbelua.

"Clara, please calm down!" she urged.

The mutated woman attacked Colette as well, knocking her to the ground. She then escaped down another bridge, stumbling out of sight.

"Dammit!" Lloyd swore, running up to the three of us, who lay injured in a heap.

"Colette, are you okay?" Genis asked, running up as well.

Colette stood up, a little shaky. "Y...yes."

"What about these two? Professor..." Lloyd frowned, worried.

"They've lost a lot of blood." Kratos said, inspecting our wounds.

Raine hesitated, frowning. "You realize what you're asking me to do? You want me to heal someone who tried to kill Colette on several occasions. And we don't know for sure if Brittany had been working for her."

I looked up at her, hurt. "I didn't even know Sheena was that assassin..." It was a lie, but I wasn't supposed to know, anyway.

"Professor, please! How can you say that? Brittany is our friend!" Lloyd said, gesturing to me.

Raine sighed. "...Fine. But I swear, you're all way too softhearted for your own good." She stepped forward, casting what I assumed to be Nurse on both of us. My wounds quickly healed, the pain subsiding. My eyes widened; healing magic was so incredible! Sheena and I were both instantly able to find the strength to stand up.

"Why...why did you save me?" Sheena asked, surprised.

"Probably for the same reason you saved Brittany and helped the people of this city." Lloyd answered.

"...Thanks." She paused, looking uncomfortable, and I realized what she was about to say. Good; she was going to join the group now, rather than later at the ranch. "I know it's a selfish, unreasonable thing to say at this point, but I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"I owe the people of this city for food and lodging. Please, help me save these people. If you agree, I'll declare a truce with you and help you in any way I can."

"All right." Lloyd nodded.

Raine looked dismayed. "Lloyd, are you serious?"

"I agree with Lloyd." Colette said.

"Colette, not you too!"

Lloyd turned to Kratos. "What about you?"

"I see no problem with it." He replied.

I raised a hand. "If my opinion really matters, I think Sheena's a good person at heart. Even though she turned out to be that assassin...I still trust her." It was easy to say things like that, when I already knew what the future had in store.

Genis frowned, looking around at all of us. "Ah...um...I'm sorry, Raine!"

"Fine!" Raine said, looking exasperated. "Do as you wish. I suppose if we look at it another way, it does mean we can keep a close eye on her."

Sheena smirked at this statement. "Heh. You'd better watch out so you don't lose your head while you sleep."

Chapter Text

Because Sheena and I were still in an unstable condition, everyone agreed that we should rest on the outskirts of Luin for a little while. Healing magic was nice, but not quite the same as in the game; although it did speed up the process of healing wounds, the wounds could reopen at any time if the person's body was put under too much stress. Infiltrating the ranch right away wasn't a smart idea.

We sat in the shade of the woods, concealed within the trees. I knelt near the river that ran through Luin in just pants and a shirt, attempting to get my clothes clean...and trying not to throw up. Sheena was next to me, and we spoke as the others were caught up in their own conversation.

"I didn't see Lucian anywhere after the battle...I hope he's all right." I remarked quietly, worried. He'd been a good friend to me through the short time I'd known him.

"That guy? I bet he's fine." Sheena reassured me. "A traveling swordsman like him should know more than enough ways to defend himself. He was okay for most of the battle, wasn't he?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he was. Thanks, Sheena."

She frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "Hey, I've been wanting to ask you. Since when do you know these guys?" She was referring to Colette and her group.

"I met them near Palmacosta...it's sort of a long story, but we got separated on the way to the Balacruf Mausoleum. That was when I was taken to the ranch."

"Oh..." She looked as if she were about to say more, but Raine approached us.

"Brittany..." she said, looking down at me, "We'd like to hear exactly what happened to you."

I paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay." I left my coat and other clothes pinned to the riverbed with rocks, deciding to let them soak. Then I got up and sat back down with everyone else, Sheena following.

Lloyd looked incredibly impatient and fidgety. I would have giggled, if I was really in the mood to. Washing the blood out of my clothes had also washed away the excitement and hope I'd felt when meeting back up with the group.

Colette smiled, instantly speaking up. "We haven't seen each other for a long time, but ever since you disappeared, I've wanted to say thank you...for saving me."

"You saved all of us. We really owe you." Lloyd said earnestly. I tried to smile, but I knew it probably looked forced. I was glad I saved them, but...nothing could change the concequences I'd faced. I couldn't erase these memories.

Lloyd spoke up again, when I was quiet. "So what happened after you ran off?"

"I would assume the Desians caught you, or you would've had no reason to be escaping from the ranch." Kratos interjected, and Lloyd frowned, obviously remembering Sheena's earlier words.

"Yeah, that's right. I managed to make it as far as the woods, but it was only a matter of time before they found me." I said bitterly. "They took me to see their Grand Cardinal, Kvar. I guess they were pretty mad that I made them lose you, Lloyd."

"Kvar?" Kratos's eyes narrowed at the name. "I'm surprised you weren't killed on the spot."

I met his eyes, knowing that I was probably the only one able to see the hate burning within them right now. "I thought that was what the Desians had planned, but Kvar stopped them. He said I was part of something called the Angelus Project, and I needed to be kept alive."

I thought I saw a surprised look on Kratos's face, but it was gone in an instant.

"The Angelus Project? Forcystus from the Iselia ranch said something about that, too..." Lloyd frowned thoughtfully.

"I see they put an Exsphere on you as well." Raine remarked, and I nodded, pulling the collar of my shirt down so they could see it better. Lloyd's eyes widened, and he came over to me.

"But...this doesn't make sense. It has a Key Crest! I thought the Desians didn't give them to their prisoners..." He said, examining the stone embedded just below my collarbone. My body tensed a little as I realized something; they weren't supposed to know about the Cruxis Crystal experiments until they got to Tethe'alla. They couldn't find out about it now, because they still thought Cruxis was good. But if I waited...would it be too late?

"...Wait." Lloyd frowned. "There's something weird about this Key Crest...I don't like it."

"If there's something wrong with it, I wouldn't be surprised." Raine said. "The Desians might have been testing new types of Key Crests."

She didn't even realize how close she was, I thought with surprise.

Lloyd nodded. "Maybe we should give you a new one. Hey, Professor...what about the one you picked up after we were attacked?"

"This?" The professor frowned, holding it up. "I thought you said it was unuseable."

"In normal situations, yeah. Too much of the ore has been worn away. But since she already has a Key Crest, I could carve the charm into the ore and fit it directly over the crest she already has." He replied. His words filled me with hope.

"Perhaps you should try it, then." Raine said, handing him the worn Key Crest.

"All right. I should be able to finish it in a few hours, if everyone is willing to wait."

"I'm all for it." Sheena spoke up. "I'm still a little beat, anyway."

Lloyd took out a small knife, seemingly designed for intricate work. "By the way," He said, "What happened to your hair?"

"Hm?" I ran a hand through my locks, which had grown about half an inch since the day I cut it. My bangs were growing in, and due to the curly nature of my hair, it was always messy in the back. "Oh. The Desians kept using it as a handhold, so I cut it off with a pocket knife when they weren't looking."

"That's awful!" Genis exclaimed, shocked.

"And your ribs?" Raine asked, her eyes solemn.

I blinked, surprised. "How did you..."

"Whenever I heal someone, I can sense their injuries. You still aren't fully healed; two of your right ribs have broken and healed incorrectly."

"Wh-What happened? What did those Desian bastards do to you?!" Lloyd growled, his work suddenly forgotten.

I gently placed a hand on the skin above my broken ribs, looking down. "I-It was my own fault. I got angry and said the wrong thing to Kvar. The Desian guards beat me to the floor, and he..." I trailed off, remembering the unbearable pain.

"And they never even...they just left you like that?!"

"Lloyd, calm down." Raine said.

"I can't calm down!" He said, enraged. "If...if only we had..."

I shook my head. "It's fine, Lloyd. What happened can't be undone. It's over."

He looked down, clearly upset. "I...yeah."

"In any case, I'm going to have to ask a favor of you." Professor Sage said to me, and I looked up.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Come with us to the ranch. You've been there before; we could use your knowledge of its layout."

My eyes widened, fear gripping my heart. Go back there, after I'd only just escaped? No. No way in hell. "I...I'm sorry."

"If we rush in there without any knowledge of the ranch at all, our chances of survival are low." Kratos said, glaring at me. Did he think I was weak? He had no idea what I'd been through, and yet...! With him looking at me like that, I felt weak.

I looked away, feeling guilty. "But..." They'd made it in without my help in the game! And yet...as I'd noticed myself, the Asgard ranch was much different here. Different, and bigger. If they were killed, the two worlds were doomed...and my chances of ever getting back home were probably destroyed, as well.

"Please, Brittany? Think about the people of Luin!" Colette urged me, and I sighed.

"All right, I'll do it." I owed the people of that city, anyway. It was my fault they'd been hauled away...I had vowed to protect them, and failed.

Lloyd's work on the Key Crest took until nighttime, and by then we'd decided to camp there. Traveling at night was probably unwise, since the Desians' activity had stirred up the monsters in the area.

"All right, it's all finished." He said, walking up to me. He reached out and pressed the new Key Crest over the old one, where it seemed to lock in place.

I gasped. Suddenly it seemed like all my emotions had intensified, and my senses sharpened.

Lloyd's eyes widened in concern. "Brittany! What is it?!"

"...Oh...it's nothing. That just felt really weird for a second."

He continued to watch me, not quite believing what I said. I leaned against the tree behind me, trying to sort out my thoughts. The answer came to me a second later; my senses and emotions hadn't been sharpened, the Exsphere had been dulling them. So the process had already begun, and I'd never even noticed...

Oh, God. It had been painful killing people in Luin, but it wasn't nearly as painful as the regret I felt now. What kind of monster was I?!

I turned, headed to the river.

"Where are you going?" Raine asked.

"I've still got blood in my hair..." I replied quietly, "And I need to see if my clothes are dry."

She nodded, seeming to accept my answer, and I continued down to the water. My clothes were indeed dry; I was unsure if the bloodstains were really out, but their dark colors probably hid the worst of it. I proceeded to dunk my head under the cool water, and scrub viciously. I could feel the blood, dirt and grime come out between my fingers. When I pulled out of the water, I felt sick.

How many people had I killed back there? I had lost count after the first two. Even though they were Desians, even though they had treated me like trash, their lives still had meaning. How could I have slaughtered them like that? Each one of them probably had a name and families, too. They had friends and enemies, likes and dislikes...they were just like me, no matter what race they were. Who was I to play God? I had no right to decide if those people lived or died...I was a murderer.

I remembered the face of one of the Desians I'd killed...his was the only face I'd seen. His eyes...had been wide with fear. He had been just as afraid as me. But I had...I had...

I'd thrust my sword into his throat. All of the images of the gore and carnage I'd helped cause came to me at once, and I nearly vomited. There was still dried blood on my hands from the men I'd killed. I still smelled distinctly of blood and death...

I began to scrub my hands in the river, washing the blood away. I lost track of time as I sat there, rubbing my hands in the cold water until my skin was raw. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

I heard footsteps approaching, but ignored them. I was too absorbed in my work.

"What are you doing?" Kratos's voice interrupted me, and I looked up. He was frowning. "It's time to eat. You have been gone for an hour."

"I'm not hungry." I said, scrubbing my hands even harder. They were beginning to hurt.

"Your hands are clean."

I shook my head. "No. They still smell like blood." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the tears that threatened to come. I couldn't cry, not in front of Kratos. "And...and no matter how much I scrub, the smell won't go away..."

He came closer, sitting down on a fallen tree trunk nearby. "And it never will. You cannot simply wash away the bloodstains of those you kill. You bear the burden of every life you take."

I felt myself begin to shake. His words...weren't helping at all. "I never asked for this. I didn't want to kill them!"

"But you did so because it was necessary." his tone was firm.

My struggles weren't working anymore; tears spilled down my cheeks. "I'm just a teenager...just a kid." I didn't want him to see me looking this pathetic.

"That may be so," Kratos said, "but you took adult responsibility on your shoulders the minute you saved the Chosen's life. You were well aware of the consequences for your actions. You also chose to fight in Luin."

I reached up, wiping my tears away with a dripping hand. If Kratos had noticed I was crying, he said nothing. "I...Yeah, I did. But the things I did were wrong. Killing people indiscriminately, just because they don't agree with me...I lost track of how many I'd killed. Is that really the way to live? Aren't I just sinking to the Desians' level?" I dared to look up at Kratos, wishing I could get out of this somehow.

"No. People are killed in battles. It is unavoidable. It is impossible to try and remember the face of every enemy you've killed; you mustn't think about each individual death, because doing so will impair your ability to protect those that are close to you. If you hesitate before killing a Desian, he may take that chance to slaughter an innocent."

His gaze was piercing, and I found it difficult to maintain eye contact. I looked down at my raw hands, now sitting in my lap, instead. "I guess so."

"We're heading to the ranch tomorrow. If you wish to save the people you fought for, then you mustn't doubt yourself. Think of Kvar's cruelty; you know the correct path, the one you owe them to take."

I pondered his words, frowning. I did know. I didn't want to kill, but...but he was right. If I didn't act, the people of Luin would die. And it would be entirely my fault.

Kratos walked over to me, bending down at my side. He took my raw, bleeding hands in his. "First Aid." A green light flashed; when it faded, my hands were back to normal. He then stood back up, turning to go.

"I'll give you ten minutes. If you are not back to the campsite by then, I will come to escort you myself." He said sternly.

I gulped, knowing the word 'escort' was probably putting it mildly. "O-okay." I paused as he began to walk off, then gathered the courage to speak. "Kratos?"

He stopped, turning his head to look back at me.

"Thank you." I said, wiping another tear away.

"...Don't be late." He said in reply, and continued walking until he was out of sight.

I smiled; would it kill him to say "you're welcome"? Apparently, he feared it would. I stood up, knowing Kratos would hold true to his threat if I just sulked here any longer.

Even though he'd told me a lot of truths I didn't want to face, somehow I still felt better. Kratos wasn't so bad, after all. To think, he gave Lloyd these kinds of pep talks all the time! I was sort of jealous...it must be nice to have a guy like that constantly looking out for your safety. Even though Lloyd didn't know it yet, he had a damn good father watching over him.

I sighed, gathering up my now-dry clothes. It was sad to think that soon enough, the mercenary would show us his true colors. At the Tower of Salvation, he'd betray us and go back to Cruxis...I had a feeling that even though I knew, I'd still be stung by the betrayal. Kratos could be a jerk sometimes, but I'd miss him when he left. Who else would I have mostly one sided conversations with? Who else would I giggle at when he gave Lloyd all those awkward stares?

The sudden humorous tone of my thoughts was cut off, as a new idea entered my head. If I screwed this up...there was a chance that Kratos would never return to our side. He might be killed at the Torent seal, or he'd just continue to cling to Mithos's ideals...no. I couldn't focus on the 'what if's it I wanted to make it out of this journey alive.

Just as Pietro and I took three days to make it to Luin, it was going to take our group three days to get to the Asgard ranch. Although Kratos's talk with me had given me some strength, I just wanted to get in there and get it over with. It was going to be hard keeping up the tough attitude for three days straight.

I arrived back to the campsite, sitting down to eat. Genis had prepared another one of his amazing meals, and now I was looking forward to it. Nothing could beat that kid's cooking. I looked at Colette, seeing her absentmindedly pick at her food.

It must have been hard for her...she couldn't eat any of it, and yet she had to keep up the act. Lloyd was looking at her in much the same way, and I realized that by now he'd confronted her about it. I quickly returned my attention to my food, before Lloyd saw me staring. I wondered vaguely what it must've been like to lose the ability to sleep, and that brought my memories back to the times I'd tried pulling all-nighters. Staying up all night and then some was a lot of fun with your friends, but not so much alone. Every time I attempted it, I grew bored out of my mind, and exhausted as well. Even when I wasn't tired physically, I would suffer from mental exhaustion. I'd never thought much about it, but sleep was probably one of my favorite parts of life. My favorite part of the day was when I laid down in bed, relaxing and letting my mind run over the day's events. And then there was that pleasant sensation of sinking deeper and deeper into your subconscious...I shook my head. Not sleeping...it just didn't feel right. Sleep was the borderline between one day and the next, and the times I'd skipped it, I always felt disoriented. I had no motivation to start a new day when it still felt like the old one hadn't ended. Poor Colette...I couldn't imagine how much she was suffering. Life was just one continuous day for her. Nothing ended, there were no breaks to relieve the stress from her journey.

Anger flared up within me, and I fought to keep my thoughts from showing on my face. I hated this stupid system. Colette wasn't allowed to say no to being the Chosen; she was forced into her fate. What had it been like, being told the day you were born that your life was a suicide mission? It was her life, why couldn't she choose what she did with it? And the worst part was, she was so selfless that she let herself believe that this was the best way...she was so much better of a person than those she was saving. Why did people like her have to be sacrificed, and bastards like Kvar left to do as they please? It was wrong. It was just fucking wrong.

I looked at Kratos, frowning. He had to see that this system was horrible. I knew he was a good person at heart; didn't he disagree with this? Why was he pushing Colette to her death? The others didn't see it, but Kratos used the world regeneration ritual as the solution to every problem. "The only way to fix this is to have the Chosen regenerate the world. Then surely everyone can be saved." He said that, but he was just lying through his teeth...he was deluding himself so he could continue to cling to Mithos's twisted ideals. As our journey in Tethe'alla progressed, I knew Kratos would begin to doubt himself, but it was just difficult to tolerate this while I waited.

The mercenary glanced at me, and I quickly looked away. Shit, he'd known I was staring...I really needed to cut back on the suspicious behavior.

Huh...while my thoughts were on Kratos, I pondered his reaction from earlier. He'd been surprised to hear that Kvar said I was part of his Angelus project. That only confirmed my beliefs that Kvar was a complete idiot. Kratos was one of Mithos's right hand men, so he would've known if Kvar was supposed to continue that project, right...? After all, Kratos had personal interests in the Angelus project since his wife had been a part of it. Or maybe he averted his gaze for the same reason...agh, this was all too confusing. Point is, Kvar had supposedly made me part of that project because of a recommendation by Mithos, and one of the Four Seraphim hadn't known about it. I couldn't possibly be the right person...Kratos would've recognized me or something...

I wasn't getting anywhere with that train of thought. I downed another spoonful of Genis's soup, savoring the taste. Why had I joined up with the group in the first place? Wouldn't it be better if I wasn't there so my presence wouldn't screw things up? ...But I couldn't imagine being left behind. I wanted to know what happened. And what if I was needed? The real Sylvarant was a lot different from the game Sylvarant, and the same probably went for Tethe'alla. I couldn't imagine I'd be of much help, but...I felt like I was a part of this too. I had seen the bad state of this world, and I wanted to help its people. My desire to just go home overrode everything else, but it looked like I wouldn't be able to do that for a while. While I was here, though, I might as well make myself useful...maybe once everything was over, I could get Lloyd to use the Eternal Sword to send me back.

The Eternal Sword! Yeah, that had to be the answer. If it had the power to split apart worlds, then it had to have the power to send me home. I paused, my frown deepening; that would mean I had to tell Lloyd the truth sooner or later. He'd just think I was insane...but maybe I could convince him to at least try to send me to the world of my "delusions."

"Hey, Brittany?"

I blinked, seeing Lloyd staring at me. Crap, I hadn't realized how lost in my thoughts I had been. I hadn't been giving him looks too, had I? I distinctly remembered hearing conversation while I had been thinking, and had assumed that everyone was involved. Except Kratos, anyway. Had Lloyd been lost in his thoughts too or something? Damn, I needed to pay more attention.

"Yeah, Lloyd? What is it?" I tried to look casual, as if he hadn't caught me off guard.

He frowned, considering me for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. It's nothing."

"Oh, okay..." What the hell was that about? I forced myself to look away from him, paranoid. Usually when people looked at you like that and said it was nothing, it was a flat out lie. But what had he been about to ask me?

Realizing my frown was now easily noticeable, I quickly pressed my lips into a neutral line. The best thing to do at this point was to stop daydreaming and get into the conversation...I started listening to what the others were saying once again, and did my best to shake off the looks Lloyd gave me. He wasn't supposed to be this perceptive, dammit!

After about another hour, the conversation began to die down. Kratos announced that everyone should probably go to bed; we would need our rest for the many hours of traveling tomorrow. I gladly complied, desperately wanting a way to release myself from the stresses of that day. Fiercely grateful that I wasn't the Chosen, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

So...tired...

I opened my eyes once more, trying my best not to yawn again. Why was I so tired? And why was I standing at a desk?

Mrs. Danbury's voice rang through the classroom. Oh, she had gone off into another one of her lectures. I glanced at the clock; it was only 8:30. Class didn't end for almost another hour...

Cassandra pushed a sheet of paper over to me, and she'd written a note betting on how long Danbury would be talking this time. She usually talked too long to accomplish anything, other than boring us out of our minds. I wrote down my bet, grinning. At least I had friends in this class.

Wait...I wasn't a Sophomore anymore. I had graduated from high school months ago, hadn't I?

'...and the part that looks like rice pilaf is called the gastric caeca...' I quickly blocked out my teacher's words, realizing that we were doing the grasshopper dissection. Ugh, I knew I'd already done this, and had no desire to relive it...

That glow in her eyes looked familiar. She was almost as bad as Professor Sage. I frowned; why was I thinking about a video game character at a time like this? And I'd always called her Raine, hadn't I? That was weird...

As it was, we weren't about to progress any further with the stupid dissection. I didn't really want to focus on the pinned open grasshopper-on-steroids in front of me, so I looked at one of the handouts we'd been given. There was an open space on the bottom of the paper, and I noticed I'd started a picture already.

Ah, it was Kratos. I'd half drawn in his hair, and had begun a sad attempt at his clothes. Finally succeeding in ignoring the teacher, I continued drawing. I was able to fix every error I'd made on his outfit; for some odd reason, his image was ingrained in my memory. His belts were supposed to be slightly uneven, and the shoulder part of his cape tapered down past his elbows...

'Brittany.'

My eyes widened; huh? Had my drawing just spoken to me? I glanced at Cass to see if she'd heard. She continued to stare disinterestedly at Mrs. Danbury, absentmindedly cutting up a scrap of paper with the dissection scissors. Okay, so she hadn't heard anything. Obviously I was starting to doze off. I sat up straighter, looking at the grasshopper again. Ugh, dead insects smelled horrible.

'Now, I want you to move everything over and search for the nerve cord...it should be a small white line.' the teacher said, and Cass and I boredly tried it. Naturally, the grasshopper's insides were so badly preserved that we couldn't make anything out aside from the mush. I made a face.

Someone shook my shoulder, and I looked over to find empty space. Weird...I turned my attention back to the insect.

'Get up.'

I frowned. What? Why did I keep hearing things?

"Get up." Kratos's voice rang in my ears, blocking out the voice of my teacher. I grimaced. Why were my eyes closed? I opened them, only to find the man I'd been drawing staring down at me. He looked rather irritated.

I blinked, disoriented. Then I realized that it'd only been a dream. That day in tenth grade had long since passed...I was in Sylvarant now, and I'd graduated from high school last June. But it had felt so real...I gave Kratos a blank stare, feeling numb and lost. "Um...what?" I said, managing to work my voice.

"It's time to train," he replied. When I didn't say anything back, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Simply because you were gone for a while is no excuse to shirk your duties. Kvar will kill you if you aren't properly prepared."

Kvar's name jolted me awake. That was right; I had to train or I'd lose to the Desians again. "Y...yeah." I began to stand up, when I was assaulted by a horrible smell. I wrinkled my nose. "Ugh, what smells like dead grasshopper?"

Lloyd laughed, walking up. "Oh, I dunno...maybe a dead grasshopper?" He gestured behind him, and there was indeed one of Sylvarant's car sized 'hoppers lying dead on the ground.

Ew. And I'd thought the ones I'd dissected were on steroids. Well, that explained my dream. Everyone else appeared to be up, and putting away their weapons. Wait, they had fought it and everything?

I opened my mouth, voicing my confusion. "How the hell did I sleep through this...?"

Lloyd shrugged. "I was about to ask you that. We were wondering if you were seriously unconscious. Kratos even hit you a few times!"

I turned to gape at the mercenary, suddenly feeling bruises where I was sure none had been before. He merely did one of his dissmissive grunts, turning his back to me.

"Are you coming?" his voice was cold.

"Yeah, yeah. Abusive jerk." I got up, following him and Lloyd to a clearing so we could train.

Somehow we were able to find a place that the grasshopper stink didn't reach, and I wondered how the others could stand waiting for us back there. The area we stopped in was a rather rocky part of the field, and I had to watch my feet so I wouldn't trip.

"Um, Kratos, this place is kind of...well, don't you think we should find someplace less rocky?" I asked him tentatively.

He looked over his shoulder at me. "Hmph. Tell me, do you think an enemy would comply with this request?"

I looked away, sighing. "No..."

"This is a good opportunity to work on your footing." he merely said, continuing to lead us deeper into rocky territory. The dejected expression on Lloyd's face told me that he hadn't expected this, either. I suspected we would both be doing a lot of tripping in the next few hours...and the ground didn't look very nice to fall on, either.

Finally we stopped walking, Kratos seeming satisfied with our surroundings. He turned to me; apparently I was the lucky first contestant. "Draw your blade."

I unsheathed Loki, its familiarity giving me confidence. This wasn't just some wooden sword Kratos forked over to me; this was my sword. It may have been a tool for killing, but it had also protected my life on numerous occasions.

Kratos inspected my stance, looking over the sword as well. "And why have you changed your fighting style? You may still be wielding only one sword, but now you are incapable of holding a shield."

"I stole this sword from a Desian at the ranch. It's the only weapon I have, so I figured I'd might as well get used to it...there was a swordsman in Luin who gave me some training before you guys came."

He nodded. "Very well. You wouldn't have survived the attack if you had merely been doing guesswork with the new blade. Show me what you have learned." Kratos drew his sword as well.

"...You've improved," the mercenary told me as he knocked me to the ground for the fourth time.

I struggled to my feet, panting. It sure didn't feel like it. Even as Lucian had trained me, I had felt myself slowly growing stronger. But with Kratos, it felt like my skills did me no good at all. I knew I was profusely different from the person I'd been back in Asgard, but it was difficult to believe that when Kratos could still easily beat me down like this. Stupid, four thousand year-old seraph...

Noting my crestfallen expression, Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Had you been hoping to defeat me after only a month?"

Embarrassed, I shook my head. "No, just...I don't know, it would've been nice to at least land one hit."

"Heh." The amused expression on his face was infuriating, and I saw Lloyd grow irritated as well. He hadn't been able to land a hit in spite of everything, either. Damn, how were we ever going to survive against Kratos at the Tower?

We continued as we usually did, Kratos alternating between Lloyd and I. Now that we were fighting with real swords, Kratos was even more frightening. Sure, the wooden ones bruised, but a real sword could do some serious damage...

When it was almost time for us to finish up, the mercenary pitted Lloyd and I against each other. This time, we were more evenly matched, but I still sensed that Lloyd was stronger. He'd better be- after all, it was Lloyd who would have to singlehandedly take Kratos down in the future.

By the end of the training session, both Lloyd and I were covered in cuts and bruises. Kratos, being Kratos, refused to cast First Aid again. We spent the next few hours begging Raine for Apple Gels...and ended up with even more bruises as a result.

Later that day as we stopped for a break, Raine got my attention.

"Your ribs must pain you often, am I correct?" she said. The careful tone of her voice set me on alert, but I nodded.

"It usually causes me to collapse...at the most inconvenient times." I replied, thinking of how easily I could've died if they'd affected me before the battle in Luin ended.

She sighed. "I can heal them, but..."

"But what?" I asked, frowning. Suddenly it came to me- oh, no. She couldn't possibly mean...but healing magic was supposed to...!

"They healed incorrectly, and we would need to rebreak them in order to fix the problem." Raine answered, confirming my fears.

I winced, remembering how painful the first break had been. "...that sucks."

"But if we don't..." she stared at me, her eyes pressuring. I knew what she was going to say; I would be a burden if I collapsed in the middle of battle, and I might end up getting myself or someone else killed. I could chicken out if I wanted, but that would be a really nasty thing to do when my friends needed me. Dammit.

I watched her uneasily. "I...I know. When should we do it, then? I'd rather...get it over with." Hopefully she could use First Aid or Nurse right away, and get rid of that horrible agony.

"We can do it right now, if you like." She said, standing up and lifting her staff. Lloyd and Colette were off in the distance, talking. Genis and Sheena were gathering wood to build a fire to cook with. They wouldn't have to see it happen.

"Y-yeah. Okay." I said, my voice growing shakier by the second.

"In that case, I can perform the breaking." Kratos spoke up now, walking over to us. Raine nodded to him.

I managed a weak chuckle. "So you're volunteering? Is this stemming from your abusive tendencies?"

"Hmph."

Raine stood beside me, her staff ready. "Very well, then. Kratos, get ready. I will tell you where to break."

Oh, God, I didn't want to do this. I could feel myself beginning to tremble, anxiety causing my heart to pound.

Kratos stepped closer to me, holding me with one arm. He placed his other hand in the exact same spot Kvar had placed his foot, several weeks ago. I shuddered.

Raine nodded, approving of where he'd placed his hand. She looked at me. "I'm going to perform a healing spell the second your bones are rebroken. There will be pain, but I will not allow it to linger."

I nodded weakly, barely comforted by this; the initial pain was what hurt the most.

Kratos gazed at me, his eyes surprisingly soft. "Take a deep breath." He said, his voice calm. "It will be over in a second."

I did as he said, and looked straight ahead.

"On a count of three." The professor said quietly. "Three..."

I took another deep breath, anticipation growing.

"Two..."

The pressure from Kratos's hand increased slightly as he readied himself.

"One."

Kratos pushed his arm forward with shocking force. I heard the snaps once again, followed by blinding pain.

I screamed, my knees giving out beneath me. Kratos caught me, holding me there, while Raine cast her spell. The pain was gone in an instant, but my body was still reacting. Trembling violently, all I could do was rest my head against Kratos's chest, gasping like a fish out of water. I clutched the place where my once-broken ribs had been, trying in vain to get ahold of myself.

I vaguely heard the sound of running feet, and concerned voices. Lloyd and Colette? Ah...Kratos and Raine were still calm. Was I really okay...? I felt my breathing slow, deepening. Kratos, who hadn't ever had a problem with beating the shit out of me, now held me gently. He set me on the ground, looking me in the eyes.

"She's in shock," I heard him say.

"Dammit, why the hell did you go and do that?!" Lloyd was pissed off, and taking his anger out on Kratos.

"Quiet, Lloyd." I whispered, "I'm okay. I think."

He looked down at me, worried. "Are you sure?"

I tried to nod, but couldn't; instead I settled for "Mhm."

Colette smiled, seemingly in awe. "She's really strong."

I managed to laugh. Colette was the one sacrificing her humanity to save the world, and she said I was strong? Maybe the definition of the word had changed since I last checked.

After I recovered from that state, the group trudged onward. At least now I knew I wouldn't be bothered by that anymore. But I didn't think I'd ever get used to pain, no matter how much of it I experienced.

Two more days passed. The Asgard ranch loomed in the distance; its very image gave me goosebumps. I couldn't believe I was actually going back there. Dammit, everyone owed me big time for this.

Our morning training that day was very brief. Thankfully, Kratos knew we wouldn't fight very well if we were already exhausted. I noticed that something was wrong with him; it was unlike him, but Kratos was very on edge today. Lloyd had noticed too, voicing his confusion to me. I pretended to be puzzled as well.

Seeing the auburn haired mercenary this tense only made me feel tense, too. I knew he was probably concerned mostly about Lloyd. After all, we were going to the stronghold of the man who had caused Anna's death...

I felt mildly annoyed. I was already apprehensive to begin with; I didn't need Kratos making it worse! He was supposed to be the tough guy of the group, who was always sure of everything. I needed him to be that guy, especially on a day like today.

All right, worrying and anxiousness weren't going to help me here. As we got closer and closer to the Desian ranch, I mulled over all the time I'd spent there. I felt fear at coming to this place, but with it came indignation. I tried to fuel that anger and hate into something I could use. I realized that while rage could cause a person to do reckless things, it could also be used as a tool. Extreme emotions summoned up adrenaline.

After much walking, we passed through the forest leading to Kvar's ranch. We stood within the trees, watching the ranch.

"Wow," Genis whispered. "The security is intense."

"Shall we follow through with our plan?" Raine asked, and everyone nodded. Sheena had obtained a Desian outfit a short while before I'd met her in Luin, for she had been planning on infiltrating the ranch. We allowed Raine to slip it on, disguising herself as a lance soldier. We were to pretend that we were her prisoners; it was practically the same strategy used in the game.

"Let's go, then." the Professor said, slipping the metal Desian helmet on. My stomach tied in a knot; I didn't like seeing her in that uniform one bit. We followed her out of the trees, approaching the main doors with a bit of uneasiness.

A Desian guard quickly called out to us. "Stop!"

Raine spoke up before he could get a chance to examine us too closely. "We've done it!"

"Done what?" The Desian asked, now looking puzzled.

"We've found the wanted criminals!" Raine replied, her voice confident.

The guard looked shocked, and examined us further. He'd probably seen me around when I was imprisoned here, and he would have recognized Lloyd from those badly drawn wanted posters. "What?! Good work!" He said, "And you've even caught them alive!"

Raine nodded. "I want to turn them over to the Five Grand Cardinals immediately. Let me through." Wow, her act was so convincing...

He stepped aside, giving us a clear path to the door. "Understood. Go on in!"

We entered the doors, everyone else seeming visibly relieved that our plan had worked. I knew it wasn't over yet, though.

"Do you know the way to the control room?" Raine murmured to me, when there were no other Desians in sight.

I thought for a minute, then nodded a little. "I think I have an idea."

We continued onward, and I would indicate the path for Raine to take with a faint nod of the head. My hands were shaking; I could hear the screams again. I could remember being part of those screams. As we passed Desian guards, some recognized and smirked at me.

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the control room.

"Here we are." I said. I'd never actually been in here, but I recognized it from the game. The structure of this room was almost exactly the same.

There was a window on the wall across from us, and everyone approached it curiously. I lagged behind, already knowing what was behind it: conveyor belts. That dreaded room...

"It looks like this is an Exsphere manufacturing plant," Raine remarked.

"That's right." I confirmed, my voice bitter.

Lloyd glanced back at me questioningly, having heard the off tone in my voice. When he saw that I wasn't going to say anything more, he turned back to the window. "These are all Exspheres? Incredible..."

My fists clenched. Lloyd...he wouldn't think that anymore in a few minutes. This place was anything but incredible.

Raine and Kratos turned away, examining the rest of the room. I did as well, unable to look through that window anymore. Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Sheena all peered through, still curious, when suddenly Colette stopped.

"...Shh. I hear voices coming from the next room."

"I don't hear anything." Genis frowned.

"Be careful anyway." Lloyd warned him, knowing of Colette's angel senses.

We all turned to the door Colette was looking at, and soon after, it opened. Botta and two Renegade soldiers ran through. Wow, Botta was quite an imposing man. It was unusual seeing him not chibi-fied. I wondered if he still had the English accent.

"Hmm?! You!" Yup, he did.

"Uh-oh, these are the Desians we ran into in the Triet Desert!" Lloyd exclaimed. I hid my frown; how could they not have realized by now that these soldiers weren't Desians? I'd never understood that. I mean, the Renegades always laughed at Lloyd when he called them Desians.

Proving my point, one of the soldiers smirked. "They still think we're Desians."

"Sir, this is the perfect chance!" The other soldier spoke up.

Kratos glared. "Are you looking for a fight?"

Botta looked at each of his soldiers, shaking his head. "Wait. Kratos is with them. We'll retreat for now." Heh, smart move. I'd want to run too if Kratos was glaring at me like that.

Lloyd looked at Kratos, confused. "...You know each other?"

"I suppose, if you mean the fact that we ran into them at Iselia and Triet." Kratos replied coolly. I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"I think it would be in both our interests for us not to fight here." Botta said, looking at Kratos.

"Do what you will," said the mercenary.

Botta merely nodded, and he and his soldiers fled through the door we came in. I vaguely wondered what they had been doing here in the first place. It was a hint at them being the Renegades, but other than that, what was the purpose of it...?

Another door opened near Colette, and I instantly grasped Loki's hilt. This was it. I got a glimpse of a Desian mage, right before he cast a fireball spell towards us. Colette was the closest target; Kratos rushed forth, defending her with Guardian. Everyone looked on, shocked.

"Colette! Kratos!" Lloyd cried.

Colette turned to him, perfectly fine. "I'm okay."

Kratos and I, however, had our attention elsewhere. There was a man we both loathed waiting beyond that door...

"No time for that, look behind you!" Kratos warned, his voice raising a notch.

"Huh?" Lloyd frowned.

The others turned and I drew my sword; Kratos already had his out. The mages waiting behind the door moved to the side, clearing the path for Kvar. My eyes narrowed, body tensing.

"Well, this is a surprise. When I heard we had some rats, I assumed it was the Renegade, Botta. But instead I find the wanted inferior beings...I must say I'm quite impressed you're still alive after that attack." His slitted eyes swept over us, his voice irritatingly nonchalant.

"Who are you?!" Lloyd demanded.

Kvar arched an eyebrow. "You barge into my ranch and then demand my name?"

I turned my head to Lloyd. "He's Kvar, one of the Five Grand Cardinals."

Kvar chuckled. "Ah. I see that some of you know me." His inhuman eyes focused on me for a moment, and he gave me a cruel smile. I could tell he remembered me, although he was too disdainful to say so now. He then returned his attention to Lloyd. "...It's just as Forcystus said. That Exsphere is without a doubt the product of my Angelus Project!"

We were suddenly surrounded by Desian soldiers. Colette acted fast, rushing forward and hurling a chakram at Kvar. When the Grand Cardinal jumped out of the way, we took the opportunity to run right past him and through the door.

"Good job, Colette!" Lloyd praised her, as Raine closed the metal door and activated its locking mechanism. We were now in the manufacturing plant sector of the ranch. I suppressed a shudder as we ran further in. I knew what was coming.

We cut down the Desian guards that spotted us, weaving past the conveyor belts while looking for a door out. Soon enough, we arrived at a dead end. This was the same place I'd stood with Pietro a few weeks ago; the place where Elena had died. I bowed my head, unable to bring myself to look at that final conveyor belt again. I was already haunted by its image in my nightmares. I didn't look, but there was nothing I could do to drown out the cries of the prisoners who were being slaughtered.

Everyone froze in shock, save for Kratos and I. We'd both seen it before. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw him send an understanding look my way.

"Wh...what is this?!" Lloyd gasped, horrified. I sensed movement behind us, and turned around. Kvar had quickly caught up after the guards broke down the door.

"This is where the Exspheres are removed from the host bodies." He said, and I snarled once again at how he described the people being killed. Everyone else turned around as well.

Raine's eyes were wide. "Do you mean that Exspheres are made from...human bodies?"

"Not exactly." Kvar explained calmly, "Exspheres are dormant at first. They extract nourishment from humans to grow and awaken. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we spend our time raising and taking care of these inferior beings?"

"Care?!" I growled, furious. "You abuse us and treat us like dirt, only to send us off to the slaughterhouse in the end! You're terrible!"

Kvar smirked. "Terrible? Terrible is what you've done. Stealing and using Exspheres that we've invested so much time and care in creating. You deserve to be punished." He made a small gesture with his gloved hand, and Desian soldiers surrounded us. Lloyd swore.

"Brittany, the Exsphere being cultured on your body is valuable research material that Lord Yggdrasill himself requested. Give yourself up, and perhaps your friends won't be killed on the spot." Kvar said to me. Dammit, what was this about? This wasn't the way the conversation was supposed to go. I shouldn't have come here.

Despite my uncertainty, I felt frustration flare up once again. Kvar was still standing by his beliefs that I was really the subject he was looking for. Stupid idiot! "I've said this before, you pompous bastard: you have the wrong person." I said, speaking slowly as if he were going senile. Hmph, he probably was. "I've never even seen this Yggdrasill person, and I had never been to a ranch before I was taken here." It was difficult not to start swearing. My hands shook with anger and resentment.

Once again, that frightening cruel look showed itself on Kvar's face. "Wretched human. You are still deluding yourself? How pitiful."

My fists clenched. "You...!"

His smirk grew. "You believe I am mistaken? Very well, I'll prove you wrong." He pulled out a sheet of paper, and I felt a twinge of uneasiness. What was that? Kvar began to speak again, reading from the sheet.

"Name: Brittany. Eighteen years of age." His eyes darted up to meet mine, then back down to the paper. My uneasiness grew, but I shook it off. Mere coincidence. Kvar continued to speak. "Height: Five feet, four inches. Hair color: brown. Eye color: brown." My body shook. No, still, he couldn't really prove... "Birth date: November 20th. Immediate family: mother, father, older sister, older brother. Shows a predilection for dark clothing." He looked up at me once again, and the callous amusement on his face was nearly unbearable. My blood ran cold. "Ah," He added, "and you bite your nails."

I gaped at him, utterly shocked. How...?! How could he know that about me? How could anyone here know such personal things about me? It was impossible!

"I see you believe me now. As you can see, I was given a full profile of you several months ago. Did you think I was merely doing guesswork?" Kvar sneered.

"..." I moved my lips, trying to make some sort of retort, but my voice completely failed me. He'd been right all along.

"Wh-what do you want with her?!" Lloyd finally broke in, his voice full of anger.

"Now, don't you think you should be more concerned about yourself?" Kvar turned to Lloyd now, switching targets for his verbal abuse. "Lloyd, your Exsphere is the result of years of time consuming research. It's time you gave it back." His slitted eyes narrowed. "I can finally reclaim what was stolen by that filthy female host body."

Lloyd blinked. "What are you talking about? The female host body?" Now his eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not talking about..."

Yes, Lloyd, he was...My hatred for Kvar grew as the Desian leader continued.

"...Hmm, you don't know anything, do you?" He said with disdain. "That Exsphere was cultured on host body A012, human name, Anna- your mother. She took it and escaped from the facility. Of course, she paid for her crime with her life."

My friend's disbelief was replaced with shocked rage. "You killed my..."

Kvar smiled, his voice mocking. "Now, now, don't blame me. I'm not the one that killed Anna. Your father did."

"Liar!" Lloyd yelled, shaking.

"Please. When her Key Crest-less Exsphere was removed, Anna turned into a monster...and your father killed her. Pathetic, don't you think?"

I snarled. I'd heard these words spoken many times before, but now that he said them in person, in real life...it was appalling. How dare he?!

Kratos stepped forth, and I could sense the waves of hate emanating from him. He was shaking as well, but I was probably the only one who noticed- he had his emotions carefully, but barely, contained. "Do not speak ill of the dead." The mercenary's voice was icy, the look on his face terrifying. If Kvar had any sense right now, he would run.

Apparently he did not. Instead, he laughed, causing Kratos's jaw to clench even tighter. "Who cares? They were both just a couple of filthy humans- worthless maggots."

"Don't you ever talk about my parents like that!" Lloyd shouted, his tone threatening.

Kvar did another hand gesture, and the Desian soldiers started moving in on us. Dammit, I wanted to defeat that bastard right now!

Unfortunately, I could see that fleeing was our only option. I looked at Sheena; she already had one of her cards out.

"I'm gonna use the last one, Grandpa," I heard her mutter. She lifted the card up, summoning a Guardian. The Desians backed away, alert. The Guardian produced a large cloud of smoke. I felt a strange sensation, as if being lifted up...and when the smoke cleared, we were standing in the woods outside of the ranch.

"Thank you, Sheena!" Colette said, as the others looked relieved.

"Don't mention it," she said. "But what are you going to do now?"

"We should get a safe distance away from the ranch before making any plans." Raine said.

"I concur." Kratos agreed.

Everyone walked in relative silence, myself included. I was pondering my Exsphere with uncertainty. If it had the capability to give me strength, then it had probably been activated with someone else's life. I was just supposed to take that one step further, making it into a Cruxis Crystal. It was horrifying to think that I was using something created with the life of a human being- someone just like me, a victim of Kvar and the Desians. In the game it had been obvious that keeping the Exspheres was necessary, but now...after I had seen it actually happening...I felt like a complete hypocrite.

Not only that, there was another serious issue that I was trying not to think about. I was unhappy enough with the situation. The way Kvar had looked at me...it had comforted me to think he was merely being a fool, but I couldn't pretend any longer.

My thoughts were interrupted when Kratos announced that we were far enough from the ranch, and we could set up camp. He still seemed rather troubled and irritated from what had happened; I didn't blame him. As Genis started a fire with one of his spells, we all got as comfortable as we could. Sheena took her Exsphere out of-well, wherever she kept it, I had read it was someplace over her heart-and rested it in the palm of her hand, gazing at it. I knew a familiar cutscene was about to start.

Sheena finally spoke, breaking our long silence. "...I can't believe Exspheres are made from human lives."

Genis took his Exsphere out as well. "This is Marble's life..."

Lloyd took out his Exsphere, looking as if he was about to throw it. "Arrgh! This...thing!"

"Lloyd, wait." Colette stopped him, stepping forth. "What will you accomplish by taking that off? It's not just an Exsphere, it's also your mother's life, remember?"

"But these things make a mockery of human life!" Lloyd protested. I had to agree.

"But we would have lost long ago had we not had them." Kratos said; he was right, too. Augh, I didn't know who to side with!

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"Do you really?" Kratos crossed his arms. "If you throw away that Exsphere now, do you think you can finish this journey?"

Lloyd gazed down at his Exsphere. "...Yeah. I know. Without these things, we're just a bunch of weak humans. We can fight because we have these. I know that. But Exspheres exist as a result of taking someone's life!"

"And? These people didn't become victims because they wanted to, but I doubt they would want to be thrown away after being turned into Exspheres."

I fingered my Exsphere uncomfortably. I knew I wouldn't want to be thrown away, had I turned into a Cruxis Crystal...I would've wanted to be used against the people who made me that way. But still...it felt so wrong.

"My opinion may not matter much because I don't use an Exsphere, but I believe the Desians will defeat us if we throw away the Exspheres now. And if that happens, more people will lose their lives to these stones. I don't want that to happen. I don't want this journey to be meaningless." Colette said, and Kratos nodded.

"Colette's right. We can throw away the Exspheres at any time. But right now, we must carry the weight of the hopes and dreams of those victims and fight for their sake, as well as ours. Didn't you say you weren't going to hesitate anymore?"

At this point, I wondered what Lloyd's response would be. I, personally, was still undecided, although I knew what the correct path was.

Lloyd shook his head. "I just can't! ...I know you're right, but...but right now...let me think by myself for a while, okay?"

"Lloyd..." Kratos frowned, and I decided to back him up. Lloyd would come around, but he'd ultimately have to do it on his own.

"I second that." I said, standing up. "I'm still really uncomfortable with this whole thing. After being imprisoned in the human ranch for so long...it's still hard for me to accept it. This Exsphere..." I rested a finger on mine, "it was made with the life of someone just like me. Only that someone wasn't so lucky..." I bowed my head. "I think I need some time to think, too."

The mercenary sighed, looking from me to Lloyd. "Fine."

Our group grew quiet once again, and I took the opportunity to slip off into the woods. Lloyd, I knew, would do the same later. He'd have a talk with Kratos, who would finally convince him to keep his Exsphere. I didn't have the same convenience.

After a few minutes of walking, I sat down on a rock in front of a small lake within the forest, setting Loki in its sheath beside me. I knew I had no choice but to keep my Exsphere; if I wanted to stay with this group, I had to be able to fight. I couldn't imagine being left behind again, the way I had been back when I first met them.

The stars were so nice tonight. They didn't feel cold and uninviting like that night in Asgard so long ago. Perhaps it meant I was getting used to Sylvarant, as frightening as that sounded.

I frowned as I realized I wasn't even looking at the real sky. It was just an illusion to block out what was really there- Derris-Kharlan. I tried to envision the large purple planet directly overhead, and couldn't do it. Where in the sky was Welgaia? Was Yggdrasill up there right now?

Yggdrasill. My body tensed, and I beat down another panic attack. Despite what Kvar had said...I had to stay calm.

I shifted on the rock I was resting upon; I hadn't had a chance all day to think by myself. I didn't want to ponder this in front of the others, for fear that my emotions would show through.

Ever since the day I regained my memory, I'd told myself that Kvar was mistaken. I knew I couldn't possibly be the one he wanted; I wasn't even from Sylvarant! But then, at the ranch, he had pulled out an entire profile of me. I had been able to see that the sheet he held was typed on the front and back- the things he'd read off of it were only the beginning. How much information did the Desians have on me, anyway? And how in the world did they get it? Knowing my name was one thing, but they knew I bit my nails?! That was borderline creepy. Kvar had gone into too many specifics, and it was obvious that the only person that report was referring to was me.

And he'd said that my Exsphere was research material that Yggdrasill himself had requested. And hadn't he also said that Yggdrasill reccomended me as a host body? What the hell was going on? I was suddenly even more terrified of going to the Tower of Salvation. How did Yggdrasill even know I existed?

I shook my head. It just wasn't possible. Maybe...somehow my driver's license had come through the dimensional gap as well? Or something...? That still made no sense. I really hated being confused like this.

My being here was a mistake in itself. I had been planning to remain anonymous, and finish the journey before trying to make it home. Once the worlds were safe, I could try getting help from Lloyd. I wanted to pretend that I still had amnesia for the duration of the journey, so no one would really know who I was. Kvar was going to be killed anyway, so his mistake wouldn't make a difference anymore.

But it wasn't a mistake. Somehow I was caught up in all this, and somehow Cruxis knew about me. Did Kratos know something...? It was impossible to tell. I couldn't just walk up and ask him, as much as I wanted to. My amnesia excuse, though, might not work anymore. I had pretty much revealed that I remembered something back at the ranch; my shocked expression had confirmed the information Kvar was reading out. Kvar being killed, although it would make me feel better, wouldn't change my wanted status.

I sighed, resisting the urge to hit my head against something. Okay, I had all the information, but no solution. I needed to do something about this!

Tomorrow...we'd probably set off for Hima. We needed to get the Desian Orb from Pietro so we could go through the secret entrance of the ranch. I knew, without a doubt, that I would be going again. I had to see this through...for everyone's sakes. I wanted to make sure they got out okay, and my knowledge of the ranch might help them.

Then what? I racked my brain for pieces of the plotline. We'd go...to the Tower of Mana. We'd release that seal and take Boltzman's book...then Lake Umacy, then the pact with Undine, Lake Umacy again, then we'd cure Pietro. It had been an irritating, tedious quest in the game, but when I thought about my friend, it seemed more than worth it.

Oh...and after Pietro was cured, it would be time to go to the Tower of Salvation. I really didn't want to think about that. Kratos betraying us, Colette losing her soul, seeing Yggdrasill for the first time? No, it didn't sound appealing at all. There was still the chance something could go wrong, and we'd all die.

Man, this sucked.

Running a hand through my short hair, I tried to come up with some answers. None came. Instead, I bent over from where I sat and grabbed a flat stone, hurling it horizontally towards the lake. It skipped once, then plopped into the water. I needed to work on my rock skipping skills. I began to reach for another rock, when I heard a rustling from the bushes behind me. Alert, I stood and swung around, beginning to unsheathe my sword.

"Relax, it's just me."

I frowned a little, stopping at Lloyd's voice. It was a little less cheerful than usual, but given the circumstances, I wasn't surprised. He stepped out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Lloyd?" I sheathed Loki again, lowering my guard a bit.

"Hey. Mind if I sit with you for a sec?"

"Um, not at all. Go ahead." I replied slowly, sitting back down. I really wasn't ready to see anyone right now, but it wasn't like I'd been getting anywhere with my thoughts anyway. Lloyd came over and sat next to me, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked out onto the lake.

I did the same, feeling mildly uncomfortable. It really had been a while since I'd been alone with any of them, hadn't it? Aside from Kratos, that is. I remembered the time before I'd overcome my amnesia; I had taken it upon myself then to speak to each member of the group on my own. It had been hard enough then to gather the courage, but now...I knew who they were. I really knew them. The guy sitting next to me was Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia, only now he wasn't just some video game character, he was a real person. I felt self-conscious. I wasn't really a member of this group; I was just some wimpy girl from Earth, bound to this place by an unknown force. I couldn't remember what I had been doing the day I came here, but I did know what had been going on back home. My life consisted of management work with my sister at Dunkin' Donuts, a sort of decent apartment in Maine, and a used silver Chevy Cobalt. My biggest concerns back then had amounted to getting into a good college and having the money for it. Now I just wanted to stay alive long enough to get home. How could I ever compare to brave, goodhearted Lloyd? Not for the first time, I had a sudden distinct feeling that I didn't belong here.

I realized we had been silent for a while, and figured I should say something. "Did you ever figure out what to do about your Exsphere?"

He looked down at the stone embedded in his hand. "...I guess so. Kratos talked to me about it. I think...I'm going to keep it. Nothing will change if we don't do anything to stop Exspheres from being made. There will only be more victims." He turned to look at me. "You should keep yours, too, because you know what it's like to be used by the Desians. I bet whoever's life is in your Exsphere would've wanted you to stop them."

I nodded. "Yeah...I don't like it, but..." I reached a hand up to my Exsphere. "If I were an Exsphere, I wouldn't want to be thrown away or used by the Desians. I'll keep it, at least until this is all over."

We looked out onto the water again, and Lloyd picked up a rock, as I had done earlier. He threw it, and it skipped a total of seven times. I frowned a little and tried to copy him with my own rock. Mine didn't even skip once this time; it just plunked right into the water. Lloyd couldn't help but laugh.

"You suck."

I smiled, fake punching him on the arm. "Shut up, Lloyd."

He picked up another rock, checking it to see if it was flat enough. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?" I examined my abused nails, not bothering to humiliate myself by attempting to skip another rock.

"All that stuff Kvar said, back at the ranch..."

I froze internally, trying to remain calm on the outside. Crap, I hadn't even finished figuring this out myself!

"I got distracted when he changed the subject, but I remembered when I was thinking a little while ago." He threw the second rock, watching it hop across the water before sinking.

"And?" I was determined to stall. This was the last thing I wanted him to bring up.

"Was all of that true? I mean, sure, your appearance and name are obvious...but with the other stuff you looked really shocked. Did he make you remember something?"

I stared into my lap for a few seconds, unsure of how to deal with this. Should I just lie? I hadn't thought of a sufficient cover story, and if I whipped one up on the spot, it probably wouldn't hold for very long. And then there was the fact that I wasn't so good at lying to people I cared about.

Screw it. Lloyd would be hurt if I lied straight to his face, and I wouldn't feel too great about it either. I'd have to tell him the truth later on if I wanted him to help me get home.

Finally, I slowly shook my head. "He didn't make me remember anything. I...I recovered from my amnesia the first day I was imprisoned at the ranch. I've already regained all my memories." I felt scared; what if this was the wrong move? My story sounded weird enough to me, never mind someone else.

Lloyd looked at me, shocked. "You remember? Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged halfheartedly. "No one ever asked."

His eyes narrowed. "That's a dumb excuse and you know it."

I sighed, unsure of how to respond. I sensed Lloyd's frown; he seemed to realize something was wrong. His voice was considerably gentler when he spoke again.

"So...what, it happened all at once? Just like that?"

I nodded. "Yeah. One minute I couldn't remember anything, and suddenly I just knew. It was kind of startling."

"So how'd you end up in the woods where we first found you?"

"That's one thing I don't remember. That day is a complete blur."

Lloyd paused, considering this. "...Okay, where're you from?"

I looked away, shrugging again, almost squirming with uneasiness.

"Oh, c'mon, you said you remembered!" Lloyd turned, fully facing me, no longer distracted with rock skipping. Crap.

I couldn't meet his gaze. "Um, it's kind of far away."

"Yeah? Is it...Triet? Palmacosta? I would've recognized you if you were from Iselia."

I shook my head. "N-no, neither of those."

Lloyd stopped, and I could feel him staring at me. "...You can't even look at me. You've been acting really weird lately, you know? I don't know why your hometown is such an issue." He sounded puzzled. I couldn't blame him.

"I...um..." Damn, I really didn't know what to tell him.

"Just look at me, okay?"

I managed to, uncomfortably trying to maintain eye contact.

"Was it...was it destroyed by Desians, like Luin? Look, you can tell me." His voice was quiet, his eyes serious.

I shook my head. I wouldn't lie about something like that. "No, that's not it. It's just..." I measured his gaze as I spoke, and it looked like he wasn't leaving until he got an answer. I wasn't going to get anywhere stalling, was I? I forced myself to continue. I had to give him something. "...my story isn't exactly believeable."

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you from the moon or something?"

I had to suppress a giggle at the irony of this statement. "No, of course not. But still...I don't understand my situation much either. If I told you, you'd think I was crazy."

He blinked, and to my surprise, laughed. "You dork," he said, "I'd never think you were crazy. Even if you told me you were from the moon."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not." He replied, more firmly this time. "I know you, Brittany. We've known each other for a couple months now, and I know you're perfectly sane."

"Then...you just wouldn't believe me." I said, sighing.

"Of course I would! I trust you. We're friends, aren't we?"

I stared at him, taking in the heartwarming smile on his face. He seriously trusted me that much? I was touched. I didn't know what I'd done to deserve such kindness from him.

"I...yeah. I mean, I trust you too, Lloyd. But..."

Lloyd waited, watching me quietly.

"...not now, okay? I need some time to think this through. But I'll tell you later on, after..." I thought for a minute. "After Colette regenerates the world."

He considered this for a moment. "...You promise?"

I nodded. "Yeah. If I don't tell you, I give you permission to pester me about it until I really do go insane."

"I'll hold you to that." He said, grinning.

"One thing, though...could you not tell the others?"

"Don't worry, I won't say anything."

I smiled, relieved. "Thanks."

I hadn't really told him yet, but at least he knew something was up. At least I wasn't lying to him.

"So..." His face grew solemn. "What's going on with you and the Desians? Kvar had all that information on you..."

I sighed hopelessly. "I have no clue. I really thought it was a case of mistaken identity. I know for a fact that I've never even had contact with the Desians before then, and I've never met that Yggdrasill guy." Oh, it felt so nice to confide in someone.

"We'll figure it out." Lloyd said confidently. "And in the meantime, I'll make sure they don't get their hands on you again. I already owe you enough for what you did back at the House of Salvation."

I felt my face turn red. "All I did was throw a rock and run away."

He rolled his eyes, returning the fake punch I'd given him earlier. "Shut up. You know it wasn't like that." Now he examined my face a little more, eyebrows raised. "Hey, why's your face all red?"

Great, by saying that he only made it worse. "Um." I looked away, but he only leaned over. Then he seemed to catch on, and he slowly grinned.

"Aw, are you embarrassed?"

"S-shut up!"

"You are, aren't you!"

And that was how the night went, Lloyd teasing me all he way back to the campsite. I ended up jumping into bed as soon as we got back, not wanting anyone to see how red my face was, but I heard Lloyd snickering from his place across the campfire. I threw my shoe at him.

Chapter Text

The next morning, after we'd all had breakfast, Kratos turned to Lloyd.

"Well, what now?" He asked expectantly.

Lloyd knew he was referring to the Exspheres. "There is one thing I've realized," he said, "I'm certain that my mother must've wanted to live longer than she did. Therefore, I'm going to live...for myself, and for my mom, too."

"In other words, you're going to fight," said Kratos.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. And I'm going to break this cycle. For the sake of preventing any more victims like Marble and my mom, I'm going to help Colette on her journey to regenerate the world."

I smiled at him; he was such an admirable guy. My smile fell, though, when I remembered that the end of the path we were on right now was not as bright as it seemed.

"...Yeah. Me too." Genis agreed, "I'm going to fight on Marble's behalf as well."

"Yes," I said. "I'll fight too. To prove that their deaths..." I placed a hand over my Exsphere, "...were not meaningless."

"Me too." Colette added, "I'm going to regenerate the world as quickly as I can."

"I think you've made a wise decision, Lloyd," Raine remarked. "People are sinful beings. That's why we must continue to bear the burden of our sins for as long as we continue to live."

"Life survives at the cost of another?" Sheena asked, troubled. "...I don't really know how to say this, but I don't think there's a way to justify the lives sacrificed to make Exspheres. They have to be stopped at all cost!"

Soon after, we began to get into a discussion of our next move.

"What are we going to do now?" Lloyd asked.

"Kvar will undoubtedly increase the security now. We won't be able to get in easily." Kratos replied, frowning.

"Wasn't there someone else who escaped from the ranch?" Raine questioned me.

"Hmm? Yeah, Pietro." I answered her. Then I frowned, pretending to be deep in thought.

"He should still be in Hima, shouldn't he?" Sheena spoke up, turning to me. "Wait, didn't you guys use a secret entrance to get out?"

Kratos turned to me, and his glare was more than a little frightening. "A secret entrance? And why didn't you mention this before?"

I blinked, reflexively backing a step away from him. "B-because you need a special item to access it. I didn't think Pietro would still have it, you know...we kinda forgot about it once we were out..." Jeez, Kratos was friggin' scary.

"What is the item you need?" Raine asked, and I was grateful to turn to her instead of the mercenary who probably wanted to kill me.

"It's...remember the thing I stole from that Desian at the House of Salvation near Asgard?"

"The weird jewel he was wearing?" Lloyd offered, frowning.

I nodded. "Yeah, that. Well, anyway, that's what we need. The Desian got it back from me when I went to the ranch, but then he went and lost it again because he's obviously a dumbass." Kratos raised an eyebrow at my choice of words, and I continued. "Pietro found it lying on the floor and hid it. I'd overheard some Desians talking about how it was used, so I told Pietro and we escaped."

"So, you don't know if he still has it?" Sheena asked, and I shook my head.

"He might not. But I guess it is our best bet at this point...we'd might as well go ask him about it." I replied.

"Yeah, let's go to Hima." Lloyd said, and the others agreed.

Sadly, as with pretty much every time we decided to travel together, it took much longer than I hoped. I couldn't cross all of Sylvarant in ten seconds like I so often did in the game. We were not blown up chibi figures, and the monsters didn't show up as black blobs scurrying towards us. Traveling to Hima would take at least a week from where we were now. I held back a groan; I was really, really getting tired of walking. There was only so much to talk about with the others until there were no more conversations to be had. It didn't help when one of the group members was naturally untalkative; Kratos was as stoic as ever.

As everyone had more time to think, though, I realized that they must've been mulling over the events at the Asgard ranch. Eventually Raine asked me about the exchange I'd had with Kvar.

"He seemed to know more about you than you know about yourself. Did any of the things he said bring back a memory or two?" Ah, Raine had been standing somewhat behind me. She wouldn't have seen my expression.

I shook my head slowly, quickly glancing at Lloyd. "No. I still can't remember anything..."

Lloyd nodded a little, letting me know that he planned to keep to his word.

Raine hadn't been able to see my face, but unfortunately Kratos had. He'd been standing right beside me. "Your expression said otherwise."

"Yeah, you looked pretty shocked." Genis said, troubled.

"Well, like the Professor said, he knew more about me than I did." I said, "I was pretty surprised, yeah."

"Put yourself in her shoes," Lloyd said, backing me up. "What would you think if some random guy you hate started spewing all this stuff about you that you couldn't even remember?" I shot him an extremely grateful look.

"I'd feel kind of scared. Okay, that does explain it." Genis's troubled expression vanished. Raine still seemed a little doubtful, but she was apparently going to let it slide.

Kratos looked unconvinced. He didn't say anything, though, so I was supposedly off the hook for now. But he looked a little disturbed, which left me rather uneasy. I could understand him being suspicious of my behavior, but disturbed? That was a new one.

We stopped for the day to eat lunch; I was voted to be the chef this time, since I always missed my turns at cooking. My excuses that I wasn't all that great at it never worked, for Genis would only tell me that I couldn't be worse than Raine. So, I thought quietly to myself as I whipped up some okay looking sandwiches. I couldn't mess up at a sandwich, right?

The others were distracted with their own tasks as I cooked; most of them were gone from the clearing we'd chosen to stay in. Lloyd sat a bit of a distance away, boredly carving something. Kratos sat nearby on a tree root; he was cleaning his sword. I had gotten relatively used to the mercenary, and often contented myself with interviewing him while he gave me one word answers. While he wasn't looking, I enjoyed admiring his incredible hotness. Today was different, though. He still seemed to be bothered by something, and that continued to bother me. Not only that, I saw him occasionally stop what he was doing from the corner of my eye; he was stopping to stare at me. Kratos has the most intense stare of anyone I've ever encountered in my life. I could practically feel it burning holes in my back every time I turned around. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it certainly was uncomfortable. I suddenly had a lot of sympathy for Lloyd and promised myself that I wouldn't giggle at him anymore.

It was only a matter of time before his stares became too much for me. I turned my head to look at him, trying to catch him in the act, but he was good at looking away before I could really tell.

"Hey, Kratos." I couldn't handle the silence anymore. This was way too awkward.

"Mm."

"Try a sandwich," I said, holding a finished one up. "Someone's gotta test it to make sure it's safe."

He didn't even roll his eyes at my comment, cluing me in to his serious mood. All right, so he didn't want to hear my jokes, but I was determined to distract both of us.

"Later," he said. "I'm busy."

I shrugged. "Fine, be that way. Raine can always whip something up..."

"Your cooking is questionable," he said, "but I would be concerned if you couldn't even put together a sandwich."

I pouted. "Gee, thanks." I resumed my task, thinking of what else to say. "...I wish I could meet the Wonder Chef."

Kratos raised an eyebrow from where he sat. "What?"

"You know, the Wonder Chef." I grinned, "He's like the superhero of cooking."

"The Wonder Chef is a myth. All egotistical chefs claim that identity, while in reality no such man exists."

My grin grew; he was actually engaging in conversation? And of all the topics... "I believe in him. You know what? When I find him, I'll introduce you."

"No."

"You're no fun at all. I hear he's got a giant fork and everything!"

Kratos didn't reply, and I sighed. Well, it was amusing while it lasted. After a moment or two, I opened my mouth to speak again. The mercenary cut me off.

"I'm not in the mood, Brittany."

I frowned. "Don't get your panties all in a bunch." I instantly regretted this comment, as his glare intensified tenfold. I also realized that he'd stopped cleaning his sword and was now grasping it as if he were about to use it.

"E-er...you know I was kidding, right? Kratos!"

Several large bruises later, the mercenary was back to cleaning his blade and I was laying on my side with one of the sandwiches shoved roughly into my mouth. I spat it out, gagging.

"Y-you bastard..."

Well, at least he wasn't staring at me anymore.

My food apparently didn't poison any of my friends, so we left once again within that hour. Raine kept frowning and looking at me, as well as Lloyd. Finally, the brunette decided to speak up.

"Hey, where did those bruises come from? We didn't even train this morning."

I opened my mouth to answer while indirectly insulting the mercenary, but was stopped when I saw the auburn haired man glance over his shoulder at me. I shuddered. "Um...I fell?"

Lloyd gave me a skeptical look. "How many times did you fall?"

I shrugged. "A lot."

Raine nearly rolled her eyes. "Here, I'll heal you."

"No." Kratos suddenly spoke.

"I see no reason why I shouldn't." the Professor said, raising an eyebrow at him. I inched my way behind her, trying to avoid Kratos's glare.

"She could use some discipline."

"But..." she began to reply, but I cut her off.

"It's fine, Professor." I slapped on a fake grin. "I'm okay, anyway." And if she healed me, Kratos would just beat me up again. He was such a bully...

"Yeah, sure." Lloyd looked from me to Kratos, frowning. Finally, he shrugged, and apparently decided to drop it. I quietly thanked his short attention span, as Kratos walked on ahead in an irritated silence.

After many nights of walking, I finally spotted Hima in the distance. It was similar to what I remembered from the game; the small town was built upon a cliff face, and we would have to walk up a steep pathway to reach it. To my dismay, I noticed that this path was much longer than I'd anticipated.

Genis frowned, seemingly sharing my thought. "Um...Sheena? Is this really the right way?"

"Huh? Sure it is. Why do you ask?"

"It seems kind of...long." Lloyd said, eyeing the winding path.

"And rocky. And steep. And horrible in general." I added to his statement, kicking a stone. I hid behind Lloyd when it accidentally hit Kratos in the leg.

"Quit whining," Sheena said, rolling her eyes. "It's not that bad."

Kratos, meanwhile, was looking for the stone kicker. His eyes immediately rested upon Lloyd. The teenager was oblivious, though, as something else caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder at me, curious.

"Brittany? What are you doing?"

I stiffened at being caught. "U-uh, nothing! It's just...hey Lloyd, your coat's really cool."

He grinned, instantly distracted. "It is, isn't it? My dad made it!"

Some of the others gave me odd looks, but a certain abusive mercenary wasn't fooled. His glare was now directed my way. I offered him a nervous smile; his eyes only narrowed. Crap, and I'd just gotten back on good terms with him too...

Kratos slowed down, approaching me. My eyes widened, and I quickly dodged out of his way. Searching for a means of escape, I swiftly tapped Lloyd on the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!" I called, running past him.

Lloyd blinked, surprised, and then seemed to catch on. "Hey, get back here!" He laughed, chasing after me.

I looked back as I ran; Kratos facepalmed.

We were within sight of Hima by the time the sun began to set. The rock upon which we walked gained an almost fiery quality as it was hit by the rays of the sun. Lloyd and I had ended up walking together after our game of tag, ahead of all the others. The spreading darkness had gradually made our shadows much taller than us; we occupied ourselves by making shadow puppets. As we wrestled each other to avoid being given bunny ears, I could've sworn I heard Kratos sigh from behind us.

"Whoa, look..." Lloyd pointed to the rock wall beside us, pausing.

I turned, and was shocked to see parts of the stone sparkling in the now-dimming sunlight. Upon closer inspection, I was able to see that certain shards of the rock reflected light, in a manner similar to that of a mirror. The effect was incredible; ahead of us, the path was sprinkled with what looked like tiny diamonds.

It wasn't long before we heard Raine's cry of delight. "Look at this!" I looked over my shoulder to see her run up to the rock wall. "This ore is exclusive to Hima; it can't be found anywhere else in Sylvarant! Simply marvelous!"

"There she goes again." I sighed, but a smile was on my lips. I was just as fascinated as Raine was; I'd never seen anything like this back on Earth. Maine wasn't exactly full of natural wonders, unless you took a drive up north into the untamed wilderness that was the top portion of the state. The White Mountains in New Hampshire were another option, but that was also another few hours of driving. My opportunites to marvel at things like this were few and far between.

The Professor continued to ramble on the science of how the rock reacted to the sunlight, but Lloyd and I were mostly spared because we were ahead. As we walked, Lloyd appeared deep in thought, which was another rare sight. He looked over his shoulder, then frowned a little.

"Hey, I'm gonna go walk with Colette, okay?" He finally said, a pensive expression on his face.

I shrugged. "Sure, knock yourself out." Lloyd nodded and left my side.

He'd been wondering if he'd still be able to share these sights with her when she became an angel...shaking my head, I sighed dejectedly. As beautiful as this world was, it was no less cruel than Earth. Colette could see all of this, but she was unable to feel the warmth of the setting sun, or the gentle breeze that teased her hair.

Part of me wanted to hug her, to tell her that everything would be all right, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to feel that, either...

We continued onward, and now I remained ahead of the others; I took the opportunity to think. Well, I guess it was more like brooding, but I couldn't really help it. I'd always had mixed feelings about the town we were going to- in the game, its music had been relatively cheerful, despite the fact that it was the second to last stop on the Chosen's journey. Right now, it felt as if we were all marching to our own deaths. How could I know for sure that the Renegades would really save us at the Tower of Salvation? Would we even last till then, or would Kvar kill us?

I heard Lloyd's cheer, and realized I'd set foot in Hima. Stopping, I looked around in surprise. The town really was as small as the game depicted it to be. There was the inn and the shop stall next to it, and a few small houses, but only that.

"Finally! That took forever!" Lloyd ran up, looking around eagerly. His excitement died down even faster than usual. "Aw, this is it?"

"What were you expecting? Hima was visible before we started up the path." Kratos approached now.

"Ah, I dunno...I thought maybe there was more..."

"I like it. I think it's nice." Colette, ever the optimistic one, smiled.

"What do you think, Brittany?" Lloyd asked me, for the sake of making conversation.

I looked around, pretending to be deep in thought. "Well..."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm hungry!" I declared, grinning. Lloyd gave me a weird look, and if it were possible, I bet he would've sweatdropped.

"Now is not the time." Kratos said, exasperated.

"It's okay, Kratos, I'm kind of hungry too." Colette said, keeping a cheerful smile plastered on her face. She was only saying it for my benefit...

The three of us looked at her, suddenly quiet. It occurred to me that we all knew Colette could no longer eat. The silence was suffocating, and I quickly grew depressed with our circumstances. Before Colette wondered why it was suddenly tense, I spoke up.

"W-wait, I guess Pietro should come first. I'm excited to see him and all." I turned my face away from them, towards the houses, so they couldn't see how incredibly fake my expression was.

"...oh, okay." Colette agreed with me, and Lloyd sighed. Kratos stared at me again.

Before I had a chance to get fidgety under another one of the mercenary's looks, the rest of the group caught up to us. Genis and Sheena looked annoyed; apparently Raine had held them back on another one of her rants. Maybe the cliff rock shined in the moonlight, too.

"Do either of you have any idea where this Pietro fellow might be staying?" Raine asked Sheena and I, having gotten over her earlier craziness.

"He should be staying with his friend Sophia, at the inn." Sheena answered, nodding her head in the direction of the building.

"All right, let's go." Lloyd said, taking the lead. We followed him to the inn, and I prepared myself for some more game dialogue. It often bored me when I had to listen to conversations I'd already heard, not to mention it was extremely weird being able to predict every single word coming out of their mouths. It was also annoying having to feign surprise and other emotions, since I was a really bad actor. I usually tried to add to the conversations so they might be more interesting, but I could never seem to find a decent place to interject. Ah, well, I'd keep trying.

The inn was more like a small lodge, though it did have more rooms than in the game. Then again, that was true of all the inns here...seriously, who built an inn with only two rooms? ...Wait, why was I dwelling on this? A lot of things in Symphonia didn't make sense: the Wonder Chef, Kratos's hair, why Lloyd wore his swords in the hot springs...ooh, I couldn't wait to meet the potion eating gnomelettes.

"That grin is really starting to creep me out." Lloyd was looking at me, seemingly trying to hide a grin himself. "What're you thinking about?"

"Spicy," I replied automatically.

Everyone gave me an odd look.

"...Spicy?" Lloyd asked, confused.

I laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Trust me, Lloydie, you don't want to know." I had to stop myself from calling him 'loser,' knowing there was still a small chance he'd remember this later on.

He shoved me lightly. "Don't call me that, Brit...aww." Lloyd pouted, unable find a way to poke fun at my name. My grin only grew; I wasn't about to tell him what my friends sometimes called me back home, Brit's Knee. Hopefully he wouldn't figure that out on his own.

We all grew silent when we saw the expression on Sheena's face as she walked back down the stairs. She'd gone up to the room the innkeeper said Sophia was staying in, hoping to find Pietro. I was able to avoid that particular conversation, at least. Still, I was going to have to do some acting now.

"Sheena, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked, frowning with concern.

She shook her head. "Sophia...she said..." The ninja looked up at me, her eyes apologetic, and I adjusted my expression accordingly. "She said that Pietro has passed away."

Everyone else's eyes widened in shock.

"He's...dead?" I looked down, fists clenched, trying to summon up some grief. I thought of Elena, and suddenly it wasn't really acting anymore. "But he...he was fine when he left..."

"He came down with an illness shortly after he got here. It must have been from the Exsphere..." Sheena shook her head sadly.

"Were you able to find out anything else?" Raine asked, solemn.

"He didn't say anything about the ranch to Sophia, and she doesn't know anything about the Desian Orb. She did tell me his grave was at the back of the Adventurers' Graveyard, though."

I turned to the door. "I'm going to go pay him a visit, then." My voice shook. Damn, my acting plan had really backfired. I didn't want to cry again.

"Wait," Sheena said, "I'm coming too."

"Don't forget about us." Lloyd stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sniffled. "Thanks, everyone." Great, now I really wanted to cry because they were being so comforting when I didn't deserve it...

We exited the inn, heading up a small inclined path to where the Adventurers' Graveyard stood. I looked around, mildly curious; it was a normal sized cemetery, and rather well kept. Flowers lined the graves, often placed next to small mementos. I found myself wondering just who was buried here; back home when I visited graveyards, I had always occupied myself with reading the headstones. They usually bore the year the person died, as well as small tidbits of information about them, so I could guess at what the person might've been like. But this cemetery seemed...bare. The headstones here bore only the names of the deceased, nothing more. It was sort of creepy...even the headstones in Pet Sematary had more information on them. Here lies Smucky the cat, he was obediant...

...Okay, there went that train of thought. I shook my head; I really needed to focus. If I kept rambling in my head like this, I was going to miss something important.

"There it is," Sheena said quietly. There was a patch of dirt behind the rest of the graves that looked like it had been recently dug up. A small marker was set there, bearing Pietro's name. I felt like it hardly did him justice.

Hold on, what was I thinking? Pietro was alive. I was getting all worked up over nothing. It was this cemetery, that had to be it. But...what if he'd really died? What if...

Raine was frowning, and I remembered that at this point in the game she'd remark that digging up the grave was probably out of the question. She seemed to bite her tongue, though, and I was grateful.

"We should pray," Colette suggested, and I nodded in agreement. Everyone bowed their heads, silent, save for Kratos; he was standing at the back of the group like a statue as he usually did.

I contemplated the grave before me. It certainly looked big enough to hold a body...had he died? Had we taken too long to get here? Just as doubt began to cloud my mind and I felt real tears forming, the sound of uneven footsteps reached my ears.

"Hmm?" I saw Colette look up curiously, from the corner of my eye. I looked up as well, turning around; Pietro was stumbling up to us. A wave of relief rushed over me.

His lips moved, barely managing to form words. "Chosen...mana...d...die."

I blinked. How did he know about that, anyway? When he was cured in the game, he never said anything about what would happen to Colette at the end of her journey. Did the illness cause him to forget? But where could he have learned about the true nature of the World Regeneration? How confusing...ah, it was acting time.

"W...what's he saying?" Genis took a step back, looking a little afraid.

I pretended to be shocked. "Pietro, you're all right! I thought you were dead..."

A young woman came running up, stopping when she found Pietro. "Here you are."

He continued to babble. "Chosen...die...angel...die...human...ranch...underground..."

Sophia put a hand on his shoulder, her voice gentle. "You mustn't come out here. Let's go." She began to guide him back to the inn, but Raine stepped forward.

"You lied to us," she said, her voice accusing. "He's the one that escaped from the ranch!"

Lloyd's eyes widened. "Really?!" He turned to Sheena and I for confirmation, and we nodded.

"Pietro, please." I stepped forth now. "We need the Desian Orb to infiltrate the ranch. Where is it?"

"Boulder...big...underground...jewel...boulder...move...Chosen..."

I nodded. "Yeah, the escape route we used. We need the jewel."

Sophia stepped in front of him, shielding him from view. "Please, let him be!"

"Now listen," Sheena said, getting angry, "You may be happy just protecting him, but if we don't get his help, countless people from Luin are going to die!"

"And countless more have already perished..." I said quietly, regret lacing my voice. It was my fault as well. I looked up. "You have to help us."

"I'm sure Pietro has many things he wants to say as well, but because of the curse, he's been turned into this..." Sophia looked at him, and now I really noticed what the illness had done to Pietro. After escaping from the ranch, he'd started to look a little livelier, more healthy. But now...he looked like he'd never escaped at all. He was dangerously thin, his eyes hollow and almost completely blank. Looking at him made me feel squeamish; would that have happened to me?

"But he's still alive." Lloyd's voice broke through my thoughts. "The dead can't even tell us they were scared. Please. Help us."

"We want to go to the ranch," Colette said. "But we need the jewel he took to do it. Please."

Sophia sighed. "...I'm willing to help you. But in exchange, lift his curse. The healing technique left behind by Boltzman is in the Tower of Mana. That may be able to cure his curse."

"All right. But infiltrating the ranch comes first. That I won't relinquish," Raine said.

"...His things are in the grave. Take them with you; I'm sure the item you seek is amongst them."

"Thank you. We'll come back once we've acquired the healing technique." Colette smiled.

"Come...let's go." Sophia said, turning to Pietro. The two descended down the path, back in the direction of the inn.

I had to hold back a sigh of relief as I watched them leave. Everything had turned out the way it was supposed to. Pietro was alive, we could infiltrate the ranch now, and we were going to cure him later.

"This is it, right?" Suddenly a gem was shoved in my face; I jumped backwards, and fell on my ass.

"Don't do that!" I snapped at Lloyd, but he only laughed.

"You're always zoning out. It's your own fault."

"Whatever, Lloydie. Yeah, that's the one." Getting to my feet, I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Good. Shall we move out tomorrow?" Kratos finally spoke. I groaned loudly, and he glared at me. "What is it now?"

"Can't we take a day off? Walking is so boring, and I'm tired." I realized how whiny I sounded, but I really hated traveling everywhere on foot.

I saw Genis roll his eyes. "You're hanging around Lloyd too much. You sound just like him."

"Shut it, Genis!" Lloyd said; it was his automatic response to most of the boy's remarks.

"Tomorrow, then." Kratos confirmed, in response to my complaint. I was almost surprised that he didn't threaten to leave me behind, but then I realized that they would probably need my help again. Ha, did that mean I could complain as much as I wanted? ...No, the mercenary could still beat the shit out of me. Damn.

The inn had more than two rooms, but apparently there still weren't enough. We ended up sharing; I stayed with Sheena. Raine and Colette had a room together, and Lloyd roomed with Genis and Kratos. The beds were more like cots, but it was cozy enough.

I flopped on to my bed as soon as I walked in our room, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, but I wasn't really sleepy. My mind was too preoccupied with what was to come. I heard the sound of Sheena copying my movement, and when I looked over, her eyes were still open as well. It looked like neither of us were going to sleep much tonight.

"Hey, Brittany?"

"Hm?" Sheena had turned over to face me, her eyes troubled.

"How many seals do you think are left? You think Colette's almost done with the journey?"

Oh, this explained her behavior. She was still arguing with herself- she didn't know which side to take. I frowned, considering my answer. "...Well, I'm not really sure. But we've come a long way, so..."

She turned over again, sighing. "Yeah. It sure feels like the end of the road is near."

"When you put it that way, it sounds like a bad thing." I observed, not really wanting to press her, but wanting some form of a conversation.

Sheena suddenly looked uncomfortable. "No, it's not like that. I mean...well, I really don't know what I mean."

I averted my gaze, staring at the ceiling once more. "I get it. I'm scared, too." Hell, I've been scared from the beginning.

"Glad I'm not the only one." She smiled, without much humor.

We were quiet for a minute or so after that. Not wanting to brood, I occupied myself with finding pictures in the grain of the wooden walls. Before long, though, the silence was broken by my stomach's audible protests. I hadn't been lying when I'd said I was hungry earlier.

Sheena laughed quietly. "Wanna get something to eat? I don't think I'll be able to sleep much anyway."

I beamed, sitting up. "Yep, food sounds pretty much awesome right now. Let's go."

The two of us got up and left our room as quietly as we could, not wanting to disturb the others. We made our way through the darkness until we encountered the inn's small kitchen. My stomach growled again as I helped Sheena get some ingredients out; I glared at it. The ninja continually sent me amused looks.

"Maybe you should leave the cooking to me. I don't want you passing out." She grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." Then, slowly, a smile crept on to my face. "Your loss. After all, we both know how great I am at cooking."

"Second only to Raine." Sheena said, laughing.

As we spoke, she finished beating some eggs; now she was adding oil to a frying pan, heating it over one of Sylvarant's old fashioned stoves. I watched her, frowning slightly; it was still so hard to get used to this world's primitive facilities. I liked to think I was relatively familiar with them now, but every now and then I would longingly think of the advanced technology back home. The stove in my apartment had been one of those nifty flat tops; it had a little panel on it that warned you which burners were still hot. I had failed many dishes on that thing...ah, such fond memories.

I shook my head to clear it, and returned my attention to what Sheena was doing. She had cooked the eggs in the pan, and removed them. Sheena cleaned out the pan, adding more oil, and then she put in some rice. Finally, it clicked.

"You're making fried rice!" I declared enthusiastically, and she turned her head to look at me.

"You didn't realize that from the ingredients we got out?"

"Um...like I said, I'm a great cook." I offered a sheepish grin.

"Come on, you've never tried to make this before? It's the simplest thing in the world." Sheena gave me an interested look.

I shrugged. "Maybe you can teach me sometime." She had mixed the rice, eggs and a few other ingredients in the pan, and now she was emptying all of it into two bowls. "Hey, are you done? Marvelous!" I did my best Raine impression as I skipped over to her.

For the record, Sheena makes delicious fried rice. Maybe it has something to do with her Asian-ness? I mean, Mizuho-ness. Gah, same difference. Why is it that every video game has at least one place that looks exactly like Japan? Final Fantasy VII had Wutai. There were others, but I couldn't remember them at the moment...probably because I hadn't played video games in many months. All I really remembered in detail were my absolute favorites...and Symphonia, of course. How could I forget a storyline I was currently stuck in?

We sat at the small table in the kitchen, Sheena quietly picking at her rice as I shamelessly wolfed mine down. Who said I was ladylike? Well, I had manners, just not when I was starving. It doesn't help when I suck at eating. Yes, I did just say that. It should be a simple procedure, fork to food, food to mouth. Unfortunately, my food likes to jump off the fork on the way to my mouth, and land on my clothes. Or down my shirt, but we won't go there. Whenever I went out to eat with my dad, he'd always stop and watch me eat, laughing at my stupidity. Uh oh, here comes the homesickness. I quickly derailed that train of thought.

"So..." Sheena spoke, and I looked up from my food. "Tomorrow we're going back to the ranch. How're you feeling?"

I snorted. "Fucking terrified."

She raised an eyebrow. "You wanna do something about the vulgar language?"

"Sorry." I replied, shrugging. It's hard to stop saying swears once you add them to your vocabulary. Hey, isn't she supposed to say something along those lines to Zelos later on in the game? Right, it's after he calls Kratos an arrogant SOB in Sybak. Hmm, maybe I'd get along with the pervert after all. I really had no idea.

"Anyway, we've still got a lot of traveling to do before we'll even get there, so there's no point in getting worked up," I said quietly.

"So you're really going back again?"

I frowned. "Well, yeah. It's not like I have a choice...I mean, have you seen the looks Kratos has been giving me? He's going to kill me in my sleep one of these days, I swear."

"Hmph. And you have done nothing to deserve that fate, I'm sure." An annoyed, sarcastic voice interrupted us, and I began to choke on my rice.

Sheena's eyes widened as The Purple Terror strolled into the room, seating himself at the table. Dammit, I had a feeling Kratos really did eavesdrop on everyone.

I finally managed to gulp down my food. "Uh...hey, Kratos."

He glared at me for the millionth time today. Or was it past midnight already?

Panicking at his lack of a response, I quickly tried to defend my actions from earlier. "Lloyd kicked that rock, I saw him! I mean, I was going to tackle him for you, but he saw me sneaking up on him." Yeah, that sounded believeable. I was too tired and focused on food to even try.

Kratos ran a hand through his long bangs, ignoring me as I leaned over to catch a glimpse of the elusive other half of his face. "And your attempt failed, so you decided to tag him and run off?"

I nodded, totally bullshitting it now. "Yeah, I was trying to get him alone so I could tackle him then, y'know? But then I got distracted 'cause the rocks were pretty."

Even Sheena was facepalming now. Kratos wasn't smiling at my jokes, he merely looked aggravated. Then again, he never smiled at my jokes. Hell, the only reason I joked around him was so I could lighten my own mood. Right now, I was kind of worried I was going to get beat up again.

He sighed. "It seems you lie about as well as you fight."

I blinked. "That's either a really nice compliment, or a really harsh insult."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"Yeah, well I kicked that rock."

"I know."

Sheena watched our exchange tensely, looking curious but a little afraid, possibly for my safety.

"What, not going to beat me up?" Crap, why the hell was I provoking him?

"I've been resisting the urge. You're making it difficult." His glare was suddenly even scarier. Okay, time to back off. I didn't want him to hate me, that really wouldn't be good for my health.

"It was actually an accident." I held my hands up defensively. "You don't really think I'm that stupid, do you? I mean, sometimes I say dumb things, but I wouldn't actually kick rocks at you-"

"Go to bed, Brittany." He stood up, choosing now to ignore me. "And you as well, Ms. Fujibayashi."

Sheena mumbled an apology, going to wait for me by the doorway. She didn't really know Kratos too well yet, but she was apparently smart enough to know that his word was law.

I, on the other hand, wasn't finished with my rice. I voiced this fact to him, in the form of a whiny protest. In reply, he snatched away my bowl.

"You'll live. Now get some sleep."

"You just wanted to steal my food. That's why you came in here. You abuse your authority, Aurion." I grumbled. My lack of sleep was really preventing me from thinking before I spoke. Sheena had already fled to the safety of our room.

Kratos narrowed his eyes. "If you are not in bed within the next ten seconds, I will personally see to it that you room with me for the duration of this journey."

My mouth opened in a gape. Room with Kratos? The rest of the journey? Holy crap, AWKWARD. And scary, and potentially painful. And sort of perverted sounding, if you really think about it. I quickly backed out of the room, making my escape before I accused Kratos of being a pedophile. I had a feeling that comment wouldn't have gone over well.

Chapter Text

I yawned, stretching in my chair. Light filtered in through the thin blue curtain over the window, giving the room a blue tint. Hey, I was in my old room! I looked around, observing my various dragon-related decorations. Was I dreaming again? I had moved out of here a while ago. All of this stuff was in Maine; I didn't live in central New York anymore.

'She's not even paying attention to where she's going.' I heard a laugh, recognizing the voice of my friend, Sarah. She was sitting on my bed, along with several other people. Huh, I hardly ever hung out with some of these guys...ah, well. I guess I could be popular in my dream.

'Where I'm going...?' I asked reflexively, and realized I was holding a controller. I was playing a video game, then? Agh, don't tell me I was playing Tales of Symphonia. That would just be cruel.

Hmm, nope. I was holding a PS2 controller, not a Gamecube one. My thumb was pressing up on the control pad. I finally looked up, deciding to see what the hell I was doing.

Oh, hey, I was playing Silent Hill 2! Hadn't thought about that game in a while. Now this dream sort of made sense...I did have people over every now and then for a scare-fest. It was usually amusing enough. I got distracted, looking over at some of my friends. There was Leah, and...oh, Cassandra was back in this dream, too. Hi, Cass!

A familiar gurgling noise reached my ears, and several of the others gave me looks. Cass pointed at the TV screen. 'Uh...hello...'

I turned to look, and saw that the main character, James, was about to get his face eaten off by a monster. Ah, time to beat it with a steel pipe! I killed off the creature, grinning happily as some of my friends made faces. Not all of them had experienced the delightful world of Silent Hill.

And so, I sent James onward, through what looked to be the Labyrinth of watery sewage-like doom. The stupid grin was still on my face, and I vaguely remembered how scared I'd been when I first played this a few years ago. Now it was cake.

Now Leah shrunk back, growing tense. 'Brittanyyyy...'

Something had appeared in my line of sight, at the end of the corridor. Oh crap, it was Pyramid Head. The old fear returned; I never really had gotten over him. For you Silent Hill virgins, his name is pretty self-explanitory. And symbolic of something incredibly perverted.

"Shitshitshitshitshit..." I unleashed a string of swears as I turned James around; the poor guy actually looked scared. Hell, he had every right to be. Pyramid Head began to give chase, and he'd somehow acquired his Great Knife even though I was supposed to have stolen it earlier in the game; I ran for the hills before James could be murdered and/or ass raped. Why was I being chased? He never chased James in this place during my last few playthroughs...gah, I wasn't going to escape at this rate. I made him duck into a new corridor, and Pyramid Head's steps slowed, searching. Maybe I should just let Jamesy die, so I could reset the game and pick a better route. As I looked at the screen, James actually turned and glared at me. Shut up, James, you're not even real.

Immediately after I had that thought, the room went dark. Wait, no...it wasn't even my room anymore. I was ankle deep in water. Eh? Why was I holding a pipe?

'Not real, huh?' James's voice echoed in the corridor, though he was nowhere to be seen. 'If I'm not, neither are you. I don't think he cares either way.'

'Uh...who?' I looked around frantically, eyes wide with disbelief. The only thing illuminating the passage was a flashlight clipped to my coat. I heard the sound of footsteps, sloshing through the dirty water, coming from around the corner. A loud screeching noise met my ears as well; metal on concrete.

Oh, fuck. The tip of a large, pyramid shaped helmet had appeared at the mouth of the passageway. Fuuuuuck. The figure continued to move, coming into full view. I froze up with terror as Pyramid Head turned to look at me. He considered me for a moment, dragging his massive knife with a gloved hand. He seemed to decide that although I wasn't James, I was good enough prey. He began to advance towards me.

I did what any sane person would do: I fucking ran. Unfortunately, since this was a dream, I couldn't seem to run fast enough. Even more unfortunate, even though this was a dream, I could feel everything perfectly well. So was it really a dream? I could hear the bastard chasing me, feel the resistance of the water at my feet as I ran, and see...

Well, I could see that this passage was a dead end. Literally.

I stopped at the wall before me, shocked. Oh dear God, this couldn't be happening-

Seconds after I realized what was about to happen, I was suddenly slammed into the wall, my stomach somehow pinned against it. I looked down; something was protruding from my middle. Something metal...oh...I had been impaled.

The huge knife was pulled out of me and I fell to the ground; the water was gone. The floor suddenly felt like steel...it was wet with my own blood. I felt woozy and faint.

Laughter reached my ears. I was in the Desian Ranch now. Kvar stood over me, chuckling; I was unable to move due to my fatal wound. He leaned over and ripped my Exsphere and Key Crest off, causing even more pain to explode throughout my body. I tried to scream, but it came out as the anguished roar of a monster...

Yggdrasill was there too; he smirked, watching as Pyramid Head stabbed me again and again, then turned to where the corpses of Lloyd and the others already lay. Blood coated the walls of our slaughterhouse. Even Kratos lay dead beside his son, his Judgment outfit stained with crimson.

The color faded out of my vision...

...and I woke up, gasping.

My entire body was trembling violently; I looked around warily, alert and terrified even though soft morning light was filtering through the windows of the inn. It took me at least thirty seconds to realize I wasn't dead.

Holy mother of God, that had to be the worst nightmare I'd ever had in my life. I placed both hands on my stomach, trying to convince myself that the wound was gone. Sheena's bed was empty; at least I hadn't woken her up.

I heard pounding footsteps coming from the hallway, and I tensed, looking up. The door burst open and Lloyd came running in. He held a piece of toast, his hair messy; a concerned look was on his face.

"Brittany! Are you all right? What's wrong?" His eyes searched the room for a possible threat.

"Huh?" I stared at him, confused.

He blinked, calming down a little. "I heard a scream. That was you, wasn't it?"

"...Oh." I finally understood. "Sorry...I had a really bad dream."

Suddenly Kratos was in the room as well, sword drawn. "What happened?" His sharp gaze rested on me.

"Bad dream..." Lloyd repeated, sighing with relief. "Man, you had me scared for a minute there."

Kratos regained his composure, frowning. "I have heard that eating before bed increases the likelihood of having nightmares." Oh, great. Was he scolding me now?

"Yeah, well going to bed hungry isn't healthy either." I retorted, receiving a "hmph" in return. The mercenary sheathed his sword, and left the room. Jeez, only Kratos would be lugging that thing around this early in the morning.

Lloyd looked troubled. "You sure you're all right?"

I shrugged. "...I think so."

"What was the dream about?" Now he leaned against the wall opposite my bed, curious.

I stared hard at him for a moment, remembering the horrific details from the nightmare. Lloyd's mangled body had been sprawled next to his father, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness...I felt the sudden urge to cry. I just wanted to hug him right now, to make sure he was real.

"What?" Lloyd asked, disturbed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing...I don't want to talk about it."

He frowned a little, puzzled. "...Okay. C'mon, maybe some breakfast will make you feel better."

I nodded, although the thought of food made me a little sick. "Yeah."

Upon entering the kitchen, I was grateful that I wasn't really hungry. As it turned out, Raine was cooking breakfast. I turned to Lloyd, eyeing his piece of toast suspiciously. He shrugged.

"I managed to get the first one she made, before she started adding in red satay..." He murmured to me, shuddering.

Spicy toast? Urgh... "Why couldn't you get Genis to cook?"

Lloyd sighed. "He's still sleeping! I would be too, if he hadn't woken me up..." He glared accusingly at Kratos, who ignored him.

I frowned. That's right, we still had to train...plus Kratos was probably trying to break Lloyd's habit of sleeping in whenever possible. Heh.

Suddenly Lloyd gave me a look, and grinned. "Hey, why don't you take over? You still have a bunch of turns to cook before you're even with the rest of us."

"Uh-" I started to protest, but the brunette had already turned to Raine.

"Hey, Professor Sage! Brittany says she really wants to cook today. She's been begging me for the past ten minutes."

What the- was he serious? I glared at him as the Professor turned around.

"But I'm having a breakthrough!" She said eagerly, "Different types of satay on toast- think of the possibilities!"

Lloyd looked creeped out for a moment, but immediately adopted his shameless grin once again. "Please, Professor? It's her turn again, anyway. Besides, she might cry if she doesn't get to..."

I smacked my forehead, noticing that Kratos was watching the entire ordeal with an eyebrow raised.

Raine frowned, put out. "...Well, I suppose it's all right, if it's that important to you, Brittany."

I started to mention that it wasn't important at all, and I'd gladly let her blow up the kitchen, but Lloyd slapped a hand over my mouth just in time. As soon as Raine left the room to find something else to do, he burst out laughing.

"I'm gonna smack you into next week, Lloydie." I grumbled, but he ignored my threat and clapped my shoulder encouragingly.

"Make something good, okay?" With that, he left the room, still laughing.

"Crap." I sighed loudly, and turned to the only person left in the room; he promptly got up to leave as well.

"W-wait!" I protested, "Don't leave me here! You've gotta help me!"

Kratos paused briefly, looking over his shoulder. A small smirk played at his lips. "You'll do fine." And then he was gone; yet another person gained amusement at my expense...

Now I groaned, sitting at the table with my head in my hands. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

Breakfast. Breakfast foods...okay, I could do this. I had overcome weeks in the Asgard Ranch, I could make some goddamned breakfast. What to cook? Pancakes were out of the question; I'd always used the powdered mix back home, and that obviously didn't exist here. Waffles? No. There weren't frozen Eggos here either. Cereal or bagels? No way.

Damn, the only breakfast food I really knew how to cook was scrambled eggs...only scrambled. That was hardly a breakfast. And I'd probably find a way to burn them, knowing my luck.

Frowning, I got up and started looking through all the supplies and ingredients we had. Raine had ruined all the bread with her pathetic toast attempts, of course. Wow, our stuff was unorganized. This might take a minute.

As I stalled, my mind began to wander back to the dream I'd had. I wasn't so shook up about it anymore, but the whole thing just troubled me. I found myself wishing I had one of those dream books, where you could look up what each thing in your dream symbolized. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about dreams and psychology, unless you could count a certain Dane Cook joke involving giant crabs and homosexuality. Moving on...

It had been the third of my dreams about home, and yet so different. Pretty cruel, too. I was stuck in a video game, and what did I have to dream about? Being at home playing a video game, of course. And then getting stuck in that particular game. My frown deepened. The dream must've been caused by my nervousness about going to the ranch. That had to be it. I didn't want to die by Kvar's hand, that was all.

But then, where had all that other crap come from? Maybe Pyramid Head was the physical embodiment of my fears, or something. I was terrified of him, anyway.

Not real, huh? If I'm not, neither are you. I don't think he cares either way.

I froze, remembering James's words. Did that mean...Tales of Symphonia wasn't the only exception? Did all video games exist as real worlds out there somewhere? Not just games, but novels and movies and all that, too?

That was a frightening thought. If that was true, then...all those times I'd just given up and let a character die, was I allowing someone to suffer in some alternate reality? In that case, I'd caused a lot of pain to others. Shit, what about all the stories I'd written? All the characters I'd killed off...

Was Earth just one big story that someone out there wrote? Were all the wars we'd had just interesting plot twists? Was the universe just an intricate web of other peoples' imaginations?

I was getting a headache.

Shaking my head fiercely to clear it, I turned back to the supplies I'd gotten out. Pondering all the possible meanings of that dream wouldn't get me anywhere. I was probably just reading into it too much; the stress of this journey was just getting to me.

The array of ingredients I'd set before me looked, truthfully, rather pathetic. Raine had gotten away with cooking too many times...our food had suffered the consequences. She'd used up all the satay on toast, which sucked, since that stuff was nifty as well as friggin' expensive.

How the hell was I going to put anything together with this? We didn't have any eggs; I was so screwed. Sheena had probably used the last of them up for our midnight snack. Damn me and my random hunger pangs.

Okay, I had to do something. Maybe the innkeeper wouldn't notice if I stole some of their food? Determined, I began to rifle through the kitchen drawers and cabinets. Most of them were empty or full of silverware. I sighed with frustration, when suddenly I saw something sitting in the corner of one of the cabinets. Frowning, I reached out and picked it up.

No way. Pocky?! It was a box of pocky! Awesome!

Wait a minute, what the hell was that doing here? It had a price sticker on it that said 'Wegmans'...

Just as I began to get really confused and excited, the box poofed into thin air. I coughed and hacked at the smoke suddenly surrounding me, rubbing my eyes. Gah, today just wasn't my day.

Eh? Now a man in green trousers with a red cape stood before me, a rather triumphant grin on his face. Well, half his face...part of it was covered by a mess of blonde hair. Wait, I knew this guy...

He held up a giant fork, attempting to look heroic. "It is I, the Wonder Chef!"

I raised my eyebrows at him, unsure of whether I should be happy about this or not. The pocky was gone, he'd scared the shit out of me, but then again, he radiated awesomeness.

"Um, hi," I said stupidly, unable to think up a response. "...Can I help you?"

He bopped me on the head with his fork. "No, no. It is you who needs help, Brittany!"

I frowned, puzzled. "I do-wait, you know my name?!"

"Of course! I know everything!"

"Okay, then where am I from?" I challenged.

"Kennebunk, Maine, United States, North America, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy..." He paused, considering anything else he should add to the list, as I gawked.

"W-what else do you know about me?!"

The Wonder Chef's grin grew; he seemed to enjoy talking. Unlike Kvar, though, most of the things he listed were completely irrelevant. "You have a French heritage! Your father's middle name is Jarvis! You collect ticket stubs, and you like candy necklaces!"

Sweatdrop. "Have you, er...been leaking information to the Desians, by any chance?" Seriously, how else could they have known about me?

His grin fell. "Desians? Heavens, no! Have you seen the food they eat? Ghastly! Who do they let into their kitchen?"

I continued to stare at him as he rambled on, no longer sure if he'd even answered my question. This guy was even crazier than I thought he'd be...

Wait! If he knew about me, then maybe... "Hey, can you tell me how to get home?"

He cocked his head. "The same way you came here, I should think. Say, are you cooking?" He stared at some ruined toast, still sitting on the counter. "Satay on toast?! Blasphemy!"

"Uh..." I attempted to recover from his random outburst, and quickly tried asking again. "N-no, I don't know how I got here, but maybe you do, so..."

The chef looked up, confused. "How who got where?"

I resisted the sudden urge to hit my head against something. "Me. Sylvarant."

Taking a seat at the table, he appeared deep in thought. I joined him, waiting impatiently for his answer.

"Well...have you tried setting your Rheiard to 'wumbo'?"

Now I did hit my head against the table, causing some of the ingredients to fall to the floor. "What?!"

"Oh, now look what you've done..." The Wonder Chef pouted, bending over to pick them up.

I rubbed my forehead, giving up. Seriously, a Spongebob reference? The scary part was, he hadn't sounded like he was joking. Did he know how I could go home, or didn't he? Agh, at any rate, I wasn't going to get any information out of him. His attention span was shorter than Lloyd's.

Finally I sighed, deciding to let it go. Might as well stick with plan A, getting Lloyd to use the Eternal Sword. I watched the Wonder Chef get distracted again and start to juggle some of the things he'd picked up, and suddenly I remembered my earlier predicament. I had to make breakfast, and the freakin' Wonder Chef was sitting right in front of me. Could my luck get any better?

"Uh, hey..." I waved a hand, trying to get his attention. "I was wondering, could you help me make breakfast? I'm kind of a bad cook..."

The Wonder Chef stood, hands planted at his hips as he laughed. "Nonsense! Everyone has the ability to create a tasty meal, with proper instruction!"

He really believed that? The poor guy would probably cry if he ever met Raine.

"To the stove!" he yelled dramatically, even though the appliance was only a few feet away. He pointed at it, and the burners instantly produced flame. Whoa, that was pretty cool.

"W-wait, what're we making?" I asked tentatively, joining him at the stove.

"Omelettes! They're a scrumptious way to start the day!" He reached down and pulled an egg out of my pocket, leaving me extremely creeped out.

"Where the hell did that egg come from?" I looked at it incredulously.

"Your pocket! Isn't that convenient?" He replied cheerfully, cracking said egg into a bowl. I patted down my other pockets, paranoid, but found no other food items. When I looked up, the chef had a dozen eggs sitting in front of him.

"Hey! What about those?" I pointed my finger accusingly. He eyed them, and looked pleasantly surprised.

"Oh! What do you know? Just what I needed!" He grabbed another egg as I smacked my forehead. This guy was impossible.

And so, the famed (or according to Kratos, mythical) Wonder Chef taught me how to make omelettes. I kept messing up, but we never ran out of eggs; he'd always pull some out of a ridiculous place every time we needed more. I got a little more weirded out when he lined them up and put mini chef hats on them. Honestly, he was a teensy bit insane...

Wait a minute! That's right, now I had the chance to prove the Wonder Chef was real, and rub it in Kratos's face. Ohoho, I was getting excited already.

"Hey, could you give me a second? One of my friends is...a diehard fan of yours." I told the blonde, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

He turned to me, and began grinning as well. "Yes, yes, of course! I always make time for my fans!" He said this, and yet he seemed surprised to have any fans at all...I had to stifle a giggle.

As soon as I got my answer, I turned and bolted out the door, beginning my search for the mercenary. Unfortunately, he had the uncanny ability to pull vanishing acts when you needed him most. Not that I absolutely needed him right now, but...gah, I had to find him!

Let's see...where had he gone? He wasn't in his room at the inn, so he had to be somewhere in town. It couldn't be that hard, considering how tiny Hima was.

Walking through the town, I looked around with a thoughtful frown. Okay, he didn't know anyone here, so he wouldn't have just barged into any of the houses...you could do that in the game, but that wasn't exactly realistic. Heh.

"Hey!"

I looked up, eyebrows raised, as Lloyd came running over to me. His arms were full with what looked like different types of gels...ah, the Professor was standing near the shop stall. Had they been stocking up?

"Yo." I simply replied, attempting to examine the colors of gels they'd bought. Yay, we finally had a few lemon gels! I had to make sure to steal some.

He frowned. "You're done with breakfast already?"

"Uh, no." I offered a sheepish smile, "Almost, though. Do you know where Kratos is?"

"Huh, Kratos? What do you need him for?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I need to show him something."

"Did you blow up the kitchen?" Lloyd started to facepalm.

"Hey! Who do you think I am?!"

"Right, right." He rolled his eyes. "I don't know where he is...try the graveyard. He seems to like weird places like that."

"Okay." I turned on my heel and jogged away, still a bit annoyed at his kitchen remark. Graveyard...why didn't I think of that? Lloyd was right about that; Kratos did seem to like graves. Probably because he was emo. He could go and tell the graves how he was dead inside, and go slash-happy on his wrists, and-no, bad Brittany. Kratos will sense your thoughts and kick your ass. Or not. Maybe he'll just kick your ass because he doesn't like you.

Crap. I had arrived at the graveyard, and there was no sign of the purple mercenary. There was just the graves, and the dug up one that we'd once thought belonged to Pietro. Shouldn't someone fix that? It didn't look very nice...

I turned around, glancing toward another pathway, one that led even further up the cliff. Eh, it couldn't hurt to check. I hadn't seen him anywhere around town, anyway.

Thankfully, the path was fairly short. Within the next few moments, I had made it to the summit. I shivered; there was a pretty cold wind up here.

The view was amazing. I felt like I could see all of Sylvarant spread out before me; the cliff rose above the clouds, but they were sparse today. Eyes wide, I looked out over the mountains, until I remembered why I had come up here.

His back was to me as he looked out at the place where he'd betray us in due time. So this was where Kratos had disappeared to, probably seeking to isolate himself as he always did. I hadn't exactly been quiet coming up here, but he didn't make any move to acknowledge my presence. The tails of his cape swayed in the chilly wind, and he stood completely still.

The Tower...up until now, I'd only gotten the occasional glimpse of it. I usually avoided looking at the damned thing, since it only reminded me of Cruxis and what was to come. Tower of Salvation? Hah, more like Tower of Death.

I was suddenly chilled to the bone, and I had a feeling it wasn't the wind. Oh God, I couldn't do this, I was never cut out for this journey...

Shit, I didn't come up here to scare myself. I had to show Kratos that the Wonder Chef was real, and the look on his face would be hilarious, and it would definitely cheer me up.

The wind blew again. I shuddered, while the mercenary remained unmoving. I had been about to approach him, but I faltered; what was he thinking about? He couldn't be in very high spirits. Was he worried about Lloyd? He must've hated himself for ever letting his son come on this journey. Kratos had killed his wife, and now he thought he was going to have to kill his own child.

He had all this crap on his shoulders, and all I ever did was get on his case. Dammit, what was I doing here? At least I knew my family was safe and sound back home. My world wasn't at stake; I only had to worry about myself. It was about time I stopped annoying him to cheer myself up.

Yeah. We'd start fresh, right now. I turned back towards the path, intent on leaving him alone.

"Brittany."

I jumped, only to see him staring at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh, hi, Kratos." Ugh. So much for new beginnings.

"Was there something you wanted?" His expression was unreadable, as usual.

"N-no. Never mind...It's nothing, really." I tried to retreat back down the cliff as hastily as I could without seeming suspicious. The Wonder Chef would be disappointed, but I could always drag one of the others over-

"Did you die?"

"Eh?" I looked back, confused.

"In your dream." His gaze was scrutinizing; he was still watching me, with his arms crossed.

I blinked, and quickly averted my gaze. "...Yeah."

"How?"

Why did he care? Usually I was the one asking the questions in our conversations.

"I was..." I gulped. "I was stabbed." I didn't have the guts to say 'impaled'; every time I thought of that word, I felt as if I were reliving that part of the dream. My hand subconsciously went to my stomach.

"I see." He didn't look surprised.

Frowning, I just shook my head. "It was a stupid nightmare, anyway."

"If you remain doubtful of yourself, you will become a burden," he said abruptly.

"...Huh?" Right, where the hell had that come from?

Kratos sighed. "You dream frequently."

"A lot of people do," I replied, confused and a little annoyed. He kept jumping around with unrelated topics, which really threw me off; Kratos was supposed to always make sense.

He only arched an eyebrow at my answer. "Do they? I cannot recall any of the others tossing and turning as much as you do at night."

"What does this have to do with me being a burden?"

"Your sleep and state of mind are being affected. You've been distracted during training, and if you are preoccupied at the ranch..."

"...I'll be killed. I know." I couldn't help but feel frusturated at his words; what the hell did he expect me to do? I was probably going to die anyway, given how weak I was compared to the others.

"Telling someone about it may help you clear your conscience," he said, answering my unasked question.

"You want me to...tell someone?"

Kratos nodded. "I believe Lloyd asked you about it, did he not? Perhaps-"

"No." I cut him off, smiling. "I'll tell you, since you probably don't want to hear it."

The look on his face confirmed that yes, he had been hoping I would run off to one of the others. I'd told myself I would stop intentionally annoying him, but...dammit, if I talked to Lloyd, he'd just get even more apprehensive about the ranch. I didn't need him getting all distracted too; at least I knew Kratos's performance wouldn't be affected by the fucked up story I was about to tell him.

Kratos didn't do anything to stop me, so I walked up next to him and sat down. My eyes rested on the Tower once again. I bit my lip, thinking of how I was going to word this while trying to ignore the mercenary's irritation.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye; Kratos seemed to shrug off his displeasure as he grudgingly sat beside me. Ha, it was his own fault for bringing it up.

He allowed me several seconds of silence before glaring impatiently. "Well?"

I fidgeted a little, suddenly very uncomfortable. Now I had his attention; there was no way I could leave. Okay...ugh, I really didn't want to talk about that stupid dream.

I took a deep breath, and opened my mouth to start.

"I...I was in a really dark place...an underground maze. There was dirty water up to my ankles."

My voice was shaking just a little, but I forced myself to continue. I told him every detail about the nightmare, except for the very beginning and Yggdrasill's presence at the end...

Footsteps, sloshing through the water, coming from around the corner. The screech of metal on concrete.

The tip of a large, pyramid shaped helmet appearing at the mouth of the passageway.

A monster dragging a gore covered knife, hunting, chasing...

Something was protruding from my middle. Something metal...oh...I had been impaled.

Kvar stood over me, chuckling.

My friends, massacred.

Blood coated the walls of our slaughterhouse...

...And I finally finished, trembling helplessly. Once I'd begun to talk, I had found myself unable to stop. Now my mind was back in that dark place.

"Th...that's all," I said quietly when Kratos didn't respond. "I woke up right after. And I guess I screamed, but...but I don't remember."

The mercenary remained silent, his expression stony. I began to wonder if he'd just zoned out the entire time; it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Unsure if he'd even reply and yet unwilling to get up and walk away, I remained where I was and waited. The cold wind hadn't died down and certainly didn't go unnoticed; I found myself wishing I had bought a cape of my own, glancing enviously at Kratos. Eventually I settled for tugging my long gloves up further, which did little to comfort my bare shoulders.

"Hm." He finally spoke, shifting a little. "You're nervous about our upcoming battle."

Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.

"Tell me something I don't know," I remarked, sullen.

He ignored me, and continued. "The monster in the labyrinth links to your feelings of being hunted by the Desians. The labyrinth itself, however, symbolizes feelings of being trapped and lost."

I looked at him, taken aback. Jeez, his head was like a dream dictionary.

"You're feeling inadequate and desperate to escape from your situation; you also feel that you lack in areas where the others do not." His eyes had narrowed slightly as he interpreted my nightmare.

My mouth had opened in a gawk, and I quickly attempted to regain my composure. I really hadn't expected him to immediately see all of my doubts like that. I'd actually been waiting him to just scoff and say something along the lines of "get over it." Dammit, I kept all of my negative feelings private for a reason!

Feeling suddenly defensive, I tried to shift the subject away from myself. "Um, were you a psychiatrist in a past life or something?"

"I have learned quite a bit in my travels."

"I never thought you knew so much about feelings." I smiled wryly, but he wasn't fooled.

"Your discomfort is understandable. Be that as it may, these dreams will not end until you face the problems they are stemming from." His red-brown eyes locked on mine, and my smile fell. That was great and all, except for the fact that I reeeeally didn't want to.

"But I...ugh." I fell on my back, at a loss of what to say.

Kratos didn't scold me for my reluctance; he simply got to his feet, turning to leave. "Hmph. If you wish to ignore it, feel free. Just remember that the situation can be remedied, should you be inclined to try."

I scowled. His tone was neutral, but his words definitely implied that I was being childish. I once again wondered if he thought I was weak.

The mercenary began to walk away, and I struggled to find a retort to his statement. After a second or two, I was forced to settle with a groan. "Dammit. Why the hell are you always right?"

He stopped, glancing over his shoulder at me as I sat up. Thankfully he knew it was a rhetorical question, because I was sure his answer would be something like "Because you suck" or "Because I'm a sparkly angel, teehee."

Okay, maybe not. The latter would be amusing, though. I shook my head a little to clear it, and continued to speak.

"Still, I'm always going to feel weak compared to the others. No matter how much I train, they'll always be more experienced."

"The very knowledge that you can accept that fact shows me that you have become stronger."

My eyes widened. "R...Really?"

"It's pointless to compare yourself to others. Continue to focus on your own skills, and perhaps you can lessen your feelings of incompetence." Kratos looked back at the path leading down the cliff, and I stood up to follow him.

"...Yeah. I'll do that." I said softly, but I knew his sensitive ears picked it up.

We walked down the pathway in relative silence as I mulled over all that he'd said to me. Man, he really did dish out some decent advice every now and then. Why couldn't there be more guys like him on Earth? I had never met anyone quite like Kratos before.

The mercenary suddenly frowned, and looked at me. "Don't tell me you still haven't made breakfast."

I tensed up, realizing how long we'd been up there. "Oh, crap!"

He sighed, a hand reaching up to his forehead in an irritated gesture. "Very well...I'll help, but only because you're going to waste more time if I don't."

"No, no, you don't get it." I shook my head, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "The Wonder Chef...I forgot all about him..."

"Brittany, the Wonder Chef doesn't exist." Now he was rubbing his temples, exasperated.

I frowned, giving him an annoyed look. "Whatever you say, Kratos."

Chapter Text

In a mere second, the room became dead silent. Kratos stood tense, his sword aimed at the man's throat. The unfortunate individual blinked, paling a few shades. I frantically tried to think of a way to fix this without anyone getting killed.

We had finally arrived back at the Hima inn, and Kratos had followed me to the kitchen. I hadn't expected the Wonder Chef to still be there, and I certainly hadn't expected him to jump out at the mercenary with a very clever shout of "Boo!"

Apparently Kratos hadn't seen it coming either, which explained why the chef was currently about to be speared on the tip of his sword.

The mercenary seemed to realize that the man before him posed no true threat, and lowered his blade. "Who are you?" He demanded.

"He certainly is an aggressive one, isn't he?" The chef pouted, looking at me, as if his near death experience had never happened. Kratos was not amused.

"Answer my question."

"Oh, don't mind him." I told the blonde, my voice apologetic. "That's just...how they shake hands in his country."

I attempted to ignore the look Kratos was giving me, as the Wonder Chef grinned.

"Ah! Is that so? In that case..." He whipped a short sword out of nowhere, beginning to point it at the mercenary. "How do you do, sir-augh!"

Kratos moved forward like lightning, bashing the chef in the face with the pommel of his sword. The Wonder Chef fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding nose, as I gaped.

"K-Kratos!"

The swordsman responded by gripping my arm painfully, glaring. His eyes were narrowed, demanding an explanation.

"I can't believe you hit the Wonder Chef..." I murmured. To be fair, the chef did have it coming, but still...

"...What?" Kratos stared at me like I had gone mad.

The chef winced, gingerly pulling a hand away from his face.

"Oh, wow...you broke his nose, too."

"The Wonder Chef-"

"-Is right there." I interrupted, pointing at him. "And you broke his friggin' nose. Way to go, Aurion."

The mercenary, who was beginning to look extremely irate, stepped forward and reached a hand out to the man's nose. A green light flashed; in the blink of an eye, the chef was healed.

"Happy?" Kratos looked back at me.

"Hey, thanks a lot!" The Wonder Chef smiled happily, hopping to his feet. "Say, would you like a tomato? I've got plenty-"

WHACK.

The pommel of Kratos's sword once again became acquainted with the chef's face, this time knocking him out cold.

Several awkward minutes later, we stood in the room Sheena and I shared. I continually cast furtive glances towards the mercenary, feeling dangerously close to laughing.

"...That went well," I finally said, staring down at the blonde on my bed. The chef had begun snoring loudly, despite the fact that he was unconscious.

"Hm." Kratos stared as well, looking the tiniest bit uncomfortable. Well, I guess I couldn't blame him. The guy had tomatoes! It was only self defense...right? Heh.

I couldn't hide my grin anymore. "So...are tomatoes your only weakness?"

He grunted, turning to leave. "He was suspicious and his movements unpredictable. He gave me no choice."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." I replied, stifling a giggle.

"You will speak of this to no one." He glared, cutting my giggle short. "Understand?"

I gulped. "Y-yes, sir."

"Good." With that last word, he was out the door.

I forced myself to hold my breath for at least ten seconds after he left, before breaking down into fits of laughter. Poor, poor Kratos.

Wait, why was I feeling sorry for him? It was the Wonder Chef who got his nose broken...twice. At least he'd been healed both times, but still. I'd have to apologize when he came to...

I sighed, walking to the side of my bed and pulling the sheets up over the sleeping (unconscious?) chef. Really, it was weird seeing him here for so long...didn't he poof away after a few seconds in the game? Well, I guess that didn't make much sense...you couldn't learn a whole recipe that fast.

Recipe...wait, hadn't he been teaching me how to make an omelette? I'd only successfully made one before going to get Kratos. Which meant...I'd never finished breakfast! Uh-oh.

"Whoa!" Lloyd's voice cut off my thoughts, coming from the direction of the kitchen. I looked up curiously.

"Not bad." Genis sounded surprised.

"It looks really good!" Colette said cheerily.

"Hey, I thought she couldn't cook!" Sheena protested.

"Yes, she did seem a bit reluctant when Lloyd brought her over this morning..." Raine remarked. Wait a minute, she knew?! Dammit, they were all in on it!

"..." Yeah, that silence was definitely Kratos.

Standing up, I approached the doorway, only to stop short when I ran into something red.

"Brittany! Wow, nice job on breakfast!" Lloyd was grinning, completely oblivious to the caped man laying on the bed. "C'mon, we can't start eating without you!" He grabbed my arm, dragging me into the kitchen.

As soon as we entered, my mouth opened in a gawk. How had I not noticed that before? The table was set perfectly, a steaming omelette at every seat. The chef had also put out some toast (once again, where had he gotten that bread?) and muffins.

"You did all this?" Sheena gave me a disbelieving look. I attempted to straighten out my expression, and shrugged.

"Uh...yup! Omelettes are the only thing I can cook, so I did my best."

Kratos raised an eyebrow at me, but said nothing. We both had our reasons not to speak of what had transpired earlier.

We all seated ourselves, and dug in. Seriously, I'd have to thank the Wonder Chef later. Today was just made of awesome. Sadly, though, now that the bar was set, I'd have a difficult time living up to the others' breakfast standards...ah well, I'd figure that out when the time came.

"You ready for training? We'd better hurry, or Kratos will have a reason to push us off the cliff..." Lloyd grimaced.

"Yeah, just give me a sec-" I trailed off as we reached the door to my room. Eh?

My bed was empty. Disappointed, I walked up and lifted up the covers, as if he'd be hiding under them. Nope, the Wonder Chef was gone.

The sound of footsteps came from behind me as Lloyd walked up. I bent over, seeing a square shape nestled in the blankets. It was...

"...I think I'm in love..." I murmured, holding up the box of pocky I'd seen earlier. It didn't vanish this time.

"Huh?" The other teen gave me an incredulous look. "Uh, what is that?"

I shook my head, shoving the box into my bag with a grin. "Nothing."

He reached over me, trying to grab it. "Hey, I saw that! Is it something good? Gimmeee."

"Get off!" I tried to shove him, holding the bag away from him.

"Lemme see!"

"No, it's mine!"

"Give it!"

"Agh, never!"

"Children!" The next shout caused us to go stock still, looking up at a certain auburn haired man standing in the doorway. He didn't look too pleased.

"Um..." Lloyd attempted to explain. "She started it."

"Act your age." Kratos frowned.

"But you just called us-" I started to protest, but he cut me off.

"Outside. Now."

The two of us stood to follow the purple mercenary; Lloyd grumbled, while I remained quiet. I had already put Kratos through enough today; I could tell his patience was wearing thin. I wasn't his kid, so...yeah, he probably would shove me off the cliff. It'd look like an accident. And if I died, Lloyd would get my pocky, dammit.

I made sure to kick my bag under the bed before we walked out.

Training went by very fast. Kratos was right; telling someone about the dream really helped. It was a complete load off my shoulders. Not only that, I was feeling reasonably cheered due to the Wonder Chef's help with breakfast. And the pocky, don't forget the pocky.

I was able to focus more now, and I didn't get discouraged so easily. It was impossible for me to stop comparing myself to the others, though, but the fact that Kratos believed I had gotten stronger had really bolstered my spirits. If I kept training like this, maybe I could eventually make a difference when it came down to it! Even if it was just a small difference, anything at all would be enough. I just hated feeling so useless and weak, especially when we faced people like Kvar.

And if the Desians were hunting me...I was terrified of getting captured again. What if I was taken to another ranch? I had to get stronger. I didn't want to go through all that a second time. Ugh, what if I ended up in Rodyle's ranch? Forcystus was cool and had a spiffy eye patch, but Rodyle...ew. I could escape from the Iselia Ranch, but there was no way I'd get away from one that was in the middle of the ocean.

Soon after we finished our training session, we packed up to leave. It had been a long morning, mostly because of all the time I wasted with breakfast, but no one was angry about that. Even Kratos didn't seem to mind; he wasn't exactly eager to go back to the ranch, either. Nonetheless, at around ten a.m., we found ourselves traveling down the sloped path out of Hima. The mercenary seemed to grow more agitated with every step we took. The others noticed this, and I walked a little ahead as a Z-skit I remembered distinctly began to play out.

"I'm not angry!" I heard Kratos growl menacingly, and turned to see everyone behind me flinch as it suddenly became very quiet. I sighed a little, feeling the cheer from earlier quickly dissipate. Kratos...

"...Forgive me." He murmured, looking mildly depressed. And if the normally stoic mercenary was letting even a little sadness show through, chances were he was dying inside. "I simply need some time alone."

The others complied, quickly distancing themselves from him. Their reactions varied significantly, I noticed; in the game they'd just looked all surprised, but here it was a lot different. After the initial shock, they all sort of...looked away, with their emotions plain on their faces. Sheena looked pretty nervous, and that was probably because she hadn't known him for that long. She was probably hoping he wouldn't go all psycho and kill us at the ranch or something. Genis and Raine were troubled, exchanging glances. Colette seemed sad, most likely wishing she could make Kratos feel better.

Lloyd...well, he looked worried. Had he established a bond with the mercenary already? Wait, I was worried too. That's right...Lloyd spent the most time with Kratos out of all of us, and I came after that. The three of us trained together every morning, for one thing. Lloyd and Kratos had all those father-son moments (although the poor kid was oblivious), and...didn't I always end up talking to the mercenary whenever I had a serious problem? I mean, he may have only been tolerating my presence at the time, but still...

Goddammit, I was worried as hell. I hated seeing Kratos this bothered. I just wanted to kill Kvar and get it over with.

We continued onward, getting ready to do just that.

There it was again. We were walking through the forest surrounding the ranch, and now its ominous form was visible over the treetops. Every time I came here, it seemed to get bigger and scarier. Maybe it was the worst this time because I knew we had to finish it. We weren't going to flee anymore; we had to win this or die. There was no other alternative, and if there were, it would only be delaying the inevitable. If we didn't stop Kvar now, we would seriously regret it later.

"...We're here," Raine said quietly, as we finally came to the clearing.

Kratos looked at me. "The hidden entrance?"

I nodded, looking around. "It's blocked by a boulder somewhere over here...ah. Right there." I pointed, having found it. The passage was a lot less obvious than in the game, but I guess that was to be expected. Kvar was a lot smarter than that; he wasn't the type to go "derr, they won't notice this giant weird looking rock sitting in plain view, right?"

...Still, I guess he could've done a better job hiding it. I probably would've overlooked it if I hadn't already known, but the fact that I could pick it out so quickly probably signified carelessness on the Desians' part.

No. Kvar wasn't stupid, he was just incredibly conceited. He probably thought our inferior minds would never be able to pick out the secret entrance. Well, we were about to prove the asshole wrong.

Lloyd moved forward to the boulder I'd pointed out, examining it. After a moment, he braced himself against it and pushed, hard. "...It's no good...ugh, it won't move."

"That's why we have this." I walked up beside him, pulling out the Desian Orb. He watched as I reached up, inserting the jewel into a small niche in the rock. There was an audible click as the lock released, and suddenly the boulder slid aside easily.

"Okay, let's go." Lloyd walked up to the revealed entrance, and I looked at him with a bit of surprise. I'd been expecting him to remark on how cool the rock's mechanism was, but I guess even he wasn't himself today.

The Professor, Genis and Colette followed Lloyd into the dark passageway, as I felt a sense of dread settle over me. Sheena went next; I realized how far back in the line I was getting, and tried willing my feet to move before I got left behind. Shit, I was freezing up...no matter how much I tried, my feet wouldn't budge. This was different than the game, things weren't going to happen the same, Kvar was going to kill me, oh God I was going to DIE-

Now Sheena had disappeared into the passage, and I felt a full blown panic attack coming on. I was going to start hyperventilating soon.

Suddenly a gloved hand grasped my arm, causing me to flinch. I looked up slowly, realizing that Kratos and I were the only ones left. The auburn haired man spared me a single glance before continuing forward, pulling me along. My feet shakily began to move, trying to catch up with his long strides. After a few seconds I managed to gather my bearings and began walking on my own.

"...Th-thanks." I uttered, barely a whisper. He nodded impassively and released my arm as we walked into the depths of the human ranch. This...was only the beginning.

With Lloyd leading up front and Kratos bringing up the rear, we trudged onward. I decided to leave the mercenary alone for once out of gratitude. I don't know what I would've done if someone had yelled at me to move back there, or left me behind. I probably would've frozen up more. Now that he'd snapped me out of it, I was beginning to feel a bit braver. Well, it was mostly from an adrenaline high, but that was better than nothing.

The corridor we were in gradually got brighter as we neared one of the main hallways. We would be running into Desians soon. Clenching my fists, I tried to focus on the reassuring weight of the sword on my back. Things were different now; I wasn't utterly defenseless. I just had to remember that.

"Do you think you can lead us to the control room again?" Raine asked me, and I nodded.

"Yeah. It's pretty close to this passage, we should be able to get there without too much trouble."

"Hey, Professor." Lloyd looked back at us. "What if Kvar can watch us like Magnius did, on that uh...that thing?"

"The projector?" She frowned. "...Yes, it's likely there is a surveillance system here as well. We were able to get in because of our disguise last time, but I doubt that will work again."

"But if he sees us, we'll be caught!" Genis pointed out.

My eyes narrowed a little. Crap...I remembered thinking about that when I was escaping from here with Pietro, but back then we were too panicked about Elena to form a decent plan anyway. There was a way around this, but it meant we wouldn't be able to launch a surprise attack against the Grand Cardinal.

I sighed. "We can't turn back now. Professor, do you think you could disable the cameras if we got to the control room? They'll still realize we're here, but at least then they can't track us."

"Yes, that does seem like the best option. We'll have to develop a plan quickly once we're in. This is going to be risky."

"It was risky enough to begin with..." Sheena remarked, pulling out a few cards. "You guys sure we can pull this off?"

"I know we can!" Colette said, remaining positive. "We've got you, Sheena!"

The ninja looked flustered for a moment, unable to think up a response to that. I smiled faintly at Colette's infallible optimism. We'd definitely need it in a place like this.

The light grew brighter still; we'd reached the end of the passage. Raine grabbed Lloyd by his ribbons, halting him before he could waltz out in plain view of the surveillance cameras. We all gathered together, shrinking back into the shadows as we briefly discussed what we were about to do. I told everyone which direction we would have to go, and where to turn to get to the control room.

"Okay, I got it. Can we go now?" Lloyd was getting antsy.

"There's one more thing." Kratos spoke up for the first time in a while, and we turned to him. "This is a stealth mission. Our positions must remain a secret, or disabling the security cameras would be pointless. That means you cannot go rushing in with your swords drawn, Lloyd."

The teen faltered, as if he had been planning to do just that. "But..."

"We've gotta keep Kvar guessing," I piped up, "or we'll end up cornered like last time."

"Yeah, and I don't have any more Guardians, so that means of escape is out." Sheena added.

Kratos nodded. "Avoid being seen, and kill any Desians you run into. Let's get moving."

Lloyd looked ahead of us, towards the next hallway. "...Yeah."

It was Kratos who led the group this time, with Lloyd in the back. I followed next in line after the mercenary, in case he didn't remember my directions(even though I was sure he'd been in here before and knew exactly where he was going). As we entered the new hallway, I looked around cautiously. There weren't any Desians in sight. My eyes drifted towards the ceiling and walls, and quickly spotted a camera; fortunately, it wasn't directed at us.

The Professor noticed the same thing, nodding a little. Kratos had already turned in the opposite direction of the device, towards where our destination should be. Raine motioned for Sheena and the others to follow as I caught up with the mercenary.

In less than a minute, we had arrived at the control room. By some miracle, the few Desian guards we ran into hadn't seen us. No alarm had been sounded; we'd managed to avoid the cameras as well. We were off to a decent start.

"Who the hell are you?!" Okay, maybe not. Two Desians stood before us, drawing their weapons.

Before our initial surprise had even faded, Kratos rushed forth and cut both of them down with a powerful swipe of his blade. He wiped his sword off on the corpses and sheathed it, kicking the bodies behind some machines in the corner. Now that...was a little scary. Of course, I'd seen him fight plenty of times, but I could never get used to how calmly he dealt with death.

Raine was the first to recover; she stepped forth, examining the computer in the center of the room. Sheena and I stood next to her, watching. The ninja seemed impressed that someone from Sylvarant was capable of operating machinery. I was impressed as well, but for another reason- though the screen was more of a projector, the computer had a keyboard almost exactly like the ones I was familiar with. It even had a touchpad that served as a mouse. Man, Cruxis and the Renegades really were hogging all the technology. When the worlds were reunited, would this place become like Earth?

Urgh, this made me want my laptop back. I remembered the summer I'd spent working and saving for it, way back when I had just finished my Freshman year in high school. I'd been so proud of myself the day I got it, naming it Shiny and messing with it for hours...

"I'll bring up the ranch-wide map." Professor Sage cut off my thoughts, typing in a few things. Suddenly a 3-D map appeared on the projector, each of the rooms labeled in small text. It was similar to its in-game counterpart, but it was a lot less colorful and simplistic.

"Wow..." Lloyd remarked, staring. Yeah, the ranch was pretty damn big.

"This is where we are now," Raine said, pointing out the area labeled 'control room,' "and this is Kvar's office." She showed us a room that was on the other edge of the map. Great, getting there would probably be fun.

The Professor paused, frowning. "It appears that in order to get to the floor that Kvar is on, we'll have to deactivate the guard system."

"Guard...system?" Colette piped up.

"Here." Raine motioned to a room right in front of the one Kvar should be in. "If we don't deactivate this guard system, we can't get to Kvar."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" Lloyd asked, frustrated.

"Calm down. There should be a switch somewhere to deactivate it," Kratos said.

"...Here it is." Raine zoomed in on another room, split into two hallways. "See the two switches at the ends of this left-right passageway? Those are the deactivation switches."

"Okay, then, let's go deactivate it," Lloyd said.

"It won't be that easy, Lloyd." The Professor shook her head. "We still have to disable the cameras, remember? As soon as we do that, the Desians will be on alert."

"Huh? So what?"

"I get it. We won't have time to go all the way back and forth like that." Genis spoke up, studying the map. The deactivation switches were a floor below us, and Kvar was on the top floor and on the opposite side of the ranch.

"What's the plan, then?" Sheena asked.

"Hmm...it looks like we don't have a choice." Raine replied, "Let's split into two teams: one to deactivate the system and release the prisoners, and one to infiltrate Kvar's room."

"What?! We're going to split up?" Genis blanched.

"There seems to be no other way," Kratos said.

Raine turned to the Chosen. "Colette, please choose the groups for us."

"Ah, um..." The blonde hesitated, and looked at Lloyd. "I'll leave it to Lloyd."

"What? Me?"

"I know you'll do a good job of splitting us up." She smiled.

He sighed. "...All right. Well, I'm going after Kvar. I want to avenge Mom."

I frowned a little, realizing that I should probably pay attention. I'd been zoning out a bit since we got here; I had already heard most of this conversation. It was a little different, since we now had to worry about the surveillance system, but it looked like the plan was still the same. I was curious as to what the groups would be.

Lloyd stared all of us down for a second, before shifting uncomfortably. "Okay, this is hard. First of all, what would you guys prefer? Kratos?"

The mercenary crossed his arms. "I would like to be in the group that goes after Kvar."

"Me, too." Sheena said.

"I will be needed to deal with the computers involved in the deactivation process," the Professor stated.

Genis hesitated. "...I want to go with Raine."

"Um...I'd like to be with you, Lloyd. But if you need me in the other group, that's okay too." Colette said.

Lloyd's brow furrowed a little as he thought. Wow, he was really putting a lot of effort into this. I mean, he was thinking for once.

"What about you, Brittany?" I looked up when I realized he was addressing me.

"Hm?"

"You haven't said anything yet."

"Uh..." Crap, what group did I want to be in? Gah, I should've been considering that instead of zoning out. The deactivation team would be safer, probably. But Kvar...did I want to fight Kvar? I hated his guts, sure, but that didn't mean I'd survive in a fight against him. "...I don't know. I'll go wherever you need me, I guess."

He nodded, and then went back to thinking.

"We don't have all day, Lloyd," Kratos said after a few seconds, causing the teenager to groan.

"Fine, fine. Hey, Brit, help me out here."

My eyebrows flew up. "What? Why me?"

"Well, you don't have a preference, so you can look at this abjectively."

I smacked my forehead. "You mean objectively?"

"Uh, yeah, that."

"...Okay, let me think for a minute." I said, running a hand through my bangs. Right, think back to the game...what had been my groups then? I usually went with Kratos and Raine for the infiltration. Kratos, because he was badass and he deserved it after the things Kvar had done, and Raine because I always felt paranoid when I didn't have the main healer in my fighting group. Thinking of it realistically, though, I guess that wasn't the best choice.

I began to voice my thoughts aloud, uncertain. "Hmm...well, we're going to have one group of three and a group of four, right? So the group of four should go after Kvar, since they'll need all the help they can get."

Lloyd nodded at me to go on, so I continued. "Um, I'm thinking Genis and Raine should go on the deactivation team. Since our group will be cut in half, we wouldn't be able to create a buffer zone for them when fighting Kvar. Kratos can be the main healer in the infiltration group." Not only that, Kvar would kill them if they didn't have Kratos. I knew that for sure.

The mercenary gave me a small nod, as Lloyd counted on his fingers.

"That would be the most logical way to go, yes." Raine commented.

"So..." Lloyd looked up at me. "What you're saying is, our short range fighters should go after Kvar, and the rest should do the deactivating."

"Hey, Lloyd actually gets it!" Genis cheered, only to be shoved by his friend.

"Shut it, Genis!"

"I think Sheena should be on the infiltration team. She's not an effective meat shield like you and Kratos-" Lloyd shoved me, too, "-but she's probably fast enough to dodge most of Kvar's attacks."

Sheena nodded. "Yeah, leave it to me."

Lloyd paused again. "...Okay...so me, Kratos, Sheena and you will go after Kvar."

"M-me?" I blinked.

"You're a meat shield too, you know." He grinned, and I realized he was pretty much right about that one. Then he saw me hesitate, and frowned. "...Is that okay with you?"

I looked around uneasily. Would I even stand a chance? Probably not. Did I want to fight him? ...Sort of, actually. If I went with the deactivation team, I would be worried as hell about Lloyd and the others. But as much as I hated him, I was terrified of Kvar...I kind of wanted to go where it was safest. I...I would probably get in the way otherwise, right? I was pretty damn weak...

You're nervous about our upcoming battle.

If you remain doubtful of yourself, you will become a burden.

These dreams will not end until you face the problems they are stemming from.

The situation can be remedied, should you be inclined to try.

Stop glaring at me like that. I wouldn't make a difference, anyway.

You have become stronger.

It's pointless to compare yourself to others.

...Ugh. You suck, Kratos.

"Yeah, it's fine. Let's kick the crap out of that bastard," I finally said, reluctant. The mercenary turned away, gazing at the door we would have to leave through.

Lloyd nodded, the smile returning. "It's decided, then. Is everyone rea-"

Suddenly an alarm sounded, causing us all to jump. Raine swore under her breath.

"They've detected my use of the main computer." She approached the computer again, quickly typing in some commands. A yellow light flashed briefly. "I've disabled the cameras," she explained, "we need to leave immediately."

"Let's go, then." Sheena had her cards out, and I approached the door where Kratos was standing.

"Okay. Good luck, you guys." Lloyd said to the others, jogging over to us.

"Be careful!" Colette called as her group moved to the opposite door. Kratos, Sheena and I nodded, before beginning to exit out our door.

"We will!" Lloyd paused to call back, and I grabbed his sleeve to tug him along before the door shut behind me.

Now the real work was about to begin...

Chapter Text

As it turned out, during my previous weeks here I had only seen a very small portion of the ranch. This place was huge. I was grateful that I wouldn't have to go near where the prisoners were held, so I wouldn't have to see all the suffering, but...the path I'd chosen still had its setbacks.

Several alarms had gone off since Raine disabled the cameras, and we'd had to hide from squads of Desian soldiers that were searching different sectors of the ranch. As long as we avoided being seen, though, Kvar and his men were basically feeling their way through the dark for us.

"Hey..." I murmured to Kratos, suddenly having a thought. "You think Kvar will leave his office to search the ranch himself?"

"Hm. It's possible," came the reply, "but it will only make our job easier. If he were to leave, it is likely we would run into him."

Lloyd tensed up, eyes widening. "What if...what if he gets past us and finds Colette and the others?"

Oh shit, that would be bad. That group wouldn't last a second against the Grand Cardinal; Colette couldn't hold off Kvar long enough for Raine and Genis to cast spells. The blonde Chosen wasn't tough like the swordsmen, and she didn't make up for it with speed the way Sheena did. Colette was clumsy, and her clumsiness would get her killed.

The mercenary shook his head. "Kvar's main target is you, Lloyd."

"But if the others start releasing the prisoners..." Sheena spoke up, uneasy.

"They will deactivate the guard system first. We will have found him before they become a problem to him."

I sighed, a little relieved. So the only people the Grand Cardinal would try killing was us. Yay.

Right, focus on not dying...

I continued to follow behind Lloyd, his ribbons occasionally tickling me. We had been (stealthily) navigating the hallways of the ranch for some time now, and I had long ago lost track of where we were. Everything here looked the same; it all had that metallic, industrial look. We'd only had to kill a few Desians, but that only made me more anxious about the upcoming battle. It was too quiet, and I kept feeling like Kvar would be hiding around the next corner. The way my weird Silent Hill 2 dream had linked to the ranch didn't really help either, since in that game dead silence plus no enemies usually equalled Pyramid Head...

Wow, I'd be so dead if I had been sucked into that game instead. Hell, I'd take on all of Cruxis alone if it meant I could avoid the monsters of Silent Hill. Besides, being killed by Kratos was way cooler than getting devoured and/or sodomized.

Said mercenary glanced over at me, as if he'd somehow read my mind, before returning his gaze to the hallway ahead. I realized I probably would be killed by him later on at the Tower, and suppressed a shudder. Ah, well. I'd worry about that later, right now Kvar was the main problem.

Ugh, why couldn't I have been thrown into Nintendogs or something? I could be playing with puppies right now, dammit.

Everyone had drawn their weapons, so I automatically did the same. Uh-oh...something was moving ahead of us. Huh? Looked like machines...part of the security system? Oh! I knew what they were! It was those annoying raybits!

"What are those things?" Lloyd mumbled as they floated toward us. They probably had motion sensors, and it didn't look like they detected our presence yet.

"Have you seen them before?" Kratos questioned me, having noticed my look of recognition.

"Uh...yeah, once or twice," I lied. "They're called raybits. They can shoot beams of, er...lightning-charged mana, I think." I hoped I was right. Were their attacks lightning elemental or just light? Did they even have an element? Well, it was Kvar's ranch, so I'd just assumed lightning. But they were at the other ranches, too...Whatever, Kratty would take care of them either way. There were only two of them.

"They don't look all that strong," Sheena remarked. "Let's take them out before they raise an alarm or something."

"Piece of cake!" Lloyd grinned, running at one of them as Kratos sighed. I shrugged and decided to try fighting for once, running at the other.

I steered clear of the machine's weapon, dodging around the back of it to attack. Lloyd was using Tiger Blade on his. I wanted Tiger Blade...my techs pretty much sucked.

"Sonic Thrust!" I cried, using one of my least favorite attacks. Scratch that, I wanted freakin' Hell Pyre. Maybe Kratos would teach it to me someday.

Before long, both raybits had been destroyed. Lloyd and I began to high five in victory, but Kratos cut us off.

"Behind you!"

We turned to see at least ten more of the machines swarming towards us. There were several coming from the hall behind us as well. The four of us arranged ourselves in a rough circle(uh...or square?), standing back to back.

"This could be bad." I muttered, dismayed. Individually they were pretty weak, but in groups...

"Dammit!" Lloyd growled.

"What do we do?" Sheena scanned the area for an escape, summoning Corinne for some extra help. It was the first time I'd seen the little summon spirit, but I didn't have time to get excited about that now. He sure was cute, though.

"We'll have to cut through and run. Fighting these will take time that we do not have," Kratos said.

Several of the raybits shot at us, and we all brought up our respective shields. As I lifted my sword and used Guardian, I was suddenly glad the mercenary had drilled that tech into me. Ugh, stupid Kratos, why couldn't I be right for once?

"Hmm. Okay, I'll give it a shot...Guardian! ...How's this?"

"Flimsy."

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"My sword would not have broken through had you focused more."

"Dammit, you're such a jerk! Demon Fang!"

"Guardian! ...You see the importance of such a technique. I am unharmed."

"You suck."

"Hmph. I remember a time when you obeyed me without complaint."

"I'm not afraid of you anymore, Kratters."

"..."

"Crap, did I say that out loud?"

"...Perhaps you should be. Hurricane Thrust!"

"Ahh! Guardian, Guardian!"

...Yeah, that had been a good day. At least I had learned the tech in the end. I had almost never used it in the game, but now it was incredibly helpful.

"Lloyd." Kratos's voice broke me out of my thoughts. The mercenary exchanged a look with his son, and then glanced over to Sheena and I. "You two, bring up the rear. We will break through."

"Got it." Sheena replied, readying herself. I gripped Loki's hilt tighter, tense.

After dodging more attacks from the raybits, Lloyd and Kratos positioned themselves for an attack of their own. My eyes widened as I realized what they were about to do, and I couldn't stop a grin from breaking out on my face. Yes, one of my favorite unison attacks!

"Cross Thrust!" They shouted simultaneously. The two swordsmen shot forth, cutting through the group of machines in an X formation. They left nothing but debris behind them, and Sheena and I ran through the gap they had created.

I nodded to the ninja, and we turned to the remaining raybits, deciding to buy ourselves more time.

"Beast!" I yelled, swinging my sword and ramming into one of the machines with a shoulder. The mana I'd used formed into a blue lion's head, knocking back the crowd of raybits.

Sheena came next. She threw several of her cards into the fray and used Cyclone Seal, the powerful winds causing them to crash into each other. As the raybits slowly recovered from the blows, the ninja and I turned and fled, following after Kratos and Lloyd. Hopefully we could get far enough away that those things wouldn't find us again.

After passing through several more hallways, though, we heard a commotion behind us. Apparently a Desian had stumbled upon the raybit debris and warned the others...frick. At Kratos's signal, the four of us broke out in a run, attempting to leave that area behind. There was more shouting, and suddenly there was the pounding of feet behind us; our enemies were giving chase. Double frick. Kratos eventually grew annoyed, and stopped. By the time the rest of us had skidded to a halt as well, the four Desians that had been following us were dead and being shoved into a random closet by the ticked off mercenary.

"Let's move." He said quietly when he was done, and we set off again, Sheena looking a little disturbed. I guess I didn't blame her; Kratos hadn't exactly been going out of his way to make good first impressions on her. She knew him a little better now, but still probably wondered if he'd murder us all in our sleep later on.

I had no such thoughts. On the contrary, I felt extremely safe with Kratos, with the knowledge that he was the strongest fighter out of all of us. Not only that, he was an angel, so if worse came to worst he could knock us out and then fry all our enemies with Judgment. Although he was going to betray us later on...it was weird to think, but I trusted him. Sort of. I mean, I wasn't going to tell him anything Yggdrasill could use to his advantage, but I still trusted him with other things.

For now, at least, I trusted the asshole with my life. Seriously, what was wrong with me? He would probably kill us at the Tower...but I still believed he was goodhearted deep down, and while we were allies he would do his best to protect us. He had to be at least a little good; he was Lloyd's dad, after all.

Lloyd...yeah, he was definitely my favorite person out of the group. Lloyd, Kratos, then Sheena. Well, I guess it was a good thing I was with all my favorite characters...wait, had I subconsciously done that when helping Lloyd choose the groups? Huh...

Kratos glanced behind us, and I realized we were being followed again. The footsteps were less noticeable than before, which meant our enemies were finally trying to counteract stealth with stealth. Maybe they'd found the corpses from before, and realized we were a teensy bit dangerous.

As soon as we started running again, though, another alarm went off. We reached a four way intersection of hallways, and I felt a slight rumbling beneath my feet. Apparently I wasn't the only one; Sheena and Lloyd were looking around in alarm, while Kratos's eyes narrowed slightly. Desians began to catch up to us from behind, so we tried to ignore the rumbling in order to fight them off. We were gradually backed into the center of the intersection, when I realized what the rumbling was.

It reminded me of a certain scene from later on in the game, when Genis had been caught in that weird trap at the Tower of Salvation. Instead of closing in on us, though, there were huge metal doors descending from the ceiling on all sides. Each hallway was gradually being blocked off, and we'd be stuck in the center. Worst of all, we were still caught up in a fight with around twenty Desians, and there was no time to discuss our options.

Sheena and I were fighting together, having been separated from Lloyd and Kratos in the midst of battle. The two swordmen were on the other end of the "room" that was about to be created. I panicked and felt claustrophobia begin to set in as the doors continued to close.

"Sheena, we have to do something!" I hissed to her as we fought, and she nodded, panting.

"Let's head for the door behind us. I think we can make it." The ninja knocked back the Desians in front of us with a Pyre Seal, and we turned and ran. We didn't even have time to worry about Kratos and Lloyd; we just had to trust that they'd develop a similar plan of their own.

The door seemed to close even faster as we approached; I desperately dropped to the floor and slid when I reached it, managing to get to the other side. Sheena dove onto her stomach. I grabbed her hand to pull her the rest of the way through, when I suddenly met resistance. My eyes widened as hers did.

"Dammit! Let go of my leg!" She growled frantically, and I realized one of our attackers had caught her. Alarmed, I gave her hand a hard tug, trying to pull her out of the Desian's grasp. It didn't work; the asshole was determined to play a game of tug-of-war. And the door was getting even lower...

The Desian pulled viciously on her leg, and she yelled out in pain. The door was nearly touching her back now. I realized I had no other choice; I let go of her hand, allowing her to be dragged back to the other side before the door crushed her.

It finally closed, blocking out the sounds of the battle, causing the passageway to become dead silent.

"Sheena!" I cried in despair, clawing at the metal door. There was no way I could get to any of them now. Oh, God...what if she was killed? What if Lloyd and Kratos had escaped already, and she was stuck in that room with all the Desians? If she died, then...oh, screw the plotline! She was my friend, and I didn't want her to die! If she was all alone on the other side of that door-

Then it hit me.

I was alone now, completely alone. Sheena was a skilled fighter, a trained assassin. I hadn't even laid a finger on any sort of weapon until a few months ago. Sheena could probably take care of herself. I, however, didn't know what the hell I was doing.

Alone.

In the Asgard Ranch.

Fuck.

Turning around, I leaned my back to the cold door. My heartbeat had suddenly skyrocketed, and I felt myself break out in a cold sweat. How was I going to do this? I didn't even know where I was! Shuddering violently, I picked Loki up from where I had dropped it.

Okay...deep breath. One thing at a time.

I looked to the hallway ahead and tried to calm myself. I had to keep it together. I needed a plan, here.

Nodding to myself, I bit my lip. Option one: go back the way I came. I turned to the metal door, looking it over, and sighed. Nope, that wouldn't work. It's not like I could break it down or something.

Option two: go on ahead. Well, that one seemed better, but...really, wouldn't I just get myself killed that way? I didn't know where in the ranch I was; I'd been trusting Kratos to remember its layout. Dammit. And I wasn't very good at fighting, so what would I do if I ran into a group of Desians?

All right, option three: stay here and wait for help. That would definitely get me killed...I was instantly cornered if an enemy showed up. Shit, speaking of which, shouldn't I get out of here?

Option two it is, then. I couldn't just sit around, tempting as it may be. My best bet was to try and regroup with some of the others...even if it was the deactivation team. Scratch that, I hoped I could find the deactivation team...I was sick of the whole infiltration thing. I changed my mind, I wanted the safe job. Augh, I should've known this would happen!

Another deep breath. I held up my sword, moving forward cautiously. If encountered a Desian, I should be able to defeat them. If I was outnumbered, though, I'd have to run and try to lose them.

Feeling better now that I at least had a half-assed plan, I proceeded a little faster.

My boots barely made any sound as I hastily strode down the hallway I was currently in. It had been about ten minutes, and I felt like I had gotten nowhere. This place still looked all the same to me, and I had a feeling I was pretty far away from the portion of it I actually recognized. I tried to remember the map the Professor had shown us. The control room had been someplace on the far right end of the ranch, and Kvar's room on the far left. So, if Kratos had been leading us to Kvar's room, then that meant...

...I was probably in the heart of the ranch. Great.

Ever since I'd continued on my own, I had been searching for a way to double back and meet with Colette and the others. Whatever, they could say I chickened out. I wasn't trying to deny that I was a coward. It was stupid of me to agree to this whole thing anyway. On second thought, maybe I would just wait this whole journey out in Luin. I could ask Lloyd about the sword after he saved the worlds, and then I wouldn't get in the way, and I wouldn't have to pretend to be brave anymore. I could help Pietro rebuild. Yeah, that sounded safe, and...

I clenched my fists, shaking my head. Who the hell was I trying to fool? I felt guilty enough at being almost completely useless to the people I journeyed with, never mind if I abandoned them for my own selfish wants. Even if they were totally okay with letting me stay behind, I'd beat myself up about it because I was just that stupid.

This place was ridiculously repetitive. Was I just going around in circles or something? If I tried to leave some sort of marker to check, I'd be caught...damn. I tried to find some other feature of the hall I was in to go by, but to no avail. Every light on the wall was set at a regular interval, the floors polished enough to show my reflection, the disabled cameras stationed at every corner. Everything was exactly the same. Fine, then. I'd just have to go in one direction for as long as possible, and then I'd have to get somewhere.

Hm, Kratos and Lloyd (and hopefully Sheena was with them, too) must have drawn a lot of attention to themselves. No alarms had gone off in this part of the ranch for a while, and as a result I'd only had to dodge a few Desians. I hoped they were okay, but I was thankful to the others for drawing attention away from myself, even if it was unintentional.

Another intersection was up ahead...I could turn left or right. I was right handed, so...I'd pick right. Heh, my reasoning made so much sense.

Wait. Voices? Yeah, those were voices up ahead, coming from the right. My pathetic reasoning would've gotten me killed. I ducked through a random door as the sounds came closer, tensing as it automatically hissed shut behind me.

Good, I had stepped into some sort of storage closet. A bunch of neglected looking equipment sat in the corner, the room illuminated with a single dim light. It was actually sort of dusty in here, I noted with surprise. Well, at least I had the comfort of knowing no one would come waltzing in anytime soon. Satisfied with my surroundings, I cautiously leaned closer to the door in an attempt to discern when it would be safe to leave.

I recognized the soft tapping of shoes coming closer. They'd pass by any second now, and soon after I could get out of this musty room. As I listened, the voice slowly became clearer, its smooth tone causing my insides to freeze.

Kvar was out there. He was right there, outside this door.

It didn't sound like anyone was walking with him, so he must've been speaking into an earpiece or something. Unless he had a cell phone and was chatting away with his girlfriends, which seemed highly unlikely. "idk, my bff Pronyma?" I think not.

Ugh, focus. Must avoid bastard Desian leader.

Leaning on the wall near the door, I listened as his footsteps gradually drew nearer. The seconds ticked by painfully slow, now that I knew just who was on the other side of that door. I just wanted him to go on his merry way so I could get the hell out of here and run in the opposite direction. This stupid room smelled so much like an unused attic, I half expected a bat to come flying down from the ceiling. The dust was really annoying-oh, crap.

No. I was not going to sneeze. I was not going to be indirectly killed by dust.

In that second, I tried everything: pinching my nose, rubbing it, sniffling; I even considered breaking it if it would shut me up, but I was way too much of a wuss, and the resulting scream would kind of defeat the purpose.

"Ah-ach-" I muffled the rest of the sneeze into my gloves, but a loud hiss still escaped.

The footsteps abruptly stopped. Shit.

Too scared to move, I waited where I was. He had to have heard me. He was going to open the door and then I'd be trapped, and he'd kill me, and I'd end up like all those other bodies Kratos had shoved into closets.

All was silent for a few seconds, and then the footsteps began again. He was continuing on his way. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thanking every god or deity I could think up at that moment. Man, that was a close call. Note to self: avoid dusty rooms from now on. Your nose will betray you.

Hell, who was I kidding? I probably would've coughed randomly if there hadn't been any dust. That always used to happen whenever we had lockdown drills back when I was still in school. Everyone would sit in their nifty hiding spot in the corner of the classroom, and I'd suddenly have that annoying tickle in my throat and start coughing my brains out. Or my stomach would growl. Or I'd have a cold, and be constantly sniffling. Seriously, if some kid had been on the rampage with an assault rifle, I would've gotten us all killed.

Hey, that was one good thing about this world. There were no guns, so no one had instant death at their fingertips. I mean, if the Desians were able to mow people down with machine guns, I'd have a face full of lead right now. Really, if Cruxis had guns, we'd be screwed. Yuan would make a cool James Bond, though. And I had a hunch Kratos was secretly Chuck Norris. He kicked way too much ass, even if he was a four thousand year-old seraph.

Yggdrasill? He'd make an excellent prison bitch. But that's just my opinion. Well, I guess I could give him the benefit of the doubt; maybe he looked more masculine in person. But I was pretty sure that he looked like Britney Spears. That guy was pretty much a win-win for bisexuals...looks like a chick, is actually a dude! No freakin' way!

I wish making fun of my enemies really covered up all the fear festering beneath the surface. If I had been joking aloud, my laughter would've been nervous. Regardless of what the Cruxis assholes looked like, I had a feeling I'd want to piss myself when I first saw them.

Finally remembering what I was supposed to be doing, I shook my head and leaned close to the door again. Nothing. Good, I'd been rambling in my head long enough for the coast to be clear.

Since Kvar had come from the right of that intersection, I'd go to the left...just in case he'd been coming from his office. I really didn't want to end up there on my own, no sir. Even though messing around on his computer sounded kind of fun. He probably had cheap pornography stored somewhere on there. I always knew Kvar was a perverted old bastard when it came down to it. Wait, we weren't on Earth, there was no internet to download that stuff off of. Awww. Okay, maybe he had love letters to Lloyd...nah, that sounded more like something Yuan would have. "You're mine, Lloyd!" Heh heh.

Right then, enough slacking. It was time for me to get going, and hopefully regroup with the others. Stepping forward, I pressed the 'open' button on the small control pad next to the door. It slid open instantly with a barely audible hiss, and I stepped out into the hall, turning in the direction I intended to go. Maybe if I hurried, I could get out of here before Raine blew the place up.

"I thought I heard something."

I froze, eyes going wide. No. I'd misheard, that wasn't him. He'd left already, hadn't he? Right?

There was no way to avoid it. My heart felt like it had stopped; I turned around slowly, and met the terrible eyes of Kvar. Had he been standing there the entire time, waiting for me to come out? Why did this always happen to me?! You'd think I would've learned the first time, back when I had been chased through the woods...

He was smirking, like always. I tried to make some sort of retort, but my voice failed me. I was alone. With Kvar.

Sure, this wasn't the first time I'd been on my own, but back then I had also been an ignorant amnesiac. And even when I had regained my memory, I hadn't seen the whole rib-breaking thing coming at all. Now I knew just how cruel this guy was, and I had seen people die because of him, and I knew this wasn't a goddamn video game anymore.

Oh God, oh God, oh God. I was going to die.

My knees went weak, and I actually felt dizzy with fear at the sight of this man. I suppressed the urge to throw up; although it would be awesome to blow chunks all over the front of Kvar's nasty Desian outfit, it probably wouldn't be worth the painful death that followed. Not that it would really make a difference. I was dead either way.

"K...Kvar." I said, my voice sounding mechanical. I held my sword weakly in front of me, barely maintaning my grip on it. The blade was the only thing between me and possibly the most cruel man I had ever met.

"It seems you have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time..." His smirk grew as he began to approach me, electric currents running through his staff. "Now, perhaps you could be so kind as to tell me where your friends are."

He didn't know? Thank God, that meant Sheena had gotten out okay. But that didn't help me much...

I lifted my sword a little, gripping it with more force, hoping to look at least a little dangerous. Kvar continued forward, not hesitating in the least. He knew I was going to start backing away. And I did.

"Go to hell," I said, but the threatening note in my voice was lost when it came out just above a terrified whisper.

"Where is the boy? Tell me where Lloyd is, and I'll consider letting you go."

I remained silent, glaring at him, trying not to tremble.

"...I see. Of course, I could always obtain the information by force." His eyes had a cold gleam as they followed my movements. "I never did punish you for that...scratch you gave me."

Scratch? I was pretty sure it had been a moderately deep gash, but he could tell himself whatever he wanted. In any case, it had been a stupid move on my part; healing magic had obviously cleared it up, and now I just had a pissed off Kvar left to deal with.

In other words, oh shit.

The Grand Cardinal lifted his staff, and I knew he was going to cast. My mind flashed through all the spells I knew he was capable of using; he specialized in the lightning type, but he'd revealed that he was also capable of mid-level fire and wind types. There was only so much Guardian would do for me before I ran out of...TP, mana, whatever.

Doing the first thing that came to mind, I turned around and ran.

"Wrong move," I heard him say, and suddenly a bolt of concentrated lightning shot past my head, barely missing me. I winced as the heat from it burned my skin, and I could tell from the smell in the air that some of my hair had been singed as well.

Attempting to ignore the pain, I dashed towards the intersection ahead, turning left. There was the sound of footsteps behind me, but they were going at a slow, leisurely pace. Kvar apparently wasn't too worried about me escaping. Had I chosen the wrong way?

"Thunder Blade!" My thoughts were cut off as a giant sword appeared out of nowhere, blocking my path. It probably would've split me in two, if I hadn't known what was coming.

"Guardian!" I yelled desperately, trying to keep the shield up as I dodged around the sword. I managed to avoid the shockwave that followed the impact, and continued sprinting down the hall. If Kvar was too sure of himself to chase me, well, I'd have to take advantage of that.

It didn't last long. After a few hallways of this, I could tell he was getting irritated with my persistence. His footsteps sped up, and I frantically tried to increase my pace as well. I couldn't keep this up for long. A few months of travelling in Sylvarant had done me some good, but before I came here I was never much of a runner. I didn't know anything about how to pace myself correctly so I wouldn't get exhausted early on.

I took another left, and Kvar was outright running now. My eyes widened as a horrifying realization struck me.

Dead end.

My dream flashed through my head, and I wondered I should have tried harder to decipher it, if it had in fact been prophetic. This made no sense, though! The Desians wouldn't build a random dead end in the middle of their ranch!

My panicked thoughts came to an abrupt halt as I saw what was on the ground at the end of the hall. It was a circular device built into the floor, something I'd seen here many times before: a warp pad. Oh, thank God, it wasn't really a dead end.

I ran over to it with a final burst of strength, coming to stand on top of it, and turned to face Kvar. He had slowed down substantially, watching me with callous amusement. What had gone wrong now-!

Oh, no. I looked down at the pad benath my feet, and saw that all the lights on it were dark. It lacked its usual glow, which was why I hadn't seen it right away when I first turned down this hallway. It was turned off. I wasn't going anywhere.

"How sad," Kvar chuckled, "after all this, your efforts have been rendered futile. Do you see now why you should have cooperated in the beginning?"

I tried to glare at him, but found that I was too scared to meet his eyes for long. There was nowhere I could run. I was trapped; if I tried to go around him, I'd be caught.

Kvar continued to advance, preparing another spell. I wouldn't be able to dodge this time. "Now, then...tell me where my Exsphere is hiding."

I remained still, my lips sealed shut. Even if I told him everything I knew, I highly doubted he'd just let me go...

He didn't seem surprised at my lack of a response. "Still silent, hmm? Very well, I suppose we could try a little...shock therapy."

My hands clenched into fists, and I prepared myself for the worst. Kvar's lips twisted into a sadistic smile as he lifted his staff, and I could already feel the electrical charge in the air.

"Spark Wave!"

Just as I started to feel heat prickling on my skin, a light flashed below me. Kvar's eyes widened in disbelief, and I looked down to see that the warp had turned on. I was quickly teleported out of the area before Spark Wave had a chance to affect me.

I arrived in a new place, stepping off of the pad and attempting to recover from the strange sensation of being warped. Where was I now?

Never mind, that could wait. There were more important matters at hand-Kvar.

I swung around, doing the first thing that came to mind. Stepping forward, I drove my sword into the glass circle that made up the warp pad. It cracked, just as the ones in the game had done at the Tower. Now it was unuseable; I couldn't leave wherever I was, but thankfully Kvar couldn't follow me. For the time being, I was safe.

Sighing with relief, I slumped to the floor. My heart continued to beat rapidly, random muscles twitching in my legs. I was alive. Somehow, I had survived.

I shook my head. No, I couldn't celebrate just yet. It wasn't over; I was still in the ranch, and Kvar was still out there somewhere. Hell, we might run into each other again. I had to make sure that I was more prepared next time. If I kept going it alone like this, sooner or later I was going to get killed.

Okay. First of all, where had the warp taken me?

Reluctantly standing up, I walked forward to survey the room. My legs were on fire...how was I going to keep this whole thing up? Until now, I'd spent the entire time running like a madwoman from almost every enemy I encountered. The whole thing with Kvar had caused me to expend the last of my strength. The adrenaline that had previously fueled me was gone now.

Wait a minute. This room...seemed kinda familiar. There was a big important looking desk further in, and a projector was over to the left, along with a lot of shiny computers...

I groaned. So the left passageway had led to Kvar's office, after all. My sense of direction really sucked.

It made sense, though, now that I thought about it. The warp pad hadn't worked at first, because the security system hadn't been deactivated. Apparently I had perfect timing, and the others had pressed both switches not long after I stepped on to the pad. Great, now Kvar was probably really pissed. Not only had I evaded him again, I'd essentially locked him out of his own office.

Not knowing what to do, I walked further into the room, examining the different things in it. I was in Kvar's office and main control room; maybe I could find a way to use this to my advantage. It looked like there was another warp I could use to get out. It had probably been activated at the same time as the main one. Okay, so I had to move fast if I was going to do anything in this place. Kvar would be headed here or at least sending some soldiers here soon, without a doubt.

I might be able to hack into one of the computers and try to mess up some things...augh, if only they had internet here. I could've downloaded a bunch of viruses in less than a minute.

A faint beep coming from behind me caused me to tense. I swung around, only to see that the projector was turning on. Someone was trying to contact Kvar? Oh shit, it was Pronyma! She was the last person I wanted to chat with right now. I hastily ducked behind the desk, attempting to breathe as silently as possible.

There was a second, louder beep, and I could tell the machine had fully turned on now. If I had peeked over the side of the desk, I would've seen the image of Pronyma floating in the air.

"Kvar."

Whoa, was I wrong. That was Yuan's voice!

"...Not here? Hmph, the Cardinals are becoming less and less competent..."

Heh, that was Yuan, all right. But why was he contacting Kvar? I thought Pronyma was supposed to call him out on the whole conspiracy with Rodyle-ohhhhh. The Renegades were manipulating Rodyle to build the Mana Cannon, and Kvar was working with Rodyle, so...yeah. Awesome, it was nice knowing exactly what was going on.

"The chair is still moving, imbecile."

It took me a moment to realize Yuan was addressing me. My mouth opened in a gape, and I stared in alarm at Kvar's chair; it was still turning from when I'd nudged it in my rush to get behind the desk. Crap. Okay, calm down. Yuan couldn't hurt me. I just had to improvise.

I quickly stood up, revealing myself, and faced the Renegade leader. Neat, the projection made him all...projection-y. Wow, it was a good thing no one here could read my thoughts...

Yuan was watching me with his arms crossed-when didn't he have his arms crossed? Anyway, he was very attractive, I'd say on par with Kratos. How could a guy have such pretty hair? It wasn't fair!

"I wasn't hiding, I just dropped something." I spoke, locking eyes with him. He raised an eyebrow, but made no more comments on my idiocy.

"Where is Kvar?"

"Uh, he's not here right now. I can take a message if you like."

"Fool. How stupid do you think I am? You're clearly a human."

I cursed my short hair. If it had been longer, I might've been able to hide my ears and trick him.

"The offer still stands, though." I gave him a cheeky smile, unafraid. He couldn't hurt me via the projection, after all. "Kvar's not gonna be back for a while. He's sort of busy, y'know, being a bastard."

Yuan looked away for a minute, and I watched him, puzzled. He seemed to be looking at a computer that wasn't visible to me.

"A break in. I see." He said after a short moment, frowning thoughtfully. Whoa, he could check the status of all the ranches? I wondered if, say, Pronyma could do that from wherever her stronghold was. Why didn't aid ever come from the other ranches? Then again, all of the Grand Cardinals were in a constant power struggle. They probably wouldn't have cared if another ranch was being attacked.

The Renegade leader looked back up at me. "Lloyd is there as well, I presume?"

"Lloyd? Lloyd who?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

Apparently my act was pretty crappy, because Yuan took that as a yes. "Hm...I cannot allow him to die just yet." He muttered to himself, quietly enough that I probably wouldn't have heard him if I hadn't been paying careful attention.

"The warp to your right will only activate with a four digit passcode." Yuan told me, "It's changed daily for security reasons, but the current code can be found on Kvar's personal computer. I will open the file for you."

I watched him in shock; was Yuan actually helping me? "Wait a minute, why are you helping me? Who are you, anyway?"

"That's hardly something you need to know." He answered, becoming testy at my behavior. I couldn't blame him; could he tell I was only pretending to be utterly clueless?

"Be grateful that I'm helping you at all." He typed a few things into the computer I couldn't see, and suddenly Kvar's computer turned on. The cursor moved on its own, as if it were on autopilot, but I could tell Yuan was controlling it.

Oh, I understood now. He wanted me to mess up Kvar's plans so Lloyd would be okay. After all, if Lloyd died, Yuan's blackmail opportunity died as well. Fine, I'd go along with it.

A new window opened on the computer, and four large numbers appeared in red: 4428. All right, that was easy enough to remember.

"Exit the room through the warp and take the left passageway. That will take you away from most of Kvar's troops."

"How do I know I can trust you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in fake suspicion. I had to keep up the act; any normal person would be at least a little wary.

Yuan turned away from me, but I could easily picture the irritated expression on his face. "Do you have any other choice? Get moving." The projection began to fade, but he looked over his shoulder at me just before he left. "There's an earpiece on the desk. I advise you to use it." With that, he was gone.

I watched the projector for a second or two, before snorting. "What a jerk." I grinned. Yuan had never gotten enough screentime in the game.

That settled it, Yuan was my new favorite character. He'd just totally saved my ass.

Hmm, what had he meant by using the earpiece? I examined the items on the desk, and immediately recognized the small device. Okay, so I could use that to communicate with Kvar. Yeah, like I really wanted to do that. I should've asked Yuan about it before he left...on second thought, he probably would've told me to figure it out myself. Damn.

Turning the earpiece over in my hands, I immediately began to grasp how it worked. It looked like there was a red button to turn it on and off, a little blue button to speak, and then two to adjust the volume. Simple enough...wait, I had an idea!

I put the earpiece to my ear, turning it on, and listened carefully. Sure enough, I was able to eavesdrop on several Desians. It seemed Kvar wasn't speaking right now, but it didn't matter; if he gave any orders, I would hear them. Oh, Yuan, I love you. Even if you're just using me, I still love you.

So I could use this little thing to navigate the ranch...if Kvar ordered his soldiers to go somewhere, I would avoid that area. And maybe I could get an idea of where the others were!

I stood up straighter, feeling like I'd gotten a second wind. Hell yeah, I could do this. I was gonna survive this.

Now I just had to get out of here before Desian troops showed up. Right, so I just had to enter the passcode. I found the panel in the wall next to the warp, and typed in the numbers Yuan had shown me. There was a beep, and a small light on the warp flashed green before it fully turned on. I stepped on to it, readying my sword in case there were enemies waiting for me on the other side.

Chapter Text

When I stumbled off the warp pad, I was pleased to find that the hallway was completely empty. I clipped the earpiece to my ear and left it turned on, then followed Yuan's directions and turned right. Man, this would be so much easier if I just had a map.

Wait a second! I had another idea. I turned around and hurried back through the warp to Kvar's office, rushing up to the computer Yuan had hacked into. The Professor had pulled up a map on the control room computer, right? So I should be able to do it on this one, too. How had she done it?

Frowning, I went through a few of Kvar's stored files. The computers here were sort of weird; I was so used to the whole desktop setup, with the taskbar at the bottom and random icons scattered wherever you wanted them. The display on this computer was pretty boring in comparison. It didn't have an open background where you could put a picture. Then again, maybe that was better; I didn't want to think of what Kvar would set as his background. Probably a picture of himself, because he's just that conceited.

Aha! Here it was! I had found the file containing the ranch map. Grinning victoriously, I clicked on it, and began to study the picture that popped up carefully. This map actually looked normal, unlike the 3-D one the Professor had brought up earlier. My grin faded after a good two seconds; once again, this ranch was friggin' huge. I couldn't commit all this to memory...damn, wasn't there something I could do? Under normal circumstances I'd just print it out, but this was Sylvarant, and it didn't look like Kvar had a printer.

Determined, I grabbed a random piece of paper off the Grand Cardinal's desk, snatching a ballpoint pen as well. Wow, they had pens while the rest of the people in this world were probably writing with quills...focus, dammit.

There had to be some way I could make this work. I glanced up at the map on the screen, then back down at the paper. I wasn't really a bad artist, I could probably reproduce the map pretty well, but not when I was pressed for time. Okay...well, the entire place had the same general structure, sort of like the way a city is constructed on a grid. It was divided into...let's see, twelve sectors, four on each floor. Man, I was getting a headache already.

Kratos had remembered everything here perfectly well, hadn't he? I mean, the few times he'd been here, it had probably been back when Anna had been alive. Even he couldn't memorize a ranch this big in that short a time. Sure, he might've been forced to come here recently for Cruxis investigations or something, but still, he hadn't been here that much. And I highly doubted he'd just been leading the way earlier, with no clue of where he was going. Kratos just wasn't that type of guy.

My brow furrowed as I studied the map some more. The rooms really weren't important for me to know; I just needed to be aware of the location of Kvar's office and where the prisoners were held, as well as the entrances and exits to the ranch. The hallways were what had previously confused me. And since they were in such an obvious pattern, I could copy them down easily, and I wouldn't get lost again.

Awesome. Now I was getting somewhere. In about a minute or two, I had a basic sketch of each floor of the ranch done. Each of the places I needed to know were labeled, and so were the numbers of the different sectors. Right, it was time to get out of here.

After going through the warp a second time(I hated warps, they were so disorienting), I followed Yuan's directions once again. My makeshift map was folded up and shoved into my pocket. I had already memorized the route I had to take to get to my destination.

I had located the area on the map where Sheena, Lloyd, Kratos and I had all nearly been trapped. There were two other directions they could've gone when they escaped; I was pretty sure they wouldn't have gone back the way we'd come. First I was going to try a route to passageway number one, and later I'd check out number two. It was the only lead I had...maybe if I tried to retrace their steps, I'd run into them. It was worth a shot.

Left...right...left...left...

Navigation of the ranch became a montonous pattern, but the constant danger kept it from becoming boring. I had to hide from Desians more and more often as I progressed. Was that a positive sign, meaning I was getting closer to the others? I couldn't be sure. Kvar hadn't uttered a word over the earpiece since I'd put it on, but several higher rank Desians (I recognized the voice of the commander from before) had dished out orders. It had been so easy to evade them when I knew exactly when they would be coming.

I ducked into another room, clearing the hallway for the oncoming squad of soldiers. Hm, it looked like this time I'd entered some sort of lounge. It looked so out of place here, reminding me of Yuan's rooms at the Triet base. What the...was that a minibar?! Jesus, these Desians were freaking spoiled! This was so unfair.

Well, fine, then. I'd make it fair. I walked up to the minibar, deciding to steal some random drinks for myself. Damn, now that I thought about it, I was really thirsty. And sort of hungry.

I shook my head, sighing. Now really wasn't the time for that. No, what I should really have been doing was trying to find something useful here.

Grabbing a can of the most sugary looking drink (huh? It couldn't have been soda, right?), I proceeded to investigate the room I had entered.

It looked almost like a small apartment, minus the bedrooms. There was a living room area with several sofas and a coffee table between them, and there was a small kitchen with some basic appliances. I stared longingly at the modern looking bathroom, wishing I had time to take a hot shower. Alas, with my luck, that would be the very place where the Desians would catch me. And then I'd be screwed in every sense of the word.

There wasn't much here that would help me, besides the food and drinks. I'd might as well take advantage of that, anyway. I decided to grab some more stuff out of the minibar, so I could give it to the others later. After all that running, they must've been pretty thirsty. Well, probably not Kratos, but whatever. He was practically invincible anyway.

Coffee grinds? Ooh, I was definitely taking those. With the help of coffee, maybe I could actually be awake during our morning training sessions. Assuming I actually made it out of here. No, I would make it out of here.

Enough stalling, then. It was time to move on. This time when I went to leave, I listened carefully at the door before peeking out to make sure. I wouldn't be caught off guard like that again; twice was enough.

The hallway was clear. Hell yeah, it was go time.

Contrary to my inner thoughts, I timidly stepped out into the passage, looking around again. According to the map, left was the way to go. After walking for a little while, I finally came to another intersection, and realized I'd finally reached passageway number one. There was a fifty percent chance this was the way the others had gone; hopefully luck was on my side.

"Sven! It's been fifteen minutes. Your report?" The voice of the commander rang in my ear, and I listened in to yet another exchange.

"Commander Agmund, sir! Lord Kvar's office is completely empty."

Sven? Agmund? Weird names. Then again, half elves were an entirely different race. Raine, Genis, Yuan and Mithos weren't exactly mainstream either. Although Raine was a pretty cool name. Raaaaine.

"What?! How has that stupid girl managed to leave undetected?!"

Hey! I wasn't the one who wore the friggin' Desian Orb as a necklace and lost it, TWICE. I was surprised the bastard hadn't been demoted.

"Sir, we haven't been able to find a trace of her. There's also evidence that Lord Kvar's personal computer has been accessed, as well."

"Impossible! How would she know the passcode?"

"It's a mystery, sir. She shouldn't have even been able to use either of the warps."

"Hmm. And what of the others?"

"Calder and Lyall and their squads have reported a few sightings to me...we have reason to believe their group has split up."

"A foolish mistake. We'll crush them like the insects they are."

"Yes, sir. The Chosen is in one group, and the boy with the Exsphere is in the other. Which one shall my squad go after?"

"No, no. I want you to find that idiotic girl. Hunt her down, dammit. She's becoming too much of a nuisance."

"...Yes, sir."

The transmission ended with a quiet beep, and the earpiece went silent again. I frowned. So now I had some dude named Sven after me, with a squad of Desians. Great. Not that I wasn't in danger before, but now I actually had someone hunting me down personally, not just any of the intruders. Stupid commander.

I wondered how smart this Sven guy was-no. Not Sven. If I started thinking about him as a person and had to kill him later...ugh, just what kind of person was I becoming?

Never mind that. I just had more reason to hurry onward. If they'd only just investigated Kvar's office, I had a pretty decent head start on them. I was okay for now.

The drab gray hallway extended for several hundred feet, and then there was another turn. I walked at a moderate pace, alert and straining all of my senses. Reaching the turn, I stopped abruptly. Was that...blood?

Yeah, it was faint, but it was definitely blood. It looked like it might have been wiped up. Huh...hold on a second. I cracked open the nearest doorway, and felt something leaning against it, as if it had been shoved inside too small of a space. It was a storage area, and the smell indicated there was probably a corpse on the other side of the door. I eyed the blood again. That was most definitely Kratos's handiwork.

This discovery actually made me happy, which was kind of sick now that I thought about it, but still...Kratos! I closed the door again, and bent down to the floor, mopping up the faint bloodstain with the hem of my coat. He'd probably told one of the others to clean it up while he disposed of the body; otherwise, the job would've been flawless. I probably wouldn't be catching any more obvious signs of the group from now on, though. At least I knew I was on the right track.

I continued down the passage, straining my eyes for any indication of the others. The bloodstain I'd spotted remained the only clue. No footprints, no scraps of clothing, not even a hair was left behind. They were really being careful. I briefly wondered if I was taking the right precautions as well, or if Kratos would be scolding me right now. There really was no way to know, was there? Well, I had the advantage of the earpiece, and hopefully that would make up for it.

As if to prove my point, a voice I recognized as Sven's came out of the small device. It had been another fifteen minutes, I estimated; it looked like I'd be getting regular updates on where not to go and how close I was to being caught. Neat.

"Commander, there's no sign of the girl!"

"What is your location?"

"Sector six, passage 3E."

"Very well. Head to 7D, and report to me in another fifteen minutes."

"Sir?"

"She probably met up with one of the groups by now. The boy is your new task."

"Understood."

The transmission ended once again with a beep, and I frowned a little. So Sven was after Lloyd now, which meant we were after the same group. That only increased the chances of me running into his squad.

I got out my makeshift map, unfolding it carefully. The number-letter combination the hallways were labeled by had a pattern to it too, so I was able to find the places they'd been talking about with relative ease.

3E...That was a passage near the warp I'd taken out of Kvar's room. It was the hall Yuan had told me to take in order to avoid most of the Desians. Well, it was a good thing I hadn't taken my time.

7D? I froze. That was the hall I was in now. Right, time to get the hell out of this general area.

After breaking out into a run and taking several turns away from that place, I retreated into another room to rest and think some things through. Crap, it was another storage room. This one wasn't quite so dusty, though. That was good. The Desian corpses in the corner didn't really help, though.

My nose wrinkled, and I put a hand to my forehead as a wave of nausea swept over me. This was horrible; how could Kratos do stuff like this? Ugh.

I turned back toward the door, determined to have some sort of plan before I left this room. Sven was after Lloyd. The commander had ordered him to go to 7D. Did that mean he thought Lloyd was there? Had I really been that close?

What should I do, then? I'd definitely keep trying to find Lloyd and the others, but I really didn't want them to get killed or imprisoned before I could do that...okay, I'd use my advantage to throw off their pursuers. How was I going to do that, though?

I eyed the corpses again. Dear God, I was so going to hell...

Ten minutes later, I strolled down the halls of sector five, adjacent to the one I'd just been in. Several articles of bloody Desian clothing were shoved into my bag. I'd dropped a few at random, trying not to make it obvious that I was creating a false trail.

After doing so, I ran like hell to a new area before anyone could see me. The response to my actions was instant; I distracted several squads, including Sven's. Now I just had to try and find the real trail, and eventually the others.

"Pieces of clothing?" Commander Agmund growled from the earpiece, sounding frustrated. "Where are the bodies?"

"We found Lyall and his wife in one of the storage units," Sven answered gravely.

"No! Those...those humans...!" A third voice, one I recognized as Calder's, spoke up. He sounded as if he were choking back a sob. The commander issued out more orders, sending the two to different areas, and the transmission ended.

Guilt and horror plagued me. Lyall and his...? Had those two been the bodies I'd stolen from? I had forced myself to look away from their faces, I hadn't even realized one of them was a woman...

I hated this so much. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Agmund, it's been nearly an hour. I had thought this task should be simple enough for even you to handle, but I suppose I was wrong..." Kvar's voice drawled over the earpiece, the first time I'd heard him since putting it on. I tensed, listening carefully as I walked.

"L-Lord Kvar! There have been...complications, sir-"

"Hm. I'm sure there have," Kvar replied, patronizing even to his own men, "but I'd rather you stop following false trails."

"The clothing...?"

"Merely a distraction. The fools are truly in sector six, headed for my office. I want you to block off all passages leading out of sector five; that girl is becoming extremely irritating."

"Yes, sir!" Beep. The connection was cut off, leaving me worried for the others. Of course, I'd forgotten...Kvar's room was where they would be going. They didn't know he'd left his office, and they certainly didn't know I'd broken the warp. What if they got stuck in that dead end like I almost had?

I wasn't too worried about myself; just because all the hallways were blocked off, that didn't mean I couldn't get out of the sector. There was another passage through one of the rooms that I could take. It wouldn't be guarded, because I wasn't supposed to know about it.

Shaking my head, I decided to try and catch up with the others so I could warn them. At this rate, they'd be trapped. I set off in the direction of the room I needed to go through.

The room I stepped into ended up being some sort of control room, illuminated by the many computer screens scattered on the walls. It was a pretty small area, and I gave the monitors a curious glance before moving on. It wasn't worth it; if I tried messing with them, the Desians would probably detect it the way they did with the Professor. It was best to just keep going.

I turned to the next door. According to the map, this would lead to a relatively large room, and then there would be another door leading out into the other sector. I shrugged, pressing the button to open the door. It slid open, and I stepped through.

The new room wasn't just large, it was huge. My eyes widened, and my stomach sank. Something about this place seemed familiar...

The door behind me shut on its own, the light above it changing from green to red. Had it locked itself? I turned and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. It looked like I had no choice but to keep moving...maybe it was just set to automatically lock.

I stepped forward a little, reluctantly surveying the giant chamber. There were a bunch of big glass cylinders lined up in rows, filled with a weird luminescent liquid. Hold on...some of them were filled with...

I came to a halt, feeling dizzy. There were hundreds of them. Humans were suspended in that liquid.

All I could think was how that could've been me. If I hadn't escaped...no, if I didn't escape now, I could very well end up in one of those things.

That was how I knew this place...this room was from a scene in the OVA. I remembered now; Lloyd gets lured in here by Kvar and then gets the shit beaten out of him.

"Agh..." A weak groan caught my attention, and the sinking feeling in my stomach worsened. Oh, God, of all the places for me to end up...

"So you've come." Kvar's voice rang out, echoing in the chamber. I forced down another wave of nausea, and walked forward into the open area ahead where the Grand Cardinal was waiting. He'd known I was coming? And hadn't he said Lloyd was with the others...?

Kvar's eyes came to rest on me the second I came into view, and he watched me with cold amusement as I approached. I stopped when I saw a body laying at my feet, and felt myself pale with alarm.

This was where that groan had come from. I knew what was supposed to happen to Lloyd here, but part of me had been hoping he wouldn't be in such bad shape. He was laying in a heap on the ground, a puddle of blood spreading around him from a deep wound on his side. Several of the cylinders over here had been smashed, and judging from the pieces of glass jutting out of Lloyd's skin, he'd been hurled into them. His clothes and skin were badly burnt, a likely aftereffect of powerful electric shocks.

The red clad boy squinted a little as my shadow fell over his form. He weakly looked up at me, eyes dazed. "Brittany...?"

I noticed that his Exsphere was still firmly planted in his hand, and nearly sighed with relief. At least Kvar hadn't won just yet.

The Grand Cardinal ignored Lloyd for the moment, tapping the butt of his staff lightly against the floor to catch my attention. The action sent a wave of static through the ground, and I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end. The earpiece sparked and burned my ear, causing me to yelp and rip it off.

"Ah. Just as I thought." Kvar eyed the device in my hand, smug. "Not a bad idea, but you evaded our forces a little too well, girl."

"You set this up..." I murmured, and his smirk confirmed my suspicions. My hands curled into fists. I had been so confident, thinking I had the advantage, when in actuality Kvar had been a step ahead the entire time. He'd caught on to my strategy, and purposely lied about the location of the others during his conversation with the commander. He knew I'd take this route, the only available way out of sector five.

"Correct. Now, stand aside...I'll deal with you after I'm done with the boy."

I shuddered a little, and stepped in front of Lloyd instead. Of course, I'd much rather run and hide, but there really was no way I could escape from this situation. All the doors were probably locked. Maybe I could hold him off until the others got here...I just had to protect Lloyd. Even though Lloyd was stronger than me and had gotten beaten up anyway. Even though I was so scared I could hardly breathe.

"No. You'll deal with me first." My voice sounded hollow, emotionless. I could only wish I felt that way. It was difficult to speak when my mouth was so dry.

His smirk fell a little, and he began to approach. "Stubborn wretch...have it your way."

I lifted my sword, bracing myself for the beating I was about to get. Lloyd stirred again behind me; I tried to focus on the ruthless bastard headed straight for me. Kvar was taking his time, but he could attack at any moment.

"Brittany...don't..." Lloyd coughed, reaching for my leg, as if he could stop me from moving forward. I stepped away and reached into my bag, hastily throwing him my only lemon gel.

"Don't die, Lloyd..." I quoted Kratos, my eyes still focused on Kvar. "...'cause I'm pretty sure I'm going to."

Unable to stand still anymore, I rushed forward before Kvar could get any closer to the teenager behind me. The Desian leader only paused, smirk growing, and watched me advance. Wasn't he going to move, or do something? I hesitated for a brief moment, enough to see something moving from the outskirts of my peripheral vision. Oh, no-could it be-?!

A bright light engulfed me, my entire body immediately going numb. I was able to catch a brief glance of three Energy Stones before my vision began to flicker in and out. Was this what it felt like to be electrocuted?

"Lightning Strike!" A shout from Kvar briefly caught my attention, sounding incredibly far away. The light intensified. My muscles locked up, and suddenly all the numbness turned into excruciating pain. I tried to gasp or scream, anything to distract myself from that feeling, but it felt like my lungs were frozen. The agony continued to worsen, a tingling so sharp it felt like billions of tiny needles stabbing into my skin. It hurt so much and oh God, why wouldn't it just end, why couldn't I die-

A cold, hard wall hit me, jarring me back into coherent thought. It took a moment for my disoriented mind to register that the wall was actually the floor. Realizing I could finally breathe again, I desperately took large gulps of lifesaving air.

Unpleasantly loud footsteps reminded me that I was not alone. From my position on the ground, I could see Kvar's boots coming closer and closer. I had to get up- why wouldn't my arms or legs move?! I tried feebly to do something, but I found that I was completely immobilized. It looked like the shock had caused my nervous system to go haywire...

The boots were only a few feet away now. I gave up on my struggles, eyelids slipping half shut. Maybe I wouldn't feel the finishing blow. Maybe if I died, I would wake up in my bed on Earth, and everything would be all right...

Kvar was looking down at me, sneering. "...re...val...let...olent...og...th...Ke...res...ff."

What...what was he saying? His lips moved, but I couldn't...Oh. My mind finally seemed to catch up, and I understood his words with perfect clarity.

Were you not valuable, I would let you die like the insolent dog you are.

Fuck you, Kvar.

That petty Key Crest will have to come off.

He was bending over-

"No!" I managed to shout, only to find that another stronger voice had joined mine. Kvar's image was replaced by a blur of red and silver: Lloyd, wielding his blades. The lemon gel had done him some good.

Unfortunately, it hadn't done quite enough. The Grand Cardinal promptly changed targets, dodging Lloyd's attacks and kicking him hard in the gut. The teenager cried out, the wound in his side swiftly tearing open again before it had a chance to heal. Now it was Lloyd on the floor with Kvar closing in. I twitched as the numbing pain in my muscles slowly ebbed away.

"My completed Exsphere has been perfectly preserved..." Kvar stopped, "Of course, there's no need for me to hesitate with you, boy."

I slowly pulled myself up into a kneeling position, acutely aware of the pain now focused on my right leg; I'd partially fallen on my sword. An alarming amount of blood was pouring out, and I wondered if an artery had been hit.

"You...b-bastard..." Lloyd reached up from the floor to grip the cloth of Kvar's pants, shaking. I recognized this; I knew what was going to happen next. The Desian leader's smirk dropped from his face, and he glared scornfully down at Lloyd before knocking him down on to his back.

Kvar hadn't noticed yet that I had gotten to my feet, managing to use my sword to stay upright. He lifted his staff, a sadistic smile spreading across his face.

"Die! You inferior insect!"

And now Kratos was going to appear, using a lightning spell to stop Kvar's attack.

Kvar plunged the butt of his staff downwards; the main door out of this room hadn't opened yet.

No. Where was Kratos? Where-

Oh, God, he wasn't going to come.

I ran forward desperately, not sure of what I was going to do, but positive that if Lloyd died I would never escape from this hell. Too weak to lift my sword, I let the blade drag on the cold metal floor; a loud screeching noise was produced, alerting Kvar to my advance. If he hadn't hesitated in that second, Lloyd would have been killed.

"Hunting Beast!" I cried, barely aware that I was using a new tech. I just needed something strong, something to stop him, anything...

I rammed into him with a shoulder, the blue lion appearing and knocking him backwards, and created a shockwave using my sword. The Grand Cardinal staggered backwards several feet, but used his staff to regain his balance. I grabbed Lloyd's hand, helping him to his feet while trying not to stumble myself. As soon as he was up, though, he ended up clutching my arm to steady me.

"Are you okay?" He looked at me with concern, his eyes much clearer than they had been moments ago.

"Hey, I should be asking you that." I pointed out, trying to pretend I was fine. The act was broken when my voice started to sound unsteady. And then there was that fountain of blood spewing out my leg, which Lloyd was beginning to notice.

Kvar was coming near once again, the Energy Stones circling around him. Lloyd frowned, snatching an apple gel out of my bag and shoving it into my hand. I got the message and hastily rubbed it on my leg, keeping a wary eye on the Desian leader as I did so. He didn't look too happy with me.

"We got some sort of plan, Lloyd?" I murmured, giving the boy next to me a sidelong glance. Kvar would be upon us in just a few seconds; we couldn't just run up and hack at him, obviously.

"I dunno..." He muttered back, frustrated. "Dammit, we can't take on those things, too..."

I looked up at the Energy Stones. That was definitely true. If I hadn't had my Exsphere, there was no way I would've survived that last shock. In any case, I didn't think I could pull it off again.

My normal strategy would be to take down the smaller enemies before the main boss, but in the game, electricity was unrealistic and only took away HP. It didn't cause temporary muscle paralysis and blindness. I hadn't been able to breathe...and wasn't the heart a muscle, too? If that was so much as briefly affected, it meant instant death.

No, we couldn't afford to turn our back on Kvar to destroy the Energy Stones.

"Let's just focus on their leader." I said reluctantly. If we killed Kvar, they'd probably stop attacking. But that was easier said than done.

"Thunder Blade!" Crap, he'd been casting! Lloyd and I dodged out of the way, simultaneously bringing up Guardian. Kvar smirked, having successfully separated us, and sent the Energy Stones after me while he pursued Lloyd.

I ran under the stones and evaded several bolts of lightning, attempting to reunite with Lloyd. We could hardly do this together, never mind alone. The second I turned away from the Energy Stones, I threw up a shield so I wouldn't be struck again.

Lloyd fought Kvar up ahead of me, barely able to keep up with the injuries he had. Kvar was fending off any and all attacks with ease. He brought up his staff and jabbed Lloyd hard in the stomach, causing the boy to fly backwards.

"Demon Fang!" I shouted, finally close enough to attack, but Kvar had already seen me coming; he stepped out of the way and swung the staff around, smashing me in the face. There was a sickening, audible crunch as my nose broke. I dropped my sword and reeled backwards, clutching my nose and letting out a choked cry. My vision blurred as tears began to form in my eyes. I hurriedly blinked them away, albeit with some difficulty; goddammit, it hurt. I could feel blood trickling down the back of my throat, making me want to throw up.

I remembered myself enough to dodge more lightning from the Energy Stones, but was still hit with another swipe from Kvar's staff. This time I fell to the floor beside Lloyd, who had barely gotten to his knees.

"Enough nonsense." Kvar was right in front of us. There was no time; Lloyd and I stared up at him, bracing ourselves for whatever was coming. "I'm going to finish this."

Oh, no, he was casting. And his strongest electrical attack was...

"Spark Wa-?!" Kvar suddenly jumped out of the way of what looked like Air Thrust, glaring behind us with slitted eyes. "You!"

Kratos, I love you. I take back all my insults and grumbled complaints.

Relief flooded through me as the mercenary rushed in front of us, beating Kvar back with Hell Pyre. Just as the Grand Cardinal recovered, he had a Cyclone Seal shoved in his face, courtesy of Sheena. The winds knocked the Energy Stones together, damaging them the same way it had damaged the raybits earlier.

"Healing Wind." Kratos was now at our side, having noticed the bad shape Lloyd and I were in. After a nice, healthy dose of healing magic, Lloyd was on his feet and running at Kvar with a newfound determination.

I, however, wasn't so lucky. My nose had been fixed up, but my leg continued to bleed. The mercenary frowned down at the wound, examining it.

"How long have you had this?"

"I don't know..." I answered weakly, "a few minutes, maybe."

He muttered a First Aid, one gloved hand hovering over the gash. "Don't let it reopen," he warned sternly, "you'll die if you lose any more blood."

"That's comforting." I remarked, but he ignored me and stood up. Right, we had a battle to fight, and Lloyd and Sheena were already getting beaten down. I managed to get to my feet once again, feeling substantially better from the healing spells.

Sheena had run up to use a Pyre Seal on Kvar, but balked when a bolt of lightning headed her way. Lloyd pulled her out of its path, looking puzzled when she shuddered and continued her attack. It looked like this battle was taking her on a little stroll down memory lane...if she was having trouble now, I couldn't imagine what it would be like when we actually fought Volt.

"Double Demon Fang!" Kratos joined the fray, only to be thrown back with a Lightning Strike by Kvar. The mercenary did one of those awesome midair flips, landing neatly on his feet before running forward to attack a second time. How the hell did he do that? It was physically impossible to just shrug off lightning...well, then again, he was an angel.

I shook my head and ran up to join the others, well aware of the Energy Stones that were finally recovering. If we didn't kill Kvar soon, this battle would get exponentially harder.

Screw it, I was spamming techs.

"Hunting Beast!" I yelled, catching the Desian in the back with my most powerful tech. I had incidentally knocked him within range of Kratos and Lloyd, who unleashed a Cross Thrust on him.

Despite all this, Kvar still recovered from the blow, hitting Lloyd with Lightning. This pissed Kratos off, and both he and Sheena lunged forward to attack while Lloyd recovered.

"Hey! Look out!" I called with alarm, spotting the Energy Stones behind them. It was too late; with a bright flash, they sent a bolt of concentrated lightning at the two. Kratos was thrown back and landed on his feet again, staggering a little this time. Sheena, however, lay motionless on the ground.

"Sheena!" Lloyd cried, getting up and running at Kvar in a blind rage. Kratos swiftly moved to back him up before he got killed.

Sheena's still form on the ground sparked an intense fear and worry in me. Was she dead? We could really die here. Oh my God, it was really possible.

"Beast!" I used another tech, but noticed with dismay that it was much weaker than normal. Not only that, using it made me instantly feel even more exhausted than I already was. Damn, I must've run out of TP...and I didn't have any Orange Gels.

It didn't matter. Kratos and Lloyd had seen my intentions, and timed their attacks to mine once again; just as Kvar fell forward, two Demon Fangs hit him in the stomach, cutting deep into him. The Grand Cardinal collapsed to the floor, unmoving. A puddle of blood slowly began to pool around his corpse.

"Is it...over?" Lloyd panted, watching Kvar's body with wide eyes.

Kratos sheathed his sword, giving a small nod. As if to prove his point, the three Energy Stones crashed to the ground as well, with nothing left to control them.

"Good riddance." I remarked, feeling so relieved I could cry.

"Mom..." Lloyd sighed, gazing at the Exsphere embedded in his hand. "You've been avenged."

"Sheena!" I gasped, suddenly remembering.

"She's fine." Kratos said, looking over at her. I looked too, and realized she was slowly stirring. Oh thank God, she'd only been immobilized the same way I had.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd looked over at the ninja, concerned.

"Don't...worry about me." Sheena lifted her head, smiling weakly.

"Kratos, can you heal her?" Lloyd asked anyway, and received a nod.

As the mercenary cast First Aid, I checked my own wounds. It looked like Kratos had gotten nearly all of them. My nose didn't feel crooked or anything, thankfully. I had a newfound respect for the Wonder Chef; he'd gone through that twice, without crying his eyes out or anything! I still had some painful cuts, bruises and burns, but for the most part I was in decent shape.

"Here." Lloyd held an apple gel out to me. "You're burned pretty badly."

I hesitated, staring longingly at it, but shook my head. "Nah. I'll live; save it for when we really need it."

He shrugged, but put it away. "Sheena told us what happened. We were really worried."

"So was I." I laughed, trying to ignore a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. What was I missing? "I wasn't exactly ready to go solo."

"What happened? How'd you make it all the way here?" Lloyd was eager for information. I opened my mouth to answer, ready to tell him of my brilliant escapades through the ranch(preferably leaving out the running and hiding parts), but the purple clad mercenary promptly cut me off.

"We don't have time for that." Oh, Kratos, sympathetic as always. "The others have arranged to meet us in Kvar's office. We should be heading there as soon as possible." Though his eyes were still focused on Sheena's wounds, his tone was firm.

"Yeah, I hope they're all okay-" Lloyd started to reply, but froze, staring. Was there something on my face? Wait, no...he was looking over my shoulder!

"Behind you!" He shouted, and I was already whipping around.

My mouth dropped open in utter shock; a bloodied, very much alive Kvar stood before me. How could I have forgotten?! Kvar was never really dead the first time you took him down.

The Grand Cardinal didn't seem to care about how valuable I was anymore. He had murder in his eyes. Before I could even react, he lunged forth and drove the pointed head of his staff directly into the wound on my leg, reopening it and then some. I screamed as I felt it scrape against bone, and fell to the floor.

"You bastard!" Lloyd roared, charging, but Kvar sidestepped and hit him with Lightning Strike. The teen was knocked backwards into me, and the extra weight on my wounded leg caused searing pain. I wanted to pass out. I just wanted to sleep...

A choked gasp from Kvar caused my eyes to snap wide open. Kratos was standing directly in front of him, sword thrust through his middle. Blood dripped steadily to the floor, the minute sound a confirmation of Kvar's inevitable fate.

"Kratos..." The Desian growled, "You pathetic inferior being!"

Kratos's eyes narrowed with hate. He pulled out his blade, slicing it in a wide arc across Kvar's chest.

"Feel the pain..." Another thrust, into a spot directly above the previous wound.

"...of those inferior beings..." Giving the sword a hard twist, he viciously ripped it out again. Kvar crumpled to the floor.

"...as you burn in hell."

Kratos sheathed his sword, staring down at Kvar's corpse with disgust. It was finally over.

Chapter Text

I stepped out of the steamy bathroom, depositing my uniform in the hamper across the hall. Ah, showers felt so nice after an eight hour workday. I now wore a faded Papa Roach t-shirt and comfortable bellbottom jeans, my curly brown hair let down so it could air dry.

Stretching contentedly, I made my way to the living room, where the voice of an announcer seemed to be coming from. My dad and sister were seated on the couch, watching a Red Sox game. My sister was sipping from an iced latte; after working at Dunkin' Donuts for so long, coffee had pretty much become a staple of our diet. I frowned, already craving some.

"What's the score?" I asked, picking up my purse and slinging the strap over a shoulder.

"Five to nothing, Red Sox. You going somewhere?" Amber looked over, having noticed what I was doing.

"Just getting some quick groceries. My fridge is almost empty, all I've got left is-" I stopped, looking at my dad, who was chowing down my last cup of yogurt.

"What?" He asked innocently, and started laughing at the look on my face.

"Okay, as of now it's completely empty. Anything you want me to get?"

"Nah, I'm good," she answered.

"Mmffllmm." Dad replied through a mouthful of yogurt; I made a face and turned away, my sister calling him a weirdo. Yep, he was the epitome of dorkiness.

"Hey, Dad, I'm stealing the Eclipse."

"Don't crash it." He said, having finally swallowed the food.

I grabbed his key and a CD off the counter, grinning. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Hey!" He called, and I paused, looking around. "Take...luck! Take luck and care."

I rolled my eyes, laughing, and headed out the door. We'd just watched Brian Regan the other night. As I walked out, he kept talking, his voice fading only when I started to close the door.

"Take...care of the luck! Good luck taking care of the, the luck that you might have. If you have luck, take it, and care for it. Take-luck-care-of-in-it..."

"You too!" I shouted, and left just as my sister burst out laughing. Oh man, we were probably getting some very odd looks from the neighbors.

Ahh, hello, shiny Mitsubishi. Maybe I'd stop by the beach on my way home, and wave to hot guys while pretending I owned the car. Heh heh.

I pressed the button to lower the roof of the convertible, and inserted the CD I'd grabbed into the player. "Nothin' but a Good Time" by Poison began to play. It was late spring, the sun was shining, and my seasonal depression had finally lifted. God, I loved being out of high school. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was moving forward with my life.

Oh! I wanted my latte. Dunkin' Donuts, here I come. I'd have to drop by Amato's for some pasta and pazzo bread, too. Yum.

I pulled out of the apartment building's parking lot, and suddenly slammed on the breaks when I felt a sharp pain in my leg. What the...damn, I must've pulled a muscle or something when I went running with Ash yesterday. I should've stretched beforehand.

Wetness? Horrified, I looked down, but only saw the denim of my jeans. Why was I feeling so exhausted all of a sudden...?

"...you okay?"

"...head injury...amnesia..."

"...gelus Project...see to it..."

"...inferior..."

What was going on?! My head hurt. What were all these voices?

"...trust you...friends, aren't we?"

"...took adult responsibility...you owe them..."

"...Colette...journey? ...end of the road..."

"...valuable...insolent dog..."

"...as you burn in hell."

My eyes opened.

With my eyelids only cracked open slightly, I could hardly see a thing. My body felt completely drained, in contrast to how I had felt just a few seconds ago. Wait...I didn't remember closing my eyes. It sounded like the weird voices had gone away, but...where was the Eclipse? Dad would kill me if anything happened to it, and I'd want to kill myself, since I was hoping to inherit it someday when he needed a new vehicle.

Ugh...everything just hurt. Maybe I'd backed out of the parking lot too fast, and hit another car or something. Shit...now I'd have to find a way to pay for the damages, and the whole hospital stay would suck too, they'd probably stick me with needles. And at this rate, I was going to miss the end of the Sox game. The day had seemed so perfect, too. Reality sucks.

My senses slowly returned to me, and I realized I was being carried, piggyback style. Wasn't I at a hospital? I thought they were supposed to use stretchers. Maybe the guy I'd crashed into was carrying me to the hospital. Aww, that was so nice, especially considering how pissed off most people would be at my carelessness. It'd probably be safer if he just waited for the ambulance, but still, it's the thought that counts.

"Look, she's waking up." A female voice came. I thought I knew who it was, but couldn't really match the voice to a face.

"Brit? Brit, how're you feeling?" Now I heard a boy's voice, and forced my eyes to crack open a little more. My cheek was leaned against something, probably the shoulder of the person carrying me.

Red was the first color I saw, and then gradually the world came into focus. A brunette boy in a red coat was walking alongside me, his brown eyes concerned.

"...Lloyd?" I spoke quietly, my lips forming the name before I even had time to think. Lloyd? Hold on a minute, Lloyd Irving? I was going insane.

The worry left his eyes at my response, and he gave me a bright but tired smile. "Hey."

I blinked. I knew that smile...and I knew those eyes. And it wasn't just from looking at pictures of him.

That's right, I was in Sylvarant. The walls of the Desian ranch around me and Lloyd's friendly face brought back all of the memories, good and bad. After Kvar was killed, I must've passed out and had another dream about Earth...

"What happened?" I asked, lifting my head up a little.

"You fell unconscious after the battle." Kratos's voice joined the conversation, startling me a little. I realized for the first time that he was the one carrying me. "Kvar is dead. We're meeting up with the others."

"Dead? You're positive this time?"

"I'm quite sure," he answered dryly, and I felt a smile tug at my lips.

"I don't think anyone could've survived that." Sheena remarked, glancing over at the mercenary.

No kidding...still, though, Kvar had deserved it after all he'd done.

I was unable to summon up much emotion at this point; my mind was only half focused on the conversation. What about that dream? What had it meant? I didn't know how much more I could take...this dream had been the most realistic one yet. It felt like it had really happened.

...But it had, hadn't it? My eyes widened slightly. I remembered now...I remembered what had happened during work that day, how I'd slept in late that morning and skipped breakfast. The Red Sox had been playing the Yankees; while I normally would've watched with my dad and sister, I left to buy groceries because I was starving.

Aside from the very end of the dream, I'd just been reliving a memory. After backing out of the parking lot, I'd gone on ahead to the Amato's in Wells, pigging out on Italian food. And then came my latte...but what happened after that? I couldn't remember. And when had that day been?

It must've been the day it all happened, I realized with shock. That was the day I'd been sucked into this world. But it wasn't different from any other day...other than me splurging a little on my diet, it was normal enough. Maybe I ran over a gamecube, and it exacted its revenge on me? Nah.

Naturally, I still couldn't remember the whole process of me actually getting here. Great. And now I was craving coffee and bread sticks.

I lifted my head up fully, looking over at Sheena. The ninja's fatigue was evident in her stride, but otherwise she seemed all right. Lloyd was okay, too. Obviously Kratos was fine, or he wouldn't have been able to carry me like this.

Speaking of which, it felt really strange to be in such close contact with the mercenary when we weren't training. He smelled kind of nice...despite the fact that he'd spent much of his life on Derris-Kharlan, he had a woodsy scent, that of a true traveler.

Ew, that was disturbing. Note to self: stop smelling Lloyd's dad. But dammit, he was so hot...

Okay, I needed to get down from here. Being carried was too weird. I shifted a bit in an attempt to readjust my position, and had to bite my lip to prevent a small scream from escaping. The pain I felt in my leg now was actually worse than the pain I felt when Kvar had rammed his staff into the wound. Instead of an agonizing, stinging feeling focused on the injury, there was a terrible ache spread throughout my upper leg. I looked down and saw that bandages were wrapped around the wound.

"Don't move," Kratos said, gripping my legs tighter. He turned his head to look at me, eyes narrowed a little in a warning.

I tried to replace my grimace of pain with an annoyed frown. "Couldn't you just use First Aid?"

"He used up a lot of his mana to fight the Desians and Kvar," Sheena pointed out, and Kratos nodded.

"Any healing spells I perform at this point will be of little help. It would be best if you were to see Miss Sage."

Kratos, out of mana? That was difficult to believe, but I couldn't think of any reason for him to lie...he must've been going through hell to protect Lloyd and Sheena after we were separated. They had been the main ones being hunted, after all. And then there was the battle with Kvar, as well as all the injuries he'd healed then...damn. Did that mean the only thing holding my wound shut were those bandages? I suddenly felt sick.

"We used another apple gel on it, I think it'll hold till we find the Professor. Just don't move around too much, okay?" Lloyd said, and I nodded weakly, leaning my head down again and pressing my forehead to Kratos's shoulder.

"Kratos, is my leg going to be all right?" I asked quietly, feeling it throb with every step he took.

"Yes. Don't worry about it."

"Okay."

I fell silent, listening to the sound of our footsteps. Within seconds, I found that there was nothing to distract me from the pain. Nobody made conversation. I couldn't really think of anything to say that didn't sound stupid, but decided to talk anyway.

"Kratos?"

"Hm."

"You smell pretty." I heard Lloyd try to cover up a snort.

"...Perhaps I was wrong. We may need to amputate that leg."

Lloyd blanched, looking over with a worried expression, and Sheena did the same. They didn't seem to realize Kratos was joking, probably because he'd said the whole thing with a straight face. Not that I could blame him; I was beginning to think he was physically incapable of smiling.

"You're hilarious, Kratos. You should be a comedian." I said in a flat voice, trying to mimic him.

"Hmph. And step away from the pampered life of a mercenary?" He replied, still stoic.

"You're not really going to cut her leg off, are you?" Lloyd interjected nervously. I grinned happily at him.

"Don't worry, Lloyd, I'll just grow a new one."

"People can do that?!"

"..." Kratos sighed.

"Kratos? Why are you giving me that look again?"

I failed in my attempt to stifle my giggles. Lloyd could be so entertaining sometimes...

"Ugh, are we there yet?"

"No, Lloyd."

"What about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"Lloyd, for the love of-" I tried to interrupt before a certain ninja punched him, but the mercenary cut me off.

"We're here."

"Eh?" Lloyd looked around eagerly, and Kratos pointed down the next hallway. A warp pad was at the end of it.

"About time. I was getting a headache." Sheena winced, glaring at Lloyd. I noticed that she was trying to lower her fist as inconspicuously as possible.

Phew, I could finally get some decent treatment for my leg. We just had to go through the warp and-aw, crap. I knew this hallway.

Kratos began to walk forward, but faltered. I could sense his frown; he'd noticed that the lights on the pad were off.

"What is it now?" Sheena noticed his look, and followed his gaze. "Oh...it's off?! Didn't the others deactivate the security system? Unless something happened..." Her eyes grew worried, and Lloyd tensed.

"Wait," I said quickly before they jumped to conclusions. "they did deactivate it. I just, uh, forgot to tell you..."

The mercenary looked over his shoulder at me, unamused. "Explain."

"Well, you see, I ran into Kvar while I was on my own. He sorta chased me here, and I went through the warp and broke it from the other side so he couldn't follow..." I rambled, hoping I was making sense.

Lloyd groaned. "Does that mean we can't meet up with the others?"

"If we can't get in there, what makes you think the others will?" Sheena rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah...I knew that."

"It is of little consequence. They will take the same route to reach Kvar's office; we'll meet with them here." Kratos said calmly.

"Sounds good to me," I replied, relieved. I'd half expected Kratos to be more angry with me for breaking the warp. "Hey, can you put me down now?"

In response, Kratos crouched down, lowering me to the ground before releasing my legs. I let go of him and leaned back against the cool wall, sighing. It felt good to stretch out my legs. The pain was still there, but at least this was a much more comfortable position.

Sheena and Lloyd followed my example, putting away their weapons and sitting down. Kratos, of course, remained standing and kept his sword out. Party pooper.

"Corrine." The ninja called, and the small summon spirit appeared in a puff of smoke. It did a cute little flip, before running up to her.

"Can you keep watch for us? Just let us know if you see any Desians coming." Sheena said, and Corrine nodded.

"Leave it to me!"

I did an inner squeal. Corrine sighting number two! Gawd, he was so adorable, he had the little jingly bell and everything. And that tail! He looked like a freaking pokémon. I bet he'd evolve into something badass.

The small animal turned and looked at me for a moment, as if he'd read my mind. I saw his nose wrinkle a little in distaste, and he huffed before trotting off to the mouth of the passage and disappearing around the corner.

I frowned, a bit disappointed. "I don't think Corrine likes me."

Sheena shrugged. "Ah, don't worry. It's probably just because you've got Kratos's scent on you. He hates Kratos."

"He does?" I gave the mercenary an amused look. "Aw, you must be heartbroken."

Kratos ignored me as usual, and Lloyd grinned.

"Maybe he just doesn't like the way Kratos smells." The teen suggested, and earned a glare from his father.

"But Kratos smells really good!" I protested, hearing an exasperated (and probably mildly disturbed) sigh.

"So we've heard," the mercenary remarked quietly.

"Oh, I know! Corrine doesn't like purple!" Lloyd exlaimed. Sheena cleared her throat, and his face fell. "Wait, no..."

I rolled my eyes. "Jeez, Lloyd. It's obviously because Kratos is old, and Corrine hates old people."

"I'm twenty-eight."

"See? He's already going senile. Poor guy thinks he's still in his twenties..." I shook my head sadly, and Lloyd started snickering. The mercenary just frowned, probably considering the fact that he really was much older than he looked.

Lloyd opened his mouth to make another comment, but Corrine's high pitched voice cut him off.

"Sheena!"

"That was quick." I murmured, the others tensing.

"Corrine?" Sheena jumped to her feet, but faltered; Corrine didn't look alert or agitated, as if he'd seen an enemy. "...What is it?"

In reply, the summon spirit turned his head to the side. We all paused, listening to the echo of oncoming footsteps. What really caught our attention, though, were the voices accompanying the noise. At first I wasn't sure if it really was Colette I was hearing, until I heard the telltale thud of her falling to the floor.

"I'm okay, really! Sorry for slowing you down so much."

"Cut it out, Colette! You're not slowing us down at all." I could picture Genis rolling his eyes.

"Hehe, sorry."

Someone sighed, probably Raine. Lloyd sprang forward, running around the corner to meet them.

"Colette! Genis! Professor!"

"Lloyd!"

I resisted the urge to start shouting out random names just for the hell of it, settling with a stupid grin instead. Finally, we were all back together again. Although it couldn't have been more than a few hours, the period I'd spent alone had felt like an eternity. And by some miracle, we'd all made it out alive.

Sheena began to walk down the hall to meet the others, looking visibly relieved. Kratos sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, remaining near me. Stop it, Kratos. You're starting to look like Yuan.

Mmm, such pretty hair...I missed the half elf already. He could be a model for one of those Herbal Essences commercials.

I heard the sounds of a discussion, and forced myself to try and pay attention. Lloyd was talking animatedly to Raine, pointing at me. That's rude, Lloydie.

"Hm, I see...Is she really in such a bad state, Kratos?"

"So it seems."

"I'm right here, you know." I pointed out, looking up at them. It occurred to me that I was the only one still sitting, mostly because of the fact that I couldn't even dream of standing up at this point. My leg would probably fall off if I tried to move it.

...Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but still. Ouch.

"Well, you can still talk. I suppose that's a good sign." Professor Sage knelt down next to me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She hadn't smacked me yet since I met her, but I had the feeling she wouldn't hesitate to now.

"I'm all right, Professor. Just a little dizzy, that's all."

"Regardless of how you feel, I'll need to fix up your leg." She replied, reaching down and tugging off the bandages, which had grown loose while I was being carried. I saw Colette and Genis cringe at the sight of the injury, and had to refrain from doing so myself. It looked even worse than it felt; now that it was free of bandages, the wound gaped open, blood flowing freely once more. If I had been back home, this would have needed plenty of stitches in the emergency room. I shuddered at the very thought.

Raine examined the wound, gripping her staff tightly. After a moment, she closed her eyes in concentration. I noticed now that she looked very tired. What had she, Colette and Genis gone through in the past few hours? How many times had she used her healing powers since we entered this ranch? Even Kratos, with several millennia of experience, wouldn't be able to match her skill by the end of this journey.

Finally, her eyes opened once again. "Nurse."

A bright green light emitted from her staff, spilling out on to my injury. The gash gradually sealed itself, and the pain ebbed away. By the time she was done, I felt as if I'd gotten a second wind.

"I love you, Professor." I said, beaming. She ignored me, standing up.

"Now, let's head for Kvar's office. There's something more we need to do."

I stumbled to my feet, grabbing Lloyd for support. "Y'know, she can be as cold as Kratos sometimes..." I remarked. Lloyd grinned.

"...Hmph." Kratos walked on ahead, indifferent.

"Don't strain yourself." Raine ordered me, without looking back at us. Suddenly, she paused. "Kratos, wait. Isn't the warp..."

"It's broken." He replied curtly, causing her to frown with annoyance.

"And how did that happen?"

"Perhaps you should try asking Brittany." His answer caused the three newcomers to turn to me.

I blinked. "Sure, blame the poor, crippled girl. Let's all gang up on Brittany 'cause she can't defend herself. I may never walk again, you know. Kratos said my leg needed to be amputated, and then he'll have to give me piggyback rides for the rest of my life, and..."

"We don't have time for your rambling. Explain why you broke the warp pad." Kratos cut in quickly, the look in his eyes telling me to shut up. Maybe it was just me, but I could've sworn I saw him pale a shade at my last statement.

"You broke it?" Genis asked incredulously.

I nodded sagely. "You see, it's a long story, although it's actually kind of a short one-"

"Kvar was chasing her and she broke it from the other side." Lloyd said before Kratos mauled me.

"You're a horrible storyteller, Lloyd."

He rolled his eyes. "It wasn't really a story, you dork."

I found myself laughing for the first time in a while. We were really alive. The crisis was over, and I could afford to joke again.

Professor Sage was frowning, considering the new development. "Hm...this might be a problem. We can't destroy this ranch the same way we destroyed the Palmacosta ranch."

"Huh? We can't blow it up?" Lloyd looked extremely disappointed.

"Blow it up?" Sheena blanched. "That's sort of extreme, don't you think?"

Kratos sighed. "There is another warp. Otherwise one of us would not be standing here."

"That's me!" I piped up, grinning. The mercenary gave me another look, and I tried to be more serious. "...Anyway, yeah, he's right. I can lead you to it if you want."

"Please do." Raine answered, and I nodded, walking to the front of the group. Thanks to the map I'd made, I had most of this sector memorized. I led them down several different hallways, but halted when Kratos ran forth with his sword drawn.

Shit. Just because we'd beaten Kvar didn't mean all of the Desians in here were gone too. We had ten of them coming at us, aiming to kill. I quickly drew my sword, ready to do battle, but Kratos stopped me.

"You're in no condition to fight. Stay out of the way."

I frowned a little at his gruff command, but willingly complied. It wasn't like I wanted to fight.

Lloyd ran up beside Kratos, while Sheena stood back and threw cards rather than diving into the fray. Lloyd shouldn't really have been fighting either, but he was too stubborn to listen anyway. At least Sheena seemed to know her limits.

Genis, Colette and Raine seemed in pretty good shape, although they were a little tired. Within a minute or two, all of the enemies were defeated. It amazed me how strong we could be when we were together. Well, Kratos still did most of the work, but whatever.

Lloyd grinned, trying to hide the fact that he was utterly exhausted. He turned to me, raising a hand up for another high five. He didn't see the Desian that had been hiding around the corner. Neither did any of us, for that matter.

"Lloyd, look out!" Colette cried, pointing behind him. My eyes widened as the Desian decided to pull a Kvar, running forward to stab the brunette in the back. Colette got there first, taking the blow. Blood spattered across the metal floor; some belonged to the blonde Chosen, while the majority belonged to the Desian guard. Kratos had lunged forth to impale the man on his blade a split second after Colette had been hurt.

Lloyd turned around, shocked. The Desian slumped to the floor just as Colette slumped into Lloyd's arms.

"Colette?!"

Everyone crowded around the two teenagers, as I eyed the blonde with concern. She was bleeding everywhere, but there was no indication of pain in her expression. If the wound had been concealed somehow, I wouldn't have even known she was hurt. Was this what she had been going through the past few months? How terrible...

"Lloyd..." Colette looked up at her friend. "...are you okay?"

"Yeah. But you're..."

"I'm fine, really." She smiled a little.

Raine looked at her, her expression worried. "Colette, that wound..."

"Thanks for worrying about me, but I'm really okay. For some reason, it doesn't hurt. Hehe, strange, huh?"

"That's...!" I started to protest, unable to believe how casually she handled it.

"You certainly are not okay!" Sheena said, and turned to the Professor. "Raine, you can use healing arts, right?"

"Yes, but..." She bit her lip, about to say more, but Lloyd spoke up.

"Colette." He paused, looking pained, and shook his head. "I can't keep it a secret any longer! Everyone, listen to what I have to say. Colette can no longer feel anything."

"What?" Genis asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Colette is growing closer to becoming an angel. Now she can't sleep or feel hot or cold or anything! She can't even cry! Becoming an angel means losing her humanity!"

It was more than just that, Lloyd...Not for the first time, I felt a horrible burden on my shoulders: my knowledge of the future. I hated being in this position, knowing what was to come and yet still being subjected to the pain of the present.

"Lloyd, it's okay." Colette said, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm okay, so...Right now, we need to do something about this ranch. Right, Lloyd?"

He looked down, frowning, but then nodded. "Yeah. Let's destroy it like last time." He looked up at me. "Brit, can you lead the way again?"

"Yeah. No problem." I replied, surprised at the lump in my throat. I was getting way too attached to these people...what was the point of it, when I'd have to leave them all in the end?

"We'll need to heal Colette first. Whether or not you can feel the wound doesn't matter; you'll bleed to death either way." Raine said, finally seeming certain of what she was doing again. Colette obeyed the Professor's orders and revealed the wound so it could be healed. I walked to the front of the group again, waiting for everyone to be ready.

Soon enough, we were on our way.

I was able to find the warp with relative ease. We turned down another hall, and there it was. It was turned off, but I knew it would be fully functioning once I typed in the numbers-

Oh, right...explaining how I knew the passcode was another matter entirely.

As I punched in the correct numbers on small keypad next to the warp, I was met with disbelieving looks. I tried to act casual, as if I had nothing to hide; I couldn't tell them of my encounter with Yuan, but maybe I could whip up some sort of excuse. Okay, time to consider my options again.

Excuse number one: I watched a Desian type in the code during my time as a prisoner here. That sounded...plausible, but Kratos would still be suspicious because he probably knew the code was changed daily. And he was already suspicious of me.

Excuse number two: I went through Kvar's files and found the code. No, that wasn't very good...if the code was changed daily, why would it be listed in his files? That would be a waste of paper. Not only that, Kvar had tons of files in his office. It was unlikely that I'd be able to find the correct one, even if the code was in there somewhere.

Excuse number three: Uh, I guessed? No. Just...no.

Raine came to stand beside me as I activated the warp, a quizzical expression on her face. "How did you learn the code?" She asked, voicing the very question I'd been anticipating.

I opened my mouth, deciding to wing it, and the answer that came out sounded completely reasonable. "I stole an earpiece off Kvar's desk, and overheard the Desians talking about it. The code's changed every day, and I guess one of them had forgotten it."

"Earpiece?" Lloyd piped up. "Hey, was that that weird thing Kvar zapped off your ear?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied, rubbing the small burn on my ear, "he broke it so I couldn't use it anymore."

Everyone else seemed to accept the explanation I'd come up with, but Kratos and Raine were naturally skeptical. They said nothing, though, and we moved on ahead into Kvar's office.

Everyone looked around curiously as we entered the office, save for Kratos and I. It did have a lot of complex looking things, but it was nothing compared to Earth.

"Hey, Professor." Lloyd said, troubled, "Did you ask the prisoners? Were you able to figure out where Chocolat was taken?"

She nodded. "She was brought to the Iselia ranch."

Lloyd's face fell. "Iselia..."

"Don't worry, Lloyd!" Colette smiled, still optimistic. "Once the world is regenerated, Chocolat will be freed."

Her words had little effect, mainly because Lloyd knew what the angel transformation was doing to her. The prospect of world regeneration wasn't as bright as it had seemed once before. I looked away, not wanting to hear any more of Colette's faked giggles, her silent suffering.

I concentrated on the fact that soon we would be out of this place, and we wouldn't have to deal with the Desians again for a while. And I'd never have to see Kvar's inhuman eyes staring me down again.

Although I'd accepted the need to kill as an inevitability of this journey, I still didn't like it. With Kvar, though...when he died, I felt nothing. No pain, no sorrow...nothing. I shook my head a little and turned to examine the rest of the room.

It was just as I'd left it, the papers on Kvar's desk unorganized from my search for sufficient mapmaking materials. Ah, and there was that ballpoint pen. As the Professor discussed our next move with the others, I silently contemplated snatching it. Hell, I'd already pretty much looted that minibar back in that lounge...

"...ten minutes. That should give us enough time to escape through the hidden entrance." I caught the end of Raine's sentence, looking up. She was typing something in to Kvar's personal computer; she must've been setting the self-destruct detonation time. Crap, I hated scenarios like this. If something went wrong, we'd be stuck in here and we'd be blown up, too.

A red light flashed in the room, and Raine turned away from the computer. "It's set. Let's go."

Kratos took over the lead, plowing through any Desians we encountered on our way to the exit. We moved quickly, feeling the pressure of the clock ticking. I kept wishing I had my cell phone so I could check the time.

Heh, shows how technologically advanced Earth has gotten...everyone checks their cell phone, not their watch.

That was off topic. Now was not the time to let my mind wander...I really didn't want this place to become my graveyard. Kratos turned down another corridor; we followed him, and suddenly found that the lights were dimmer. Hey, this was the exit passage!

None of us spoke, instead picking up the pace. My fast steps nearly matched Kratos's long strides; I was anxious to get the hell out of here. The light at the end of the hall gradually grew brighter and brighter, until we were abruptly immersed in it.

I squinted, shielding my eyes, and realized that we were finally outside. I slowed down a little, amazed. I could see blue sky, the grass, trees all around. As our time slowly diminished, the others began to run. Kratos jerked me back into reality by grabbing my arm and tugging me forward, the same thing he had done hours ago when we were moving in the opposite direction. I went much more willingly this time, sprinting on ahead.

I felt an exhilarating freedom, just as I had felt when I first escaped from here. I didn't look back; I never wanted to see the color grey again. Grey was the color of death. Of Hell.

"H-hey, wait up!" Lloyd called, "Kratos says he's not carrying you again if you trip!"

I reluctantly slowed, jogging alongside Lloyd and the others. We continued onward for what felt like an hour but was probably only ten minutes, until suddenly we felt a rumble behind us. Then there was the deafening roar of an explosion; I looked behind us, mouth open in a gawk. The ranch was consumed in an inferno, and I felt like I was in an action movie.

Now that we were a safe distance from the ranch, we stopped to observe the explosion. I saw the crowd of prisoners Raine's group had freed, standing a ways away from us. They were all watching as well. Their eyes were grave, shining with the light of the fire, as they contemplated the nightmarish chapter of their lives that had recently ended.

Chapter Text

Given the fact that we had arrived at the ranch around noon, it was safe to assume that we left at about three or four p.m. It was strange to think we still had the rest of the day ahead of us; so much had happened, I felt like it should've been nighttime. Regardless of how exhausted we all were, Kratos made us do a good deal of travelling before he let us rest. He spewed a bunch of crap about the possibilities of small groups of Desians surviving or something. Personally, I think he was just trying to be his old grumpy self.

Don't get me wrong, walking now seemed a lot more appealing compared to the ordeals we'd just been through. I really wouldn't have minded so much if I didn't have, y'know, a healing stab wound in my leg. And since Colette had been shanked by that Desian earlier and she had the sparkly angel sickness, her health took priority over mine. Therefore, she got to ride on Noishe even though she couldn't feel anything and it really didn't make a difference to her. We were going to Luin so Colette could "rest," despite the fact that no matter how much she sat around, the illness would progress either way.

Ugh, stop being selfish, Brittany. It's not Colette's fault the others are completely ignorant. Well, except for Kratos. I could resent him all I wanted.

"Kraaatoooos," I whined, "Carry me."

"You're perfectly capable of walking on your own."

"But it hurts..."

"You'll live." He replied, his tone dismissive.

I sighed, before giving his son a pouty look. "Lloyd?"

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm exhausted."

"You both suck." I scowled, more annoyed than I was letting on. If I was at a hospital back home, they'd be pushing me around in a wheelchair, dammit. This travelling was torture.

Not that I could've ridden on Noishe, anyway...the protozoan probably would've tried to shake me off. He didn't like me very much...it was probably just because I was a stranger. Technically I wasn't really one anymore, but I hadn't interacted much with him since our first meeting. I usually tended to avoid the oversized "dog." He growled at me sometimes when I got too close, and even though Lloyd said he was harmless, I really didn't want to get my hand bitten off.

Man...it looked like I would really have to walk on my own this time. If only we had a bigger group, maybe then I could've found someone to carry me...I mean, Raine or Sheena would've just been awkward, and Genis was only twelve. Now, Regal, on the other hand, I bet he would've helped me. He could probably lift just about anything with those muscles. Oh, and Zelos, too. I had boobs, after all, so he would've been very hospitable to me. Heh.

Fantasizing about all the 'what if's wasn't going to ease the pain...I had to stop it. As much as I wanted to meet the other group members, that wasn't going to happen for a long while. Gotta focus on the present. Just make it to Luin.

The group of prisoners had been following shortly behind us, probably because they were mostly former residents of Luin. I had recognized some of them earlier, but I was too ashamed to even approach them. Sure, I was part of the group that had rescued them, but I was also part of the reason they'd been captured in the first place. What did they think of me? Did they hate me? Some of them looked like the ranch had broken them...and some hadn't returned at all.

My mouth had eased from a pout into a thin line, my true emotions beginning to show through. I always did this, didn't I? I joked to hide the fact that I was really upset. Whatever; everyone here had a reason to feel unhappy, so me looking serious for once wouldn't come as much of a surprise. I didn't even really want to talk. Luin was two days away...I just wanted to get it over with.

"Colette? How are you feeling?" Genis asked, still worried.

"Oh, I'm all right." She replied, coughing a little and causing his frown to deepen.

Sheena bit her lip. "I wish Asgard was closer...Luin's in shambles right now."

"Unfortunately, it's the best we can do," Raine remarked. "We'll have to stay there for a few days until Colette is able to walk again. Perhaps we can find shelter amongst the ruins."

"I do not recall seeing any houses left standing." Kratos spoke up.

"Neither do I..." I said.

"There are a few near the mayor's house on the southern edge of town." Another voice entered the conversation, and my eyes lit up at the new arrival.

"Lucian!" Sheena and I chorused, and I ran forth to give him a hug before I could stop myself. He stumbled a little, laughing, but the grin on my face quickly fell. He had always been a large man, well-muscled and tall. My hug shouldn't have even made him flinch. And why did he feel so much skinnier?

I pulled away to get a good look at him, and my mouth fell open. He was wearing dirty prisoner's garb speckled with dried blood, his face gaunt. An Exsphere was embedded in the flesh of his left hand.

"You...in Luin, you were..."

His smile faded a little. "When we were separated near daybreak, I was surrounded and overwhelmed."

"What happened to your arm?" Sheena asked, her eyes wide. I finally noticed what the source of the blood was; his right arm was bandaged up, but more blood was beginning to seep through. It looked like whatever wounds he had were pretty bad.

Lucian lifted it, giving it a sorrowful look, and shook his head. He opened his mouth to explain, but the Professor beat him to it.

"He had stolen a sword from one of the Desians we encountered, and he was aiding us in our escape. During one of the battles, we were outnumbered and barely survived; they cut the tendons in his arm to prevent him from wielding his blade."

"But he's okay now, right?" I asked desperately, but Raine only looked at me sadly.

Lucian gave me a thin smile, patting me on the shoulder. "I'll have to learn a new fighting style, that's all. It looks like I won't be able to use any swords with this arm anymore."

I looked down, absorbing the information, and hating myself. "Lucian..."

"If you apologize, I'll teach you a lesson with my good arm." He said jokingly, and I looked back up at him. He was taking this surprisingly well. The swordsman's face grew more serious when he saw the look I was giving him.

"It's not the end of the world, Brittany. I could have run that day, but I chose to fight. Don't blame yourself."

I nodded, secretly blaming myself anyway. "Yeah..."

"We all survived, didn't we? And now the people of Luin never have to worry about the ranch again." Lloyd said, optimistic as usual. Just hearing him speak cheered me up a little; how the hell did he do that? Maybe when I went back to Earth, I'd kidnap Lloyd. Oh, but then I'd have to take Kratos, too...and Sebastian. Just because having a butler would be so awesome.

As I wondered how big a net I would need to capture the mercenary, Lucian decided to speak to him.

"Ah, you must be the infamous Kratos. Brittany has told me plenty of stories about you, many involving abuse." His eyes danced with laughter, just as Kratos turned to give me another look. I smiled sheepishly and waved.

"She exaggerates."

"He lies!" I protested.

"Might I ask how the three of you came to know each other?" Raine interjected, looking hardly in the mood. Sheena, Lucian and I all looked over at her, as Kratos went back to ignoring us again.

"He's the guy that helped you train while you were staying in Luin, right?" Lloyd piped up, and I nodded.

"It was sort of a chance meeting, really..." As I explained how we all met, trees started popping up around us; eventually we were surrounded by a dense forest. It looked like these were the same woods Pietro and I had stumbled upon during our escape. Kratos finally stopped, announcing that we would stay here for the night. I gratefully collapsed on the soft grass underfoot, sighing contentedly. Many of the former prisoners did the same.

I closed my eyes as I rested there, listening to a gentle breeze whisper through the trees. The day had been so exhausting; I could hear my own heart beating, feel the blood pumping through my veins. My leg muscles throbbed, particularly around the healing injury.

"Are you tired, Noishe? Thanks for carrying me all day." Colette's voice met my ears, sounding apologetic. Noishe whined in reply, and I heard the sound of him settling down on the grass as well. There was a rustling noise of clothes shifting, and I assumed Colette sat next to him.

I tensed and relaxed my muscles a few times, feeling the stress of the day finally begin to fade. The throbbing slowed.

"We're going to the Tower of Mana next, aren't we? I can't wait!" Lloyd said from somewhere behind me, sounding eager.

"You're just going to get bored again halfway through..." Genis sighed.

"Hey, shut up!"

"I'm just glad we're out of that ranch," Sheena remarked.

"...Yeah..." Lloyd suddenly sounded pensive.

I inhaled deeply, focusing on my breathing. Their voices gradually blended in with the rest of the background noise.

In...one, two, three...

I remembered all the relaxation CDs I'd listened to, how much better I'd felt afterwards. One time we'd listened to one during gym at school, only the guy's voice sounded ridiculous and no one could stop giggling...Agh. Breathing, focus on the breathing.

Out...one, two, three...

"...Rations...enough...everyone..." Raine's voice came to my ears in a murmur, and I quickly pushed it away.

"Hm..." Kratos's short reply was easy to ignore.

In...one, two, three...

...Out, one, two, three.

Leaves stirred amongst the trees. A bird sang in the distance.

Inhale...

The sounds of nature didn't vary between the worlds. That was the call of a red-winged blackbird...they'd always bullied other birds and pilfered seeds by the beakful from my mom's bird feeder.

I'd always hated them, but now they gave me a sense of comfort. They were a connection to Earth.

Exhale...

A connection...

Nature was nature. If I kept my eyes closed, I was home.

Inhale...

I was deep within the wilderness of northern Maine, far beyond the influence of mankind.

Exhale...

No killing, no blood, no death. Peaceful woods. I could lay here all day.

Inhale...

If I wanted to, I could travel south and catch a ride home. But I chose to stay here, listening to the blackbirds, the chickadees, the soft cooing of mourning doves flying far overhead.

Exhale...

"...she asleep?" A voice I couldn't name. Ignore it...I was the only one out here.

Inhale...

"...up." Another voice. This one was deeper. What was it saying? ...No, it didn't matter.

Exhale...

"Get up, Brittany." It was Kratos; now that he'd briefly distracted me, his voice was suddenly more significant than all the other sounds. I heard him perfectly, but hurriedly tried to ignore him again. I didn't want to lose the peaceful feeling I'd finally attained.

Inhale...

The small amount of light filtering through my eyelids suddenly disappeared as his shadow passed over me. No; he wasn't there, he couldn't possibly be. I was deep in a New England forest, all alone. But wait, weren't there bears up there? And mosquitoes? No, dammit!

Exhale. One, two, three.

An impatient sigh.

Inhale...

I'm sleeping, Kratos. Leave me alone.

Exhale...

A peaceful, bear-less forest. Fluffy bunnies. I needed to find that happy place again...

Inhale...

"People do not practice meditative breathing while asleep. Get up."

Sharp exhale. I experimentally opened one eye, feeling drowsy.

"What the hell, Kratos." I muttered, irritated. I almost never managed to get to that relaxed state, and I had really needed it after today.

He frowned down at me. "We don't have nearly enough rations to feed ourselves as well as the citizens of Luin."

"Are you saying we have to hunt for food or something?" I asked, finally giving him an incredulous look.

"This area has an abundance of wild game."

I closed my eyes again, turning my head to the side so his shadow wouldn't bother me. "Huh. Well, sounds like something you'd be good at. I think I'll stay here, though; I'd just get in your way."

"Brittany." His voice held a warning this time, but I failed to acknowledge it.

"Leave me be, Aurion." I mumbled, calmly shifting a little in the grass. He didn't give a response, but he didn't walk away, either. Maybe he was staring out into the distance the way all those wistful characters do.

Just as I figured I was off the hook, I felt a hand roughly grab my arm. I winced as I was suddenly wrenched up to my feet, opening my eyes to find myself staring at Kratos's purple chest. His fingers clutched my arm with a bruising force. When I saw that his entire body was stiffened, I felt myself freeze up.

I reluctantly looked up, staring into narrowed reddish-brown eyes. Yeah, he was angry. Not annoyed or aggravated, this time he was outright pissed.

"My patience with you is wearing incredibly thin," he hissed. "You are an adult, and yet you insist on acting as stubborn as a child. I've tolerated this for long enough."

I blinked, tentatively opening my mouth to speak, but he wouldn't let me get a word in.

"Ignoring your problems will not cause them to disappear. I understand that you are in pain, but your physical condition is much better than that of these people. Stop being selfish. You are not the only one here who has suffered." He finally released my arm, turning away from me. "I won't force you to come. However, you will be the one going hungry tonight if there is not enough food."

"W-wait," I said quickly as he started to walk away, "I'm coming."

I grabbed my sword, jogging to catch up with him. My leg started to throb again; it was in better condition than it was earlier, after several treatments from Raine, but it was still painful.

Kratos didn't make any indication that he'd heard me, but I made sure to follow close behind. I watched his back as I walked, feeling numb.

It wasn't the good kind of numbness, though. It was the shitty kind where you feel so horrible that it kind of dulls everything around you.

I wasn't angry at Kratos for yelling at me. I wasn't going to get all defensive about it, because I knew he was right. He was always right. I hadn't meant to come off as an immature bitch, but I really had. I had already let down the people of Luin once, and now here I was only thinking of my own problems.

Christ. They had been so kind to me, and I had immediately refused to return the favor. What was wrong with me?

"Lloyd is waiting for us up ahead." Kratos stated, finally acknowledging my existence.

"...Okay."

He hadn't turned his head to look at me when he spoke. He was probably still mad. God, I felt so terrible...I just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and lie there for a few days.

While normally I would just get incredibly quiet when I felt this ashamed, I forced myself to speak. Even if he didn't answer, I had to say something. It was just so hard to form the right words.

"I'm sorry, Kratos." I said, looking down at my feet as I walked. That was all I had intended to say, but suddenly more words started rushing out before I could stop them.

"That was stupid of me. I wasn't thinking." I bit my lip. "You've been a lot more patient with me than most people, and I didn't mean to take advantage of that. I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate, either. I didn't mean to, but I did...and I'm sorry."

I finished, and finally looked back up at him; he remained silent, and we walked on. I sighed. Well, it looked like I'd just screwed over whatever friendship I'd had with Kratos. Way to go, Brittany.

I hadn't even realized till now how much of a mentor he had become to me. I didn't want him to hate me...

"Keep that apology in mind, and perhaps you won't have to repeat it." Kratos said abruptly, his back still turned to me as he walked. I hesitated a little, uncertain; did that mean he forgave me? I really couldn't be sure with this guy.

"...I will." I finally said, sighing a little.

I had learned my lesson. I couldn't get too comfortable here; if I did, I'd start thinking of it all as a video game again. I knew I wasn't a bad person, deep down. I wasn't selfish, I just kept forgetting exactly where I was...

But my continued attempts to convince myself that this was all a dream were the only things that kept me going. During my time here, I'd only been through a single ranch. That one ordeal had pushed me to my limits, and I'd still nearly been killed. I didn't even want to think about the events that lay ahead, because I knew there was no possible way I could ever survive.

It was easier just to look away, to pretend none of this was real. I knew everything around me truly existed, but if I had to face the fact that I was completely alone in a foreign world, I would probably go insane.

So when I went to sleep tonight, I would kindle the false hope that I'd awaken at home in my own bed. When I looked up at the stars, I would try to find constellations that were familiar to me. And every now and then when I closed my eyes, I would dream of Earth.

Although Kratos and I walked in complete silence for what seemed like hours, eventually he relented and began speaking to me again. This was mostly thanks to Lloyd, who kept giving me weird looks when he saw that I wasn't attempting to make conversation for once. The brunette ended up brightening my mood again, and I think he even cheered Kratos up a bit too. Trying to amuse myself as we walked, I resumed my plots to kidnap the both of them. My mood elevated even more.

We didn't catch an incredible amount of food, but combined with the large clusters of berries in the surrounding bushes, it was enough to get by until we made it to Luin. None of us would have a lot to eat, but at least no one would go hungry. To make up for my stupidity earlier, I relinquished most of my food to the former inmates, pretending I had a stomachache. Kratos was right; they needed it more than I did.

Luin was in ruins, but at least there would most definitely be food there. We had received this news from the several groups of travelers we'd passed; small amounts of people had been gathering in the town as of late, observing the damage and attempting to clear out some of the debris. Even if those people didn't have enough to feed all of us, at least they could help us out a little. It seemed Luin wasn't as deserted as we'd thought earlier today.

After thinking about all the problems we'd faced today due to the bad physical condition of the prisoners, I began to wonder how the hell Pietro and I had made it all the way to Luin with only a handful of berries in our stomachs. It was a miracle, that much was certain.

Night had fallen not long after we ate. Leaning against the thick trunk of a tree behind me, I watched Kratos light a fire with a piece of flint he'd pulled from a wing pack in his pocket. I knew it was a wing pack, because there was no way he could possibly fit anything else in that skin tight clothing of his without it being immediately noticeable. Strange how no one else had noticed the interesting tricks he pulled.

"Is something wrong, miss?" He looked up at me, having noticed my stares. Crap, he was using formalities now? I guess he was still mad.

"Not at all, mister." I replied jokingly, seeing him twitch as I gave him a taste of his own medicine. Then I shrugged, frowning a little. "I've just never lit a fire that way, that's all. I'm bored and it's kind of fun to watch."

He sighed. "Your staring is bothersome. Come here and I'll show you how."

I frowned a little. Eh, what the hell, it was useful knowledge. I began to walk over to him, when a shout suddenly cut me short.

"Fireball!" The spell flew right past me, immediately starting the fire before Kratos had the chance. The two of us looked over to see Genis standing there with his kendama, a victorious smirk on his face. He examined the flame he'd created for a short moment, before quickly turning away.

"No need to thank me, Kratos!" He said over his shoulder, obviously thinking he had just done the mercenary a favor. The boy ran off down the path a little, where the others were. We heard him calling out to Lloyd as he ran.

"See, Lloyd? I lit them all and it's only been ten seconds! I win!"

"Aw, c'mon, Genis! I meant with those rock things, the way Kratos was doing it!" Lloyd whined, obviously upset at having lost whatever bet they'd made.

Kratos gave an irritated sigh, pocketing the flint again. I beamed at him as he stood up, before turning to follow the twelve-year-old.

"Genis, wait!" I shouted. "I love you!"

He didn't hear me, which was sort of a good thing because otherwise it might've been a bit awkward. I ran after him, interested in finding out what the bet had been, and not wanting to be left alone with the annoyed mercenary. He was already ticked off with me, I didn't want to make things any worse.

Kratos remained where he was, probably inspecting the blaze that had been created. He could've just as easily lit it with his own magic, but I assumed he'd chosen not to because he wanted to conserve energy. He was the night watch tonight, after all.

I slowed to a walk when I finally approached the others, eyeing the several other campfires that had been lit. Most of the people from Luin had fallen asleep; Sheena had as well. Colette was conversing quietly with Lucian; judging by the smile on his face, he found her repeated apologies pretty amusing.

Lloyd was attempting to give Genis a noogie now, to get out of paying up for losing the bet. I blinked, quickly turning away when I saw Genis pull out his kendama again. Never mind, I wasn't going to get involved in that.

Oh, Raine was still awake, flipping through a book. Maybe I could bother her.

I walked up and sat near her, sighing quietly as I did so. It felt so good just to sit again.

"Man, it's been a long day." I thought aloud, leaning against the tree behind me.

"Indeed it has..." Raine replied gravely, looking up from her book. "How is your wound?"

I subconciously placed a hand on my upper leg, where the healing gash was. "It's...better. A lot better than it was earlier, at least. It doesn't hurt that much anymore unless I strain it."

"That's good. You should be fine by the time we reach Luin."

Seriously? Wow. That was like...two days from now. I'd be all better in just two days? I wish Earth had healing magic. Screw it, I was kidnapping Raine, too.

"I've asked Kratos to leave you out of the training sessions until then," she added.

"Thanks, Professor," I said gratefully, "but I can't imagine him letting me sleep in, even if both my legs were broken."

"You know him well," she said, giving me a scrutinizing look. Then her eyes gained an alarming gleam to them, causing me to shrink back a little without realizing it. "He asked me to give you educational lessons in place of the physical training."

"W-what?!" I blanched, not liking where this was going.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Brittany. Have you remembered anything of your previous schooling?"

I quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! I don't need to be taught any more!" It was true enough, but she quickly picked out the nervous edge to my voice.

"Wonderful. I suppose you won't need the lessons, then." She said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, just to be sure..." My sigh was cut short, and I looked up at her with horror. She was holding a packet in her hand, a four page quiz. Jesus, did she just carry those around in her pocket?

"But I-" I unwillingly took the papers she placed in my hands, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Take your time," she said evilly.

Chapter Text

I groaned, grudgingly picking up the pencil she handed me. Kratos walked into the vicinity just as I set the papers in my lap; I gave him a reproachful glare, but he only ignored me and sat down. Some of the former prisoners went to sit by the fire Genis had set for him.

Okay, okay. All I had to do was pass this, and then I'd get out of Raine's lessons. I just had to prove I had graduated high school, right? This should be easy, since I used to be a straight A student, and I never got test anxiety.

Question one: Explain why the region of Triet is geographically hot and arid.

Ha, easy. Efreet resided in the Triet ruins, and his influence caused the region to become a desert. All right, on to the next one.

Question two: What was the name of the holy ground in which Mithos the Hero brought about the end of the Ancient War?

Hero? Psh. In any case, the war ended in the Holy Ground of Kharlan. Hey, I was gonna ace this!

Question three: Solve the following:

In reaching her destination, a traveler walks with an average velocity of 1.34 m/s, due west. This average velocity results because she walks for 6.44 km with an average velocity of 2.68m/s, due west, turns around, and walks with an average velocity of 0.447 m/s, due east. How far east did she walk?

Um...what? Looks like I spoke too soon. Crap, I hadn't even taken physics in high school, I'd heard it was way too hard. We did learn some in eighth grade, but that was so long ago that I hardly remembered anything. I guess I was skipping this one.

Question four:

In an isosceles triangle, two equal sides measure 26 meters, and they include an angle of 30 degrees. Find the area of the isosceles triangle, to the nearest square meter.

Oh God, not math...I had been in advanced math, but my last year of it I had barely passed. It just got to a point where it was way too hard to absorb all the information. After high school, I'd just let my brain vomit it all out, to make room for more useful knowledge. Like swordfighting and how not to die.

Hmm...isosceles triangle...equal sides...I drew a picture, staring at it for a moment. Wasn't the area of a triangle 1/2 base times height? Then why would they give me an angle...? Oh! It must've been that other formula I learned...uh...what was it...

Aha, K equals 1/2 ab sin C. Okay, I could do it now...wait a minute, how was I supposed to figure out the sine of something without a calculator? Dammit. I knew how to do it, too!

Frustrated, I moved on to the next question, leaving the current one unfinished.

Question five: Why does the speed of some chemical reactions increase when the surface area of the reactant is increased?

Uh, because? Hm. Okay, because there were more particles, more could make contact and collide with the reactant? I think. Ugh, I didn't remember much from chemistry, either.

Question six: Name the last three successful Chosen and state the dates at which they ascended to heaven.

...Ack, next question.

Question seven: What were the two major turning points of the Ancient War?

Oh crap, Raine was going to hurt me...

Question eight: There are four Desian ranches in the world. Name the locations of each and the extent of their influence.

Phew, here was an easy-ish one. Four ranches, though? Two had been blown up...it looked like Raine hadn't updated this quiz in a while.

Okay, let's see...Iselia, Palmacosta, Asgard and uh...the ocean. Go Rodyle, he influenced water!

Question nine: Describe the governments of the world's three largest cities.

No clue. What were Sylvarant's largest cities, anyway? I knew Palmacosta was one, but what about the others...? Yup, skipping this one too.

Hey, I had finished the first page! Only...six out of nine were left blank. Frick on a stick.

I continued on, struggling hard with almost every question the quiz threw at me. Most of them were about Sylvarant; while I knew some, a lot of the questions had to do with stuff that wasn't revealed in the game. I mean, gamers wouldn't be too interested in Palmacosta's main imports and exports, never mind the name and marital status of Dorr's great-grandfather.

What the hell? How was that vital knowledge, anyway? Raine was one hardass teacher...then again, I had asked myself the very same question nearly every day in high school. I didn't need to know the quadratic formula to survive either, but I had still been forced to learn it.

Dammit, I really didn't want to start lessons again...I'd already had enough textbooks shoved down my throat.

Alas, the questions only got harder with every page I turned. By the time I reached the back of the packet, not only was I reading questions about Sylvarant's history, I was trying to solve complex calculus problems. I didn't even know calculus existed in Sylvarant. How was it even possible to solve any of this without a calculator? I hadn't even taken pre calc in school; I was thoroughly sick of math by then and I had jumped at the chance to leave it out of my schedule in senior year.

Stupid Sylvarant...Stupid school...Stupid Kratos. He always got me into crap like this.

It's not like I did anything to deserve it-well, yeah, I did, but...he was stupid anyway.

At long last, I finished the quiz and looked it over carefully. Sadly enough, there really wasn't much to look over. Out of the forty questions asked, I had answered about twenty-five...and some of those I had guessed on just so I'd have something to put down. Maybe I should just hand in the quiz and make a run for it.

Filled with apprehension, I forked it over to Raine.

"Finished?" She asked, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Uh, yeah." I got up, but she quickly stopped me.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I gotta pee." I lied, and Kratos facepalmed from his place on the other side of the fire.

"I'm sure it can wait until I'm finished grading this." Raine said, her tone firm. I sighed and sat down again, refraining from hitting my head repeatedly on the tree behind me.

I hated this. She was going to think I was on Lloyd's level or something, when I knew I was smart. I couldn't stand it when people misjudged me, especially when it came to intelligence. I wasn't the most athletic person in the world, I was insecure, and pretty awkward half the time. I could accept my faults, but when people started belittling the few parts of me I was actually proud of, I got pretty upset.

We sat in silence, Raine grading the paper while I fidgeted. Kratos started cleaning his sword, rubbing it down with a cloth.

Agh! Kratos rubbing down his sword...I worded that wrong...oh God, the horrible images...

I bit my tongue so a perverted joke wouldn't come out of my mouth, knowing neither of the abusive adults would appreciate it very much. Part of me couldn't wait to meet Zelos, simply because I needed someone to whisper "that's what she said" to without fear of getting smacked. Man, I missed my buddies from home...

"Hmm." The Professor was staring at the quiz, frowning a little; it looked like she'd finished grading. She looked a little perplexed.

I heaved a sigh. "I know I didn't pass, Professor...you can go ahead and break the bad news. I won't cry or anything."

"Yes, you did terrible..." She replied distractedly, and I nearly smacked my forehead. Well, it looked like she wasn't worried about hurting my feelings, anyway. Why was she so confused looking, then?

"...Strange." Raine murmured. "Your answers and explanations were high level, well thought out and detailed..."

"I have a brain! Who woulda thunk it?" I remarked sarcastically, but luckily she was too preoccupied to hit me. I was more than a little annoyed at her confusion. Did I really seem that stupid?

"...And yet," She continued, "you were incapable of answering some of the easiest questions. How is it that you can solve advanced math problems, while not knowing the name of Colette's most recent predecessor?"

Crap, crap, crap. This might be a cause for suspicion...yup, her comments had definitely caught Kratos's attention. So I didn't know the questions on Sylvarant...he probably thought I was from Tethe'alla now.

"Uh..." My mind went blank for a second. "...Selective learning?"

Naturally, I uttered the single worst thing to say to a dedicated teacher. Raine rolled the quiz into a tube and whacked me hard on the head with it. Kratty didn't move, but I bet he was inwardly cheering her on.

"Ow." I winced, even though it hadn't hurt all that much.

Professor Sage straightened her posture, looking at me with...oh God, not that look again. That insane teacher, ruin-mode look.

"By the time I'm through with you, you'll be able to finish this quiz with ease," she said, smiling.

"B-but I-" I stuttered, too alarmed to speak properly.

"A new student! MARVELOUS!"

I stared at her, wide eyed. What had I just gotten myself into?

Seeing movement from the corner of my vision, I turned my head to see Lloyd walking by. He seemed not to notice the crisis occurring to his left, too busy lamenting over his lost bet.

"Lloyd!" I cried, reaching out to him, "Save me!"

The brunette turned, ready to come to my aid, but took one look at the Professor and started backing away slowly.

"Ah, Lloyd. There you are." Raine said, sounding relatively calm again. We weren't fooled.

He froze, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights.

She stood up, brushing herself off and picking up some papers she'd left on the ground. "Would you mind familiarizing Brittany with my rules and expectations? Unfortunately, I have other business to attend to."

"Uh..."

"Good." She took this as a yes, turning to head to a different part of the campsite. Before she left, though, she looked over her shoulder at him. "And Lloyd?"

"Yeah, Professor?"

"Do your homework." With that, she left.

Lloyd groaned, falling to the ground beside me. "I didn't even know I had homework..."

I couldn't resist giggling at this. Poor Lloydie and his short attention span.

"Hey, what're you laughing about?" He grinned. "Now you're stuck in school too."

I frowned. "It's all Kratos's fault..." I muttered, turning to glare at the mercenary, only to find that he'd left. Lloyd and I were pretty much alone in this part of the camp. "Him and his stupid, dumb head..."

"Dork."

"I know you are." I replied, wishing I knew some comebacks that weren't so lame. "...So, aren't you gonna lecture me on all of the class rules?"

Lloyd paused, brow furrowed. "Um..."

"You slept through the first day of class, didn't you?" I laughed.

"It's not that! I was just...really late. Colette filled me in later, but I don't think I was listening..."

Well, that wasn't too surprising. I shrugged. "I doubt it matters, anyway. I've been through enough school to know what's expected of me."

"If you've gone to school so much, how come you failed this quiz?" Lloyd asked, picking the packet up off the ground where Raine had left it. He stared at it for a second. "Wait, I don't get any of this either..."

"It's kind of a long story. Well, not really, but it has to do with where I'm from."

He opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. After thinking for a second, he spoke. "Hey. I know I can't ask you about your hometown, but can I ask you other things?"

"Depends on what you want to ask, I guess."

Lloyd laid back on the grass, hands behind his head. The stars were visible in this particular clearing. I followed suit, lying next to him and staring at the invisible comet above. Where was Yggdrasill today...

"Do you have any family?" He asked abruptly, and I nodded. Of course I did, they were just...worlds away. I suddenly realized that out of all the people in our group, I was pretty much the only one with my entire family intact. Hell, I was the only person here that had a living mother...one that wasn't insane, anyway. Even though they were impossible to reach, at least they were still alive..

"I've got a mom, dad, sister, and brother." I replied.

"You think they're looking for you?"

"By now, they probably think I'm dead." I said quietly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, don't worry about it. I came to terms with all this crap a while ago."

He looked over at me. "C'mon, can't you explain everything now?"

"Nope," I said. I hadn't even thought it over since that night by the lake...dammit, I really needed to find some time to think it all through.

Lloyd sighed. "I just feel like I know you, but I don't. Y'know?"

"My name's Brittany, I enjoy long walks on the beach, iced coffee, and making fun of purple clad mercenaries." I grinned, and he made a face.

"Ew, coffee is gross."

I managed to tear the palm of my hand away from my face before he looked over at me. "I beg to differ, Lloydie."

Everything got quiet for a moment, and we stared at the stars, lost in our own thoughts. The stars...they looked so real. The illusion was pretty amazing. Was the sky we were looking at an exact copy of the real sky that was being blocked by Derris- Kharlan? It had to have been. People would've been weirded out if the constellations in the sky suddenly changed.

They'd feel sort of like I felt now...I reached up a hand, trying to trace out something familar. It was useless; I couldn't even find the Big Dipper, never mind the North Star. Those two had always been some of the easier things to spot back home.

"What're you doing?" Lloyd questioned, and I dropped my hand back into the grass.

"The stars are all different here..." I remarked sadly.

He paused for a moment. "I get it...you're homesick."

When I didn't reply, he grabbed the hand I'd dropped, lifting it up. Holding his hand over my own, he began to trace something out in the sky. It was a large, obvious constellation, now that he pointed it out; the picture the stars formed slowly began to take shape.

"That one's the Great Tree." He said, finally letting go of me. I stared up at it for a second, mildly confused.

"You mean...the Kharlan tree?" I asked. Why was it suddenly a constellation?

Lloyd nodded. "I guess the legend goes that after the tree died in the Ancient War, all these new stars showed up in the sky." He shrugged. "I just think it's cool looking."

"It is." I said, smiling a little. "You like looking at the stars, Lloyd?"

Another shrug. "I always have. Dad even built me a balcony outside of my room because I kept trying to go outside at night when I was a kid." Lloyd laughed, reminiscing. Then he paused for a second, puzzled. "Weird thing is, I don't remember Dad ever teaching me that constellation...was it Mom, then? Huh..."

I listened to his monologue quietly, interested. Ooh, Kratos was always looking at the stars...had he been the one to teach Lloyd? Poor kid didn't even remember.

The tree, huh...that constellation was the symbol of the only hope for the two worlds. I felt...strange, now that I knew. The stars weren't so unfamilar anymore; now that I at least recognized something, I felt a little more at home here. Now whenever I looked up at the night sky, I wouldn't be reminded of how far away from home I was. I'd be reminded of Lloyd, awkwardly trying to comfort me. Heh, it was better than nothing.

He yawned, stretching a little in the grass. "So you really must be from far away, huh? Professor Sage says the stars are different depending on where you are in the world."

"They also change based on the time of year," I added, unwilling to proceed with the subject of where I was from.

"I can't believe no one's ever shown you the Great Tree..."

"Look, a firefly." I pointed, and the small insect landed on my finger. C'mon, Lloyd, get distracted. This bug has a shiny ass.

"Its guts'll glow if you squish it," he remarked.

I made a face. "That's nasty, Lloyd."

"Heh..."

The firefly fluttered its wings, the light in its small torso blinking on and off. Light...

"I wonder what the Tower of Mana is like," I thought aloud.

"It's...probably huge..." Lloyd yawned again.

"Yeah...the Professor gets excited every time we bring it up." Yup, we'd be getting a healthy dose of ruin-mode as soon as we got there. I paused thoughtfully for a minute. After the whole releasing the seal thing, we'd have to cure Pietro. Did the others know about the unicorn at Lake Umacy yet? Damn...I didn't want to wander around forever as they tried to figure it out.

"Where are we going after the Tower, anyway?" I asked. No reply came. "...Lloyd?"

When I looked over at him, I could see that his eyes were closed. He was breathing slowly, sound asleep. A stray lock of hair had fallen loosely over his face.

"Awwww." I laughed quietly, deciding not to wake him. It had been one hell of a day.

Rolling over on my side, I stared wearily into the fire. And now...I was alone.

My entire body still ached. I don't think I could've gotten up even if I wanted to. Could I really take this, day in and day out?

No...I could. I had to. I had survived the fight with Kvar, hadn't I? Against all odds, I had lived through it. And before, I even escaped his ranch with no help from Lloyd and the others. I had to stay positive...because I didn't have anyone else to lean on for support. I had to believe that I could do this. Trying was better than giving up.

What exactly was I going to say to Lloyd later on, after the Tower of Salvation? Once he held up his part of the deal, I pretty much had no choice but to tell him about Earth. Otherwise he'd probably be pretty pissed at me, and I really didn't want that. Especially when I needed the Eternal Sword...

Christ, what if he didn't believe me? He could say all the corny things he wanted, but when it came down to it, did he honestly trust me?

But that wasn't the real question. No, I needed to know if I trusted him. I had to trust that he'd believe me. I had to place my faith in him. I looked over at the sleeping brunette beside me, frowning. I really didn't have a choice, did I? It's not like there was any other way to get out of this place. I needed Lloyd's help and the Eternal Sword; if he thought I was crazy, I was screwed. It was as simple as that. He'd either believe me or not believe me, and I'd just have to find out when the time came.

Damn. I really didn't like the thoughts of that...

I sighed, my eyes closing subconsciously. There was no sense in worrying about it if there was nothing I could do...

I'd just...focus on the present.

My last bleary thoughts slipped away as I sank into a deep sleep.

The next morning I rose early, as did several of the others; while Kratos and Lloyd practiced swordfighting, Professor Sage lectured me on the Tower of Mana's history. For the first time since I came here, I found myself longing to train. Anything was better than school - even getting beaten up by a grumpy mercenary. History lessons weren't going to help me survive, after all.

"Brittany! Pay attention." Raine's voice caused me to go stiff, turning back over to her. She'd caught me staring at the swordsmen again. "I expect you to recite all of this when we arrive at the tower, understand?"

"Uh...yes, ma'am." Yeah, like that was going to happen. When we split into groups, I was going to avoid the one with Raine in it.

But wait, that meant if I got hurt, the main healer would be...crap. Maybe I could just stick with Kratos again? Oh no, what if Kratos went in the same group as Raine?! I'd be done for! No, no, I wouldn't let that happen...

Something else caught my attention this time - a small tug on one of the strings hanging off my glove. I looked over to see Colette give me a small smile, before focusing on the Professor again. She was trying to keep me from getting caught zoning out again. I smiled back at her and tried to listen to what the teacher was saying.

Colette really was made of awesome. I hadn't really paid much attention to her in the game...on the contrary, she had sort of annoyed me at times, being the goody-two-shoes damsel in distress. And she was always saying sorry and acting like she had no backbone whatsoever. But it was different in real life...well, not really, but the way I thought about her was different. It's one thing when you're watching some computer generated character on the other side of a TV screen; it's so unrealistic that you can easily find faults with the character, make fun of them, get irritated by them. When they're right in front of you, though, giving you the most genuine smile you've ever seen in your life...well, it changes some things.

She was just...so nice. Unbelievably nice. Whenever I met someone who smiled that much on Earth, they were either a complete weirdo, or entirely fake. Colette was neither. This entire morning, she had been sitting with me and enduring the Professor's lessons of her own free will. When I quietly asked her why, she said she thought I might've wanted some company.

She was right, though; it was so much better with her there. Who else would keep me paying attention? If she hadn't been looking out for me, the Professor would've caught me daydreaming at least twenty times.

"Brittany!" ...Okay, twenty-one.

After many hours of walking, at long last we reached Luin. Lucian took the lead from there, leading us to a part of the town that hadn't been hit as hard by the fire. A few of the houses were still standing; after Kratos investigated to make sure they were safe, we went inside.

Yeah, I volunteered him to do it. My excuse was something along the lines of "eh, he's old...if it collapses, well, he had a good run."

And that was followed by a "you'll pay for that, bitch" glare from Kratos, and I began to realize that I should really keep my mouth shut sometimes. Especially when he was still ticked off at me.

Anyway, he did end up doing it since no one else was willing...well, Colette volunteered, but she wasn't in the greatest condition, not to mention she'd probably find a way to make all the houses collapse like dominoes.

Speaking of the blonde Chosen...our group was currently sitting in a spacious bedroom, Colette sleeping in one of the beds. Lucian had somehow managed to find some blankets that weren't destroyed, so everything worked out pretty nicely.

Huh, something seemed weird about this scene...oh! That's right, in the game everyone went to Asgard after destroying the ranch. We were supposed to be at the inn there. But that was kind of pointless, wasn't it? Sure, Luin was almost completely destroyed, but Asgard such a long walk away that Colette's wounds would be healed by the time we got there. Hey, and where the hell had the prisoners gone in the game, anyway? The deactivation group had pretty much said "yeah, get the hell out" to them and went on with their business. Man, video games didn't make any sense at all...

"Is she all right, Professor? She still looks kind of pale." Lloyd spoke up, giving the sleeping Chosen a concerned look.

"Yes, she'll be fine. Her wounds are healing steadily."

Although she'd been awake for some periods of time, Colette had slept (or, well, pretended to) through the majority of our journey here, laying on Noishe's back. Now that she was finally in a proper bed, we were hopeful that she'd be able to recover faster. We hadn't brought up the topic of her Angel Toxicosis since Lloyd's confession at the ranch. Everyone else was either trying to stay cheerful until we got here, or being all emo and pensive; I could've said something, but I didn't want to screw up the plot.

After an awkward silence, Sheena shifted uneasily and decided to point out the elephant in the room. Heh, elephant...I love that phrase. Oh, right, Sheena was talking.

"...So each time Colette releases a seal and takes a step closer to becoming an angel, she loses a part of what makes her human?"

Everyone gained pained looks on their faces, and Genis stood up to protest.

"That's terrible! Then, what's going to happen to her in the end?"

Lloyd looked up, brow furrowed; apparently this wasn't something he'd considered yet. "...What is going to happen to her in the end?"

I couldn't believe none of them put it together. I mean Lloyd wasn't the sharpest tack in the box, but Genis was supposed to be smart, wasn't he? C'mon, kid...what's the very last thing she'll have to give? People become angels after they die...even I knew that. Who ever heard of a living angel?

Sheena bit her lip as Genis looked around, seemingly wishing that someone would provide an answer. Maybe they knew, but they were in denial. Denial...that was the first stage of grief, wasn't it? But Colette wasn't dead, yet...she wasn't...dammit, why didn't anyone say something?!

"I don't like it." I said, my voice sounding especially loud as it cut through the thick silence. Kratos and Raine were staying very quiet, but the others were too worried about Colette to notice. As horrible as it was, I had to derail their train of thought before they actually came to a conclusion; we'd never end the regeneration cycle if they stopped Colette's journey here.

I shook my head somberly, trying to think of some thoughtful input so they'd be distracted. "Losing your humanity, bit by bit? Even if Colette's becoming an angel, no one should have to suffer like that..."

The Professor had been about to speak, but now she hesitated. She was good at hiding her emotions most of the time, but for a split second I was able to see the burden of her guilt and sorrow reflected in her eyes. Then she looked away, her bangs quickly shielding them from view.

Kratos remained impassive, and I couldn't stop myself from feeling a little resentful. He was goodhearted on the inside, right? He was just acting like an asshole to keep up apperances...right? It was during emotional moments like these that he scared me the most; his eyes were always so cold and hard, even when he could see Colette suffering right in front of him. Would he have that same look on his face when he fought us at the Tower of Salvation? Would he feel any remorse when he killed me?

That thought caused me to hurriedly wrench my gaze away from the mercenary, trying to calm myself. It wouldn't do me any good to worry about that here. Sure, there wasn't much left to do before we released the final seal, but it was still a long time from now. After all that traveling, to the water seal and back...yeah, I wouldn't have to think about any of that for a while.

"Not only that," Genis piped up, "but after she regenerates the world, Colette will be all alone as the only angel! That's too cruel..."

"Ah...that's..." Raine finally spoke, but Colette's soft voice cut her off.

"Professor, it's okay."

"Colette..."

The Chosen sat up in bed, hands resting on the blanket bunched up in her lap. She smiled apologetically, looking around at all of us. "I'm sorry to worry everyone. Things are a little difficult right now, but once I become a full angel, it might be a lot easier. So don't worry, it's okay."

Sheena shook her head. "No, it's too hard on you! If you're tired, you want to sleep, don't you? Don't you miss the taste of the foods you like? And you can't even feel the warmth of someone when you hold their hand...You should just stop this crazy world regeneration!"

My thoughts exactly. Dammit, this wasn't supposed to be so depressing.

"Thank you, Sheena." Colette smiled again, but I knew she was scared of what lay ahead. "But if I quit now, all of the people suffering throughout the world won't be saved. I was born for the sake of the world regeneration, so I'm going to make sure I do my job. Okay?"

No, that wasn't okay! That wasn't fair!

"Yes..." Kratos murmured, "That is the fate of the Chosen."

Oh, God, I wanted to punch him. He knew what was going to happen and he...he didn't even look guilty...was he secretly feeling guilty? How could he just accept this?

I quickly softened my gaze and looked away from him, but I wasn't fast enough; I could tell he had seen my glare. To the others, his remark had probably seemed like a somber observation, when it was actually a subtle prod in the correct direction. His eyes narrowed just a little at me, but then he seemed to shrug it off. Knowing Kratos, though, that little slipup was going to bite me in the ass later.

"Can't we find another way?" Lloyd frowned. "A way where Colette doesn't have to become an angel?"

"The world will be regenerated when the Chosen becomes an angel. It's always been like that...and it probably always will be. So..." Colette trailed off, and another wave of revulsion at Cruxis and this system washed over me.

"So you're really okay with this? You're okay with giving up your humanity?" I asked, wishing she'd tell us her true feelings for once. Lloyd hesitated and closed his mouth, and I wondered if I'd stolen one of his lines.

She nodded, and my wishes were not fulfilled. "...Yes. I'm going to become an angel, for everyone's sake."

"...All right. But Colette, the path you've chosen is not going to be easy, you know." Raine said, though I was sure Colette knew very well what she was getting herself into.

"Yes, Professor."

Lloyd shook his head, fists clenched. "I won't accept this...there's got to be another way."

I wished I could comfort him...but depite my knowledge of the future, I still felt uneasy. Anything could go wrong...

It wasn't long before Colette dozed off again, and everyone went about their business as we let her rest. Kratos and Lloyd were training (again), with the excuse that the seal guardian at the Tower of Mana was much stronger than the last few. The mercenary said the key to the tower was kept somewhere in this city, so we sent Raine to search for it before she offered to cook dinner. Thankfully, Genis took up that job. I wondered if he ever got tired of us making him cook...ah well, soon enough we'd have Regal, the Iron Chef.

The weather was beautiful, and I was perfectly content in watching the swordsmen train from the sidelines. Unfortunately, Kratos seemed to notice halfway through that my leg had healed, and made me get up and join them.

"...Hey," I said as I drew my sword, "does this mean I don't have to take lessons with the Professor anymore?" My eyes lit up at the very thought. No more school!

"Hmph...I believe that is up to Miss Sage."

My face fell. "What? But you said-that wasn't part of the deal!"

I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I don't recall making a deal with you, Brittany."

Well, he was calling me by my first name again; at least we were back on relatively good terms. Lloyd gave me a pitying look, and I made a face. Lessons for the rest of the journey? Damn it all!

"Argh! Fierce Demon Fang!"

Kratos dodged out of the way easily as I tried out the new tech, lifting his own blade and coming at me. Somehow I managed to recover fast enough to clash swords with him.

"Keep a cool head in battle. Anger will only impair your judgment." He admonished, quickly gaining the upper hand and overpowering me. Within seconds I was disarmed, Kratos's sword hovering inches away from my throat.

As usual, the rest of that training session consisted of Lloyd and I getting beaten down multiple times. Instead of taking turns, though, Kratos decided to instruct us on teamwork and have us both come at him at once. Needless to say, it didn't make much of a difference. The mercenary was just too goddamn strong.

When Lloyd offered to teach me Cross Thrust, though, I suddenly became a lot less pouty. Kratos let his son take over the teacher's position (my existence was probably giving him a headache), and watched with a bored expression as we accidentally stabbed each other over and over while trying to perform the attack. At least he healed us afterwards.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You'll get it sooner or later." Lloyd said, standing in the doorway behind me. I turned to face him and shook my head sadly, before falling backwards into one of the beds.

"It's useless, Lloydie. I fail at life."

"No you don't-"

"I do, I do. Oh, woe is me..." I sighed dramatically, and he rolled his eyes.

"Cut it out, you weirdo."

I stuck my tongue out at him, watching him out of the corner of my eye as he crossed the room. Lloyd seemed to become distracted with something else, so I closed my eyes and tried to let the aches of training fade away. It was only when I heard him rummaging through something that I opened them again. Hey, wait a minute. That was my-

"What the hell are you doing? Lloooyyd!" He was shamelessly going through my bag, and held it away from me when I tried to grab it back.

"Ha! Found it." He grinned, pulling something rectangular out. Eh?

I leaned closer to see what it was, and frowned. "Oh, come on!" I quickly reached out to snatch it, but he was taller than me and just held it over his head. It was the box of pocky the Wonder Chef had given me. After the whole thing with Kvar, I'd forgotten all about it.

"Give it already!" I whined, trying hard to get it back, but to no avail. Lloyd just laughed, reading the box as he held it up; my hands clawed in vain at his arm.

"Pokey?" He stared at the box in slight confusion. "What's that?"

I snorted. "Pocky, Lloyd. It's called pocky."

"I still don't know what it is." He finally stopped playing his game of keep away, sitting down on the bed and examining the item in his hands. I sat next to him, pushing away the urge to grab the box and make a run for it. Stupid Lloyd was probably a faster runner than me, too. I really didn't want to get tackled, even if he was just joking around.

"It's just food. See?" I opened the box, handing him some. Surprisingly enough, the sticks hadn't been crushed in my bag. When he eyed it skeptically, I popped some in my mouth to show it wasn't going to explode or anything.

Oh my God, pocky...how I'd missed eating real food. Of course, I would've chosen a good ol' American cheeseburger over this, but I was pretty much grateful for anything Earth related.

Lloyd finally relented, trying some himself. "Hey...that's pretty good."

"It is, isn't it?" I smiled. There had to be some way I could repay the Wonder Chef for his awesomeness...

Wow. You know you're an otaku when you find yourself eating pocky with Lloyd Irving. Now all we needed were some mangas and a Domo plushie, and we'd be set.

He examined the box curiously, turning it over in his hands. "Wegmans?" He read the price sticker, and I cringed. Uh oh, he was starting to notice the un-Sylvarant-like aspects to it.

"It's, um, a store." I replied dumbly.

"I've never seen this stuff before..." Lloyd frowned, puzzled. He looked at the nutrition info, and couldn't make sense of that, either. "And what's all this weird writing?" He indicated the ingredient list, printed in Japanese.

"Uh..." Crap, what was I supposed to say?

The sound of the front door opening cut us off, and I jumped up to see who it was. Lloyd seemed to hesitate, but got up as well. The Professor and Lucian trudged in, soaking wet; I realized it had begun to pour outside. Lucian pulled a blanket off a spare bed, placing it around her shoulders to serve as a towel. She was shivering, her skin nearly as pale as her hair.

"Professor!" Lloyd gasped, alarmed. "What happened to you?"

"I'm fine, Lloyd." She answered, her voice barely steady. Kratos was sitting next to Noishe in front of the fireplace; he looked up, an eyebrow slightly raised.

"Er, Professor, you don't really look fine..." I pointed out.

Lucian sighed. "I found her digging through debris near the town chapel.

Raine looked away. "It's flooding outside...I had to find the key before it was washed away. If it was lost...think about it! The interior of the tower, lost forever...all of those lovely books...so much to study..." She began to ramble, her voice shuddering. Her body was rocked with a powerful sneeze; Lucian grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Raine!" Genis cried, running out of the kitchen after hearing the commotion. Upon seeing the condition she was in, he looked downright terrified. I had to admire the amount of love he had for his sister; it probably wasn't anything serious, and yet he just about dragged her to bed. Immediately afterwards, he set about making some hot soup to help her feel better. Dinner was postponed for the rest of us, but we didn't really care.

"...Oh, no...Is she going to be all right?" Colette asked in a whisper. She had recently woken up, just as the Professor fell asleep.

"Looks like she'll be okay. It's just a cold, I think." Sheena replied.

"Such a careless thing to do..." Kratos murmured with a sigh, earning a defensive glare from Genis. I decided to say something before the mercenary had tiny fists of fury coming at him.

"Y'know, she did manage to get the key. We would've been screwed if she hadn't."

"Her condition may slow us down. It would have been best to wait until morning."

I frowned, realizing the futility of trying to argue with Kratos. He always managed to seem right, even if he was wrong. "...Eh. What's done is done, anyway."

"Here it is, then." Lucian reached into his pocket, pulling out a large key and setting at the foot of the bed. He then turned towards the door, looking over his shoulder at us. "I know some merchants in the area that may be willing to sell me some medicinal herbs. Perhaps an herbal tea will make her feel better."

"Thank you." Genis said gratefully, and we watched the swordsman leave. The sound of Raine's quiet breathing filled the room once more.

I stared at her sleeping form, a frown tugging at my lips. Well, this was unexpected...not only was she not supposed to get sick, but we were also supposed to get the key over in Hima. Hmm...so maybe Clara hadn't stolen it while she was here after all? Maybe she had just wanted to go on a lovely stroll through Luin, that was all. No key stealing involved.

There it was again, that weird nagging feeling at the back of my head...had my presence here altered that little part of the plot? Well, it's not like it was really important or anything...it just bugged me. I mean, what if all the little things snowballed and became one big thing? That would be kind of bad, wouldn't it?

Eventually everyone seemed to calm down, filing out of the room. At Genis's request, Kratos cast a First Aid for good measure. I was a bit surprised he hadn't considered that a waste of energy; maybe it was his way of apologizing for his remarks about Raine being careless. Or maybe Kratos was just really confusing.

Oh crap, I was alone in the room with him. Must escape, must escape...

I stretched, yawning loudly. "Well, I suppose it's about time I hit that old dusty trail..." I quoted Peter Griffin, and Kratos just ignored me. Sweet, that meant I was in the clear. I headed for the door.

"You will be resuming the daily training from now on. We're meeting in front of the town fountain tomorrow morning; don't be late." Kratos said, and I groaned.

"I knew you were going to say something like that..." Sighing, I just shook my head. "Fine. Night, Kratos."

"Hm."

Okay, maybe that was Kratos-language for "Good night, Brittany." I couldn't be too sure; usually his grunts meant that he was sort of listening, but didn't really give a rat's ass about whatever you were saying. Oh, Kratos, such a loveable man.

That night, I dreamt it was raining pocky...only Raine was allergic. Wow.

Several days later, we found ourselves trudging through slick, waterlogged grass on our way to the Tower of Mana. It had rained for at least two or three days, and now all of us had mud up to our knees. With the exception of Genis, of course - he was short, so he seemed to be a little dirtier and a little more irritated. He was also wearing shorts, so uh...yeah. I wasn't going to ask...but I had a sneaking suspicion he had some mud in them, too.

"Look on the bright side, Genis," I said, only receiving a glare in return.

"What bright side? There is no bright side!"

"Well, mud is really good for your skin, so...you'll have beautiful legs after this!" I grinned, and Lloyd immediately started to snicker.

"Hey, shut up, Lloyd!" Genis said, pouting.

"Wow! I never thought of that!" Colette said cheerfully. "I bet you'll look really good when it washes off, Genis!"

"Er...thanks, Colette." More snickers from Lloyd; this time I started to join in.

Our laughter abruptly stopped when Colette tripped, doing a faceplant straight into a muddy puddle.

"Oops..." She finally said when she sat up, her entire front covered in mud. As she attempted to wipe some of it off her face, she giggled a little. The second we heard her, everyone burst out laughing - with the exception of Kratos and Raine, who were busy shaking their heads.

"Colette, you look ridiculous!" Lloyd managed to say, and she laughed, too.

"I do, don't I?"

"But you'll be even prettier than Genis!" I declared, causing another bout of giggles.

"Oh, Colette..." Raine sighed. "I suppose we'll have to find a way to wash those clothes..."

"Are you done?" Kratos asked us, his voice loud and firm. We abruptly stopped, and nodded quietly.

"Hm. Let's get going, then." He said, and we followed after him.

"...Psh." I said quietly, "Party pooper."

The Tower of Mana had loomed over the horizon for a while now, but we were finally getting close. It actually turned out to be a lot taller than I'd anticipated. It was tiny in comparison to the Tower of Salvation, but up close...yeah, it was big.

And, as expected, the Professor spazzed out as soon as we reached it. She ran up the stone steps, muttering hysterically to herself about the fantastic architecture, as we all sort of stood off to the side.

I had to admit though, it was pretty cool looking. I wasn't used to seeing buildings this tall that weren't skyscrapers. And there were these neat magical runes on the door...what did they mean? I would've asked Raine, if she weren't practically foaming at the mouth.

"Kratos." She finally seemed to realize we were still there, and turned to the mercenary. "The key?"

He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "It's late. We'll camp out here and head in tomorrow morning."

"But-" She started to protest, looking longingly at the door.

"He's right, Professor." Lloyd yawned. "I'm tired."

"And besides, Raine, you're sick!" Genis added. "You need your rest."

Oh Genis, your brotherly love is showing...

She started to protest, saying she felt fine, but then sneezed three times. That pretty much decided it; I gratefully settled down on the grass near the front steps.

My gaze fell on the upper part of the tower, stretching high above us. Man, it was going to suck fighting up there...I was afraid of heights.

It was strange to think that this was the first seal I was going to see Colette break. I was going to see Remiel for the first time, and Colette was going to lose her voice. The next time we saw her "father" after this, we would be fighting him. And Colette would be...

I sighed. Focus on the present situation - one ordeal at a time.

Ugh. And we weren't even halfway through the game yet.

Chapter Text

The blue sky darkened in hue as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Now that we'd settled in, everyone went about their own activities as usual. Kratos went off somewhere to be all mysterious (reporting to a certain Cruxis angel, perhaps?), and Lloyd was out on a walk with Colette. Raine still insisted upon drooling all over the Tower, despite her sickness. Sheena was sitting on the stone steps to the large structure, reorganizing the different cards and seals she carried with her. I was tempted to ask her about them, but then I remembered they were Mizuho secrets, and if she told me she'd have to marry me.

The ninja gave me an odd look when she saw me stifle a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You really don't want to know," I replied, shaking my head. Okay, maybe it'd be best to leave her alone before she started thinking I was weird. I stood up from my seat on the grass, wandering elsewhere and wondering what to do.

Oh, it looked like Genis was cooking dinner again. We didn't even have to make him this time; ever since Raine had come down with that cold, he'd taken over all cooking duties to ensure her fast recovery. Hmm...I felt an idea setting on. I hadn't really talked to him much since that day back in Asgard, after all.

"Hey, Genis." I called to him as I walked up, sitting down near the fire he was cooking with. "Guess what?"

The twelve-year-old briefly looked up at me, before turning back to the ingredients he was setting out. It looked like he was boiling water in a pot...wait, where the hell had that come from? Which one of us was carrying a cooking pot around all day?

"What?" Genis asked, derailing my random train of thought. I grinned, remembering what I was going to say.

"You should teach me how to cook something."

"Huh?" Now I'd caught his attention. He looked at me again, surprised.

"C'mon, you heard me. Pretty please?"

Genis's surprise wore off, and he gave me a skeptical look. "Aren't you supposed to be the omelette master?"

I blinked, then quickly shook my head. "Uh, no-I mean, that's pretty much the only thing I can cook, so...so I think I need to learn more! What are you making?" I changed the subject, leaning forward to peer at the ingredients he'd placed in front of him.

"Meat stew." He replied, shifting the pot over the fire a little. "Okay, you can help, and I'll tell you how to make it. Just don't screw up too horribly, okay?"

"Yes sir, I'll try." I replied, amused at how little faith he placed in my abilities. Not only that, Genis seemed a tiny bit smug; he was twelve, and ordering an eighteen-year-old around. Not many kids his age got to do that every day.

The mage pulled out some kelp and placed it in the pot of boiling water, with the air of a master at work. Normally I would've cringed-the idea of any sort of seaweed in my food made me nauseous-but I trusted that he'd make it taste delicious either way. Genis could make anything taste good.

Now he pulled out some pasta, and I grinned. I'd been getting sick of all the plain stew, but it looked like Genis was gonna kick it up a notch tonight. I resisted the urge to yell out "BAM!" when he threw the noodles in.

"You have to boil dried pasta in order to soften it," the boy remarked, and I facepalmed.

"C'mon Genis, you don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"

Genis gave me a look. "Well, you do hang around Lloyd a lot..."

"So do you, Genis. That means you should be as dumb as me." I said, smiling a little. My smile fell, though, when I saw that the boy was looking down into the fire. He had a troubled expression on his face.

"Just how close are you two, anyway?" Genis suddenly asked, looking at me. I faltered, taken aback.

"Wh-what? We're...I mean, uh, he's just-" I stopped, flustered. Me and Lloyd?! That was...I didn't...! No, no way.

Then I realized that Genis's question was completely innocent; he wasn't implying we had some sort of intimate relationship, he was wondering how close of friends we had become. I looked into Genis's cool blue eyes, and saw the insecurity in them. He was still just a kid, after all.

I rolled my eyes, more annoyed at myself than anyone else, and laid back on the grass. "Gimme a break, Genis. We might talk a lot, but I'm not nearly as close to him as you are. You guys are childhood friends; I've only known Lloyd for a few months."

"...Yeah..." Genis said after a moment, and sighed. "Sorry. It's just..." He fidgeted a little, uncomfortable. "After Colette becomes an angel, it'll be just me and Lloyd. But now you're here, and Sheena, and Kratos, and...I just don't want to get left behind."

I frowned knowingly. Genis was just used to the original trio: him, Colette, and Lloyd. Now that there were so many new group members, he wasn't used to Lloyd's attention being so divided. Then there was Colette's Angel Toxicosis...and not only that...

"It sucks being the youngest, doesn't it?" I said, gazing over at him as he stirred the softening pasta. By the look on his face, it seemed like I'd hit home.

"Yeah, it does." He replied. That was part of it, wasn't it? People changed when they got older. He didn't want Lloyd to grow up and forget about him, or to ditch him for friends of his own age group. Not that Lloyd would ever, ever do something like that.

The boy picked up a little more pasta, snapping the noodles in half and throwing them in. "Who're you to talk, though? You couldn't understand."

I snorted. "I was twelve once, too, you know."

"But you don't remember being twelve!" Genis shot back, and I hesitated. Whoops, that was quite the slipup on my part.

"Yeah, you're right, I don't..." I finally backed down, knowing there was really nothing more I could say. Genis stared at me for a second, before shaking his head and turning back to his cooking. I sat up again, sighing and trying to focus on what he was doing.

"Is Raine still up at the Tower's entrance? You were just over there, right?" Genis asked, changing the subject before the silence became too awkward.

"Hm? Yeah...last I checked, she was trying to decipher all the ancient runes on the door." There had been hundreds of them, all over its surface.

The young mage groaned. "She's just going to make herself more sick at this rate...Can you watch this for a second? I'm going to go check on her."

"Sure," I answered, taking his place as he stood up and left. I kept that pot under close surveillance, well aware of my notoriously bad luck. Perhaps a bomb shelter would be needed; this place wasn't safe from aerial attacks. A meteor might come crashing down.

I stirred the boiling water occasionally, knowing that the pasta was probably almost soft enough by now. Hopefully Genis wouldn't spend too much time chatting with his sister.

When I heard footsteps approaching, I temporarily looked away from the pot. Ah, it looked like Kratos had finally returned.

"Where were you?" I asked offhandedly, stretching a bit.

"Hm. I went for a walk," he replied.

"All by your lonesome?"

"Do I seem like the type to crave company?"

"I bet you do, deep down." I speculated, nodding to myself.

Kratos raised an eyebrow, and I realized he was looking at the pot in front of me-the one I had just neglected for a second too long.

"Oh, crap!" I exclaimed as it started to boil over. I attempted to stir it to clear the foam, but to no avail. "Ack! Abort, abort!"

I heard the mercenary sigh; he walked over, picked up a bottle of oil that was sitting next to me, and poured some into the pot. The foam died down instantly, and I felt incredibly stupid.

"Um..." I smiled sheepishly. "I was going to do that. I was just testing you."

"I'm sure you were." He replied, going to sit down nearby, and uh...supervise my supervision of the food. Maybe Genis was right in putting so little faith in me.

Even after we ate, it was still a bit too early to go to bed; at least, it was early to me. Several of the others thought so as well, and Kratos and Raine occupied their time by glaring at us like upset parents. They said we'd need the sleep, but my reasoning was that too much sleep was just as bad as not getting enough. Surprisingly enough, that explanation got everyone off the hook for an hour or so.

Genis had been all for staying up late, but dozed off mere minutes after we won the argument. I couldn't help but snicker at that; he was such a kid. I missed being twelve...after all, eighteen wasn't really all it was cracked up to be.

Realizing it had been a while since I last snuck off, I stood and decided to go on a walk of my own. The Tower of Mana was near the ocean, right? I hadn't seen the ocean in forever...

Thankfully, there was a path through the woods that led directly to where I wanted to go. After a relatively short walk, I was able to smell the saltwater; there was even a raised pathway through the marsh I encountered, so I didn't have to put too much effort into getting to the beach. Before I knew it, I was walking through pale sands that glistened faintly in the light of the rising moon.

I looked both ways-the beach was completely empty. A grin crept its way on to my face, and I flung my boots off, feeling the sand between my toes. A seagull cried faintly overhead, probably finding its way back to its nest.

Sylvarant had extremely outdated technology, but I couldn't deny that it was beautiful here. Nature was left completely untouched.

I spotted a large rock jutting partway out of the sand, and I went to sit on it, letting the water gently lap my feet. It was unusually warm for a place so far north, I noted. The beaches in Maine were freezing even in the summer, and yet the water here was comfortable despite being comparatively further north. Then again, Sylvarant didn't have glaciers at its north pole, either...supposedly because Celsius didn't reside there. It made no sense.

"Brittany?"

I started a little at the voice, turning around to see Colette standing behind me.

"Sorry if I scared you." She smiled apologetically, clasping her hands in front of her. I smiled back.

"Don't worry about it. What is it, Colette?"

"Well, the Professor just wanted to make sure you hadn't wandered too far. She was going to send Lloyd, but I volunteered instead..." The blonde paused for a second, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh! And she wanted me to ask you if you did your homework."

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little. "Yeah, actually, I did." Raine had assigned me some annoying reading from a history book, and questions to go along with it. I'd intentionally finished it all early so I could make Lloyd carry the book, since he had to do the assignment too.

"Okay! I guess that's it, then. Sorry for bothering you." She said, turning. I hesitated for a second, but spoke up.

"Wait, Colette." She stopped, looking over her shoulder at me. "C'mon, sit with me for a sec. I'm bored," I lied.

Actually, I'd realized that this could quite possibly be our last chance to talk for a very long time. Hell, I probably wouldn't even survive until the day she got her voice back, so...I really wanted to have our last conversation imprinted in my memory. We were going to split up in the morning shortly after we entered the tower, and there was no guarantee I'd be in Colette's group. This was the only chance we had for a final conversation.

"All right," Colette replied, walking back over to sit next to me. "I'm sure the Professor won't mind."

"Thanks."

After a moment of companionable silence, she spoke. "So...what did you want to talk about?" She didn't sound impatient or annoyed in any way, and for that I was grateful. Then again, I really didn't think Colette was capable of showing impatience or irritation. She was just too nice.

"Hm, I dunno...I didn't really have anything planned, actually." I rubbed the back of my neck, a nervous gesture. If I wasn't going to be hearing her voice for a while, I wanted our last conversation to be at least a little interesting, but I really wasn't sure what to say...

"Oh! I have an idea!" Colette said, and I looked over at her.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I'll list random conversation topics until we find one we like!" She explained, and I stifled a giggle. Colette was just so...Colette.

"Okay, shoot," I finally said. The Chosen smiled happily.

"Um...Sheena!" I paused, raising an eyebrow slightly, and waited for her to continue.

"...Lloyd!" Another pause.

"Kratos!"

I laughed. "Colette, you're just listing people."

Her smile faltered a little. "Oh...but they're all really interesting, don't you think?"

"Yeah, they are," I confirmed, while trying to think of what else to say. I looked over at Colette, and noticed something strange. Did she think I couldn't see her expression in the dark?

Because...for a moment, I was able to see all of the stress and fear of these past few months displayed in her hesitant smile. As soon as she saw my scrutinizing look, though, it was gone.

"Hey, Colette..." I looked out at the ocean, watching the waves crash into the sand.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you afraid? Of tomorrow, I mean."

She gave me a puzzled look. "Well, I heard the monsters in the tower are sort of scary-"

I shook my head. "No, not that." Although she was right, and I really didn't want to face the evil teddy bears, but that was beside the point. "You're going to release another seal...and..."

"And I'll be closer to becoming an angel?" Colette paused. "...Well, I guess I am a little scared. But it's okay, 'cause in the end I'll be able to regenerate the world and save everyone!"

"But-" I cut myself off, knowing I couldn't say what I really wanted to.

-you won't be saving everyone.

After a moment, I just sighed. "Look...if you're ever feeling shitty, or you just need someone to talk to...I'm here, okay?"

I just wanted to support her somehow, because I knew inside she was probably terrified. If I had been in her shoes, I would've killed myself a while ago. Yeah, suicide is wrong, but...given how screwed up "heaven" was in this world, hell couldn't be much worse.

Colette just smiled. "Thanks, but you don't need to worry about me." Damn, she was a good actor.

I shrugged. "If you say so."

Aaaand...cue awkward silence. Why did I have to suck so much at making conversation? Thankfully, though, the blonde Chosen broke the silence again.

"Wait! You've never been to a seal with us before! That means you get to see Remiel! He's really nice," she said cheerfully, and I nearly gaped at her. Right, so one thing I really didn't want to talk about was sparkly angels, especially not assholes like Colette's "father."

"Um..." I smiled a little, unsure of how to respond. "Lloyd told me about him once. I...I guess it'll be cool to see a full angel up close..." Not really, but I couldn't exactly tell her what I honestly thought of Remiel. Besides, she had just totally lied to me about what she thought. Really nice? Yeah, sure, Colette. More like complete douchebag.

"I bet it'll be a lot easier to release the seal with you helping!" Colette said optimistically. I failed to stifle a snort.

"Uh...okay, Colette." By the look on her face, she honestly hadn't noticed how useless I was. I guess I looked really professional flailing my sword around like a maniac. I was about to say more, but she stood up.

"It's getting really late, I think the others might get worried..." She frowned, looking honestly guilty. "I'm sorry...maybe we can talk more in the morning?"

I smiled. "Don't worry about it. Tell them I'll be back soon, too."

She nodded, turning to go.

"And Colette?"

"Hm?" She looked over her shoulder, and I put on my best serious face.

"...Remember what I said, okay? I mean, I'm not going anywhere."

My hopes of helping her out were broken when she gave me the most fake smile I'd seen yet.

"Yeah! Hehe, I won't forget!"

Dammit, Colette.

After the sound of her footsteps faded off into the distance, I continued to focus on the sound of the waves, the feel of the sand beneath my feet. It was so soothing. I wished we could hear the waves from where we'd camped, but...we were too far away.

I leaned back on the palms of my hands, closing my eyes and just listening. I took another deep breath of the ocean air. Y'know...this place sorta looked like Wells beach, near where my dad lived. Well, it didn't have all those overpriced beach houses and beachside restaurants, but those would've been behind me, anyway. If I kept my eyes closed, it was just like any other beach I'd visited.

It had been spring break, two years ago...the weather was just like this, and it was this exact time of day. My dad, brother, sister and I all went for a walk on the beach. It was a little too chilly to go in the water, but just being there was enough. I was anxious for summer vacation so I could have more walks like these.

Weird...it was so easy to remember all the details when I was in such a similar setting.

My sister and I were wearing our sunglasses even though it was too dark to be wearing them. There had been a group of teenagers out to the side of us, most of them on their cell phones, probably taking the beach for granted since they visited it all the time. I remember being anxious about work the next day, because I hadn't worked since the summer before. My sister was busy making fun of the manager, who acted a lot like Zelos (subtract the hotness, add the creepiness). She said she'd love me forever if the first three words out of my mouth when I met him were "I hate you."

I smiled slightly. It was weird to think of all the things I used to worry about; they seemed so trivial now. It wasn't like I'd die if the first day at work didn't go well. Why had I been so nervous? Amber had been there to help...

I opened my eyes, staring numbly into my lap. Amber...Goddammit, I missed my sister. I missed hanging out with her. I missed going to rock concerts with her and stopping at Denny's at midnight to get some post-concert loaded fries. She was supposed to take me on a beer run to Canada when I turned nineteen. So much for that.

I missed my dad, too...and my brother, and my mom. Even before I came here, it had been nearly six months since I last saw my mother. I seriously regretted not taking the long drive to see her. Augh. My dad's stupid jokes, my brother's awkwardness, my mom's Maine accent...Moving away from them was one thing; at least then I'd know I could go see them whenever. But to be separated from my family and not know if I'd ever get to hear their voices again? This sucked.

Even though I had told Lloyd I'd already come to terms with all this...that didn't mean I wasn't going to get all angsty over it every now and then. It only got harder to handle over time; in the beginning of the journey, I hadn't remembered anything at all...and when I did remember, my Exsphere had been dulling all my emotions. But now that I had a Key Crest, everything just hurt like hell.

The sound of footsteps approaching derailed my train of thought; when I heard an impatient sigh, I knew it was Kratos standing behind me. He always seemed to get stuck with the job of bringing me back to camp, so I guess I couldn't blame him.

"Brittany."

I nodded. "I know, I know. Time to go back."

"You should have gone back with the Chosen. How were you planning to find your way on your own?" I could sense his frown.

"Uh..." Crap, hadn't thought of that. The woods were probably pitch dark right now.

"Never make a decision without considering the possible consequences," he said firmly. I only nodded, standing up and facing him.

"Yeah...you're right. Sorry."

He raised an eyebrow at how meek I was suddenly being, but made no comment on it. I followed him down the path to camp, just wanting to go to bed. Even poking fun at the mercenary wasn't going to cheer me up too much right now; I didn't bother.

"Stay close to me or you'll get lost," Kratos cautioned when we reached the forest. I frowned a little.

"Can't you just take out your-Didn't you bring a lantern?" I caught myself just in time; I'd been just about to ask him if he'd bring his wings out! I really needed to be more careful.

Through the darkness, I saw him shake his head. "The path is short and we can't afford to waste oil. I'm over here," he said when he caught me looking the other way. I hurried to catch up, keeping the tails of his cape within view. I kind of wanted to grab one of them, but I had a feeling Kratos wouldn't like that very much. And I wasn't about to suggest we hold hands, even if his expression would probably be priceless when I did so. All right, I'd just keep him talking so I could follow the sound of his voice.

"Hey, Kratos?"

He turned his head slightly to indicate that he'd heard me. Okay, maybe getting him to talk was easier said than done. I frowned, suddenly thinking of something Colette had said earlier.

"...Colette said she heard the monsters in the tower are creepy."

"Are you afraid?"

I quickly became defensive, shaking my head. "I never said that!"

He sighed. "The tower has been closed for many years. It is likely that the monsters sealed inside have become accustomed to the darkness."

That made me uneasy. RPGs always had the random ghost or phantom monsters, but they were pretty much just another target to hack at. In real life, though...I didn't really want to encounter one. Besides, how the hell was I supposed to kill a floating sword?

...Whatever. I was losing sight of the mercenary again; I had to keep him talking.

"Wasn't the tower sealed because of the monsters that started appearing inside?" I asked suddenly. "That doesn't make sense, things don't just appear out of thin air..."

I saw him give me another of his looks, but he answered nonetheless. "The world is in a dangerous state. When mana is depleted to this extent, living and dead organisms can be corrupted, resulting in the formation of monsters."

"Living...and dead?" I paled.

"Phantoms, spectres, animated skeletons..." He elaborated, and I was grateful that the darkness concealed my shudder.

"Okay, I get it. Pretty much what's in the tower, right?"

"Correct. Magic is most effective against the undead. I would suggest that you leave most of the fighting tomorrow to our magic users, as well as the Chosen."

"Hey, you can use magic. You'll be my meat shield, okay, Kratos?" I grinned.

"Hmph...If you can keep up, then I will allow you to cower behind me."

I scowled. "Never mind. You're too mobile to be a good shield. I think I should hire my own bodyguard...one that's big, tall, and really muscular. Oh, and rich, so I don't have to pay him. And a really good chef. Yeah, that sounds good." The grin came back as I described Regal. He was one person I was really looking forward to meeting. He'd be like a mentor to everyone-he was older, wiser, and stronger. Like Kratos, minus the grumpiness.

Speaking of which, the mercenary was giving me a really weird look right about now. My ranting probably made no sense at all to him. Heh.

He looked like he had the strong urge to facepalm, but he seemed to resist it. "I highly doubt you will find anyone of the sort during our travels."

"Oh, I don't know about that..." I said innocently, shrugging.

If I made it to the end of the journey, I was so rubbing this in his face.

The next morning, we rose early to head inside the Tower of Mana. The Professor seemed to have recovered from her sickness for the most part, and resumed drooling all over the building. I swear, she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the amount of books that were inside. I nearly did, too; how were we supposed to find Boltzman's book amongst all those?!

Nonetheless, it looked like we were going to ignore that aspect of our task for now. Lloyd pointed out the oracle stone soon after we entered, so we decided to let Colette do her Chosen thing. She placed her hand on the stone; as expected, the magic circles in front of it lit up. Everyone jumped back in surprise, though I remembered to do so a split second too late, making me look like a suspicious idiot. I think Kratos was the only one that really noticed, though. Comforting.

"Wh-what was that light?!" Lloyd said, eyes wide. Raine rushed up to the circles, her eyes sparkling.

"Marvelous! This apparatus has awoken due to the oracle stone!"

"So we just need to do something with it?" Genis frowned.

"So it would seem." Yeah, thanks for the helpful input, Kratos. I walked up beside the Professor, not really wanting to waste time in this stupid place. It was sort of creeping me out already, with all of its dusty books and rabid teachers trying to devour them...um...ahem.

"Huh..." I pretended to be puzzled, then walked up and stood on one of the circles. "Look, Professor. It lights up when you stand on it."

Her eyes widened, and she examined the apparatus some more, intrigued. "Interesting...Lloyd, Genis. Go stand on the other two."

"What? Uh, okay." Lloyd responded, and the two of them did as they were told. Both of their circles lit up, and suddenly a rumbling came from behind me-I knew it was the door opening. The others jumped back.

"Wow!" Colette exclaimed.

"It opened, Professor!" Lloyd said. I rolled my eyes.

"We can see that, Lloyd."

He stepped off his circle to shove me, and suddenly the door closed again. He jumped. "Huh? What the?"

Raine nodded. "It seems that it won't open without three people on these circles."

"Which means that three of us must remain here. It's dangerous, but we have little choice," Kratos added.

"What? Three of us don't get to go?" Lloyd asked, dismayed.

Kratos nodded. "It would be best if Miss Sage and I accompany the Chosen. That leaves one more person to come, and the rest must stay."

The remaining four of us looked at each other, and I frowned. Well, I didn't have any preference, so...

"I'll stay," I volunteered. Raine nodded, and turned to the other three, seemingly deep in thought.

"Sheena. You'll come with us." She finally said, and the ninja looked up.

"Huh? Me?"

"But-" Lloyd and Genis protested at the same time, only to be cut off by the Professor.

"No. It's a safety measure. I would rather not let the assassin in the group out of my sight."

I blinked. Well, that sort of made sense...if Sheena was actually a bad person, she could find a way to get upstairs and suprise Colette's group. Or maybe the Professor was worried she'd kill whoever she had to sit down here with, who knows.

"Um, Professor..." I decided to object, anyway. One of the two who were very close to Colette should get to go; this was the last day she'd have her voice, after all. "Sheena's been with us for a while. I mean, I think we can trust her at this point."

Sheena gave me a grateful look, but the Professor was being her usual mistrustful self. "It can't hurt to be careful. The decision is final."

Lloyd and Genis groaned as the other group left through the opened door.

"Dammit, this always happens..." The brunette said.

I shrugged. "Sorry, guys, I tried."

We all sat down on our respective circles, getting comfortable; we knew we were probably going to be there a while.

"Man, this is gonna be so boring." Lloyd ran a hand through his crazy hair, gazing around at our musty surroundings with distaste.

"If you complain the entire time we're down here, I'm hitting you with Aqua Edge," Genis grumbled.

"Be nice, children." I said, earning annoyed looks from both of them.

"...Dork." Lloyd finally sighed, when he failed in his search to find something to throw at me. I beamed.

"How long do you think they're gonna take?" Genis asked.

"A while, probably..." I replied absentmindedly. "I mean, just fighting off the monsters will take up a good chunk of time."

Lloyd frowned, his eyes dark. "I can't believe we're gonna miss everything...what if Colette gets sick again?"

Genis flinched, honestly looking worried now. "Oh, no...what if-"

"Cut it out," I interrupted firmly. "We can't do anything about it. I'm sure Colette will be okay."

"Sh-shut up!" Lloyd snapped, clenching his fists. "You haven't seen her when she's sick like that!"

I cringed, not expecting him to lash out like that. Ouch. "Um, Lloyd. Remember Luin? I was there."

He shook his head. "Not like that...in Luin, I thought we might actually be able to help her. But at all the seals...we just had to sit around and watch. We couldn't do anything! We're completely helpless..." He was shaking. "And now...we can't even be there for her at the last seal..."

I looked down; this wasn't supposed to get all emotional. Dammit Lloyd, you're not supposed to be this angsty...sometimes I really hated how realistic this had become. The grief was probably going to drive the poor kid insane later on.

In any case, he was passing his inner doubts on to Genis. Ack, I needed to do something before this got really depressing...

"Look, guys, cheer up-"

"Cheer up?!" Lloyd was really bent on taking his anger out on me, wasn't he? "How can you say that?! Do you expect us to just get over it-"

"Lloyd! Jesus Christ, listen to me for two seconds!" I yelled over him, causing him to balk. Suddenly the room was dead silent, save for the echoes of my last few words. Lloyd and Genis were staring at me. I felt a blush coming on when I realized that I had yelled a lot louder than I'd intended to, and I shifted uncomfortably. Oh, and I'd just called upon the Savior of a religion that didn't even exist in this world. Yeah, hopefully they'd forget about that sometime soon.

"...Listen." I said in a considerably calmer tone. I pointed to my right, to a part of the wall that lacked bookcases. "See? That's a door. Can't you tell?" The outline of it was fairly obvious from here, and it was a bit more prominent than the door we'd already opened.

"Y-yeah...but what difference does it make?" Genis asked. "Even if we knew how to open it, we can't leave these circles..."

I shook my head. "No, we can't open it. But there's probably something upstairs that will open it, don't you think? I bet the others will find the switch, or whatever it is. Then we can go up."

Lloyd's eyes lit up. "You think? Yeah, there's gotta be some sort of switch up there, right? They wouldn't build a door there for nothing..."

"So we might be able to join up with Colette in the end anyway. Can we stop being all depressed over things we can't control now?" I'd already gotten most of the angst out of my system last night. I really wasn't in the mood for a weepathon right now.

"...Brittany's right..." Genis sighed. "There's nothing we can do, anyway. Let's just wait and see if the door opens."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed somberly.

We sat there for what felt like several hours, playing random games we thought up on the spot. Eventually even I got bored, and found myself wishing I had grabbed one of the books off the shelves before sitting down. Even if it was in Angelic, at least I could've occupied myself trying to decipher it. Now I just had to sit there and try to ignore Lloyd's occasional whining.

"...So, uh..." Lloyd twiddled his fingers. "What should we talk about?"

"How do you get your hair like that, Lloyd?" I asked out of the blue. Hey, maybe this might involve a long-winded explanation that would occupy several minutes of our time.

That was not to be the case. Lloyd just looked at me weird, and shrugged.

"I dunno. It just sorta sticks up, so I leave it like this."

"That was a weird question..." Genis commented.

"Not really," I defended myself. "Don't you ever wonder how Kratos does his hair?"

"You're a dork," the brunette said, ignoring my question.

I sighed. "Well, that topic just died...what next?"

"Um..." Genis seemed out of ideas.

Lloyd rolled on to his stomach, pressing his forehead against the floor. "...This sucks," he mumbled.

"Lloyd." Kratos' voice came from seemingly out of nowhere, causing us to jump. My head shot up; a projection of the mercenary was floating in the space between the three of us.

"K-Kratos?!" Lloyd hurriedly got to his knees, looking embarrassed at being caught in such a weird position. Kratos stared at him for a second or two, but somehow seemed to shrug Lloyd's stupidity off.

"Lloyd? Marvelous! It seems this apparatus is linked to the one at the entrance..." We heard Raine's voice, and saw a flash of her orange outfit through the projection; she was standing somewhere behind Kratos, probably examining the machine.

The ground shook briefly, and there was a loud rumbling noise. I turned my head just in time to see the door I'd pointed out slide open.

"Whoa!" Lloyd gawked. "Brit, you were right!" He looked up at the mercenary. "Kratos, Professor, another door over here opened. Can we go through?"

Kratos nodded, unsurprised. "Yes. We'll meet up and regroup before we release the seal."

"All right!" The teen grinned, happy at this change in events. The auburn haired man frowned slightly, before turning away from the apparatus he was standing at.

"Don't waste time," he said before turning off the device. We were left to ourselves again.

"Finally," Genis breathed. "I was getting bored, too."

Lloyd quickly jumped to his feet, grabbing his swords and stretching. "Let's get going, then. You heard what Kratos said. We don't want to make everyone wait!"

"Okay, okay." I got up, too, followed by the young mage. "What did I tell you guys? Everything turned out fine."

The brunette grinned, marching up to the new entrance that had been created. "Betcha we can beat everyone else to the seal."

Genis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right, Lloyd. Kratos is in that group, remember?"

"Aw, c'mon! Let's try."

I walked up beside him, lightly thumping him on the shoulder. "No. Bad Lloyd. If we hurry, we'll just get killed. The monsters here are undead, so Genis is the only one who can seriously hurt them; it'll be slow going from here on out."

"...Undead?" Genis's eyes widened, and he gripped his kendama a little tighter.

"It won't be that bad..." Lloyd looked back at us, frowning.

"Yeah, well I'm scared, so we're going at a normal pace." I bit my lip.

His eyes widened. "Seriously?" When he saw that I was indeed serious, he sighed. "Fiiiine..."

We came closer to the new entrance, and hesitated; it was nearly pitch black beyond the door. The mustiness only increased, and I could've sworn I saw something move back there...

"You would think they'd at least put torches or something..." The swordsman looked uncomfortable now.

"Well, there's a torch right here," I said, and pulled one off the wall near the door. "We'll just have to carry it with us."

We proceeded a few steps into the darkness, and Genis gulped. "Well...at least nothing can be worse than the Mausoleum."

"What was the Mausoleum like?" I asked. Lloyd shuddered.

"I don't even want to think about it..."

I stopped asking. It was a giant grave, after all; I could use my imagination. Maybe it had sort of been like the Temple of Darkness from that Legend of Zelda game, the Ocarina of Time. Man, I hated that temple...I mean, I hated the Water Temple more, but the Shadow Temple was so annoying and...dark, and stuff.

In my temporary distraction, I walked too close to Lloyd, and nearly set his hair on fire with the torch I was holding. He didn't notice, thankfully, and I tried to pretend nothing happened.

We moved onward through dark hallway after dark hallway. The setting wasn't that surprising; everything was made of gray stone, though the air was thick with dust and there was grit and dirt beneath our boots. Although we'd been chatting away when we first started out, our conversation gradually came to an end. Now the only sound was our breathing; I kept trying to count the amount of separate breaths I heard, because I kept feeling like there was an extra person with us.

Dammit, Brittany, it's just your imagination...

"This is creepier than I thought it would be..." Genis murmured, looking nervous.

"So much dust...ugh..." Lloyd fought a sneeze.

"Shouldn't there be stairs somewhere around here? I get the feeling we should be going up, y'know..." I whispered, becoming more uneasy by the second.

"There's probably some up ahead," The mage replied. I gripped the torch tighter, and kept an eye out for them.

An echo faintly resounded off the walls-something had scraped against the rock up ahead. The three of us froze abruptly, our breath catching in our throats.

"You heard that, right?" I looked around at the two boys, my voice shaking a little.

Lloyd nodded, quickly regaining his confidence, and drew out his swords. Their silver blades glinting in the light of the torch provided me with some comfort. Okay, so Lloyd wanted to be the Big Bad Leader, and he was going to protect us. He could stay at the front and jab any oncoming enemies with his swords.

We continued forward, prepared for battle...and nothing came to fight us.

"But...we all heard it!" Lloyd protested, looking around. There were no monsters in sight.

"Look..." Genis pointed down at the floor, and we crouched a little, looking to the area he pointed at. There was a black skid mark on the stone floor, but no evidence as to where the creature may have gone.

"Well, that's comforting," I remarked sarcastically.

"L-let's just go." The young mage said, and I nodded.

"Yeah, no sense in waiting for it to come back..."

The hallway branched off into a left and right passageway. We took the left, and prayed we were correct. If we weren't, well...that sure sucked.

"They could've at least warned us about this..." Lloyd grumbled, talking about the Professor and her group. I just shook my head.

"They probably got the easy path. We're the ones that got screwed over."

"Dammit."

"There it is again!" Genis exclaimed-that scraping sound. We all heard it once more. We kept anticipating a monster, only to find absolutely nothing...and the lack of monsters was more unnerving than anything. Something was going to jump out at us, I knew it.

Another black mark. This one seemed to move to the side, before ending at the wall. We paused for a moment, looking at it, and then pushed onwards. Genis' knuckles were white from gripping his kendama so hard.

No. I wasn't scared. I had seen far too many scary movies; I was desensitized to fear. I wasn't afraid of things that go 'bump' in the night. Hell, I'd braved a few Silent Hill games-

Oh, great. Why did I have to put that in my head again? Now I was going to be thinking about the creepy dream I had in Hima for the next hour...well, at least Kvar was dead. He couldn't run up out of nowhere and shank us.

Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I felt like something was seriously wrong here. I mean yeah, some places were bound to be a lot creepier in real life, but I didn't remember the Tower of Mana being this bad. And I know it was supposed to be bigger, too, but this many random hallways? It was a little too much...

At this part of the tower...we were supposed to be doing those light puzzles, weren't we? And then when those puzzles were solved, a bridge would form that we'd be able to use to get to the others. But...we hadn't even encountered any rooms yet. I'd kill for some real light right about now, though.

"How long is this gonna go on?" Lloyd growled, more irritated than frightened. We heard the noise again.

But when we moved forward to investigate...

"B-blood," I choked. On the floor was a puddle of crimson liquid. A few scuff marks were visible, and the trail of blood led into the corner between the wall and floor...and disappeared.

Okay, I know I've seen that in a horror movie somewhere. Things were seriously getting messed up, and I really just wanted to get the hell out of here.

"Wh-where did it come from? Who could it belong to?" Genis questioned, shuddering.

I shook my head. "Don't care. Let's go."

Lloyd eyed the bloodstains for a second or two, troubled, before moving on. The heavy silence settled upon us once more; we were all tensed up in anticipation of what might happen next.

We encountered three more bloodstains, growing larger each time. We began to hear odd noises whenever we started talking. Whatever it was, it waited for the times when we weren't listening to try and sneak up on us. Eventually we decided to stay quiet whenever possible, and try to communicate using methods other than speaking.

It didn't make much of a difference; our surroundings continued to worsen. I couldn't understand what could possibly be causing this; the only other people in the tower were Colette and her group, so where could the blood be coming from? Unless...no. They were perfectly all right. Nothing could hurt them when Kratos was there. He'd use his angel abilities if things seriously went wrong.

I was the first to break our little vow of silence-I swore, rather loudly, when we finally encountered stairs. Why, you ask?

They were headed down. Down, for God's sake. We were already on the bottom floor, and I really didn't want to find out what the tower's basement looked like (if it even had one).

"Okay, we're turning around. Screw this," I said angrily.

"Um...Brittany..." Genis hesitated.

"And I'm gonna find that goddamned monster if it takes me all freaking day..." I ranted.

"Brit..." Lloyd said from behind me, but I ignored him.

"...And I'll beat it to a bloody pulp with the bluntest object I can find-"

Suddenly a pair of gloved hands grabbed me by the shoulders, turning me around and away from the stairs.

"Lloyd, wha..." I trailed off, eyes wide, and gaped at the sight before me.

We couldn't go back-a wall had appeared behind us, where we had been standing just moments before.

I slowly looked back over my shoulder. The stairs seemed to stretch downward into eternity...and all I could smell was blood.

Chapter Text

Lloyd was the first to move; he placed a foot on the first step down, putting a hand on the wall to steady himself-the stairs were slick with a deep red liquid. It didn't take much thought for us to realize what it was.

"W-wait, Lloyd...are you sure we should...?" I spoke up, my voice nearly a whisper. I was still a bit numb with disbelief.

"What are you talking about? We don't have a choice," he said. Genis hesitated too, though. None of us really wanted to accept the fact that we had to go down into that hellhole.

"Maybe there's a way to destroy the wall..." The young mage suggested, looking behind us again.

"Genis, we can't avoid it. Something wants us to go down these stairs, and there's nothing we can do about it." Lloyd didn't sound too happy about it either, but he was trying to be the brave one. I was grateful.

"...Yeah. You're right, Lloyd...let's get this over with." I tried to be strong, taking a step down myself. Genis stood behind us, uneasy.

"We're really doing this? Something about this just feels wrong..." He murmured.

"What do you think is down there?" Lloyd frowned, staring into the abyss.

"A basement or something, I don't know," I replied. We'd been standing there too long; I began to travel downwards before the walls started closing in on us or something. The wall just appearing like that had really shaken me up; what if we'd still been standing in that spot when it appeared? Would we have been killed, or thrown back, or what?

The torchlight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls around us. The stairs were small and precarious, too thin to fit an entire foot on. I balanced my heels on each step before daring to take another. The blood only grew more slippery as we progressed, and I found myself wondering just where it had come from.

"Don't slip," I made sure to warn the two behind me. I really didn't want to tumble down these stairs. I still couldn't see the end, never mind what might be waiting for us there.

As we moved forward, the noises we'd been hearing earlier started up again. A metallic screech from below caused us to jump, but we continued on regardless. We heard the scrapes again, and saw the black marks, until eventually the stairs we walked on were black. The blood was thick and goopy, sticking to the soles of our shoes as we walked. The coppery smell was so intense, I wanted to vomit.

None of us uttered a word, our horror was so intense. Genis had long since given up trying to hide his shaking; he could barely hold on to his kendama, the poor kid. Lloyd...even the tough guy was seriously creeped out now. But it was far too late to turn back.

We heard voices, sounding as if they were coming from the walls around us. No matter how hard I tried to listen, though, I couldn't make out what they were saying. The moans I heard disturbed me even more. Those...didn't sound human at all.

With every step downward we took, the voices seemed to darken in nature. Their tones grew aggressive, lashing out at us in a language we couldn't understand. Towards the end, though, they just started laughing. It was the laughter of the insane.

After a short while of this, it suddenly stopped. All of the noises, which had been progressively growing louder until they were almost deafening, were completely silenced. The blood beneath our feet vanished, replaced with normal stone steps. I wanted to say something, to take note of this, but my voice seemed to be frozen. I was afraid to speak, afraid it would truly awaken whatever beast that resided below this cursed tower.

Somehow, the dead silence unnerved us more than the creepy noises. It was too quiet. The air was thick with tension, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it was the calm before the storm.

I took another step, and another. It took me a moment or so to realize that we'd finally reached the bottom of the staircase. I gripped the torch tighter, waving it around to search the area. We seemed to be in an enormous room. The floor was made of stone and packed dirt. The odd humidity of the room only offered us more intense discomfort.

"Where are we?" Genis found his voice first. I shook my head, uncertain.

"Really far underground, probably..." Then again, for all we knew, we could be on the fifth floor. The laws of physics didn't seem to apply to this place.

The three of us remained close together, walking further into the room. No obstacles met the torchlight. The place seemed to be completely empty. The expansive room, combined with the quiet...it was unsettling. I didn't like being out in the open. I found myself wanting to cling to a wall, but now that we'd begun walking, I couldn't see any walls around us anymore.

"I feel...some really weird mana nearby." Genis remarked quietly.

Lloyd tensed. "Where?"

"I don't know, it's hard to tell exactly where it is..." The half elf hesitated.

I ignored the weak feeling in my stomach, forcing myself to speak up. "Can you try leading us to it?"

Both Lloyd and Genis looked at me incredulously. "Uh, shouldn't we be trying to get away from whatever it is?" The brunette asked.

"No," I said firmly, trying to sound strong. "Lloyd, would you be afraid if you knew it was one of those grasshopper things following us?"

"Huh? No, but-"

"Exactly. We're only afraid of it because we don't know what it is. Turning your back on the unknown is a lot more dangerous than facing it," I said, reciting one of the more well known aphorisms among veterans of survival horror games.

Despite the obvious conviction in my voice, Lloyd and Genis still looked at me with skepticism.

The half-elf gave me a sidelong glance before averting his gaze. "I think we should just get out of here. I can't tell where it is, anyway."

I stared at him for a minute, and then finally relented. "Fine." I knew he was lying, but it wasn't like I could force information out of him. I wasn't exactly eager to meet whatever was stalking us, either. I really hoped this wouldn't be a mistake.

"Okay." Lloyd agreed, seeming to like Genis' idea a lot more. We continued walking, but we picked up our pace a little. The torchlight bounced and wavered with every step. Small shadows flickered across our path, but we ignored them, proceeding onward. All that mattered was finding an exit to this place, finding a way to meet with the others.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally found a wall. The stone bricks that composed it shined slightly in the light, as if they were wet. I didn't want to touch them to check.

"What now?" Lloyd asked, looking frustrated.

"If we follow the wall, there should be an exit somewhere," Genis said, determined. I kept quiet, not voicing the fact that there was no guarantee that there was a way out. Maybe the stairway down here was the only exit, and we were utterly screwed.

"Yeah, let's go." I nodded. They didn't need to know my inner thoughts; my pessimism wouldn't help anyone.

Needless to say, following the wall did us no good at all. It didn't even end. There was no curve to suggest this was a round room, so at first I'd assumed this place was shaped like a square or rectangle. But wouldn't that mean we had to run into a corner eventually? We followed the same wall for close to ten minutes. This room was much larger than I thought...either that, or we were losing it.

As we walked, I couldn't help but glance at the wall. What was that odd wetness? Finally, my curiosity got the better of me; I reached up and ran my fingers along the wall, and slowly pulled away. A trail of slightly sticky clear fluid pulled away from the stone. Saliva? I shuddered with disgust, and hoped the others hadn't seen.

I began to notice an odd indent in the stone as well. The wall seemed to be carved out slightly in one spot. What was it? It could be important...

"Hey, guys," I said quietly, and the two ahead of me stopped.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, looking back.

"C'mere for a sec." I gestured to the wall. Genis and Lloyd walked over, and we stared at the indent for a few seconds.

"That's weird..." Genis mumbled quietly, his voice shaking a bit.

"Hold on..." I frowned, and backed away a few paces. The indent's shape was visible on the wall from where I was standing. It was huge, and there was more than one. They weren't simply indents-they were slash marks. Whether they were made by claws, or some sort of weapon...I had no clue.

The two boys quickly caught on, and clearly didn't like what they saw.

"Wh-what could've possibly made marks like that?" The mage said, eyes wide. It was something enormous, something...

"I don't want to know." I shook my head. "Let's go."

Now I agreed with Lloyd and Genis-escape was the best option. Whatever was down here was too strong for us to beat. I really, really wanted to leave this place. Even if that meant going back up those godforsaken stairs and waiting for Kratos to come looking for us.

Just as we were about to move on, we heard a shuffling, and a metallic screech. We froze in place.

"What the hell was that?" Lloyd looked wildly around, holding his swords up. His question was met with the same suffocating silence we'd been enduring since we came down here.

I took a few steps away from the wall, realizing the danger we were in. I didn't want to know what was following us, but not knowing would get us killed, no matter what my companions said.

"I'm going to find out," I said firmly. "Lloyd, Genis, look out for anything suspi-" I abruptly stopped. What was that dripping sound I heard? It was subtle and slow, but it was there. It was the only thing that seemed to break the silence.

Drip, drip, drip...

I took another few steps forward, and felt wetness hit my cheek. I reached a hand upward, wiping the liquid off, and then examined my fingers. They were stained with crimson.

My mind worked slowly as my body seemed to go numb with shock. Blood? There was blood dripping from the ceiling...no, not the ceiling...I felt warm, damp air rush over me. It smelled like something decaying, something-

"Brittany!" Lloyd's frantic voice jolted me out of my reverie, and I turned my head upwards with horror. The next few images I saw were broken and confusing; my mind quickly rejected many of them to protect itself.

A human skull hovered a foot or so above me, seeming to smile. Glowing red eyes peered out of hollow sockets, and a dark hood was drawn over the scalp. The rest of the skeleton was shrouded in a cloak; its bony fingers grasped an enormous scythe. The curved blade dripped with blood. Another droplet hit my nose, dripping down the side of my face like a tear.

I recognized this monster. I hadn't been afraid of it in the game. But oh God, now I could hardly move.

The reaper swung the scythe, and I barely managed to dodge out of the way. The blade caught my torch, ripping it out of my grip, and suddenly we were engulfed in complete darkness. The shock quickly wore off, and I opened my mouth to let out a terrified scream.

Two red eyes hovered in the darkness in front of me. I scrambled backwards, trying to get up, only to hit a wall that I was sure hadn't been there before. I heard the sound of the scythe swinging through the air again, and then the screech of the blade hitting the wall inches above my head.

"F-Fireball!" Genis shouted, his voice squeaking slightly. The area around us was suddenly lit up as balls of flame hit the undead monster in front of me. It let out a moan, its cloak catching on fire, as I managed to get to my feet and run to Lloyd.

The monster managed to put out the fire, and everything went black again, save for the runes glowing at Genis' feet.

"Lightning!" It hit the creature dead on, but didn't cause it to falter. The scythe was swung at us again-Lloyd ran forward, and raised his swords to block it. The room went dark once more. I could hear the sound of metal scraping together, as Lloyd tried to stop the reaper from swinging the scythe again.

"Agh!" The brunette cried out. Suddenly I had a faceful of Lloyd, and we were both knocked backwards on to the ground. Why the hell did he always fall on me?

We heard Genis gasp loudly, but we couldn't see what was happening. Lloyd immediately rolled off of me, and it sounded like he'd gotten to his knees.

"Genis!"

A few sparks lit up the air; Lloyd had managed to find the reaper again, though it was easy to tell that he had no idea what he was doing. He was just swinging his swords randomly, and that was more than a little dangerous.

"Demon Fang!" The light of mana revealed their location, and I raced over to them, unleashing a few Demon Fangs of my own. The attacks clearly didn't affect the monster, but they were really only a ruse; we were stalling for Genis, who seemed to be preparing another more powerful spell.

"Fierce Demon Fang!" I yelled desperately, as we continued to rely on our mana as a source of light. We tried to keep the reaper occupied, because in between flashes of light, it always attempted to move to a new location. We couldn't afford to lose track of where it was.

Now that the silence had been broken, the cacophony of strange sounds we'd been hearing back on the staircase returned. As we battled the reaper, I could detect the pungent smell of death in the air all around us. I locked blades with the monster again, and heard something whispering frantically in my ear, but nothing was there. It was more than enough to distract me, though, and I was thrown back into the wall.

I winced, the wind temporarily knocked out of me. I stood up straighter, ready to attack again, when I felt something jutting out of the wall. I hesitantly reached down and nearly gaped when my fingers ran along the surface of a long, rusty nail. Had I almost hit that? But that hadn't been there before, had it? Oh, God...

"Thunder Blade!" Genis' triumphant cry cut off my horrified thoughts. The massive sword cut straight through the middle of the reaper, pinning it to the ground. It let out an earsplitting scream as electricity ran through it. After a second it went limp, the scythe falling from its bony grasp.

I joined Lloyd and Genis, the three of us panting heavily. The mage was still concentrated, keeping the room lit with the glowing sword. My foot kicked the torch a second later; I picked it up, and Genis released the spell. He conjured a small fireball to light the torch once more.

"Is it...over?" Lloyd asked quietly. In reply, we heard several moans, wails, and shuffling sounds headed our way. The reaper that we thought we had defeated lifted its head to look at us.

Just as I was really starting to panic, I noticed a passageway behind us. I tugged both boys' arms, pointing to it.

"Let's get the hell out of here!"

We bolted, and the creatures behind us shrieked with laughter. The hallway we were in closed in on us as we ran. Bodiless arms reached for us out of the walls and floor, and we were forced to kick them away. I felt a clammy hand caress my cheek and nearly screamed, shuddering with revulsion.

The passage closed until our shoulders were nearly touching the stone walls. My vision blurred as terrified tears began to form; I was claustrophobic, I couldn't take this anymore!

"Look! Up ahead!" Lloyd revealed that there was an end to the hallway, and we increased our pace as much as we could. At the last minute, though, something grabbed my ankle and I tripped. The walls continued to close.

I could barely move. There wasn't enough room to get up. I couldn't breathe. Frantic, I pressed my hands against the wall in front of me in vain, praying that it would give just a little. It didn't. I found myself remembering a scene from Saw V, how unbearably painful it had looked when one of the characters was crushed between two walls. His bones had snapped, jagged points bursting out of his skin, and oh no, no, no...

A gloved hand closed around one of my own, and I was suddenly being dragged along the grimy floor. Something sharp cut my leg, but the pain was drowned out by my intense fear of dying. Pain meant that I was still alive. My fingers clenched around the hand in a deathgrip.

And suddenly I was free, desperately gulping in clean air. I laid on my side, instinctively curling up into a ball, hugging my knees and trying to force back the tears that were threatening to spill.

Voices...I recognized them as Lloyd's and Genis'. They were insignificant. It took me a few moments to comprehend what they were saying.

"She's hurt!" Genis said, and I felt his small hand gently touch my calf, where I could feel a shallow cut. From the wetness I heard dripping to the floor, it was bleeding quite a bit.

"Stay still, Brit." Lloyd told me quietly, and tried to get me to stretch out my legs again so he could look at it. I reluctantly did so, unable to protest in my current state.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, looking at me. I shook my head, knowing my voice would crack if I tried to speak. I wouldn't cry in front of them. I wouldn't.

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, and finally opened my mouth. "...I'm fine. W-we should get going before something else comes after us."

"I agree," Genis piped up, and it was settled. Lloyd gave me a concerned look, but seemed to shrug it off. He helped me to my feet, and we examined the new room we were in.

Tears threatened to form again. I wanted to cry out of relief this time-I recognized this room. It was relatively small, square shaped, and unthreatening. I had dropped the torch again, but luckily we didn't need it; a very dim light shined from behind a red curtain to our left. We could see, but just barely.

As it was, it looked like there was no exit to this room, but I knew better. There was a sealed off door directly in front of us.

"How do we get out?" Genis frowned. Lloyd curiously examined the curtain, and I approached the small spherical object on the other side of the room.

"Hey, Lloyd, rip off that curtain," I called. "We're gonna need some more light."

He shrugged, and did as I told him. The curtain fell to the ground, and the brunette stepped to the side. A bright beam of light shined directly into the device next to me, causing it to glow slightly. The ground shook, and suddenly the sealed door opened up.

"All right!" Lloyd cried victoriously, and I felt a small grin forming on my face. Thank God, we were back on track.

The next few rooms were essentially the same thing, and I was happy with their predictability. We finally found spiral stairs leading up, and thankfully ran into no monsters. After a few minutes, we arrived in what I recognized to be the final room. This was where the main light puzzle was; once we solved it, we could be reunited with the others!

"Huh? What's this?" Lloyd looked around curiously.

"Mirrors..." Genis examined them, and then nodded. "Oh, I get it."

"Get what?"

"We've gotta push 'em around so the light reflects on those ball things, see?" I pulled off another curtain, revealing the beam of light. It reflected off one of the mirrors, hitting the wall.

"Yeah, exactly," Genis confirmed. "This looks like a bigger puzzle than the rest. Maybe we're near the end!"

"I sure hope so," Lloyd sighed. "I don't have much energy left."

"I know what you mean." I groaned. "We still have to fight the seal guardian after this, too. I hope the Professor lets us take a break."

"Raine might," the half elf remarked, contemplating the puzzle, "but I don't know about Kratos."

"Good point." I rubbed my bloody calf, noting with satisfaction that it had finally started to clot. At least it wasn't life- threatening.

We spent close to a half hour trying to figure out the puzzle. It was more complicated than in the game, but I guess that was to be expected. After all, this wasn't actually a game. There had to be precautions taken so random people couldn't just decipher the puzzle and waltz on in.

There were indents in certain parts of the floor, and the mirrors could only be pushed within them. That at least limited some of the possibilities, as there were less positions they could be placed in. I stood near the center of the room, visualizing where the light would reflect if we put the mirrors in certain positions. Genis seemed to be doing the same, while Lloyd was busy breaking our concentration by pushing them around to random places. His strategy, naturally, was trial and error.

I winced when a beam of light shined directly into my eyes. "Lloyd, stay still for a second, will you?"

He sighed, leaning against the mirror. "It's boring just sitting here..."

Genis didn't make any remarks on Lloyd's short attention span this time; he was too focused on figuring out the puzzle. I couldn't seem to concentrate again, so I just left the work to the smart kid and checked out the rest of the room. The first direction I looked was up-I could see the large balcony-like structures above us. Once we solved this, a bridge of light should form between those two...I looked from one to the other.

Hey, wouldn't the Professor and the others be waiting up there? That was where the projector thing was. The balconies were too far up, though; even Kratos and Colette probably only heard faint mumbles with their angelic senses.

There was another door at one end of this L-shaped room; if I remembered correctly, it led to a spiral staircase that would take us to the balconies above. There was no use going up there now.

"I wonder how close we are to the seal..." Lloyd wondered aloud. He'd come to stand next to me, leaving Genis alone so he could think.

I shrugged. "Pretty close, I hope. As long as we don't have to face any more of those creepy monsters, I'm happy."

The brunette nodded, troubled. "I was wrong...the mausoleum was a cake walk compared to this. At least when we were there, I knew we wouldn't really get hurt since Kratos was with us."

"Yeah," I sighed. Things would've been so much easier with Kratos...but noooo, he had to go with the other group. They hadn't even left us with a sufficient healer. "It looks like the worst of it is over, though."

"Okay, I think I got it." Genis turned to us, getting our attention. He pointed to several of the mirrors, telling Lloyd and I which ones to move. They were a lot heavier than they looked, but somehow we managed.

"Wait, how do we do this?" Lloyd looked confused after we'd moved two mirrors. There were several of the circular objects left.

"Look at this one." I pointed to a triangular shaped mirror, and Genis nodded.

"Yeah, that one reflects two ways. If we point it like this-" He turned the mirror with some difficulty, "It'll hit both of them!"

As he'd predicted, it worked. We then had to move a few more mirrors, and by the end beams of light were everywhere and I was surprised I hadn't been blinded yet. Lloyd made one last move, and finally all of the spheres had been lit up. We heard an odd sound, and the three of us all looked up. A neat looking bridge of light had formed above us, just as I'd thought it would. I had a feeling I'd be more than a little nervous trying to walk on it, but oh well.

"Cool!" Lloyd exclaimed. "How do we get up there, though?"

"I'm guessing we'll have to use that door," I replied, pointing to it.

"Let's get going, then. The others are waiting." Genis said, and started walking. We followed after him.

After what felt like an hour of walking up stairs, we made it to one of the upper balconies where the light bridge had formed.

"Hey...what's wrong?" Lloyd asked me when he saw how pale I had suddenly gotten.

"This is higher up than I thought it would be..." I mumbled, casting a feverish glance over one of the railings.

"You're afraid of heights?"

"I'm afraid of everything, Lloyd."

"Dork. Here, I'll test it first." He walked out on to the middle of the bridge, and turned back to wave at us. "See? Perfectly safe. Just don't look down and you'll be fine!"

"Easy for you to say..." I sighed. "Okay, I'll go second." I looked over at the young half elf. "Genis, if I fall, I'm trusting you to beat up Lloyd for me."

"Ha-ha. Just relax and try it, you'll be okay," he said patiently. He probably said the same thing to Raine whenever she had to get on a boat.

"If you say so...well, here goes." I took a shaky step on to the bridge, and was happy to find it solid. Right, so I just had to...not look down. I took another step, bit my lip, and ran across. When I reached the other side, I hugged the railing of the balcony.

"C'mon, it's not that bad." Lloyd said from behind me.

"Scary..." I murmured, and finally managed to straighten myself out. Genis crossed the bridge as well, without much trouble.

Now that I'd calmed down, I examined the area we'd entered. There was a deactivated warp to our left, and another weird device to our right.

"It looks like another strange apparatus..." Genis frowned. "I wonder what we're supposed to do with it?"

I walked up to it, looking at it, and stepped on to one of the circles. It sank in a little, as if I'd stepped on a giant button or something. Eh, I probably had.

The projector turned on, and suddenly Kratos was floating in the air in front of me.

"Whoa! It's Kratos again!" Lloyd said, surprised. He walked closer, waving his hand through Kratos' stomach. "Neat."

"Lloyd, you're gonna break it," Genis remarked.

"What's this? Fantastic! The apparatus has turned on again!" The professor's ecstatic voice could be heard once again from somewhere behind the mercenary. I heard a faint echo, suggesting that the other group really was nearby.

"Hm...it seems you've found another device," Kratos said to me. He didn't sound too surprised.

"Yeah," I confirmed, trying to think about what had been said in the game at this point. "Um, we've made it to the inner area. I think we're pretty close to the seal, so we'll be waiting here for you guys to catch up."

He nodded. "We will be there shortly. Stay where you are until then." With that, the projector turned off, and the three of us were left alone again.

I stepped off of the apparatus, facing the others. "Well, you heard the guy."

"We have to wait again?" Lloyd groaned. "You should've just said we'd go on ahead..."

I rolled my eyes. "And get killed by the seal guardian? No thanks. Besides, didn't you say you were tired, too?"

"Oh yeah..."

"And you call me a dork."

"You're a dorkier dork than I am."

"Yeah, well your hair looks funny."

"My hair's awesome and you know it."

"Dork."

"Dork."

"Lloydie."

"Britbrit."

"Ew, don't call me that!"

"Aqua Edge!" Genis' voice interrupted us, and suddenly we were hit with a very weak form of the spell, effectively drenching us.

"G-Genis!" Lloyd said, dismayed. His crazy hair was now flattened over his face, and he looked hilarious. The younger boy threw his hands up in an annoyed gesture.

"Geez! You're both dorks, okay?" Despite his tone of voice, he looked like he was holding back a laugh.

Lloyd heaved a dramatic sigh, and we quieted down. I stuck my tongue out at him whenever Genis wasn't looking. After a few seconds of silence, the brunette sighed again.

"Now I'm cold..."

"I'll dry you off with Air Thrust, if you want." Genis grinned evilly.

"Uh..."

"Shutting up now." I said, elbowing Lloyd.

Footsteps caused us to look up, and we saw the Professor trudging across the light bridge. Colette, Sheena and Kratos followed her. The older half elf took one look at Lloyd and I, and shook her head.

"Do I even want to know?"

I smiled happily. "Professor, this place is awesome! It's got an indoor pool and everything!" I assumed she'd know what I meant; they had to have some form of pools, even if we were in Sylvarant.

She stared at me for a moment, and just shook her head. Lloyd snickered at the look she gave me.

"Genis, dry them off," she said abruptly. Her brother laughed.

"Got it, sis! Air Thrust!"

"Agh! No!" Lloyd and I fell over each other in our attempts to dodge, and Kratos sighed.

"...I see. Genis, step on to the other platform." The professor stood on the same circle I had been standing on, and she'd quickly figured out how to activate the warp. It wasn't that difficult, really.

Lloyd and I were finally dry, but our hair was a disaster after all of Genis' spells. Well, Lloyd's looked relatively normal since his was always sticking up everywhere. Mine, though...not so much. I frowned, running a hand through it again, attempting to straighten it out a bit. Stupid impossible curly hair.

I lost my train of thought when the warp turned on in a flash of light.

"We did it!" Genis punched a small fist in the air, and Kratos nodded.

"Let's go." Apparently he wasn't about to waste any time. He entered the warp, followed by Genis and Raine. Lloyd left as well, sighing.

"Well, here goes nothing." Sheena shrugged, walking on to the pad and disappearing.

Colette seemed to be hesitating, though she was doing a pretty good job of hiding it. I walked up to the warp, and looked over my shoulder at her.

"Colette?"

She looked up, automatically smiling. "Hm? What is it?"

I paused, having only wanted to hear her voice one last time. "...Let's do our best."

"All right!" I heard her say, just as I was warped away to the top of the tower. It angered me that her last few words would be to Remiel, that lying bastard.

Colette followed shortly after me, and our group gathered just in front of the warp pad before proceeding up to where the seal was. By some miracle, I managed to make it up the incredibly unstable looking stairs, though I nearly wanted to throw up afterwards.

"Phew...Man, I'm tired." Lloyd remarked, and Kratos just shook his head.

"That's because you're always overexcited in the beginning."

Just as the brunette turned to glare, a blinding light flashed from the direction of the altar, startling nearly all of us. I quickly grasped Loki's hilt, bracing myself. The sky grew impossibly dark as an orb of light gathered just above the altar.

"It's mana...Powerful mana is coming out!" Genis exclaimed, stating the obvious. Mana gathered at the orb of light, and suddenly there was another flash. I flinched, and within the next few seconds, Iubaris was bearing down on us.

"Move!" Kratos commanded, drawing his sword, and we dove to either side of the seal guardian. Luckily the top of the tower was a lot bigger than it appeared in the game, and there at least appeared to be some form of a wall around it. However...it seemed all too easy to fall off. I reminded myself to stay near Colette and Kratos just in case.

Everyone drew their weapons, Lloyd immediately moving in to attack as I examined the monster. Iubaris...whatever I could remember about this thing would probably be helpful.

The first thing that came to mind was that it looked like a really badass pegasus. Well, it essentially was. It wasn't the type of animal little girls would fawn over; it was more frightening than it was pretty. I had to say, the thing that scared me the most was its mace-like tail. I really didn't want a faceful of spikes anytime soon.

Shit. I couldn't remember a thing about this stupid monster's attacks. To me, it had just been another boss to beat down, nothing particularly interesting. I only remembered the really important bosses, not the seal guardians.

I frowned, readying my blade. I'd might as well keep it busy, so it wouldn't get a chance to flaunt its special attacks. I rushed forward.

"Hunting Bea-" Before I even had a chance to finish, the monster kicked backwards with its hoof, hitting me square in the stomach. I flew backwards, landing on my side. I was unable to breathe for a few moments, and I struggled to deal with the pain.

"Are you all right?" The Professor was at my side in an instant. I tried to smile.

"...That went well," I managed. She sighed.

"First Aid." A weak version of the spell was enough to get me back on my feet; it didn't feel like I had broken anything. I'd gotten off lucky.

"Be more careful this time," she remarked as I lifted my sword again. I nodded and approached the horse once more, bent on revenge. Just as I'd reached it, though, it took off into the air.

"Dammit!" Lloyd swore and looked up, dismayed. I had an idea, and looked over to the others.

"Hey, guys! Try slashing up its wings!"

Kratos was way ahead of me, already halfway through casting a spell. He lifted his sword, pointing it at the airborne monster. "Wind Blade!"

Iubaris screeched, flapping its wings harder to get away from the spell. It still sustained several injuries, though, and seemed to be having difficulty staying up in the air. Colette flew forward, ready to help.

"I've got him! Ray Thrust!" She threw her chakrams, only to have the monster dodge out of the way once more. It turned to her, a ball of light gathering just in front of its snout. My eyes widened as I finally remembered that attack.

"Colette, get out of there!" I called, but it was too late for her to dodge.

"Colette!" Lloyd cried desperately. She tried to move backwards, but the monster quickly followed her path. It fired the beam of light known as Force Ray.

Raine hastily ran forward, lifting her staff. "Barrier!"

A magical shield appeared in front of the Chosen as she threw her arms up in an attempt to shield herself from the light. She threw up her own barrier to increase the strength of the Professor's.

When the light died down, Colette fell to the ground. Lloyd ran forward to catch her, as Iubaris observed with an almost cold gaze. No, bad unicorn-pegasus-thing.

"Air Thrust!" Genis shouted, his spell finally ready. The horse couldn't dodge this time, and its wings were effectively sliced up. It fell to the ground, and Kratos and I immediately ran in to attack.

"Hurricane Thrust!" The mercenary forced the pegasus back. I found myself wondering why this battle involved so many thrusting attacks.

Just to keep up the good streak we had going, I grinned and shouted, "Sonic Thrust!"

Sheena appeared seemingly out of nowhere, hitting Iubaris with a Pyre Seal. The monster huffed, enraged, and lunged for the first person it set its eyes on. Unfortunately, this person happened to be an unsuspecting Professor Sage, who was currently focused on healing Colette.

"Professor!" Lloyd looked over in shock. Iubaris swung its deadly tail, hitting her hard and knocking her over the platform's edge.

Being the closest, I ran forward and barely managed to catch Raine's hand before she made the deadly fall. I struggled, using my other hand to get a better grip, and trying not to lose my footing. I almost felt sick at how high up this place was. My feet were slipping, and I braced my knees against the wall.

"Hell Pyre!" I heard Kratos yell, as he singlehandedly attempted to stop Iubaris from approaching us. I felt a strong gust, and knew the monster was flapping its battered wings as hard as it could. It was unable to take to the air, but it was more than capable of sending me off the edge. I tried even harder to hug the wall, holding Raine's hand as tightly as I could.

"H-Hang in there, Professor!" I said, trying to act stronger than I was. She was heavy, I was tired, and my face was probably white from terror. I couldn't handle heights, I really couldn't.

A gloved hand abruptly reached forward and grasped the Professor's other hand, and I noticed with relief that Sheena was beside me. Genis was busy freaking out behind us, but I tried to ignore him so I could focus on keeping his sister alive.

"Okay...Now!" Sheena grimaced, and the two of us pulled. With our combined effort, we managed to get Raine over the wall and safely on to the platform. The half elf woman coughed, gripping her wound with the hand I'd released.

"Raine! Are you okay?!" Genis was instantly at her side. She nodded weakly.

"I...I'm fine, Genis."

"C'mon," I said to him, "The sooner we defeat this thing, the better!"

He nodded when he saw Kratos coming over, and stood up with a look of determination on his face. With the mercenary healing his sister, he felt more comfortable turning his back. He started to prepare a spell as Sheena and I ran up with Lloyd to attack once more.

"Sonic Sword Rain!" The brunette yelled, as I followed up with Beast. As we distracted the monster, Sheena ran about sticking cards to it that looked suspiciously like explosive notes.

"Get back!" She called to us, confirming my suspicions. She placed her hands together, glaring at the monster, before uttering a very familiar shout of "Katsu!"

All of the cards immediately blew up and Iubaris let out an angry cry, falling to the ground. It just barely managed to stumble to its feet again, huffing and searching for a target to maul.

When Sheena ran up next to me, I pumped a fist in the air. "Art is a bang!"

She gave me a weird look. "Huh?"

"Uh...let's kick some ass!" I hurriedly rushed at the monster before I decided to blurt out any more Naruto references.

Iubaris quickly beat its wings, causing me to slide backwards with the wind. Genis took care of that with another Air Thrust, though, and he gave the monster a smug look.

"Brittany!" Lloyd called to me, and I looked over at him. He nodded. "C'mon, let's finish this!"

I quickly recognized the position he took as our Cross Thrust formation. I nodded back, as there was no time to argue over how sucky I was at it. I lifted Loki. We gave each other a silent signal, and dashed forward.

"Double Cross Thrust!" I crossed paths with Lloyd, slicing through the monster, wondering halfway through where the 'double' thing had come from. Kratos answered that little question; he was already in position. As soon as Lloyd finished, he instantly turned around and performed the attack with Kratos before Iubaris had a chance to retaliate. The two moved backwards when they were finished, signaling to Genis.

"Eruption!" Genis shouted, lifting up his kendama. The pegasus didn't stand a chance. When the spell was over, it lay broken and bleeding on the tiled floor. Within a second or two, it disappeared in a burst of light.

"That...was...awesome!" I cried happily. "And I didn't even mess up on my part! We're so badass!"

Lloyd and Genis laughed victoriously, while Kratos tried to ignore me. Colette, who seemed to have recovered, giggled at my exclamation.

Raine walked up, brushing herself off. She'd been sufficiently healed, but she still looked a little ruffled. "Is everyone all right?"

"I'm fine," Sheena answered, approaching our gathering. "Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious."

"Same here," I raised a hand, before letting it fall again. Everyone else had already been healed at some point during the battle, and were otherwise unhurt. It had been a relatively short fight, but pretty tough, nonetheless.

"It was really cool when you made those cards explode, Sheena!" Lloyd said, grinning. "You've gotta teach me how to do that sometime!"

"Ah...um...You think so?" She blushed lightly, and it took everything I had not to giggle at the obvious crush that was forming. The ninja seemed to regain her composure. "The cards are a secret art, I can't tell just anyone..."

Lloyd opened his mouth to ask another question, probably something about what he'd have to do to get her to tell him, but he abruptly stopped as something else caught his attention. I turned to look in the direction of the altar, only to see that steam was coming out of it. Oh, that's right...we'd broken the seal, so now Mr. Asshole was going to make his appearance.

Part of the altar shot up, encircling a ball of golden light, before lowering again. The light remained for a few moments, floating in midair, before vanishing. I realized that Luna wasn't going to show up, and frowned. Well, it wasn't exactly a vital part in the plot, but later on it might be troublesome when we were forming pacts.

Right on cue, a very familiar voice spoke from high above. "Chosen of Regeneration...You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

"...Yes!" Colette nodded, and I stuck my hands in my coat pockets to hide the fact that I was clenching my fists.

Looking upwards, Colette spoke with her hands clasped before her heart. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

Rays of light began to shine from above, and Remiel showed up in a burst of light and pale feathers. He descended from the sky, his wings flapping softly, and I wondered how he stayed suspended with such little effort.

My first impression of Remiel...was that he didn't look like Colette. Maybe this was only because of my prior knowledge, but I was a bit shocked that anyone could possibly believe he was her biological father. Sure, they were both blonde, but Remiel's eyes didn't possess the same softness as Colette's. His expression was gentle, if not a little patronizing, as he looked down at us. But his eyes...I didn't trust those eyes. He was only out for personal gain. He didn't even care about the fate of the worlds, never mind the life of a single kindhearted Chosen.

Stupid jackass. I continued to come up with different insults for him as the others looked on.

"Your journey has been long," Remiel offered her a fake, but surprisingly convincing, smile. Deceptive bastard. "You have done well to reach this far, Colette, the Chosen One!"

"Thank you...Lord Remiel." Colette's face remained solemn, and I could tell she no longer believed he was really her father. I was glad that even she could see that she couldn't possibly be related to such a selfish prick.

"Let us grant you our blessing," Remiel said, and I winced. It was about to happen...

"...Thank you," Colette replied, but she didn't really look thankful. In fact, she looked pretty pale.

The angel raised his hands slightly, and suddenly several small lights swirled down from the sky and into Colette's body. Her body glowed for a brief moment, before fading back to its normal state. My nails bit into the palms of my hands as my fists clenched harder. It wouldn't be long now until Colette lost her voice. I might never get to hear her speak again.

Remiel lowered his hands and paused, his cold blue eyes examining each of us for a brief moment. Lloyd seemed to be fighting with himself over something, and I looked at him curiously. Was he going to say something to Colette, or...?

He stepped forward, instantly catching the angel's attention. "Remiel! I...I have a question."

Okay, this wasn't how things were supposed to go. Everyone turned to give Lloyd a startled look, except for Kratos, who was glaring.

"Lloyd..." Raine murmured in a warning, but it was too late. Remiel was already looking at him. He seemed a little vexed that Lloyd hadn't used his title...that pompous little-

I was unable to think up another insult, as Lloyd's next few words caused my mind to go blank.

"I have a friend who...who has amnesia." He hesitated. "She's been all over the world with us, but she still hasn't recognized anything. I was wondering...since you're an angel, if you knew some way she could go back to her home, and her family."

I stared at Lloyd in shock. Normally I would have been touched that he was trying to help me find a way home even though he didn't fully know my situation, but right now I really wanted him to shut up. Remiel was of Cruxis! He was the enemy, he wasn't going to help us!

"Lloyd," I hissed, elbowing him. He ignored me, eyes focused on the angel floating above us.

Remiel considered him with a cold gaze, frowning slightly. "...And who might this person be?" Wait, what did it matter to him? I didn't get it.

Oh crap, Lloyd put his hand on my shoulder. The angel's stare was now fixed on me. Everyone else was still, at this point wondering just what he was going to say. Kratos had stiffened slightly, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from Remiel to see what expression the seraph wore.

The blonde angel's eyes narrowed slightly at me, and I felt my body tense up. Why was he giving me that look? I'd expected nothing but indifference from him in response to Lloyd's question. But...was that interest I saw?

I felt myself pale as Kvar's words rang through my head.

...The Exsphere being cultured on your body is valuable research material that Lord Yggdrasill himself requested. Give yourself up...

Remiel served Yggdrasill. Remiel was only interested in gaining power and becoming one of the Four Seraphim. And now, Remiel knew where the runaway amnesiac was.

Shit.

The angel stared at me for another moment, before closing his eyes. When he opened them, he'd put on the gentle mask once more.

"All will be resolved when the world is regenerated. There is no need to worry." He smiled at me; Lloyd seemed to relax, while I fought a shudder.

Remiel looked down at Colette. "It is time for you to rejoice, Chosen One. Your journey is finally drawing to a close. The path to the Tower of Salvation is open!" His smile grew harsh as he issued his command. "Head to the Tower of Salvation and offer your prayers of regeneration! Then, you will be able to climb the stairway to heaven."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "The Tower of Salvation?!"

"The world regeneration is finally going to take place," Genis remarked quietly. Sheena looked troubled.

"Is regeneration...really going to happen?" She murmured to herself.

I felt sick at Remiel's words. The end was really near. We had one more sidequest to do, and before we knew it we'd be standing on that windy peak in Hima, dragons ready to take flight...

"I...I shall do as you instruct, Lord Remiel!" Colette said, her voice cracking slightly. She looked startled at herself, but seemed to shrug it off. Remiel floated upwards, before swiftly vanishing up into the heavens. White feathers floated down as he spoke to us one final time.

"I shall await you at the final seal. Colette...my daughter. There, you will become an angel, like me."

Colette lowered herself to the ground, her pink wings vanishing. She turned to us, and smiled weakly.

"...Okay, let's go."

Kratos nodded, and turned to lead the way once more. Raine seemed to remember something, and grabbed Lloyd by the ear.

"Ow! Professor!" Lloyd said, surprised at the sudden assault. She dragged him through the warp without a word, obviously planning to scold him for his random interruption of Colette's ritual.

Sheena, Colette, and Genis followed with a sigh, and vanished as they reached the circular pad. I was left alone for a brief moment.

I looked over my shoulder at the altar, shivering. I really, really hoped Remiel would just forget about this and not report anything to Yggdrasill. That would be nice.

...Dammit. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Tackle Lloyd for being such a dumbass, maybe...

I sighed, and walked on to the warp. As Zelos always said: whatever will be, will be. There was nothing I could do at this point.

I hoped I'd live to meet Zelos...

Chapter Text

After the brief, strange warping sensation (I still couldn't get used to it), I found myself once again on one of the tower's high balconies. The others seemed to have gathered, waiting for the last person to come off the warp. Raine was off to the side, lecturing Lloyd, who had been unmercifully kicked into the balcony's railing. I was alarmed to see that it was cracked slightly. How strong were the Professor's kicks, anyway?

"Lloyd Irving!" She thundered, glaring down at him. "Haven't I told you over and over to think before you speak?! Remiel is an envoy from heaven! He comes to speak to Colette and Colette only!"

"But Professor-"

"No buts! I understand you're trying to help Brittany, but interfering with the world regeneration is not the answer!"

As Raine supplied the verbal abuse, Kratos stood off to the side, silent. Although it could be extremely scary when he yelled, right now one of his glares was more than enough to get the message across.

I walked up to the gathering, feeling rather awkward when they all suddenly looked up at me.

"Um..." I shifted uncomfortably when no one said anything. "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Yeah," Genis piped up, jumping at the chance to save Lloyd. "Let's get out of this place. I don't like it."

The Professor hesitated, seeming to calm down a bit, but the next decision was ultimately made by Kratos. He quietly began to walk towards the light bridge connecting the two balconies. He was followed by Colette, and everyone else seemed to catch on. I ended up going last, partly because of my reluctance to get on that damn bridge again, and partly because I wasn't feeling so great after what happened.

...Well, almost last. Lloyd walked along behind me, looking as if he was feeling pretty shitty himself. I really couldn't bring myself to comfort him, even if he had only been trying to help. Poor, naive Lloyd...I found myself wondering if I really should've trusted him in the first place. I couldn't help it; I'm selfish.

I mean yeah, I somehow managed to come to terms with the fact that I'd die on this journey. But I really, really didn't want to become a Cruxis Crystal for Yggfagsill. And thanks to Lloyd, that probably was going to be my fate now. What would happen when we reached the Tower of Salvation? Would Remiel attack me after Colette released the final seal? Or...would Kratos come after me after he betrayed us?! Christ, even if I did manage to get through that, I was screwed the second Yggdrasill showed up!

I had to do something to stop this...but what could I possibly hope to accomplish? I was missing something, here. I had a feeling that some of the key information involved how Yggdrasill knew about me. I could never hope to get home unless I got some answers.

...And there was no way I would ever get any answers. It looked like the angels were the only ones who could shed some light on my situation, and they weren't about to explain theirselves to me. The Desians were after me, but they were only pawns. I doubted they knew or cared much about my background.

"Hey...Are you all right?" Lloyd's voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked over at him, mildly surprised that he had decided to stop sulking just so he could be concerned about me. Then again, this was Lloyd. The only person who could beat him in terms of selflessness was Colette.

I sighed. "...Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine." He looked ahead of us, frowning. The others were far enough ahead that they wouldn't be able to make out our conversation. Well, besides Colette and Kratos, anyway.

"Well, I am," I said in the sort of tone that would normally end a conversation. Lloyd was persistent as always, though.

"Look..." he remarked quietly, "I know the Tower of Salvation seems far away, but you heard Remiel. The angels will help you get home. You've just gotta be patient."

"Lloyd, you have no idea what you're talking about. Just drop it, okay?" I huffed, gritting my teeth. I really regretted the way I spoke to him later on, but at this moment everything I said was fueled by the intense fear and anger Remiel's words had stirred within me.

"What do you mean I have no idea?" Lloyd looked back over at me, sounding frustrated. "You want to make it home, don't you?"

"Why did you have to butt in and ask Remiel?!" I hissed, feeling close to tears. I was forced to look away from him so I could get myself back under control.

"What are you talking about?! I was just trying to help!" He hissed back. "Why are you so upset, anyway? Remiel is going to help-"

"The angels are going to help, Lloyd?" I countered before I could stop myself. "The same angels that are doing all these horrible things to Colette? Even if they were interested in lending an insignificant human their aid, I wouldn't want their help!"

He gave me a shocked look, his mouth open slightly. After a moment, he quickly looked away, clenching his fists. "Just...just shut up. We can't do anything about Colette, okay? Sh-she wants to do this to save everyone! It's the only way!"

"You're not that close-minded, dumbass. Quit lying to yourself," I shot back, glaring.

"What are you saying? We should just leave the world to die?!" Lloyd's voice rose to a shout and he stood in front of me, preventing me from going any further. The others stopped where they were, turning around in surprise at the brunette's random outburst. Colette and Kratos gazed at us solemnly.

"I'm saying you shouldn't have stuck your nose in my goddamn business, Lloyd!" I yelled back, my voice cracking slightly.

The anger apruptly drained out of his face, the stiffness in his posture disappearing. When I tried to push past him, he allowed himself to be shoved lightly into the wall without any resistance. I wasn't sure what caused him to act like that. Maybe it was because of what I'd said...or maybe he'd seen the stray tear that had fallen down my cheek. Either way, I managed to compose myself by the time I walked up to the main group. When we continued onwards, we walked in silence.

Lloyd walked in the back once more, his eyes trained to the floor. Raine and Sheena gave me a strange look, while Genis only offered angry glares. Colette watched me sadly. Kratos...was unreadable. He didn't seem surprised at all by what he'd heard.

That was unnerving, to say the least.

"You can't be serious."

I had abruptly stopped when I realized we were going back the same way my group had come. This wasn't right...we were supposed to go back the way Colette and the others had come, weren't we?

When I'd asked, though, Kratos had confirmed that we were taking the dreaded path, and now I was staring at him incredulously. Lloyd and Genis temporarily forgot the argument that had occurred several minutes ago, and stood next to me with similar looks on their faces.

Kratos raised an eyebrow at my statement. "Do I sound like I am joking?"

"B-but Kratos," Lloyd spoke up, "Why can't we just take the same path you guys took?"

Raine heard the stutter in her student's voice, and looked at him curiously. "That route is too long. I'd like to be out of this tower before any adverse effects of Colette's Angel Toxicosis set in."

Several of us flinched at that and looked away, but Colette somehow managed to keep her expression neutral.

"Raine, the route we took is way longer!" Genis protested, looking over to me and Lloyd for support. I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, we must've been walking for two hours, at least. It was ridiculous."

The mercenary stared at me. "Two hours? When we spoke to you for the second time on the projector, only fifteen minutes had passed at the most."

"What?! That's impossible!" The young mage exclaimed, but Kratos remained unconvinced. He probably thought we were just exaggerating. But dammit, I knew we'd taken way longer than that. There was no way we could've done all that, and fought a battle, within fifteen minutes. Hell, the light puzzles alone had taken us that long.

"Um, guys, he's not lying." Sheena said, an apologetic look on her face, and I knew she was telling the truth.

I shuddered a little. Despite all that the three of us had gone through...only fifteen minutes had passed. Not that we could really explain anything that had happened, but still...holy shit.

"Uh...Can't we just go the other way? Come on, it can't be that big of a time difference." Lloyd said hesitantly, earning a glare from Raine.

"What's with you?" Sheena suddenly frowned, looking between Lloyd, Genis and I. "What's wrong with taking your path? It can't be that bad."

The three of us looked at each other in dread, only increasing the amount of bewildered looks we received from the others. Well, besides Kratos. He'd probably make us swim through pirahna-infested waters if it meant we could get to the Tower of Salvation faster.

The silence that ensued was abruptly broken by the sound of the mercenary walking away. He'd chosen to ignore our plight, moving on ahead to avoid wasting time.

Raine frowned, but began to walk after him. I shifted uncomfortably on the spot, but didn't move.

"I...I'm not going. I'll just go the other way. Meet up with you guys later." I couldn't get that weird reaper's eyes out of my mind. Those glowing red eyes...

"Brittany." The Professor said to me, a warning in her voice. Genis and Lloyd had started to inch forward reluctantly, but when they saw that I hadn't moved, they stopped moving as well.

Sheena looked back and forth between us, and stepped forward to try and act as a mediator. She lightly grasped my arm, giving it a small tug. "Look...just calm down. We'll be outside in no time-"

"I'm not going!" I said, my voice coming out louder than I'd intended, and everyone stared at me.

Raine opened her mouth to speak, but Genis cut her off. "I'm not going, either."

"We were almost killed on that path. I'm not going back!" Lloyd added quickly.

"Almost killed?" Kratos looked back, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah," I said quietly. "We kept walking through all these dark hallways, and then the stairs went down instead of up-"

"That's impossible. The basement floor to this tower caved in long ago," The professor said.

"B-But Raine!" Genis waved his hands frantically. "There were all these weird noises, and blood was everywhere!"

Raine paused to stare at her younger brother, her eyes narrowing for a moment. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up in a frightening way. "Interesting..."

"Um...Professor?" Lloyd spoke up almost timidly.

"I've heard that the lower levels of this structure were once a prison used during the ancient war," She murmured, rubbing her chin and looking down at the floor. "The upper floors were merely built above the prison to form the tower. I wonder...perhaps you three stumbled upon that ancient prison? Marvelous! I must see it!"

"But the monsters..." I bit my lip, and she shook her head.

"Just an illusion to ward off intruders, I'm sure." She quickly waved it off, moving back to the topic of her fascination. "To think you rediscovered something that was believed to be lost to the world..."

"Th-Then you go yourself! I'm not going back!" I quickly protested, backing away further. Raine temporarily snapped out of her ruin-mode to give me a nasty glare.

"Enough. We're going," Kratos cut in. I opened my mouth to speak, but he glared at me as well, effectively silencing me. Lloyd and Genis realized it was useless, and followed him with their heads down. I clenched my fists tightly, nervous, and followed after Raine...as slowly as possible.

"Don't worry!" Colette whispered to me, "I'm sure everything will be okay." She'd been observing for the most part for a while now, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear her speak. But her voice...it sounded raspy, sort of.

No...could it be that she was only capable of talking in whispers now? Was she trying to hide it? Dammit...

We arrived at the spiral staircase and walked down it, entering the room with the light puzzle. My footsteps felt sluggish and heavy.

Wait! It'd just be a dead end, right? I mean, the hallway had closed up...

After heading through several rooms, we found that it was not in fact a dead end. That cursed hallway had reopened. My eyes widened, and I very nearly froze in place.

"This-This is-!" Lloyd stopped himself, staring as Kratos entered the hall without hesitation. We slowly followed after, looking around warily.

I gasped slightly, gazing down at the floor. That blood...this was where I'd been cut. It was smeared on the floor, clearly showing how I'd been dragged. I looked up and gulped, reaching up to rest a hand on the hilt of my sword. Lloyd reflexively did the same, as Genis gripped his kendama. We were all anticipating that same hellish room.

We continued walking for several seconds, when suddenly I was confused by a soft light at the end of the hallway. That hadn't been there before...were the torches lit now or something?

"What the...?" Lloyd voiced his own confusion as we exited the hallway.

We were back in the main room near the entrance to the tower. What the hell?! That didn't make sense-what happened to all of those damned hallways we'd gone through?!

Kratos turned around and looked at the three of us expectantly, crossing his arms. I wanted to smack him.

"Everything in between...It's gone..." Genis murmured, bewildered.

"MARVELOUS!" Raine was already distracted, drooling over books once again. Sheena sighed, shaking her head, as she and Colette went to sit down. The mercenary stared at us for a moment before turning away and looking at the shelves, probably trying to find Boltzman's book.

"I don't get it..." I sighed, sliding down the wall into a sitting position. "I know it wasn't an illusion..."

Lloyd and Genis just remained silent for a moment, and then went to the opposite end of the room to sit down and exchange confused looks.

Oh, that's right. We weren't on the best terms anymore, because Lloyd had screwed me over without realizing it.

Ugh. I didn't want to think about the stupid tower and how it made no sense at all. I was never coming back in here, so what did it matter? I doubted I'd survive to the point where Sheena would make a pact with Luna, anyway.

Goddammit. God fucking dammit.

I pressed a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes. To the others, it probably looked like I had a headache...but really, I just wanted to cry. And I really had thought I'd gotten that crap out of my system, too.

This tower had just been one big confusing hell. I just wanted to get out of here. I was in the mood to go lay down somewhere and try to ignore the world for a while. Maybe if I just distanced myself from Lloyd for a while, I wouldn't feel so pissed off at him. I really didn't know.

"Hey." Sheena's voice broke me out of my thoughts, and she sat next to me. I realized that she must've come over after talking to Colette. She frowned slightly at me. "...You don't mind the company, right?"

"Nah." I sighed, even though I most certainly did mind. I didn't want to talk to anyone...and yet I didn't want to be alone and brood, either. Go figure. Maybe I should've just followed Kratos around.

She looked away, watching said mercenary search the bookcases along with the Professor. After a short silence, I felt her look at me again.

"What's up with you today, anyway?" She asked; despite her wording, I could hear the concern in her voice. "You've been acting weird ever since Colette released the seal. Why did you yell at Lloyd like that? I can understand Raine, but that wasn't like you. I mean, he was only trying to help."

I stared into my lap. "...I think he only made things worse."

"How so?" Her gaze didn't waver, and I shifted a little.

"...I don't know. Just a thought."

"You snapped at him over a gut feeling?!"

"No!" I looked up at her, clenching my fists as she glared. "I just-ugh! I don't want to talk about it. Let's drop it already."

She huffed. "You're not making any sense, you know that?"

I dropped my eyes to the ground, giving up, and nodded quietly. Her tone changed to one of confusion.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"I have nothing to say," I replied truthfully. She tensed for a moment, before abruptly getting up.

"Ugh!" She said, aggravated, and walked back over to Colette. I watched her for a moment, and then dropped my head to my knees and heaved a sigh.

"...Go, me," I mumbled under my breath. "If I bitch hard enough, maybe I can antagonize everyone by nightfall. Maybe Kratos can kill me now; it'd save him the trouble of doing it later..." I groaned quietly, hitting my forehead against my knees.

At long last, we exited the tower and walked out into the sunshine. It was late afternoon, gradually melting into evening; we'd spent a while in there. It would've been longer, if my group's escapades had really lasted as long as they should have.

Unsurprisingly, Raine had been the one to spot Boltzman's book. Even as we walked out of the large structure, she continually pored over its dusty pages. She was fascinated by the old tome...what else was new?

Well, after the half hour we spent searching for the book...I don't think the others were angry at me, but they weren't happy with me, either. In other words, we weren't really talking much. They were sort of...there, and I was off to the side.

Genis walked up next to his sister, attempting to see into the book despite the height difference. "With this we can save Pietro, right?"

Raine stopped obsessing over the text for a moment, to frown thoughtfully down at him. "...No. As fascinating as this is...it will be difficult for me to use this book with my healing arts alone." She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "...Perhaps if we had some sort of tool to amplify the body's life force..."

"What kind of tool could do something like that?" Lloyd spoke up.

"A unicorn horn, I would imagine." Kratos remarked, and Raine nodded.

"Yes. But unicorns are extremely rare...our chances of finding one are slim."

"What do we do, then?" Sheena asked, frustrated.

"I have heard that there is a unicorn residing in Lake Umacy, though I'll admit my sources are not exactly reliable," Kratos commented. He crossed his arms. "I suggest we take a look."

Unreliable resources? Yeah, right, Kratty. You've probably been there twenty times already and seen the unicorn for yourself. In any case, I decided to back him up, not wanting to run back and forth until someone managed to figure it out.

"Sounds good to me," I said. "It's not like we have any other leads to go on...and isn't Lake Umacy pretty close by? We can stop there on our way back to Hima."

"It's settled, then," Raine nodded. "We should-"

A thud interrupted her statement, and we all turned to see that Colette had fallen to her knees. Her eyes were wide as she stared on straight ahead in what I presumed to be shock; her mouth was slightly open in a gape...and I knew.

Lloyd gasped, running over to her and gripping her shoulders to support her. "Professor Sage! It's Colette's Angel Toxicosis..."

Raine's expression quickly grew solemn. "I see. We should rest here for the night, then."

I heard a small noise come from Colette-a slight exhale of breath. She was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out. She'd been gradually losing her voice ever since Remiel bestowed Cruxis' "blessing" upon her.

"What's wrong, Colette?" Lloyd asked, concerned. He could see the shock and confusion in her face, even when she tried her best to hide it.

She couldn't reply to his question, and that was made painfully obvious by the look in her eyes. She gazed up at him apologetically, and then looked down at her hands. I saw Kratos step forward from the corner of my vision.

"I would assume she's lost her voice." He said it casually, without much concern.

"What?!" Genis gasped, and we all stared at Colette in varying levels of surprise. Or, in my case, fake surprise that was a sad attempt to conceal frustration and anger.

"He's wrong, right, Colette? Tell me he's wrong!" Lloyd said in horror. He was trying to hide his own shaking. Sure, she was still relatively okay physically, but...Lloyd seemed to be realizing just now that he would probably never hear her voice again.

The blonde Chosen gave Lloyd a helpless look, and smiled sadly. Lloyd's shoulders slumped.

"Colette..."

We spent the next few hours setting up camp and attempting to make Colette comfortable. Night fell all too quickly; I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to realize just what time it was.

As I stared at the campfire, seeing but not really seeing, I finally remembered that the cutscenes weren't exactly over just yet. Hey, maybe this would distract the others from being mad at me for a day or two.

I looked up, my gaze naturally falling on Sheena. She looked uncomfortable. Our eyes met, however, and I guess that's when she decided to speak; she probably thought I was going to ask what was up anyway.

The ninja sighed. "Everyone...I have something to say."

Lloyd looked up, seeming to snap out of the same sort of daze I'd been in. "Huh? What is it?"

She looked down. "I want to explain why I was trying to assassinate the Chosen."

That got everyone's attention. The entire group abruptly stopped what they were doing, looking up to hear her out. Raine crossed her arms.

"All right, we're listening. Tell us about your homeland...a land that doesn't exist in this world."

I made sure to fake surprise, as Sheena nearly gasped.

"You knew?!"

The professor shook her head. "No. But you said it yourself back at the mausoleum: Sylvarant will be saved. That implies that you aren't from Sylvarant."

Wow...in the game it seemed all well and dandy, but really, I wouldn't have jumped to that conclusion right off the bat. It was one of the reasons why I didn't tell the others I was from another world-it wasn't exactly a believeable story.

Sheena smirked slightly, seeming a bit relieved that no one had called her crazy yet. "Yeah...you know, it's really a shame that your intellect's being wasted here. You're right; my homeland isn't here, not in Sylvarant."

"What does that mean?" Genis asked, frowning.

"My world is called Tethe'alla," Sheena replied. Ahh, the first time I'd heard someone speak of the other world. It was really weird.

"Tethe'alla?!" Genis gave her an incredulous look. "You mean the moon?"

She laughed a bit. "Of course not. My world's not on the moon."

"I'm confused," I said randomly, realizing I was being too quiet. I saw Kratos raise a hand to facepalm from the other side of the fire, but he made himself lower it again, probably not wanting to seem suspicious or something.

Sheena shook her head. "Even I really don't understand the specifics, but there's another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, as shadow is to light. That's Tethe'alla...my world."

"Two entwined worlds?" Raine questioned.

"The two worlds can't see one another, even though they're directly adjacent to each other, like two sides of a coin. Our scholars say they exist on shifted dimensions. The two worlds can't see or touch each other, but they do in fact exist next to and affect each other," the ninja explained.

"'Affect each other?'" Lloyd asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

"They vie for the supply of mana. When one world weakens, the mana from that world flows to the other. As a result, one world is always flourishing, and the other waning. Sort of like an hourglass." Man, how many analogies was she going to use? I decided to keep count.

I was distracted when I saw everyone-except Kratos-shift uncomfortably when they realized just what end of the hourglass Sylvarant had been fated with. I sighed quietly.

"So that means right now, Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla."

She nodded. "Sylvarant is in decline. And without mana, crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. If there's no mana, the summon spirits that protect the world alongside the Goddess Martel can't survive in Sylvarant either. As a result, the world slips even further down the path of destruction."

I pinched myself slightly to wake myself up more, realizing that I was getting bored with her story. I was supposed to be faking interest, curiosity, and maybe even a little suspicion, but right now all I could muster was a deadpan gaze. I'd heard it all before. After playing through the game several times, it was pretty easy to remember how the system between the two worlds worked. I didn't really feel like listening to Sheena's long lesson again.

Oh, Raine's turn to speak again. She was the only one that really had anything intelligent to say back. "Then the Choesn's world regeneration is actually the process of reversing the mana flow?"

You got it, Professor. But do you really get it? Colette's going to die, and then over in Tethe'alla, some other unfortunate Chosen (maybe even Zelos) will die, and then it'll be back to Sylvarant again.

"Exactly," Sheena confirmed. "When the Chosen breaks the seal, the mana flow reverses, and the Summon Spirit that governs the seal awakens. I was sent to prevent the world regeneration from happening."

Dear Goddd. I knew all of this. Wrap it up already, people. Waning and flourishing, Chosens, weird analogies, destruction, blah blah blah.

"I broke through the supposedly impassable dimensional fissure for the sake of protecting Tethe'alla," She continued dramatically. Lloyd's fists clenched, and he stood up.

"In other words, to assure the decline and destruction of Sylvarant?"

Sheena frowned. "You can say that, but your journey of regeneration is also an attempt to destroy Tethe'alla. We're both doing the same thing."

Yeah, which is why you get more information about crap like this before running around attacking people over it. Goddammit. I hated knowing the future sometimes.

Now Raine chose to voice her skepticism, though I thought she was taking this surprisingly well. "It's hard for me to believe all of this."

Man, if Sheena had said the same thing to me back on Earth, I would've just walked away and tried to ignore her. I would've instantly branded her as batshit insane in my mind. I mean seriously, other worlds? I'd even questioned my own sanity more than once through the course of this journey.

"I'm the proof," Sheena said. "I possess summoning arts that have been lost from this world."

Colette stared at Sheena, a sad look in her eyes, and the ninja sighed.

"Please don't look at me like that, Colette...I know that wasn't your intention. I don't really know what I should do, either." She ran a hand through her bangs, shaking her head. "I came here to protect Tethe'alla, but...but this world is impoverished and everyone is suffering. But if I allow the world regeneration to occur, then Tethe'alla will become just like this!"

"But right now, you're helping us, right?" Genis spoke up, looking uneasy.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can just abandon Tethe'alla! I...I don't know what to do. Isn't there any other way? A way for Sylvarant, Tethe'alla, and Colette to all be happy?!"

I wished I could tell them that there was, and that everything would be okay, but naturally I couldn't. I didn't even know for sure if that was the real future anymore...my presence here had already screwed up some things. I didn't know just yet if all the screwups were just going to snowball and eventually kill me.

"I want to know, too!" Lloyd piped up.

"Have you considered that perhaps nothing that convenient exists in the real world?" Raine asked. The others gave her upset looks, but I could understand where she was coming from. Normally, there wouldn't be any solution like that. Life is unfair and it sucks; that's it, no questions asked. We were just lucky this time that there was a solution.

"...The best thing we can do right now is to save Sylvarant from its current crisis." The sound of Kratos' voice nearly caused me to jump. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while. Ever since Sheena had been talking, he'd just sort of been sitting there. Like me, he'd heard it all before. He didn't have to fake any sort of emotion, though, because he never showed any emotion anyway. Stupid mercenary. Once again, he'd offered world regeneration as the best solution. Hey, guys! All our problems can be solved if we just sacrifice this innocent sixteen-year-old girl! He seriously pissed me off at times like this.

"What if we just defeat the Desians, and don't regenerate the world?" Lloyd asked hopefully.

"Although we succeeded in destroying a ranch, we cannot possibly eliminate all the Desians. The mana will eventually be exhausted."

No, Yggdrasill wouldn't let one world flourish to the point of the other's distruction. That would ruin his whole system, because one world couldn't exist without the other. He'd probably reverse the mana flow on his own if the Chosens of one world screwed up too many times. I guess the people didn't really want to risk it, though. Couldn't blame them.

"Is mana really that important?" The brunette questioned.

Genis shrugged. "I suppose only magic users and scholars worry about it. But mana is even more important to life than water. Without it, the land will die. Mana is the source material which composes everything. At least that's what I've been taught."

Ha, us Earthlings don't need mana because we're just that cool.

...Wait, or did we? Mana was the reason why I could do all my techs, right? I could never do a Hunting Beast back home...wasn't that because there was no mana on Earth? But if I was living in this world, and my body wasn't composed of mana, wouldn't I, like, die? Too confusing...

"Unfortunately," Raine continued, "the Giant Tree of ever-flowing mana in fairy tales doesn't exist in the real world. We live by chipping away at the limited amount of avalilable mana. Why do you think ancient magitechnology was lost?"

"Because mana disappeared from the world,"Sheena replied.

"Correct. Magitechnology consumes large amounts of mana. If things continue the way they are now, Sylvarant will eventually lose its mana just as it lost its magitechnology, and be destroyed."

Agh, Professor...this conversation was so long and boring. But if even Lloyd was paying close attention...I didn't really have a choice but to pay attention myself.

The conversation paused when everyone turned to see Colette approaching Lloyd.

"Colette?" Lloyd looked down at her as she grabbed his hand, turning it palm up. "R...e...m...i...Oh, you're trying to spell something, right?"

He stopped, reading the letters she wrote. It took a couple seconds for him to decipher each word she wrote.

"I'll...try...asking...Remiel...if...there's...a...way...to...save...the two...worlds."

Unfortunately, Lloyd totally saw the scowl on my face at the mention of the angel's name. His brow furrowed slightly, and I quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

"If it doesn't work out, I may have to kill you after all," Sheena said.

"Sheena!" Genis said, dismayed.

Lloyd continued to read as Colette began writing again. "When...that...time...comes...I...may...fight..back..."

She paused, smiled sadly, and wrote some more. "Because...I love...Sylvarant...too."

Sheena looked down. "...I understand. You intend to become an angel, no matter what, don't you?"

Colette's sad little smile didn't falter, and we all fell silent as she released Lloyd's hand to sit down once again.

I stared at the fire once more, chewing slightly on my lower lip as I mulled over all the events that had transpired. We were so close to the Tower...It was too bad. I wouldn't have minded seeing Tethe'alla.

Something in my stomach clenched painfully. If I was afraid now...I couldn't imagine how Colette felt. She'd known she was going to die for her entire life! And now she couldn't even speak up to tell people how scared she was...she couldn't cry to relieve her stress, or sleep to replenish her energy.

Well, at least I knew she'd be okay in the end. Hopefully.

"Lloyd?" Genis' voice cut through my thoughts. "What is it?"

I looked up abruptly, and briefly locked eyes with the brunette. When I saw the look of pure shock he was giving me, I froze. Oh, God. There was a monster behind me, wasn't there.

Just as I was about to shout and move out of the way, Lloyd quickly looked down.

"Uh, it's nothing."

"Okay..." Genis frowned at me for a moment, shrugged, and resumed whatever he'd been doing.

Eh? So there hadn't been anything after all. But wait-did that mean Lloyd had actually been staring at ME? But why...? He'd looked so surprised about something...was there something on my face? Maybe he'd realized for the first time how amazingly attractive I was? Nah, that couldn't be it...my attractiveness was way too obvious, he had to have noticed it before now.

Haaa, I'm so funny.

I looked down at myself. Let's see...bloody coat, muddy pant legs, slightly greasy hair (wasn't too noticeable yet, thankfully), and a thin layer of dried sweat on my skin. Sexy. Then again, it wasn't like the others in the group fared any better. It had been days since our last stay at an inn, months since my last actual shower. Stupid outdated technology.

Having been successfully sidetracked, I stood up, running a hand through my hair.

"Hm? Going somewhere?" The Professor looked up.

I shrugged. "Not that far, just to the river. I won't be long."

She stared for a moment, and then finally relented. "All right."

Lloyd got to his feet, turning to me. "I'll go with you," he offered.

I shook my head, waving him off. "Nah, it's cool. I can find my way on my own." I didn't really want Lloyd to watch me wash the grime out of my hair. I kind of wanted to bathe, too, if I could find a secluded spot.

When I started to leave, though, Lloyd just completely ignored what I said and joined me. Several of the group members gave him an odd look, including me.

"Uh...Lloyd?"

He frowned, narrowing his eyes slightly and giving me a disturbingly Kratos-like look. Don't do that, Lloyd. Ugh, it's creepy. It gives me the urge to annoy you and feed you tomatoes.

Not wanting to cause a scene, I sighed, slightly irritated. "Whatever."

"Sooo...what's up?" I asked quietly, pouting on the riverbank. I had taken my boots off and rolled my pant legs up, allowing my feet to soak in the cool water. It felt pretty damn good after the long and stressful day.

Now if only I could shave my legs...Dear God. Back in Luin, I'd paid a barber 400 Gald just to lend me the knife he'd salvaged from the ruins of his shop, and I'd cut myself like twenty times. Not fun. I just wanted a good ol' Venus razor...

Self-conscious now, I rubbed my legs, willing the stubble to go away. Man, even a dagger would be helpful right now. I sure as hell wasn't going to try using my sword. I wanted to shave my legs, not amputate them.

"I was just thinking." Lloyd's voice came seemingly out of nowhere; I'd totally forgotten he was there.

"Eh?" I looked over at him, submerging my legs even deeper into the water.

"I...I get it now." Lloyd sighed. "And I'm sorry for asking Remiel for help without your permission. I guess it was a pretty stupid thing to do."

My brow furrowed. Wait, how would he know? He should still be thinking he was completely justified in his actions. He shouldn't even understand my reasoning till at least after the Tower of Salvation...after I was gone.

"Um, thanks?" I paused. "...What do you get?"

He gave me an impatient look. "It all makes sense! You're from Tethe'alla, like Sheena, aren't you? That's why you couldn't explain anything to me! You thought I wouldn't believe you." He shook his head. "That's why you didn't want me to say anything to Remiel. He probably thought you came here to get rid of Colette, too, so he wouldn't help you. And now you probably think you're in trouble with Cruxis or something, right?"

I groaned. "Lloyd, you're on the right track...but you're also completely wrong."

"What?" The bewildered expression on his face would've been hilarious in different circumstances. "B-But...I had it all figured out!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you did, buddy."

He clenched his fists. "Then...what's the real story?!"

"Haven't we already gone over this?" I rolled my eyes. "I'll explain after Colette regenerates the world. I think you can wait a little longer, it's not that far off."

I guess it was sort of a mean thing for me to do to him...I mean, I already knew that I wouldn't live past that day, so I wouldn't have any explaining to do anyway. Lloyd would just be left hanging. Not that it'd matter-with all the crap that would happen afterwards, they wouldn't have time to think about me much, anyway.

"What difference does it make if you tell me a little earlier?"

"Believe me, Lloydie, it makes a huge difference. Can't tell you why, though."

Lloyd huffed, glaring at me for a moment, and then somehow managed to calm himself down. He watched me kick my feet in the water for a few more seconds before speaking again.

"...You said I was on the right track. What's that supposed to mean? How can I be close if I'm completely wrong?"

I closed my eyes, trying to defeat the headache I knew was going to form. "...Well...I'm not from Tethe'alla, but...I'm from a really far away place. And yeah, I'm sorta worried about Cruxis, which is why I was mad at you for butting in like that."

He stared at me, as if he could see the inner workings of my mind if he tried hard enough. Sorry, bud. No dice.

When he didn't say anything, I laid down on my back and looked at him. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I acted like a real asshole. I mean, I had a reason to be mad, but it's kinda my fault too, since I haven't explained anything to you. You were just trying to help out; you didn't know any better."

I shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. "I'm still upset, but it's not like I can go back in time and change anything, so...I dunno. I'm not pissed at you anymore. Let's just...not fight anymore, okay? You're, like, the only person that keeps me sane here." I smiled sheepishly; it was the complete truth.

He met my gaze. "Back there...when you yelled at me...I saw. You were crying, weren't you?"

"...What about it?" There was no sense in denying it.

"What do you mean, 'what about it'?!" He growled, running a hand through his hair in an irritated gesture. "What I did back there...it's bothering you a lot more than you let on, isn't it? What else is bothering you? You complain sometimes, but it's only about dumb stuff, just so you can fill the silence. You never actually talk about what's really upsetting you."

I blinked, surprised. He knew I did that? Most people got annoyed, thinking I was whiny and wanted attention, when I was actually just bored and letting my mouth run. Geez, I thought only my closest friends knew small details like that about me.

Had Lloyd actually become one of my closest friends? Shit. I hated one-sided relationships. I obviously wasn't one of his closest friends; he'd known everyone else in the group, besides Kratos and Sheena, his whole life. And Kratos was his father! Sheena, well...she was Sheena! She and Lloyd had similar personalities, obviously they'd get along well.

"Um..." I shrugged, not really sure what to say, and he rolled his eyes.

"Dammit! You and Colette. What's so bad about talking about your problems?! It's not like bottling everything up ever solved anything!"

"Well, I don't know about Colette, but most of my problems involve the stuff I can't tell you right now," I pointed out. "Besides, I can't do anything about any of it, so it wouldn't make a difference if I told someone."

"Yes it would!" He persisted. "Talking about it means you don't have to bear the burden alone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't already have enough on your mind, Lloyd?"

That shut him up. He looked down into his lap, frowning. "I..."

"Look, about Colette..." I started, attempting to think up some comforting words, but he hastily shook his head.

"Stop trying to change the subject. You always do that!" Lloyd crossed his arms. "I'm your friend and I'm here for you, okay? So talk to me already!"

"...Lloyd," I smiled. "Just you saying that is enough for now. Understand?" I stood up, putting my boots back on. "Hell, having one friend that I know I can trust...that's more than enough. I can handle things on my own until the world regeneration. Then I might need someone to lean on. Think you can wait till then?"

He gave me a good, long look, and then he finally sighed. "...All right. You promised, after all."

I nodded. "And I don't break promises."

I was such a liar.

After a short discussion over breakfast the next morning, everyone (Kratos and Raine) decided that we should head for Lake Umacy right away. We didn't know how long Pietro would last with his illness, and we also didn't know how the world would last with such a depleted mana supply. I'm sure it could've lasted another century, but y'know, Kratos is all urgent and stuff because he's an asshole. You would think he'd be stalling, considering his son was probably going to die too.

Okay, so Kratos is a confusing guy. What else is new?

"You've got that look on your face again, Brit," I heard Lloyd say casually to me. I glanced over at him.

"What look?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, this weird expression you get when you're thinking about something. You always look kind of annoyed."

"Oh, that's because the voice in my head is really sarcastic," I answered cheerfully.

Hey, all my good friends knew about my sarcasm. I just didn't use it as much here, because I didn't want to get bitch slapped by a certain mercenary. I usually ranted about stupid things to myself when I was bored; though my friends found it amusing, I was sure that sort of thing would just piss most of this group off.

"Uh...right." He stared at me for a second. "...What are you thinking right now?"

My brow furrowed slightly as random words popped out of my mouth. "Wouldn't it be cool to be bit by a lion?"

He instantly facepalmed. "What?!"

"Come on! You'd have this awesome scar all your life. And think of all the stories you could tell that would make you seem wicked badass. Like, 'Oh, this? Yeah, I got bit by a lion. But I taught that bitch a lesson, I punched it in the freaking face!'"

"..." He stared at me for a moment, seemingly unable to think of anything to say. Then he just shoved me slightly, shaking his head. "You're such a weirdo."

"You're just mad because you'd scream like a little girl if you got bit," I pointed out, shoving him back.

"Would not!" He protested. "Besides, you're the girl!"

"Yeah, so I'm allowed to scream like one," I grinned. "You've got no excuse though, Lloydie-boy."

"Would you just cut it out?!" A young voice cut through the conversation, sounding genuinely angry. I looked over in shock to see Genis glaring at me. Wait, wasn't this something he'd normally snicker at? Why was he so pissed all of a sudden?

When I only stared at him, his fists clenched. "Who cares?! It's not like that's ever going to happen, it's stupid!"

"Um..." I blinked, noticing how everyone had stopped walking, turning to look at us.

"Genis," Raine said quietly, with a warning note in her voice.

"But Raine!" He turned to her. "She just yelled at Lloyd back in the tower, and now she's acting like nothing happened!"

Raine pulled him closer to her, and they began to converse in whispers that I was sure only Colette and Kratos could hear. Some of the others exchanged glances, and I tried to blend in with the scenery, my head hung. Now I really felt bad. Maybe Lloyd forgave me, but Genis was Lloyd's best friend, and...well, everyone else was sort of kept in the dark with all my crazy secrets and such.

Lloyd turned to look at me, about to walk over, and I shook my head. Genis would just get more angry if he saw us having our own private conversation. Instead, I inched over towards Kratos and gave him a pleading look.

He raised an eyebrow, but seemed to get the message. It looked like he only cared if Lloyd forgave me, not everyone else. He turned to the group and sighed.

"It would be best if we kept moving. I'd like to reach the cover of the forests by nightfall."

The Professor instantly seemed to remember herself and nodded, cutting off her little talk with Genis. "Yes, let's get going."

We began moving again, but the awkward silence wasn't broken. I was so frustrated that I wanted to hit something. I had made up with Lloyd! Everything was supposed to be okay now!

But, of course, that was how things worked in video games...not in real life. In real life, things aren't so simple. Some people hold grudges more easily than others. I guess it wasn't surprising that Genis was one of those people. He was a half-elf; he didn't even like humans much in the first place. He loved Lloyd like a brother; of course now he was going to hate me.

I looked over at Sheena, but she just seemed confused and frustrated as ever. She probably didn't know what side to take.

I chanced a glance at Colette, and she just gave me a sad little smile. She couldn't say anything, but I could tell she was willing to forgive me if Lloyd forgave me. Good thing, too; I mean, what would I do if I was the single person in the universe that Colette actually hated?

Raine and Kratos...yeah, I never knew what they were thinking. I wasn't going to bother trying to read their expressions, they'd probably just get suspicious.

Noishe had been growling at me for around ten minutes now. Shut up, Noishe.

Dammit. For the hundredth time, this new reality of mine really sucked.

It took us four awkward days to make it to Lake Umacy. Thankfully, the amount of awkwardness decreased exponentially in relation to the amount of time that passed. I hate math.

Translation: It became less awkward each day. I guess it was bound to happen, since we did spend every waking hour with each other. We kind of had to tolerate each other. Or, rather, everyone had to tolerate me. Ha-ha. Sucks to be them.

Really, I don't think I uttered more than ten words over the first forty-two hours. I was trying really hard not to annoy anyone. I only spoke when spoken to. That didn't work as well as I'd hoped, though. Everyone else seemed to be calmer, but then Lloyd got annoyed at how quiet I was being and started harrassing me with stupid questions, wondering if I was feeling sick or something. And that just made Genis go all PMS on us again.

By the time we reached the lake, we were relatively...tolerant of each other. I don't think Genis hated me anymore, but I don't think he loved me, either. Sheena was back on pretty good terms with me, at least.

"...Ugh, are we there yet?"

"Not this again, Lloyd..." I sighed, shaking my head. Memories of that time in the Asgard Ranch resurfaced. Sheena got into her trademark bitchslapping position.

"But it's been four days!" He whined, "This is so boring!"

"It's right there." I pointed, and he tensed instantly.

"Where?!"

"Oh, wait, my bad. That's a tree..."

"...You suck."

Sheena sighed, lowering her hand, knowing that smacking him wouldn't do any good anyway.

"Oh! It's over there, Lloyd!" I pointed again.

"No, I'm not falling for it this time." He crossed his arms, turning around and walking backwards so he wouldn't have to see where I pointed.

"Lloyd, I'm serious this time." I could see the glimmer of water reflecting sunlight up ahead.

"No, you're not."

The others looked at Lloyd and just sighed quietly, used to his slowness by now. I grinned, a plan formulating in my mind.

"...Okay, you got me. I'm just messing with you."

Genis instantly understood what I was thinking-for the first time in days, I saw him hold back a smile. Even he couldn't pout through this little joke.

"Yeah, I knew it-" His eyes suddenly widened as we reached the edge of the lake. We'd walked up on to a short overhang, giving a slightly elevated view of the lake-or, to Lloyd, a slightly elevated view of the forest behind us before he fell.

He plummeted into the waters with a loud splash, which was followed by the sound of Genis, Sheena and I breaking out into laughter. Colette had a hand placed over her mouth to cover up a large smile. I ran up to the edge, still laughing, and looked over to see Lloyd resurface. I could barely register the hilarious look on his face, as I was bent over and clutching my stomach.

...That didn't last very long. I had been standing too close to the edge, and part of the ground suddenly crumbled beneath me, causing me to fall in, too. Now it was Lloyd's turn to point and laugh.

"Well, that totally backfired..." I mumbled, finally calming down. The brunette just grinned.

"Nice try, though."

"Hey, I still got you!" I stuck my tongue out. "I just got dragged down, too."

"You guys okay in there?" We heard Sheena call.

"Yeah, we're fine," Lloyd called back, laughing a little more.

"The water's great, come on in!" I said.

"This isn't why we came..." Raine sighed.

I heard some footsteps approaching the edge of the overhang. I recognized those steps, that walk. He couldn't see us, though, since we were beneath the overhang.

In a few seconds, Kratos was standing on the land directly above us. I could tell he crouched down, probably to search for us, because one of the purple tails of his cape hung down over the edge...right where I could reach it.

Oh, God. No, Brittany. Don't do it. Don't you dare, it's suicidal-

Before I could stop myself, I reached out and tugged hard on the cape tail. Kratos, who had already been in a precarious position, could do nothing to prevent himself from falling. Within the next second I saw a flash of purple, and then I was doused in the splash he created.

Lloyd slowly looked over at me. I could tell he really, really, wanted to laugh, but he was afraid to. We both looked over to where the mercenary had fallen, watching the air bubbles rise up for a few moments. I could almost hear the Jaws music playing.

After a couple long seconds, he surfaced.

And I thought Lloyd looked funny when his hair was wet...Holy crap, Kratos.

His hair was all matted down now, not sticking up anywhere. I found myself briefly wondering if he could even see. He looked kind of like an old English sheepdog, only soaking wet.

He was looking at both of us, just daring the culprit to reveal themselves. There was a long silence as we all stared each other down.

And I couldn't help it. I snorted.

His eyes instantly locked on to me. Target sighted. He lunged.

"D-Don't kill me!" I said, digging myself a deeper grave by laughing my ass off.

He was pretty prompt in his punishment; he just shoved me underwater for around thirty seconds, grabbed a handful of seaweed, and let it slide down the back of my shirt.

Then, for good measure, he plopped some on my head when I resurfaced. Lloyd finally started laughing as Kratos trudged out of the water like a cat that had been forced to take a bath. I halfway expected him to huff and shake himself off. He didn't.

That's what Lloyd did when he got out, though. Go figure. I just attempted to get the clump of slime out of my clothes.

I think the others afraid to laugh, too, because we were all dead silent once everyone was safely back on land. We exchanged plenty of glances, though. Plenty indeed.

Heh, good thing the Professor's hair was already silver, because I think we'd been giving her more than enough gray hairs...She sighed, not even bothering to ask what had just happened.

As we walked around the edge of the lake, looking for the unicorn, I watched Lloyd attempt to style his hair back to its former glory. It kept flopping down over his eyes. Eventually he gave up, and just kept blowing the stray hairs out of his eyes every five seconds.

Within the next minute, two resounding smacks could be heard. Sheena and Raine walked on ahead, annoyed, as Lloyd whimpered. The rest of us just shook our heads.

Chapter Text

After about twenty minutes of walking, we reached the opposite end of the lake. I had been slowly growing more frustrated with the others, because they were so oblivious; I saw them looking in the surrounding forest for the unicorn, as well. I continually glanced toward the lake, and Kratos wasn't even really looking because he probably knew exactly where it was.

Soon enough, though, I finally saw the unicorn I recognized, encased in a weird bubble beneath the water. (Seriously, how did that happen?) No one else pointed it out, so I decided to practice my acting once again.

"Look, over there!" I called, pointing to where it was with feigned excitement in my voice. The others turned around, and Lloyd ran up to the water's edge.

"Wow! But...What's that thing surrounding it?"

"Hm...It seems to be imprisoned," Kratos remarked.

"Can't we swim down and let it go?" Lloyd asked, optimistic as always.

"There's no way you could hold your breath that long," Genis said, rolling his eyes.

"Why don't you do something with your magic, then?"

"Do what?" The mage frowned, frustrated.

Raine sighed. "There isn't much we can do, from the looks of it."

"Dammit! So we came all this way for nothing?!" Lloyd groaned. I gave Kratos a very subtle glance, but he seemed to be staying quiet for the time being. As always, he was careful not to blow his cover...

Shit. I didn't want this to take any longer than necessary. Sheena obviously wasn't going to voice the correct idea, since she was still scared of summoning after the whole Volt thing. It was time for a little push in the right direction.

"...Hey, guys," I said, my brow furrowed slightly. Hey, I was getting a little better at this!

They turned to me, instantly recognizing the 'I have an idea' look on my face.

"What is it?" Raine asked curiously, and I looked up.

"A summon spirit resides at each of the seals you've been to...So you must know where the summon spirit of water is, right?"

"The Thoda Geyser, yes. We visited it just before we met you. But what does that have to do with...?" Raine trailed off as she started putting the pieces together in her head, but she remained silent to allow me to finish. I looked over to Sheena.

"Sheena, you said you possess summoning techniques that have been lost from this world." I hesitated. "I don't exactly know how it works, but...if you could summon Undine for us, maybe we could use her power to free the unicorn."

"Brittany, that's a great idea!" Lloyd exclaimed, and turned to Sheena in an instant. "Can you do it?"

She frowned, looking uneasy. "Y-Yeah. I mean, I haven't formed a pact yet, but if I did...then I could summon."

"Please help us, then, Sheena," I said, and her uneasiness only seemed to grow.

"A...All right. Then, let's go to the seal of water."

"Okay! To the Thoda Geyser!" Lloyd grinned, marching on ahead and taking the lead. He was probably going the wrong way, but whatever, it looked like we were going to let him have his little moment of glory.

Sheena followed behind Lloyd, probably hoping his optimism would rub off on her. Couldn't blame her; I usually did the same thing. Genis and Colette followed as well, and I walked on after them. Raine and Kratos seemed to stay behind for a moment, and I remembered the scene between them because it always made me grin-Kratos was about to remark to Raine about how much of a detour it was, and he was probably going to do so in a rather exasperated voice.

Instead, when I looked back, I saw that only Raine had trailed behind, to gaze at the unicorn for one last moment. Kratos was walking behind me; and for the split second our eyes met, I received yet another of his 'I'm keeping an eye on you' looks.

Aughhh. Just as I started to think he trusted me just a teeny bit, he went and looked at me like that. But still...he didn't harrass me with questions all the time the way he would with any other dubious individual, so...what did that mean? Did he trust me or not? If he really didn't, he wouldn't just settle for the occasional suspicious glance. Dammit, he was so confusing.

What had been suspicious about my last few statements? I bit my lip. It was probably because...whenever he found himself in a tight spot, I would always jump in and help keep the others on the right track. I was making his job too easy...And by now, he'd probably taken notice of that fact.

I shook my head quietly and walked on ahead-oh shit, he probably saw that, too. Whatever. He could think whatever he wanted to think.

And so, we finally started out on the incredibly long trip to the Thoda Dock. From where we were...yeah, it was going to take at least two weeks. And then two more to get back...damn. I could already hear Lloyd's complaints.

For God's sake, I hated walking. When I got back home, I was never, ever going to walk long distances again. I didn't care how many miles I put on my car, I was going to use it every damn time I set foot outside of the apartment.

...Well, that was if I made it back. And since the path to the Tower of Salvation was open, my future was looking pretty bleak. Unless I woke up in my bed at home after I died here. That would be the ideal scenario.

Hmm...What would be the first thing I'd do if I made it back?

I suppressed a slight smile. Well, first of all, I'd lay in my bed for a few hours and listen to music. My comfortable, safe bed...and then I'd think about how I wasn't in danger of being attacked by giant insects or crossdressing angels.

"What're you thinking about now?" Lloyd's voice interrupted my thoughts as we walked. I glanced at him, and his face broke out in a pout. "I'm bored."

...And then I'd miss Lloyd. Damn it all.

"I'm thinking about..." I sighed. "...Nah, I'm just zoning out. Don't pay attention to me."

"Liar," he grumbled, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes.

"How old are you, twelve?"

"Hey!" Genis protested, and I waved my hands defensively.

"No offense, Genis! You're, like, smarter and more grown-up and stuff. Your name even sounds like genius."

It also sounded like something else, but I wasn't going to say anything about that. Heh.

Genis just gave me a look, and Lloyd shoved me for my initial remark.

"Oi! Respect your elders, you puny teenager!" I stuck my tongue out, shoving him back.

"You're only a year older than me!" He retorted, but I laughed.

"Yeah, but I'm legally an adult, so that automatically makes me cooler and more mature."

The Professor sighed for the umpteenth time today. "Honestly, you two..." She trailed off, because nothing more really needed to be said. Anyone could see by now that our bickering was almost as constant as the bickering between Lloyd and Genis.

I shrugged, deciding to change the subject before she decided to dole out some physical abuse. "So, um...Where are we, exactly? Are we gonna stop at Luin?"

She shook her head. "No, it's too far out of the way. We're heading directly south to Hakonesia Peak. We'll be stopping at the House of Salvation from before for supplies."

"The one we were ambushed at?" I winced, unpleasant memories resurfacing, and I noticed that Colette had a similar expression on her face. She'd almost been killed then, too. Stupid asshole commander hadn't even realized she was the Chosen...

Kratos frowned. "It is highly unlikely something like that will happen again."

"I know, I know," I said. "Bad memories, that's all."

"No kidding," Genis said quietly. He shuddered. "Man, am I glad that ranch is gone..."

"Get ready," the mercenary said abruptly, tensing. I looked up and took note of the oversized grasshoppers approaching.

"Again?" I groaned. This had to be the third battle we'd had in the last hour...why was it that every creature in Sylvarant had the urge to rip us limb from limb?

Although there were three, the battle was short-lived. We were getting pretty good at butchering these things, and the fact that there were seven people in our group kind of helped. If only Noishe wasn't such a pansy...he could probably chomp those things' heads off.

Noishe glared at me, and I grinned sheepishly as I cleaned my sword and sheathed it. So apparently he could read minds now. Or maybe he was just glaring because he already hated me. Who cares.

And thus, our lovely day continued in much the same fashion as the last few. We were only three days into our trip to the dock; we still had a ways to go.

"Wow..." I whispered quietly to myself, standing alone on the roof of the House of Salvation. I gazed out on to the horizon, the Tower to my back, where I always kept it. It was out of my thoughts for now.

For one of the few times in my life, I was watching the sunrise. It was five, maybe six in the morning, and to my knowledge, everyone else was asleep. It seemed like every time we set up camp, it was in the forest, where I couldn't get a clear view. And now, I'd finally found my chance. There wasn't even any training today; Kratos usually gave us a rest day every now and then so we wouldn't get too worn out to travel.

A slight smile made its way on to my face. Honestly, I couldn't remember ever getting up this early of my own free will. It was always work, school, training, something taking control of my schedule.

It was a clear day, from what I could see; not a cloud was visible in the sky. As the sun began to cast light over the horizon, I found myself wide-eyed with awe. It was amazing, to see the world slowly being lit up, the day slowly beginning. I wouldn't have gotten a view like this back home; the amount of manmade structures and buildings just killed it.

But here...I could see Asgard off in the distance if I squinted hard enough, but other than that...

To my right, a little ways off, was the thick forest I'd been captured in. It looked peaceful in the morning light.

To my left, the path we took to get here-it wound through open fields, grasses swaying in the breeze.

Straight ahead was the island on which the Balacruf Mausoleum lay...and beyond that, the ocean.

...Here I was appreciating all this amazing scenery I could never find on Earth, and all I could think about was how I wished I had my digital camera to take a picture. Bad, materialistic me.

I wanted to show someone. My mom, my sister, one of my friends...I didn't care. I just wished someone was here to appreciate it with me.

I sighed quietly, fiddling with the small star-shaped earring in the upper cartilage of my right ear. It was pretty much the only thing left that I had from Earth, besides my navel ring. The latter had nearly been ripped out at the ranch; I'd taken out the earrings on my earlobes for that very reason, but I'd kept the last few, hoping they wouldn't be noticed.

I placed a hand on my stomach, over where my other piercing would be. It felt so out of place in this world...my hand then found its way to my latest piece of jewelry-the Exsphere and Key Crest that rested just below my collarbone.

Dammit...how much had I changed since coming here, anyway? I was still me, right? If I went back home, looking like I did now...my friends and family would recognize me, right?

My eyes narrowed slightly as I frowned with slight frustration. Why couldn't I just enjoy the scenery for once? Every time I had two seconds to myself, I started brooding about everything. I couldn't stop myself from overthinking and worrying about all the stuff that was going on...it was just who I was. And it really sucked to be me sometimes.

Scenery, right. Pretty stuff that could not be seen on Earth. Look at it, Brittany. Look at it now.

...Nope, the magic was gone. Now I just wanted to see skyscrapers and fast food restaurants and busy streets and assholes who didn't know how to drive. Good old Earth. It wasn't exactly pretty, but it sure as hell was familiar. Familiar, and safe...yeah, meeting some creepy guy in an alley didn't scare me one bit anymore. This world had given me a whole new perspective on fear.

I wanted to go to the movies and eat popcorn. I wanted to hang out with my friends. I wanted to tear down the highway blasting Motley Crue like I used to, goddammit.

Just as I was about to bang my head on the railing I was leaning over, the sound of voices made me pause. I didn't want anyone coming to my rescue, only to realize I was just being an idiot again.

A frown tugged at my lips, and I leaned a little farther over, squinting slightly. In the shade of those nearby trees...

Blue hair?! Oh shit!

I quickly ducked down, nearly falling on to my butt, and crouched as low down as I could. It would probably be better if I just went back inside, but...

No, I couldn't! What if he was planning something? He wasn't supposed to capture Lloyd at this point in the game...and not only that, I kind of wanted to know what he was up to...

Moving a little closer to the railing, I peeked through the bars, straining my ears.

"...I see." Yuan's quiet voice cut through the crisp morning air. From what I could tell, he was talking into some sort of communicator...It was probably that thing he uses at the Iselia Ranch later on in the game.

A reply came from the device, and I couldn't make it out-but I would've been able to hear that accent from a mile away. That was definitely Botta he was talking to.

"Amnesia...hmph." The half-elf remarked. "It's entirely possible that he knows."

I tensed slightly. Amnesia? Was Yuan referring to me? And who knew what? Dammit, I wanted to hear Botta's side of the conversation!

There was a pause as Yuan listened to his second-in-command's response.

"Tempting as it is, that's something we can't do. She is disposable and can be replaced; we would only slow them down slightly and risk exposing ourselves."

During the next pause, the Renegade leader smirked slightly.

"Correct. That's exactly what we'll do."

His smirk fell as Botta began to respond, and he cut the other half-elf off.

"Not here. It seems we have an audience."

There was a short response from Botta as I froze up inside. After a few seconds, Yuan turned the communicator off and looked straight at me. The fact that I was on the roof and he was on the ground did little to comfort me.

He stared for probably three seconds, but his green eyes were so piercing and intimidating that it felt like an agonizing thirty. Yuan didn't utter a single word; he just stared long enough to let me know that he really saw me, and then he turned around and warped away.

No snide remark, no attack, no nothing? Somehow his anticlimactic departure was more unnerving than anything else he could've done. Maybe he knew that.

I shook my head, turning around and leaning my back against the railing. What the hell was that whole conversation about? Judging from my luck, I was pretty sure I was the disposable person he was talking about...

Damn. If only he'd repeated whatever Botta suggested to be the plan...but, of course, life wasn't that simple.

Wait. Yuan had a plan. That probably didn't bode well for me...Yuan wasn't even supposed to make another appearance till the Tower of Salvation! If he moved before then, everything could be totally screwed up.

I clenched my fists slightly. Okay...so stuff was going to go wrong. If Yuan had a plan, it was probably for some sort of trap, right? I just had to make sure nobody got separated from Kratos until we got to the Tower. Yuan couldn't move when Kratos was watching, it would mess up his epic plot to kidnap Lloyd.

...That was easier said than done...nobody really listened to me in the group. I was just another kid, I didn't call the shots.

I scowled, walking over towards the stairway. Somehow, I had to make this work.

Somehow...

"Kratos."

No response.

"Kratoooos."

"...What is it?" He sighed, looking up from the book he'd been examining.

We were in the House of Salvation's main room; an altar was in the back, with a few chairs scattered around. The bookcase we were standing next to was near the staircase leading up to the bedrooms. It had a small collection of gently used (okay, beat up) books that travellers had left behind. Some of them had useful information in them, while others were completely random. I'd found a dirty love novel somewhere in there earlier, and earned several smacks from Raine after reading a few passages aloud to Lloyd.

Poor, innocent Lloyd was now cowering somewhere in his bedroom. I couldn't help but wonder how he was ever going to handle Zelos.

Kratos was glaring at me. Oh, right. I'd gotten his attention and then totally zoned out.

"I have a question," I declared.

The mercenary put the book back, crossing his arms expectantly. I shifted slightly, grinning sheepishly.

"Can you teach me Hell Pyre?"

He frowned. "We don't have time for training today. We're leaving soon."

I pouted. "Come on, Kratos. Professor Sage just left to get supplies," I said, referring to the many vendors and stands that were set up outside. "Our rations are almost completely depleted. She won't be back for a while...And it's just one technique! Pleeeease?"

Kratos' eyes narrowed slightly as he watched me, as if sizing me up. I held back a grin; he always did this dramatic pause right before he caved.

"...Fine. I will teach you in the field out back. Does that sound suitable?"

"Yes!" I pumped a fist in the air victoriously, and he facepalmed.

"Do not complain when you find it more difficult than you'd expected..." He muttered, walking in the direction of the door. I followed happily.

Thankfully, the field in back of the House of Salvation was wide open and the grass only reached just past our ankles. It would've been a pain to fight on rocky ground and waist-high grass...though I was sure Kratos would've preferred it that way just because he was a hardass.

Lloyd was off doing something with Genis, so it looked like it was just me and Kratos for training today. Not that it was really an official training session...but it probably would've become one, had Lloyd been available. In any case, I was feeling good about it so far.

Kratos stopped walking when he felt our setting was suitable enough, and he turned to face me. We both drew our swords, staring each other down.

Man, how had I ever gotten used to this? Part of me remembered how nervous I'd been my first few days of training...Now, I knew what to expect, though I wasn't exactly looking forward to the usual dose of pain. His gaze was just as piercing and intimidating as ever.

"All right, I'm set. What do I need to do?"

"Hmph. Not so fast...first, there are a few things we need to go over."

"Tch, I should've known there was a catch..." I grumbled quietly.

His eyes narrowed. "This technique requires you to turn your back on the enemy briefly. If you use it carelessly, it will be your downfall."

I blinked, trying to remember just what Hell Pyre looked like; I couldn't recall extremely well, I just knew it had been one of my favorite techs for some reason in the game. That, and all the Beast attacks. I'd only seen Kratos perform it a few times in real life. Let's see...oh, right. It involved that nifty midair spin while the fireball-thing was charged up.

Wait. Was that magic? It was a fireball, right? But then, Lloyd could use Hurricane Thrust without any trouble, and he didn't have any elven blood. He didn't know that technique now, but in the game...

Ow, my head. I really needed to stop overthinking things. Obviously I was capable of performing the tech, or Kratos wouldn't have agreed to teach me. Durrr.

"Okay, I'm listening," I said, trying not to be a smartass to him. This was my idea to begin with, after all.

"Never use Hell Pyre in a one-on-one battle unless you have the enemy distracted with something else first," he warned. "The same goes for group battles; you should be able to use it more freely then, but be careful about it. Be aware of how vulnerable you are in the air. If you are knocked down, you're as good as dead."

I shifted a little. "...All right. That's common sense, I guess. What else?"

His eyes narrowed further. "Do not use this technique until you've perfected it. Understand?"

"Huh?" My face fell. "But...but..."

"I will not teach you unless you agree to those terms. If your aim is off, you will put others in danger, and this attack requires precise aim. If you use the incorrect timing, you will put yourself in danger. And even if you somehow manage not to harm anyone through your foolishness, you will only have wasted time and energy that could have been spent through more useful means."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued, so I closed it. Not that I had anything great to say back, anyway.

"With the exception of Cross Thrust, the techniques you have learned up until now have been fairly simple. Don't think that this is something you can practice in a real battle."

"...Yeah, I understand..." I finally relented, a bit disappointed. I'd probably never perfect it, meaning Kratos would bitch at me if I ever used it. Damn.

He nodded. "Let's begin, then." He held his sword out to the side slightly.

"First...begin to concentrate a small amount of your mana at the base of your sword..."

Oh, dear God. Who in their right mind had invented Hell Pyre? I wanted to find them and give them a good smacking. That technique was even more infuriating than Cross Thrust.

As I walked back from our training site, exhausted, I tried to run Kratos' steps through my mind once more. It all seemed so clear and simple in my head, until I actually tried to use the damned attack.

First, concentrate a bit of mana at the sword's base. Then, approach the enemy-quickly, before they beat the living crap out of you-and jump high into the air. Jumping was a lot easier than expected, due to the effects of the Exsphere; that wasn't really the problem.

Next, twist in the air as you jump, steadily concentrating more energy as you twist. Don't let it build up too fast, or you'll burn yourself with your own mana...or worse, the attack will backfire completely.

Once you've done almost one complete turn, swing your sword outwards and towards the enemy; time it just right so that the momentum of your spin will allow you to sling that ball of energy down your blade and straight at the enemy, fast enough to cause a small explosion.

...All right, so it wasn't so simple when you were trying to remember all that at once. It's more than a little disorienting when you're spinning in midair. I found myself unable to fathom how Kratos could react that fast. Or Zelos, for that matter! He knew that attack too, didn't he?

So, you have around two seconds in midair to charge up just enough energy at just the right pace, so you can time it exactly right and (hopefully) hit the enemy and not your ally.

Hell Pyre was a lot harder than it looked. Kratos had set up a target for my attack to hit-it was a decent sized one, too- and I'd only nicked the side of it once. The rest of the times...well, it wasn't pretty. I just got so disoriented during that stupid spin. Even now, I felt a little dizzy.

When we approached the front of the House, Sheena looked up from her seat atop a fence surrounding a small garden. She tilted her head curiously.

"Training? You look terrible."

"I feel terrible," I answered weakly.

Kratos glanced over at me. "It was your decision."

"And I'm not giving up yet," I shot back. "I'll keep trying till I get it right, just you watch."

"Hmph. Do your best, then," the mercenary remarked, before walking off, presumably to get all our stuff together so we could leave.

I heaved a sigh. "He's so encouraging sometimes..."

"What technique are you trying to learn?" Sheena asked, pushing herself off the fence so she could follow me back into the building. We were supposed to meet up with the others right around now, anyway.

"You'll see when I've mastered it. Then you'll be amazed."

The ninja raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment further. We walked into the house's main room, where the group was gathered. Kratos appeared to be double checking to make sure Raine had bought all of the correct supplies, as the Professor watched him with a slight hint of annoyance. The two got on each other's nerves sometimes, being the only adults in the group. Oddly enough, though, that also helped them get along.

In my opinion, Raine acted WAY too mature for her age. From what I remembered, she was a little bit younger than my sister...and I used to hang out with my sister all the time, back on Earth. It was kind of weird meeting someone in their twenties who acted...well, adult. Then again, I'd always thought all of the twenty-something year old teachers in my school were kind of weird. I mean, why would you spend all those years in high school and college, only to go BACK? The very thought of it sickened me.

"Ow!" I winced when Lloyd elbowed me. "What was that for?"

"You were zoning out again," he shrugged. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Are you two paying attention?" Raine glared. I smiled innocently, but she didn't fall for it. "I'm trying to discuss our next move, if you don't mind."

When had she started talking? Man, maybe I should've thanked Lloyd for elbowing me. I really tended to ramble in my head sometimes.

We both quieted down, at least attempting to pay attention. I already knew what was going to happen, but Raine would bite my head off if she caught me daydreaming. I fumbled with the hem of my coat, attempting to straighten my outfit out. It was a bit messy after all the training I'd done.

"We should have just enough supplies to last us to the Thoda Dock," the Professor continued. "We can restock there before leaving for the seal." Her eyes seemed to sparkle slightly at the thought of seeing her "precious ruins" once more.

I frowned. She said we had enough supplies, but...probably not. I mean, we still had go get past Hakonesia Peak, and then walk all that distance...we'd have to use our supplies sparingly. Maybe Kratos would make me go hunting again. Ew.

"Is everyone ready to leave?" Kratos spoke up, a rather bored look on his face.

"Ready as I'm gonna get," I mumbled, lifting up my bag. I wasn't looking forward to walking right after training; usually I had at least an hour to rest before we set off...but hey, it had been my choice. I'd just have to suffer for today. The others seemed to agree with me, nodding.

"Let's get moving, then," the mercenary stated, turning towards the door. We all turned to follow.

"Hey, Genis..."

My head shot up as I heard a muffled voice coming from the other side of the wall. We were in a small inn that rested atop Hakonesia Peak; it wasn't great, nor was it cheap, but that didn't really matter so much when you'd just hiked up a mountain.

In any case, it looked like the walls were thin. Lloyd and Genis were rooming right next to Sheena and I. With the back of my head leaning against the wall, I could hear Lloyd's voice pretty clearly.

I was alone in the room for the moment; I'd been sitting on the floor and cleaning my sword when Lloyd's voice broke the silence. It even sounded like he was keeping his voice down, but it didn't do him any good. I'd have to remember to be quiet when Sheena came back in, or they could eavesdrop on us, too.

"What is it?" I recognized Genis' voice, higher pitched than Lloyd's. One of these days you'll hit puberty, Genis.

"About Colette..." He hesitated. "Don't you feel like...like something's really wrong?"

The half-elf paused, and I could nearly picture the uncomfortable look that was probably on his face. "I don't like what's happening to her, but...I'm sure it'll all be worth it once she's an angel, right? Maybe the benefits will outweigh the setbacks." His voice sounded hopeful...but I could still detect some doubt in his tone. It looked like the true nature of the world regeneration was finally starting to dawn on them...but they were still mostly left in the dark.

"I sure hope so..." Lloyd remarked quietly, and the two were silent for a moment. I heard a slight creaking sound, and assumed that one of them had sat on their bed.

"Do you think there might be another way?" The brunette spoke up again.

Genis sighed. "If we don't regenerate the world, all of our mana will go to Tethe'alla and Sylvarant will be destroyed! And Kratos already said we can't get rid of all the Desians..."

"...I know. It just...doesn't feel right. We hear all of this good stuff from the Church of Martel, but they don't mention what happens to Colette or what we're doing to the other world. Are we really doing the right thing?"

"I don't know, Lloyd." Genis said, sounding depressed. "What if there isn't another way?"

"There has to be," Lloyd insisted. "...I just keep remembering what Brittany said to me back in the Tower of Mana..."

Hey, he was talking about me! I frowned slightly, listening more intently.

"You mean, how she yelled at you?" The half-elf asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"When I said that the world regeneration was the only way, she told me to stop lying to myself," the brunette said. "Back then I thought she was wrong, but...then Colette lost her voice, and Sheena told us about Tethe'alla. Now I just don't know anymore."

"How would she know anything? She was just saying that so she'd have a reason to keep arguing," Genis scoffed, causing me to scowl. I was trying to get along with Genis, but it looked like he'd always resent me at least a little for that incident with Lloyd.

"Genis..."

"Why did you forgive her? She never even apologized!"

"She did!" Lloyd protested, and then let out a sigh. "We had a long talk. She's just stressed out, okay? Give her a break. She's being dragged along on this journey 'cause she has nowhere else to go. We all have moments where we get frustrated."

Lloyd...now I really felt guilty for lashing out at him like that. If he'd said that stuff to me, I wouldn't have forgiven him nearly as easily. My apology hadn't even been that great, either. I was so selfish...Lloyd was just as likely to die as I was. He was going to the Tower of Salvation, too.

"Yeah..." Genis replied quietly, seeming to give up. I gave up listening as well, standing up and sheathing my now-clean sword. It looked like everyone was angsty nowadays...and this was only the calm before the storm.

With the next day came more hiking and more grumbled complaints.

You see, hiking and I have always had a love-hate relationship. Walking across a field is boring, but making it to the summit of a mountain or any sort of peak was always exhilarating and rewarding in the end. It was the process in between that sucked.

I scowled slightly, remembering how much difficulty I'd had the last time we crossed this mountain pass, going in the opposite direction. Back then, I'd been considerably less fit...I hadn't been extremely out of shape, but I was the sort of fit that was passable in regular society. I hadn't exactly been an athlete, but I hadn't been a couch potato either. Well, that didn't really cut it when you're travelling all over a freaking continent.

I hated thinking of all the insecurities that had been running through my little amnesiac head back then...I'd been scared and all alone, so I had tried hiding all of my inner turmoil from everyone...including myself. Unfortunately, attempts to fool yourself usually backfire, y'know?

Compared to then...at this point, I was a lot less miserable. And I was still pretty miserable sometimes. Right now, for example.

I guess my current physical fitness still didn't cut it, even though I was doing a lot better than last time. Kratos hadn't even broken a sweat and Lloyd was way up ahead-stupid teenage boys and their boundless energy. Sheena seemed to be doing fine, as well; probably because ninjas had to be athletic or they wouldn't really be stealthy and cool. Colette was walking beside her.

At least Genis and Raine were hanging out with me. I still felt crappy, though. They had an excuse since they were mages...but I fought with a melee weapon and went through strenuous training every morning! Why couldn't I be up there with Lloyd?

The sad thing was, we were walking downhill, as we'd made it to the top of the peak the day before. I was still tired. My upper leg muscles-quadriceps? Yeah, those. They ached like hell. Probably because I was constantly straining to prevent myself from sliding down the steep slope. I couldn't help but feel like everyone was walking dangerously fast.

If I fell, I was so grabbing on to Kratos to steady myself. If only I could keep up with him...then I'd walk directly behind him.

My scowl grew. Hiking sucked when you weren't doing it for fun.

A hand on my shoulder startled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see that Colette had fallen back to walk beside me. She smiled innocently, and I knew she was trying to cheer me up. My grumpiness was probably annoying everyone, even if I hadn't really complained that much today.

I tried to smile slightly back, and found myself unable to maintain eye contact. Every time I looked at Colette now, I thought of what would be coming up soon and it made me feel nauseous.

She squeezed my shoulder lightly, and I forced myself to look up once more and mouth a 'thanks' to her. At least my smile that time was a little more honest...even though now I just felt worse.

"We'll stop here for a rest," the Professor said abruptly once the ground began to level out a little.

Oh thank God. My unhappy thoughts vanished with the thought of a break, and I let out a relieved sigh. Kratos nodded his consent, and we gathered together in a more open area on the side of the trail.

A few hot coals remained from a campfire some other travelers had left; Kratos took advantage of this, immediately building up a fire to cook some food with. Hey, it looked like Genis was getting a break today. Jeez, was there anything that Kratos wasn't good at?

I frowned slightly, and then sighed again, turning away from the group.

"I'm going, uh...I dunno. Somewhere."

Raine looked over in my direction. "Don't be long. We'll be leaving again soon."

"Yeah, I know." I nodded, and then walked a little further downslope, turning off the trail.

Leaving again soon...I really hated the fact that even though we'd been traveling for what felt like forever, it was still only noon and we had a long ways to go. I could tell that Raine was getting a little tired, too, but she probably had a lot more determination than I did.

That's what I needed; some serious motivation. But how could I keep taking that next step forward when I knew it only led me closer to my death? Maybe I could look forward to the relief. Yeah, that'd work. I just had to keep walking a little longer, and then I'd finally get to rest forever.

...That didn't help at all.

I tried hard to relax as I made my way through the brush. I just needed some time alone to clear my head, that was all. After a few minutes to myself, and then a nice lunch...I'd be fine. I had to be.

The trees thinned out, and I arrived at another clearing; this one was a cliff, a sheer drop. My mouth dropped open in a gape; I could see everything from here! I walked up to the edge of the cliff, plopping myself down on the grass.

Just focus on the view, nothing else...let the stress melt away...

Snap.

My head shot up as I heard a twig break, and I looked over my shoulder. I immediately spotted a pair of boots and...Oh God, I knew that cape...

Yuan.

Chapter Text

I briefly considered jumping off the cliff, but reluctantly abandoned the thought, however appealing it was. Somehow I found the strength to stand up and face him, but after that it took everything I had just to keep my knees from shaking.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Yuan immediately cut me off, crossing his arms.

"If you call for help, I will kill you."

"Oh, comforting." ...Wait, had I just said that aloud? Damn, my sarcastic thoughts were supposed to stay in my head!

A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only indication he gave that he'd heard me. Even though I knew it'd screw up the plot, I found myself desperately wishing Kratos would come looking for me right about now. Then I remembered that Kratos was cooking today, and Lloyd would probably be the one doing the searching, and I began to reconsider the cliff behind me.

It was too quiet. Yuan was going to try and make me squirm, I could tell already. That snarky bastard.

"So, uh..." I found myself trying to speak; I hated awkward silences. "You're that guy who helped me out back at the Asgard Ranch, aren't you? I never got to thank you."

He raised an eyebrow, mimicking an expression Kratos often gave me. Well, now I knew where the mercenary got it from.

"I think we both know that I'm not here for your thanks." He brushed a lock of blue hair behind his left ear and stared me down. "Do you take me for a fool? I clearly saw you eavesdropping."

"This is kind of a delayed reaction, isn't it? Why didn't you confront me back at the-"

"I'm not the one who should be doing the explaining," Yuan cut me off. The look in his eyes caused my mouth to go dry. He wasn't a projection this time. I couldn't be a smartass and get away with it.

I subconsciously took a step back, and my heel met empty air. I jerked my foot back to safety as my stomach twisted uncomfortably. I was too close to the edge. Yuan wasn't exactly smothering me, but it was very nerve wracking to be cornered like this. He was just close enough that it was impossible for me to run around him. And even if I had a clear shot at running, he'd catch me in less than a second. I couldn't outrun a seraph.

"I...just happened to hear you, okay?" I answered shakily. "And when I saw it was the guy who saved me back in the ranch, I guess I got nosy..."

"You're lying." He didn't say anything more; he just continued to stare at me, waiting for me to correct myself.

Fuck it. There wasn't any way out of this.

"It sounded like you were talking about me," I said, gathering my resolve. Against my better judgment, I actually took a step forward and met his gaze. Yuan sounded like he knew something. Whether he was going to share that information with me or not was an entirely different matter.

"That's better," Yuan remarked, uncrossing his arms. Weird, he didn't look angry at all, just sort of neutra-

'Wretched human. You are still deluding yourself? How pitiful.'

'Were you not valuable, I'd kill you like the insolent dog you are.'

'I don't care about the name of a human maggot.'

Kvar. Oh God, I was back in that hellish room and Kvar was killing me I couldn't move, it hurt oh God it burned-

I gasped for air as my vision returned to me, and out of the corner of my vision I saw a small current of electricity dance across the metal buckles on my glove. I vaguely realized that I had collapsed onto the ground, my left cheek pressed to the dirt.

"You may want to think twice before doing something so idiotic again," Yuan said, and I saw his boots in front of me. The reality of the situation crashed down on me and I remembered that Kvar wasn't the only one capable of using lightning magic. Kvar was dead and gone. Oddly enough, the fact that Yuan was the one who had harmed me this time came as a bit of a relief. It might have been because Yuan wasn't a psychopathic sadist.

Maybe it was that rush of relief that gave me the courage to speak up again. Or maybe I was just feeling suicidal.

"What-" I coughed violently, attempting to regain control of my voice. "What do you know about me?" My words came out in a dull croak, but I used every ounce of strength I had to lift myself up enough to look at him.

Yuan stared at me for several agonizing seconds, as if considering something. I wondered if he was thinking about what attack to use on me next.

Finally, he turned away. "It's not necessary for you to know."

I coughed again, though this time I made sure it sounded suspiciously like "Bastard." He looked over his shoulder at me.

"If you speak of any of this to anyone...I will kill you." With that, he began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called, reaching out, attempting in vain to grab on to his cape. How could he just leave after confirming that he did know something about me? If he knew nothing, he wouldn't have had anything to hide!

Yuan ignored me; he continued on into the shadows, and warped away, leaving me alone once more.

All was still for a moment as I registered the fact that he was gone, and then I broke the silence with a rather loud curse. I shifted to a sitting position, trying to ignore the tingling pain that I could still feel all over my body. A quick once-over determined that although I felt terrible, physically I looked perfectly fine. There wasn't a single mark on me. That asshole had probably intended it to be so; he couldn't afford to risk blowing his cover in any way.

Damn him. My one chance at knowing what the hell was going on-gone. I was going to die and never know. If only I could have some sort of idea... I might have been able to save myself.

Damn, damn, damn...!

I didn't even realize I was crying until I was hunched over, hugging my legs, my face buried in my knees. My body trembled, wracked with uncontrollable sobs. The entire day just hit me all at once-my fear of what was to come, my utter exhaustion, and the pain I was going to have to deal with in silence.

How the hell could anyone expect me to pretend I was okay?!

I was not all right. I was not fucking all right. I...

I took a deep, shuddering breath, and tried to focus on my breathing alone. After a few seconds, the tears slowed and the lump in my throat lessened a little. I sniffled, wiping away my tears.

I couldn't think like that, not now. I knew what I had to do.

Hope...I had made the mistake of hoping for a brief moment that there might be a way out of this. Hoping was dangerous, because it only meant the letdown would be more painful in the end. And as I knew, I was going to die at the Tower. Whatever Yuan knew probably wasn't enough to help me anyway. I had to face reality, however harsh it was.

Another deep breath was enough to calm me. I shakily got to my feet, brushing my clothes off, and turned in the direction Yuan had left. My brow furrowed slightly as I saw something silver glinting in the sunlight, lying in the grass in front of me. I bent down, picking a delicate chain up with one hand. At the end of it was a small oval shaped locket.

I frowned. Yuan had dropped this, hadn't he...strange. I remembered that at one point in the game he drops his ring, but the only person I knew here that had a locket was Kratos...and he'd never let that leave his sight. Was this precious to Yuan, then...?

I pocketed it. If it was, I was definitely using it for blackmail the next time we met. I needed some sort of edge on that guy.

Shaking my head to clear it, I gathered what was left of my strength and began to walk through the woods once more. It was better that I returned before someone came searching. I didn't want to walk alongside anyone right now; they might notice how much I was struggling, and that would lead to a lot of questions I couldn't answer.

After several minutes of walking, I reached the clearing we'd temporarily stopped at. From the looks of it, I was just on time. Kratos was done with our food-and it smelled great. Show-off.

"It's done, right? I'm starving," I remarked, even though I'd lost my appetite a while ago. Maybe everyone would think my hunger was the reason for my paleness.

"Not for another few minutes," Kratos replied. I let out a sigh at that news, walking over to a nice, soft patch of grass so I could sit down and wait.

My legs still tingled painfully. I bit my lip so I wouldn't make a face, and sniffled slightly as the lump in my throat threatened to grow again. I forced it back, quietly taking another deep breath. Dammit, I hated electricity and everything to do with it.

Lloyd, sitting to my left, gave me a strange look. "Hey, Brit...are you feeling okay?"

"I dunno," I said, smiling sheepishly. He must've heard me sniffle... "I think I might be coming down with a cold."

"Be sure to drink lots of fluids, then," Raine said, not even looking up from her book.

"I will," I assured her. Lloyd continued to give me a skeptical look, but after a second or two he sighed and looked away. My smile fell and I looked away, too.

It looked like everyone was busy with their own activities except for Lloyd, and I really didn't want to sit here awkwardly as he wondered if I was lying to him.

Eh? My eyes had wandered to the path ahead of us; upon closer inspection, I could see the corner of a pink ribbon laying exposed on the path. When I looked harder, I could see Sheena sitting under the shade of one of the trees, talking to Corinne. After a few seconds, they seemed to finish talking, and the summon spirit went back to...wherever summon spirits disappeared to.

Sheena sighed, staring wistfully ahead of her. Hmm...okay, Sheena was open, and far enough away that I could avoid Lloyd. Yay!

I stood up once more, taking note of the look on her face as I strolled over to her. Normally I would leave someone alone when they looked like they were brooding, but I figured this time it might benefit the both of us. After all, I had quickly learned that even though I preferred to be alone when brooding, it never helped at all.

And I had a feeling I knew what Sheena was brooding about, anyway...

"Yo, Sheena," I said, attempting to sound cheerful and laid-back. "'Sup?"

She immediately made a face and looked up at me, before shaking her head. "Um...not much."

"What was that face for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I sat next to her. "I'm not that annoying, am I?"

"No, no, that's not it," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. "The way you sounded just now reminded me of someone I know."

I had to hide a grin when I realized who she was talking about. First the Exsphere in almost the same place, then the sleeveless coat, and now I was talking like him...I really was starting to want that headband. Oh! I could be a manizer! Like a womanizer, but with...oh wait, that'd be a slut...never mind. Damn double standards. 

As my train of thought crashed and burned, Sheena gave me a strange look. She'd probably noticed my grin, so I tried to amend my screwup.

Grinning out in the open now, I asked her, "Who do I remind you of?"

She frowned, looking away. "Just some guy."

"Your boooyfriend?" I asked teasingly, and her face turned beet red in an alarmingly short amount of time.

"No! I'd never even think about going out with that idiot! Ugh!"

I snorted, failing miserably in an attempt to hold in laughter. "Don't get so mad! I'm just kidding."

Sheena seemed to realize how much she'd overreacted, and her face reddened even more, if that was possible. "Yeah...sorry."

Well, it looked like I'd successfully distracted her from what was bothering her, but now I was just making her uncomfortable. As amusing as that was, it wasn't why I came. My mission was to avoid Lloyd until lunchtime, and find something to distract myself from my pain. Oh, and possibly help Sheena while I was at it.

Jeez, that sounded selfish. Helping Sheena shouldn't have been just an added benefit. But dammit, this day had sucked so much that I just wanted to forget about everyone else and cater to my personal needs.

...No. I could feel sorry for myself all I wanted while we were eating lunch. The day had probably sucked for Sheena, too. Maybe she hadn't been attacked by Yuan, but she was heading to face one of her greatest fears, and I was the person that suggested she do this without a second thought. Just because it was meant to happen didn't mean I could expect her to do this without any problem.

Sure, comfort wasn't necessary. I was pretty confident that she'd successfully create the pact either way. But...I couldn't help but think all of the things I'd had to do on my own while I was here. Whenever Lloyd had stepped in to let me know he was there for me, it made things suck a little less. And sometimes that was enough.

"Are you afraid?" I asked quietly, letting the words slip out of my mouth before I'd really even realized I said them.

"Huh?" Sheena looked up; the redness in her face had lessened a bit during our brief silence.

"I think I'd be afraid," I continued, ignoring her. "I mean, it's a freaking summon spirit. I'd be scared to even look Undine in the eye."

She looked away. "...I haven't made a pact since I was really young."

"I pushed you into this, even when I could tell you were nervous about it. I'm sorry."

The ninja shook her head. "There wasn't any way around it. I was kind of waiting for someone to suggest it, anyway. Besides, it would be selfish of me to let Pietro die just because I'm scared of making a silly pact." She tried to laugh reassuringly, but it sounded fake.

"We'll be behind you every step of the way, Sheena." It wasn't something I'd normally say, but it sounded right and I sucked at comforting people. I could always think of nice things to say later, but when someone in front of me was all depressed, I got uncomfortable and lost everything that I wanted to say.

Sheena glanced up at me, and then looked back down at her lap. "Are you...sure about this? I mean, I might screw up or something."

"Just because you're a clumsy assassin doesn't mean you're a clumsy summoner, too," I remarked.

"Hey!" She looked over to me, annoyed, and saw that I was grinning again.

"It's called a joke, Sheena. You can rip on me too, if you want. That's what friends do."

She blinked for a moment, looking surprised at something, and then looked away. "You...you still didn't answer my question."

I pushed my bangs out of my eyes, letting out a sigh. "If I thought you were weak and incompetent, I wouldn't have said anything in the first place. I know you can do it, Sheena."

Looking over at the ninja with conviction in my eyes, I continued. "I believe in you, so you should believe in yourself." I made a slight face. "...and I don't normally say stuff this corny."

She laughed a little. "I know."

"Food's ready!" Genis called out to us, and I nodded to him.

Using the tree behind us for leverage, I pushed myself carefully to my feet. I gritted my teeth, trying not to wince. Sheena gave me a curious look as she stood up with ease.

"Are you all right?" She asked, voicing the same question Lloyd had earlier.

"Hm? I'm fine," I answered, a little too quickly. She frowned.

"Your legs are shaking."

Shit. I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to look sheepish.

"Well...I'm just having a little trouble keeping up with everyone. Don't worry about it, I'll live."

The troubled look didn't leave her face. "...If you say so."

I shrugged. "Well, we'd better not keep them waiting." Trying to smile, I turned and led the way, taking long strides. My legs screamed silently with the effort.

The sky was darkening overhead as the sun sank below the mountains that surrounded us. We had been walking for hours, and at this point I felt like I was going to pass out. Actually, I had felt like this for a while; I was surprised it hadn't happened yet. My toes were going numb in my boots, and I wasn't totally sure why.

It had been so difficult not to ask for a First Aid. Most of the time we spent walking, I had been trying to think of some sort of excuse so Raine would heal me. I even thought about purposely tripping, but I was too much of a wimp to make myself trip on a sharp rock. Plus, if my acting wasn't that good, someone might give me weird looks.

The silhouette of something was now visible in the quickly fading sunlight. My eyes widened, and I jogged to the front of the group to see better. Relief flooded through my system.

"Finally," I croaked. It was the first word I'd spoken in over two hours. Thoda Dock was just ahead, and the House of Salvation grew closer with every step we took. Suddenly it was a lot harder for me to walk, because all I wanted to do was collapse into a bed.

We entered the House, paying the woman at the front desk for our rooms, and then set about putting our stuff down upstairs. This time I was rooming with Colette; Sheena and Raine were together, and Lloyd, Kratos and Genis all had a room together.

After getting all of my stuff organized, I flopped down on to my bed with a contented sigh. I saw Colette smile from the corner of my eye, and couldn't stop myself from smiling back.

"What? It's been a long day."

She tilted her head slightly in inquiry, and then came over to sit next to me. She jotted something down in the notebook she'd started carrying around, and held it up to me.

'Are you sure you're all right?' Her handwriting was neat and distinctly girly. But it was so...Colette.

I blinked. "Colette, you're the third person that's asked me that...Trust me, I'll be fine once I get some sleep." It was the truth. I'd managed to get back into a state of emotional stability; the only thing that was bothering me now was my utter exhaustion.

I sat up to show her I wasn't totally dead yet, and she just smiled. As with Lloyd and Sheena, I didn't think she fully believed me. I had a feeling everyone in the group knew something had gone down when I'd walked off into the woods, but they didn't think they'd get a straight answer out of me if they asked. Well, they thought right. I didn't really want to get maimed by Yuan anytime soon. No, sir.

We heard a shuffling in the room next door, and both of us looked up curiously. That was the boys' room...what was going on over there? A grin found its way on to my face as I imagined the three of them starting a pillow fight.

Suddenly I heard the door to their room open, and something lightly bump into the hallway's wall. My grin fell as a small, grey blur rushed in and disappeared under my bed.

"Uh...what just happened?" I asked no one in particular, as Colette attempted to lift the covers up to see where that thing was.

"Colette!" Genis was in the doorway. "Careful! There was a rat in our room. Did it run in here?"

Lloyd appeared behind him, frowning. "We didn't get a good glimpse of it, but it's pretty big." He had one sword out, and he walked into the room.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's the sword for? You gonna skewer it?"

Colette looked up with a clear objection to this, and Lloyd shook his head. "I just want to get it out of here! I don't want it getting into our stuff," he whined.

Shrugging, I got off the bed and bent over to help Colette look underneath. After a second or two, a furry little head peeked its way out-but it definitely wasn't a rat.

"Aww!" I laughed as the kitten mewed, staring up at me. It was odd-eyed; one was blue, and the other a pale yellow. Looking over at the boys, I frowned. "How could you mistake this little guy as a rat?"

Lloyd looked embarrassed. "I told you we only got a glimpse of it!"

The smile on Colette's face could only be described as one of pure delight. She reached down to pet the kitten, but it ran out from under the bed and bumped into a wall, causing more giggles to erupt from me. It mewed again, attempting to make its way towards me, but tripping over its own paws. Eventually it came to a stop in front of us, its head tilted slightly to the side.

Genis was grinning now, too. "It's kinda cute!"

I couldn't stop giggling at the kitten's endearing stupidity. It stumbled over to my leg, intending to rub up against it, but headbutted it by mistake. I reached down and lifted the kitten up, and the small animal looked around curiously at the smiling faces surrounding it.

"He's a little simple-minded, isn't he?" I laughed, and then looked down at the kitten in my arms. "I'm gonna call you Lloyd Junior!"

"Hey!" Lloyd protested as Genis started snickering. Colette giggled silently next to him, placing her hands over her mouth to hide her grin for Lloyd's sake.

"I think we're going to be best buddies, Lloydo!" I declared, rubbing my cheek against the kitten's soft fur. It mewed, starting to purr very loudly.

"What's going on in here? I heard some noise." The Professor and Sheena were now standing at the doorway. The look of concern in Raine's eyes suddenly softened when she saw the kitten in my arms, and Sheena couldn't help but laugh.

"He's cute! Where'd you find him?" She asked, as the two of them walked into the room.

"He was hiding behind some of our stuff," Genis said, calming down.

"You aren't really going to call him Lloyd Junior, are you?" Lloyd spoke up, earning me some looks from Raine and Sheena.

"Lloyd's so cute," I remarked, indicating the kitten, and the brunette facepalmed.

I continued to pet kitty Lloyd for a second or two, and then suddenly his unusual eyes widened with fascination. The kitten froze, staring in the direction of the doorway. Then he started to struggle to get out of my arms. I turned to see what he was staring at, and was surprised to see Kratos standing there. The mercenary was watching the whole scene with a bemused look on his face.

I set the kitten down, and he ran straight at Kratos and attempted to climb up his leg. This caused everyone (save for Kratos, of course) to burst out into laughter. The stoic man stared down at the kitten, which had paused and looked around at the sound of everyone's laughter. He reached down and picked Lloyd Jr. up with one hand, lifting him to eye level. The kitten meowed, not struggling at all.

"Aw! Lloyd likes Kratos!" I remarked, and Genis started snickering again. Lloyd seemed to realize the true problem with me giving the kitten that name, and he started to protest.

Kratos gave me a deadpan stare, before putting the kitten down with a sigh and walking out of the room. The kitten scampered after him, and after a few seconds we heard the sound of it tripping down the stairs. I attempted to stifle my laughter, starting to feel my face flush as I ran out of breath.

"Lloyd Junior..." Raine was smiling with amusement, but she didn't comment on it any more. She just shook her head and walked out into the hallway, turning in the direction of her and Sheena's room.

"Professor!" Lloyd whined as she left. "Somebody say something! Why can't we just name it Fluffy? Come on, guys!"

By this point I was bent over, clutching my stomach as I laughed, totally forgetting all of the exhaustion and stress from earlier in the day.

"Washtubs..." I murmured, staring down at the "boats" in front of us. I had totally forgotten about this part. The lady who rented them out (people paid money for these?!) said they were perfectly safe, but I was unconvinced. So was Raine, even though she'd already ridden in them before.

"...Yeah, washtubs," Lloyd confirmed.

I looked around at the others, and for the most part they seemed resigned to their fate. "How are we supposed to...?"

Genis frowned. "There's two more of us this time, and only three washtubs..."

"So there will have to be a group of three?" Sheena shifted uncomfortably at that thought. "Those things can barely hold two..."

"Augh..." I groaned as I realized what was about to happen.

"Then, the three lightest people should go in the same tub, right?" Lloyd suggested, seeming to realize mid-sentence why I was groaning.

"Genis, Sheena and Brittany," Kratos confirmed, and the three of us sighed. Raine probably could've replaced me since we were around the same weight, but there was no way we were getting her in a washtub that was any less stable than it had to be.

By the time my group had managed to get in the washtub without it attempting to flip over and/or sink on us, we were all soaked to some degree.

"I should've just said I'd swim," I grumbled as we pushed away from the dock.

Lloyd and Colette followed behind us; behind them came Raine and Kratos. Naturally, she'd cling to the person who was least likely to let her die. I'd probably cling to Kratos too, if I hadn't gotten lumped in with this group.

"We should be fine...I think," Genis remarked. Gee, thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better.

The journey to Thoda Geyser was long and boring. Once we figured out how to keep our tub stable, it was easy going from there. We took turns between two of us rowing and one resting, and I realized it had actually worked out to our advantage when Lloyd started to complain of boredom and sore arms. At least I didn't have to suffer from the latter.

When the geyser came into view, I began to cheer inwardly because I thought we were done. I didn't realize that just because I could see it didn't mean I was close. It took us at least another half-hour just to get there. I wasn't looking forward to the ride back.

When we finally made it there, I pulled myself up on to the dock and laid there a minute, glad to be back on solid ground. The Professor remained on her hands and knees, panting like she'd just run five miles. Kratos let out a sigh, shaking his head, and walked on ahead.

"Um...Professor?" I sat up, about ready to get to my feet.

"I...I'm all right." She looked up, her face pale. Lloyd held out a hand to help her up. Aw, Lloyd, such a good boy.

Raine quickly walked on ahead after Kratos, eager to get off the dock and away from the water. Though I was sure there was more water inside the cave, anything was probably better than the sea to Professor Sage.

I got to my feet, brushing myself off, and tried not to shiver. My clothes were soaked...and although the sea water hadn't been too cold, now my clothing was. Sheena seemed to be having the same problem; she pulled her top closed a little more, hiding the bra beneath. I guess her boobs were cold?

Genis seemed all right. I guess he was used to being chilly, with those silly little shorts of his. Ha! Chilly and silly...wow, was I really this bored?

"So, Thoda Geyser..." I remarked quietly to Lloyd, who had lagged behind while waiting for me. Due to the constant ranting going on in my head, I had a tendency to fall behind. "...What's it like inside?"

He shrugged. "Neat, I guess. It gets boring after a while."

I rolled my eyes. "You say that about every place we go to."

"Yeah, well maybe they should start putting more exciting stuff towards the end."

"The seal doesn't count as exciting?" Genis looked back at him incredulously.

"Heart attack-inducing, maybe..." I muttered. I didn't look forward to getting ripped up by seal guardians or summon spirits.

"Where's the cave entrance, anyway?" I asked, having a minor brain fart. I remembered the general layout of this area, but...huh. Oracle stone was over there, and...

Lloyd pointed to a hole in the rock face on the other side of the geyser.

...Oh yeah.

My skin tone now matching the Professor's, I backed away slightly. "Okay. I'll sit this one out, guys. See you in a little bit!"

Raine turned to look at me, and for a moment I thought she was going to hit me. But the look on her face pretty much sent the message; if she had to ride in washtubs over the ocean to get here, I could deal with my own fear.

Compared to the translucent bridge leading over boiling hot water to the cave's entrance, the washtubs seemed a lot safer right now.

"You're coming," Kratos said, and that was that. I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked away, but that gesture didn't do much to make me feel better.

I stared down at the geyser below as Sheena and Colette started up the bridge. Ominous looking steam floated up from the waters, and when I held a hand out into the steam, I found that it was very warm. That meant it would be scalding hot down below...and the water...urrgh. I didn't want to be boiled alive like a lobster.

Raine and Genis had started up the bridge. Dammit, I was falling behind again...

Lloyd stopped at the base to the bridge, turning to look back at me. He remembered my reaction to the light bridges in the Tower of Mana, apparently.

"I'm coming..." I said quietly, "Just, uh...give me a minute..."

"They're gonna leave us behind," Lloyd said. He tried to smile encouragingly, and held out a hand. "Come on, dork. You survived the other bridges, right?"

"This one's different," I whined. Now I took note that the others had stopped at the other end of the bridge, watching us. Craaaap.

When I realized I really had no other choice, I reluctantly walked up to Lloyd, who had taken the first few steps on to the bridge. He reached out and grabbed my hand, and I walked shakily forward, my eyes glued to the unsafe looking structure beneath my feet.

Lloyd seemed to remember the first rule about heights, and frowned at me. "Hey, don't look down..."

"Wha?" I glanced up at him, too nervous to comprehend what he was saying. The second I glanced up at him, however, I misstepped, my foot hovering over empty air.

"Eyahhh!" I squeaked, flinging myself to the side and hugging Lloyd's arm for dear life. He miraculously managed to stay balanced, but seemed a little weirded out by my sudden move.

"Brit, it's okay-"

I squeezed my eyes shut, too afraid to look. "Just...keep...walking!"

I heard him sigh, but we continued to inch forward. Part of my face was buried into the comforting fabric of Lloyd's sleeve; I attempted to peek one eye open, but what I saw wasn't very encouraging. We weren't even halfway across the bridge yet.

Sheena took a note that Colette passed to her, frowned, and then looked up at me.

"Come on, Brittany, you can do it!"

My face flushed.

"...Hate my life..." I grumbled. I tried to lessen my own grip on Lloyd, wanting to spare at least a little of the guy's dignity, but it looked like my arms had locked themselves around him of their own accord.

"Uh...Let's go, Brittany!" Genis was holding a note from Colette, as well.

"Take that next step!" Raine called, holding her own note.

"..." Kratos stared at his note, and then stared at me, saying nothing. Colette frowned at him, a pleading look on her face. He sighed.

"The waters are scalding hot. Don't fall."

Colette looked dismayed at that-apparently he hadn't read what she had written. I gawked up at him.

"Kratos, you suck-agh!" I hugged Lloyd tighter, nearly stepping over the edge again as I had looked up.

That little comment of his must've been revenge for my "Lloyd likes Kratos" joke from yesterday. Jeez...

"Brit, you did it." Lloyd remarked a few moments later, just as I felt my foot hit solid rock. "...Can you let go of me now?"

Somehow I managed to detach myself from him, and clung to the rock wall near the entrance instead.

"I don't wanna go back down..." I mumbled quietly, and then glared at Kratos as he walked by. "Don't fall in, it's scalding hot. Look at me, I'm Kratos, jerkiest jerk on the face of the planet."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but made no comment. I stuck my tongue out at his back again, and planned on imitating him in a nasally voice for the rest of the trip.

When I followed the others in, I placed a hand on Colette's shoulder, attempting to smile. "Well, thanks for trying to help, Colette...it's not your fault some people are jerkfaces."

She smiled hesitantly at that, looking over at Kratos to make sure he wasn't plotting my death yet.

...Nope, he was using his 'ignore everything Brittany says' method, which was his default method of dealing with me. I shrugged, falling back with Lloyd once more. I'd let myself calm down first before bugging him; if I took out all my annoyance on him, he'd get too angry and then it wouldn't be funny anymore. It was very important to preserve the humor.

Lloyd shook his head as I nodded quietly to myself; he'd given up trying to guess what I was thinking long ago.

"...Are you sure you're okay?" He questioned tentatively, and I looked over at him.

"I'll be fine until we have to go back across that stupid bridge. Can I borrow your arm again when that happens?"

"Hey, I thought I was gonna fall when you pulled that!"

"But you didn't, and that's what's important," I grinned, wagging a finger. My grin faded a little when I saw the unnerved expression that was on his face, and I tilted my head a little. "What's with that look?"

He blinked. "Uh, nothing. I just..." His face flushed, and the grin slowly found its way onto my face again.

"You aren't thinking about what I think you're thinking about, are you?"

"What do you think I'm thinking about that you think...dammit." It was very likely that part of Lloyd's brain imploded just then, but we won't go there.

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a small black book and waved it in his face, which only grew redder as his eyes widened with shock.

"Ew! You carry that thing around with you?" He cried, mortified.

"I don't know what your problem is. This is a perfectly legit love story." I said, laughing. I was holding the same dirty book I'd read to Lloyd back in the House of Salvation; I'd carried it along with me for...future reference. Yeah, we'll go with that. It certainly wasn't to screw with Lloyd. Nope.

"It's disgusting! H-How can you read that stuff?!"

"What's going on back there?" Raine looked over her shoulder curiously, and I quickly hid the book behind my back, smiling innocently.

"Nothing, Professor!"

Sheena had fallen back with us, frowning slightly. She could tell I was hiding something.

"What are you holding behind your back?" She asked quietly, wondering what the joke was.

She took the book from my hands and examined it, tilting her head. Turning it over in her hands, she flipped it open to a random page and began to read. It only took a few seconds for her face to turn the same shade as Lloyd's coat.

"Gross!" She shoved the book back into my arms, making a face. "I was wrong! You're just like that pervert! Ugh!"

She rubbed her forehead in annoyance as I broke out into laughter, hugging my sides.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Genis walked alongside me now, attempting to peek inside the book.

"Brittany..." Raine had fallen back with us, and was now smiling dangerously, her left eyebrow twitching. That couldn't be a good sign.

The next thing I knew was a stinging pain as she smacked the back of my head, taking the book out of my hands and hurling it over the dropoff into the waters below.

"P-Professor..." I struggled to keep the laughter in. "Ow..."

Sheena followed Raine's example and smacked me as well, looking fairly irritated.

"Agh! Sheena! Not you too!" I whined, but she only stormed on ahead. Just as I thought the violence was over, Lloyd thumped me on the shoulder.

"Lloyd!"

"Sorry, I didn't want to be left out." He grinned, and I stuck my tongue out at him, opening my bag slightly and allowing him a peek at another book within-my backup dirty novel, that I'd packed just in case an incident like this happened.

"Oh, come on!" Lloyd groaned, facepalming.

Chapter Text

The path we followed led deeper and deeper into the cavern, until we finally reached the very bottom. I shivered; it was pretty cold in here, even though it was near the geyser. I had a feeling that pool of water over there felt chilly.

I realized that the pool to our right was the same one Raine had thrown my book into, and resisted the urge to go retrieve it. It was probably ruined, but it would have been entertaining to get it back.

As usual, the place was a lot bigger than I would've liked it to be. It was actually pretty interesting for the first twenty minutes or so, until Raine started drooling over the most insignificant things. Apparently she hadn't gotten her fill the last time they came here.

Lloyd was keeping a safe distance from me, eyeing my bag with suspicion, as if the book would pop out and sexually assault him. Hilarious as that would be, I don't think he realized that it was physically impossible.

Sheena was still slightly red-faced, and she was walking a little further ahead, trying not to look back at me. Raine had grabbed Genis and was dragging him around with her, fearing that I would attempt to corrupt his innocence. Oh well; if I didn't do it, Undine would. Hey, in a way, I was doing these guys a favor. My dirty books were like preparation for the real deal, y'know? These people didn't appreciate me enough, seriously.

Let's see...Colette was walking along beside me, oblivious to the love novel incident, and Kratos continually sent me exasperated looks; I'd managed to get on his nerves again. My obnoxious shouts of "Blame your fate!" every time I defeated a monster seemed to have worked. Ahh, revenge never tasted so sweet.

It didn't matter that I'd only heard him utter that phrase once during our journey. I was still going to milk it as much as I could.

Another killer starfish came to attack us; those things usually came in annoying groups, but this time it was alone. Kratos, not even missing a beat, comically speared it on the tip of his sword.

"Don't overdo it," I remarked in my best imitation of him, fighting to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. He managed to ignore me this time, shaking the carcass off his blade and sheathing it.

Raine noticed my little game, but said nothing; I had a feeling she was curious as to how it would play out. Aside from Lloyd, I was the only one in the group that openly tried to annoy Kratos. Sometimes I thought I deserved an award for my bravery.

"How much further is it?" Lloyd finally let out a bored sigh. "I don't remember it taking this long."

In reply, Kratos nodded over to a nearby warp. Lloyd's eyebrows flew up with surprise; he wasn't used to things going his way. He was about to give a victory cheer, but I reprimanded him in a solemn voice.

"Don't get too comfortable," I murmured, crossing my arms. Part of me briefly marveled at how quickly we had made it to the seal in comparison to the Tower of Mana, but then I remembered that all of the puzzles here had already been solved. Well, hopefully it would be just as fast for every other Sylvarant pact Sheena had to make...

Lloyd gave me a look. "You're really starting to scare me..."

"Hmph." I had to hide a grin. "I was merely stating that you should be on guard. You have a tendency to lose focus, and it would be humiliating for us if you were defeated by a starfish."

"Kratos doesn't talk like-"

"Lloyd," I said, giving him Kratos' trademark stare. "Are you afraid of starfish? You must face your fears if you ever hope to- -"

"I'm not-" Lloyd cut himself off, smacking his forehead. "You're such a dork."

"That is my middle name," I nodded calmly. "Kratos Dork Aurion. I also answer to Kratty, Kratters, Fluffy, and Jerkface."

"What?!" Lloyd snorted, as Kratos tensed up ahead of us. "...Why Fluffy?"

"It feels right, Lloyd," I answered earnestly, holding a hand over my heart. "It feels right."

Sheena was shaking her head, while most of the others facepalmed.

"Brittany," Kratos said sharply, a warning tone in his voice.

"All right, I've had my fun," I grumbled. We had reached the warp, anyway.

I stepped next to the platform, gesturing to it and grinning at Kratos. "Ladies first!"

...Okay, NOW I was done.

Kratos stepped forward and shoved me into the warp.

I did a rather graceful faceplant on the other side, straight into a puddle; it effectively drenched the whole front of my outfit. Kratos came shortly after me. He stepped on my back, using me as a bridge to cross the puddle. I mumbled insults into the floor. At least the others were kind enough to step over me.

"Sheena," I heard Lloyd say as I stumbled to my feet, "please do that pact thing."

She bit her lip. "I'm a little scared..." She admitted, "But I'll do my best."

I attempted to dry my clothes as she stepped forward to the seal. A quick examination of our surroundings showed that we had quite a wide open area to fight, but there was deep water around the platform we stood on. If this worked the way I thought it would...it would probably be best to let Raine opt out of this fight.

A second or two after Sheena stepped up to the seal, a bright blue light shined and Undine appeared before us.

She was...oddly beautiful in her own way, with pale blue skin and piercing red eyes. Her hair fell in waves past her waist, swaying softly like a rippling liquid. She had a neat tribal tattoo that ran up her arms to just above her...oh dear. Yeah, she wasn't wearing a top...and she was giving Sheena a run for her money.

Look away, Brittany. Stop gawking like a total creep. Christ, they were staring at me...put them away, Undine, put them away!

Rather disturbed, I decided to look over to Lloyd to gague his reaction, and instantly felt better. He was making a way bigger idiot of himself. His face had turned beet red, but he didn't have the strength to look away, because...well, he was a guy. Ohoho, so Lloyd wasn't totally oblivious to the opposite sex. Sometimes I had wondered if Dirk had ever given him The Talk.

Genis...oh, Genis. He was horrified.

Undine didn't seem fazed by the looks she was getting, and I figured she was used to it.

"You who possess the right of the pact. I am one who is bound to Mithos. What is your name?"

Lloyd forgot his embarrassment long enough to be confused by this. "Mithos? The hero of the Kharlan War?" He looked around at the rest of the group.

"Mithos was a swordsman and a summoner?" Genis looked to Raine, but the Professor only shook her head.

"It's a common boy's name. This Mithos isn't necessarily Mithos the Hero."

I had the brief temptation to elbow Kratos and wink at him, but thought better of it. That probably wouldn't have gone over well.

We were all distracted again when Sheena spoke. "I am Sheena! I seek a pact with Undine!" Her voice was strong, full of feigned confidence.

"As things stand now, I cannot."

"Wh...Why?!" It was amazing how fast she panicked.

"I am already bound by a pact. I cannot form two pacts at the same time," Undine explained.

"You mean your pact with that Mithos guy?" Sheena bit her lip, dismayed, and then turned to us. "What am I supposed to do now?! They never said anything about this at the research institute!"

Lloyd blinked, as if he'd just noticed Sheena was there. Oh, come on, Lloyd. You're supposed to say something encouraging!

Genis seemed pretty distracted, too. Raine had a thoughtful look on her face, Colette couldn't talk anyway, and Kratos was just giving Sheena a deadpan stare. Jesus, these people were hopeless sometimes.

"If summoning's been a lost art here for so long, obviously this Mithos guy must be dead," I said, crossing my arms. "If the pact-maker dies, wouldn't the pact be broken or something? Maybe you can get her to cancel it."

Kratos nodded, finally speaking up. "A Summon Spirit pact also requires a vow. All you need to do is request the annulment of the previous pact and form a new one. It's possible that the previous pact-maker has broken his vow...or, as Brittany mentioned, he may have already passed away."

"Is it really that simple?" Genis asked, thankfully more interested in pactmaking than in Undine's boobs. Goddammit, Lloyd, you closet pervert.

"I suppose you could call it simple, but if the previous pact-maker is still alive and hasn't broken his vow, then there's nothing we can do about it." Kratos frowned, probably thinking about what a psychotic, vow-breaking maniac Mithos was. Or maybe he was thinking about tomatoes. I really couldn't tell with that guy.

"You seem to know quite a bit about summoning," Raine remarked casually, watching him with a slight frown.

"I have learned a lot during my travels." Kratos didn't even flinch, his vague reply sounding calm and cool. The professor stared at him for a second longer, her brow furrowed, but then she seemed to let it go.

She didn't fully trust the mercenary and had her suspicions every now and then, but she respected him enough not to pry constantly. He'd taken us this far; if he'd meant to harm Colette, he would have done so long ago.

Oh, Raine. Even she had no idea.

Sheena looked uneasy, but she nodded at the new idea. "...Okay, I'll give it a shot..." She turned around, facing the summon spirit, who had been observing our exchange with mild curiosity.

"Undine! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact...with me." She ended awkwardly, and bit her lip once more.

"Before I can allow the formation of a new pact, I must test your worthiness as a pact-maker." The summon spirit's eyes narrowed slightly. "Choose three others to battle with you, and draw your weapons."

"W-We have to fight?!" Lloyd finally broke out of his trance, a surprised look on his face.

Sheena turned around to face us once more, taking a deep breath. "...Okay, who's sitting out?"

"I...would rather not fight," Raine spoke up, looking uneasily at all the water around them. Sheena nodded, understanding. Even if Raine was forced to fight, she wouldn't be of much help if she was frozen with terror.

"You'll probably need Kratos, then," I said. "He's a good meat shield. Plus, he's the only guy here that isn't gawking at Undine's-"

"Brittany!" Raine smacked me. "Show some respect!"

"Whaaat?" I whined. "You were all thinking it!"

Alas, the damage had been done. Sheena now noticed how red Lloyd's face was, and she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Er...okay. Kratos, Genis, and Colette. Is that all right?"

The three of them nodded their consent, though Genis seemed a little flustered. He looked like he'd be okay, though; he could just hide in a corner and cast his spells. It wasn't like he'd have to get up in Undine's face like the others would.

Now that the group was decided, Raine tugged Lloyd and I closer to the warp, away from where the battle would occur. Lloyd, who had been distracted until now, seemed to remember himself. He rubbed the back of his neck, not noticing the grin I was giving him.

Sheena turned back around to Undine, pulling some cards out. "We're ready."

Undine nodded. "Let it begin!"

The summon spirit reached out to her side, and a large sword immediately materialized in her hand. It seemed to be made of water, appearing to have the same consistency as her hair, but I knew better. It was probably as sharp and deadly as the sword I wore on my back.

Raine frowned. "Interesting..."

She had noticed the magical shield that had suddenly come up around us and the warp. Good, so we couldn't be caught in the middle of the battle or anything...but we also couldn't interfere. Hm.

"Pyre Seal!" Sheena was the first to run forward, using one of her favorite moves. It barely fazed Undine, who instead went straight for a casting Genis. So much for her not being up in his face...

Kratos immediately came to the rescue with a few Demon Fangs, giving Genis time to run to a safe area. Although the physical attacks didn't do much, Kratos was fast enough to keep her distracted for a period of time. That was when Colette cast Angel Feathers, which actually seemed to do a decent amount of damage.

"I'm not sure allowing Colette to participate was a good idea..." Raine murmured, her frown growing.

I shrugged. "Kratos was hired to protect her, and he seems to know a thing or two about summoning, so...I doubt this is a fight to the death, or he'd have said something."

The Professor nodded, still looking a little troubled. I understood-it was hard not to worry at least a little when battles were so unpredictable. Plus, as I've mentioned before, Undine is a freaking summon spirit.

I was having a hard time focusing on the battle, since I was so giddy that I didn't actually have to fight this time. Life was awesome as far as I was concerned.

"S-So, uh-" Lloyd started, and for a moment I wondered if he was choking. "...H...How are you doing?"

I resisted the urge to laugh hysterically, and instead smiled wryly at him. "I think I should be asking you that, Lloydie."

"I'm fine!" He protested, managing to stabilize his voice, but he couldn't seem to drain the blood from his face. Raine let out a quiet sigh, and I rolled my eyes.

"Aqua Edge!" Undine's voice interrupted us; suddenly Sheena and Colette were thrown into the wall by the force of her spell. They both hit it hard enough to bounce off, landing in the waters with a loud splash. Well, Undine was the summon spirit of water...it looked like any water spell she cast, no matter how low-level, was going to hurt like a bitch.

"Colette! Sheena!" Lloyd yelled, finally looking normal. He attempted to run to them, but the Professor and I each grabbed a ribbon and yanked him back to us. He looked back in dismay. "Guys-"

"They're fine," Raine said. "If you interrupt, the battle will be forfeit. Lloyd, try to control yourself."

His eyes narrowed and he stared over to where the water rippled, looking frustrated. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against a stone column behind us.

After a second or two, both of them surfaced, looking well enough. Sheena seemed a little disgruntled, though. She was lucky Zelos wasn't here, or he'd have a thing or two to say about how much her clothes were now clinging to her figure.

In the time it took for them to clamber out of the water, however, the guys were getting into some deep trouble. Genis couldn't really defend himself all that well when it came to short-range fighting, and Undine knew it. She continued to attack him, interrupting his every spell, while Kratos attempted to defend him and look out for the girls at the same time. He was starting to look rather irritated, as he could probably use his angelic powers to multitask easily if he hadn't been maintaining his cover.

"Spread!" Shit, Undine was a speed-caster! She almost managed to take out Colette and Sheena a second time. Thankfully, Colette managed to see it coming and pulled Sheena out of the way.

Kratos had glanced back to see how the two of them were faring, but in his split second of distraction, Undine slashed at him with her sword. He raised his to block a second too late, and was forced back a few feet. The blade grazed his flesh but didn't seem to leave a wound...did it absorb mana, then? Hmm.

Sheena and Colette had reached Undine and immediately teamed up on her, distracting the Summon Spirit. Genis started to cast as fast as he could, looking pissed that he hadn't been able to do anything yet.

"Take this! Thunder blade!" He yelled, raising his kendama. The girls jumped out of the way of the spell just in time, and the blade that crashed down into the floor missed Undine by inches. That didn't save her from being hit with the magic, though.

I winced as her mouth opened in a silent scream, and then she seemed to melt into the floor, disappearing out of sight. What now?

"Spread!" The spell formed again beneath their feet, but this time they were prepared. Everyone threw up their respective shields.

I bit my lip, troubled. "Hey, Professor..."

"What is it?" She looked over at me.

"Physical attacks don't affect her much, do they? Her body's sort of...liquidy, so she can't be cut."

Raine did her best to ignore the word I'd invented, and returned her gaze to the battle. "That's correct. Sheena left you and Lloyd out of the battle for that very reason."

I nodded. Everyone she'd chosen could cast some type of magic, but... "Lightning magic's strong against water, right? But if the entire battleground's wet, Genis and Kratos can't cast any lightning magic without getting hit themselves."

The Professor nodded; she'd already considered that. "There's no avoiding it."

"And if they use ice..." Lloyd seemed to catch on, "then they'll just make the floor too slippery to walk on."

"Well, then they could always cast Eruption to melt the ice..." I commented.

"At that point, they would be using far too much mana." Raine let out a sigh, and we continued to watch the battle.

"First Aid!" Kratos healed Colette and Sheena, who had gotten pretty banged up. Genis started casting wind spells, since they seemed to be the only thing that would actually cause some damage.

The fight dragged on...but no matter what happened, Undine didn't seem to tire. Eventually Kratos unleashed his mad skillz and slashed at her with his sword numerous times with amazing speed. The physical attacks were ineffective, but as usual, they served to distract her. And with Sheena spamming Pyre Seal, Colette casting angelic magic, and Genis hurling Wind Blades her way, Undine didn't have many more chances to attack.

Even though it looked like Sheena and the others had the advantage, that was far from the truth. Undine didn't seem to be tired at all, despite the fact that the battle had dragged on for at least twenty minutes now. Neither side was winning through pure skill at this point, so it was only a matter of time before someone fell due to exhaustion.

Kratos seemed okay, but everyone else...

Genis was the first to show signs of tiring. He'd used up the last of his mana, and his kendama wasn't of any real use against normal enemies, never mind summon spirits. Then came Sheena...she started panting as the exhaustion of running around constantly caught up to her. Colette seemed to hold up pretty well with her angelic strength, but there was no way they were going to win at this point.

Just as I was going to voice my uneasiness, suddenly Undine's sword disappeared and she stood still. Sheena, Colette and Genis froze as well, staring at her warily. Kratos, oddly enough, seemed to relax; he sheathed his sword, crossing his arms expectantly. I began to wonder if he'd even broken a sweat.

"Splendid." Undine smiled, floating back over to the seal. "Now, swear your vow. Upon what vow do you form our pact?"

"Uh-?" Sheena gaped for a moment, taken aback.

"Whoa, the battle's over?" Lloyd's eyes widened with confusion. "We didn't even win, though..."

"Interesting. I see..." Raine nodded quietly.

"She only said Sheena had to prove her strength, not defeat her," I pointed out.

"It would be near-impossible for a group of four people to defeat a summon spirit." The professor added quietly. Lloyd frowned.

"I wish someone had said that in the beginning," he grumbled.

Meanwhile, Sheena had managed to gather her bearings. She stood in front of the seal, feigning confidence again. After a moment, she seemed to have decided on a vow.

"Right now, at this very moment...there are people who are suffering. I vow to save those people!"

Undine nodded calmly. "Understood. I pledge my power to you, Summoner Sheena!"

With that, the summon spirit became bathed in blue light; she seemed to...retract into herself, until a tiny pinpoint of light floated above the seal. The light floated forward and landed in Sheena's outstretched hand. When the light finally faded, I could see her holding up a small silver ring; I knew, upon closer inspection, that there would be an Aquamarine jewel set in the metal.

"Sheena, you did it!" Genis grinned, standing next to an enthusiastic Colette.

The ninja turned around, rubbing the back of her neck as she pocketed the ring. She looked a little embarrassed at all the attention, but I could tell she was proud of herself. She'd just made a huge step towards getting over her past. Maybe now she'd have more self-confidence.

I couldn't help but laugh, walking forward and pumping a fist in the air. "Hell yeah! Let's celebrate!"

"How in the world are you suggesting we do that?" Raine asked, cool as ever.

"Aw, Professor, don't ruin the moment..."

"Sheena! Summon Undine!" Lloyd piped up, beaming. "C'mon, show us!"

"What?! I can't do that for no reason!"

"But-"

Kratos sighed. "It would be best if we left here sometime before nightfall." His tone was dry; right now, it couldn't have been later than two p.m.

I knew he was only trying to get us moving, but the prospect of leaving also reminded me of the terrible incident that was about to repeat itself. I bit my lip, standing next to Lloyd.

"Hey, yeah. Sheena should totally summon Undine to carry me safely across the geyser!"

The look everyone gave me then made me groan. "You guys suck. All of you." I pouted, knowing I wouldn't feel the real fear until I was actually standing in front of the bridge. I let out a sigh, walking up to the warp out of the room, and left first.

The others had followed shortly after me, and although I started out leading the group, I slowly slunk to the back once more. After all, I'd probably be the last one to cross the bridge, anyway.

Lloyd walked in front of me, eagerly questioning Sheena on all the aspects of summoning while remaining totally oblivious to her embarrassment.

"So what does it feel like to summon?" He asked, grinning. Hm, this seemed familiar...aha! I spy a Z-skit!

"Um..." She paused, thinking. "It's like an incredible power, separate from my own, flowing out of my body."

"That's so cool! I wish I could summon!" Lloyd said happily, and I had to stifle a snort. I'd never say it to his face, but it really was cute when he got all excited like this.

Oh dear God. Had I just called Lloyd cute? I needed to go stare at Kratos some more before I started fantasizing about the other guys in the group. Ew, Genis? Agh! The images!

Just as I started to facepalm, I noticed a light up ahead and suppressed another groan. It looked like bridge crossing time was here...and I wasn't ready for it, as usual.

...Aaaand everyone was on the other side of the bridge before I had time to register the fact that we had to cross it. And they were staring expectantly at me. Oddly enough, Lloyd stood next to me, giving a resigned sigh and holding out his arm.

Although I normally would've found a large amount of humor in this, right now I was back in ohshitI'mgonnadie mode. I stared down at the bridge, and then realized that something was now substantially worse-now we were moving downhill instead of uphill. That meant I had more of a view of how high up we were, and how much farther I'd have to fall to hit the scalding waters of the geyser, and oh dear God. If I fell from this height, the water would probably have the same impact as cement...burning hot cement. And I'd probably be roasted from the steam burns long before then.

"Brit...c'mon, you did fine last time." Lloyd spoke up, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I don't think so..." I muttered, sounding like a sulky eight-year-old kid. Whatever, I was scared, dammit. "W-We're going down now...what if I slip?"

"I won't let you fall. I promise," he said firmly, looking me in the eye.

"Okay..." I said quietly, grabbing on to his arm. Then I glared briefly at him. "Let me fall, and I'm haunting you, Lloydie. I swear I will."

"Relax, you dork!" He rolled his eyes, and then took a step forward on to the bridge, pulling me along with him.

...Well, the rest of the way went pretty smoothly, if I do say so myself. We made it down the bridge without any further incident (aside from the fact that my heart was hammering for the next ten minutes). As for the washtubs, well...it wasn't exactly pleasant, but nothing too eventful happened besides Raine flipping out as usual. When we reached the Thoda Dock, she was on her hands and knees for another minute or so.

"Hey, Professor, think about it," I said cheerfully, patting her shoulder. "That's the last time you'll ever have to ride in a washtub. Ever. And with luck, maybe it's the last time I'll have to cross a translucent bridge of death!"

I highly doubted the latter, but hey, anything to keep the happy mood going. I helped Raine up, hoping I'd just earned some brownie points or something, and then we all went back into the House of Salvation.

As everyone else gathered up some of the extra stuff we'd left in our rooms, I chatted idly with Kratos. What? Us, help with anything? Ha! ...Actually, we hadn't really left much behind, so we were just waiting for the others. Plus I had a feeling Kratos wanted someone to pick on him since Lloyd Junior was harrassing him again.

Sarcasm. Har har.

"Aw, how cute." I grinned, watching the kitten jump on to his lap and curl up into a contented ball. Kratos stared at him for a second, before reluctantly scratching him behind his ears.

"Look, Genis!" I said, seeing the young mage enter the room. "Lloyd is sitting in Kratos' lap!"

The half elf's eyes went wide and he immediately turned around and exited the room before he could witness the massacre that was surely about to occur. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head as Kratos threw what felt like a dictionary at me, and fell over.

"Ow..." I winced, rubbing the bump on my head. That was gonna leave a mark.

Lloyd Junior immediately jumped off Kratos' lap, trotting up to me so that he could immediately start biting my fingers.

"You didn't like that joke either, huh..." I grumbled, shooing the kitten away. "It sounded funny in my head...Dammit, Kratos, I think you just gave me a concussion. I'm surprised I don't have amnesia on top of my amnesia. You know, I don't think that's physically possible. Do you want my brain to explode or something? You're such a-Kratos?"

He had left the room.

"Bastard."

"What in Sylvarant are you doing?" Raine gave me a bemused look; she'd found me, ten minutes later, still lying on the floor of the House's main room.

"Contemplating the inner workings of the universe," I answered blissfully, and she sighed.

"I suppose I don't want to know...Are you all ready?"

"Mmhmm. Could you First Aid me, though? Kratos threw a book at my head."

"..." She stared for a minute, unsure of how to respond, and then shook her head. "First Aid."

"Thanks a bunch." I beamed, feeling the pain already start to recede. Then I got to my feet, trying to ignore the sudden vertigo that came with the change in position.

She nodded. "Well, since you are ready...the only person we're waiting on is Lloyd. We'll all meet up here when everything's finished, and then we can leave. Can I trust you not to get hurt until then?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll try to stay away from sharp objects." Namely, Kratos' sword.

With a final nod, the Professor left the room, probably to bitch at Lloyd for taking so long. Part of me wanted to go and eavesdrop, but part of me also wanted to chill for a minute. Given the fact that we were probably going to be traveling for th rest of the way, I decided to go with the latter part of my mind.

I sat in a chair, breathing out a sigh, and rested my elbows on my knees. Man, it had been a long day, even though we hadn't really done all that much...I was just glad that I hadn't had to fight. I had a feeling that if I'd fought Undine, I wouldn't have the energy to keep walking all day. And then everyone would get mad because I'd start whining about my sore legs and all that.

So...Sheena had finally gotten over her fear of facing summon spirits. Well, she was still afraid of Volt, but still...I liked to think that my little pep talk had helped at least a little, but it probably hadn't. Oh well. I mean, I probably could've done better, if I hadn't already been feeling like crap. Stupid Yuan.

Huh, speaking of Yuan...

My brow furrowed, and I dug through my bag for a moment until I felt the familiar smoothness of the metal locket. I pulled it out, staring at it quietly. I'd forgotten about it until now, but...hmm. My nosiness was taking over.

I placed a thumb on each side of the locket, attempting to get a grip on it, eager to open it and see what was inside.

Chapter Text

...Goddammit, it was stuck. Biting my lip, I tried to get a better grip on the edges, hoping to pry it open somehow. It eventually started to work-I could see the halves giving just a little, and persisted.

"Ow! Professor, you don't have to hit me!" Lloyd's whine broke my concentration, and my head shot up.

I swore under my breath as I heard footsteps, and shoved the locket back into my bag. I'd just have to find a moment alone later or something; I couldn't have them asking all sorts of questions about it if they saw it. Plus Kratos might recognize it or something, which would be very bad...

Ah, I put the locket away just in time. No more than a second later, the rest of the group walked into the room, and I waved cheerily in an attempt to hide my annoyance.

"All set, guys?"

Raine let out a sigh. "I should hope so. Lloyd?"

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" He edged away from her, probably to avoid being hit again.

I gathered up my stuff, throwing my bag over one shoulder. "Okay, to Lake Umacy!" I declared, only to see that everyone else was already walking out the door.

"You coming, Brit?" Lloyd looked over his shoulder, and I facepalmed.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Needless to say, the next few hours weren't exactly eventful. As before, we just walked...and walked...and walked. I really needed to find some sort of game to play to keep us all busy while we were walking.

I remembered convincing myself that the Undine arc would take forever...just the traveling itself, I mean. It had taken a while, but still...the time had come and gone in the blink of an eye. And now we were heading back...with the Tower in our view. I couldn't ignore it anymore.

After we got the unicorn horn, we were going to Hima. There would be no more diversions; Kratos would see to that. There was nothing I could do to stall, nothing I could do to stop this from happening. I was going to go with the group to the Tower, and that was where I was going to die.

Because if Yggdrasill really did want to use me as the host for a Cruxis Crystal, I couldn't allow it. If there was any indication that we were going to lose the battle, any indication that I might be taken by Cruxis...I was going to throw myself on to Kratos' sword when we fought him. And if that didn't work, I would jump off the edge of the platform. The thought of suicide sickened me, but when it all came down to it, I would rather die than be used by that psychotic half elf.

I didn't have to go to the Tower of Salvation...I could stay behind. But wouldn't that just lead to the same result in the end? Judging from Remiel's reaction to me, I probably wasn't going to find peace if I separated myself from the group. Now I was caught up in all this bullshit, too.

...No. I was involved in this from the beginning, I just hadn't wanted to believe it. If I stayed back in Hima, Cruxis would come for me sooner or later. And then I'd probably hurl myself off the cliff anyway. Why bother delaying the inevitable? At least if I went to the Tower, I might get a chance to bitchslap Remiel once or twice.

Someone grasped my arm lightly, and I looked over to see Colette frowning slightly at me. She held up her notepad, where she'd scribbled a few words.

'Is something wrong?'

I blinked, realizing I must've had a grave look on my face. Damn, this was why I always left the group when I needed to do some serious brooding.

"Eh? No, I'm fine, Colette." I flashed a reassuring but fake smile. "Why? Do I look sick or something?"

She shook her head, writing her reply. 'You just had a strange look on your face. Are you sure you're okay?'

I nodded. "Yeah, I feel fine."

'Okay!' She smiled as I read her note, but I could tell she was still troubled. 'Sorry for bothering you.'

"It's okay. You worry too much." I said, grinning, but feeling like total crap.

I could feel Lloyd's eyes on me. I swear, that guy was seriously persistent. He was better at figuring me out than the people that were actually suspicious. And that's saying something, considering Lloyd's IQ. I guess he just had a lot more people smarts than anything else. I had noticed lately that he'd been dragging Colette off to talk to her, too. The poor guy had way too much on his shoulders.

"Hakonesia Peak!" Genis exclaimed, his face lighting up as he noticed how close the mountain was. "Raine, are we staying at the inn there again?"

The Professor exchanged a look with Kratos, and then she nodded. "We'll follow the same path we did on the way here. Tomorrow we'll head for the House of Salvation."

"Finally," I sighed. "I'm getting tired."

I didn't want to think about the fact that the worst was yet to come-we would have to climb uphill for an hour or so before we could even make it to the inn. I hoped we wouldn't run into that guy with the clown nose when we walked past his shop...man, I was really glad I hadn't been around for that part. That guy was sketchy as hell.

We continued up the path, and I saw the familiar bend. The second we headed around it, there would be a clearing in the trees and the gate to the pass would be visible. Sweet!

Colette suddenly froze, her brow furrowed. Being the person walking next to her, I stopped as well, wondering what was up.

"Hm? What is it, Colette?" Sheena had noticed, too; now everyone stopped, turning to the blonde Chosen.

Kratos had already placed a hand on his sword's hilt, tense. He glared ahead warily.

'I hear voices,' Colette wrote. 'And clinking metal...like armor.'

"Should we turn back?" Raine looked around quietly. "We may not want to get involved with whatever's going on here."

"But what if it's the Desians?!" Lloyd hissed, alert.

"That wouldn't make any sense. We blew up the ranches-" I cut myself off as my eyes widened. Who else around here would cause such a ruckus?

"Drop your weapons." An authoratative voice with an English accent said from behind us, and suddenly we had soldiers wearing Desian uniforms surrounding us.

But they weren't Desians; I knew better. None of them held whips, and none of them had that trademark sneer on their face. They were all business. And shit, Botta. Weren't they supposed to be afraid of Kratos?! This didn't make any sense.

Some of us drew our weapons, only to be jabbed from all sides with Renegade swords. Kratos was Not Amused.

"And if we refuse?" He asked, looking like he had no intention of forking over his weapon.

Suddenly the blade of a sword was being pressed to my neck, a Renegade gripping me from behind. Botta continued his staring contest with the mercenary.

"The girl dies."

"Oh, come on! Why does it have to be me?" I complained, only to have the Renegade holding me cut my neck slightly. The feeling of blood trickling down past my collarbone shut me up.

"You bastard!" Lloyd growled, his fists clenched. "Kratos, we have to..."

Okay, Brittany, think fast. If they won here, Lloyd would be caught or Colette would die, meaning all hopes of getting home were screwed anyway. If I died...well, as I had been thinking earlier, why delay the inevitable? Besides, I'd be helping Lloyd and the others get out of a fix.

"Cut it out, stupid! Just fight them already! Don't get all sentimental on me!" I winced, feeling the blade cut further into my flesh.

"Idiot girl," the Renegade holding me grumbled.

"What the hell are you talking about? We're not just gonna let you die!" Sheena protested.

"They're Desians! They'll just kill me anyway!" I said, trying to sound convincing. "Don't you remember what happened at the House of Salvation before I was taken to the ranch?"

"Desians..." The guy behind me snorted, and I refrained from elbowing him hard in the gut. That'd probably play out badly for me.

The Renegade standing next to me jabbed me in the back of the leg with his sword, and it took all my effort not to yelp. He seemed about as Not Amused as Kratos...ah, was that blue hair I saw? It was probably only visible to me, but I thought I could see some blue under that helmet...dammit, Yuan. Don't make me break out that locket of yours. It's probably got a picture of you and Martel making out or something.

"Hmph." Kratos finally seemed to make a decison. I bit my lip, bracing myself for the pain-and then saw the mercenary throw his sword down.

...Wait, what?

Kratos threw his weapon down. His prime concerns were Lloyd and Colette, who the Renegades were after, and he just threw his weapon down. Oh my God...did Kratos actually have a conscience? Part of me wanted to hug him, while the other part wanted to punch him in the nose.

Following his example, everyone else immediately threw their own weapons down as the Renegades kicked them out of reach. Christ, sometimes I questioned the sanity of these people. Why couldn't they have just attacked and made their escape?

The Renegade behind me pulled Loki off my back, throwing it off to the side. Without my sword, I felt naked and vulnerable. We were really screwed here, weren't we?

"Gather their weapons," Botta ordered, and several soldiers approached to obey.

"Eruption," Kratos muttered, and suddenly everyone froze as the ground crumbled, fire bursting out of the cracks in the earth beneath the Renegades' feet.

The spell was much more powerful than usual; Kratos hadn't held back this time. Soldiers were blown back, burnt badly by the attack. Kratos immediately rushed forward, pulling his sword off the ground and slashing it in a wide arc, cutting down several Renegades that stood behind us. In the blink of an eye, we suddenly had an opening for escape. I should've known Kratos had something up his sleeve, the clever bastard.

"Go!" Kratos growled to us.

I reacted first, pausing to pick up a few choice weapons off the ground before grabbing Lloyd and Colette's hands. Tugging them along with me, I ran straight through the gap that had formed and into the cover of the trees. After a second or two they seemed to realize what was going on, and started to run with me.

I shoved their weapons at them as we ran, throwing my own sword over one shoulder. We'd have to take advantage of Kratos' temporary distraction. He'd be fine alone; after all, Yuan couldn't fight him without blowing his cover. All Kratos had to do was smack around Botta and his men for a bit.

Suddenly my mind registered the fact that I'd taken on the leadership position here, and I had absolutely no clue where to run to. We were running away from Hakonesia Peak, and trying to go around the battle scene wasn't an option. We couldn't turn around now...so where could we go? Maybe hide out in the mountains for a bit, where the forest was thicker. I looked over my shoulder to ask Raine her opinion, and then my mouth opened in a gape.

She wasn't there. No one was following us. I'd just assumed everyone else had listened to Kratos' instructions, but it looked like they hadn't reacted in time. They'd probably wasted a second considering who should stay behind to help Kratos or something. Dammit! This might complicate things. What if someone got hurt back there? Kratos couldn't look out for three other people when being attacked from all sides. I could only hope that they'd be okay fending for themselves.

"Wait! Professor Sage and the others..." Lloyd started to slow down for a minute, having noticed the same thing as me.

"It's too late," I said, tugging his hand to keep him moving. "Besides, it's you the Re-um, Desians are after. And Colette, probably. If we go back now, we'll only get in the way and piss Kratos off."

"...Dammit." Lloyd growled, and picked up the pace.

Colette ran silently on my other side, looking worried. I felt sort of bad for being such a control freak, but we really would be screwed if we went back there and tried to play the heroes. As it was, the Renegades were probably going to try and kill Colette outright. She hadn't become Martel's vessel yet, so she was still fair game. All it would take was-

Colette's head jerked to the left, her eyes widening, and I instinctively halted and tugged the two of them backwards. A crossbow bolt came whizzing inches past our faces, embedding itself in the trunk of a tree. Lloyd clutched my hand painfully tight as he almost fell on his ass with surprise. I scowled with frustration, as he was holding my sword hand, preventing me from defending myself right away.

The blonde Chosen lifted a chakram, hurling it in the direction the bolt had come from, and suddenly a Renegade jumped out into the open to avoid being hit. Colette caught her chakram again and stared at the man defiantly. He only smirked.

"You three match the description...red, white, and blue. Well, any last words before lights out?"

"Patriotic..." I mumbled, only half aware I'd said it. I was mostly focused on yanking my hand out of Lloyd's grasp so that I could reach for my sword. Colette had already let go of my left hand so she could grab her other chakram.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed in his typical 'I'm pissed and reckless' face. "We won't go without a-!"

He was abruptly cut off, making a quiet choking sound as the hilt of a sword connected with the pressure point on the back of his neck. Lloyd fell forward and to the ground, unconscious, and I realized that that particular Renegade was not alone.

I also realized that there would be no escaping this time. My last few thoughts were about the irony of Lloyd's words; I felt a vague, detached amusement as my vision blacked out.

"...the hell are we waiting for?"

"Lord Yuan specifically stated that we should wait for him before taking any action."

"But we're supposed to kill the Chosen anyway!"

My eyebrow twitched as I started to hear voices. The darkness of unconsciousness began to fade, and I nearly winced as I took notice of the uncomfortable bed I was laying on as well as the nasty bruise that was surely on the back of my neck. I experimentally cracked open one eye, and was unsurprised to see metal bars closing me into a small cell. This didn't look like a base, though. It looked sort of...shoddy, actually.

That's right...we were captured in the middle of the forest near Hakonesia Peak. Of course they couldn't have gotten us to a base right away...this place was probably a temporary hideout.

Well, there was no sense in pretending I was asleep. It wasn't like they'd wander unarmed into my cell for no particular reason. I wouldn't be able to launch some sort of crazy surprise attack. I sat up in the bed, rubbing my eyes lightly. The two Renegades outside the cell ignored me, continuing their bickering in quiet hisses.

"Now that you mention it...which one is the Chosen?" The calmer one questioned. Mr. Impatient hesitated.

"The one with the Cruxis Crystal," he answered.

"Both of those girls have crystals, you imbecile!"

A slow grin crept on to my lips. My Exsphere may have only been a crystal-in-progress, but apparently it was convincing enough since it was in the same place as Colette's crystal. I had a feeling these guys were just a couple of low-ranked, uneducated guards. They only had vague information about the Chosen, so maybe I could work this to my advantage.

My grin became a friendly one, and I stepped up to the bars, trying to look relaxed. "Hey, guys. Sorry about all the trouble this has caused."

The both of them finally took notice of me, and looked at me like I was crazy. Well, that was encouraging...but this was the only plan I had been able to whip up, and it was pretty half-assed.

"What the hell are you talking about, girl?" Mr. Impatient asked, crossing his arms.

I feigned surprise. "You mean you don't know? I'm the Chosen..."

He looked pleased at that statement, happy now that he knew which person to kill. Mr. Calm only frowned, though.

"You're dumber than I thought. Do you realize you've just made yourself a target?"

My eyes widened further in confusion, and then suddenly my brow furrowed as I pretended to think of something.

"Oh, I see..." I nodded. "Lord Yuan hasn't told you two." I really, really hoped the silence coming from the adjacent cells meant that Colette and Lloyd were still out.

"Told us what?" Mr. Impatient looked skeptical, but also a bit indignant at the thought of being kept in the dark by his superior.

"We were supposed to negotiate about the World Regeneration ritual," I said, frowning. "I was willing to give up the Cruxis Crystal in exchange for my life. Plus, Yuan said he'd found a way to beat the system, so killing me would be completely unnecessary."

Mr. Calm watched me carefully, unbelieving. "If that's true, why was it that we received the order to kill you?"

I crossed my arms. "You received the order to wait until Yuan got here. If he really wanted me dead, he would've just let you kill me right away."

I knew the real reason Yuan had given those instructions was because these guys couldn't tell the difference between the Chosen and a pile of sticks. Of course, I wasn't going to say anything about that, tempting as it was to insult their IQ level.

The impatient one seemed to relax a little, seeing some reason in this. "That does make sense, Sid," he murmured to his friend. "Lord Yuan wouldn't waste time with such an important goal..."

"You could have easily met up with us," Mr. Calm persisted.

I shook my head. "My companions don't know of my plans. They'd try to stop me, thinking I was forsaking the world. Besides, if Cruxis found out about this, they'd find a way to ruin everything. And that would put you Renegades in danger, too. We had to make it look like I was captured against my will."

As I spoke, I was surprised at how logical it all sounded despite the many holes in my story. I was learning a thing or two about being convincing, probably from Kratos. "You two probably weren't told for that reason. It's absolutely vital that nothing slips about this. Cruxis has spies everywhere, you know. There could even be one traveling with me."

The two of them took all of this in, frowning thoughtfully at me. I could tell that now was the time to get straight to the point, now that they were actually considering believing my bullshit.

"Look...Yuan should be getting back right around now, right? Why don't you two take me to him and see for yourselves?"

They stared for a second more, and then Mr. Calm nodded.

"All right." He dug in one of his pockets and drew out a ring of keys.

Mr. Impatient relaxed; he obviously relied on his companion to make the decisions. Now that the decision was made, he'd just follow along.

My heart went into overdrive as I saw Mr. Calm slip the key into the lock. I fought to stay composed as the lock clicked open. This was where my plan ended; I'd only thought as far as getting out of the damn jail cell. Now I needed to do some more quick thinking.

I stepped out of the cell, mind racing. Okay, so Mr. Impatient was more likely to be reckless in battle, so...

Before either of them had the chance to react, I lifted my leg and kicked Mr. Calm hard in the groin. He made an odd gagging noise as he crumpled to the floor, hands gripping his family jewels. I immediately turned to the second Renegade. He'd made the mistake of not already having his weapon out as I left the cell, and now he was going to pay for it. I shot the heel of my hand upward at his face, aiming for his nose under the helmet. The blow hit home, and I attempted to control my nausea as I heard the familiar crunch. When had I learned to hit so hard? The instinct for survival did crazy things to people.

The Renegade backed off, temporarily distracted with the pain of the injury. I used that opportunity to pull his sword right out of its sheath and run him through with it. I then swung around and sank the blade into his recovering friend.

I panted, my heart pounding. Somehow, I'd done it...

The blood on the Renegade sword dripped slowly to the floor. I leaned down and wiped the blade on the uniform of Mr. Calm, mumbling an apology as I did so.

I hadn't wanted to kill them. Honestly, the groin kick and the broken nose were enough, and would have made for an amusing escape story later on. But...if I had let them live, they would've told Yuan about what I said. Yuan would have found out that I knew a lot more than I should, and I couldn't let that happen.

I reached down and picked the keys up off the floor where the Renegade had dropped them. Then I approached the cell next to mine, and froze.

How could I have forgotten? Colette couldn't be knocked unconscious, because Colette couldn't sleep.

She was sitting on her bed, wide awake. She'd heard the entire thing. Oh, shit. It wasn't like I could just off her to preserve the secret.

I bit my lip. Well...this sucked.

"You heard everything," I said quietly. She nodded, looking confused.

I fumbled with the keys, sighing. "Colette...please don't mention that exchange to anyone. I can't explain anything about Yuan or the Renegades right now, okay? It'll only end up getting us killed."

She looked troubled for a moment, but then nodded in agreement, to my relief. I smiled, trying to shake off the feeling that this little mistake was going to bite me in the ass later.

I unlocked the door to her cell and gestured to her. "Okay. Let's wake up Lloyd and get the hell out of here before Yuan shows up." No sense in pretending I didn't know who he was at this point...

We walked over to the door of Lloyd's cell, where he was snoring lightly. Jeez, at least someone got a nice sleep out of this whole experience. I refrained from rolling my eyes as I unlocked his cell with a small click.

The sound of the door creaking open didn't wake him up, so I strolled over to his bed.

"Lloyd, wake up," I said quietly to him. He went on sleeping.

I reached out, poking him in the forehead. "Lloydie..."

After a few more pokes, he shifted in his sleep, muttering something about his unfinished homework. Colette looked a bit amused, until she saw me lean down so my lips were almost touching his ear.

"LLOYD!" I yelled, and he shot up and fell off the bed.

"Wh-What's happening!?" He looked around wildly, reaching for swords that weren't there.

"Sorry. Your snoring was getting annoying." I smiled, not apologetic at all.

He started to make a face at me, but suddenly he frowned, looking around. "Where are we...?" His eyes widened as he saw the bodies of the Renegades outside the cell.

"I dunno. But I managed to beat the guards, so we should get out of here while we can."

"Yeah..." He nodded, getting to his feet and walking out of the cell with us. "I wonder what happened to Kratos and the others."

"Hopefully they made out better than we did," I said, scowling. I still couldn't understand how we'd been ambushed and captured like that.

After a few minutes of searching our general area, we were able to regain possession of our weapons and items. Once we were all set, we continued with our escape.

We chose a random hallway and moved down it for a minute or so, until Colette paused and held us back. We looked over at her, and she held a finger to her lips. Ah, she heard something again, coming from straight ahead. I bit my lip, pushing open the nearest door and leading the two of them inside.

The room was thankfully empty, and fortunately it didn't look like Yuan's office or anything.

"...I see. So the plan was successful." Speak of the devil. Yuan sounded pretty pleased with himself.

"Yes, sir. We managed to ambush them a safe distance away from Kratos."

"Good. I'll speak with them now, then," Yuan said, and there was the sound of them passing our door and continuing on down the hall. Their voices faded.

I looked over to Colette. "Are they gone?" I mouthed to her. She listened for a moment, and then nodded.

"Let's get out of here," I whispered.

"That guy..." Lloyd frowned. "He's-"

"We'll worry about that later," I cut him off. "If they catch up to us, we'll get our asses handed to us again. C'mon."

I poked my head out the door, cautiously looking both ways, before walking out in the direction Yuan had come from. If he'd come from outside, then...

The next door I opened revealed a path leading through the forest. Sweet freedom! There weren't even any guards, since that would make the place look conspicuous. Colette and Lloyd followed me out, and we proceeded to run as fast as we could in a random direction. We didn't take the path, for fear that more Renegades would be headed back to the temporary base.

"Where are we going?" Lloyd asked me as we ran.

"Beats me," I replied.

I took a look at our surroundings. The mountains were visible through the forest canopy, on our right. Okay, so...if we just ran along the mountains, we'd find the pass sooner or later, right? Unless we were already past it...shit, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was a sucky leader.

We continued running until we were too exhausted to go on. Normally for me that'd take between five or ten minutes depending on how determined I was, but with the help of the Exsphere, I didn't start to trip till around thirty. We'd heard a group of Renegades once during our escape, but thankfully we managed to stay hidden until they passed. Since then, there hadn't been any incidents.

At around the thirty-third minute of running, I finally slowed down, coughing.

"Okay, I'm gonna die. If we don't take a break, you'll be carrying my sorry ass, Lloyd."

He slowed to a stop, leaning against a tree and panting. "A break sounds like a good idea."

Colette nodded in consent, taking a seat on a large rock nearby. She only seemed slightly out of breath. Stupid angelic powers.

As we sat there and caught our breath, I looked up and noticed that it was starting to get dark out. The sky turned a pale orange as the shadows grew longer, the sun beginning its descent over the horizon. Damn...I had really been looking forward to spending the night in a nice, comfy inn bed...and eavesdropping on Lloyd and Genis again. Good times.

"So what do you guys wanna do?" I asked once I felt able to breathe again. "Should we stay here for the night or go looking for the others? We can't light a fire, the smoke will give us away..."

"This sucks," Lloyd groaned. "I wish those stupid Desians would leave us alone."

Colette sent me a look, as she was probably wondering what the difference between Desians and Renegades was. I shrugged.

"Well, on the bright side, soon there won't be any Desians left."

"Yeah..." He frowned, troubled, and I realized I'd just hit a touchy spot. World Regeneration meant weird stuff happening to Colette.

"Anyway," I said loudly, "We can probably meet up with the others in the morning. I bet they're waiting for us at Hakonesia Peak."

"I hope they're okay." Lloyd crossed his arms. "Speaking of which, didn't those Desians from earlier say something about Kratos?"

At that, something in my head clicked. "They did. I remember...we saw the leader of that group earlier at Kvar's ranch. He wanted to avoid Kratos then, so I thought it was weird that now they suddenly wanted to fight us."

My eyes narrowed, and I scowled. "They knew! They knew Kratos would find us an opening so we could escape."

"I get it..." Lloyd said, eyes wide. "If we left the group, Kratos wouldn't be able to protect us anymore."

"Exactly. They knew Kratos could bitchslap them to the moon and back, so they came up with this plan." I groaned. "I can't believe it. How were they even able to find us in the first place?"

"Wish I knew," Lloyd remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ow.."

We were quiet for a few moments, staring at the ground between us in deep thought. After what had just happened, the earlier events of today had become a blur. My head was really starting to ache. I just wanted to call it a day and go to sleep, but I was too nervous to relax enough for that. It was one thing after another...seriously, couldn't we just go one day without drawing our weapons? Was that too much to ask?

A rustling in the bushes nearby caused all three of us to stiffen. Lloyd instantly drew his swords, pointing it towards said bushes, and I jumped to my aching feet.

"Wh-Whoa!" A high pitched voice came out of the shadows, and there was the sound of someone falling over.

Lloyd lowered his swords in surprise. "Genis?"

"Lloyd!" Genis seemed to realize who he was facing. He got to his knees, looking over to us. "Everyone! You're okay!"

The brunette smiled, relieved. "Of course we are, you dork. I was worried about you guys. Where's the Professor and the others?"

"Right here," Raine's voice rang out, and she stepped into our little clearing. Kratos and Sheena followed.

"Whew," I remarked, "I was hoping we'd reunite before dark. How'd you find us?"

"Corinne helped us out a bit," Sheena replied, grinning. The summon spirit was perched on her shoulder, giving me the disdainful stare of a spoiled cat. As I had lived with such cats all my life, the stare had no effect. Love you too, Corinne.

Huh. Speaking of cats, did Corinne ever cough up hairballs? He certainly had enough fur in that poofy tail of his to pull off such a feat. But then again, I'd never seen him licking himself like a cat. Squirrels didn't lick themselves, did they? His tail was sort of like a squirrel's. Or that weird Pokemon that I forgot the name of. Jeez, I hadn't watched Pokemon in ages...

"Brittany! Are you paying attention?" Raine's stern voice derailed my train of thought.

Nope, not really. I contemplated asking Sheena about Corinne and his hairballs to avoid the topic of my short attention span, but thought better of it. I didn't need an indignant little summon spirit trying to tackle me to the ground and make me go deaf with his squeaky voice.

"Um...yes?" I replied very convincingly, and regarded her balled fist with wary suspicion.

Raine seemed to realize that if she hit me too many times, she'd just create another Lloyd. Her fist relaxed, and she let out an annoyed sigh. "I was asking about what happened earlier. Lloyd says you three were caught by those Desians?"

"Oh. Um, yeah, we were. But we escaped, which is pretty obvious," I said helpfully.

"And how did you do so?" Kratos asked, watching me sternly. Jeez...for all I knew, he thought I was working with the Renegades.

But that still didn't make sense, because if he even so much as thought such a thing, he would've driven me out of the group long ago. Dammit, Kratos, you enigma.

"Well..." I said awkwardly, "I sorta sweet-talked a few of the guards and took 'em out."

"Sweet-talked?" Sheena asked, amused. "What did you say?"

I frowned, feigning embarrassment. "Th-That's not important! What's important is we got out."

"Right," Lloyd said, to my relief. "Oh...and what was it we were talking about earlier, Brit? About their plan?"

"We overheard one of their conversations," I added, with more confidence this time. "Apparently they're scared shitless of you, Kratos. They let us three escape because that meant we'd be separated from our strongest fighter."

The mercenary frowned at that. "...Hmph."

That's all he had to say? Jeez, it seemed like the only time Kratos ever talked your ear off was when he was flaunting his own knowledge.

"In fact," I said, wanting to get some reaction out of him, "they have posters all over their little base with your face on them. They call you The Purple Terror, and whoever catches you gets a million Gald and the secret to your hairstyle."

"Let's get moving," Kratos said, ignoring me. "We still have to reach the inn before dark."

The others gave me one last look before following. While Lloyd just grinned, Sheena shook her head, probably wondering why I kept trying to get myself killed.

"Kratos?" I called, sulking at the back of the group. "Hey, Kratos, acknowledge meeee!"

"...Do you hear something?" Kratos muttered quietly, looking slightly over his shoulder to the others.

"Oh, please tell me you aren't pulling that cheap-" I gaped. Was he actually cracking a joke?

"...Hm, it seems it was just the wind." He shook his head.

"You can't run forever," I grumbled.

"Yeah, it really is windy today," Lloyd remarked, grinning. Kratos looked over his shoulder again-was that amusement I saw in his eyes?

"THAT'S MY BOY!" Kratos yelled, hugging his son and crying tears of fatherly joy.

...Okay, he didn't, but it would've been funny if he had. Sweet, salty Kratos tears...

Oh man, I really needed to get some sleep before I started hallucinating.

We made it to the inn about an hour and a half later, just as it was truly starting to get dark. I felt so much like a zombie that I was honestly contemplating going off to live with the ones that resided on the outskirts of Iselia. My thoughts weren't exactly rational anymore and I was mostly on autopilot, mindlessly putting one foot after the other.

Of course, once we actually entered the inn room and I collapsed on my bed, I was much too sore to even think about sleeping. Now that I lay still, I finally noticed how much my muscles spasmed and throbbed with exhaustion, and it wasn't exactly helping me relax. After around ten minutes of this, I gave up and went to sit in my usual spot against the wall. Maybe a little eavesdropping would make me feel better. Sheena was out passing notes to Colette (and not sharing secrets, I hoped), so I could listen quietly without interruption. I just hoped I wouldn't have to listen to Genis bitch about me again. Listening to him and Lloyd having a casual conversation would be enough to relax my mind.

"...puzzles me is how those Desians found us." Raine's voice was the first I heard. "It seems odd that they would travel so far from their base in the Triet Desert, even if it is to find Lloyd."

"It is strange," Kratos admitted. "Their behavior indicated that they had not been waiting for us long, and yet there was no way they could have known the specific time we would arrive." He sounded irked; he didn't like the idea that the Renegades had any sort of advantage.

I frowned, pushing myself to my feet and away from the wall. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't eavesdrop on a conversation that Kratos was involved in. He probably knew very well how thin the walls were, and I was sure he'd heard me sit against the wall in my room. I thought it was pretty safe to assume that if I sat there any longer, Kratos would confront me later, or deem me untrustworthy in his mind-if he hadn't already done so.

Okay, what else could I do while I waited for my muscles to calm down...maybe the night air might help a bit. I'd already had plenty of it already, but...ah, well. There was something else I could check while I was outside, too.

I wandered out of the inn, my legs screaming with protest at every step I took. Looking around warily, I made sure not to walk too far out of sight. I knew there were Renegades about, and I really didn't want a repeat of that one incident the last time I'd wandered off here.

Rather than moving out into the woods, I walked around to the back of the building where no one else was. Okay, now I could do this without having anyone look over my shoulder.

I reached into my bag, pulling out the silver locket once more. After all the crappy events from today, I thought I deserved a peek at what was inside. Yuan might be pissed later, but honestly, he had been quite an ass to me. I still couldn't bring myself to hate him and his lovely hair, but this was my little personal act of revenge.

Holding the locket in my hands, I glared down at it. It would open this time, dammit.

After a few minutes of struggling with it, I managed to create a small gap between the metals, and grinned. Okay, now for the final touch...I pulled a Gald coin out of my bag, and wedged it in the gap, using it to slowly pry open the locket. After a second or two, the cover popped open with a click, and I inwardly cheered with victory. Excited, I moved the coin to see what sort of picture it was hiding.

I stared for a few moments, and my brow furrowed with confusion at the sight before me. What...What was this? This wasn't a photograph of Yuan and Martel, as I'd hoped for. It looked like...some sort of computer chip.

A dark green device was implanted in the locket, and a small, blinking red light flashed in the center of it.

My eyes widened in shock as I finally saw it for what it was-a tracking device. Yuan, that clever bastard, had intentionally dropped this!

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I whispered, unable to believe my eyes. I knew how Yuan was, and yet I had still fallen for it. Anger and frustration welled up inside me, and I wanted to scream.

The entire day's events...the reason why the Renegades had found us...it was my fault! I had been helping them the whole time! And even as I sat here holding this thing, I was putting everyone in danger.

"I'll kill him!" I hissed under my breath, clenching my fists. "That stupid, snarky-augh!"

I snapped the locket shut again, thoroughly pissed off now. I was going to get rid of this Godforsaken thing, and I was never falling for one of those cheap tricks again.

Running into the woods, I approached a mountain stream we'd passed a little while earlier. I picked up a branch of driftwood and snagged the chain on to it, throwing it into the moving current. The wood floated downstream, carrying the locket with it. That ought to throw them off track for a little while, at least...if all went well, the driftwood would head all the way down the mountain to where the stream let off, most likely near the bridge to the Balacruf Mausoleum.

My simmering anger gradually dissipated as my exhaustion caught up with me. There was nothing I could do about it anymore, but I still felt completely indignant and stupid for letting Yuan get the better of me. If I hadn't outsmarted those Renegades earlier and helped Lloyd and Colette escape, I'd be feeling totally ashamed.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I trudged back to the inn and kicked off my boots, collapsing on to my bed. Okay, from now on...no more dealings with the Renegades, and no more talking to Yuan. Yeah, that sounded nice...

I finally closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, vaguely hoping that seeing the unicorn in a few days would take my mind off all of these crazy events.

Chapter Text

As usual, we started bright and early the next morning. Our new goal was the House of Salvation near Asgard, where we could stock up on supplies. My bad mood from the night before washed away with a good night's sleep; even though I was hurting in places I didn't know I had nerves, I still found myself in a relatively good mood. After all, we were going downhill now, and the slope this time wasn't bad enough to make my aching legs worse.

Hopefully, we wouldn't have any more unexpected encounters with the Renegades. I'd gotten rid of their tracking device and now I knew better than to fall for anything else Yuan had planned. I would have to talk to Colette later, but she wasn't the most suspicious person around-I could always come up with some bullshit excuse.

I hated to say it, but...Colette's condition was serving to help me out here. With luck, the others wouldn't find out about my prior knowledge until after the Tower, and by then my fate would have been sealed anyway. By then I'd either be dead or stuck up in Welgaia, being experimented on or something weird like that. I'd never have to explain anything to them, and that meant I'd never have to endure being stared at like I'm a lunatic. Everyone wins!

...Well, except for the dying part. I'd worry about that later. After all, miles and miles of land still separated me from Hima and those godforsaken dragons.

With my thoughts all sorted out, I started to work on the explanation I'd have to give to Colette. I'd have to catch her alone at the House of Salvation...yeah, and then I could ask her to come to some secluded place with me, where Kratty wouldn't be able to eavesdrop.

"I'm bored," Lloyd said aloud, and all of my ideas died.

"Dammit, Lloyd," I groaned, "I had such a good train of thought going there."

"You've been all quiet for like an hour," he complained, "and I've run out of things to talk about with everyone else. And Kratos keeps ignoring me when I talk to him."

"That tends to happen," I shrugged.

"But unlike you, I don't see the point of rambling on for twenty minutes until he hits me," Lloyd pointed out, and I grinned.

"...So, you've come to bug me now?"

"Yup."

"Well, okay then."

"How much longer do you think we'll have to walk?" Lloyd asked.

"Beats me. I was wondering the same thing."

"Raine said we'll probably get there before dark," Genis said, falling back with us.

"Genis has joined the conversation!" I declared triumphantly.

"Do you have to do that?" The half elf rolled his eyes.

"Hey, that's great!" Lloyd said happily. "That means we'll have time to do other stuff!"

I snorted. "I dunno about you, but I'm getting extra sleep."

"What kind of other stuff would you do, Lloyd?" Genis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably sneak a peek at one of my dirty books," I said slyly, and Lloyd made a face.

"Ew, no! Don't even start!"

I sighed. "Man, you guys have to hit puberty one of these days. What if we run into another topless summon spirit?"

Lloyd shuddered, and Genis shook his head. "You're never going to let it go, are you?"

"Probably not. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something else to amuse myself with later anyway," I said, grinning.

"Let's, uh...talk about something else," Lloyd attempted feebly to change the subject.

"We should do something fun later!" Genis suggested.

"Like?" I asked curiously.

"Hm..." he paused to think.

"Agh," Lloyd sighed, "there's nothing to do at those Houses."

I frowned for a moment, remembering something. "Eh, just come to my room. I'll figure something out."

"What happened to sleeping?" Genis asked, glancing over at me. I shrugged.

"Lloyd would probably wake me up with his whining anyway."

"True."

"I'm right here!" Lloyd grumbled.

After a few more minutes of conversation and occasional bickering, we fell silent again. I frowned inwardly, my thoughts returning to what bullshit story I'd make up and feed to Colette. Jeez, I never lied this much back on Earth...

My brow furrowed. Even though my memory of my last few days at home was pretty vivid (up until my last moments, anyway), I still couldn't help but realize that I'd been here on Sylvarant for quite a while. How long had it been?

"Yo, Lloyd," I said, a thoughtful look on my face. "What's the date?"

"Uh..." The brunette paused for a minute. "August nineteenth, I think. Why?"

I shrugged. "Just wondering." Man...I'd been here for three months? Even though it sounded like a long time, I still felt as if a year had passed.

He tilted his head a bit, staring at me. "Hey, that reminds me. When's your birthday?"

"Huh?" I blinked. Where had that come from? "November twentieth."

"So...three months. Got it," he said, nodding. I rolled my eyes.

"Lloyd, this journey will be over in three months." Translation: I'll be dead before then. I was going to die before my nineteenth birthday...

He grinned. "Well, we've gotta figure out how to get you home, don't we? I'm not just gonna abandon you once the world is regenerated."

"Yeah..." I almost frowned, but managed to keep my face blank. Dammit, Lloyd, why do you have to be such a good friend? It made lying to him a lot harder than it should've been.

Trying to keep the conversation on a lighter note, I attempted a smile. "So, when's your birthday, then?"

Lloyd ran a hand through his messy hair. "...Actually, it's in three days."

My eyes widened, and I punched his shoulder. "What?! You jerk! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I dunno. I guess I sort of forgot," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's okay, you don't have to get me anything."

"Shut up," I said. "You're turning eighteen. You're gonna be a man, Lloydie, and I'd be a jackass if I didn't get you a present on such a big day."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, don't worry about it, you dork."

"Too late, I'm worried." I crossed my arms. "Let's see...man, this is gonna be tough. Hmm, hmm..."

I noticed Kratos was frowning a bit-his slightly troubled look hinted at deeper emotions within him. He hadn't shown even any slight surprise at Lloyd's birthday being in three days, which meant that Lloyd had given the correct date. I guess even at three years old, Lloyd had been able to tell Dirk when his birthday was.

Hey...was Kratos going to give Lloyd a gift? Oh man, that'd be so cute. And he'd probably leave it on Lloyd's bed or something and run away so he wouldn't seem soft or anything. Heh...

"Your birthday's in three days, Lloyd?" Sheena looked over her shoulder. "Um...maybe I could figure out something to give you, too." She blushed slightly, and then looked away to hide it.

"Guys, don't make a big deal out of it..." Lloyd sighed.

"Eighteen, Lloyd," I reminded him. "You're gonna be all grown up! That's kind of scary, come to think of it..."

"You're eighteen," he grumbled. "Besides, you didn't suddenly start acting all adult the second you turned eighteen, did you?"

"Well, I-" I started out, wanting to tell him of what I'd done on my last birthday, and then cut myself off. "...I don't really remember," I shrugged.

"Oh...yeah." Lloyd frowned, glancing at the others, who were in easy hearing range. I couldn't whisper either, because of Colette and Kratos.

"So!" I said, "When's everyone else's birthdays? I don't want any more surprises."

Sheena looked over at me. "Well, mine's already passed...it was May first."

It was so weird to think that Sheena wasn't that much older than me...jeez, if we'd been born in the same world, we might've gone to school together.

I nodded. "Okay, Genis?"

"January twelfth. Oh, and Colette's was on March thirtieth."

"My birthday is on the fifth of February," Raine said.

Hah, everyone had been listening to our little conversation. I looked over at Kratos, knowing he wouldn't immediately volunteer the information like everyone else. Pulling out a small notebook from my bag, I jotted down everyone's birthdays before glancing at the mercenary again.

"Ohhh, Kratoooos!" I called. He grunted.

"You know, I still don't know when your birthday is," I remarked.

"I do not require a gift and the journey will be-"

"Over by then? Then there's no harm in telling me, right? Pleeeease."

He sighed. "Fine. I was born on December twenty-fifth."

"Seriously?" I asked, my eyes widening. He looked over his shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that date?"

I remembered that Christmas couldn't possibly exist here, and laughed nervously. "Uh, no, nothing at all. I was just...um...it's kinda funny how you were born in a cold month and have a cold personality! Ha...ha..."

He rubbed his forehead and returned his attention to the trees ahead of us, probably dismissing the strange remark as me being stupid again. Lloyd gave me a weird look, and I just shrugged.

Wow...Kratos was born on Christmas day. That was a funny thought. Kratos wearing a Santa hat...

"Yes!" I grinned when our destination came within sight.

Over the course of the previous day, I'd begged Raine to let us take the slightly longer route to Asgard so that I could go shopping for a present for Lloyd. I also reasoned that Lloyd deserved to sleep in a real bed on his eighteenth birthday, not on the cold, hard ground. Since I was fighting for Lloyd, Genis and Colette immediately backed me up. Sheena did, too, since she'd also decided to get him a present. Lloyd just sighed heavily in the background during all this, but I had a feeling he was secretly enjoying the attention.

Anyway, it was late evening, and we'd finally reached Asgard. That left us all of the following day to stock up on supplies and grab a gift or two for Lloydie. Kratos insisted that we leave the town on the afternoon of Lloyd's birthday, but at least he and Raine had caved enough to let us do this.

Even though I was really tired from taking the longer route, I was in a pretty good mood by the time we reached the town. Real beds...real food...yay!

Weird...I could remember a time where I'd turn my nose up at the old-fashioned facilities here. Now anything was a step up from sitting around a campfire night after night.

My good mood was also due to the fact that Genis had sort of stopped hating on me, and occasionally we'd been able to have a decent conversation. So, I was pretty sure I'd figured out his secret! Be nice to his best friend, and he'll be nice to you. What a shocker. Hopefully I wouldn't PMS at Lloyd again anytime soon.

"So! Just an idea, I think we should stay at the Cool Breeze again since Lloyd is so awesome," I indicated the most expensive inn, grinning.

"Yeah!" Genis added, and Colette smiled.

"Now I just feel like I'm being used..." Lloyd sighed from the back.

"You said you'd figure out something for us to do, right?" Genis asked, almost snickering at Lloyd's remark.

"Hm?" I thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, when we were headed to the House of Salvation. Well, I guess we can still follow through with that plan...even though it's not much of a plan. Anyone who's bored later on, come to my room."

Sheena raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Eh, you'll see," I shrugged.

Since it was late evening when we arrived, we basically had to go straight to the inn and get our rooms set up. But we were staying at one of the nicer places in town, so each of us actually got our own individual rooms, which was pretty awesome. Not that I minded sharing with Sheena, but still...this meant I could have privacy without leaving the inn.

Aaaand, naturally I'd picked today to invite everyone over to my room. Ah, well, it couldn't be helped.

Around an hour after we'd arrived, I ended up laying sprawled out on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. A few days from now, we'd be heading out to Lake Umacy again...I wondered what the unicorn looked like up close. Would I get to see it? I was a pure maiden (unless I'd totally missed something and pure-ness had nothing to do with virginity), so I should have been able to...unless maybe you had to be pure of heart and mind, too. Sheena and Colette were pretty pure of heart, in my opinion. I wasn't so sure about myself.

Well...I guess I could say I had pretty good intentions, right? But then again, I couldn't really deny that I had countless flaws. I was a coward, and I was pretty selfish to boot. Hell, I was even weak minded; every single time I had a train of thought like this, I found a way to bring myself down. Jeez...no wonder I pissed Lloyd off so much. Maybe one day he'd teach me to stop hating myself.

I yawned, stretching a little. Not that it really mattered...I honestly didn't care if I got to see the unicorn up close or not. Just seeing it from a distance would be cool enough. I just didn't want anyone to think I wasn't...as Sheena put it, "qualified" if I didn't go. That would just make me feel like a total slut, even though I'd never slept with anyone. Crap! I'd already pulled the dirty novel thing on Lloyd. I had to prove my innocence!

Agh. Couldn't anyone crack a dirty joke around here without being glared at? My friends and I had always laughed about stuff like that. Stupid Sylvarant people. Zelos would understand me!

A knock at the door broke my train of thought, and I looked up. "Door's unlocked."

They seemed to understand that that meant "come in," so the next sound I heard was the door opening. Colette took a step in, and I sat up.

"Oh, hey, Colette. You're a little early."

She smiled, and came to sit next to me on the bed, pulling out her notebook.

'Sorry. Is it all right?' She wrote.

"Yeah, I don't have a problem with you being here. As you can see, I wasn't exactly doing anything productive before you came." I shrugged. "Anyway, so what's up?"

'Actually, I wanted to ask you something.'

My smile faltered a little. "Okay, go ahead."

She paused thoughtfully, and then scribbled down a question. 'What are the Renegades and who is Yuan?'

I bit my lip hard at that question and looked around us, paranoid that Kratos would be leaning over our shoulders or something. I was pretty sure he was busy elsewhere...pretty sure. But I really couldn't afford to take risks, especially not with my notoriously bad luck.

After a moment or two, I let out a sigh. "Well...it's sort of hard to explain, to tell you the truth..." I really couldn't use the same trick I'd used on Lloyd...if I asked her to wait until after the world regeneration for an explanation, it'd just make us both feel like shit.

I thought for a few seconds, and then gestured for her to give me her notepad and pencil.

'It's probably best for me to write this...I don't want anyone to overhear,' I wrote. Colette frowned.

'Why?'

I hesitated. 'I can't explain. Actually, I'm worried about explaining this, too. You have to promise not to tell anyone, it would put us all in danger.'

She made sure to look me in the eyes before writing down her response. 'Okay. I promise.'

All right. I couldn't explain the real thing...I couldn't risk ruining anything. Theoretically, telling the truth wouldn't hurt since we weren't supposed to encounter the Renegades or Cruxis again until the Tower of Salvation. But a lot of unanticipated stuff had already happened, so...

I thanked Martel...or whoever watched over this world that Colette wasn't the type to be suspicious. She trusted me, so she'd probably believe whatever story I fed her.

...There I went again. I was really becoming a bastard.

'I'm not completely sure of the details,' I lied, 'but I learned a little about the Renegades during my stay in the Asgard Ranch. They're supposed to be this rebel faction of the Desians that lash out against the leader of the Grand Cardinals. The leader of the Renegades, Yuan, is determined to take over their position.'

Man, that was such a load of bull...well, the rebel thing was kind of the truth, but...

'Why are the Renegades after me?' Colette wrote.

I shrugged. 'The same reason the Desians are after you, I guess. If the world's regenerated, then all the Desians will disappear, right?'

'Does Cruxis...really have spies?' Colette's blue eyes were wide. I shook my head, sighing.

'I don't know. A lot of what I said didn't make much sense to me, either. I was just using phrases I heard the Desians saying before...besides, it does make sense that they'd be scared of Cruxis. They're part of the whole regeneration thing.'

She continued to stare at me, troubled. Clearly I'd missed something, and she was still unconvinced...I couldn't for the life of me figure it out.

But just as she picked up the pencil again to write, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Reacting instantly, I ripped the pages we'd just written on out of Colette's notebook and shoved them in my pocket. I'd rip them up till they were unreadable later. She gave me a questioning look, probably wondering why the hell I couldn't explain to anyone else, but I only shook my head. Hopefully she'd just trust me and stay quiet about it.

"Hey," Lloyd said, peeking his head in; the door had been cracked open an inch or so. "We're not too late, are we?"

He grinned, walking in with Genis. Sheena followed, too. I vaguely wondered what Raine and Kratos were up to, but shrugged off the thought. They still kind of considered us to be kids, after all. Even though we weren't, really. Except for Genis. Sucks to be him.

"Nah, you're right on time," I replied, stretching. I scooted back towards the pillows, making room for the others to sit on my bed too.

When everyone was situated in what sort of looked like a circle, Sheena gave me a curious look. "So, what was your brilliant plan?"

"Yeah, I wanna know!" Genis added oh so helpfully.

I smirked, pulling a deck of cards out. I'd had a few ideas of possible things to do, but this was one I hadn't expected to work. By some miracle, I'd managed to find a deck by asking around downstairs. Turns out, the innkeeper had the same love as me for a certain game...

"I know one thing I always like to play on rainy days..." I held the cards up and waved them lightly in the air. "Poker, anyone?"

Sheena groaned, facepalming. "Are you determined to be a bad influence?"

Colette tilted her head, oblivious, and Genis voiced the question I was sure she wanted to ask. "Poker? What's that?"

"Oh! I think I've heard of it before. Isn't it some sort of card game?" Lloyd asked.

I snorted. "Brilliant deduction, Lloyd. Precisely why I'm holding cards..."

"Shut up," he grumbled. "I was gonna say more. I remember dad saying I should never play it because I could lose a lot of money..."

"...Because it's gambling," Sheena finished, giving me a look.

"Hey, I never said we had to play for money," I remarked defensively...and after a pause, "This is gonna be strip poker, after all-OW!"

Sheena gave me a Raine-worthy smack, causing me to nearly fall off the bed.

"Was...k-kidding..." I mumbled, rubbing my stinging skin.

"...Strip poker?" Genis inquired, looking like he was unsure if he wanted to know. Lloyd seemed to get it, though, because he made a face.

"It's not important..." Sheena said, rubbing her forehead as if a migraine were coming on. I bet her Zelos senses were tingling. Jeez, the further we got in this journey, the more sure I was that I would definitely get along with him and his pretty red hair. Too bad I'd never get to meet him.

"Seriously, though, I just thought we'd play with really small amounts of Gald, or plastic chips...but I doubt we'll find any of those around here," I shrugged. Ah, if only we had my poker set from back home...

Some of them gave me a strange look at the mention of plastic chips, but I wasn't totally sure why. They were probably a much rarer sight here in Sylvarant, but I was sure Sheena knew what I was talking about. There was a casino in Altamira, anyway.

Sheena frowned. "Well...I guess that's all right."

I looked over at Lloyd. "Plus, at eighteen, you'll be old enough to do all this legally!"

"Ugh! Let's just play the game already!" The ninja glared, and I sighed.

"All right, all right..."

Despite her reaction, I wasn't too surprised to find out that Sheena already knew how to play poker. Zelos had probably forced her to learn at some point, being the charming man he was. We had to teach Lloyd and the others, but it wasn't long before we were immersed in the game and Genis had won most of our smaller Gald coins.

"Hey, this game isn't so bad!" He remarked, grinning.

"You only say that 'cause you're winning," Lloyd grumbled. Sheena and I stared at Genis' pile of coins, mildly embarrassed that we were losing to a twelve-year-old that had just learned how to play.

It was going pretty well, until Raine walked in. Needless to say, the game ended soon after that. She sent all of us to our rooms, sounding like an angry mother, and took some time to lecture me on the morality of teaching minors how to gamble. I felt kind of bad for getting Sheena in trouble when she'd tried to stop me, but oh well. Hey, I used to play poker with my grandma for pennies! What was the difference between doing that and doing this?

I should have yelled at Raine for implying that my grandmother was immoral, but I had a feeling she'd have no clue what I was talking about...plus I was supposed to have amnesia and all that. Yeah.

Well, so much for curing boredom...I'd have to move on to one of my other plans next time...

"Hey, Sheena!"

The ninja looked up, the morning light casting a violet sheen on her dark hair. She was standing near a few stalls, presumably looking for a gift for Lloyd. I'd been hoping to go shopping with her so we could try helping each other out.

"Um..." I paused when I finally reached her. "...Sorry about last night. I don't think the Professor believes me after that whole dirty novel incident, but I really intended for it to be an innocent card game. We could've played anything else, I just happen to like poker the most..." I shrugged.

"It's okay," she said, sighing. "I know you're not really serious about that stuff, usually. That's the thing that makes you different from that idiot..." Sheena added the last sentence in a mutter, and I had to hide a grin.

"Well, anyway...did you come up with any ideas yet?"

The ninja frowned, glancing over to the nearest stall. "Not really...none of these things scream 'Lloyd' at me."

I bit my lip, suddenly having a thought. "You know what? I forgot to ask the others what they got for him. Why don't we go find out, and meet up here later? At least then we'll know what not to get, and we might come up with some better ideas."

Sheena nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Okay. I think Raine's at Linar's place...you'd better ask her, because I think she might still be a little ticked at me," I said.

"I'll ask Colette, too, then," she said, "since I think I saw her going to that side of town."

"Then that leaves me with Genis, and...well, I might prod Kratos into getting a gift while I'm at it." I grinned, and Sheena rolled her eyes.

"Good luck with that." She turned away, her ribbons fluttering in the wind. "Anyway, see you in...twenty minutes?"

"All right. See you then." I waved, and then turned around to glance around the town for a moment.

Genis...where would Genis be hanging out? He liked cooking, but not the food shop...the one here had a racist owner, if I remembered correctly. Even if Genis wasn't a half-elf out in the open, he probably would avoid that shop out of dislike.

Crap, hopefully Genis wasn't hanging out with Lloyd...that was more than likely. Dammit.

I walked around the streets of the town, checking at various ruin sites. If only I hadn't gotten Raine mad at me...I could've just made Sheena find Genis, and I could've gone after the Professor. Genis wasn't bored by ruins like Lloyd, but he wasn't exactly excited by them, either. I doubted I'd find him in the more historical parts of Asgard, especially if he was with Lloyd...

All right...maybe figuring out where Lloyd was would be easier. I frowned, thinking to myself. Maybe the weapons shop? He usually liked to drool at all the shiny, expensive swords that were way out of our group's price range.

Remembering where the shop was from our last visit here, I quickly jogged over in that direction and took a quick peek in the window. Just as I'd thought, Lloyd was standing near the counter, asking the owner all sorts of things about a specific pair of blades. To be fair, they did look pretty cool. Just watching Lloyd sort of made me want a new blade of my own.

Augh, I was here for Lloyd, not me! Right, so Genis wasn't in there, so-

"What are you doing?" Oh, speak of the prepubescent devil.

I turned around, and the half elf was regarding me with a strange look. "Um...just spying on Lloyd, that's all." I grinned.

"Right..." The look got worse.

"I'm kidding! I was actually looking for you. I need to ask you a question."

"A question?" Genis frowned curiously. "What is it?"

"Let's get away from the window first," I said, glancing over to make sure Lloyd hadn't noticed us. We walked away from the weapon shop a bit, out of hearing range if Lloyd happened to leave.

"So, um...Sheena and I thought it'd be a good idea to figure out what everyone else got him before we went out and bought something," I said.

"You want to know what I got Lloyd?" Genis asked. "Okay, but you can't copy me."

I rolled my eyes. "That'd kind of defeat the purpose if I did, you know."

He ignored my remark. "Well, his carving knives were getting pretty old, so I got him a new set."

"Carving knives?" I tilted my head in inquiry. "Are those the tools he used on my Key Crest?"

Genis nodded. "Yeah. The last set he had was given to him by Dirk five years ago. He meant to get new ones a while ago, but he kept putting it off."

"Okay...so carving knives, got it." I put a finger to my lip, thinking.

"Do you have any idea of what to get him?" Genis asked curiously. I shook my head.

"Not quite yet...Sheena's out asking Colette and the Professor. Maybe once I hear their answers, I'll get more of an idea." I crossed my arms. "In any case, it's gonna be another fifteen minutes or so before I have to meet up with her again...maybe I'll pester Kratos."

Genis groaned. "I don't get what's so fun about that...it's like poking a rabid dog. You just don't do it!"

"Poking a rabid dog? I might have to tell him about that little analogy," I said, laughing. "See you later, Genis!"

I left the bemused mage behind, continuing down the dusty road I was on. I really wasn't sure whether I intended to actually bug Kratos or not, but as I walked down the path I decided that I'd at least see what he was up to. A small part of me hoped I'd catch him in the act of buying Lloyd a birthday present, but I knew that was highly unlikely. What did Kratos do in his free time, anyway? He couldn't brood all the time, right? I didn't have to pester him, maybe I'd just watch him for a second or two to satisfy my curiosity...

Man, I was becoming a stalker. Somewhere back on Earth right now, rabid Kratos fangirls were twitching angrily in their sleep.

I quickly realized that annoying Kratos had quickly become one of my free-time hobbies. How pathetic (yet oddly amusing) was that? Ah, well. I was gonna be impaled on his sword in the end anyway, so why not have some fun beforehand? Ha, that's what she said.

I stopped, frowning thoughtfully. Kratos...he'd probably be in the most secluded place he could find. My frown fell as an answer came to me instantly. The dais, of course! He'd be standing all mysterious-like up there, staring out over the mountains.

By the time I made it to the top of that ungodly staircase, I was nearly panting, even though I'd walked extra slow for my own sake. I had...eh, probably ten minutes left before I had to go down and meet Sheena. She might let it slide if I was a minute or two late, if I could make up a good reason.

A quick scan of the area did not reveal any purple mercenaries. Aww. Oh well...bugging him was a bad habit to begin with. Seeking him out for the sole purpose of bugging him...yeah, maybe that was crossing the line.

I let out a quiet sigh. Maybe what I needed was a change in targets. Bug Lloyd, then? No...it was almost his birthday. Sheena? No, I'd get smacked. Colette? She wouldn't be any fun and it'd just make me feel bad.

My eyes widened slightly at a new realization. Out of all the people here...could it be that Kratos was the most tolerant of my annoying-ness?! Whoa. Come to think of it, he was the only one besides Lloyd and Colette that wouldn't usually act pissy at me for a day or two following my stupid remarks. Except for that one time, but...yeah, I really had deserved that.

Running a hand through my hair, I walked closer to the dais. That decided it-I was gonna give Kratos a break since he was actually pretty awesome to me despite all the abuse. And unlike that day in Hima, I was actually gonna follow through with the plan. Hopefully.

Okay...around eight minutes till I had to meet up with Sheena again. It'd only take around two or three to get back to our meeting place, so maybe I could just kill some time up here. Yes! Commence Operation: Not Annoy Kratos!

I walked around the edge of the dais, intending to make it to the other end and do that whole mysterious thing for a bit, staring wistfully over the mountains while the wind ruffled my hair. When I reached the final corner and heard quiet voices, I suddenly paused. Jeez, was Harley gonna try blowing up the dais again for shits and giggles?

Then, I listened more carefully. No...that deep voice was definitely not Harley.

Well, Operation: Not Annoy Kratos had a good run. It looked like Operation: Get Brutally Murdered by Kratos was going to begin a few weeks early...

...Because a very quick peek around the corner told me that he was conversing with a Cruxis angel. If the wind hadn't been blowing so hard up here, he would've heard my approach and probably sent the angel away. But noooo, naturally I had to catch him in the act so he'd have to kill me to keep me quiet. I couldn't exactly tell him "no it's cool, I knew all along" and expect him to believe me.

The wind was still blowing hard enough that I couldn't make out what they were saying. Curious as I was, I wasn't about to creep closer so I could hear.

Focusing hard on the sound of Kratos' voice, I started slowly backing away from the scene. If I heard him pause or falter, I would at least have some warning that he was about to silence me for good. Not that I thought fighting back would do any good, but it'd make feel a little better if I at least saw it coming. Wait...no, maybe he wouldn't kill me. Shit, what if he just turned me over to Cruxis instead?

I had to get out of here. Hardly breathing, I continued to back away, hugging the edge of the dais.

Kratos' voice stopped, and I froze. I looked up in time to see the flutter of wings, and then an angel warping away in much the same manner as Remiel.

Oh, no. If their meeting was over, that meant Kratos would be coming around the edge of the dais any second now. Please, please go around the other way...

I saw a spike of auburn hair appear from around the corner, and knew I had to act. Moving as fast as I possibly could, I dove over to the side, where the ground slanted downward towards the mountains. I moved behind a large boulder, digging my heels into the ground so I wouldn't slide downwards. There was a sheer drop at the end of this slant-if I slid too far, I'd fall off and die. Yeah, my fear of heights wasn't exactly helping me stay calm right now.

My movement shifted a bunch of rocks and pebbles out of place and caused them to tumble down the cliff, kicking up a cloud of dust. My whole body tensed. I was dead. There was no way Kratos hadn't seen or heard that, especially with his heightened senses.

The wind died down a bit, enough that I could hear his oncoming footsteps. When he was about to pass the boulder I hid behind, he paused. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears; I squeezed my eyes shut as I had the irrational thought that Kratos could probably hear it, too.

Several very long seconds passed. I was sure he stood there for at least ten, but it felt like an eternity. And then, I heard his footsteps continue until there was the telltale sound of him descending the staircase.

When I could no longer hear him, I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My tense muscles relaxed, and I almost slid off the cliff because of it.

"Shit," I grunted quietly. I managed to pull myself back up on to the grass, and just lay there for a moment.

That...had been one seriously close call. I still couldn't believe he hadn't realized I was there.

He hadn't...right? But still...how could he not have noticed my presence with his angelic hearing? It just seemed impossible. Maybe he thought the sounds he heard were caused by an animal? That didn't sound right...he never dismissed things so quickly.

Augh, I was just overthinking it. I was just happy that I got to live for a little while longer. But I had a feeling I would be avoiding Kratos for a little while...

My hair blew into my eyes as the wind picked up again. I pushed myself up on to my feet, brushing myself off, and looked over to the stairs. I couldn't have had more than four minutes left...Sheena would be waiting for me pretty soon. I attempted to push my bangs behind my ears, and was annoyed when some stray locks were just long enough to fall in front of my eyes again.

Well, it was about time I headed back. I started down the long staircase, and suddenly got a sense of vertigo. Oh, yeah...no safe railing to hold on to. How the hell had I done this last time I was here? I remembered having a few people in front of me, so that had sort of blocked the view of all the stairs ahead...but now I was totally alone, and the wind was blowing. My confidence plummeted with every step as I thought of all the injuries I could get from falling down these stone stairs.

I gulped, and tried to place each foot carefully. If I thought this was daunting, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like flying to the Tower of Salvation.

After another couple of minutes, I finally reached the bottom and let out a sigh of relief. Sweet, level ground...

All right, I had wasted enough time. Hell, I was probably already late, with how long I'd taken to get down those stairs. Me and my brilliant ideas... I shook my head at my own stupidity and looked up, ready to head back down to the stalls.

My eyes caught a glimpse of purple, and suddenly I had locked eyes with Kratos.

He was standing a bit of a distance away, near one of the cheaper inns. I quickly looked away, feebly trying to pretend that I hadn't seen him in the first place. Walking a little faster, I headed down to the shop stalls where I saw Sheena standing.

That look in Kratos' eyes...did he...?

"What took you so long?" Sheena asked as I approached. She didn't look upset, though.

I shrugged. "Genis is an elusive little guy."

The ninja cocked an eyebrow at that, but didn't press any further. "Well, what'd you come up with?"

"Carving knives. Like, for all that craftsman stuff Lloyd does. That's what Genis got him," I answered. "What about you?"

Sheena crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, Colette said she got him a Talisman."

"Uh...what do those do again?" I thought for a moment. "Something with defense..."

"They raise defense a little bit," Sheena replied, smiling with amusement. "With how much trouble Lloyd gets into, I think he'll need it."

I grinned a bit. "What about Raine?"

"She turned it into a learning experience, naturally."

"Books?" I asked skeptically. Sheena shook her head.

"She got him a bunch of potions. You know...Flare bottles, Guard bottles, Acuity bottles..."

I laughed. "Now he'll have to learn what all of them do in order to use them. Pretty sneaky, Professor."

"No kidding," Sheena said. "So, I think we've got everyone accounted for. Unless you actually did go after Kratos...?"

"Well..." I paused, looking past her and over her shoulder. Kratos was nowhere in sight. "...No, not really."

He'd been standing near that inn...had he been watching me as I walked down the-

Oh.

There was only one stairway to get to the dais and back. Even if he hadn't seen me up there...he'd seen me walk down those stairs. He had to know now; he knew that I had seen him.

Shit. What was I going to do?

Now that he was no longer in my sights, I felt as if he'd pop up and stab me from behind any minute now. Even though he'd never do that in front of people, I just couldn't get the irrational fear out of my system.

"Brittany?" Sheena's voice cut through my thoughts. "You don't look so good all of a sudden. What's wrong?"

I quickly shook my head. "I...I'm okay. I just felt a little dizzy for a second there. Maybe it's because I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

She stared at me, concerned. "You're really pale. Let's talk about this over some food, then. Come on, I don't want you passing out on me."

I cracked a weak smile, following Sheena up to the doors of the Cool Breeze. I had a feeling food wouldn't help me very much, but maybe it'd at least distract me from the issue at hand...

"Haaaappy biiirthday dear Lloydoooo..."

Colette and Genis grinned as I serenaded a bleary-eyed Lloyd with everyone's favorite birthday song. We were standing around his bed, holding a plate of Genis' delicious pancakes. Waving said pancakes under the teenager's nose for a second or two had woken him up a little more.

Now he sat up in bed, his messy hair flopping down over his eyes, and stared up at me.

"Haaaapy birthday to youuu-"

"Ugh..."

"Lloyd! You ruined it!" I scolded him, but couldn't hide my own grin. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"How early is it?"

"Actually, it's already ten. Raine said we couldn't let you sleep any longer," Genis said.

Lloyd yawned. "All right, I'm getting-hey, are those pancakes?"

"For a growing boy," I said in a motherly tone.

"I'm a man now," Lloyd pointed out in a bold voice, a goofy smile on his face.

"You're right!" I said, dismayed. "Lloydie's all grown up...I'm gonna cry!"

"Cut it out, dork," Lloyd laughed, taking the plate of pancakes from my hands. "Genis, did you make these?"

"Of course!" Genis said proudly. "You didn't think I'd let Raine near the kitchen on your birthday, did you?"

"What was that?" Raine's voice came from behind us, and Genis flinched.

"Uh, hey sis..."

She gave him a look, but thankfully let it slide this time. She turned her attention to Lloyd, who was quietly inhaling his breakfast. "I don't want to rush you, but get dressed and meet us downstairs when you're done. We're leaving around noon."

"Mmhmm," Lloyd said, his mouth full of pancake.

"That goes for you three as well," she said to us. "I'll see you in a little bit." Raine smiled at Lloyd, and then exited the room.

"Well, at the rate you're eating, we'd better start getting dressed," I said to Lloyd, shaking my head. "Anyway, I'm probably gonna be slow, so...see you guys downstairs."

Waving, I followed out after the Professor, and headed for my own room.

I was still wearing pajama pants and a tank top, things I'd bought in Luin back when it was still standing. Shutting the door behind me, I prepared to get into my usual gear. Putting all that crap on was a bit of a process every morning. I still felt kind of weird putting on the same outfit every day...but to be fair, I had a couple pairs of underclothes that I switched up. That was sorta sanitary, right?

Ugh, Sylvarant.

After I was finished getting dressed, I went downstairs into the inn's roomy lobby. Raine, Sheena and Kratos were sitting on some sofas that surrounded a small coffee table. Everyone had placed their presents on to the table, and the wrapped gifts seemed to brighten the already cheery room. I took the seat next to Sheena, since it was farthest from the grumpy mercenary.

"Is everyone else almost ready?" Sheena asked, looking over at me.

"I think so. Lloyd practically vacc-uh, inhaled his breakfast, so he's probably getting dressed right about now." Did vaccums exist in Sylvarant? Probably shouldn't risk it.

Right on cue, I heard the pounding of feet coming down the stairs as Lloyd and Genis entered the lobby. There was another set of softer footsteps, and I knew that would be Colette. Everyone took a seat around the table, Lloyd eyeing the presents with curiosity. It was too bad we didn't have any cake, but...yeah, it wasn't really a breakfast food.

"Lloyd! Um...happy birthday," Sheena said. He grinned.

"Thanks. Man, I can't believe you guys did all this for me..."

Admittedly, it wasn't much. But after all the crap we'd put up with, a little party like this was pretty damn good and it was the best we could do.

I was highly tempted to ask Kratos to sing a "Happy Birthday" duet with me, but after yesterday I was feeling a little nervous around the guy. I was waiting for him to just get up and stab me sometime soon. Agh, focus on Lloyd, pretend nothing's wrong...

"Open mine first!" Genis insisted, and I managed to turn my thoughts away from the problem at hand. If I kept thinking about yesterday, sooner or later I'd glance up at Kratos; then I'd probably make eye-contact unintentionally and get scared and want to pass out.

"All right, all right..." Lloyd laughed, and one by one he opened our gifts. He loved Genis' present, as I expected him to.

"Huh? What's this do?" He asked curiously when he made it to Colette's gift. She smiled.

"A Talisman," Kratos offered, looking mildly amused. "It is an accessory that raises the defense of those who use it."

Colette pointed to it, holding up a note she'd written. 'I put a red string on it so it matches your coat!'

I almost laughed when I leaned over to read it, glancing at the Talisman to see that the thick string Lloyd could use to tie it around his neck was indeed a shade of crimson.

After he was done thanking Colette for her present, he opened Raine's...and immediately looked confused, and a little scared of the evil smile on the Professor's face. She began to lecture him on the uses of each bottle.

"H-How am I gonna remember all that?" He whimpered. "Maybe I should label them..."

"Uh, Lloyd, you're not gonna have time to read the labels in the middle of a battle," Genis pointed out.

"Oh, right..." his face fell. "Professor, could you explain them again? You kind of lost me..." She'd made the mistake of explaining in too much detail, successfully boring me as well.

She twitched, probably ready to scold him, but I sighed and held out a hand, scooting closer to Lloyd. I placed a finger on a red bottle, and was a bit surprised that it felt warm to the touch.

"That's a Flare bottle. It temporarily raises your attack power," I said simply.

"So I could beat enemies faster with this?" Lloyd asked, already excited at the idea of it.

"You probably shouldn't waste it on regular monsters," Genis commented.

"I won't!" Lloyd said, but the grin on his face didn't falter. "What's this one do?"

"Guard bottle," I said. "Temporarily raises defense."

"And this one?"

I continued to name off each of the bottles he had been given, and I had a feeling I was just feeding him the game's description of the items word for word. Man, I played video games too much back home...

"I'm impressed," Raine said when I was done, though there was a questioning tone to her voice. "You seem to know a lot about these potions, Brittany."

I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well...I used to run a lot of errands for the item shop owner back when I was staying in Luin. I guess I picked up on the names and uses of everything while I was at it." Well, it was half true. I probably would've learned all that if I hadn't already known it.

...That weird feeling...someone's intense stare was burning into the side of my head. Don't turn and look, Brittany. Kratos can see into your soul. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good-

Oh God, I was never going to get over that Christmas thing, was I...

"This stuff is great! Thanks Professor!" Lloyd piped up, and Raine's attention was diverted.

I gave him a grateful look, having a feeling that he'd noticed the puzzled tone to her voice. I should've just kept quiet, but ever since that epic failure on the quiz Raine gave me, I often felt the need to prove that I wasn't a complete idiot. Still...I could understand where she was coming from. It made no sense that I was clueless about much of Sylvarant, and yet suddenly I have a bunch of knowledge on potions.

Raine smiled, pleased that Lloyd liked her gift, and didn't press the topic of my knowledge. Lloyd moved on to the last gift- the one Sheena and I had bought the previous day. It was a long, rectangular box, the largest in size out of the presents.

"That one's from us," Sheena said.

The brunette curiously ripped away the wrapping paper, revealing a wooden case. He opened it up to see a pair of bright silver swords.

"I saw you looking at some yesterday, but we couldn't afford them," I explained.

"So we pooled our money and got you the next best thing," Sheena finished.

I smiled sheepishly. "Hope that's all right."

"These are..." Lloyd stared at them, wide-eyed. "...so cool!"

He stood up, pulling them out of the case to examine them, turning them over so the light hit the blades at different angles. They were shiny enough that I could clearly see my own reflection in them.

"Kratos! Let's train!" Lloyd said suddenly, looking excited. "I'll beat you now that I have these!"

The mercenary cocked an eyebrow, amused. At the look he received from Lloyd, he let out a sigh. "...I suppose I could spare a few minutes," he said; the way he said it reminded me of how my own dad would talk to me when we decided to do anything together. He always spoke with mock reluctance, pretending he was doing me a great favor even though he wasn't opposed to the idea either.

Even though Kratos was a dad, it was weird comparing him to mine. They were polar opposites. My father was a people- person, the friendly type of guy that everyone generally liked. Whenever I had a problem or I was stressed out, just talking to my dad was enough to calm me down. He was a complete dork, but calm and rational whenever I needed him to be. Although he seemed to know everything about everything, he wasn't arrogant about it, and always used his knowledge to help me out when I needed it.

"We'll see how long your enthusiasm lasts," Kratos' voice cut through my thoughts, as an eager Lloyd followed him out the door.

"Oh, and thanks again, guys!" Lloyd waved hurriedly, clutching his swords under one arm.

A frown tugged at my lips. I missed my dad...I was so used to him being the safety net I could fall back on whenever I really screwed up. There was nothing he could do to help me now...

"Well, that was quick," Sheena said, grinning. "I could be wrong, but I think he might have liked our gift..." She suddenly paused. "Brit? Is something wrong?"

I blinked, remembering myself, and immediately shook my head. "Huh? No, I just zoned out for a minute there. But yeah, I'm glad we didn't blow it." I offered a fake smile.

"You can't really mess up when getting Lloyd swords," Genis remarked, laughing.

Raine and Sheena frowned at me for a moment, and I had a feeling both could see through the smile on my face. I stood up, suddenly feeling exposed and uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for a walk around town while we wait for them," I said, approaching the door. "Meet you guys back here later, okay?"

The troubled look left Raine's face a little too quickly, and she smiled. "Don't be too late."

I nodded, waving, and left the inn.

"Man..." I sighed, walking alone through the dusty streets of the town. Ever since yesterday, I'd felt completely off-balance, like everyone was going to figure out my secrets just by looking at me.

What was wrong with me? Almost everyone here gave me the occasional troubled or suspicious look-I did a lot of strange things. I wasn't suspicious enough for them to act on it, though...besides, I liked to think that some of them were sorta my friends by now. But still...that thing with Kratos was really bothering me. I was just waiting for him to confront me.

What was I going to do when that happened? He was going to kill me. There'd be no point in begging for my life, if I knew I was going to be killed at the Tower of Salvation...and by the same person, no less. Maybe I could strike some sort of deal with him? Or...I could blackmail him into helping me survive!

Christ, the very thought of it made me feel dirty. Would I really have the guts to do something as cruel as that? No...ugh, I was so stupid. Despite the fact that he was the guy who would probably kill me, I still had too much respect for Kratos to be running around stabbing him in the back like that. Even though he was about to screw us all over...

"Oof!"

Suddenly I bumped into someone, stumbling backwards.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attent-" I suddenly stopped, seeing the woman standing before me. She had short blonde hair and bright, expressive blue eyes. "Elena?!"

The woman stared at me in shock, and my face fell when I examined her closer. This clearly wasn't a teenager...and although there was a striking resemblance, it wasn't the girl I used to know.

I averted my gaze. "Sorry," I said again, backing away a little. "I mistook you for someone else."

As I turned to leave, feeling awkward, the woman called out to me. "Wait!"

I paused, turning to face her again. "Wh-What is it?"

Her face was strained, and she came closer to me, gripping my shoulders. "I have a daughter named Elena. She was taken to a Desian ranch several months ago. You've seen her? Do you know where she is? Please, tell me!"

My eyes widened with disbelief. This...this was Elena's mother?! What...what was I supposed to say?! No, I couldn't...! She looked so hopeful, so desperate...

"I...I have to go," I said quickly, lowering my gaze and pulling away from her.

"Please! Wait!" She called, distraught, but I bolted, dodging through a crowd of people.

I knew she didn't chase after me, and yet I kept on running, having a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I ran to the only secluded place I knew of in town-the stone dais.

After bolting up the stairs and running around to the other end of the stone platform, I sank to the ground. My body shook as I panted heavily, finding it difficult to breathe because of the lump that had developed in my throat.

I had forgotten...Elena had told me that she was from Asgard. I hadn't expected to run into her family here...oh, what was I going to do? If I told her mother what had happened, it would break her heart. But if I didn't say anything, her family would go on worrying about her...

Clenching my teeth, I tried to force back the tears that wanted to form. I didn't want to think about Elena and how she had died...I still couldn't forgive myself for my total helplessness at the time. I couldn't forgive myself...because only a few weeks later, we had gone back and rescued the rest of the prisoners.

Why? Why had I just stood there and watched? I should have done something...anything! But...I had been too scared...and by the time I had realized what needed to be done, it had been too late. I was so...powerless.

"If you have time to be sitting up here, you should be getting your things together at the inn," Kratos' voice came from behind me, and I tensed, before clenching my fists. Apparently his training session with Lloyd was over.

"...Go away," I said. "I just want to be left alone for a minute. I'll be down in a bit."

There was a short silence, and I could tell Kratos was watching me with a frown. "Hmph...very well. You have five minutes." He turned to leave, and I bit my lip.

"Actually...n-no, wait," I said hurriedly. He paused, not looking at me.

"I...can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

Kratos didn't move, and I took that to mean that he was waiting for the question. I sighed, staring down into my lap. I couldn't believe that even after what happened yesterday, I still felt compelled to ask him this...

"What if...someone died, and you were the only one that could break the news to their family? How would you do it? Wouldn't it be terrible...to break their hearts like that?" I winced; I knew what the morally correct thing to do was, but...but...

I heard the sounds of footsteps on the grass, and suddenly Kratos had taken a seat next to me with a solemn look on his face.

"That is not a hypothetical question."

I flinched. "...You're right. It's not..."

"Explain."

Hesitating, I bit my lip. "...When I was imprisoned in the Asgard Ranch, I became friends with one of my cellmates, Elena...she was one of the only people they hadn't...well, broken yet. We planned to escape with Pietro. But then, when the day came, she vanished from her cell. When we finally managed to find her...she was on that damned conveyer belt." I knew he would know which one I was talking about. "I couldn't do anything to save her."

"And you met a member of her family today," Kratos finished for me, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Her mother," I said quietly, and then put my face in my hands. "I don't know what to do. Those two had such a resemblance that I blurted out Elena's name...her mom started asking me about her, but I just couldn't say it! So I ran away...like a coward."

"You would be a weakhearted fool if you chose not to tell her," the mercenary said firmly.

"I..."

"It isn't your choice to make. If you withhold this information, her family will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives. Although inevitably they will come to the same conclusion, they will never find closure, always wondering if she died in peace or if she suffered till her last breath." Kratos' eyes were hard, and I couldn't meet his gaze. I knew he was thinking about how he had felt when he thought he'd lost Lloyd.

I thought about my own family...and I knew he was right. I would have given anything to tell them I was all right. They probably thought I was dead...and when people disappeared on Earth, it was usually because they were murdered in cold blood. There were hundreds of sick, brutal ways in which I could have died...and I was sure my family thought about each and every one of them. My mother would be all alone, hundreds of miles from where the rest of our family lived...and I was sure she would cry each and every night.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "It was a stupid question..."

Kratos closed his eyes. "You have been on this journey long enough to understand adult responsibility. If you truly cared about this person, then you will find the strength to tell them."

"Yeah..." I got to my feet. "You're right. I'll go tell them now.

I turned, walking around the edge of the dais, and heard the sound of Kratos getting to his feet as well.

"Brittany."

I paused, looking over my shoulder. "What?"

His stare was penetrating and scrutinizing. "...Don't worry about it. Go."

Frowning deeply, I nodded and began to descend the staircase.

I knocked on the wooden door, standing in front of the house I'd seen Elena's mother enter while walking around town. The lump in my throat came back, but I forced it down, and took a deep breath.

The door opened, and the blonde woman froze at the sight of me.

"...It's you," she said hesitantly.

"I'm sorry about earlier," I said quietly. "I just..."

Faltering, I clenched my fists and forced myself to look Elena's mother in the eyes.

"It's about Elena. Back in the Desian ranch, she...she's-"

Her mother saw the look in my eyes, going white. She collapsed before I could even get the word out.

"I'm really sorry," I said miserably, sitting at the kitchen table in Elena's home.

Elena's father, a brown haired man with the arms of a blacksmith, sat across from me. He held his wife in his arms; she was weeping silently as we spoke.

Elena's older sister had shut herself in her room upon hearing the news; we could hear the occasional crash as the twenty- year-old threw things at her walls, crying with frustration and helplessness. It hurt just to be in this house.

I had explained the details about her death...the complete truth. The only thing I could say to console them was that she undoubtedly died quickly...but that couldn't mask the constant suffering and torture she had gone through in the weeks before.

"Thank you for telling us," her father said quietly. In contrast to the others, his face was grave. He would undoubtedly shed tears later-I could see it in his eyes. But for now...he was being strong for his wife and remaining daughter.

"We heard the ranch was infiltrated and its prisoners rescued," he said. "Please excuse my daughter...she went to Luin to look for her sister, and came back devastated. We knew something had happened to Elena...but we did not want to accept it."

"The Desians have made a lot of people suffer..." I whispered, and then somehow managed to meet his gaze. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm traveling with the Chosen's group. Someday...things won't be like this. We're going to save Sylvarant from the Desians. I promise."

He smiled weakly. "Thank you...I'm sure Elena would have liked to hear that."

There was the sound of smashing glass coming from upstairs, and Elena's father let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry...but I think now we may need time to grieve on our own."

I nodded, standing up. "I...I understand."

Stepping outside, I shut the door behind me, and wanted to scream.

It only took me a few minutes to make it to the Cool Breeze; I went straight to my room, avoiding everyone. Once there, I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

There was a knock on my door, and I didn't answer. Lloyd let himself in.

"Hey, are you sleeping or something?" He stood over me, curious, and saw that my eyes were open.

"Come on," he grinned. "We're leaving now. Think about it-in a few days we're gonna see a unicorn!"

"Be out in a sec," I mumbled. That was when he seemed to notice the blank look on my face.

"What's wrong?" His grin fell, and I shook my head.

"Nothing, just tired," I replied, and smiled. It felt forced. "Did you have fun training with Kratos?"

Lloyd's face brightened at that. "I couldn't beat him, but he taught me all sorts of new stuff! I'll show you during training tomorro-"

"Lloyd, Brittany, we're leaving!" Sheena called up the stairs, and we both looked over towards the door.

"Guess it's time to go," I shrugged, trying to act normal.

He nodded, heading for the door. Just before leaving, he looked over his shoulder at me. "...You sure nothing's wrong?"

I feigned amusement. "Lloyd, it's your birthday. Worry about yourself for a change, will ya?" I thumped him on the shoulder, and pushed him out into the hall. "Let's go see that unicorn."

He looked troubled for a second, but then seemed to shrug it off. "Yeah."

And so, our long days of travelling began once more...

Chapter Text

Although at first I felt like I'd never escape the depression I'd fallen into, that feeling quickly subsided. Elena's death and the thought of her grieving family would always upset me, but at this point in the journey I was able to put that to the back of my mind. I'd seen so many things so far that if I let myself sink into a week-long depression every single time something bad happened, I'd never stop feeling like crap. Everyone would move on in the end...and for the sake of my own sanity, I had to force myself to do so a little early.

Needless to say, though, it just added to the amount of things nagging at the back of my mind. At first, my only goal was to get back home to Earth. When I first remembered everything, I had been completely at Kvar's mercy; at that moment, if I'd had the chance, I would've gone home and totally forgotten about everything. I might have even passed it off in my head as a bad dream.

As time went on, my thoughts changed. After escaping from the ranch, I still would have gone home if I could, but I would have thought about my time in Sylvarant for a while afterwards.

And now...my thoughts continued to change. If I could go home right now, at this very moment, would I? There would be the undeniable urge to, yes...but I don't think I would have been able to sleep at night if I'd just left the world as it was. I'd already changed some stuff by being here, so I couldn't just make the excuse that me leaving would be for the best. Even if it was unintentional, I still had to take responsibility for whatever crap I'd screwed up. I didn't know what I'd really done yet, but I was sure I'd find out eventually.

I really hated to admit it, but I had developed an attachment to Sylvarant, Lloyd, and the others. I had seen so many people suffer under the Desians and Cruxis. I had grown to hate the regeneration system and how it toyed with the lives of innocent people.

I hadn't just seen Elena die in that ranch...I'd seen the consequences of her death. If someone died, that wasn't just the end of it. It affected many more people than just that single individual. Their families grieved...and you couldn't really understand the extent of the pain inflicted until you'd seen it for yourself.

This journey had taught me a lot of things...above all, the value of a person's life. I think I finally, fully understood what Lloyd meant when he'd said there was no meaning in dying...

I sighed; I was getting ahead of myself. He hadn't even said that yet...and I was totally going off on a tangent. Point was, if I could leave right now, there was a chance that I wouldn't. I had gotten far too involved...and it seemed like there were far too many questions I didn't know the answer to.

Actually, the main question on my mind right now was...did I really want to die at the Tower of Salvation?

"Look! It's up ahead!" Lloyd pointed out eagerly, recognizing the familiar forest that surrounded Lake Umacy.

"Finally...my feet are starting to hurt," Genis said cheerfully.

"A unicorn, huh..." Sheena mumbled to herself. I frowned, my thoughts broken up, and attempted to reorganize them.

...I didn't want to die, of course. I just didn't see any point in hoping that I wouldn't. I wasn't on par with this group when it came to fighting skill, for one thing. Not only that, when the group got to the Tower in the game, even that had been insanely hard. Kratos was almost impossible to beat unless you leveled up your party a bunch before heading up there. Even if you'd lost to Kratos in the game, though, the battle was automatically cut off. We didn't have that kind of convenience in the real world. It was going to be very dangerous, and some of us in the group might even be severely injured or killed. I'd give it a shot, but I had a feeling I was going to fall into the 'killed' category.

If by some miracle we actually defeated Kratos, well...then I might have to reconsider my options. Even after that, Yggdrasill would still attack us, and, well...yeah. Like I've said, I wasn't going to get my hopes up.

The others continued to talk amongst themselves as we drew closer and closer to the forest. Kratos remained silent, as usual, and I continued to brood from my position near the back. Lloyd usually got annoyed when I acted like this, but at this moment I really couldn't think of anything to say. Unicorn, woo.

As usual, it had taken us a couple days to reach Lake Umacy. There's no point in telling everything that happened, since...well, not much happened at all. It was just the usual; Lloyd complaining of boredom, Noishe giving me dirty looks for no apparent reason, and all of us sleeping on the cold, hard ground.

One thing really did bother me, though...Kratos' confrontation had never come. I was absolutely positive that he knew I'd seen him; only an idiot wouldn't have made the connection after seeing me walk down that staircase. I would have to be incredibly naive to assume that he was oblivious to what had gone on that day.

He watched me a lot more often, and I felt like his suspicious looks were more frequent than before. And one time, he'd said my name as if he were about to ask me something, but then he'd shaken his head and told me to forget about it. I had a feeling that that time we'd spoken up on the dais, he'd been about to say something to me then, too.

It really bothered me...why hadn't he said anything to me? What was holding him back? Was I missing some vital information here?

I shot the mercenary a glance, only to find that he'd already been staring at me. Blinking, I hurriedly looked away. Okay, that was awkward...Christ! If this went on, one day I was just gonna run up and confront him myself before the whole waiting game drove me insane.

Kratos eventually moved up ahead to where Lloyd was walking alone; everyone had given him space since he'd drawn out his swords. He was trying to remember the formation to a certain tech, it looked like. I watched with curiosity as Kratos sighed, showing Lloyd step by step.

Now that I was thinking about it, Kratos had taught Lloyd a bunch of new techs on his birthday. I had a feeling that was Kratos' form of a birthday present. Normally I'd call it cute, but right now I was on pins and needles when it came to the mercenary. I appreciated his help with the Elena issue, but I was still a little wary.

"...Brittany?"

"Huh?" I looked up, and realized Sheena was talking to me. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

She rolled her eyes. "If you keep walking around with your head in the clouds, you're gonna walk right into a monster one of these days."

"Comforting thought," I remarked.

"Anyway, I was asking you what you thought about meeting the unicorn. We couldn't get a good glimpse of it last time, but I hear they're really beautiful." Sheena smiled slightly. "I've only seen pictures of them."

"Yeah, same here," I said, smiling. "If you think about it, this might be the only chance we ever get to see a unicorn."

Sheena tilted her head. "Well, we could always come back and visit this one, right?"

I faltered. "Um...yeah. You're right."

Awkward...I had forgotten, she didn't know it would die once we took the horn. Raine and Kratos were witholding that type of information because it might discourage Sheena from going to the unicorn.

Sheena looked puzzled at the hesitance in my voice, but didn't question me on it. Kratos looked over his shoulder at me, and I just frowned. He let out a sigh and returned his attention to the forest ahead.

Dammit, Kratos, interrogate me already! Was he intentionally trying to make me uncomfortable?!

I watched the mercenary's back, hiding a scowl. Fine, if that was how he was going to be...I was just going to forget about it. The unicorn was more important right now, anyway. Focus on the unicorn...

Within the next few minutes, we were deep within the forest, skirting the edge of the lake. I recognized the spot where we'd fallen in a few weeks ago, and reminisced on better times. It amazed me how quickly the days had passed...

Since we already knew where the unicorn was, it didn't take us much longer to reach our destination. In a moment or two we had reached a clearing, and everyone approached the edge of the water to gaze down at the creature trapped below the surface.

Lloyd grinned. "All right, finally! Go on, Sheena. Ask the unicorn to take us over there."

"That's not going to work," Kratos remarked, crossing his arms. Everyone turned to look in his direction.

"Why not?" Genis asked.

Raine closed her eyes. "The unicorn...can only be approached by a pure maiden."

"At the very least, Lloyd, Genis and I are out," Kratos said.

The brunette's face fell. "So only girls can go? Man..."

"So then, just Raine and..." Genis started, but his sister cut in, frowning.

"I'll pass. But we can't send Colette alone while she's like this..." The Professor looked over at me. "Brittany, would you-"

"Hey!" Sheena snapped, her cheeks turning pink. "What about me?! Are you saying that I'm not qualified?!"

"...Qualified?" Lloyd and Genis said, eyebrows raised. Sheena huffed.

"You don't have to both say it at once!"

Kratos sighed, beginning to look exasperated, especially now that I was grinning like a total idiot at the whole scene. "...Then we shall send Colette and Sheena," he concluded.

"Wait," Lloyd said, frowning. "Why can't the Professor go?"

"Because I'm an adult," Raine answered vaguely. I turned away, snorting, and received a hard smack on the back of the head.

"...I don't get it," Lloyd said, looking between us with a clueless expression on his face. "Aren't Brittany and Sheena adults too? I didn't know a pure maiden had to be a kid..."

"Lloyd..." I said, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Lemme take you over there for a second, I'll explain-"

"We don't have time for that," Raine said, giving me a death glare.

I gave her a pouty look. "But Professor, he's eighteen. If he's sheltered like this all his life, he's never gonna get a girlfr-"

"Um, I'm going to summon now!" Sheena declared, cutting me off before Raine's angry twitch could get any worse.

"I'm so lost..." I heard Lloyd mutter, hanging his head. Genis had given up trying to understand long ago, and Colette was just standing there with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Wait, why can't I go to see the unicorn?" I asked hurriedly.

"...Because you're an adult?" Lloyd tried answering, and the Professor buried her face in the palm of her hand.

"Christ," I muttered. "Professor, if we keep talking in codes like this, the unicorn will think we're implying it's a pedophi- OW!"

Raine lowered her fist as I nursed the sore spot on my head. Such abuse...

Sheena cleared her throat loudly, frowning awkwardly. "Anyway..."

She shook her head, approaching the lake, and then her face became more solemn. "I call upon the Maiden of the Mist. I summon thee...Come, Undine!"

Aaaaand, cue topless summon spirit. I suddenly felt Lloyd press his forehead against my shoulder, and hoped he wouldn't nosebleed all over my coat or something.

"Please, Undine," Sheena said as Colette came to stand beside her. "Take us to the unicorn."

I almost voiced another complaint about not being able to go with them, but decided against it. A third person wasn't really needed; I had a feeling that was why. Besides, I was having too much fun with Lloyd back here.

"As you wish," Undine said, nodding. "To the lake..."

We looked ahead to see that the unicorn had been lifted above the surface of the water, freed from its imprisonment. It stood in the middle of the lake, tossing its mane to one side. The action flung small water droplets into the air; they reflected sunlight and briefly shined like jewels before falling into the lake.

I stood humbled and in awe of the graceful creature; through its many reincarnations, it was likely as old as time itself. This was nothing like a summon spirit...this creature was a physical manifestation of purity, incapable of committing sin or harming another. Good will and gentleness seemed to radiate from the unicorn, and I remained quiet out of respect. Lloyd looked up and leaned forward, squinting to get a better view.

Undine floated over the lake water, waiting for our business to be done. Hesitant, Sheena stepped forward and placed a foot on to the water; it remained solid under her feet. The ninja looked over, nodding to Colette, and they both continued onward to meet with the unicorn.

As Sheena and Colette conversed with it, we waited at the shore. I was sure only Kratos could hear the details of the conversation.

"Incredible..." Raine murmured, staring ahead quietly. "I never imagined I would get to see such a creature for myself, even if it is from a distance."

"Will the unicorn horn really be able to help your healing arts, sis?" Genis questioned, keeping his voice quiet as well.

She nodded. "I'm sure of it. I should be able to help Pietro...and Clara, as well."

"Clara..." I spoke up. "She's that...that thing we saw in Luin, isn't she? An Exsphere victim."

"Yeah," Lloyd confirmed. "She turned into a monster when her Exsphere was taken off..."

Kratos remained silent, staring ahead. I frowned slightly; how could he possibly feel after hearing there was a way to save an Exbelua? The knowledge that he could have saved Anna, had he done something different...that must have been painful.

"We'll have to look for her, then. I hope she's all right," I remarked.

"It will have to wait," Kratos finally spoke. "As of right now, our primary duty is to complete the world regeneration. If we do not, there will only be more people like Clara."

There he went again. I'd almost been hoping that we could get sidetracked again and look for Clara first, but it looked like that wasn't how it was going to go.

"The world regeneration..." Genis said quietly, looking troubled. He was probably remembering the conversation he'd had with Lloyd a while ago.

"Hima's our next destination, isn't it?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. "What then?"

"There was a man advertising dragon rides the last time we were there. He claimed the business would be set up in a week or so; we should be able to make use of his dragons now," Raine said.

I nodded. "Okay, dragons. Great."

Lloyd glanced over at me. "...You're okay with that?"

"Nope," I answered, shrugging. "But I'm not gonna be a pansy and back out at the last minute when I've come this far. Don't worry, though, you'll probably get to see me freak out when we're actually about to do it."

The brunette looked like he wanted to say something more to me, but suddenly we noticed that Sheena and Colette were walking back over the water to us. The unicorn was gone.

"You guys okay?" Lloyd asked, frowning. Sheena had lowered her head just enough so that her bangs concealed her eyes.

"...Sheena, are you crying?" Genis asked, looking surprised.

"The unicorn...gave us his horn," she answered simply, her voice soft.

"...I see," Kratos said, a solemn look on his face. "Then the unicorn is dead."

Sheena rounded on him, her eyes narrowed. "You knew?!"

"When a unicorn loses its horn, it dies," Raine explained. "By dying, a new unicorn is born. That's why the unicorn is the symbol of death and rebirth."

I'd always thought it was the phoenix. I mean, we didn't use Unicorn Downs in Final Fantasy, did we? That just sounded retarded. Then again, that was probably because a unicorn didn't have down feathers. Agh, useless train of thought.

"A new unicorn will be born?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes. I'm sure one has been," Raine answered, looking out over the lake. Sheena wiped away her tears, taking comfort in this fact.

"We should make good use of the horn, then," the brunette said. "The unicorn gave it to us at the cost of his life."

"Yeah, Colette! Now we might be able to get you back to normal!" Genis said cheerfully.

Colette shook her head, scribbling down something on her notepad before Lloyd could ask why.

'I still haven't finished regenerating the world, so please use this for Pietro and Clara.'

"But Colette..." Lloyd said, and his face fell when she gave him a fake smile. He stared at the ground. "...All right. If that's what you want."

Colette nodded, and walked over to Raine. She reached out to place the horn in the Professor's hand. It glowed for a brief moment, seeming to react with the mana of a healer.

Raine examined it, looking intrigued. "It seems I'll be able to use some new healing arts, thanks to this horn."

"We can save Pietro now, right?" Sheena asked. "We don't have much time to lose."

"That's right," the Professor said, "we don't know how far his illness has progressed since we last saw him."

Lloyd looked up, and it seemed like he'd managed to compose himself. "We should get going right away, then. We promised we'd save him, after all. Right, Brit?"

I almost flinched. "Um, y-yeah."

Kratos nodded, turning away, and started back down the path. "We still have a few hours before nightfall. Let's get moving."

Biting my lip, I reluctantly began to follow. Yeah, Pietro was a friend, but on the other hand I wasn't exactly eager to go to Hima...

Raine let out a sigh, shaking her head, and began walking as well. The fact that Kratos almost always made the final decision irritated her. After a second or two, everyone else started to follow. We continued onward down the path, out of the forest, toward the rocky cliffs that looked upon the Tower of Salvation...

It took us about a week to make it to Hima, but it felt like only a day had passed. Nothing truly significant happened, save for the usual. Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena became more angsty and doubtful, but that was to be expected since they were totally kept in the dark. Most of the time, though, we were all getting along normally. Colette's smiles became even more fake, if that was possible.

Oh, and the confrontation with Kratos still didn't come. I eventually gave up, accepting the fact that it just would never come. I was just tiring myself out by questioning his thoughts and motives constantly. The end of my journey was drawing near; soon none of this would matter, anyway.

It felt like someone had pressed the fast-forward button on my life. Before I knew it, we were standing at the foot of the steep pathway that led up to the village.

Though the others talked as we traveled up the path, I trailed silently at the back once more. It seemed like apprehension and Hima went hand in hand...last time we were here, I'd been nervous about heading to the Asgard ranch. I couldn't believe I'd actually made it this far.

Because the image of the Tower loomed above us despite the height of the cliffs, I kept my eyes to the ground ahead of my feet. The ore on the rock walls did not shine today, because it was currently late afternoon and the sun wasn't setting yet. I couldn't distract myself by listening to the conversation of the others, because Raine was telling Colette and Sheena about the dragons we would probably end up using.

"So..." Lloyd, as always, had caught me brooding. Little bastard always snuck up on me at times like this, too. "If we're using dragons, then this must be our last stop. Can you believe the journey's so close to being over?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," I answered with a humorless laugh.

He frowned, looking ahead. "You know, I always thought I'd be really happy at this part," he said quietly.

"Aren't you?" I asked.

"Not when Colette has to be like this," he murmured. "Did we really do the right thing?"

"It's too late to turn back," I said. "Having regrets will only weigh you down. Learn from your mistakes, Lloyd, and you can use that knowledge to better yourself as a person."

"...Whoa," Lloyd said after a pause. "That was pretty deep. Did you hear Kratos say that or something?"

I smacked my forehead. "Hey! I'm capable of thinking for myself, you know!"

"I'm not saying that, you just really sounded like-"

"Kratos isn't the only one capable of giving good advice around here!"

"But you never say stuff like-"

"Would you two stop bickering back there?" Raine called over her shoulder, rolling up one sleeve; that simple action instantly quieted us down.

"Sorry, Professor..." We said in unison. Kratos just gave us a look, probably wishing we wouldn't include him in our conversations.

We were silent for a few minutes, and Lloyd had a thoughtful look on his face. He looked over at me.

"Hey, about what you said...does that mean you think we messed up?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," I replied. "It's not like we can go back in time and do it over." That only happened in video games. Ha-ha.

Lloyd frowned, troubled, and lowered his voice some more. "Colette's...going to be okay, right?"

I blinked, surprised that he thought I knew the answer. Maybe the question was more to himself than anyone else. After a hesitation, I answered anyway, hoping to at least help him a little. He'd done a lot for me in these past few months, and I felt bad that I was going to repay him by getting myself killed.

"Just don't screw up again. Colette's got the weight of the world on her shoulders; we're in this situation because we forced everything on her. If you want to fix this, you've gotta remember that she's only human, too."

Only human...and far from perfect. If Lloyd wanted to undo his mistakes, he'd have to fight like hell at the Tower. I knew Kratos would give similar advice later on when they spoke.

Even though we were pretty far behind, I knew Colette could probably hear my every word. I wished she would realize one of these days that she was allowed to have flaws, even if she was the Chosen...

"What could we have done differently...?" Lloyd murmured.

I shrugged. "Who knows, really? Anyway, there's no sense in worrying about it now. Look, we're here."

The brunette looked up, and suddenly our group was gathered near Hima's small inn. We were finally here...our last stop.

The Professor turned around to face us. "All right. I should be able to save Pietro now."

Kratos nodded. "I will go speak with the man in charge of the dragons. The rest of you, go ahead." He turned, walking away in the direction of the path that led up the cliff.

Raine watched him go for a moment, and then turned and began to walk in the direction of the inn. The rest of us followed.

When we entered the inn, we immediately found Sophia speaking to the innkeeper. She looked like she nearly had a heart attack when she saw us suddenly standing there, staring at her.

"E-Everyone!" She said, and then seemed to remember herself. "The healing technique...?"

"We found it," Sheena assured her.

"I'm going to try it now. All right?" Raine asked, and Sophia immediately nodded.

"Yes! Please! He's upstairs; follow me."

We followed her into Pietro's room, gathering at the foot of his bed.

"Oh..." I choked, having to look away.

Needless to say...Pietro didn't look so good. He seemed to have wasted away since we last saw him; now he was nothing more than skin stretched over bones, a living skeleton. This was worse than the conditions I'd seen in the human ranch, and that was saying something. His eyes were closed, sunken in to his face, and his hair was stringy and falling out in some places. The only sign that Pietro was alive was the barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest. In this condition, I doubted he could even move at all.

Colette covered her mouth with her hands, and I noticed that Genis chose to look away, too. Lloyd and Sheena lowered their gazes.

"Please..." Sophia said quietly. "I...I don't think he has much time left."

The Professor gripped her staff more tightly, looking grave at the sight of Pietro's condition. I wondered...even with the unicorn horn, how could anyone hope to save someone who was already standing at death's door?

Raine walked forward, approaching the side of Pietro's bed. She raised the staff, closing her eyes in solemn concentration. We waited, tense.

The head of her staff began to glow, along with pale runes beneath her feet. The light softened Pietro's sharp, bony features, and caused him to exhale a feverish breath.

"Resurrection!" Raine said, opening her eyes. Suddenly Pietro was bathed in the light, and we all had to shield our eyes.

When the light faded and we could look again, I nearly gasped. Such an instantaneous change...it shouldn't have been possible. It was...incredible...

The Pietro I had just seen was now nothing more than a memory. He now looked healthier than I'd ever seen him; Raine's healing magic had done him more good than months in a hospital would have.

Pietro opened his eyes, sitting up; it was something he wouldn't have been capable of doing just moments before.

"Where am..." He trailed off, putting a hand to his forehead.

"He woke up!" Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"

"Sophia!" Pietro said, looking over at her in surprise. "Then...I reached Hima?!"

"Yes, Pietro! Sheena...she saved you," Sophia said.

He nodded. "...I remember! After leaving Luin, we were attacked by Desians...then she...thank you so much!"

"Ah, don't mention it," Sheena said sheepishly. "Besides, the reason you regained consciousness is because of Raine here. If you're going to thank someone, thank her."

"I see..." Pietro nodded to the Professor. "You have my sincerest thanks."

After a moment, he seemed to notice me standing there. His eyes widened. "Brittany? So you didn't suffer the same fate as me...what a relief." He smiled. "Weren't you going to stay in Luin?"

I winced. "Pietro, Luin is..."

"It was attacked by Desians," Raine finished for me. "We were able to rescue most of the townspeople, but the town itself is in shambles right now."

Pietro looked over at me, shocked. "Brittany...is this true?"

I nodded. "Yeah..."

He stared into his lap. "All because they sheltered us...they gave so much for people they didn't even know." When Pietro looked up, a new determination shined in his eyes. "Thank you, all of you. I want to use this life that you saved to rebuild Luin."

"Pietro..." Sheena said quietly.

"Pietro, please..." Sophia spoke up, "For now you need your rest."

Raine nodded. "It wouldn't hurt to get some sleep first. Luin can wait an extra day."

He hesitated, and then agreed. "Yes...you're right."

"We'll let you rest, then," Sheena said with a smile; we left the room, shutting the door softly.

The Professor turned to Sheena, holding out some money to her. "I'm going to see how Kratos is doing," she explained. "I'll trust the rest of you to get some rooms. There should be enough here for everyone."

"Okay," Sheena said, and Raine left.

We managed to get some rooms without too much trouble, and I found myself sharing with Sheena, as usual. We didn't have long to wait before Raine and Kratos returned, explaining that the dragons would be ready by the following morning.

"We can split up for tonight, but don't go outside the village. When the sun starts to set, we'll meet for dinner. All right?" The Professor said, and we nodded.

And so, the group separated, and I found myself alone...

Sheena and I had the same room as before, and I wished I could return to that night so long ago when we had been able to wash away our troubles with a midnight snack. Even though Kratos had spoiled it, it was still an amusing memory in my mind.

Sitting on my bed, I let out a sigh. Tomorrow...I couldn't believe how close it was. Even as I sat here, the seconds were ticking by, taking me closer and closer to the fateful event. Wasn't there anything I could do?

I frowned, noticing that a large mirror had been hung on the wall; it hadn't been there the last time I was here. It was a nice addition, as mirrors were a lot harder to find in Sylvarant than they were on Earth. I hadn't stood in front of one since...well, since I'd modeled my new outfit when I was staying in Luin.

I walked up to the mirror, examining myself. Well...I did look a lot better than I had a few months ago, at least. I actually looked healthy. Pretty dirty from traveling all the time, but healthy nonetheless.

My frown grew; I examined my reflection for another moment, and suddenly my old self stared back at me, brought on by my memories.

Soft, dark brown eyes, framed by mascara-enhanced lashes and black eyeliner... My skin was slightly tanned, smooth and unblemished. My long brown hair had been recently washed and straightened, and was meticulously combed so that not a single strand was out of place. I wore a black t-shirt with the logo of the New England Patriots on the front, and pale boot cut jeans. There was the telltale rectangular bulge of a cell phone in my right pocket. Part of a Boston Bruins lanyard, which held my car keys, hung from my left.

I blinked, and the image was gone.

Unable to look at my real reflection after seeing my old one, I turned away from the mirror. Back in those days...it felt like I'd spent more time on my appearance than I'd spent doing actual productive things. I wouldn't have called myself vain, though; compared to other girls my age, I had hardly spent any time in front of the mirror.

I let out a sigh. I missed being a perfectionist about my appearance...I missed shopping for new clothes and texting my friends and listening to music and doing all those stupid things teenage girls did. I missed watching sports with my dad and sister, jumping up and cheering whenever our Boston teams were in the lead. Hell, I even missed work. Pouring coffee wasn't exactly a glamorous profession, but at least it was normal and safe.

As I stood there, it occurred to me that if I died tomorrow, I was never going to get that life back. What about all of the hopes and dreams I had? What about all the aspects of life I had never experienced? I'd never get to go to college, finish that novel I'd started, open my own business, buy a house of my own...

Feeling dizzy all of a sudden, I sat back down on the bed.

Tomorrow would be the end of everything. Everything. It felt almost like I hadn't quite understood the meaning of death till now.

What kind of suicidal idiot was I? Death wasn't going to bring relief. I had too much unfinished business for it to be a relief. If I died tomorrow, I would take my regrets to the grave, and they would be with me forever.

"Hey, Brittany. You in there?" Sheena's voice suddenly cut off my thoughts, and I knew she was peeking in through the doorway. I was suddenly thankful that my back was to her, so she couldn't see my hands trembling.

"Yeah." I turned my head slightly, amazed at the calmness of my voice. "What is it?"

"Dinner's ready," she answered.

"Okay, be down in a second," I said. She nodded and left.

After taking a few deep breaths to compose myself, I stood up and went downstairs.

Everyone was gathered around the table, where a large dinner was prepared. It looked almost like a Thanksgiving feast; I hadn't seen so much food in one place since last Christmas.

Had I been in a better mood, I would have laughed at the look on Lloyd's face. He was going to start drooling any second now.

"We'll probably be going our separate ways after the world's regenerated," Genis said, shrugging. "So I thought I'd make our last dinner together a good one!"

Colette was totally unfazed by her condition; she took a seat at the table, looking happy that everyone had been significantly cheered by the good food. Well...okay, mostly everyone. Kratos still had that bored look on his face, and I was pretty sure that my smile wasn't too convincing.

And so, everyone started eating. The food looked really good, so I sat down with a full plate. Unfortunately, it wasn't till after I did this that I realized I had virtually no appetite. I popped a bite of it into my mouth and chewed; it tasted really good, too. Despite this, and the fact that I hadn't eaten since that morning, my body still didn't ache for more.

Only half listening to the others' conversation, I frowned, trying to eat more of the food and hoping I'd work up an appetite. After a few more bites, I felt strangely full and found that I just couldn't eat any more.

I sighed. Well, it was no use... Rather than eating my food, I started to push it around on my plate as I listened to everyone else talk.

"Remember how Noishe snuck into the schoolhouse that one time?" Genis asked with a laugh. They were sharing stories of Iselia, taking comfort in the warmth of their memories.

Colette smiled wide, as Lloyd grinned.

"Yeah," the brunette said. "It was raining really hard outside, and he tracked mud everywhere!"

Sheena tilted her head with amusement. "Why'd Noishe sneak in?"

"Dad accidentally let him out of his pen," Lloyd explained. "I guess he really wanted to see me, too. We even got out of class early 'cause the Professor had to clean up!"

"Don't remind me," Raine sighed. "That was a disaster."

"Lloyd got detention the next day because of it," Genis added, snickering.

"I still don't see how it was my fault that Noishe got out," Lloyd whined, and they all shared a laugh.

After a minute or two, things quieted down as everyone savored the food and Lloyd very skillfully avoided anything that looked like it might have tomatoes in it. Kratos was a little more subtle about it, but I didn't see anything red on his plate either.

"Hey, Brittany," Genis said, making me look up. "You're not eating much. Don't you like the food?"

I smiled weakly. "The food tastes great, Genis. I don't know...I just don't have much of an appetite right now."

"Eat," Kratos spoke up. "You may not be hungry now, but you'll need the energy if you're coming with us tomorrow."

Tomorrow. At the meaning behind that word, the food lost any appeal it had left.

"But Kratos, I-"

"Brittany," he warned, his tone clearly implying that this was the end of the discussion.

"...Okay." I let out a sigh, forcing down another bite of food. It still tasted good, but for some reason I just couldn't seem to enjoy it.

The dinner continued, and I no longer wanted any part of it. The room suddenly felt claustrophobic and overcrowded, and I just wanted to leave.

I made myself eat the food at a normal pace, and didn't ask for seconds when I cleaned my plate. I felt all right, despite how difficult it had been to force myself to eat, so I sat at the table and attempted to think of some input for the conversation.

Genis left the table briefly once everyone had pretty much finished, and then walked back in from the kitchen with a large platter of something.

"I made cherry cheesecake for dessert," the mage said, and Lloyd cheered, thrusting a clean plate out in Genis' direction.

"Me first!" he called, and the group let out a collective sigh.

Genis laughed, putting the platter down on the table. I leaned forward, a little curious. Cheesecake was one of my favorite desserts, after all...maybe I could make room for a slice. Maybe I could work up an appetite for something like this...

The top of the cheesecake had a generous covering of cherries, which dripped down on to the platter and pooled around the cake itself. Normally my mouth would have watered at such a sight, but for some reason all I could think was that the red syrup the cherries had been served in looked remarkably like blood.

Blood. Nauseating, thick, syrupy red blood.

I stood up abruptly, somehow managing not to knock my chair over, and everyone looked over at me.

"E-Excuse me," I said, my fingers hovering tentatively over my lips. Oh, God, that feeling, I knew that feeling...

Without waiting for permission, I ran out of the room.

There was a knock on the door, and I winced as the sound rang in my ears.

"Brittany? You okay in there?" Lloyd's worried voice came.

"Go away," I croaked.

I was glad the door had a lock, because the last thing I wanted right now was for anyone to see me like this. I was currently on my knees in an outhouse, which served as the inn's sole bathroom. It was at times like this that I cursed Sylvarant's primitive technology. Back on Earth, I had avoided outhouses like the Plague, even if it meant holding it for hours on end.

I had never vomited in an outhouse toilet before. It wasn't a pleasant experience. As soon as I thought I was finished, the overwhelming smell hit me and I started all over again. So much for forcing down all that food...before I knew it, I was dry heaving and coughing up bile. My throat burned, my eyes watered, and I could hear flies buzzing around somewhere.

"Look," Lloyd said, "you've gotta come out sooner or later."

"Go away," I repeated. I heard him sigh, and finally there was the sound of him leaving. I had a feeling that he'd be watching the outhouse from a distance, though.

After a second or two, I pushed away from the toilet and let out a shaky breath. I still felt nauseous, but there was nothing left to puke up besides my own spit. There was no sense in staying in here; I'd probably catch some nasty disease from breathing in the fumes for too long.

Somehow managing to stand, I wiped my mouth and pulled a canteen of water out of my bag. I rinsed out my mouth, and then took a long drink to soothe my stinging throat.

Okay...I felt a little better. Taking another breath, I opened up the outhouse door and stepped outside. The red light of the sunset made me squint for a second, but as my eyes adjusted I was able to make out my surroundings once more. Ah, the air was so much nicer out here...

I didn't see Lloyd anywhere. Sighing quietly, I walked over to an area on the rock wall and leaned against it, trying to relax a little.

My hands were shaking again. What was wrong with me? My stomach felt like it was turning over on itself, I felt almost too weak to stand, and I got a weird sense of vertigo every time I walked too fast.

Placing a hand to my forehead, I let out a quiet groan. That was it...this was happening because the reality of death had finally hit me with full force.

I didn't want to die.

I had never wanted to die. Throughout the journey I had just accepted my death as inevitable, finding reasons why I shouldn't get my hopes up. Why had I been so stupid? All this time, I could have been thinking of ways to get around it. There had to be a way. Going in without a plan was the worst possible thing I could do, and now I was going to be forced to do just that. There was no time left to think of an alternative.

I was shaking uncontrollably now. I couldn't just stand here where people could see me; I needed somewhere I could be alone.

Walking slowly, I approached the inn, hoping to take refuge in my room. When I passed an open window, however, I heard voices and paused.

"...don't understand what's wrong with her. Do you think she's sick?" Lloyd's worried voice rang out.

"Hm...lack of an appetite and vomiting..." Raine murmured quietly, probably more to herself than to anyone else.

"She'd be fine if Kratos hadn't made her eat all that food!" The brunette grumbled, and I heard a sigh coming from the mercenary.

"I don't think that was it, though," Sheena said, troubled. "She looked kind of pale when I came to tell her about dinner."

"She's been acting weird, too," Lloyd suddenly added. "Haven't you guys noticed? She always gets all quiet and moves to the back of the group when something's bothering her."

"From the sounds of it, she's very stressed," Raine finally said. "I'm sure it has something to do with our trip to the Tower tomorrow. We're all a bit apprehensive; it's the final seal, after all."

Lloyd sighed. "I...I'll try talking to her, then."

I frowned, walking away from the window. I really didn't want to talk to anyone right now, so I decided to head to the most secluded place in town. I doubted the cliff would offer me much comfort because of the view it offered, but at least up there the others were less likely to find me.

Despite my random dizzy spells, I managed to make it up the path without killing myself. When I finally made it to the top of the windy cliff, I collapsed to the ground, leaning forward and pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead. I really needed to pull myself together...

"Brittany!" I heard Lloyd call out, and suddenly I heard him running up behind me.

"...Fuck," I mumbled. All that for nothing.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked, sitting down next to me. He either hadn't heard my expletive, or was choosing to ignore it.

"What do you think?" I grumbled. "Just...leave me be, Lloyd. I don't want anyone to see me like this..."

"Dammit! There you go again! You just want to suffer on your own?!"

"Pretty much," I answered bluntly. "Can you go away now?"

"I'm not going anywhere," he said stubbornly, crossing his arms. "Not till you tell me what's wrong, at least."

"What's wrong?" I asked incredulously. "Lloyd, I think I just threw up a few internal organs."

"That's not it," he insisted. "You're stressed out and this is only happening because you keep trying to hide it."

"Lloyd..."

"Look, I'm not going to judge you or anything. Just trust me, okay?" He said firmly.

I stared down at my hands. "...You really want to know?"

"Brit, I-"

"I'm scared," I said, interrupting him. My voice suddenly broke, sounding weak and shaky. "I'm fucking scared, okay?! That goddamned Tower scares the living shit out of me. I don't trust those fucking angels, either!"

My vocabulary deteriorated a bit when I was upset, successfully making me sound like an idiot every time. I stared at my shaking fists, frustrated with myself.

Lloyd had grown very still, staring at me with shock. "You're...you're terrified, aren't you? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because everyone would want to know why," I murmured.

"Is this because of what I said to Remiel back at the Tower of Mana?" Lloyd questioned.

"I guess that's part of it," I said. "But...that's not all."

"Brit...if you want to stay behind tomorrow, none of us will blame you," he said quietly.

I shook my head sadly. "You don't understand...I don't really have a choice."

"Why not?" He asked, but I just shook my head again. Frowning, he tried again. "This has something to do with the stuff you can't tell me, doesn't it..."

"Yeah..." I replied, sighing.

"Dammit. Isn't there anything I can do?!" Lloyd growled, frustrated. "I can't just leave you like this!"

Staring ahead at the Tower of Salvation, I suddenly felt very helpless and very alone.

"Could you just...stay here for a while? With me?" I asked in a small voice.

Lloyd's expression softened, and he nodded. "...Okay."

After all, it was the only thing he really could do...

The brunette swordsman sat with me for a while, until I finally managed to compose myself and convinced him to go talk to Colette. I really needed to stop being such an attention hog. She would be risking her life tomorrow, too. Just because she was a better actor than me didn't mean she suffered any less.

After Lloyd left, I let out a sigh. Alone once more...

More footsteps caused me to frown. What was it this time?

"Hey," Genis said, and I blinked with surprise. Genis was here now? What, was there a procession line waiting down there?

"Hey, Genis," I said, giving up. He came to stand next to me, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Normally I would've brought you some food to cheer you up, but...yeah," he said awkwardly. I cracked a smile.

"It's the thought that counts, I guess."

He shifted a little, looking uncomfortable. "Well...okay. Raine said you're really stressed out, and, well...I just think you should come down and talk to us. It might make you feel better, right?"

I shook my head. "No, I think the cold air up here is doing me some good." Then I paused for a moment. "...Look, Genis, I know this is making you feel awkward. You don't have to hang around if you don't want to."

"No, I just..." He hesitated. "This is our last night as a group, right? I thought I'd talk to you one last time."

"Oh..." I said quietly. "In that case...can I say something?"

"What is it?"

"I know...I've been an annoying bitch on this journey, and I lashed out at Lloyd when I really shouldn't have. I already apologized to Lloyd, but I know you probably still resent me at least a little for that whole thing, so...I'm sorry, Genis." I bit my lip. "I don't really deserve Lloyd as a friend, I know. He's always helping me out, and all I ever do is lie and break promises and brood about stuff till I worry myself sick."

Genis stared at me, surprise written all over his features. "You're...apologizing?"

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah. I just...I don't want to end all this on a bad note with anyone. So...we cool, Genis?"

He frowned, looking out in the direction of the Tower. "Well...you are pretty selfish sometimes, and you're always making him worry about you."

I hung my head, but he continued.

"...But sometimes, you're not so bad. And if Lloyd likes you, then you can't be that bad of a person." Genis shrugged. "Besides...if you were a real jerk, you wouldn't have admitted all of that just now. So...I guess I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault you're a stupid human sometimes."

I smiled. "Thanks, Genis...I think I feel a little better now."

He nodded, smiling a little himself. "Anyway...that's it, I guess. Are you gonna be okay up here alone?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Don't waste your time here with me, go talk to Colette. Tomorrow's all about her, you know."

Genis looked troubled. "...Yeah. You're right." He sighed, turning to go. "Don't stay up here too long, or you really will get sick. See you later."

I listened to him walk away, and laid down on my back, staring at the sky.

Watching the clouds drift by occupied me for a while; focusing completely on something else at least allowed me to temporarily ignore my own problems. While staring straight up like this, I couldn't see the Tower of Salvation.

The sky was getting darker...soon I wouldn't be able to see the clouds. Maybe I could stargaze for a while once that happened...I could try finding that constellation Lloyd showed me a while ago.

Suddenly a blonde head blocked my view, and I found myself staring up at a smiling Colette.

"Hey," I said quietly. "You know you're the third person that's come up here?"

She sat down next to me and I sat up, brushing the dirt off my back. Taking out her notepad, she wrote out her reply.

'Lloyd told everyone you were up here.'

I nodded. "Oh, that explains it."

'You've been up here for two hours. Aren't you bored?' Colette wrote, looking at me curiously.

"No, not really." I caught myself staring at the Tower again, and looked away. "It's nice and quiet up here."

'It's pretty, isn't it? The Tower of Salvation.'

"Pretty gruesome," I said, snorting, and she gave me a shocked look.

'What do you mean?'

Averting my gaze, I sighed. "Sorry. That place just gives me a bad feeling, that's all. It's probably nothing."

She frowned sadly, and then wrote more on her paper. 'Please, don't blame the angels for what's happening to me. I have to do this because I love Sylvarant and everyone in it. It's not just because I'm the Chosen...I want to do this. Okay?'

She had no idea...Cruxis was just using her, and she was ready to give everything for a homocidal, obsessive sociopath.

"Yeah..." I replied quietly, honestly unsure of what to say. It was so hard not to tell her the truth when she ready to die for a lie.

'Brittany, everything's going to be okay. So don't worry!' Colette wrote, and then smiled reassuringly.

"Colette...I know you can't possibly be feeling as confident as you're acting right now," I said, staring straight ahead. I didn't look to see her reaction to my statement. "So...I guess what I want to say is, you're not alone. I'm scared too, but I'll be behind you every step of the way tomorrow."

I knew she just stared at me for a moment, because I didn't hear the sound of her writing any response down. I still didn't look; I was too afraid I'd make her show me that fake smile again.

"Colette, are you up here?" The Professor's voice cut our conversation short. I heard the sound of the Chosen shifting to look over her shoulder.

"Ah..." Raine frowned slightly when she spotted me as well, but then returned her attention to the blonde. "Genis has been looking for you."

Colette smiled and nodded, giving me an apologetic look before departing with a wave. I watched her go, a bit glad that Genis was taking my advice.

And then it was just me and the Professor. Somehow, I couldn't picture her trying to give me a pep talk. What now, then?

"Um...did you need something, Professor?" I asked, turning a little to look at her.

She crossed her arms, giving me a troubled look. "You should come down to the inn. Stress weakens your immune system; if you stay up here in the cold, you'll get sick."

I blinked. "Oh...it feels nice up here, though." Actually, my bare shoulders had gone numb a long time ago. I liked the numb feeling; if I tried hard enough, I could pretend that I wasn't really here, that this was happening to someone else.

She sighed. "Brittany. What is it that's bothering you?"

"I'm just tired, I guess. It's been a long journey," I said after a pause.

"Don't lie to me," Raine said, closing her eyes. "...You know the truth, don't you?"

I almost flinched at that. "...I know something's going to happen to Colette tomorrow that we won't like," I admitted. "The truth...Professor, I don't think I want to know."

"Perhaps it's best that you don't," Raine said, an edge of sadness to her tone. "Please don't say anything to the others. They don't suspect as much as you do."

"Okay," I said.

"This is the only path Colette will accept," the Professor murmured.

"I know. This system with the Chosen and all that...it's pretty messed up, isn't it?" I scoffed, unable to hide my scorn. "I love how all these people just take it for granted that Colette is suffering for their sake. Everyone just mindlessly follows this screwy system because they're not the ones who have to risk their lives. Oh, and heaven forbid we ever question angels! They have wings and fancy clothes, so they MUST be the saviors of the-"

"Brittany!" Raine snapped, hitting me hard. I winced, clutching my head, and glanced up at her. Oddly enough, she looked more surprised at my words than angry.

Pulling her hand back, she frowned. "This system was put in place centuries ago by the Goddess Martel. I understand you care about Colette, but she devoted her life to this cause...I'm surprised you would be so quick to judge."

"Everyone else here was raised to believe in the Church of Martel, the Goddess, and all that," I said. "I'm just looking at it from an objective point of view, Professor. Everything I say is based off what I've seen in the past three months, because that's all I know."

"I can see where you're coming from," Raine replied, looking pensive. "But it's a little late to be questioning the system and those that govern it. At this point, the most we can do is trust Colette."

"You're right," I admitted. "Anyway, we'll see how everything plays out...tomorrow." I just hated that word.

"Yes..." Raine closed her eyes, and I could almost hear the dread in her voice. "...Tomorrow."

An extra cold wind blew at that moment as if to emphasize the unhappy moment, and the Professor suppressed a shiver.

She turned her back to the Tower. "I'm going back down to the inn. Can I trust you to come down within the next few minutes as well?"

"I will, Professor," I assured her. "I promise."

She nodded. "I'll see you back at the inn, then. And Brittany?"

"Yeah?"

"When we return from the Tower tomorrow...you'll be coming with Lloyd, Genis and I. We'll help you find your way home."

"Professor..."

She smiled softly, though it had a sad quality to it. "Make sure you get some rest. It seems like our journey's only just beginning."

I stared ahead in the direction of the path, for long after she left. She didn't realize how right she was...

Intending to uphold the promise that I'd made, I stood up after a few minutes and headed back down the path. My stomach was much more stable now; I guess that was to be expected after sitting still for over two hours. Hopefully I'd be able to work up an appetite for breakfast tomorrow, or I had a feeling I'd really regret it later...

After overcoming the initial vertigo of getting up, it seemed like the random dizzy spells had passed. My insides still felt like crap, but at least my emotions were sort of under control now. I felt kind of emotionally exhausted, actually.

I reached the end of the first part of the path, and found myself in the Adventurers' Graveyard.

"Hmph. So you're finally coming down?"

Kratos stood amongst the graves, his back to me. He said that, and yet he'd probably spent the last hour brooding here, too.

"Yeah, I think I might be all right now," I replied, walking up to him. Man...this was the last conversation we'd have as comrades. After tonight, he'd...

"Try eating something, then. You will need the energy."

"Okay. I'll make sure to throw up all over you next time," I replied, crossing my arms.

"If you are unable to hold down food, then you're in no condition to be coming with us tomorrow," Kratos said, and I frowned.

"I'll eat, I'll eat. Like I said, I think I'm all right now."

We were quiet for a moment, and then I broke the silence with a heavy sigh.

"Oi, Kratos."

"Mm."

"The journey's over tomorrow...this is probably the last real conversation I'll have with you. Unless I hired you to be my bodyguard after this or something, which would be funny, but I'm broke, so..."

He gave me a bemused look, probably wondering when I'd get to the point already. I shifted my weight a little, pushing away my discomfort.

"Uh, anyway. I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Kratos frowned.

"Well, yeah. You taught me how to fight, and you've saved my life more times than I can count. You might have been a hardass, but I don't think I would've made it this far if you hadn't been." I shrugged. "So...thanks, Kratos."

"..." He looked away, returning his gaze to the gravestones ahead of us. "...What are your plans after tomorrow? Will you be going home?"

"If I can remember where home is, sure," I replied.

"Your acting is atrocious," Kratos remarked. "I'm surprised you've managed to keep the suspicion to a minimum, Brittany."

My insides froze. "...Kratos?"

"If the amnesia ever existed, I have no doubt that it is gone now," the mercenary said. "I became sure of that fact when we were first confronted by Kvar."

Well, he already thought my acting sucked...oh God, I was so sick of keeping up this stupid front. Fuck it...if I was going to die tomorrow, why couldn't I be straight with Kratos for once?

"...Fine, I won't lie to you," I said. "You're right."

He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing slightly. "Enlighten me, then...who are you, really?"

I raised an eyebrow. "...You want the truth? I'm just a scared as hell teenager who's trying to keep her wits together. I don't even know how I got here, for God's sake...all I've wanted from the start is to go home."

"A Tethe'allan, then?" Kratos stared at me, his gaze scrutinizing. I shook my head.

"If I was, I would've spoken up when Sheena did. Anyway, what does it matter where I'm from?" I said, avoiding the question. "Everything will be done with tomorrow. Besides, it's not like everyone knows the details of your background, either, mister mercenary."

"Hmph," he grunted, giving me a look. "I'm surprised...that you told no one of what you saw that day."

I frowned at that remark. Hold on a second...was that why he hadn't confronted me? That was it-he had to know something was wrong about the way I acted. He had detected those subtle nudges I gave everyone in the right direction, the frequent times I helped him smooth things over so no one would become suspicious. Had he realized that I knew much more than I had any right to know?

"It doesn't really matter, though," I said. "Yeah, I saw you. But so what if you're working with Cruxis? We're all aiming for the world regeneration, so it's not like that really matters. I'd be more concerned if I saw you talking with a Desian or something."

"I would believe you, if you hadn't already expressed an extreme distrust toward Cruxis," Kratos remarked, staring at me. Christ, not that stare again.

I stared at the ground, letting out a sigh. "...I hate Cruxis for what they're doing to Colette. But...I trust you, Kratos. Even though you've been lying to us, I don't doubt that you're a good person. I mean, I've probably told about as many lies as you have..."

No, I really was being sincere. Kratos was a good person, he just had to act like an asshole for a while so he could help us save the world in the end. What was about to happen was necessary and we needed him to do it, even if it hurt.

Kratos closed his eyes, and I couldn't read his expression. "...Trust is not a word you should throw around so lightly."

"I'm not throwing it around!" I insisted. "If you really were a bastard deep down, you wouldn't have put up with someone like me for this long."

After a pause, I sighed. "Whatever happens tomorrow...I know you'll do the right thing." There was no way around the betrayal, but I was kind of hoping he wouldn't just stand there as Yggdrasill pulverized us.

The not-mercenary was silent. Had I rendered him speechless?

"...You are a fool, Brittany."

I smiled at him. "Love you too, asshole."

"Kratos!"

We turned, hearing the sound of running feet. Lloyd approached, his ribbons blowing in the wind.

"Oh, good, you're here too," the brunette said when he saw me. "Kratos, aren't we gonna do our final training session? You promised!"

Kratos glanced at me, and then let out a sigh. "...Yes. Meet me on the edge of town...and be prepared. I won't go easy on you today."

As Kratos walked off, Lloyd looked over at me with a confused expression. "He was going easy on us before?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, Lloyd, you don't know the half of it..."

Kratos' final lesson...it was the only thing he could do to prepare us for the hell that was to come.

Chapter Text

"That won't work. You're leaving your left side wide open-hm, good. Change your stance, like that." 

I growled as Kratos picked out a weakness in my defense; at least I'd managed to correct myself fairly quickly without his help this time. He only paused for a split second before coming at me once more, thrusting his sword forward at an awkward angle that was difficult to defend.

Dodging to the left, I tried to get around him so I could Demon Fang his back. Kratos swung around with impressive speed and immediately clashed swords with me, nearly causing me to lose my balance with the force of the attack. I almost made a face-training normally with him was bad enough, but today he really wasn't screwing around. Whenever I made a mistake, he usually stopped and pounded the correct way to do it into me for the next ten minutes; today, he'd hardly stopped at all, though I was sure I'd messed up just as much as always. Instead, he made me realize my screwups for myself by physically showing me the consequences of each mistake.

Translation: abuse, abuse, abuse. I didn't whine, because I knew the reason for it all. What he was showing me now was still only a fraction of his true strength, and tomorrow...

All this training, and I could still tell that I wasn't even close to being prepared. Three months-part of which was spent rotting in a Desian ranch-was not enough to properly learn how to swordfight. My Exsphere was the only thing keeping me alive right now, really.

Scowling, I used Hunting Beast, only to have it completely deflected with a Guardian. The swordsman lashed out at me with a string of attacks, forcing me on the defensive and giving me no time to counter. I continually stepped backwards in an attempt to get out of Kratos' reach, searching for a weak spot in his defense and finding none. I could tell he was doing the same to me, only he found countless weaknesses with ease. Man, I had a long ways to go.

"Tiger Blade!" I cried, finally deciding to try out the new tech. When I swung my sword down, he caught it with his own, putting me back in a precarious position. Whenever our swords clashed it became a battle of strength rather than skill, and although Kratos was superior in both, there was no way I could get lucky in a contest of brute strength.

This time I attempted to resist for a moment instead of immediately breaking away. Kratos confirmed my thoughts when he pressed forward and down, nearly forcing me to my knees. I shoved myself forward before twisting to the side, freeing myself.

The fight dragged on, and my limbs began to throb as I started to run out of breath. I ran at Kratos head on, not sure what I wanted to do, but determined not to be taken down so quickly. This was the longest I'd lasted yet, and I wanted to show him how far I'd come. I knew nothing I could do would impress Kratos, but as his student, I felt the natural urge to gain his approval somehow...especially considering what was going to happen after today.

As I ran at him, Kratos held up one hand-a signal for me to stop. I paused, panting slightly, a confused look on my face.

"That's enough for now," he said. "It would be best to conserve your energy."

A frown tugged at my lips, but I couldn't say I was surprised. He'd stopped Lloyd, who was currently standing on the sidelines, in a similar manner. On most days I would've jumped for joy at being cut off early, but today I felt a churning in my stomach. That was the last time I would ever train with Kratos...just like that, it was over. No more early-morning sessions, no more lectures, no more advice. Lloyd and I could train together, but it just wouldn't be the same...

"So, this is it," I said, and it seemed like I had summed up everything I felt in those four words. Lloyd walked up to stand next to me, a strangely solemn look on his face.

"Yes," Kratos replied, and I almost shuddered at the finality in that word. He crossed his arms, pausing for several moments to examine the two of us.

"You've both improved a great deal," he finally said, "and I have no doubt that you will continue to improve. Although I will no longer be traveling with you after tomorrow...don't neglect your training. Do not lose sight of what you are fighting for and why you have chosen to fight. That...is my final lesson to you as your teacher."

He sounded like a general trying to raise morale for his troops before sending them off to war. I felt like I was about to fight in a war that I couldn't win.

Although I felt a horrible burden on my shoulders at the knowledge of what was to come, I also felt a strange determination upon hearing his words. No, I hadn't lost sight of my goals. I wasn't going to let all this hard work, all this training go to waste. Maybe I was destined to die tomorrow...but if I had to die, I was sure as hell gonna drag one of those bastards down with me.

My eyes hardened, and I was sure Lloyd's did the same. He didn't know what was coming, but at this point in time, I was sure he felt the instinctual discomfort...the same way an animal senses a storm coming.

"Kratos," Lloyd finally spoke up. "Thanks for everything. We couldn't have come this far without you."

It was the second time someone had voiced that thought today, and Kratos looked just as nonplussed as before, especially now that the words were coming from his own son. The expression vanished after a short moment; he gave Lloyd a curt nod, closing his eyes.

I hesitated. "I...dunno what to say, really. I'm gonna miss you, Kratos. You're the first person I've ever met that always tells me exactly what I don't want to hear, and yet still manages to make me feel better."

Kratos opened his eyes and turned his gaze on me, and I laughed nervously, feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, uh...I just remembered I have something that I need to do. See you guys in the morning!" Turning around abruptly, I started the trek back to the inn.

"That was weird..." Lloyd muttered, but he was pretty used to my antics by now.

After I'd walked for a few seconds, I sighed.

"Goodbye...Kratos the mercenary," I said in a whisper, knowing only he could hear me, and only he would see the double meaning in my words.

Kratos the mercenary today...Kratos the seraph tomorrow.

"Hmph," I heard him grunt, and I knew he'd heard.

And so, I left the two swordsmen alone so they could speak one final time. Fear and uncertainty hung over us like a dark cloud, making the stars seem as cold and distant as Derris-Kharlan itself.

Despite what I'd told Kratos, I actually didn't have anything left to do today besides go to bed. I really didn't want to and I highly doubted I'd be able to sleep, but it was getting late.

With a resigned sigh, I finally headed back to my room, pushing open the door. The small oil lamp on the nightstand between the two beds was lit, and I noticed that Sheena was sitting cross-legged on her bed. She was leaning back against the headboard, her eyes closed. She was probably trying to relax.

When I shut the door behind me, her eyes opened. I raised a hand in greeting, before walking over to flop down on my own bed.

"Hey," Sheena said. "Feeling better?"

I stretched, putting my hands behind my head. "Physically, sure. I don't feel like I'm gonna pass out anymore, thankfully."

There was a shuffling sound, and suddenly a plate of food was being waved in front of my face. I sat up, frowning.

"I saved this for you," Sheena said with a wry smile. "Figured you'd want it sooner or later."

"Thanks," I said gratefully, noticing that all the foods she'd saved were ones that could be eaten cold. "Wow. I think I might actually be hungry."

"Eat, then," she said, sitting back down on her bed. I didn't need much more convincing, and dug in.

After a pause, Sheena shifted a little. "Hey, Brit?"

"Mm?" I looked up.

"Do you remember the conversation we had the last time we were here?"

Swallowing, I thought for a moment. "...Heh. We were both talking about how scared we were," I replied with a humorless smile.

She nodded. "Back then, we were worried enough about the Asgard ranch. I mean, if we messed up, the prisoners would have died. But now...it's the fate of two worlds that hangs in the balance."

"What're you gonna do about Tethe'alla?" I asked, but she just lowered her gaze.

"I...I don't know. I trust Colette, so...I think I'll let her ask Remiel tomorrow. After that, we'll see."

"It's a tough situation, that's for sure," I remarked, shrugging. "I'm surprised you're not the one throwing up and acting all crazy."

"So it's not just stress," Sheena said, looking over at me. "You're really scared, aren't you?"

"Everyone is, whether they'll admit it or not. It's just a matter of how well you handle it," I said, sighing. "I've never been this scared in my entire life, and I have a habit of worrying way too much and overthinking things. I'm driving myself crazy."

Her brow furrowed slightly. "...But you don't sound like you're on the verge of a major breakdown or anything."

"I was earlier, I think," I mumbled. "But then Lloyd helped a little bit. And I blew off a lot of steam when I was training with Kratos."

"Do you think you'll be okay tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "I doubt it. I'm already apprehensive about what we've gotta do, never mind my fear of heights and riding those stupid dragons..." I had to suppress a groan at the thought of it.

I loved dragons, I thought they were awesome, but I had a feeling riding one over extreme heights would not be very fun.

Sheena frowned slightly. "I wonder if there will be some sort of seal guardian..."

"Probably not," I said, shaking my head. "I'm pretty sure the last challenge for the Chosen is the Prayer of Regeneration or something like that. Dunno how it's supposed to be difficult, but..."

"Well, something big's gonna happen tomorrow," the ninja sighed. "Otherwise we wouldn't be so nervous about it."

"Yeah..." I leaned back, staring over at the mirror I'd looked at earlier. "I just wish I had the strength to handle whatever's coming."

"Hey, don't start talking like that," Sheena said. "I believe in you, so you should believe in yourself."

I glanced over at her, making a face. "That's so corny. Where'd you hear that?"

She gave me an amused look. "You said it."

"Oh...yeah." I placed a palm to my forehead. "Man, Lloyd's rubbing off on me."

Sheena laughed a little, but then grew serious. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I'll watch your back tomorrow."

"Huh?" I frowned, confused.

"You know, if anything happens." She shrugged. "You and me, we'll be a team. Friends look out for each other and all, right?"

I paused, my fork halfway to my mouth, and looked over at her. A team? Something in me felt strange at her words.

"You...you promise?" I asked quietly, not knowing why I needed a confirmation.

"Yeah," the ninja said, smiling. Then she seemed to notice how dark it was outside, and how I was pretty much finished with my food. "Let's get some sleep, okay? We've got a long day ahead of us."

I nodded slowly, watching her blow out the lamp. "...Thanks, Sheena."

The room was plunged into darkness as I placed the plate on the nightstand, planning to return it to the kitchen in the morning.

"Don't mention it," came the reply, and then the room was silent.

I kicked off my boots, laying back on my bed and staring at the ceiling.

I felt...a little bit better. Just knowing that someone would be looking out for me, knowing that I wouldn't be completely alone tomorrow...it made a difference. No matter what Lloyd said, he'd be too distraught about Colette and Kratos to pay attention to me during battle. Sheena wouldn't be happy, but she wouldn't forget the promise, either. Somehow, I was just...glad.

After staring at the ceiling for a little while longer, I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

Trees flew past me in a green blur as I drove south along Route 1, music blaring from the car's speakers. Since this area was heavily wooded, I didn't hesitate to sing along, turning the volume up a bit. The wind whipped my hair, threatening to pull off the Syracuse University cap I wore to keep the sun out of my eyes. I reached up, pulling it down more securely.

A bag of takeout from Amato's sat on the passenger's seat, and my iced latte was in the cupholder. Now to stop by Hannaford for a few groceries, and I could head home to watch the rest of the game...

"Brit, it's time to get up."

The feeling of someone shaking me caused my brow to furrow, and this time I was able to realize that I was dreaming. Although something inside of me kept screaming in protest, I forced myself to open my eyes. Sheena hovered over me, a grim look on her face.

I stared at her, feeling as if my stomach had curled in on itself and died. Was it really morning already? Hardly anything had happened in that dream, and it felt like I had just closed my eyes seconds ago...

"Time to go?" I managed to croak, sitting up.

She nodded. "Yeah...we're all meeting in the kitchen. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'll be all right," I lied. "See you downstairs, then."

Sheena frowned, but didn't ask anything more. "Okay. Don't take too long...Kratos and Raine are pretty edgy today."

I watched her leave, my hands resting in my lap. Part of me was mad at myself for falling asleep so fast...I couldn't believe the morning had come so quickly. I hadn't even woken up when Kratos was attacked by Yuan.

My hands were shaking again. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"I can do this," I whispered to myself, as if saying the words would make it true.

After a few seconds of sitting there, I pulled my boots on and grabbed my stuff, heading downstairs. The group was waiting in the kitchen, as Sheena had said. We ate a quick, tense breakfast, during which I spent more time hand-combing my hair than actually eating. When everyone was done, we headed outside and walked quietly up the path to the cliff.

We reached the top, and I finally found myself standing before the four dragons we were supposed to ride. They were all deep blue in color, fitted with special riding equipment. Each of them eyed us with curiosity, but thankfully I couldn't detect any aggression.

The Tower of Salvation loomed before us, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek hard to prevent another dizzy spell. I shifted uncomfortably, staring at the expanse of mountains we'd have to ride over. Every fiber of my being was telling me not to do this, to run away now, but I just couldn't move.

"I've been waiting for you," the dragon guy said, nodding to us. He stood off to the side, his arms crossed. "Please board the dragons in pairs."

Kratos immediately stepped forth, turning to the group. "I will ride on the same dragon as the Chosen. Protecting her...is my job."

I closed my eyes. It was finally beginning...

No one bothered questioning this, as Kratos had never failed in his duty to keep Colette out of danger. Raine turned to Lloyd.

"Do you have any preference as to who you will ride with?" She asked.

Lloyd frowned for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll go with Brit."

I looked up in surprise, but he was already getting on to the dragon. He held out a hand to me, attempting a reassuring smile. Although the smile looked more pained than anything else, I gave him a grateful look and allowed him to help me up.

He remembered my fear of heights...

"Thanks, Lloyd," I murmured quietly as Sheena stepped forward to one of the dragons.

"I'll be fine on my own," she shrugged, knowing Raine and Genis would probably want to ride together.

Raine nodded, and mounted her own dragon along with Genis. "Let's get moving, then. It's time..."

Kratos' dragon took off first, and the others were smart enough to follow without any other sort of signal. Our dragon flapped its wings and jumped off the cliff with a lurch, and I sucked air in through my teeth while trying to calm my stomach.

The dragon dropped down for a moment before steadying itself in the air. It took me a moment to realize that I had wrapped my arms around Lloyd's waist, burying my face in his back. I hesitantly pried myself away a little bit, but kept my eyes squeezed shut.

"Sorry," I muttered. "Is it scary?"

"It's not so bad. It's actually kinda cool being this high up," Lloyd said, and I felt him turn a little.

I opened one eye, and saw him looking over his shoulder at me. Thankfully, he didn't look too flustered at my clinginess. He was probably used to it by now.

"I don't think I'll risk looking down," I half-groaned. "Um...distract me, please..."

"What do you think it's like?" Lloyd asked, sounding troubled.

My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The world regeneration."

"Oh. Well..." I paused, trying to think. "...I dunno. Maybe it's like the oracle, where there's a big light, only when the light fades everything's all awesome."

Despite our grim mood, Lloyd had to snort at that. "It seems weird that it'd happen so fast, but...that's kinda like what the Church of Martel has been saying will happen. What'll happen to the Desians? They'll just vanish?"

"Probably be forced into Tethe'alla," I said. "Then their Chosen will start the journey."

"Dammit," the brunette swore. "After all that's happened to Colette...all we're doing is forcing our problems on to other people!"

"And even after we do this, it's only a matter of time before history repeats itself," I added with a sigh.

"I wish there was something we could do..." Lloyd shook his head. The dragon wobbled a little in flight, and I gripped the swordsman a little tighter for a moment before managing to regain my voice.

"...We should just wait for Colette to ask Remiel," I said, shrugging. Lloyd looked over his shoulder at me again, frowning.

"Is that it? I thought you didn't like him. Are you really willing to place all of your bets on him?"

"What other choice do we have?" I asked, but couldn't meet his gaze. "Anyway...I'm sure we'll figure something out once we get there. We can't exactly turn back right now."

Finally starting to get used to being on dragonback, I looked around me for the first time. Sheena rode a dragon to our left, while Raine and Genis were to our right. Kratos and Colette flew directly ahead of us.

Needless to say, we were really, really high up. We were high enough that we periodically passed through clouds; the cool water vapor helped calm my stomach a little bit.

As Lloyd and I spoke, we passed through another of these clouds. When we emerged into clear air again, Kratos and Colette were nowhere to be found.

"Huh? Where'd they go?" Lloyd looked around, confused. Even I was impressed at this little vanishing act, but I was sure they were just passing through another cloud ahead of us or something.

"They must have gone on ahead," Raine called. "Let's hurry."

With that, she and Genis flew ahead of us, picking up the pace. We continued onward, and the Tower was visibly growing closer now. I looked up, squinting, wondering exactly how tall it really was. It disappeared into more clouds above us; the damn thing defied physics.

"Colette..." Lloyd murmured, sounding worried.

"I'm sure she's fine. Kratos wouldn't let anything happen to her," I lied.

"Yeah...you're right," he said, actually sounding reassured by this. I winced; he really trusted Kratos. I really hoped these upcoming events wouldn't break him.

I opened my mouth to say something else, when suddenly a jolt shook through me. I pressed my face against Lloyd's back, wondering if we were going to die, when I realized that the jolt was just the impact of landing.

Oh, God. We were there.

Raine and the others got off their dragons, and I managed to shakily make my way down. The second all of us were safely on solid...Tower, the dragons leaped into the air and flew off, back to their master. I gulped; now there was really no turning back.

"Still no sign of Kratos and Colette," Lloyd remarked.

"Looks like they've gone in already," Raine said, indicating the oracle stone and the open door. "We shouldn't waste time standing out here. Let's go."

We followed as she led the way, and a quick glance around the group told me that everyone was about as intimidated by the Tower as I was. I couldn't tell which was worse: fear of the unknown, or knowledge of a bleak future.

And so, we took our first few steps into the Tower. I looked around, grim; unlike most places in Sylvarant, the Tower of Salvation looked almost exactly the way it had in the game. There were pillars on either side of us, and beneath our feet was what looked like a glass floor. I looked down to see nothing but blue-green clouds; there was no ground beneath us. Dark coffins floated in spirals around us, emerging from the abyss below and vanishing into the abyss above.

Lloyd paused, following my gaze. "What are those?" He walked closer to the edge of the platform, frowning. Then his eyes widened with horror.

"They're...coffins?! Why are all these dead bodies here?!"

Raine lowered her gaze. "They may be...all the Chosen that failed the world regeneration up until now."

Sheena and Genis were looking around, shock and revulsion clear on their faces. If no one had questioned the integrity of Cruxis yet, I was sure they were doing so now. These Chosen had given their lives trying to save the world...and their bodies were stored here in some morbid display. Their families would hold a funeral over an empty grave.

"So if Colette fails, she'll wind up here with them?! Dammit!" Lloyd clenched his fists.

I said nothing, because there was nothing I could say. There were hundreds of bodies floating around us...I couldn't even fathom how many people like Colette had been slaughtered since this insane cycle began. Yggdrasill was a sick, twisted bastard.

"I'm worried about Colette," Genis said uneasily. "Let's hurry!"

We nodded in agreement at this, and ran forward in pairs on to the warp.

"This seems wrong," Sheena said when it was just me and her left. "What's happening?"

"Only one way to find out," I said gravely, walking forward despite how terrified I felt. The two of us stepped on to the warp, and the world vanished around us.

When we stepped off the warp and into the final area, I felt weak. This place...I didn't want to be here. So many of the bad things that happened in the game happened in this very place.

The platform we stood on was very large, but other than that, nothing was different. Kratos was nowhere to be found, but that wasn't too surprising. Two sets of stairs led up to the platform where Colette was currently kneeling.

"...What?" Was all Lloyd could manage when he saw her. The ominous feeling here was suffocating; everyone could tell something was very wrong.

A light descended from above, and Remiel appeared with a flash. My fists clenched with hatred, but I didn't bother to hide it as I'd done at the Tower of Mana. By now, everyone in the group was aware of my mistrust of the angels...and I was sure they were probably starting to agree with me.

"Now, my daughter," Remiel said, gazing down at her. "Release the final seal! In doing so, you will complete the final sacrifice of your human existence-your heart and your memory. By doing so of your own free will, you will become a true angel!"

His voice had gained a dark quality to it, the expression on his face harsh. This was the final destination-he no longer cared about playing his part.

"What?!" Sheena exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Sacrifice her heart and memory?!" Lloyd stepped forward, staring at Colette, who hadn't moved.

"Colette's going to forget about us?!" Genis looked panicked.

Raine closed her eyes. I could tell she was trying to remain calm, but her cool demeanor was starting to break apart. "Colette's human life will now end, and she will be reborn as an angel." She paused for a moment, opening her eyes once more and looking away. "...Everyone, I'm sorry. I promised Colette I wouldn't say anything. Colette will give up her life in order to regenerate the world. Becoming an angel...means dying."

Lloyd and Genis looked mortified. They froze for a moment, at a loss for words, as this brutal reality set in. All along, they had been unknowingly helping their childhood friend meet her end.

"That's not quite correct," Remiel said, his voice cold. "The Chosen's heart will die, and her body will be offered to the Goddess Martel. By offering her body, Colette will revive the Goddess. This is the true nature of the world regeneration! The revival of the Goddess Martel...is the revival of the world itself!"

"Th-That's-!" Lloyd kept opening and closing his mouth, unable to form a coherent statement. It was painful just to watch him, so I clenched my fists and spoke up for the first time. There was still something we needed to cover to drive home the fact that Cruxis really didn't give a damn.

"Remiel!" I called out, not bothering to use his title. I stepped forward, amazed at how steady my voice was.

He looked down at me, and I saw a flash of greed in his cold blue eyes. He hadn't forgotten who I was, that was for sure.

Suppressing a shudder, I continued. "We heard about a world called Tethe'alla that lies parallel to Sylvarant."

"That is not for you to know," Remiel said curtly, as I'd known he would. Raine stepped forward as well.

"You kept it a secret because it is true, correct?"

"From whom did you learn of it?" Remiel asked, eyes narrowed.

"It doesn't matter," I snapped, causing several of the others to look at me with surprise. They didn't seem to realize yet that telling him about Sheena would only make her a target. Plus, it didn't really matter how rude I was at this point, since he was going to try to kill us anyway.

"The fact of the matter is, we're condoning an endless cycle of pain and suffering just to keep this flawed system afloat. How many Chosens have died like this? How many more will there be? If Colette dies here, she won't be changing anything! You expect us to accept that?!"

I'll admit, I'd said a lot more than I had meant to. But it felt good to finally voice my objections, just the same. All of these pent up emotions weren't doing much for my health.

The look on Remiel's face was almost frightening, and definitely not befitting of someone who has claimed to be a divine being.

Lloyd was giving me a shocked look, but his fists were clenched as well. I could tell that my little speech had instilled a substantial amount of anger towards Cruxis in him. The fact that Remiel was being evasive about Tethe'alla wasn't helping him, either.

"Are you questioning the will of the Goddess, human?" Remiel thundered.

"It's all too easy to justify everything that way, isn't it? Everything's a necessary sacrifice as long as some deity wills it." I was shaking now. This happened just as much on Earth as it did in Sylvarant. People died for a God that condemned killing...it was all so damned twisted!

"Who is this Goddess you believe in?" I asked, holding my arms out. "She sure is one hell of a sadist!"

"Brittany," Raine murmured, gripping my shoulder and squeezing hard.

I knew it was her signal that I was going too far, but I couldn't help myself. If I was going to die here, I wanted to have as little regrets as possible. And I knew that if I didn't tell Remiel off, I'd always wish I had. I hated Cruxis and the Desians, not only because of what I knew they'd done, but because they seemed to know more about my situation than I did and only did their best to make everything worse.

Even Colette was looking over her shoulder at me now, her eyes wide. I felt a little bad at shooting down everything she'd ever believed in, but she couldn't continue to blindly trust Cruxis and the Church of Martel.

"Blasphemous mortal..." Remiel uttered with disgust, though I doubted he cared anything about the Goddess. He was a power hungry, arrogant prick.

"Remiel..." Sheena stepped forward, less confident than I had been. "We just want to know...Isn't there a way for Cruxis to make both worlds peaceful? Then people wouldn't have to suffer!"

Remiel closed his eyes, seeming to calm down enough to get back on task. "...If that is what the Chosen desires, she can lend her power to Cruxis by becoming an angel. Once the Goddess Martel is revived by the Chosen, the two worlds will surely achieve peace, just as the Chosen wishes."

Colette looked up at him, her eyes wide. He turned his attention to her.

"Is that true, you ask? You know why you have come here."

She looked down at her hands, which were clasped in front of her heart.

"You can't...are you really planning to die?!" Sheena asked, upset.

"Colette, stop!" Lloyd cried. "If you sacrifice yourself, your friends who love you...and your family...and...and me...we'll all be sad. It'll be the same as sacrificing all of us!"

The anguish in his voice made me shudder with dread. Colette...she would be okay, right? The Renegades would come and save everyone...

Could I really place all my bets on them? Was that too big of a risk to take? If they were even a minute late...what if it didn't happen the way it was supposed to?

Genis ran forward next to Lloyd. Unlike the way it played out in the game...he wasn't ready to sacrifice her, either. After seeing my constant dislike of Cruxis, as well as those coffins...I was sure his doubts were too great. People in Sylvarant were suffering, but this would only be a temporary relief, and at the cost of one of his best friends.

Colette was giving us a pained look, and I felt my stomach churn. Could I really stand by as she threw her life away? Wasn't there anything I could do?!

"Don't do it, Colette!" Genis' eyes were full of tears, but he refused to let them fall. "There has to be something else we can do!"

Raine was holding a hand in front of her mouth, her head lowered so that her bangs covered her eyes. I thought I saw a single tear fall, but I couldn't be sure.

I couldn't. I couldn't stand by and do nothing...I had to at least try. I didn't want Colette to die, either. All of those times I had seen her suffer...I hadn't been able to do anything to help. Now that it really mattered, I just...I...

"Please, Colette," I said, surprised to find that I was choking up too. "You have so much to live for. Don't throw it all away now! Don't you understand? If you do this, then some Chosen in Tethe'alla will have to go through the same thing as you! Remiel's wrong; this isn't going to change anything! If Cruxis was willing to change the system, they would have done so by now!"

"Colette..." Sheena shook her head. "Come back with us. We can find a way to work together so you don't have to die!"

"Finding such a method would take far longer than Sylvarant's current lifespan," Remiel said, his voice sounding more and more sinister by the minute. He crossed his arms, glaring down at us. "The sacrifice of one single person, the Chosen, will save the world. Are you saying that you would choose the Chosen's soul over the entire world? Now, Colette...come join your father."

Colette hesitated, looking honestly torn for a moment...but then her Chosen side won over, and she turned to approach Remiel. A glowing circle appeared beneath her feet. Desperate, Lloyd ran forward towards the altar.

"Wait! Remiel! Is there really no other way? Colette's your daughter. Surely you don't really want her to die, either!"

"...My daughter?" Remiel scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. When I came down to play the role of guardian angel, you inferior beings just started calling me her father on your own."

"Wh...what?" Lloyd looked up, shocked. Everyone else in the group had flinched as well at this remark.

"I merely placed the Cruxis Crystal upon this sacrifice, who was selected to become Martel's vessel."

He sounded like a Desian, and it was infuriating.

"Colette!" Lloyd called out, jumping up on to the altar where she stood. She turned to face him, smiling.

Although she didn't move her lips, her voice echoed through the chamber.

"Lloyd, it's okay. I realized what was going on. Every time I met Remiel, I felt...that he was not my real father...But still, for some reason, I still feel like I want to cry."

"Colette...If you realized what was going on, then why...?"

She looked shocked. "...You can hear my voice? I'm so happy! I'll be able to say goodbye to you all in the end."

"Colette...I'm sorry! I couldn't save you...I'm so sorry!" Lloyd sounded close to tears. "I promised I wouldn't make another mistake, but it looks like I have again..."

"No. Thank you, Lloyd. Because of you, I was able to find the courage to protect the world. Because of you, I was able to find the strength to live these sixteen years to the fullest."

She gave him a heartfelt smile, and then looked over to us.

"Genis..." The boy nearly jumped at the mention of his name. "...Even when we were little, you always baked me a cake on my birthday. You and Lloyd always made sure I felt like Colette...not the Chosen One. When my birthday came, I could celebrate like a normal girl...and I could forget that each birthday brought me closer to today. Thank you."

"Sheena," she said, turning to the ninja now. "I know we weren't on the best terms when we first met, but I always knew you had a big heart. I'm thankful that I got the chance to be your friend. I know that even after I'm gone, you'll find a way to save Tethe'alla, too..."

Colette looked at me now, and I really thought I was going to cry. "Brittany...up until the very end, you always made sure I knew I wasn't alone. Even though you were really scared, you still stayed with us through the entire journey. Knowing that you care so much...it makes me really happy. Thank you..."

Remiel was starting to look impatient. That normally would have amused me, but under these circumstances, it took everything I had not to scream.

"Professor," Colette said, turning to the final person in our group. Raine looked up, nearly about to lose her composure. "I know it was hard for you to keep my secret all this time. I'm sorry." She smiled. "But...I'm glad, too. I always knew I could trust you with anything. Whenever I had a problem, or I was feeling upset...you always made me feel better. I learned so much from you, Professor Sage...and not just in school. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

With a shock, I realized that she'd accounted for everyone present in our group. That meant...

She started backing away. "Thank you, everyone...It looks like it's time..."

"Colette!" Lloyd cried, reaching out for her. She revealed her wings, floating into the air.

"Please," he begged, "Please don't do this!"

She gave him a sorrowful smile. "I'm sorry..."

Closing her eyes, Colette uttered one final word.

"Goodbye..."

When her eyes opened once more, they were pale red in color...empty and soulless. That was it...she was gone. Colette was gone.

Lloyd fell to his knees, staring up at her in despair. "Colette..."

The silence was broken by the sound of Remiel's victorious laughter. He had the evil laugh thing down pretty well, too.

Finally... I shifted from foot to foot, antsy. It was finally time to give this prick the beating he deserved.

"I've done it!" He declared. "It's finally complete! Martel's vessel is finally complete!"

The others looked alarmed at his abrupt change in demeanor. He no longer sounded like the dignified angel he had pretended to be.

I stepped forward, feeling frantic. "Listen to that guy! Does he really sound like someone we can trust with Colette?! Cruxis has been screwing with us from the beginning! Let's just take her and get the hell out of here!"

If we could escape early, then we wouldn't have to deal with Kratos and Yggdrasill. If we got out before they came, we'd still run into the Renegades and then everything would turn out the way it was supposed to-

"I can't allow you inferior beings to do that," Remiel said, a smug look on his face. "Martel's vessel, which took years to complete...along with the host body Lord Yggdrasill has been waiting months to obtain...With these, I will become one of the Four Seraphim!"

"Host body?" Raine looked over at me, alarmed. Everyone was noticing how Remiel was sounding more and more like a Desian, and the horrifying possibility that Colette had lost her soul in vain hung over us.

"What are you talking about?!" Sheena ran forward, fists clenched. "What're you gonna do with Colette?!"

"He's going to take her to heaven..." The Professor said, her voice sounding weak.

"Host body? Inferior beings?" Lloyd snarled, his eyes wide with the realization. "You bastard! Cruxis, the angels, the Goddess Martel...it's all a big lie, isn't it?! Let her go, now!"

"Impudent fools..." Remiel growled, and with a flash of light, a golden bow appeared in his hands. "I have no use for you! Begone!"

Lloyd, who was unfortunate enough to be standing closest to Remiel, was abruptly sent flying with a hard whack from the bow. I ran forward to soften his landing, as that seemed to be what always happened anyway.

He recovered quickly and we both drew our weapons, just as everyone else did. Suddenly Remiel was upon us, and I was terrified.

No Kratos. Oh God, we were fighting a fucking angel, without Kratos. We were so screwed.

Okay. I needed to pull myself together and fight. When Kratos entered the scene, we'd have to fight him too...Screw it. If I was going to die here, then I was going all out. No more fear, no more hesitation. No more being overly cautious. I had nothing to lose.

If I was going to die in this desolate place...I wasn't going without one hell of a fight.

"Photon!" Remiel yelled, and my eyes widened; in my temporary distraction, I hadn't even realized he'd been casting.

Sheena dove out of the way of the attack, running forward with her cards in hand. Remiel flew high into the air, out of her reach, and fired several arrows down at us.

I ran up next to Sheena, remembering our vow to remain a team. Lloyd knocked an arrow away from Genis as the young mage powered up a spell, presumably to take Remiel out of the air.

"Sharpness!" Raine cast her own spell on Genis, trying to ensure his success.

"Sheena," I hissed to her, nodding my head towards the altar. "We should use that as a jumping off point. Wait for the right moment."

She nodded, and we each ran up a staircase on either side. Colette floated off to one side, thankfully out of harm's way. Lloyd continued to deflect arrows that were sent towards Genis and Raine, waiting for his own opening to attack.

I was about to call out the mage's name, but it looked like Genis had already seen our plan. He raised his kendama, a look of furious determination in his eyes.

"Photon!" Raine yelled suddenly, and light enveloped Remiel. He only let out a chuckle, the light magic having next to no effect on him.

I was confused for a moment, but then I saw that it had only been a diversion. While it did little damage, the light still temporarily blinded Remiel, rendering him defenseless against Genis' oncoming attack.

"Air Thrust!" Genis cried, and blades of wind surrounded the angel.

He angled the winds downward, towards Sheena and I; I found myself briefly impressed with how much the mage had improved through the course of the journey. Not only could he cast higher level spells, he could manipulate the way the magic worked...

There was no time. A startled Remiel was descending towards us; his battered wings still allowed him to fly, but he was forced to remain lower in the air. He didn't realize we were right behind him.

"Now!" Sheena said, and jumped forward with lightning speed. She slapped three life seals on Remiel's back, temporarily immobilizing him.

I ran forward next, forgetting how high up the altar was in my adrenaline rush. Jumping off the platform, I raised my sword.

"This one's for Colette, you arrogant prick!" I declared, slashing hard at his wings.

He let out a pained, angry yell, and I landed on the ground with a jolt that jarred my knees. Blood and feathers clung to my sword, and I heard the sound of him falling to the floor.

"You..." Remiel growled, and I turned around fast enough to be blasted with Photon. I flew backwards and tumbled to the ground, skidding for several feet . I barely managed to stop myself from falling over the edge.

Temporarily blinded, I had to attempt to pull myself up as the sounds of battle surrounded me. I hoped an arrow wouldn't randomly hit me in the eye.

"First Aid!" Raine had taken notice of me. My vision instantly cleared and the pain faded, and I gave her a grateful look.

Now that Remiel was stuck on the ground with a long range weapon, he wasn't such a threat, I realized. Sheena and Lloyd kept him busy while Genis cast spell after spell.

I ran forward to join the fray, feeling faintly hopeful for the first time today. For such an imposing angel, Remiel wasn't as impossible to defeat as I thought he'd be. Maybe we could actually do this!

"Fierce Demon Fang!" Lloyd and I yelled at the same time as Sheena hit him with a Pyre Seal. Remiel used his bow to block our attacks to the best of his ability, but there wasn't much he could do with his hacked up wings.

He didn't seem to like how the tides had turned; the look in his eyes was absolutely murderous.

"Holy Lance!" He exclaimed, catching us off guard.

The powerful spell successfully blew the three of us away from him, and he immediately turned his attention to Raine, our prime healer. She was halfway through a spell, and wouldn't see the arrows coming.

"Dammit!" I swore, pushing myself up despite the pain. If Raine was hurt, we'd be screwed. We had to conserve our energy for the fight against Kratos, if we wanted to have any hope of surviving.

I ran blindly at Remiel as he nocked an arrow, planning on tackling him to the ground. The angel saw me coming, his blue eyes narrowing into a glare. I knew I could afford to do this, because he intended to use me rather than kill me.

Remiel obviously didn't mind hurting me, though; he unstrung the arrow, plunging it easily into my shoulder as I let my sword bite deep into his side. I cried out in agony as he blew me away with Photon once more, gripping his hurt side with one hand.

While my mission to protect Raine had proved successful, now I was bleeding all over the floor. The arrow in my shoulder had been made of light magic, so it vanished shortly after it injured me, allowing blood to flow freely from the wound. I heard the sound of Lloyd and Sheena recovering and resuming their attacks, while the sound of running footsteps approached me.

Raine leaned over me, examining the wound. "That was reckless," she hissed, sounding worried as she powered up a spell.

"Sorry, Professor," I said, wincing. She shook her head.

"First Aid!" She said, and the wound closed up. "You mustn't let your anger get the best of you."

I nodded, pushing myself up and stretching my mended muscles a little bit. Raine had improved a lot since I met her, too. There wasn't even an ache where I had been hit, and I was sure I could strain those muscles for quite a while before the wound would be in danger of reopening.

Time to get back to business, then...

I ran at Remiel once more, joining Lloyd and Sheena in a combined effort. He continually blocked our attacks, and I hoped he would grow tired at some point.

"Stay away!" Remiel growled, pushing us back with light magic. Just as we regained our balance and began to move forward for another attack, I noticed the white circle glowing beneath him.

He smirked. "Judgment Ray!"

My eyes widened, and each of us was hit with a beam of light; we were all sent flying, landing in the middle of the floor and unable to move for a moment.

"Holy Lance!" His next attack was against Genis and Raine, but they were prepared with their respective barriers this time.

Sheena and I got to our feet, attempting to see where the hell we were. All of this light was seriously going to permanently damage my eyesight. For God's sake, even Remiel was glowing slightly.

"Photon!" He yelled again, knocking us over once more. He'd obviously realized that spamming light magic was the way to go; the tides were turning in his favor once more as we were steadily being worn out.

"We've gotta...stop him..." Sheena panted, managing to get up once more. He cast another spell, and we threw up our barriers.

"Thunder Blade!" Genis yelled, seemingly out of nowhere. Remiel managed to dodge the blade, but was hit immediately with the magic.

He grimaced, quickly nocking an arrow and aiming right for the half elf. "You...worthless little-"

"Tiger Blade!" Lloyd yelled, suddenly appearing in front of Remiel and knocking him hard into the altar. Blood sprayed on to the ground, forming a crimson pool over the pale blue circle where the Eternal Sword would later appear.

Remiel slumped to the ground, bleeding from various wounds, his wings broken and stained with blood. Everyone grew still as Lloyd sheathed his swords, glaring at Remiel. I don't think any of us were really able to believe we had just defeated an angel.

"Impossible..." Remiel croaked. "How can an angel, the ultimate being, lose to a group of humans?"

We ignored him, as there were more important matters at hand. I was shocked enough that I had survived the first fight, but...I knew exactly what that meant...

"Colette," Lloyd called, "come back to us! I'm going to restore you back to your normal self! I promise!"

As expected, Colette remained silent. She stared at the empty air above our heads, her face completely void of emotion. It was...eerie.

"Colette..." Lloyd's voice grew weak. "...Have you really forgotten me?"

"You're wasting your time." A new voice came, and I felt a wave of dread pass over me. Everyone turned to look up at the altar, where Kratos had appeared.

"Not only did she lose her memory," he continued, "but she has lost the soul to listen to your words. Now Colette is merely a puppet standing before death's door."

"Kratos!" Genis said in surprise. Lloyd stepped forward.

"Where have you been?! What are you saying?!"

"The Chosen desired the regeneration of the world and chose this path herself. By the summoning of the Chosen to Derris- Kharlan, the seal will be broken and the regeneration will be complete."

"Kratos?" Lloyd stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?

"It is what you wanted as well," Kratos stated, glancing over at Colette's lifeless form. "We will take the Chosen as the new body for Martel."

Everyone froze at the implications of Kratos' words, and I tried hard not to tremble at the thought of what was coming. The not-mercenary was staring down at us, his arms crossed. He looked the same, but...it was almost like he was a different person.

No...that wasn't it. It was like I had gone back in time, and Kratos had forgotten us. The look in his eyes was cold and uncaring. All those days he had traveled with us, helped us out, trained us, given us advice...it was as if all of it had been rendered irrelevant.

"What are you talking about?!" Lloyd asked desperately. "Kratos...answer me!"

Remiel, who was still broken and bleeding on the floor, lifted his head. "L-Lord Kratos, have pity on me," he choked out, looking truly pathetic. "Please...lend me your aid."

"Have you forgotten, Remiel?" Kratos stared down at the dying angel. "I was once of the inferior race...a human. Does the ultimate being seek help from that which he despises the most?"

Remiel grimaced hopelessly, and collapsed once more as blood continued to drain from his body.

Finally sensing that something was terribly wrong, Lloyd ran up the stairs to the altar and stood protectively in front of Colette. I gripped the hilt of my sword more tightly, savoring what was bound to be my last few moments of life.

"Move out of the way," Kratos said, a warning in his voice.

Lloyd didn't listen, his eyes narrowing. Despite his actions, though...I could tell the red-clad swordsman still didn't want to believe Kratos was the enemy.

"Kratos...who are you?" Lloyd finally asked, sounding like he really didn't want to know the answer.

In response, the mercenary closed his eyes as his body began to glow. Bright, majestic blue wings suddenly shot out from his back, and everyone gasped in shock. His wings...were much more impressive than Colette's. And despite the fact that they were sparkly and blue, I found them to be somehow intimidating.

Oh, God...Kratos, don't do this...

"I am of Cruxis, the organization that guides this world," Kratos answered coldly. "I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch over the Chosen."

"K-Kratos...?!" The brunette swordsman gaped in disbelief. If there was any answer he had expected...it hadn't been this.

"Kratos is an angel, too?!" Genis exclaimed.

"You deceived us!" Sheena yelled, indignant.

"Deceived?" Kratos frowned. "If the Chosen merges with Martel, she will awaken, and the world will be saved. Is that not what you wanted?"

"That means Colette has to die!" I said. Kratos looked over to me, and I nearly shuddered at the callous look on his face.

"She will be reborn as Martel," he corrected, and I shook my head.

"What the hell's wrong with you?! We can't let you do that!"

"Kratos...please tell me you're lying. You can't be serious!" Lloyd had lowered his head, fists clenched. He was shaking.

The seraph turned to his son, indifferent. "Step away from the Chosen, Lloyd."

"We trusted you!" Lloyd abruptly exclaimed, drawing out a blade and slashing at Kratos, who merely took a step back to avoid the blade.

"That..." Kratos said quietly, "...was your own mistake."

I couldn't understand it. Lloyd looked unbelievably hurt; he was trembling uncontrollably, staring at the seraph who we'd once considered to be our friend. Even though I knew Kratos was supposed to betray us...I still couldn't comprehend his current behavior. He had to do this, but...how could he give us such cold looks? There wasn't even a trace of compassion or sympathy left in him...not even a hint of the old Kratos. Was he really acting? He had to be, right?

I wanted a hint...anything to tell me that the Kratos I remembered was still in there somewhere. He was too aloof about all this, as if he were about to cut down complete strangers. Besides...if I didn't protest somehow, it would seem weird to the others. Lloyd and I had been the closest to Kratos out of everyone in the group.

"But..." I found myself speaking, and when he turned that cold gaze on me again, I couldn't stop myself. "You helped us. You saved us so many times, you asshole! You taught me to fight! You helped us rescue all those people from the Desians! Are you honestly saying that...that it was all a lie?!"

"I did what was necessary to ensure the Chosen's journey was successful," Kratos replied, giving me a deadpan look. I was sure he believed I had no right to protest when I had already known he was affiliated with Cruxis.

"The Desians were a nuisance," he said, pausing to stare at me disdainfully. "And had I not taught you to fight, you would have held us back...even more so than you already did."

I recoiled, stung by that statement. Kratos had never said I was impressive at fighting...but he had never deliberately tried to discourage me, either. As long as I sought his help, he had always been willing to provide advice...

I didn't like this new Kratos at all. This guy was supposed to be Lloyd's father?!

Genis, standing next to me, was trembling. He was seething with anger; not only was Kratos intending to take one of his best friends away, he'd betrayed Lloyd's trust, too.

Raine, who had paled from the shock of the betrayal, had her eyes closed. When they opened, they were full of a sharpness and fierce determination that surprised me. She fully intended to protect her student, even if it cost her her life...

"Kratos," she called out, catching his attention. "I suppose...then you must see how this is going to end."

"We don't have to fight," I said desperately, stalling. "Just see reason, Kratos! We can find a way-"

The hiss of Kratos' blade coming unsheathed cut me off. "The revival of the Goddess Martel is our objective," he stated. "If you refuse to hand over the Chosen, I will take her from you by force."

"We won't let you do that, you bastard!" Lloyd shouted, enraged.

"Do you honestly believe you can defeat me?" Kratos asked, eyes narrowed. "...Hmph. So be it!"

He ran at Lloyd, while Sheena and I ran up the steps behind the seraph. This was it...I wasn't going to make it through this battle. There was no way I'd last against Kratos.

But...I had to try, or everyone else would die with me.

Kratos knocked Lloyd backwards, causing Colette to fly up and out of danger. When Sheena and I came up behind him, he whipped around to face us with alarming speed.

Okay...no hesitation. Remember the training!

"Hunting Be-" I began, but he was way ahead of me.

"Hurricane Thrust!" He yelled, and the winds created were much stronger than I remembered. I was lucky enough that his sword only made a shallow cut in my side, but the winds knocked all of us off the altar and to the ground below.

I landed awkwardly, the breath knocked out of me. Despite this, I had to roll out of the way as the ground cracked beneath me.

"Grave!" Kratos yelled. His speed was insane.

"Augh!" Sheena cried, and I saw that she hadn't had enough time to get out of the way. Shit, this was very bad...she looked like she had broken something.

I stumbled to my feet, not wanting to succumb to the same fate. Looking around frantically, I spotted the seraph fighting with Lloyd. We were already worn down from the battle with Remiel...and Lloyd was looking exhausted. If this was Kratos holding back, I couldn't fathom how Lloyd was ever going to defeat him later on.

"Fierce Demon Fa-"

"Lightning Blade! Light Spear!" Kratos moved fluidly from one tech to another, beating Lloyd back. The teenager was barely holding his own.

"Stalagmite!" Genis cried, desperate to save Lloyd. The ground cracked under Kratos' feet, but the seraph was much too fast to be caught by the spell. He dodged backwards, towards me.

His back was to me. My eyes widened; this might be the only chance I'd get. Time to show him that I wasn't completely useless. Letting him come to me, I jumped high into the air.

'Do not use this technique until you've perfected it. Understand?'

'This technique requires you to turn your back on the enemy briefly. If you use it carelessly, it will be your downfall.'

I bet he never suspected that he first time I used it in battle, it would be against him.

"Hell Pyre!" I yelled, charging up as much mana as I could without hurting myself.

When I had almost completed a full turn, I saw that Kratos had turned to face me. I slung the ball of mana down the blade at him. He sidestepped it, catching my blade with his own and forcing it out of my hands. Loki flew to the other side of the room, out of reach, and I was totally defenseless.

Oh, fuck. This was bad, very bad.

I stumbled backwards, now facing the seraph without a weapon.

"Fool," he murmured, running at me and readying his sword.

"Barrier!" Raine yelled, and the seraph's sword was deflected.

I had the sense to dodge out of the way before Kratos could swing his sword again, and Lloyd ran in to try distracting him while I dashed for my weapon.

"Demon Fang! Double Demon Fang!"

"Augh!" Lloyd was knocked back into the altar. He slipped, falling into a puddle of Remiel's blood.

Kratos was already dashing for Raine, and the Professor had no time to retaliate. "Lightning Blade!"

"Force Field!" Raine yelled, but her barrier was instantly shattered by the strength in Kratos' attack. She stumbled backwards, a deep gash in her side.

"Air Thrust!" Kratos yelled, and Genis cried out when he was unable to defend fast enough. His kendama was knocked out of his grip, and he fell to the floor.

Kratos closed his eyes, growing still, and I wondered why he wasn't finishing them off. Then a white circle glowed from beneath him; the entire place grew dark, as if storm clouds had passed over us.

My eyes widened as I recognized the attack. This...was the ending blow. No...if he used that attack, someone was going to die!

"Sacred powers..." He began, and I almost felt nauseous at the words.

This was it...I could feel it. Someone had to stop him...only one person had to die here.

It had to be me.

I ran at Kratos with everything I had, as he kept his eyes closed with concentration.

"...cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls," he said. I drew closer, sprinting. Everything I'd ever done in my life...it all amounted to this one final moment. If I could just do one worthwhile thing before I died...

My life flashed before my eyes. I apologized to my family, knowing I would never return home.

"Rest in peace, sinners!" Kratos' eyes snapped open, showing that he'd been aware of my advance the entire time. Just as I was upon him, he slashed his sword diagonally across my chest, the tip of his blade nicking my chin and scraping against my jawbone.

The force of the attack sent me stumbling backwards, and I fell on my side, clutching the deep wound in shock. Blood seeped out between my shaking fingers.

"Judgment."

The platform rumbled. I watched as beams of light rained down on us, still trying to register the fact that I was bleeding all over the place.

"G-Guar..." I tried in a whimper, reaching for the hilt of my sword. My voice was cut off suddenly when the entire world went white, and I screamed.

My scream seemed to grow more and more distant as the intense pain increased, blocking out all other senses.

Pain. Oh my God, I had never felt so much pain.

The light faded, but my eyes didn't immediately recover. I heard the sound of my heart pounding, and gasped feebly like a fish out of water. My entire front was sticky with blood, and the pain continued to tear through me.

There was the sound of running footsteps. A blur of red...Lloyd. By some miracle, Lloyd hadn't been hit by Judgment. A blur of purple, Kratos, ran to meet his attack.

Their movements were making me dizzy. I felt lightheaded, my vision starting to darken at the edges.

No. I couldn't black out, not here. I had to make sure...

On impulse, I reached for my wound and applied pressure to it with one hand. The white-hot flash of pain I felt would have made me scream, had I had the energy. Despite that, the sensation cleared my vision and kept me conscious. I didn't move, knowing that doing so would only make me a target.

There was a loud clanging sound, and I realized that Lloyd had dropped his swords. He was kneeling before Kratos, the seraphs' blade pointed at his throat.

"D-Dammit..." Lloyd choked, shuddering with exhaustion. Kratos drew his blade back, ready to strike.

My eyes widened with shock. No...He wasn't about to...?!

Suddenly the look in Kratos' eyes changed to something I couldn't describe. He hesitated, his hand shaking just a little. And then...Kratos lowered his blade.

I relaxed, a surge of relief running through me. Kratos...he really hadn't changed. Thank God.

Managing a glance around me, I noticed that everyone else was unconscious...if not dead. Raine seemed to be stirring slightly, but she didn't look like she was capable of coherent thought at this moment.

Just as I finished my examination, I noticed a bright light descending from above.

Oh...that's right. Bad things always come in threes, don't they? It was time for the third round...and this one was impossible to win.

"Kratos...I suppose not even you could bring yourself to fight against such an opponent." A voice rang out. There was a flash, and Yggdrasill stood before us.

He wore a spandex bodysuit. He had angel wings. He had long blond hair.

And he was terrifying.

This man had played God over Sylvarant and Tethe'alla for thousands of years. To him, we were ants waiting to be crushed. We didn't stand a chance in hell.

Kratos sheathed his sword, kneeling before him. Seeing Kratos kneel for anyone...seemed very, very wrong.

"Lord Yggdrasill," Kratos said quietly, his head lowered.

The same man who had sent the Desians after me. What were his motives? Did he really know who I was?

"You must be Lloyd," Yggdrasill turned to Kratos' son, a smug look on his face.

"Who are you to ask for my name?" The swordsman shot back, standing tall despite his exhaustion.

"Haha...People need not introduce themselves to a dog," Yggdrasill said with a smirk. Lloyd's fists clenched.

"What did you say?!"

I pushed myself up, wincing. My wounds were probably fatal...I was scared, but also desperate. If I could at least find out why this had all happened to me...or if Yggdrasill really knew me like the Desians had claimed...

"Yggdrasill," I called, using my sword to push myself to my feet. It was a miracle I could even manage to stand with all the blood I had lost.

The angel turned his gaze on me, and it felt like everything within me had frozen. I had never imagined he would be this frightening...but he was. The room was silent for a moment as I took a breath, save for the sound of my blood dripping to the floor.

I did my best to glare at him, but I was sure I failed. "The name of the Desian leader...is Yggdrasill. It's not a name you forget easily..."

"Well...I'm impressed," the blonde said in a patronizing tone. "You're correct, human. I am Yggdrasill...leader of Cruxis, and the Desians!"

"Shocker," I choked, though my voice came out small enough that I doubt they'd heard me. Shifting my weight, I struggled to stay upright.

As Yggdrasill looked down at me, his eyes suddenly became scrutinizing. There was a flash of light, and suddenly he was right in front of me. It took everything I had not to stumble backwards in shock.

If I made any move, I would collapse to the ground. I couldn't run. All I could do...was stare in horror at the seraph before me.

"Ah..." He smirked, examining me. "...I thought I recognized you." He reached out, lightly placing a finger on my Exsphere.

I couldn't help it; I shuddered in revulsion at the contact.

"The injuries aren't fatal...good work, Kratos," the angel said, nodding. "This one is fated to serve a greater purpose."

My eyes widened at that. He knew me. It was all true. But why? Why me?!

I couldn't stand him being this close. Using my last ounce of energy, I swung my blade at him. The seraph immediately warped away from my clumsy attack, and smiled wickedly at me.

"However...it seems you still have yet to learn your place," he said, a bright light shining in the palm of his hand.

Before he could make another move, however, Lloyd ran at him. Yggdrasill only shook his head, and I noted with alarm that the Eternal Sword was floating behind him.

"Lloyd-" I tried to shout a warning, but suddenly a wave of energy ran through the room, sending us both flying.

I heard a crash as Lloyd hit the pillar behind him, cracking it in half. My vision blurred once more as the pain returned. I struggled to maintain a grip on consciousness.

"...tos...tr...ject...?"

Yggdrasill's voice reached my ears, but I could hardly make out what he was saying. I winced, attempting to see what was going on.

"Farewell."

I heard that final word, and felt myself losing the battle to remain conscious.

As my vision went dark, my last thought...was the realization that he was about to kill us all.

Chapter Text

"Nngh..." A terrible ache caused me to wince, letting out a loud groan.

My whole body...felt like it had been run over with a steamroller. Everything was so incredibly sore. What was wrong with me...?

I groaned again, unable to stop myself. After a few moments of lying still, my mind started to function a little more.

Pain...I could feel pain. Did that mean...?

My eyes snapped open at my sudden desperate need to know, and I instantly regretted it. I winced, squeezing my eyes shut once more, sucking in air through my teeth. The light stung my eyes; now they were watering, and I felt the sudden need to sneeze.

After a minute or two passed, I took a deep breath. Okay, focus on one thing at a time...I needed to pull myself together.

Slowly this time, I let my eyes open. The light was less blinding now; gradually my eyes adjusted, and a bare ceiling came into focus. Right, now I was getting somewhere...but a ceiling didn't tell me much. I had to sit up...or at least move my head.

I clenched my hands into fists to brace myself for the physical activity, and realized I had gripped some sort of cloth. Oh...judging from the softness of what I was laying on...it must have been a bed. I was gripping bedsheets.

Strange...

Gritting my teeth, I tensed my muscles and abruptly forced myself into a sitting position. My vision swam and I let out a quiet gasp as the muscles in my side cramped up. I was forced to sit still for the next few minutes, biting down on my hand to prevent a scream.

When my muscles finally relaxed again, I let out a shuddering breath. I needed to stretch before I tried moving around again-

My thoughts were cut off when I took my first glance around the room and instantly recognized where I was.

The Renegade base...I was in the Renegade base?! That meant...everything had gone the way it was supposed to! I was really alive? The last thing I recalled was Yggdrasill about to use the Eternal Sword on us...

They must have come seconds after I passed out, I realized. I let out a sigh of relief. We had made it, but only barely.

So, I was alive...my first instinct was to feel happy, but then I wasn't so sure. The fact that I was still around meant...my journey wasn't even half over. The thought of it was a little scary.

As I thought to myself, I took care to stretch each of my stiff muscles carefully to avoid any more cramps. I couldn't help but take note of all the bandages covering me. My injuries must have been bad if healing magic couldn't completely seal them up...

I lifted a hand, rubbing my chin lightly, and was pleased to find that the small injury there was gone. It was probably going to leave a scar, though...damn. At least it hadn't been on my cheek or over one of my eyes, that only looked cool on anime dudes.

Kratos...

I lowered my hand, staring at it for a moment as my mind wandered elsewhere. So, if I was here...that meant Kratos was gone, and he would be gone for a very long while. He wasn't going to rejoin our party till the Iselia Ranch...who knew how long that would take.

We no longer had Kratos to bail us out of trouble when we needed it most...

I still couldn't believe he'd given me this injury. And what the hell was that, using Judgment on us?!

Still...that couldn't have been a full-powered Judgment if I had survived it. I couldn't imagine what the real thing would be like.

No, thinking about Kratos would only depress me. It was over and done with, and I had known it was coming from the beginning...I needed to focus on the present now.

Finishing up a final stretch, I glanced around the room once more. Yeah, this was definitely a Renegade base. This odd interior decorating was pretty hard to forget. But this was weird...hadn't everyone woken up in the same room in the game? Okay, maybe the rooms were too small to fit everyone in on a bed...but I could have sworn there had been at least two beds where Lloyd woke up in the game. Ugh...it probably didn't matter, but I didn't like waking up alone like this when the Renegades couldn't really be trusted.

"Hm...so you're awake." A voice I knew very well met my ears, and I froze.

I hadn't even heard the door open, and yet Yuan now stood near the entrance with his arms crossed. His gaze was sharp and intimidating as ever, and I had to suppress a groan. Yuan was the last person I wanted to talk to right now, especially considering how our last couple meetings had gone. I was still pretty ticked about the whole locket incident, but he'd probably only smirk if I mentioned it to him.

"Um...yeah," was my brilliant response. Why was Yuan speaking to me personally? He was supposed to send one of his men to get me, so we could all gather in the same room for him to explain.

I didn't want to come off as a total idiot to him, so I decided to show him that I wasn't completely clueless. He liked it when he didn't have to explain too much, right?

"Yuan, right?" I frowned slightly, my voice sounding raspy. "I overheard your name when your...your Desians ambushed us," I explained.

My plan backfired, as he looked slightly exasperated when I mentioned Desians.

"You're correct about my identity, but we are not Desians," he stated.

"Not...?" I pretended to be confused. "Then, what-"

"I'll explain later when everyone else is awake," he said before I could get the question out.

I tilted my head. If I didn't voice a bunch of questions I already knew the answers to, it'd just seem weird. "Hey...last I remember, we were getting our asses handed to us...did you rescue us? But then...that one time, you tried to-"

He shook his head. "Like I said, I'll explain later. You're in no danger right now. If you don't mind, I'd like to get on with the reason why I came," he said, the look in his eyes daring me to ask another stupid question.

I let out a heavy sigh. "Whatever. I'll trust you for now...it's not like I have a choice. So...why exactly are you wasting your breath on me, of all people?"

In response, he turned on his heel and took a step towards the door. "Come with me."

"E-Eh?" My eyes widened, and he turned to give me an annoyed look. I grimaced and struggled to my feet, grumbling to myself as I reluctantly followed him out the door.

Yuan, being his asshole self, walked at a normal pace while I struggled to keep up. Unlike with Kratos, though, I couldn't quite work up the nerve to tell him off.

"Ow...Christ, ow, ow..." I muttered, wincing at the stinging pain from the healing wound Kratos had given me.

Thankfully, the route to Yuan's preferred room wasn't very long. After a few short minutes of walking, we arrived at another door and slipped inside.

Ah...this looked like Yuan's office. I walked into the center of the room, standing there awkwardly as the seraph went behind his desk to sort through a few things.

Now that I wasn't in too much pain to think, I started to puzzle over the situation I was in. Why in God's name had Yuan wanted to speak with me personally? It didn't make any sense...unless he intended to punish me a second time for my eavesdropping. But he'd said himself that I wasn't in any danger, and I didn't think he was lying...

"Tell me..." Yuan started, glancing up at me. "...Do you know why you're here?"

I blinked, feeling like he'd just read my mind. "Not a clue, actually," I answered truthfully.

This was too weird. Yuan was so intimidating, I felt almost like a troublemaking student standing in the principal's office. The big, fancy desk sort of enhanced the effect.

He didn't look too surprised with my answer. He glanced back down to his desk, straightening out some papers as he spoke.

"We've been monitoring your progress since you became a registered prisoner in the Asgard ranch. Your involvement in the Angelus Project did catch my attention, but I didn't realize who you truly were until a short while later..."

My brow furrowed in confusion, and I gave him a frustrated look. "I'm still pretty lost. What's that supposed to mean? I'm not special at all, and yet these Desians keep running around with all sorts of records on me, and-"

Yuan raised an eyebrow, cutting me off. "Surely you must know...there is a very distinct difference that sets you apart from everyone else."

I gave him a blank look, wondering where he was going with this. What was so different about me that the Desians and Cruxis would harrass me like this?

The seraph let out a sigh, reaching over to a circular metal plate that rested on his desk. Oh, wait...was that a projector?

He confirmed my thoughts by pressing a small button on the device, causing an image to appear above it. It was...a planet? Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, in their original shape?

I walked forward, frowning as I examined the floating image. "What is-"

Suddenly gaping, I cut myself off. Those continents...I knew them very well. There was North America, South America, Africa, Asia...

The image Yuan had shown to me...was Earth.

"Jesus Christ," I murmured, slowly looking up to stare at Yuan, who was watching me.

"Do you finally understand?" He asked, looking satisfied with my reaction.

"H-How do you know...?!" I took a step backwards, shaking my head in disbelief.

"About Earth?" Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think you merely..." He waved one hand, searching for the right word. "...appeared here, did you? People don't wake up in entirely different worlds at random."

I couldn't believe this. Yuan knew about Earth?! This was just...so incredibly bizarre. I nearly started to shake with anticipation; did this mean I was finally going to get some answers about what the hell was going on?

"I..." I bit my lip. "I don't know. I didn't know what to think. How...how did I end up here?"

"Hm...think for yourself, will you? Who is the one commanding your pursuers?"

"Y-Yggdrasill?!" I sputtered, eyes wide. "But how would he-"

The Eternal Sword.

Why the hell hadn't I thought of that sooner?! Yggdrasill possessed the Eternal Sword! He could easily use its power to make his way to Earth...oh, God, that bastard had been to my home?!

"How he accomplished it isn't important right now," Yuan said, and I knew he just didn't feel like explaining. "What matters is the fact that you are here for a very specific reason."

I shook my head, bewildered. "Something to do with the Angelus Project..."

Yuan crossed his arms. "The Angelus Project is designed to create Cruxis Crystals from Exspheres through a special Key Crest that delays the Exspheres' parasitic process," he explained.

Judging from the way Yuan was explaining everything...he knew about Earth, but not about Tales of Symphonia. That was a relief...

I feigned surprise. "Create Cruxis Crystals from Exspheres? Does that mean a Cruxis Crystal is only a special type of Exsphere?"

The seraph looked pleased that I had finally made a decent connection. "That's correct."

I rubbed my forehead, frowning. "But still, they could use anyone for that."

Yuan looked exasperated, probably because the second I seemed smart, I managed to show my cluelessness right after.

"Not quite. There are a multitude of factors that affect how effective the process will be." He gestured to the projection. "Earth contains billions of people as well as an enormous ecosystem, and yet survives with no mana. The very makeup of your body is vastly different from the humans here."

I struggled to understand before he got snappy again, but failed for the most part. "How would someone like me survive in a mana-based world, then? My body just...adapts?"

He nodded. "Your body takes in and expends mana just like everyone else."

Okay, that would explain how I was able to use techs and all, but...

"However," Yuan continued, "if you were to release all of the mana from your body, you would not die. Exspheres grow stronger by feeding off the life force and mana of living beings. By attaching an Exsphere to someone from Earth, the process can be extended for much, much longer."

My eyes widened. "Because...even if I lost all my mana, I'd just take in more and more. And with the Key Crest slowing the process, my body would weaken a lot slower, too..."

"Precisely," Yuan said, nodding.

"And out of the six billion people on Earth, I was chosen because...?"

"You were unfortunate enough to have all the ideal genetic traits," the seraph replied.

"What genetic-"

"I am not giving you a biology lesson," Yuan snapped, immediately cutting me off. I flinched, looking down.

"Well, then...it sounds like I'm some huge asset to Cruxis. And if you were really on Cruxis' side, you wouldn't bother explaining this to me..." I glanced up at him, frowning. "Why is it...that I'm still alive, then?"

"Because genetic traits are passed on through family members," Yuan replied. "It would be useless to kill you."

My eyes widened with horror. "Are you saying-?!"

"Yes," he confirmed. "If you were to die, Yggdrasill would merely repeat the process with someone else from your family. Your sister would be the next likely candidate."

"Y-You're joking," I choked, feeling myself pale. He stared at me.

"If that's what you think, then I'm only wasting my time," he said, glaring.

I clenched my fists, trying desperately to calm down, but I couldn't stop shaking. This changed everything, completely turned my world upside down. Yggdrasill knew about Earth. He knew about me, about my family. This wasn't just my problem anymore. If anything went wrong...would I even have a home to return to?!

I needed to show Yuan I was serious. If the conversation stopped here, I might miss something vital...

"W-Wait," I said quickly. "You didn't have to tell me any of this. So why-"

"So you don't do anything stupid," Yuan snapped, turning away from me, but I knew there was more to it than that.

"But-"

"Your friends are in the fourth room to the left, down the hall. If you arrive before they awaken, it will save you from having to explain where you've been," Yuan said curtly. "Don't wander. This isn't a place for you to explore."

My face fell as I realized that the discussion was over, whether I liked it or not.

"A...All right," I replied quietly, turning to go. This wasn't the last time I'd ever see Yuan...maybe I could ask again once we teamed up with the Renegades. Either way, I had a lot to think about...

I paused at the door, hesitating for a moment. "...Thanks for telling me...for whatever reason."

Yuan ignored me as I figured he would, so I just shrugged and left him alone. I exited out into the hallway, listening to the door slide shut behind me. It locked with a quiet beep.

There was a dead end to my right, so I turned left and walked down the hall for a few seconds. At least this time I could go at my own pace...which was a pretty slow one. I considered digging through my bag for an apple gel, but thought better of it.

Renegade soldiers passed me, but didn't even spare me a second glance. They probably knew I was allowed to be in this area, but I still made sure not to make eye contact. The fact that they dressed so much like Desians still weirded me out a little.

I counted the doors to my left, finally reaching the fourth one. When I walked up to it, it opened automatically and I stepped inside.

The room I had just walked into was a lot larger than the one I'd been staying in before, and there were several beds. Oh...Yuan had separated me from the others on purpose. Something told me he knew I hadn't said anything about Earth to them...and he wasn't about to explain that one for me.

Everyone was still asleep...except for Colette, who floated in the corner lifelessly. I tried not to look at her, instead examining every other person in the room. It looked like everyone had been healed, though I saw some bandages on a few of them. They all looked about as exhausted as I felt.

Lloyd and Genis shared a bed, and so did Sheena and Raine. There was still an open bed left, so I walked over and flopped down on it, rolling over on to my side. No one stirred at the sound of my movement.

Despite how tired I was, I was too wound up to go back to sleep right now. I needed to sort through everything that Yuan had just told me.

Okay, okay...so that explained what Yuan had been talking about during his little chat with Botta.

Tempting as it is, that's something we can't do. She is disposable and can be replaced; we would only slow them down slightly and risk exposing ourselves.

I bit my lip. Back then...he'd been discussing the consequences of killing me. Christ...how strong could this Cruxis Crystal become, anyway? The Renegades hadn't considered killing Presea or destroying Lloyd's Exsphere...while both could cause Cruxis to become stronger, they weren't part of the big picture.

No, no...this was all wrong! This wasn't the way it was supposed to be!

If I had really been killed back there, at the Tower...Yggdrasill would have dragged my sister into this?!

All this time, I had taken comfort in the fact that no matter what happened to me here, Earth would always be fine. No matter how bad things went here...even if Cruxis won and Yggdrasill got his Age of Lifeless Beings, Earth wouldn't be affected at all.

I had been so very, very wrong.

Suddenly scared, I found myself trembling uncontrollably. Yggdrasill had been to Earth. Now...now I knew how the Desians had all those records on me. Had he dug up all that personal information? Oh, God...had he been watching me?!

What else had he done? Had he been to Earth again since I arrived here?!

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to control my panicked emotions, but the sudden pressure I felt was suffocating. I couldn't just say "Oh, well I'll do my best and hopefully not die" anymore.

I couldn't die. I couldn't fail. If I did...I couldn't imagine the consequences.

And yet, if I survived and Cruxis captured me, I might end up making it much harder for Lloyd and the others to win.

As if this wasn't hard enough already...what the hell was I supposed to do?!

I had survived the first part of the journey, but...but...there was still so much left...

My thoughts slowly drifted off. Although my mind was wound up, my overworked body decided to take over the second I closed my eyes. I felt like I could sleep for an eternity...

Hannaford was twenty or thirty minutes away, all the way in Sanford. It was a pain driving that far, but ever since the Shop 'N Stop in Kennebunk had closed down, Hannaford was the only place I could find everything I needed. I found myself wishing I'd gotten the groceries first and then the takeout, but for some odd reason I always forgot to think my errands through before actually accomplishing them.

Trying to drown out my own irritation at myself, I turned up the music more and sped up the car a bit. The Mitsubishi happily complied.

The extra speed caused my hat to fly off my head, and I nearly swore, glancing in the rearview mirror and then over my shoulder. No use...it was gone. I frowned; that's what I got for wearing my hair down today. If I had just fed my ponytail through the back of the cap like I always did, it might've stayed on.

I sighed, returning my eyes to the road-

A blonde boy dressed in white stood directly in the car's path, unmoving. I gasped in shock, slamming down on the brakes, and frantically turned the wheel hard to the left. The tires squealed and I suddenly found myself staring at the woods; I turned the wheel to the right this time to avoid crashing, and the car reacted instantly.

In the space of only a second or two, the brakes did their job and stopped the car-much too abruptly. The whiplash caused my body to jerk forward, my head slamming against the steering wheel with a loud crack.

A few seconds passed. The music was still blaring as if nothing had happened. I vaguely realized that the airbags hadn't deployed, but that hardly seemed important right now. I shakily lifted my head from the steering wheel, aware of a warm, sticky spot on my forehead. A small trail of blood streaked down my face.

A shadow fell over me, and I was suddenly aware that someone had approached. The boy...?

I turned my head weakly, and was forced to look up when the figure was much taller than I anticipated.

A strangely familiar blonde man stared down at me, his blue eyes somehow unnerving. I opened and closed my mouth, attempting to form a coherent statement.

"H...H-Help..." I murmured in a very small voice, my head throbbing unbearably.

He smiled, and I blacked out.

Since I hadn't been asleep for very long, waking up wasn't as much of a process this time. My eyes opened, and I took note that I was laying on my side, staring at the wall. The sleep had helped...a little bit. I was able to think a bit more rationally now that I wasn't completely exhausted, and at least I wasn't on the verge of a panic attack anymore.

Still, I wasn't exactly happy with the situation.

My brow furrowed slightly as my mind returned to the dream I'd just had. Although it hadn't quite been a dream; it was more of a flashback. Now I remembered everything...

Yuan's revelation had triggered the memory. After I'd made the connection that Yggdrasill was the one who had brought me here, I was finally able to remember. Mithos had appeared in front of the car and I'd swerved out of the way, trying not to hit him. When the car had finally stopped, I'd hit my head on the steering wheel...and that had given me the concussion that caused my amnesia.

What a disaster...I hadn't realized it was Yggdrasill, of course. I mean, who would? He'd looked familiar, but I never would have made the connection, because you didn't just see video game characters randomly coming to life. When I saw Yggdrasill in his Mithos form, I had just thought it was some kid that hadn't been paying attention to the road before crossing it. Now I realized...he'd intentionally stepped in front of the car.

If that was what happened, though, why did he just dump me in the woods near Palmacosta after that? Maybe he'd intended for me to get picked up by Magnius...

I frowned. Then again, maybe he'd had no other choice. Using the Eternal Sword to travel between worlds that weren't even connected by mana links probably wasn't an easy feat, especially when you're taking someone with you. Had Yggdrasill been forced to drop me? Or maybe since Kratos was nearby...

But Kratos hadn't known a thing about my involvement with Cruxis, had he? He wouldn't have been so suspicious of me if he'd known. Yggdrasill must have kept him in the dark because the Angelus Project was kind of a sensitive matter with Kratos.

The sound of rustling paper caught my attention, and my thoughts were interrupted. Paper...someone turning a page in a book?

"Raine...how much longer do we have to wait?" Genis' voice rang out in the quiet room.

"I'm sure they're waiting until we're all awake," came the reply.

"Lloyd and Brittany really do know how to sleep," Sheena sighed.

"I resent that," I grumbled, sitting up.

Raine looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. She was holding a book in her hand, probably one she'd stolen off the sole bookshelf in the room. "How long have you been awake?"

"Few minutes," I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck. "I was just...thinking."

"...I see," she nodded, lowering her gaze. Yeah, we did have a lot to think about.

Sheena stood up, walking over to me with a frown on her face. She leaned forward, as if to get a closer look, and after a moment her eyes widened.

"That wound..." she murmured, gazing along the areas where blood had started to seep through the exposed bandages. It looked like I'd torn it open a little while trying to keep up with Yuan.

"This?" I placed a hand over one of the bloody spots. "Oh...you guys were pretty out of it by then."

She made the connection, looking down with her fists clenched. "Kratos...how could he do this?"

Raine shook her head, looking morose. "There were times when I suspected there was more to him...but I never would have foreseen something like this."

"Ugh..."

The four of us looked over to see Lloyd starting to sit up, rubbing his forehead.

"Lloyd, you're finally awake!" Genis remarked, walking up to the side of the bed.

"...Where are we?" He asked quietly, brow furrowed. Then he abruptly jumped to his feet, looking around wildly. "Colette?!"

"She's over here," I said glumly, nodding towards the corner of the room.

"She doesn't respond to anything we say," Sheena told him.

Lloyd walked up to Colette, staring at her for a moment, but it looked like he couldn't bear looking into her blank eyes for very long. He turned away, swearing under his breath.

Raine let out a sigh. "Since everyone's awake, we should go over everything we know about the situation as it stands now. Do you remember this place, Lloyd? We're in Triet Desert. This is the base where you were captured before."

"Huh?" Genis looked surprised. Suddenly he looked around the room more carefully. "...Now that you mention it, it really does look familiar."

"Hold on," Lloyd said. "You mean the Desian base?!"

"These guys aren't Desians!" Sheena pointed out, crossing her arms.

"What? What do you mean?" Lloyd and Genis both looked confused, and I just frowned.

"They've been calling themselves the Renegades," Raine remarked, looking over at Sheena. "What do you know about this?"

"The Renegades are the guys that told us Tethe'allans about Sylvarant and the nature of the two worlds. They said that in order to save Tethe'alla, we'd have to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant. They talked the king and the pope into it...and that's how I ended up here," Sheena explained.

"So the Renegades are against Cruxis," I spoke up. "These guys rescued us when we were about to get killed back at the Tower of Salvation, didn't they? I bet they dress like Desians so they can't be rooted out so easily."

"Wait, wait," Lloyd interrupted me, shaking his head. "Cruxis is against the Desians too, though, right?"

Everyone was giving me a confused look, even Raine. What the hell? She should have been agreeing with me!

Oh...right. Everyone had been unconscious except for me and Lloyd, so they didn't know what had happened beyond the fight with Kratos.

I sighed. "You guys probably don't remember, since it was just me and Lloyd at that point, but...right before the Renegades rescued us, this angel who called himself Yggdrasill appeared. He claimed to be the leader of Cruxis and the Desians."

"Yggdrasill?" Genis spoke up, eyes widening. "That's right! Didn't one of the Grand Cardinals call him their leader?"

Lloyd nodded, the gears turning in his head now. "Yeah. Plus Yggdrasill seemed to know who Brittany was, just like Remiel and the Desians did!"

"If what you're saying is true..." Raine murmured to herself, and then looked up at us. "This is just pure conjecture, but Cruxis and the Desians may in fact be the same organization."

"What?! But how..." Lloyd gaped.

"It does make sense," I pointed out, hoping no one would wonder why I was suddenly all smart. "Using the Desians to instill terror in the hearts of the people, and then the Church of Martel to give them hope...that's a pretty foolproof method of ruling the world."

"If Cruxis and the Desians are the same, then..." Lloyd looked down, fists clenched. "What about Kratos? He obeyed Yggdrasill's orders. That means..."

"He's our enemy," Sheena said angrily. "He admitted it himself! He's one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim!"

"Kratos is likely a subordinate of this Yggdrasill person," Raine said. "He probably joined us to make sure Colette didn't stray from the journey to regenerate the world."

Lloyd's shoulders slumped, and he sat down once more. "So we were deceived from the very beginning. By Remiel, Cruxis, and...and even Kratos..."

Suddenly he sat up straight once more, turning towards me with a desperate look in his eyes. "But...that isn't right! Brittany, you were still conscious then, weren't you? Right before Kratos was about to kill me...he stopped! He lowered his blade!"

"I saw," I said quietly, biting my lip.

I wanted to tell Lloyd not to worry, that Kratos was really a good person deep down, but...I just couldn't. If Cruxis found out about what Kratos was up to, we'd never be able to win. And for this to work, everyone had to be fooled...even Lloyd.

Dammit, Kratos...

I placed a hand over my wound, wanting to cry, and struggled to look Lloyd in the eyes.

"But Lloyd," I murmured, "even so, he still didn't lift a finger to stop Yggdrasill when we were about to get killed. If the Renegades hadn't showed up...we'd be dead."

His face fell, and he stared into his lap, hands shaking. "Kratos..."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, almost as if we were having a moment of silence for the Kratos we once knew.

I clenched my fists. No matter how I justified it, I still couldn't stop myself from feeling resentful towards the seraph for doing this to us. Just seeing the look on Lloyd's face...how could someone turn their blade on their own son?

It hurt...the betrayal had really hurt. I hadn't realized it would hurt this much. The worst part was, no matter how much I tried...Kratos Aurion was a man I just couldn't bring myself to hate.

Instead, I just felt a mixture of anger and grief and helplessness. I couldn't aim to forget about him and move on, because I knew he'd be back later. So, I kept going from wanting to scream at the seraph to missing the old bastard, and that was really starting to do a number on me.

I couldn't imagine how Lloyd was holding up. At least I had the comfort of knowing everything would turn out okay in the end...hopefully.

The sound of the door sliding open cut through the silence. Everyone looked up to see a Renegade soldier entering the room.

"Ah, you're awake," the soldier remarked, nodding. "Then please, come with me. Our leader awaits you."

Jeez, Yuan could take a few lessons on manners from this guy. We all nodded to each other in mutual agreement, solemnly getting up and following the Renegade out the door. He led us down the hall to the room I had been in not too long ago. We filed in quietly, our eyes settling on Yuan, who seemed to be in the midst of a conversation with Botta.

The seraph took note of our presence, turning to us. "You're finally awake."

Lloyd's face lit up in recognition, and he frowned. "You guys...are the Renegades?"

"Correct," Yuan replied. "We're an underground resistance dedicated to fighting the Desians...or, rather, Cruxis."

"So Cruxis and the Desians really are the same organization!" Lloyd's eyes widened at the confirmation.

"Yes. Cruxis controls the Church of Martel in the open, and operates the Desians behind the scenes. The Desians are a subordinate organization within Cruxis," Botta explained.

I shifted slightly on my feet, fighting a yawn. Yuan looked about as bored as I felt; this was the second time today he had to deliver a long-winded explanation to clueless people. At least this time I didn't feel so stupid, but now I had to sit through stuff I'd heard a million times before. Agh, why did couldn't I have stopped after beating the game once...

"The Church of Martel is nothing more than an instrument created by Cruxis to rule the world," Yuan continued. Several of our group members glanced at me, as I'd said something pretty similar when we were talking a few minutes earlier.

"Those who call themselves angels are half elves who've evolved by using a special type of Exsphere called a Cruxis Crystal. They aren't gods or anything of the sort. Of course, the Church of Martel and the Chosen know nothing about this," the seraph said, looking over at me. Okay, that was weird.

As I suddenly took interest in a fold in my clothing, Sheena spoke up.

"They're half elves, too?!" She asked in disbelief.

"That's right. Some of the Desians, as well as Cruxis and ourselves, are half elves," Botta replied.

Okay, I was really getting bored. Maybe I could steal someone's line to make it look like I was actually paying attention. As the others spoke, I tried to remember what they were supposed to say before they said it.

"What is Cruxis trying to do?" Lloyd asked. "Are they doing all of this just to rule the world?"

Oh! This was where Yuan got annoyed, right?

As I'd expected, the seraph's eyes narrowed. "Do you intend to have us explain everything?" He snapped. "How about using your own head a little."

"They want to revive the Goddess Martel, right?" I jumped in suddenly, and Raine nodded slightly to show that she'd had the same thought. Ha! Stealing lines was more fun than trying to come up with my own.

"They send oracles to those of the mana lineage and control their marriages to create Chosens who become the vessel," Raine elaborated for me, and I had to hold back a grin. "It seems meaninglessly drawn out and complicated."

"Well, well," Botta said, eyebrows raised. "I am impressed."

"There is another world beyond Sylvarant that competes for mana," Yuan said.

"Tethe'alla," Lloyd spoke up, and Yuan nodded.

"Yes. And the one who created this twisted world was Cruxis' leader, Yggdrasill."

"Create a world?" Genis finally piped up, looking incredulous. "That's ridiculous! No one can do that!"

"If that's what you believe," Yuan said, glaring, "then our conversation ends here."

He turned to leave with a flourish of his cape, and Genis looked a bit indignant at being shot down.

"Wait," Lloyd called out, and Yuan paused. "If Yggdrasill was the one that created the two worlds himself, what can you possibly hope to do against someone like that? And that's not all. You tried to kill Colette and me. You're certainly not on our side. Yet for some reason, you saved us. Why?"

The seraph turned towards us once more, staring at Lloyd. "...You're not as stupid as you seem."

"Excuse me?!" Lloyd growled.

Oh God, get on with it, people. This was worse than Sheena's Tethe'alla lecture. I just wanted to get the hell out of here and check out Meltokio already.

"...Our goal is to stop Martel's revival," Botta said after a moment. He seemed a tad more patient than his superior. "Therefore, the Chosen, who would become her vessel, was an obstacle."

Brittany! Speak up, look smart!

"Colette's most useful to Cruxis in the condition she is now," I remarked, crossing my arms in an imitation of Yuan. "And we were unconscious for a while there...why is it that Colette's still alive, then?"

"It's because of her condition that we can't get close to her," Yuan said, giving me a look. What the hell?! Was that a Kratos look? What was it with seraphs and the weird looks they gave me?

The caped man continued. "The Chosen has completed the angel transformation; she's now a lethal weapon whose only goal is self-preservation. We wouldn't dare lay a hand on her. But now we have the key to stop Martel's resurrection. We no longer need the Chosen!"

Aaaaand we were surrounded. Fantastic.

"What?!" Lloyd looked around frantically as our group clustered closer together to avoid the swords being pointed at us.

"What we need is you, Lloyd Irving!" Yuan declared, in all his stalker-ish glory.

Lloyd gave the blue haired man an incredulous look. "Me?! What's so special about me?"

"That's none of your concern!" Yuan snapped, then turned to his soldiers. "Get him!"

We looked around nervously as the Renegades closed in, Yuan coming closer and closer. Lloyd scowled with frustration, clenching his fists.

"Dammit!" I heard him swear under his breath. "Why is everyone always after me?!"

It seemed like I was the only one who heard him. There were a million replies I could think of to that particular question, but none of them were currently appropriate.

In a last-ditch effort to save us, Lloyd lunged forward at Yuan and rammed his fist into the seraph's stomach. While an action like that normally wouldn't even faze him, at this point Yuan fell to his knees, doubling over with pain. Come to think of it...from what the game had shown, Yuan's injury was almost identical to my own. Ouch. I would've felt bad for him if he wasn't being such a dick.

"Ugh!" Yuan grunted, clutching at his concealed wound.

"Lord Yuan!" A Renegade soldier exclaimed, running to his side. Botta approached as well, eyes wide.

"No! It's his wound from Hima!"

At this point we all seemed to realize that our enemies were sufficiently distracted. Genis and Raine herded Colette towards the door, moving as fast as they could. Sheena started to follow.

"Ugh, Kratos...How many times must you get in my way?!" Yuan growled.

I suddenly fought the wild urge to grin. Yuan would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling seraph and his stupid dog!

My weird thoughts were acting up again...I really needed to go somewhere and sleep for three days. For some reason I found this whole thing terribly funny, but I had a feeling if I giggled it would sound pretty insane under these circumstances.

"Wound from Hima?" Lloyd questioned, surprised. "Are you telling me the one who attacked Kratos was-"

"Hello, Ea-Sylvarant to Lloyd! Perfect escape opening here!" I jabbed him with an elbow, pointing to the door. When he didn't react immediately, I grabbed his arm and tugged him along with me. He followed without too much resistance, casting troubled looks over his shoulder.

Sheena, who waited at the door, summoned Corrine to keep the Renegades occupied while we fled. She followed us out, and we ran down the hallway as fast as our legs would take us. After a few minutes of running around and avoiding Renegade soldiers, we managed to find an unoccupied room. It had more than one door out; with luck, we wouldn't be cornered. We paused here to attempt to form a plan.

"Ugh..." Lloyd growled, frustrated. "What's so special about me?! Those Renegades need to hurry up and make up their freaking minds about whether they're our enemies or not!"

"What are we going to do now?" Genis asked in a half-groan.

"We've gotta get out of here and save Colette somehow," Lloyd said, seeming to calm down a little bit. "She's going to die if she's made into Martel's vessel."

"But what can we do?" The half elf asked, and we all fell silent, wondering the same thing.

Raine frowned, troubled. "Even if we manage to leave this base, it's unlikely we'll get very far. Our best hope would be to hide in a town, but Triet is several days away."

I nodded. "We can't exactly flee across a desert. There's nowhere to hide; they'll shoot us in the back with crossbows or something."

"What choice do we have?" Genis said, crossing his arms. "We can't just sit around here!"

Okay, okay...we had to turn the conversation to Tethe'alla somehow. But how to do it...say something about saving Colette, right? That was why they went over in the game.

I frowned, remembering something. "Hey, Sheena."

"Yeah?" She looked over at me.

"There's no Desians in Tethe'alla, right? So...am I correct in assuming you got your Exsphere from the Renegades?"

Raine's eyeblows flew up in surprise. Dammit...she was gonna start wondering why I had random intelligent moments. But we couldn't just sit here cluelessly...I had to nudge things along or we'd get captured.

Sheena's eyes widened slightly. "Yeah, you're right. The technology was brought over by the Renegades, though nowadays it's a lot more common for Exspheres to be attached to machines. But what does that have to do with anything?"

The Professor started to pace, her eyes lighting up. "I see where you're going with this, Brittany. If Cruxis Crystals are nothing more than special kinds of Exspheres, we may be able to learn something by visiting Tethe'alla."

"That's a good idea," Sheena said. "I'm pretty sure they're studying the Cruxis Crystal that belongs to Tethe'alla's Chosen at the Imperial Research Academy."

"So Tethe'alla really does have its own Chosen," Genis remarked, glancing over at me. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what his problem was.

"Of course," Sheena nodded. "The world regeneration ritual is carried out in Tethe'alla as well. The Church of Martel exists, too."

Oh...that's right. I'd mentioned some things along these lines before. Lloyd hadn't really questioned my logic, but the others were bound to wonder how I knew.

"I figured," I said, trying to cover up my mistake. "When you said the worlds vie for each other's mana, it only makes sense that they'd do so by changing the mana flow with the world regeneration. It's like a neverending tug of war."

"But still..." Lloyd frowned. "If they've been carrying out the regeneration that many times, why hasn't Martel's vessel been completed already?"

"I'm curious about that myself," Raine said. "Perhaps those corpses lined up in the Tower of Salvation were..." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "...No, never mind."

"There are too many things we don't know," Lloyd said. "Let's just start with what we can do now."

"So we're going to Tethe'alla?" Sheena asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. That's the only lead we have right now. And this time, I'm going to fulfill my role. I'm not going to let Colette bear the burden all by herself anymore."

"Wait a minute. That's great and all, but how are we going to get to Tethe'alla?" Genis asked.

I looked over at Sheena. "Well, the same way Sheena got here."

She nodded. "I used a special craft called a Rheaird that allows you to pass through a distortion in space. I got mine from the Renegades, so there should be some somewhere on this base."

"Let's get going, then," Raine said. "We've stood around for long enough."

"To Tethe'alla!" I declared, pumping a fist enthusiastically in the air. Hurray for technology!

Sheena gave me a sidelong glance. "Uh, Brit...there's something you should know about the Rheairds."

I looked at her. "Eh? What is it?"

She hesitated. "...Uh, never mind. I'll tell you when we find them."

...Needless to say, I was trying not to think about the fact that we would be flying very high in the air. Nope. I just had to focus on Meltokio...Meltokio and Zelos. That lovely combination could get me through any hardship.

Before leaving, I managed to stop Raine for a moment so she could cast a few healing spells on my injury, which had ripped open once more after all that running around. With the help of the unicorn horn, she managed to seal it firmly shut for the time being; hopefully I had another few hours before it would reopen.

We exited the room we were in through a different door, wandering around for a bit. The structure of this place was eerily similar to a Desian ranch, but I was comforted by the fact that we would find no prisoners here.

"Hey, Lloyd," I said quietly after we'd been running around for a few minutes. "You've been here before, right? Do you remember anything about this place?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to rack his brain. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

"Not a lot," he replied. "I'm pretty sure we already passed the route I took to get out of here...it was blocked off by the Renegades. I don't remember seeing anything that looked like it could be one of those Rheaird things, either."

"Nothing weird or suspicious?" I asked, slightly disappointed.

I remembered finding the Rheaird room in my own playthroughs; Lloyd just couldn't figure out how to use the machine that would bring them out. Then again, just because I had explored the base to my heart's content didn't mean that Lloyd had been able to. The whole ordeal had probably just been a mad rush for him-

"Wait, now that you mention it..." Lloyd's brow furrowed, and we all looked over to him. Think, Lloyd, think!

"There was this one big room with weird panels in the floor. And I think there was a computer too, but I couldn't figure out how to use it so I just left," he said, shrugging.

I thumped him on the shoulder. "Lead the way, Lloydie. That sounds like our best bet."

"Let's hurry, before they figure out what we're up to," Genis said. We nodded in agreement, letting Lloyd lead the way.

We continued to run, avoiding the Renegades to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, Lloyd didn't really recognize where we were now; we'd gotten lost during our blind run through the halls.

After what felt like an eternity of running in circles, we abruptly found ourselves standing in front of a row of prison cells. The brunette swordsman blinked, recognition causing his eyes to light up.

"Hey, I know where we are," he remarked, nodding to himself. Then he gestured for us to follow him. "This way, guys!"

Finally, we were getting somewhere! The rest of us shrugged, running after him once more. Now it only took a minute or two more before we found ourselves in the room Lloyd had described earlier. Yup, this was definitely where the Rheairds were.

Raine looked at the computer with interest, walking up to it and typing in a few things. After a few seconds, there was a small beeping sound and several panels in the floor slid aside to reveal the Rheairds housed beneath. Raine continued to mess with the machine, and the Rheairds rose up to our level, their wings unfolding. We abandoned the computer, approaching the crafts.

"So these are the Rheairds," Lloyd remarked, eyes wide.

"They fly, don't they," I said quietly. "Well...I guess that's just my horrible luck kicking in again."

Sheena rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Sorry. I was gonna tell you, but..."

"Don't worry about it," I shook my head, letting out a sigh. "I don't have a choice anyway. I'm not staying here to keep Yuan company, that's for sure."

"In any case, we'd better keep moving," Raine said abruptly, looking over her shoulder at the door. "They could catch up to us any second now."

"Yeah. Let's go," Genis added, moving for a Rheaird and then hesitating. "Um...how do you work these things?"

Sheena sighed, hopping on to a Rheaird with ease. "Here, follow my lead. And don't push any buttons yet," she warned, glaring at Lloyd.

"What? I haven't done anything!" He grumbled, but managed to clamber on to his own Rheaird.

Raine frowned, glancing at all the machines before us. "There's only four," she pointed out. "Two of us will have to ride with someone else."

"I'll go with Colette," Sheena said, and we didn't question that. Colette couldn't exactly think for herself right now, never mind use a Rheaird.

"I'm not driving one of these things," I spoke up, crossing my arms stubbornly.

"Come on," Lloyd said, waving to me as if it was obvious I should ride with him.

I hesitated for a second, and then climbed up on to the Rheaird. It was a bit cramped, but at least I didn't feel like I was gonna slide off. Wrapping my arms securely around his waist, I bit my lip.

"Promise me you won't touch any buttons," I mumbled. "Or go too fast. Or do a barrel roll. Or-"

"I won't!" He said, cutting me off. "Do you wanna ride with me or not?"

"I do!" I insisted, suddenly latching on to him out of the irrational fear that he'd kick me off.

"Ack...Brit, can't breathe..."

"Oh. Sorry," I mumbled, relaxing slightly.

Genis and Raine exchanged glances and rolled their eyes at my antics, before getting on to their own Rheairds. When we were all finally situated, Sheena started to instruct us on how to use the crafts.

"See those levers on the handlebars? Those make you move forward. Just release them to slow down," Sheena explained.

"What's this red button do?" Genis asked, examining his Rheaird with curiosity.

"That'll give you a burst of energy. Right here is the fuel gauge, and if you press this blue button over here-"

A sudden noise caused us all to glance over our shoulders, and I realized it was the sound of the door opening. Yuan and Botta ran in, surrounded by a group of Renegades.

"They're taking the Rheairds!" Yuan growled, a ball of lightning magic forming in his hand. "Stop them, now!"

The Renegades aimed their crossbows at us, and Sheena decided that there was no more time for explanations.

"Press the red button!" She yelled to us hurriedly, and we obeyed without much hesitation.

The world immediately blurred around us as we shot forward with alarming speed. I clung to Lloyd once more, squeezing my eyes shut and fighting to hold back a scream. I felt like I'd left my stomach behind, like I was on some sort of crazy roller coaster. There wasn't even a seatbelt on this damn thing! What if I fell off?!

And just like that, the feeling passed and our speed seemed to lessen.

"Wow..." Lloyd murmured, and that encouraged me to crack my eyes open a little.

An unfamiliar landscape was spread out before me, and I couldn't stop myself from looking around. Tethe'alla...we were really in Tethe'alla. Incredible...I couldn't believe I'd made it this far. There were the Fooji Mountains, the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, Meltokio in the distance...wow, it was all so lush and beautiful. That was probably to be expected of the prospering world...

Suddenly the Rheaird shook. I squeaked, hugging Lloyd tighter. "What was that?"

"Uh, I don't know. Sheena?"

"What? What is it?" She looked over at us, but at the same time her Rheaird shook as well. "Whoa!"

Oh...oh shit. No, no, no! How could I have forgotten?!

"The fuel gauge is empty!" I shrieked, panicked. How the hell were we going to survive this?! I should never have gotten on to this fucking thing!

"What?!" Genis and Lloyd said in unison.

Sheena's eyes widened. "That's it! Since you've broken all the seals in Sylvarant, there's not enough mana in this world!"

"Wh-Which means?!" Lloyd asked, tensing.

"We're gonna fall!" She cried just as our Rheairds sputtered once more, and then began a nosedive.

I think it's safe to say that the next few moments were some of the most terrifying ones of my life. One moment we were safely cruising along through the air, and the next, the ground was rushing towards us at a frightening speed. All I could hear was the sound of the air rushing past us, and of our own screaming.

I fainted before I got the chance to feel the impact.

"Ugh..."

I was really getting sick of blacking out and waking up in random places...

"Brit..."

Man. How far had we fallen? How the hell was I still alive? Hopefully I hadn't broken anything. It didn't feel like I had...but the warmth all over my front suggested that my injury had reopened again. Dammit.

"Hey...c'mon..."

I grunted quietly, finally taking note of Lloyd's insistent voice. "...What?"

"Can you get off? Your elbow's in my face," he mumbled back, groaning quietly.

My eyes snapped open, and my face flushed as I realized I was in fact lying on top of Lloyd. Apparently he'd broken my fall, which made sense, since I'd been clinging to the poor guy so much. I hoped he wasn't hurt.

Rolling off of him, I got to my knees, and abruptly fell over again with the vertigo caused by the movement.

"Ow..." I hissed, clutching at my injury.

"Nurse," I heard Raine say, and suddenly there was a bit more movement among us.

Lloyd sat up, looking battered but otherwise okay. I could say the same for the others, except for Colette; she wasn't hurt at all. She'd probably abandoned the Rheaird in favor of her wings. The Chosen was currently floating off to the side, staring at nothing in particular.

Raine had to walk over to me to give me another First Aid, and finally the bleeding stopped.

"Is everyone else all right?" She asked, healing a bruise on her cheek.

"Yeah..." Sheena mumbled, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "We're lucky we crashed this high up, before we gathered too much speed..."

"If we were lucky, we wouldn't have crashed at all," I pointed out, shuddering.

Lloyd sighed, examining one of the Rheairds. "Well, I think we managed to avoid destroying them completely..."

"But they're useless unless we get some fuel," Genis said.

"Hey, uh, guys," I tried, but they ignored me.

"What's the fuel? Coal?" Lloyd asked.

"Coal?! Oh, geez...How do you guys manage to actually live in Sylvarant?" Sheena asked incredulously.

"I'm not getting on one of those things again," I grumbled stubbornly. "Even if you find fuel. I'll walk."

Ignoring me again, Raine frowned thoughtfully. "Then magic, I assume. Perhaps the lightning Volt produces?"

"Then all we have to do is have Sheena summon Volt, right?" Genis asked.

"I...haven't made a pact with Volt," Sheena said quietly.

"Hate my life..." I murmured, and was ignored. Again. I let myself fall back, lying flat on the ground and staring at the sky.

"We'll just have to leave these here, then..." Lloyd sighed, walking over to me and nudging my side with his foot. "C'mon, weirdo. You're fine."

"Hey, look," Genis said pointing. "Is that the Tower of Salvation? How could that be here?"

Sheena frowned. "Well, the Tower of Salvation appears in the flourishing world. The Tower also appeared on your side after Colette received the Oracle, right?"

Agh...this was too much conversation. Did anyone even realize we'd just crash landed on top of a freaking mountain?

"Two worlds. Two towers..." Raine remarked. "What about the Holy Ground? The Church of Martel is also over here, correct? Is the Holy Ground called Kharlan?"

"Yeah," Sheena said, nodding. "It's the same as in your world."

"But the Holy Ground of Kharlan is where the peace treaty was signed to end the Ancient War!" Genis protested. "There can't be two of them!"

"Are you sure yours isn't a fake?" Sheena challenged. "We have records in our museums that depict how the Hero Mithos called the two ancient kings to the Holy Ground in order to forge a peace treaty."

"And such records exist on our side as well," Raine said, her brow furrowed.

"So either one is a fake, or maybe they're actually both real," Lloyd remarked.

Or maybe they're both the same place. Ah, but I couldn't say that.

"I agree with Lloyd," I said.

"That's not possible!" Genis said, shaking his head with exasperation.

"Don't get mad," Lloyd shrugged. "I was just...kinda saying stuff."

Yeah, you tend to do that a lot, Lloydie. I would've grinned if I was really in the mood to.

"Does it really matter, guys?" I asked, growing impatient. "We can just add it to the list of crap we don't know. I thought we were taking this one step at a time."

Lloyd frowned. "Brittany's right. We have to save Colette, and we're not gonna get anything done by sitting around here."

Raine nodded in agreement, turning to Sheena. "Well, then...what should our next move be?"

Sheena blinked, looking a bit flustered at suddenly being the group leader. "Uh...well, we should head for Meltokio. It's the Imperial City, the center of Tethe'alla. It's where the King of Tethe'alla resides."

"Is it far from here?" Lloyd asked, and she shook her head.

"Only a few days' walk."

"Okay," I said, getting to my feet. "Let's get going. We've gotta start moving forward again. Seems like everyone's pushed us back over the past few days." I said the last statement in a low grumble, and Lloyd's eyes darkened with understanding.

"All right," Genis said, attempting to have some enthusiasm. "It's our first adventure in Tethe'alla!"

"...This isn't a field trip, Genis," Raine said with a sigh as we walked towards the path leading down the mountain. For the first time in I didn't know how long, I actually saw Genis pout.

Everyone moved on ahead, and I noticed Lloyd was slinking towards the back of the group, much as I always did. I elbowed him.

"Hey. You okay?"

It occurred to me that I almost never asked Lloyd this question, and I felt guilty. It was always the other way around...he worried about me, but I never asked him what was wrong, since I already knew.

He glanced over at me. "Ah...yeah," the swordsman said quietly, looking down.

"I know. This whole thing just sucks," I mumbled. "But...you've gotta keep your chin up. We're gonna find a way to save Colette, okay? We're a lot more informed now than we were a few days ago."

"Yeah. You're right..." He sighed. "It's just...no. Never mind."

"...I won't tell you to just forget about him," I said, shaking my head. "...Because I can't, either. The most we can do is focus on what progress we can make here, all right? We're helpless when it comes to...him. It...it'll hurt less with time."

"Heh. Usually it's me trying to get you to stop brooding..." Lloyd remarked with a humorless laugh.

"Would it help if I distracted you with something totally random?" I asked, trying to cover up my own depression.

"Yeah. Do that."

"Okay, then..."

And so we followed the others down the rocky path, immersed in a quiet conversation. I didn't want to think about what had happened...so instead I thought about Meltokio and everything else Tethe'alla had to offer. I hated seeing Lloyd unhappy...he was supposed to be the optimist of the group.

As we walked down the path, I looked up to stare at the Tower of Salvation.

Kratos...Damn it all.

Chapter Text

Despite how casually Sheena had said it, a few days' walk seemed a lot longer when you had just been through hell and back. My injury was a lot worse than the others' since I'd actually been stupid enough to run at Kratos head on, but the others were getting pretty tired as well. You didn't just fight two angels and then pull off an epic escape from a Renegade base without feeling at least a little exhausted.

It was strange; even as we walked through grasslands and forest, many of us couldn't help but gaze around us in wonder. Now that I was in Tethe'alla, it really made me realize the sad state of affairs in Sylvarant. The grass was literally greener here. The trees and wildlife were beautiful, and we hadn't encountered a single monster yet. Tethe'alla was looking pretty great so far. I had even managed to find a clean stream one day to bathe and wash my bloody clothes in! Such luxury!

Yeah, that was sarcasm. But I was really looking forward to Meltokio. I was dying to know just how technologically advanced this place was. The more, the better!

On the day we'd left the summit of Mt. Fooji, I'd decided that I wasn't going to think about Kratos or Yuan or any angsty crap right now. I already knew we'd be spending at least a day in Meltokio, and I intended to enjoy it as much as I could, even if everyone else was busy being unhappy. Besides, I could brood as much as I wanted once we had Zelos on our team. I knew I could trust him to drive away my angst with a perverted joke of some sort. Right now, though, I'd just have another panic attack if I thought about all that stuff...because everyone in the group was thinking along the same lines as me. And the only person who would at least pretend to be happy...was currently soulless.

The days we spent traveling were relatively quiet and somewhat tense. It was hard to make conversation; there wasn't much to talk about besides what had happened. At first I thought the others would have all sorts of questions for Sheena about Tethe'alla, but I guess they didn't quite realize yet how completely different this world was. All we'd seen was wilderness so far.

It was currently our third day of travel-the final day, I was pretty sure. The day was just beginning, but I had a feeling today we'd finally reach Meltokio.

Shifting a little, I allowed my eyes to open, the world coming into focus. I was laying on my side, facing the dying campfire. I let out a quiet sigh and stretched, sitting up.

...Shit. Not again.

A quick glance up at the sky told me it was still dark out, and I almost groaned. Even though Kratos was gone, my body continued to wake me up at the same time every day-the time we would usually get up for our morning training.

I couldn't stand it. Not only did it continue to remind me that Kratos was gone, it made me feel frustrated and exhausted. I could never go back to sleep once I was already up, no matter how much I tried. I was awake at five am sharp, and that was that. The others didn't wake up until at least seven, and even that was only because of Raine.

Looking around at the others' sleeping forms, I swore under my breath and shook my head. Well, it was no use...

I stared over at Colette. Behind those pale red eyes, the real Colette was watching...she was just a helpless bystander for the time being. Her vacant look was creepy as hell, but she was probably really scared right now, wasn't she? Maybe...I'd try acknowledging her from now on.

A frown tugged at my lips. Come to think of it, Colette and I were really alike...we both had horrible, horrible luck.

I stood up,turning towards a path leading out of the clearing we were in, knowing that going back to sleep wasn't an option. Hesitating, I looked over my shoulder at Colette one final time.

"...Keep an eye on them for me, okay?" I whispered, attempting a smile. "Be back in a bit."

She didn't even blink; not that I'd expected her to. Sighing again, I set off down the path.

I didn't head out very far; I only went just far enough to give myself some privacy. It was kind of hard to think over Lloyd's light snoring, and plus for some reason I always felt awkward being the only one awake out of a sleeping group. I didn't want any of them to wake up to find me staring at them or something.

After wandering for a little bit, I managed to find a large rock to sit on. As I stared out towards the Fooji Mountains, the first few rays of twilight began to shine as the sun slowly started its ascent over the horizon. I remained in the shadow of the trees, drawing out my sword and a cloth to clean it with.

Normally I hated cleaning my sword; it was yet another chore I couldn't be bothered to do, and Kratos always yelled at me when I repeatedly neglected to do it. Now that I thought about it, that was probably why my blade had worn out so fast...I could tell that I would need a new one soon.

Now that Kratos was gone, though...I found it to be strangely relaxing; sitting up during the twilight hours, meticulously shining the blade while listening to the world gradually come to life around me. This was something I had always seen the mercenary do...I guess I was trying to cover up the sense of loss by taking his place.

That thought caused me to pause in my work, staring at my reflection in the blade.

I still couldn't believe he was really gone...was that why I couldn't stop waking before dawn? Something within me refused to accept it? But I had known all along that he would leave...

"You're up early again." The sound of footsteps approaching made me turn, and I saw Raine approaching.

I blinked, surprised. "Again? Professor, did you know...?"

She nodded. "I heard you get up yesterday as well."

"Oh," I murmured, looking down. "Sorry if I've been waking you up."

"It's all right," she said. "Would you mind some company?"

I frowned a little, unused to the gentle tone in her voice. After a moment, I shook my head, and felt her take a seat next to me in response. We were quiet for a moment, so I resumed the task of shining Loki.

Raine glanced over at me. "You're getting up early on your own, and cleaning your sword when you would normally put it off," she remarked.

"I would go back to sleep," I said, shrugging, "but I can't. I've tried."

She gazed out in the direction of the sunrise, a distant look in her eyes. "...You miss Kratos, don't you?"

I almost flinched. "I...I miss the person I thought he was. That's all."

"You and Lloyd were the closest to him, so I can't help but worry..." After a second, she shook her head. "Forgive me. I know the pain must still be fresh."

"It's fine," I said, attempting a weak smile. "You don't have to worry, Professor. Things always get worse before they get better...and I think we're past the worst of it, don't you?"

She nodded, looking down. "I should hope so. But I would just like to say...if there is anything you'd like to talk about, I'd be happy to listen. I know that you and Lloyd...looked up to Kratos like an older brother. You say that I don't have to worry, and yet...the fact that you're still getting up in time for training sessions shows me otherwise."

Older brother? If I had seen Kratos as a relative, it would've been more like a grumpy uncle or something...ugh. I couldn't even crack a smile at that thought; even jokes about the seraph had lost their humor.

I looked over at Raine, and the look on her face told me that she was sincere. She was inviting me to confide in her...and I actually felt like I could trust her. Throughout the journey, I hadn't been totally close to Raine; we had liked each other well enough, but there had been a sort of distance between us. It was because she was far more mature, and because I was too suspicious for her to fully accept me...the same way she had been unable to fully accept Kratos.

But before we left for the Tower of Salvation...I had been surprised and a little touched by her offer to help me find my way home. And now, I was finally starting to see that motherly quality to her that she had never quite shown me before. But why...? Maybe it was because I had suffered along with everyone else at the Tower...maybe I had finally proven myself trustworthy.

"I'm sorry, Professor..." I finally answered, gazing down at my sword. "But I think I'll be okay. I'm coping in my own weird way. And I feel a lot better now that we're taking some action. We can't bring Kratos back to us, but we can save Colette and show him that we won't give up so easily."

She stared at me for a few seconds after that, and I felt thankful that her looks weren't as unnerving as Kratos or Yuan's.

"Brittany, I am truly sorry for dragging you into all of this..." Raine sighed, to my surprise. "Sometimes...I wonder if it would have been better if we had left you at the House of Salvation instead of taking you along. We could have saved you a lot of grief..."

My eyes widened. "Professor, I wanted to come along, remember?"

"I realized from the beginning that you had no idea what the journey truly entailed," Raine said sadly. "You've changed a lot since we found you in that forest near Palmacosta."

I stared down at the ground. "...It's true, I never asked for any of this...and I wasn't really involved with you guys at the start, either. You probably could have left me behind with the priests at the House, but...you're forgetting something, Professor."

She looked up at me. "What is that?"

"Cruxis. Yggdrasill himself knew who I was, remember? That means I'm not safe anywhere, whether I'm with you guys or not. So stop saying stuff like that, 'cause I have no regrets. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, fighting alongside you," I said.

It was true. Home...wasn't safe, either. If I somehow went home right now, I'd have more than my own guilt to face.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said quietly. "It seems this journey won't be over for a long while."

We fell silent for a few moments, watching as the sun rose over the horizon. It was fully light out now; I was sure the others would be getting up soon.

"Brittany," Raine said abruptly, and I looked over at her.

"Yeah?"

"You still cannot remember anything about your past?" She asked. I hesitated, before shaking my head.

"No...I'm sorry. I've tried..."

Raine frowned. "I see...I can't help but wonder if your involvement with Cruxis has something to do with your amnesia. Perhaps if you could remember something, you would know why you were hand picked for this Angelus Project..."

"Who knows," I said, sighing. "Maybe we'll learn something while we're helping Colette. I have a feeling Cruxis isn't ready to leave us alone yet, anyway."

"Yes..." The Professor nodded. "I can only hope that we won't cross paths with him again..."

I scoffed. "We'll get slaughtered if we do."

She stared down into her lap, the worry clear on her face. "Speaking of Kratos...there is something else I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Lloyd," she murmured quietly. "...How is he doing?"

My eyes widened. "Professor...but...you can ask him that, can't you?"

She shook her head. "It isn't the same. I wasn't hurt by the betrayal like he was...none of us were. Except for you."

"But I..." I faltered, biting my lip. "He's really hurting, Professor...I'm not used to seeing him this way. But...Lloyd's strong. You know that."

"And that strength is being tested," Raine said softly. "I'm scared for him. The shock of losing Colette, as well as Kratos...I'm afraid it may break him."

"I know," I mumbled, staring at my hands.

Lloyd said all these brave words about saving Colette and stopping Cruxis, but the look in his eyes clearly said that he was suffering a great deal. Even though we looked to Raine as the adult in the group, Lloyd was the one who always kept us all going. Without Lloyd, we were nothing...

"Look after him for me, won't you? Let him know that he isn't alone...it seems you're the only one who can," she remarked sorrowfully, standing up.

"...Are you going?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Yes. I'm sure everyone else is up by now," she replied, and turned to go. "Make sure you're back within a few minutes, all right?"

"O-Okay," I said, watching her start to leave.

"Professor?" I called abruptly, and she paused, looking over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

I stared hard at her for a moment, torn. I wanted to trust her...I just wanted to tell her everything. I wished there was something I could say...

"...No. It's nothing," I said quietly, shaking my head. "See you in a minute or two."

She stared at me in turn, before nodding and turning away, walking down the path and out of sight.

I sheathed my sword, sighing quietly.

"I'm sorry, guys..."

The rest of that day passed very quickly; before I knew it, we were standing outside the walls of Meltokio. The sun was setting, bathing the entire city in an orange light. For the first time in a while, I felt true excitement building up within me.

We walked up towards the entrance, but stopped the second Sheena did. The ninja turned to us.

"Sorry, but I'm going to part ways with you here."

Ah, crud. I'd almost forgotten about this...she'd be back soon, but I was gonna miss Sheena.

"Huh? Why?" Genis asked.

"Have you forgotten? I was trying to kill Colette. I have to report my failure to the Chief," she answered.

"Is this Chief person in this city?"

Sheena shook her head. "I'm from Mizuho. The people of Mizuho were chased from this land. We all live in hiding."

Raine frowned. "If you go make that report, will you be all right?"

"Ah, don't worry about that," she said a little too quickly. "Anyway, I'd like you to deliver this letter for me."

Pulling out an envelope, she passed it over to Raine. "Please give it to the King in Castle Tethe'alla. Tell him it's from Sheena of Mizuho, and he'll grant you an audience right away."

"But the King wants to kill Colette, right? Are you sure this is going to be all right?" Genis asked.

"It'll be okay. I've written the details of everything that's happened and requested that they help heal Colette."

"This is great, Sheena. Thanks," Lloyd said, a real smile appearing on his face for the first time in days.

Her eyes widened at this, and her cheeks turned a shade of light pink. "N-No, you don't have to thank me. The Imperial Research Academy is under the control of the royal family. There isn't any other way, that's all!"

"Somebody's embarrassed," I remarked, grinning. I saw Lloyd's smile grow a little, and my own grin became genuine. Mission success!

Sheena twitched, her cheeks growing an even deeper shade of pink. "Sh-Shut up!"

She shook her head. "A-Anyway...you guys should get going. The city's gates close at night, and it's starting to get late. I'm gonna head to Mizuho now."

"Will we see you again?" Raine asked.

"We might meet again, and we might not," Sheena said, shrugging.

"Then let's not say goodbyes, just yet," the Professor said, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah. See you again," Lloyd said.

She nodded. "See you again...someday!"

With that, she turned and bounded off with ninja-like speed. Desperate to get a word in, I called out to her.

"Sheenaaaa! I'm gonna miss you! Come back soon! Friends forever!"

She looked over her shoulder at me as she headed off, and I saw that her face was red. I smiled victoriously, satisfied.

"Are you coming?" Genis asked, and I turned to see that the others were already heading inside the city.

"H-Hey! Wait up, guys!"

We'd made it just in time; the guards held the city gates open long enough for us to pass through, and then locked them behind us. We walked forward onto the cobblestone street, looking around with wonder.

Since it was getting dark, there weren't a ton of people on the streets; the city was winding down. I was certain this place would be crowded once morning came around. I glanced around me, and saw that the basic structure of the city seemed to be the same as I remembered, only it was reproduced on a colossal scale. If I turned right and continued that way for a while, I had no doubt that I'd reach the slums, but it'd probably be quite a walk with how big this place seemed to be.

Left...that would lead to a bunch of shops and stalls, as well as a park and the entrance to the sewers...and right in front of us was an enormous staircase, the one that led to the upper class areas.

The one that led to Zelos. Oh God, I was so excited and this place was freaking awesome and-

"We should probably find a place to stay for the night," Raine said, sounding very distracted. She didn't seem to notice that we were standing right in front of an inn; there was just too much interesting stuff around us. "We can give the letter to the King tomorrow. We'll need a good night's rest before then."

My face fell. Oh...that meant we wouldn't meet Zelos till tomorrow. But on the plus side, more time in Meltokio! Yay!

"There's an inn right over there," I finally pointed out, and Raine looked mildly embarrassed.

"Ah, right. We should get going."

As we approached the inn, a stray golden retriever ran up to us, wagging its tail. I smiled, ruffling the fur on its head.

"Hey, boy! Aren't you cute?"

The dog panted, grinning happily, and weaved between us.

"Whoa, there are dogs on this side, too." Genis remarked, and I had to roll my eyes. How was that surprising at all?

"Why wouldn't there be?" I asked, and he barely had the chance to send me a look before we heard a thump and a sharp whine.

"Colette?!" Lloyd's eyes widened, and I realized she had kicked the dog. "And she used to love dogs..."

The sound of laughter caused us all to turn, and I froze when I realized it was Rodyle standing before us. Holy crap, he looked even weirder in real life. What the hell was he wearing?

"That's a violent young lady there," he remarked, amused. The sound of his voice made me cringe. "That's marvelous."

The Desian turned and left, probably going on with whatever evil plans he had in motion. I scowled at his back.

"...Who in the world was that man?" Raine asked, bewildered.

"What a creep. I hope we never see him again," I said honestly, shuddering.

"Yeah," Genis added, looking disturbed.

I watched as the dog stared at us warily for a moment, looking betrayed. After a few seconds, it ran away with its tail down, moving in the direction of the slums. I felt bad for it...but there wasn't much we could do. There were probably tons of stray animals in a huge city like this.

We walked through the inn's doors, the rest of our group standing near the entrance while Raine approached the front counter. I could tell all of us felt a little out of place here; there were other travelers in the lobby, but none were as worn and dirty as us. I felt proud of myself for bathing in that freezing cold stream two days ago, since now I was one of the cleaner people in the group. I just wished I had been able to get the damn bloodstains out of my coat. I needed to find time to sew up the tears in it, too.

As Raine spoke with the man at the counter, I noticed people staring at us. Genis and Lloyd shifted uncomfortably. The stares made me feel exposed, as if the Tethe'allans would instantly jump to the conclusion that we were from Sylvarant and kill us.

I sighed, opting to take off my coat for the time being. At least the black tank top I wore beneath was undamaged and relatively clean. Now, other than my mud caked boots, I looked sort of like a normal person.

A few seconds passed, and Raine's shoulders slumped. She pulled out a pouch of Gald coins, spilling it out on the counter so that she could count it. Lloyd, Genis and I exchanged glances at this, but I had a feeling I knew what was going on.

After a moment of deliberation, the Professor pushed a good part of the pile towards the man at the counter. He smiled at her, collecting the money, and handed her a pair of keys. She nodded glumly, pocketing the few coins she had left, and turned to us.

"That was pretty much all the money we had, wasn't it," I said. It wasn't a question, I was just stating a fact.

Genis and Lloyd looked over at me in shock, and then turned to Raine for confirmation. She nodded, running a hand through her bangs.

"This is...unexpected, I'll admit," she said quietly. "Sylvarant and Tethe'alla use the same currency, but it seems Tethe'allan Gald is stronger than Sylvaranti Gald."

Lloyd's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? I don't get it."

"It means that our money buys less here than it would in Sylvarant," Genis explained, looking concerned. "Raine, how much did we just pay for our rooms?"

She hesitated. "...Two thousand Gald."

"That's ridiculous!" I hissed in surprise. It hadn't been like this in the game!

"It...It shouldn't be as expensive in other places, I think," she murmured, looking uncertain. "This is the Imperial City. It's only natural that we'd pay more..."

She shook her head, sighing. "But it had to be done. We can't show ourselves to the King tomorrow looking like this," she said, gesturing to our hair and clothes.

"Yeah," I added. "They probably already think of Sylvarant as barbaric, and we don't exactly want to encourage that belief."

"How are we gonna buy food?" Lloyd asked, frowning.

"We still have some of our rations left," Raine said. "We'll have to make do. If the King decides to help us tomorrow, perhaps we'll receive some aid."

This reassured Lloyd and Genis, but I could tell that the Professor didn't quite believe it herself. She was skeptical that it would all be so easy, and I couldn't blame her; after what we'd been through, we had to be wary. I didn't really want to sneak into Castle Tethe'alla tomorrow, either...I really hoped Zelos would save our asses like he was supposed to.

"Here," Raine said, handing Lloyd one of the keys. "You and Genis can share a room. Brittany, Colette and I will be right next door."

Lloyd nodded, and he and Genis headed off to find their room. Raine and I herded Colette along with us, heading into our own room. Raine unlocked the door, and I gently grabbed Colette's hand to lead her inside.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd ever shared a room with Raine...weird. I had always liked being roomies with Sheena, but maybe this meant I could get in some bonding time with the Professor.

"...Wow," I said quietly, walking into the room and staring around. "I think we got our money's worth, at least."

Raine walked in after me, seeming impressed herself. Actually, by my old standards, the room wasn't anything special. It looked about as clean, classy and comfortable as any normal hotel I'd stayed at on Earth. But compared to the inns in Sylvarant, this was heaven. Looking up, I noted with shock that there were even electric lights on the ceiling.

Raine frowned at me, and I realized I had automatically flipped the light switch as I walked into the room; it was a reflex that I had retained from Earth, brought on by the Earth-like qualities of this place. I smiled at her, feigning ignorance as to what I had just done. Any Sylvaranti wouldn't have known to do that.

She seemed to let it slide, instead turning her eyes to the electric lights as well. Her face lit up with fascination.

"Interesting...it seems they've found a way to harness Volt's power. If only I had time to study it..." Her face fell as she seemed to realize she couldn't just rip the ceiling fixture off and take it apart. That would probably get us kicked out.

I shrugged. "We'll probably be in Tethe'alla for a while, Professor."

"Yes, you're right..." She murmured distractedly, staring at the lightbulbs and probably damaging her eyesight in the process. I sent Colette an amused look, trying to act as if she were still herself. Colette would have smiled knowingly at something like this.

Walking further into the room, I set my bag and coat down on the floor next to one of the beds. I fell back on to the bed, letting out a happy little sigh at how soft and comfy it was. I was definitely going to sleep well tonight.

Raine continued to walk through the room, looking at the various things within it. Aside from the light fixture on the ceiling, there was also an electric lamp on the nightstand between our beds, as well as a digital alarm clock that was plugged into the wall. I stared at this particular item in interest, finding comfort in such familiarity. I hadn't known Tethe'alla would have stuff like this! It was a far cry from the technology of Earth, but it was still more than I had expected.

I heard the sound of a door opening, and saw that the Professor had discovered another addition to our room. Was it a closet? When she leaned through the doorway with apparent curiosity in her eyes, I stood up and started to walk over.

"What'd you find, Professor?" I asked.

She crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "Hmm...A restroom, it seems."

That caught my attention. I picked up the pace, almost shoving past her, and bolted into the small room.

I looked around, wanting to weep with joy. Porcelain tiles, a real toilet, a real bathtub...ahh! Even a mirror with vanity lights over it!

Oh, yeah. I wasn't supposed to look like I recognized this stuff. Right, Brittany! Pretend that you've only known outhouses all your life!

"It looks sanitary," I said brilliantly, grinning. I couldn't help but glance at the sink and the bar of soap resting next to it. Meltokio was like, the best thing that had ever happened to me.

She raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment further, walking into the room to examine it as well.

"A personal restroom...what a luxury." She frowned, reaching out towards the toilet and pushing down the lever to flush it. She watched the water swirl down and out of sight, shaking her head and looking bewildered.

I had to fight very, very hard not to burst out laughing. Seeing the Professor amazed by something as mundane as a toilet flushing...it was comical. Then again, she probably had never seen anything like this in her life. Running water wasn't a common thing in Sylvarant.

The sound of banging at the door caused us to look up. I shrugged.

"I'll get it," I said, already knowing who it was.

I walked up to the door and opened it, and was unsurprised to see Genis and Lloyd standing there, their faces alight with excitement. It was nice to see them both in higher spirits for once; I found myself hoping Meltokio would distract them at least a little bit from what had happened.

"Did you see?!" They asked in unison, and I grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. We're checking everything out right now."

"Isn't it so cool?!" Lloyd said enthusiastically, reaching in and flipping our light switch up and down. I winced, feeling disoriented from the flashes of light, and grabbed Lloyd's hand.

"Cut that out! You're gonna give me a seizure."

"It's magitechnology, right, Raine?" Genis called to his sister, who peered out from the bathroom doorway.

She nodded. "I haven't quite figured out how it works, but that seems to be it," she said. "I'll have to ask Sheena the next time we meet."

I stifled a chuckle, very amused at the others' reactions. I almost felt like a mother, watching over her kids at a candy store. Although...I could remember doing things similar to this when I had stayed at a high class hotel for the first time.

"Have you seen the bathroom yet?" Lloyd asked me. "The toilet, it-"

"Flushes, I know," I was coming very close to laughter. "It's a lot cleaner than those stupid outhouses, that's for sure."

"I wonder if all of Tethe'alla is like this," Genis remarked, taking a seat on my bed and kicking his feet lightly. "Will Sylvarant be like this someday?"

"Only at the expense of Tethe'alla," I murmured, more serious now. "We should find a way to even out all the mana."

"I can't help but wonder if such an option exists," Raine said, and Lloyd crossed his arms.

"We'll find a way. And if that path doesn't exist, we'll create our own! Just like we're doing with Colette," he said with conviction.

The Professor smiled weakly. "Yes...you're right, Lloyd," she said, but once again I got the sense that she didn't believe in her own words.

Unfortunately, Lloyd saw this as well. His good spirits faded a bit as he gazed at Colette, who was standing in the corner of the room where I had left her. She hadn't so much as twitched since I had let go of her hand.

"Hey, Professor..." He said quietly. "...Do you mind if I go for a walk? I won't go too far. I just wanna explore a bit."

She frowned slightly, hesitating. "...All right, I suppose. Stay away from the castle and don't cause any trouble. Make sure you're back in time for bed."

He nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Professor."

The brunette exited the room, walking down the hall. I paused for a moment, before following and closing the door lightly behind me.

"Lloyd," I called quietly, just loud enough for him to hear me. He paused, looking over his shoulder, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"...Mind if I come?"

He stared at me for a second, looking unsure. After some deliberation, he shrugged.

"If you really want to."

"Thanks, Lloydie." I smiled earnestly. "I'd worry if you were out alone, you know. You couldn't stay out of trouble if you tried."

He rolled his eyes as we walked down the stairs and into the inn's lobby. We headed for the doors, pushing them open and slipping outside.

"It's not like there's Desians here or anything," he muttered.

"Mood swing, Lloyd?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his sudden annoyance. "You were excited just a few minutes ago."

"...Sorry," he apologized, to my surprise. "I...I mean, I really only left 'cause I wanted to be alone."

I hesitated for a moment, but then hardened my resolve. "Well, tough luck."

"Huh?" He looked over at me, frowning.

"I can't count how many times you wouldn't go away when I asked," I pointed out, my voice growing softer. "...And now that I think about it, I'm sorta grateful that you didn't. You always helped me out when I needed it, but I was too selfish to realize that you were suffering, too."

"Brittany..."

"Everyone's worried about you, stupid," I said, lightly smacking him on the arm. "If you don't talk it out sooner or later, you're going to lose it. Trust me."

"Worried...about me?" Lloyd asked in shock. Then his eyes narrowed. "What about Colette?!"

"We're worried about her, too!" I said, trying to keep my voice lowered. We already received enough looks just walking down the street. "That doesn't mean you're not important, Lloyd. We can't save Colette without you."

He lowered his gaze, looking pensive. "I...I know," he said. "But I'll be okay. Stop worrying, all right? It makes me feel better when you guys aren't getting all worked up."

I frowned. "...You're sure? Really, really sure?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. Kratos isn't coming back...I know that now. But I'm not going to make the same mistakes again! Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? I want to make sure Colette gets her soul back."

I looked into his eyes for a second, and I could tell that he was completely sincere. I finally smiled, relieved.

"I'm glad."

He had a determined expression on his face now. "It might be hard...but I'll do anything it takes. We'll save Colette, and find a way to stop Cruxis!"

"Stop Cruxis, huh..." I murmured, clasping my hands behind my back. "Sounds like one hell of a plan. But that means..."

"I know. Eventually...we'll see him again," Lloyd said, his fists clenching. I could tell the very thought of Kratos caused his resolve to weaken.

I fought hard to think of some encouraging words, anything to help us get the old Lloyd back. But...I wasn't good at comforting people. And I wasn't feeling too great about the betrayal, either. Not to mention...no. I wasn't going to think about that right now.

"I'm not going to lie to you," I said quietly. "The thought of seeing Kratos again, as enemies...it terrifies me."

Lloyd looked down. "I thought we were friends...but he just stabbed us in the back. And he was even holding back on us during that fight! He was just toying with us..."

"He's arrogant enough that he doesn't see us as a threat," I muttered, frowning. "Why don't we give him a surprise or two for once? Let's save Colette. We'll show those bastards that we're not screwing around."

Come on, Lloyd...just focus on Colette. Forget about Kratos for now...

He straightened up, to my relief. "...You're right," he said, giving me a tired smile. "Besides...once we get Colette back, we'll all feel a lot better."

Good...he wasn't saying 'if.' He was talking about it like it was an event that was bound to occur-which it was.

"Ha! You're smiling," I pointed out. "I'm not so bad at this."

"At what? Cheering people up? You dork," Lloyd chuckled, and for once I was grateful for my awkwardness.

"I guess I was afraid I'd only make you feel worse," I admitted, sighing. "I'm no good at those corny but weirdly motivational speeches you seem to like so much."

"Corny?" Lloyd made a face, and I grinned.

"But motivational! Lighten up, Lloydie."

He shoved me, I laughed, and we continued on our way. We were headed towards the park, though I was sure Lloyd didn't know that. We'd just picked a random direction and started walking. We passed some shop stalls, and I eyed the wares with interest as the owners closed them down for the night.

"...Hey, Brit?"

I looked over at him. "Hmm?"

"Thanks." He gave me a genuine smile.

He was...thanking me? Flustered, I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say. I opted to stare at the ground instead, my face heating up with embarrassment. Ugh, scratch that earlier thought! I hated my awkwardness!

"Uh..." I started, fumbling for words. Then I spotted what was up ahead. "Hey, is that a park?"

"Let's go sit down," Lloyd suggested. "My legs are kinda sore."

I inwardly cheered at the subject change, and nodded. "And yet the walk was your idea. Smooth."

"Sh-Shut it! I wanted to see more of the city."

We sat on one of the benches, and I snickered at him. It was getting dark, so the place was deserted. We were bathed in the light of a street lamp; I looked up to see a few moths flying around it.

I...really loved Meltokio. It was strange how familiar and comforting even the smallest things were. Little things, things I had never really noticed back home...

"They're out here, too..." Lloyd murmured, more serious now. "Those weird, magitechnology lights. Maybe all of Tethe'alla really is like this."

"Wouldn't be too surprising," I said, shrugging. "It just means we can enjoy a few luxuries every now and then."

"But Sylvarant is suffering because these things are using up all the mana!" Lloyd protested.

"I never said it was right," I grumbled. "But Lloyd, it's not like we're just sitting back and wallowing in our own ignorance. We're actually doing something about it, so it's okay to relax once in a while, right?"

"Yeah...I guess," he sighed.

"You're just stressed 'cause we don't have a real plan yet," I said. "Tomorrow, we'll know what to do. We'll find a way to make this work."

"...Do you think we'll ever see Sylvarant again?" Lloyd asked after a pause, looking wistful.

Three days, and he was already homesick? Ah...we were alone in a totally different world, so I guess it was understandable-wait a minute. Gee, this sounded familiar. Suck it up, Lloyd.

"Stupid," I muttered, slightly irritated. "Of course we will. Don't start thinking like that."

"Yeah...sorry." His shoulders slumped. "I haven't really been myself lately..."

"After all the crap that we've been through? I'd be scared if you were acting yourself," I said, frowning. "Don't worry about it. We'll fix those Rheairds and make it home soon."

"...Home, huh..." Lloyd muttered, suddenly growing quiet, and I realized he was staring at me.

Unnerved, I fidgeted in my seat. "Uh...Lloyd?"

He shook his head, looking away. "It's getting pretty dark...we should head back or the Professor will give us a lecture."

"...Yeah, okay," I said, still a little weirded out. He smiled at me, standing up and gesturing for me to follow.

As we walked back towards the inn, I let out a sigh. Whatever it was, I was sure I'd find out soon enough...

"Are you almost done in there?" Raine's muffled voice came from behind the locked door. "We don't have all day, you know."

I groaned. "Professor..."

"I'll check back in five minutes. I expect you to be ready by then," she said sharply, and I heard the sound of her leaving, probably to harass Lloyd and Genis.

I stretched, taking a deep breath. There went my hopes of a relaxing bath. I had been in here-what, ten minutes? Christ.

The water rippled as I moved around, scrubbing vigorously at my body, willing all the dirt and grime away. Then I dunked my head under the water, doing my best to wash my hair. After a minute or two of this, I snatched a towel from the shelf next to me. Letting the water drain out of the tub, I stepped out on to the tile and dried myself off.

Ah...even though that was probably the shortest bath I'd ever taken, it still felt great. I felt refreshed, ready to take on the world.

I threw on the cleanest clothes I had, abandoning my blue coat for the time being. I really needed to wash the blood out of that damn thing. If only Meltokio had a laundromat, too...but that would be too much to ask for.

Looking in the mirror, I began to hurriedly comb my hair with my hands, wishing I owned a brush. My hair had grown out about two inches since I'd cut it, so now it was starting to get irritating. Maybe I'd get it cut; as much as I used to love my long hair, keeping it short was a lot more practical. Besides, I didn't want any enemies yanking on my hair. That would just bring back some bad memories.

Finally satisfied with my appearance, I turned to the bathroom door and pulled it open. Just in time, too; the Professor had been about to knock again.

"All set," I said, trying not to make a face. She nodded.

"We're just waiting for Lloyd. After that, we'll be setting out."

"We're always waiting for Lloyd," I said, rolling my eyes. He was worse than my sister at waking up in the morning-and my sister had once thrown an alarm clock at the wall.

Her gaze softened. "He seems to be acting a little more relaxed. What did you say to him last night?"

I blinked, suddenly fidgety. "Uh...not much, really. I'll go tell him to hurry up, okay?"

She watched me with a small smile as I left the room, heading next door. Genis was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall and looking impatient. The door to his and Lloyd's room was closed.

"Genis? What's our situation?"

He grimaced. "Lloyd says he's changing, but he's being really slow!"

I raised an eyebrow, knocking on the door. "Llooooyd!"

"Gimme a sec," his grumbled answer came, and I sighed.

"I gave up a relaxing bath so we could leave early! You've gotta do your part too!"

This time I only got silence in reply. I frowned. "Lloyd?"

Genis and I exchanged glances, and he only shook his head. I shrugged.

"Well, he asked for it. I'm going in."

The half elf looked shocked, his blue eyes widening. "What? B-But Lloyd's changing!"

"He'd better throw some pants on, then!" I said loudly, turning the doorknob. There weren't any panicked sounds from the other side of the door, and I smirked; I was pretty sure I knew what was going on here. Like I said, I had dealt with my sister before.

Despite Genis' protests, I pushed the door open and marched right in. I was unsurprised to see a shirtless Lloyd lying facedown on his bed.

"...M'ready..." he mumbled into the pillow.

"Oh, Lloyd..." I sighed, amused despite myself.

"Lloyd?!" Genis yelled indignantly, standing in the doorway. "Come on! You said you were almost ready!"

"Nngh..." he groaned.

"Get moving, man," I said, poking him in the shoulder. "Don't make me use my special waking up techniques on you."

He just groaned again, pulling the blankets over his head. I grinned.

"Hey, Genis...know where I could find a bucket?"

Around fifteen minutes later, our group finally exited the inn. A disgruntled Lloyd walked at the front of the group, while Genis and I snickered at the back. He was holding a small towel to his hair; he'd been able to dry everything else off, but his still-damp hair continued to flop down over his eyes.

Yeah, I dumped a bucket of water on him. That was always the surefire way to wake a person up. I just hoped the maids who cleaned up after us wouldn't think Lloyd had wet the bed or something.

I had to stifle a laugh at that thought, watching Lloyd continue to attack his hair. Even the Professor looked a bit amused. It was nice, this short interlude between bouts of depression.

We were all looking significantly better than we had looked yesterday. Everyone had taken advantage of the bathroom facilities, except for Colette, because she wasn't dirty anyway. There wasn't even a speck of blood or grime on that white outfit of hers. Her self-preservation instincts and her angelic abilities were probably the reason why.

Lately, she'd insisted on keeping her wings out, walking in the middle of the group. She did this randomly, revealing and hiding her wings. We couldn't exactly tell her to hide them, because, well...she didn't respond to anything we said. It was okay, though; everyone in the city seemed to think it was a costume for some odd reason. Either way, it still earned us some weird looks. None of them looked about to kill us or anything, though, so that was cool.

Raine moved to the front of the group and we followed her lead, ascending the staircase to the upper class area. Oh, this was probably going to be the part of Meltokio I didn't care for. Stupid, snooty rich people.

When we made it to the top of the stairway, I instantly forgot about my dislike of nobles. The massive, majestic looking buildings surrounding us were so much more interesting.

"Whoa..." Lloyd summed up our thoughts pretty well.

We walked slowly out into the square, looking around with amazement. I was pretty sure we stood out a lot, gaping about like a bunch of stupid tourists, but I couldn't help it. Architecture like this didn't exist in America. We didn't have castles and beautiful cathedrals; the most historic buildings we had only dated back to colonial times.

I had only seen stuff like this once in my life, on a vacation I'd taken with my French class right after graduation. The Palace of Versailles, the Sacred Heart Basilica, Notre Dame...the architecture here looked remarkably similar to some of the sights I'd seen in France. It was strange, to think that these buildings were considered modern here...castles and electricity just didn't go together in my mind.

Hold on. Was that a fish statue over there? Seriously? My Wonder Chef senses were tingling...

In my distraction, I didn't notice that everyone else had stopped to look around. I kept walking, trying to get a better look at the statue, as Colette followed by my side.

I really should have seen it coming. I always forgot about the important stuff right at the crucial moment...

Suddenly Colette and I bumped hard into a couple of extravagantly dressed women, causing me to nearly jump with surprise. Colette just stood there with a deadpan look on her face, whereas I slowly began to realize what was happening.

"H-Hey, watch it!" One girl called in an extremely irritating voice.

"Watch where you're going!" Another one snapped, looking disdainfully at us. I would have scowled, but I made the mistake of looking towards the sole redhead in the group.

"Now, now, settle down, my darling hunnies!" A familiar voice called, and Zelos Wilder himself moved to the front of his little group.

Oh. My. God.

Agh! This wasn't right! He wasn't supposed to be this...this...!

He was looking towards us, and it felt like my brain was malfunctioning.

"Well, my little cool beauties...you aren't hurt, are you?" Zelos smiled at us. We were both silent, for completely different reasons.

This wasn't fair. I had known he'd be attractive, but this was ridiculous! His style wasn't even my type! I liked badass guys with black hair, studded belts and tattoos! And yet...a man dressed in pink was outshining my favorite rockstars?! Dammit, hormones!

"Master Zelos has deigned to speak to these girls, and yet look how they act!" The first woman said in a haughty voice.

I vaguely realized that the others had approached, and were watching the spectacle with surprised looks on their faces.

Another woman spoke up, sneering at us. "Just look at this one!" She said, gesturing to Colette. "It's not even festival time and she's dressed up in an angel costume. How stupid are you?"

Colette didn't respond, just staring ahead emotionlessly. The snobs seemed frustrated by this, so their eyes fell on a new target-me. Oh, boy.

"And look at her hair!" One of the girls made a face at me. "What did you do, put it through a cheese grater?"

My eyebrows flew up. The pathetic insult seemed to reflect the girl's intelligence, but I was able to get the gist of it. That was more than enough to piss me off. The girls in the back of the group whispered and snickered amongst themselves, and I was suddenly reminded of all those snooty preps back in high school.

"Your face looks like it's been put through a cheese grater," I mumbled back, knowing despite myself that I should be the better person and step down. Alas, it felt much more satisfying to throw bad insults back at her.

"Excuse me?!" The girl shouted, elbowing forward to the front of the group and getting up in my face.

"Did I stutter?" I challenged, irritated.

"Can you believe the nerve of this hag?!" She yelled in that irritating voice, and the other girls hovered closer, trying to be intimidating. With their prissy dresses and done-up hair, it wasn't exactly working.

"Oh, spare me," I growled. "At least I'm not-"

"Let it go, Brit," Lloyd said, sounding like he was trying to hide his own annoyance. "She's obviously never looked in a mirror."

"What did you say?!" Her voice could break glass. Hooooly crap.

"Hey, hey! There's no need to fight, ladies," Zelos called, sounding cool and laid back. "I can't have my darling hunnies getting any gray hairs, now can I?"

The girls swooned at this remark. I would have rolled my eyes, if Zelos hadn't been insanely attractive. Instead I found myself trying not to gape as I remembered he was standing right there.

He looked over at me and smiled. My brain started to have a meltdown, especially as he walked closer until he was right in front of me. I had to look up; he was at least half a foot taller than me.

"Well, you sure are adorable with your feathers all ruffled, my little spitfire," he said, winking. Oh God, I was not used to men blatantly flirting with me like this. I felt my face heating up.

He then noticed how Colette was staring ahead blankly, not saying a word. Zelos walked over to her, leaning over slightly to get a better look at her face.

"Oh, are you upset, my little angel?" He asked, leaning closer. "You know, I bet you're as cute as a button when you smile."

Genis looked like he wanted to vomit. I would've laughed at that, if I hadn't been absorbed in a futile attempt to hide my blush. Dammit, I looked like an idiot!

Just as Zelos reached over to lightly touch Colette on the face, she roughly grabbed his arm and threw him all the way across the square. I couldn't help but gawk-it just did NOT look like it should be physically possible. And yet, she'd just tossed him with ease.

"Whoa!" Zelos yelled, landing on his feet like a cat. So cool...augh! Hormones! "Wow, that was a surprise. You sure are strong, my little angel. You certainly startled me!" He quickly hid his surprise under a carefree grin, and I bit my lip in an attempt to keep myself focused.

"Wh-Who are you?" Lloyd asked in shock. Zelos walked up to the group, looking at the swordsman with indifference.

"No offense, but I'm not interested in talking to guys."

"...Ugh..." Genis gumbled, looking like he was about to PMS. Well, I hadn't seen hissy-fit Genis in a while.

The red haired Chosen finally seemed to notice Raine, and his grin grew. "Ohhh! What's your name, beautiful?"

"Give me your name, and I'll give you mine," Raine shot back, raising an eyebrow. Lloyd gave her a look, and Zelos looked surprised.

"Oh, my, you don't know me? Well, well. I guess I still have a ways to go." The grin came back, and I could tell an introduction was coming.

"You, my cool beauty, are standing in front of Tethe'alla's one and only Chosen, the Great Zelos Wilder!"

Raine gave him a deadpan stare, while Lloyd and Genis gawked.

"This guy's the Chosen?!" Genis asked in disbelief, pointing at Zelos.

"Hey, brat," Zelos scowled. "It's not polite to point, you know."

"I can't believe it..." Lloyd muttered, glancing between Colette and Zelos, obviously making a comparison in his head.

"The Chosen, hmm..." The Professor looked unimpressed.

"Master Zelos, let's go!" One of the girls called, and I noticed them waiting in a mob several feet away. "You're going to be late!"

Zelos blinked, seeming to remember himself. "Oh, yes, yes, of course." He glanced towards the castle, and I remembered that he had to meet with the princess or something-he was going to be up there when we snuck in, right?

"Well, then," he said, smiling and turning back to us. "I'll see you again, my lovely lady, my adorable spitfire, my cute little angel, and...uh...you other people."

Spitfire? Oh, God, was he going to call me that for the rest of the journey? That blush was coming back in full force.

Zelos and his entourage of whor-er, ladies-left the area, heading towards the residential area. He probably needed to get ready, or at least dump those girls somewhere so he could head up to the castle. Delightful.

"...What was that all about?" Lloyd finally broke the silence, shaking his head.

"What an ass," Genis remarked, and I fought a grin. As much as I loved Zelos, Genis' line here was one of my favorites.

"He was grinning like an idiot the entire time," the mage continued. "What's wrong with that guy?"

"...He had an Exsphere on him," Raine murmured. "Though considering his status, I suppose he wouldn't have found much difficulty acquiring one."

"So that's how he reacted so fast," Lloyd said, frowning. He then turned to me, seeming to notice how quiet I was. "Are you okay, Brit? Your face is all red."

"I'm fine!" I answered too quickly. Raine gave me a knowing look, and I couldn't meet her gaze.

"Uh...okay..." Lloyd said slowly, puzzled.

"In any case, we don't have time to stand around right now," the Professor said. "We should proceed to the castle."

"Yeah, let's just forget that ever happened," Genis said in a half-groan.

Lloyd just shrugged, following along as Raine led the way towards the castle. I followed in the back, sighing.

Zelos Wilder...well, this journey was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Chapter Text

"What?" Lloyd's eyes widened in shock. "But-But we have to see him!"

The guards standing in front of us just shook their heads. Since their faces were concealed behind their helmets, I couldn't really tell if they gave a damn or not. Probably not.

"I'm sure you do," one replied, "but until His Majesty is well, there's nothing that can be done. The Church of Martel is preparing a prayer ritual to prepare for His Majesty's recovery; perhaps you should try asking the priests in the church to ensure that he gets well as soon as possible."

Lloyd's shoulders slumped in disappointment. He looked back at us, as if asking us what to do now.

Two more guards approached from our right, and the guard we'd been speaking to nodded to us.

"Good luck," he said, before walking off with his partner.

The two new guards took their places in front of the castle doors. We moved out of hearing range, turning to each other.

"What now?" Genis asked, looking frustrated.

I shrugged. "Might as well go to the church."

"I agree," Raine said, nodding. "We can decide our next move once we gather more information."

"Dammit..." Lloyd swore. "But if the King's not taking any audiences..."

"If all else fails, we can look for that Zelos guy," I suggested, hoping things would work out correctly. "If we grovel enough, he could probably get us an audience."

"Ugh! I'll never grovel for that guy!" Genis growled.

"It's for Colette," I pointed out. "Besides, it'd be me and Raine that would do the-"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Raine sighed, looking like she had a headache. I grinned, knowing my brain would probably collapse in on itself if I ever tried to flirt with Zelos.

"To the church, then?" I asked.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. We should get going."

We found the church with ease; it was right where it was supposed to be, its entrance to the left of the square we'd met Zelos in. As I'd expected, it was nothing like its in-game counterpart. It was much, much bigger, having the size and structure of a typical European cathedral. I felt like I was on some sort of weird sightseeing tour...

"Wow..." Genis murmured when we really looked at it for the first time. "Are all churches in Tethe'alla this big?"

"Sheena mentioned a pope," I remarked. "Since the King resides in this city, I think it's safe to assume that this is the Pope's cathedral. I bet it's the biggest one in this world."

"That makes sense," Raine said quietly. "Since the Church of Martel's power rivals that of the King, perhaps we could appeal to the Pope for an audience..."

Ah, if only it were that easy. But the Pope was a total asshole...dammit, what little religious faith I had was going down the drain with this journey. I had never trusted the clergy much to begin with, but seeing all the crap they pulled in Tethe'alla...

"What's a pope like?" Lloyd asked, looking confused. "I don't think Sylvarant has a pope. Is he, like, the king of the Church or something?"

Raine sighed. "...It's similar to that, yes...those who become pope are said to be the ones closest to the Goddess."

"They also wear hilarious hats," I added helpfully.

"...We should head inside," The Professor said, attempting to ignore my statement.

Lloyd gave me a curious look for a moment, but then we all followed after the Professor. We walked inside the church-and were forced to stop and gawk for the first few moments we stepped inside.

Rows upon rows of pews sat on either side of a central aisle, which led up to a large altar. The walls were adorned with enormous stained glass windows, through which a pale light filtered through. The ceiling seemed impossibly high up. On either end of the church, there were rows of Corinthian columns supporting the massive structure. An enormous statue of Martel stood up at the altar, holding her staff high in the air. She was depicted with angel wings, and her wings were spread wide enough to reach each end of the church.

I might've been a cynic when it came to religion, but I really could see why people would come here to worship every day. The game hadn't done this place justice at all; I found myself longing for a camera, so I could take a picture of that awesome statue.

We walked down the middle of the aisle, our footsteps echoing on the stone tile. A pastor waited for us near the altar; he was busily lighting candles when we approached.

"Ah," he said, seeming to notice us when we stopped. "Welcome to the Church of Martel. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, yes," Raine said, stepping to the front of the group. "We were wondering about the King's current condition."

She was treading carefully, wanting to gather information without seeming suspicious. The pastor opened his mouth to answer, but then a loud scraping noise interrupted him. We all turned to see the one and only Presea standing behind us, and Genis went completely still. Ah, crud...Genis actually hit puberty before Lloyd!

"Oh, Presea," the pastor said. "The prayers are to take place in the royal chambers. Please carry the sacred wood to the castle."

"...Yes," she replied, her face completely blank. If Colette could talk right now, I was pretty sure that's what she would sound like.

Without saying anything more, Presea turned and walked away, dragging a huge piece of wood...with one hand. Oh, Christ...why couldn't I do that?! Everything about Presea seemed too extreme: her physical strength, her weapon, her real age, her hair color, those freaking pigtails...

Anyway, Genis was totally out of it now. He had a dreamy smile on his face.

"She's cute."

"That girl had an Exsphere, too..." Lloyd remarked quietly. "I thought Sheena said people didn't normally wear them here."

"Yeah. She's really cute," Genis confirmed, and Lloyd shook his head helplessly.

"You mentioned prayers," Raine said, turning to the pastor. "Are you praying for the recovery of the King?"

"Yes," the pastor said, nodding. "The Chosen and the Pope will pray before His Majesty and receive the assistance of Martel."

Genis' dreamy look immediately disappeared at the mention of the Chosen. He scowled.

The gears in Lloyd's head were turning, clearly. I knew it was about time we left, hopefully without seeming too suspicious. Normal people would ask a few more questions to make it look like they were interested, but we had to catch up with Presea...

"Oh! Thank you for telling us," I said, doing my best acting. I didn't care what Kratos said, I was really getting the hang of faking my emotions. "We're going to go wish the Chosen luck, then. Right, everyone?"

"Yes," Raine said, humoring me. "We'll pray for the King's recovery as well."

The pastor smiled, pleased. "Goddess bless you. If I see the Chosen, I'll be sure to extend him your best wishes."

We took that as our cue to leave, and headed back down the aisle towards the door.

"Let's find that Presea girl," I whispered when we were out of hearing range.

"Wh-What? Really?!" Genis asked, looking at me with hope in his eyes.

Lloyd nodded, excited. "Yeah! If we follow her in when she carries the sacred wood..."

"...That is a reasonable plan," Raine said. "We should ask her to help us, then."

"Yeah! Good idea!" Genis said happily, and I almost rolled my eyes.

With that, we exited the cathedral. It didn't take long for us to find Presea-she was a short distance from the doors, speaking with a certain Exsphere broker. Well, it wasn't really speaking, since the conversation was sorta one-sided. Vharley...ew.

A few seconds after we left the church, Vharley walked away, probably to find his creepy boss. Presea started to pull the wood away.

"H-Hey!" Genis called out, stepping forward. "Um...Presea! Hang on a sec!"

She paused, but didn't look back at us. Creepy. We approached her, but she just stared in the direction of the castle. Man...would I have become like that if I hadn't gotten a Key Crest in time? I almost shuddered.

"Could we have a moment of your time?" Raine asked, seeming a bit troubled by Presea's silence.

"I'm Lloyd," Lloyd spoke up, stepping within her line of vision. She looked up, but her eyes seemed to stare right through him.

"This is Colette," he continued, gesturing to her, "and Raine, and Brittany-"

"I-I'm Genis!" Genis said too loudly, his face beet red. I placed a hand to my forehead, starting to feel embarrassed for him.

"Uh...Genis?" Lloyd looked over to his friend.

"Would you let us help you carry the sacred wood?" The mage asked. Presea turned to give him a deadpan stare, before starting to walk away again.

"I'm sorry," Raine said, "I know this is a bit strange, but please hear us out. We have a letter we wish to give to the King."

"Colette's life is on the line," I added. "We have to do this."

"But we've got a problem because the King is sick, and refuses to see anyone. It would really help us out if we could carry it for you," Lloyd said.

Presea paused once more, before stepping away from the wood and staring over at us. She didn't move, didn't say a word.

"...Presea?" Genis said tentatively, his face still totally flushed.

The girl closed her eyes briefly. "...Understood." Then she turned away, gesturing to the wood with one hand. "Please carry that."

Lloyd jumped up eagerly. "All right! Leave it to us!"

He and Genis ran to either side of the wood, and I could tell already that they would never be able to pick it up. Raine and I stood next to a silent Colette, watching the spectacle. The two of them grimaced, lifting at the same time; the wood moved about half an inch off the ground before they dropped it.

"Ugh...w-wait a minute! This thing is heavy!" Lloyd said, out of breath. Just as he and Genis stood up to take a breather, Presea walked back and gripped the wood with one hand, dragging it away.

Lloyd watched her, gawking. "...I've lost all confidence as a man..."

"Me too," Genis sighed.

"I still believe in you guys," I said, grinning, ruffling their hair as I walked between the two of them. "Anyway, looks like we've got our ticket inside."

After a quick explanation to the guards, we were able to enter the castle. Once we left the sacred wood where Presea told us to, we opted to take her with us. And then we found ourselves wandering the castle and avoiding guards so we wouldn't get in massive trouble. Yay!

That was one thing I'd overlooked-in the game it had been all fine and dandy, but uh...we couldn't exactly wander the castle freely. I highly doubted the fact that Presea carried the wood gave her free reign over the castle grounds. Not only that, we didn't even look like we belonged in this place. We stuck out like a sore thumb, and if anyone saw us, we were done for. This wasn't like infiltrating a Desian ranch...we couldn't exactly kill everyone that saw us.

"This place is huge..." Lloyd murmured. "How are we ever gonna find the royal chambers?"

I thought for a moment, and then nodded to myself. "Top floor, very back of the castle."

"Huh?" Genis stared at me. "How would you know that?"

"Common sense," I said, shrugging. "It's the hardest room to get to." Plus I kinda just knew.

"We'd might as well try," Raine said. "I'm sure the room will stand out, regardless; there will most likely be guards."

"Guards..." Lloyd scowled. "But how-"

"We knock 'em out," I answered.

"I doubt they will let us through otherwise," Raine added, looking resigned.

"Won't we get in trouble?" Genis asked uneasily.

"We can't just sit around waiting for the King to get better," I told him. "That could take weeks, even months. Or he might not get better at all, which would be even worse."

Eventually everyone quieted as we walked through the more deserted castle corridors. I hoped Raine knew where we were going, because I had lost my sense of direction a while back. Since she was in the lead, I was just trusting her.

Lloyd and I walked behind Raine, slightly to either side of Colette, making sure she didn't stray. She usually followed pretty well, though. Genis was at the back of the group with Presea, feebly trying to make conversation and being ignored for the most part.

It looked like we'd found a pretty good path to the back of the castle, though; the corridor was slightly narrow, and I got the feeling it was probably more used by servants and castle staff than anyone else. We thankfully didn't have to worry about running into nobles anymore.

After a little while, Genis' sad attempts at conversation began to bore me. I looked around at the stone walls surrounding us, the occasional polished wooden door we'd pass. Ha...that's what this place was reminding me of.

Smiling slightly, I started humming the theme to Hyrule Castle, from A Link to the Past. Ah, so many good memories...

Genis gave me a weird look, broken out of his reverie. "...What are you humming?"

I stopped, giving him my own look. "Humming? I wasn't humming."

The half elf just shook his head, returning his attention to Presea, as I once again began humming the song with a full grin on my face now. I couldn't help it; now all I could think about was Link kicking ass through generations of Zelda games. Princess Hilda? Princess Zelda? Suspiciously similar...I wonder how Zelos would look wearing a green windsock on his head.

Well, there went all my sane thoughts...

"You're seriously humming," Lloyd remarked.

"You're just hearing the castle's theme song," I said matter-of-factly. "It plays automatically when you walk in."

He blinked. "...Theme song."

"Yup," I confirmed.

"You're really bored, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"We're almost there," Raine said, exasperated. "Please refrain from humming from now on."

"It's the castle, it's not me," I insisted, but obeyed regardless.

We trudged up a long staircase, and I gripped the walls with annoyance upon finding out that there wasn't a railing. I saw Lloyd frowning; this was one of several staircases we'd gone up, which meant we were on the top floors. Like Raine said, we really were getting close to our destination.

"S-So, Presea," Genis tried again, his voice cracking. "D-Do you like Meltokio?"

"..."

Oh, young love.

"Oh, uh, me neither! I...I b-bet you're not into fancy stuff, right Presea?"

"..."

And the one-sided conversations began once again. Man, and I thought it was difficult to get Kratos talking, never mind Pres-ugh.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing away all thoughts of Kratos. I didn't want to remember all the conversations I'd forced out of him. It hurt too much, knowing that I could never do that anymore.

"Hey..." Lloyd murmured quietly, leaning closer to me. "...What's up with Genis?"

I raised an eyebrow, grateful for the distraction. "You seriously don't know?"

"He looks kinda like you did when you saw that Zelos guy," he mused, and I felt my face flush.

Lloyd glanced over at me, blinking. "...Yeah, like that," he nodded. I almost smacked him.

Looking away, I rolled my eyes. "He's got a crush on her, stupid."

"Seriously?" he raised his eyebrows, and then looked over his shoulder at the half elf. "Whoa...I think you're right..."

"I'm always right, Lloyd," I confirmed.

"So you've got a crush on Zelos, then?" Lloyd asked suddenly, a slow grin coming on to his face.

"Shut up! It's not like that!" I snapped, embarrassed.

"What is it, then?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. After a pause, I sighed dramtically.

"Lloyd, it's something only teenage girls could understand..."

He looked confused at that, the teasing grin fading. "Uh...I don't get it, but okay."

I smiled, relieved that he wasn't pressing it. It wasn't that I had a crush on Zelos, it was just that he was incredibly hot...agh! It wasn't a crush! It was...hormones. Dammit.

"P-Presea? You're...you're r-really, um...I really...!" Behind me, Genis sputtered and gave up, unable to form a coherent statement.

No! I wasn't like that! I wasn't!

As I resisted the urge to bang my head hard against the wall, Raine stopped. Lloyd and I almost bumped into her. Genis accidentally bumped into Presea, and started stammering apologies and telling her she smelled nice.

"Professor? What is it?" Lloyd was the first to ask, his voice a low murmur.

"Look," she replied.

We peeked out of the corridor, and instantly saw what she was talking about. The passage we were currently in opened up to a balcony that overlooked the throne room. I was sure we'd passed by it before, but it was so high up that I hadn't noticed it. There was a set of large, important looking doors ahead. In front of the doors, a Papal knight was stationed.

I almost cringed at his thick, intimidating armor. Fighting the knights would be a lot different than fighting Desians, that was for sure. Okay...where were common weak points in medieval armor? Below the armpit, right beneath the chin...crud, I should have read more fantasy books before coming here. I doubted I'd be able to aim my sword with that much precision, to hit those points. Not that we'd be killing this guy, but the Papal knights were going to be a big issue later on...

"So what's our final plan?" I whispered.

Raine's eyes narrowed slightly. "If we can't lie our way through, just knock him out. No bloodshed, not even a scratch, understand?"

"I doubt we could scratch him with that armor," I muttered.

"Lie our way in?" Lloyd frowned thoughtfully. "Well...let's go give it a try."

She nodded, and we walked out into the open. The guard instantly spotted us, and I saw him grip his halberd a little tighter. Yup, we looked pretty damn suspicious. I still found it hard to believe everyone had been able to waltz around in the castle freely after getting through the doors in the game.

"You," the guard barked, wary. "Who gave you all permission to come here?"

We came to stand in front of him. I crossed my arms, moving to the very back of the group where I couldn't be shanked with his weapon. I really didn't want to become part of his Symphonia-kabob when he realized we had broken in.

"We brought the sacred wood, but were asked to aid with preparations for the prayers," Lloyd answered, shrugging.

"It was an order from the Pope," Raine added.

The knight relaxed slightly, but it was easy to tell from his stance that he was still a bit suspicious.

"The Pope? Just a moment. I'll ask," he said.

We tensed up as he turned around. Raine glanced over at Lloyd and nodded to him. Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"Sorry about this," he said quietly, rushing forward and delivering a swift blow to the back of the knight's neck.

Caught off guard, the knight stiffened and then crumpled. We rushed forward to catch him so it wouldn't make a loud noise; Presea did most of the work with her superstrength as we set him on the ground out of sight. Genis caught the halberd he dropped, leaning it up against the wall.

"Well, that worked out nicely..." I muttered under my breath as we situated ourselves. None of the guards in the room below had heard us.

Raine knocked lightly on the doors to the royal chambers, trying to be polite despite the fact that we had sort of just assaulted a knight. After giving the people inside sufficient warning, we let ourselves in.

Like the rest of the castle, the royal chambers were pretty amazing. A lavishly decorated bed sat in the back of the huge room, and a group of people were crowded in front of it. That group turned to look at us as the doors opened.

I spotted the Pope first-his hat kind of stuck out. There were a few pastors standing next to him. A beautiful woman with long, blonde hair was amongst the crowd, wearing a dress even more extravagant than the ones I'd seen on Zelos' floozies. Well, that must be Princess Hilda...

Oh, speaking of Zelos. He was looking at us with raised eyebrows. The King stood behind the Chosen-it was easy to tell it was him, because he didn't look so great. He looked like Pietro had looked when his sickness had started to eat away at him. I noticed that even though the King was standing, he was using one of the bedposts to balance himself.

"Who are you people? What is the meaning of this?!" The Pope snapped the second we walked in. Wow, he sure was a likeable person.

"It's you people," Zelos said, frowning slightly.

"Oh, uh, Zelos, right?" Lloyd blinked. "You're the one we met in-"

"Chosen, do you know them?" The Pope cut Lloyd off, staring over at Zelos. Hey! Nobody cuts Lloyd off like that!

"Well, I dunno if I'd say I know them. Just what are you people doing here?" Zelos asked, his blue eyes running over each of us. I couldn't meet his gaze-I was too fascinated with a string hanging from one of my gloves.

"We're here to help a friend-" Lloyd started, but I interrupted. Okay, nobody cuts Lloyd off like that except for me. Whatever.

"We've come here from Sylvarant," I said, taking a more direct approach. They wouldn't give a damn about 'our friend'; we had to get straight to the point. Thankfully, my voice didn't crack despite how intimidated I was by these nobles.

"Sylvarant?!" The Pope asked incredulously, his eyes instantly narrowing at us in hostility. Oh, dear...

"These are people from the declining world?!" The Princess gasped, almost dropping the small fan she carried.

"Princess, have no fear," Zelos quickly said, apparently trying to sound strong and heroic. I was kind of surprised to find that it was working-or maybe that was my teenage stupidity talking.

"For what purpose have you come here?" The Chosen asked, and I panicked inwardly as I realized he was looking at me. Why the hell had I spoken up?! I didn't want to do the explaining! I couldn't focus even when Zelos wasn't flirting!

"We've come to deliver a letter from Sheena of Mizuho to the King," Raine said, saving me. I wanted to hug her. "It should explain everything."

"Sheena?" Zelos asked, looking surprised. "What's your relationship with Sheena?"

The King, meanwhile, had visibly stiffened. He cleared his throat, stepping forward with an effort. The Pope turned, looking alarmed, though I knew his concern was just an act.

"Your Majesty-" He started, but the King only shook his head, looking at Raine.

"Give me the letter," he said in a quiet voice.

The Professor nodded, pulling the envelope out of one pocket before walking up and handing it to him. The King stared at it for a few moments, before turning it over and opening it. He looked up at us after taking a glance at the paper inside.

"People of Sylvarant, wait in the other room for a while," he said. The Pope frowned, and then turned to one of the men standing next to him.

"Pastor, show them to the Crimson Chamber."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

With that, we were led out of the royal chambers and through a set of confusing hallways. Nobles glanced at us as we walked by, some of them looking confused and others disdainful. After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at another set of doors.

"In here," the pastor said, nodding. "Please wait here and make yourselves comfortable."

We walked in, the doors closed behind us, and the waiting began.

"Ugh...they're making us wait a long time," Lloyd mumbled, and I could tell he was about to complain of boredom. I rolled my eyes, partly because I was trying to stop myself from doing the same thing.

We'd been in here for two hours. Or maybe it had been one hour-I couldn't be sure, it wasn't like I had a watch. I just knew that it felt really, really, really long.

After the pastor had dumped us here, we'd basically just arranged ourselves in random spots around the room and tried to be patient. The Crimson Chamber lived up to its rather uncreative name-everything in here was a deep shade of red. It was pretty, but also sort of unnerving. I couldn't stop thinking about how they wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up bloodstains.

Dear God, this was a guest room, not some freakish execution chamber. I needed to stop letting my mind wander.

Raine was sitting in one of the chairs, looking like she was deep in thought. Colette stood in the corner, being soulless, while Presea stood by an unlit fireplace, looking about as responsive as Colette. Genis once again attempted conversation and was crushed as before. Lloyd was sitting on the very big and comfortable bed, while I was lying on it, staring up at the crimson canopy hanging over it. I had my hands behind my head, and I was trying to relax.

"They may be preparing to kill us," the Professor finally said, looking up. "To them, Colette is an obstacle."

"Dammit..." Lloyd frowned. "Are we gonna have to fight our way out of here?"

"As if we could," I spoke up. "There's one exit out of this room, and those soldiers are heavily armored. It's such a closed in space; if we fight back, we'll probably lose anyway."

"But we've got Exspheres," Lloyd said.

"That Zelos guy probably knows it, too," I pointed out. "We noticed his, so I bet he saw ours. They'll be prepared."

"That guy?" Genis rolled his eyes. "He's so full of himself, I doubt he knows a thing about us."

"Don't be so sure about that," I warned quietly. The one thing I remembered most about Zelos was that he was shockingly perceptive and easy to underestimate.

"Either way, we have to be prepared for the worst," Raine said, looking grim.

"But if that happens, what about Presea?" Genis asked suddenly.

"We'll have to find some way to let her escape," Lloyd said, shrugging.

Seriously? Genis hadn't even known Presea for that long. Wasn't he worried about, y'know, Colette? The actual target here? Jeez...

"Hey..." Lloyd said quietly. "If we can't get them to help us, what'll we do about Colette?"

"We could try finding Sheena," I said. Not that we'd get the chance; if Zelos didn't bail us out of this, we'd probably get killed or thrown in jail anyway.

"She said her people live in hiding," the Professor remarked. "I don't know if finding her would be such an easy feat."

Lloyd stared at his lap, brooding. "Colette..."

"They're gonna help us, Lloyd," I said, sighing heavily.

"What? How do you know?" He asked, looking over at me.

"I don't," I said, closing my eyes. "But if you don't stop worrying about it, you're gonna drive yourself crazy. Relax, and we'll take this one thing at a time."

Wow, like I was one to talk. I worried myself into a frenzy every five seconds. Not to mention, I was kind of nervous right now too.

"Yeah...I guess you're right," he finally relented.

"I'm always right," I repeated, and we all fell silent.

I shifted a little on the bed, enjoying the feel of the soft silks beneath me. In different circumstances, I probably would've taken a nice nap here. Lying here like this was nice, though; I didn't have to look at everyone's strained and worried faces. Or the eerily blank faces of a certain few other people.

A slight frown tugged at my lips as I thought of Presea. Really...I couldn't imagine myself becoming like her. But it was entirely possible, wasn't it? If Cruxis actually got ahold of me, and they took off the Key Crest Lloyd gave to me...man. It was still a scary thought.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" Genis asked, and I knew he was addressing me. I opened my eyes, glancing over to see him standing very close to his pink haired crush.

"How can you flirt with Presea at a time like this?" I asked back in a mumble, only to see his mouth fall open and his face go even redder than before.

He glanced over at Presea, as if she'd show some sort of reaction to that statement, and then looked back at me.

"I-I'm not-! I mean, um, I..." He sputtered, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Cue collective sigh from Raine and Lloyd. I felt a little bad, but I knew I'd probably be getting it later when Zelos showed up again.

Oh, speak of the devil. The doors were opening, and a certain redheaded Chosen was stepping inside. He was followed by the Pope and the Pope's hat. I entertained a brief thought that the hat might be a mind control device created by Yggdrasill, but soon filed it away with all of my other insane ideas.

And behind the Pope came a bunch of Papal knights. Yay!

Everyone tensed up at the sight of said knights, and we exchanged alarmed glances. I made myself get off the bed, since it really wasn't time for a nap.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, travelers from Sylvarant," the Pope said, reaching up to stroke his mustache.

Wait, what? Okay, that guy was officially weird. And that stupid hat was distracting me again.

"So you read the letter," Lloyd spoke up.

Zelos stepped forward, his arms crossed. "You want to use Tethe'allan technology to save the Chosen from your side, right?"

"Colette has lost her soul. She'll lose her life as a human if she stays this way," Lloyd replied, glancing over to her.

The Pope's eyes narrowed. "But as long as the Chosen lives, our world teeters on the brink of destruction. You expect us to lend you, our enemies, our aid?"

The knights started to approach us, and Lloyd stepped forward.

"Wait! We don't have to be enemies! Please, listen to what we-"

"I don't want to hear it!" The Pope snapped. Such a nice guy. "Get them!"

I let out what sounded like a half groan, drawing out my sword as a couple of big burly dudes approached where Lloyd and I were standing. Goddammit, why did everything have to be needlessly difficult?

Just as we were about to raise our weapons to defend ourselves, there was a clashing sound as two of the knights were knocked backwards into the wall. We all froze and looked over to Colette, who was standing in a battle stance, her chakrams out. Holy crap, had she done that? Well, I guess it wasn't too surprising after she threw Zelos halfway across the freaking square outside the castle, but still.

"Damn! They can't even scratch her!" The Pope growled.

That guy was the head of the Church? Wasn't he supposed to, y'know, teach compassion? Love thy neighbor? Oh, but meeting nice people who were willing to help would make everything too easy.

"I told you," Zelos said to the Pope. "They have Exspheres-of course they're powerful."

Genis looked over at me, and I gave him an 'I told you so' look. Ha-ha! Brittany: one, Genis: zero! Future knowledge rocked sometimes.

"What would you say to making a deal?" Raine asked, looking calm and collected. She was the only one who hadn't drawn her weapon, though I doubted her staff would have done much to fight off armored knights anyway.

"A deal?" The Pope asked, frowning.

The Professor nodded. "Colette lost her soul because she was being reborn as an angel in order to save Sylvarant. But as long as she does not become an angel, Sylvarant will not be saved."

"So if we save your Chosen, Tethe'alla will be saved as well," Zelos concluded, looking thoughtful.

"That means you'll be abandoning Sylvarant," the Pope pointed out.

Raine closed her eyes. "I don't care."

"Professor! What are you saying?!" Lloyd demanded, shocked.

"Our priority right now is to save Colette, is it not?" The Professor asked, sounding infuriatingly calm.

"But...abandoning Sylvarant..." Genis stared at his feet, and Lloyd looked torn.

"One thing at a time, guys," I finally spoke up. "We came here to save Colette, remember? We can focus on the rest later."

"But if Sylvarant's destroyed because of us-" Genis started, but I shook my head.

"I don't want anything to happen to Sylvarant either, but there's no point in having second thoughts now. We all realized that we couldn't just let Colette die when we were at the Tower of Salvation, didn't we?"

Ugh, it was frustrating. I could say this stuff so easily because I knew there were other ways to save Sylvarant, but still. Why were they faltering now, of all times? They hadn't seemed to mind dooming Sylvarant when we were back at the Tower. And besides, Remiel had demonstrated pretty plainly for us why we couldn't just fork Colette over. Cruxis couldn't be trusted.

"Brittany's right," Lloyd said, looking weary all of a sudden. "We came all this way to save Colette, and that's what we'll do."

"Lloyd, is it really okay to decide something like that so easily?" Genis asked, looking uncertain.

"Man, you guys are indecisive," Zelos remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Ah, well, your decision could destroy your world. I suppose it's only natural to hesitate."

Genis turned to glare at the redheaded Chosen, probably angered how lightly he spoke of our ordeal. It kind of bugged me too, but hey, soon Zelos would be stuck with us too. Oh, he was gonna have so much fun dealing with all of our angst and bullshit. He had no idea what he was about to get himself into.

"Is there internal discord?" The Pope asked.

"No...we'll do as the Professor suggested and make a deal," Lloyd said.

"Say, Pope," Zelos started, getting the Pope's attention. It seemed like just addressing him as 'Pope' was kinda disrespectful, so I found my irritation at Zelos quickly vanishing.

"If these guys don't go back to Sylvarant, then it doesn't matter if they're alive or dead," Zelos continued. Gee, thanks. "They can't complete the regeneration ritual. So I'll go along and keep tabs on them. That should be fine."

"...If you insist, Chosen One," the Pope said, nodding.

"Then, you'll save Colette, right?" Genis asked.

"Well, we'll do what we can, anyway. I swear on my name as Zelos, the Chosen."

"I'll give you permission to travel Tethe'alla, but only under the Chosen's observation," the Pope said.

"...I guess we don't have much of a choice. Okay, that's fine," Lloyd shrugged.

"Then it's settled!" Zelos said, grinning easily. "I'm going to go get ready. You guys can wait for me at my place, mmkay?"

"Where's that?" Lloyd asked.

"Ah, the biggest building in the upper class area," the redhead replied. "Can't miss it!"

"All right," Lloyd said, frowning slightly.

"Then, Chosen One, please report this to His Majesty."

"Got it," Zelos replied, nodding. He then turned to look at the rest of us-oh God, I knew that look. He was back in flirt-mode.

"See you later, my gorgeous lady, cute Chosen, lovely spitfire, and tiny rosebud." He gave us a wink, and I felt my cheeks turning pink for the fiftieth time today. Then Zelos gave Lloyd and Genis an offhand, disinterested glance.

"Oh, and you servant boys, too," he said, and then turned to leave.

The Pope had a couple of guards escort us out of the castle, since we weren't exactly welcome to roam after we had infiltrated the place. After a few minutes of walking, we were all situated in the square where we'd first met Zelos.

"All right, so we need to find Zelos' house," Lloyd mumbled. "The biggest place in the upper class area? Everything's big here!"

"I'm sure it won't be too difficult to find," Raine said. "He would have given a more detailed explanation if he thought we'd get lost."

"Yeah, I guess that's true-Brittany, what are you doing?"

I froze, looking over my shoulder; I'd been gradually inching away from the group. "...There's a fish statue over there," I said feebly, pointing to it. "I have to get a closer look."

"We don't have time for that," Raine said, looking slightly exasperated. "You can see it just fine from here."

Dammit Raine! I wanted to see the Wonder Chef! He was right there, I was sure of it!

"Don't you find it weird that they have this random statue of a fish?" I asked.

"Why are you so worried about it?" Genis countered. "We've got more important things to do. I can't believe that idiot's gonna travel with us..."

"Hey, he did kind of save our asses earlier. They might not have let us go if Zelos hadn't offered to keep tabs on us," I remarked.

Genis rolled his eyes. "You're only defending him 'cause you've got a thing for him."

"Am not!" I argued, sticking my tongue out.

"Guys, let's just look for his place," Lloyd said, sighing.

"Yes, we should get moving," Raine said, walking ahead. "It looks like the residences are this way. Let's go."

Since I wasn't really in the mood to argue with a twelve-year-old, I shrugged and followed her. We headed for the large houses of the upper class area, ready to begin our search.

"I feel like all we've done today is wait for people," Lloyd remarked, frowning.

"Probably because that is all we've done today," I said.

Thankfully, we'd been able to find Zelos' mansion pretty easily. I had been keeping an eye out for the familiar shape and structure of the building, but I hadn't even needed to do that-this place was so freaking huge that it stuck out like a sore thumb. Zelos was like, in a class higher than the upper class. That's how big this place was.

Sebastian the Awesome Butler had opened the door as we walked up to it; apparently Zelos had told him about us, and he'd been expecting us. We had been welcomed inside, situated in the large living room. As we sat here waiting, Sebastian continually offered us refreshments. The butler had also made it clear that we were free to roam the house while we waited, and I was considering doing that right about now.

I heard Genis sitting on the stairs with Presea, telling her that she was p-p-pretty. I rolled my eyes, getting sick of listening to it. Dignity, Genis! Try not to lose all of it! Not that I was one to talk...

"What is he even doing?" Lloyd suddenly asked, staring at the pile of unopened presents sitting on the coffee table. "You'd think he'd be here, getting his stuff together."

"He's probably out saying goodbye to his floozies," I replied, and Raine sighed.

"Anyway," I said, standing up and stretching. "I'm gonna go explore. Have fun sitting here and such."

"Try not to get lost," Raine said.

I nodded. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, then I've found the way to Narnia."

"...What?" Lloyd gave me a weird look.

"Never mind," I sighed, suppressing a grin, and trudged up the stairs.

When I reached the second floor, I paused and looked both ways. The hallway seemed to extend to infinity and beyond, so I just picked a random direction and started walking. We'd be staying the night here at some point, wouldn't we? Couldn't hurt to check the place out ahead of time, so I could claim the best bedroom.

I paused in front of one room, and saw that it was a bathroom. Peeking inside, I couldn't stop myself from grinning happily. This one was even better than the inn's bathroom! Not only was it bigger, the bathtub had a shower nozzle! Man, Tethe'alla was awesome.

After a quick glance around the bathroom, I ducked out and wandered around to look in some of the other rooms. There were a lot of bedrooms, some sitting rooms, and I even found a game room with a pool table. Christ, Zelos was filthy rich. At least we wouldn't have to worry about money problems anymore.

Reaching the end of the hallway, I stopped at the final door, which was cracked open. When I pushed open the door, I noticed with a gape that this room was even more lavishly decorated than the rest. And it smelled like cologne...like a certain womanizing Chosen.

This was Zelos' room? Even though I knew better, I couldn't stop myself from being nosy and taking a peek inside. I was drawn more to the cologne than anything else. It just smelled so good...

There was a vanity with a large mirror against one wall. I cautiously walked up to it, staring at all of the hair supplies there with raised eyebrows. Wow, he really took care of himself. No wonder his hair was so pretty...I had curly hair like him, but it was nowhere near as perfect as his. Mine was always awesome when wet, but frizzy as hell when dry. It was only manageable when it was really short like this; if it were long, I'd probably need a straightener or a hair tie.

Hm, maybe I'd ask him his secret once I got over my...uh...hormonal issues. Yeah, that would be good.

Taking one last look around the room, wishing I could explore more, I reluctantly backed out. The last thing I wanted was to be caught snooping around his room. That'd be embarrassing as hell, even though his floozies probably did it on a regular basis.

Well, that killed some time...I sighed, walking back down the hallway and starting down the stairs. It looked like Genis and Presea had gotten up to join the others in the living room. What had everyone been doing in the ten mintues I'd been gone? Staring at each other? Probably.

"Yo, Lloyd! Good to see you found your way here all right."

Oh. Crud, I hadn't heard him come in. I subconsciously slowed in my descent of the stairs, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

Lloyd stood up. "Uh, yeah. Zelos, right?"

The Chosen grinned. "Yep, yep. I am the great Zelos Wilder. But you can just call me Zelos."

Why did he have to be so goddamn hot. Whyyyy.

The others just gave him a deadpan stare. He continued, unfazed.

"We're going to be traveling together for a while, so, um...let's be friends, mmkay?"

"He sounds like he doesn't take anything seriously..." Genis grumbled to himself.

"Let's see, putting aside the two guys...this gorgeous beauty is Raine, right? And then this cool cutie here would be Colette. And-whoa, whoa. Wasn't there one more of you?" Zelos frowned slightly.

Lloyd shrugged casually. "Oh, Brittany? She's right there on the stairs."

Aaand everyone turned to look at me, as I shot Lloyd a death glare. So much for not drawing attention to myself.

"Uh...hey," I said feebly, waving, and descended the stairs the rest of the way. Yeah, I totally wasn't just snooping through your room or anything, Zelos. Nope, no sir.

Said Chosen gave me a flirtatious grin, walking over. Okay, there went all coherent thought...

"Ah, I knew it," he said happily, leaning over slightly to see me eye-to-eye. "I could never forget such a pretty face! So this firey babe is Brittany."

Was he always going to think of me as the girl with the temper? Well, it was better than demonic banshee... Oh, God. He was kind of accurate, because my cheeks felt like they were about to catch on fire.

"All right, and then who's this little one?" Zelos asked, turning around so he could look over at Presea.

"Presea," Genis replied, pausing to give me a look. "She helped us sneak into the castle."

"The little one isn't from Sylvarant?"

"...Ozette," Presea said. It was the first word I'd heard her say in hours.

Zelos gaped. "Ozette! That village out in the boondoc-I mean, out in the forest?! Oh, that's so sad. You're being used by these uncivilized barbarians."

I cleared my throat loudly, resisting the urge to punch Zelos in the arm. Okay, so everyone here thought I was from Sylvarant, but still! I was civilized, dammit!

"Who are you calling uncivilized barbarians?!" Lloyd growled, stepping forward. Raine and Genis glared as well.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get mad," Zelos said, holding up his hands defensively. "Especially after all the trouble I went through to contact the Imperial Research Academy for you."

Lloyd raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Not bad, Zelos."

"I know. Using the Research Academy requires permission from the King, but when the great Zelos speaks, His Majesty listens."

Genis rolled his eyes. "Since you're keeping tabs on us, I'd certainly expect that much."

"You're an obnoxious brat, you know that?" Zelos remarked, shooting Genis a glare.

Okay, Brittany, speak. Seriously. I couldn't just be mute whenever Zelos was around-he was gonna be traveling with us from now on. Speak!

"So, um, just where is this Research Academy?" I asked, walking up and joining the group. Yes, my voice didn't crack! Take that, Genis! I wasn't as awkward as him!

Zelos' carefree grin came back, since now a girl was talking to him again. "It's in Sybak, on the continent across the sea. All we've gotta do is cross the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, and we'll be there."

"Going to the Imperial Research Academy is fine, but can we have you free Presea? Surely you don't need to keep tabs on her as well," Raine spoke up.

"No. The Imperial Research Academy and Ozette are on the same continent, so we can just drop her off when we go," Zelos replied.

"I...I agree! That's a great idea!" Genis said eagerly. You'd think he'd want to keep Presea in the group if he had such a massive crush on her, but whatever.

"Is that all right with you, Presea?"

She stared straight ahead. "...Yes."

"Okay! So that's settled, then," Zelos said, clapping his hands together. "We can leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Lloyd looked confused. "But it's still midday, isn't it?"

Zelos raised his eyebrows. "Man, you guys have been inside too long. Look outside, the sun's setting."

"Hm...we have been doing a lot of waiting around today," Raine sighed. "That's probably why we lost track of time."

"Well, in any case, I've got more than enough room here." Zelos said, shrugging.

"We're staying here for the night?" I blinked as it finally registered in my head.

"That's right, hunny," my answer came, and Zelos was giving me that brain-melting smile. I grew frustrated and finally decided to ignore my red cheeks, abruptly grinning.

"Well!" I said, inching towards the stairs. "I'm gonna go stake my claim, then."

I saw Lloyd's eyes widen suddenly as he remembered just how awesome Tethe'allan technology was, and fought my own laughter. I turned, bounding halfway up the stairs and grinning at him over the railing.

"Oi, Lloyd! You can have the closet!" I called.

That got him moving. He bolted to the stairs, stepping up them two at a time. He grabbed the back of my coat, pulling me down a few steps, only to have me grab his ribbons and yank him back as well. We tripped up the stairs, shoving past each other into the hallway with all the rooms, as the others watched the spectacle with bemusement.

We stopped our childish fighting after a minute, eventually wandering the hall that I had explored earlier. Lloyd gave me a look.

"You made it sound like there was one good room and the rest were crap," he grumbled.

I laughed. "Yeah, that was me being a pain in the ass. Aren't you used to it by now?"

"Dork," he replied simply. That was his comeback to everything. He paused after a minute, looking into one of the rooms. "Huh? What's this?"

Oh, he had spotted the game room I'd run into earlier. I poked my head inside as well, taking a closer look. There was a pool table, a dartboard, a minibar, a few sofas with a chessboard between them...all it was missing was an air hockey table. Bummer.

"I saw this place earlier," I said as we walked inside. "It's some sort of game room, I guess."

"I've never seen half this stuff before," Lloyd murmured, plopping down on one of the couches.

"You could probably say that about most of Tethe'alla," I replied, sitting on the couch opposite him.

Spotting a deck of cards on the table, I grinned and picked them up. "How about some poker?"

He gave me a look. "You remember what happened last time, right?"

"Okay, okay. We can play something else," I said, shrugging. "Ever played cribbage?"

"What's that?" He asked, brow furrowing.

I thought for a moment, and then sighed, dropping the cards back on the table. "Damn. I forgot how to play."

"Why'd you bring it up, then?" Lloyd asked, laughing.

"I don't know!" I whined for a moment, but then paused to stare at him. "Hey, did you just laugh? You really are in better spirits."

He looked surprised for a moment, and smiled. "I guess so. I think it's cause we're going to that research place. It sounds like they're really smart, you know? If anyone can help Colette, I bet it's them."

"Told you it'd all work out," I remarked happily.

Lloyd leaned forward a bit, watching me. "So, I'm feeling better. What about you?"

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows. Was I feeling better? Well...as long as I was in Meltokio, yeah. "I'm fine."

He looked over his shoulder at the door, which was firmly closed, and then back at me. "Look, everyone's downstairs and out of hearing range. It's okay to talk."

"Um...okay?" I said, confused. What did he want me to say?

"Your promise, weirdo." He said, rolling his eyes. "Remember your promise?"

"My pro-" I froze, eyes wide. "...Oh."

"Don't tell me you forgot."

"No, I remember now..." I said quietly.

Oh shit. I hadn't even thought of it since before the Tower! I had never even planned on telling Lloyd, I had thought I was going to die! Why the hell had I made that stupid promise, anyway?!

"Uh..." I struggled for the right words. "Can...can we wait till Syba-"

The look Lloyd was giving me now caused the question to die in my throat. Oh...oh man, I was so screwed here.

"You asked me to wait through the entire regeneration journey, and now you're asking me again?!" He glared. "No. You promised, Brittany."

"B-But I-" I bit my lip, staring into my lap. "I'm...not feeling well?"

"I'm not leaving this room until you tell me everything," Lloyd said firmly. "So cut it out."

"All right, all right!" I said, sighing. "Just...give me a second to think.

The brunette just waited, so I fidgeted for a moment as I tried to gather my thoughts. What could I tell him? It'd be a pretty low thing to do if I just fed him a lie...and he knew me so well by now, he'd probably be able to tell if I was lying. Damn...he was just going to think I was crazy.

He was waiting for me. Unless I wanted to lose his trust forever, I had to do this.

I took a deep breath. "I'm from...I'm from a place called Earth."

Chapter Text

His brow furrowed with confusion, as I'd expected it to. "The ground?"

Despite my current predicament, I had to snort at that. "No, stupid. Earth, with a capital 'E'. It's a world, just like Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

Lloyd grew still at my words, his eyes wide. "Another world...Another world created by Yggdrasill?" He paused at that, staring at me. "Did you join us for the same reasons as Sheena?"

I shook my head. "No, you've got it all wrong. My world's not even related to Sylvarant or Tethe'alla in any way. It doesn't vie for the mana supply or go through the regeneration ritual."

Since Lloyd continued to stare at me in silence, I hesitantly continued.

"My world's a lot different. We're even more technologically advanced than Tethe'alla, and Earth's full of densely populated cities, even larger than Meltokio. Not only that, we don't rely on mana to survive. Mana doesn't exist on Earth."

"But how is that possible?" he asked. "Sylvarant's dying because there's no mana!"

"I don't know. There's some difference that lets Earth survive without it," I said, shrugging halfheartedly. I was waiting for a real reaction from him. He kept giving me that silent, wide eyed look, taking in my wild claims.

After a moment, he just shook his head, frowning warily at me. He looked like he was waiting for me to cackle evilly and reveal that I was working for Cruxis, too.

"Why'd you come here, then? If you weren't after Colette...are you working for Yuan or something?"

I balked, insulted. "Why would I be working for that dick? Lloyd, what are you saying?! I didn't choose to come here, you know! For the past few months I've been stuck in this weird place, away from my family, and I had no idea what the hell was going on! I joined you guys because I would've gone crazy if I-"

I cut off my own statement when I saw the look on Lloyd's face, how he was rising from his chair with clenched fists.

"What's your problem?" he growled. "Do you have any idea how much I worried about you?! You had nothing to hide! Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

"What?" I said in a small voice, shocked. This wasn't what I had expected. Lloyd was supposed to give me an incredulous look, wait patiently for me to finish my delusional story, and then tell the Professor that maybe it would be better for my mental health if I stayed in a padded room or something.

I didn't know how to react to his anger. "Lloyd, wh-what are you..."

"You miss your family, don't you?" He asked, his voice shaking with frustration. "I've only been in Tethe'alla for a few days, and I'm homesick already. Why didn't you say anything? Do you even trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, you...!" I trailed off, rising from my seat as well. I felt my hands trembling; in the face of his anger, all of the excuses I'd had seemed stupid.

"I just..." I looked down. "I was scared you wouldn't believe me." There. I had said it.

He relaxed slightly, but I still felt his eyes on me. "Even after all this time, you..." I heard him heave a sigh. "Didn't I tell you? I would never think you were crazy. Never."

"You...you really believe me?" I asked quietly, afraid to look up and meet his gaze.

"Yes, stupid!" he said immediately.

It had been so long since I'd felt this kind of relief. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, folding my arms and hugging myself lightly. He really, honestly believed me. I felt like such an idiot; this was Lloyd. Of course he'd believe me. Of course he'd react this way.

I felt my eyes brimming with tears, but forced them back with a gulp. I really was stupid...so unbelievably stupid.

"I'm sorry," I finally said, looking up at him.

"Why wouldn't I believe you?" he asked, his gaze softening. "You've been with us through almost everything. You wouldn't lie about something like this. I know you better than that."

"I...yeah," I murmured, suddenly feeling immensely grateful to have Lloyd as a friend. What would I have done without him?

He sighed, sitting back down. "So I believe you. Tell me the rest."

I sat down as well, faltering. "W-Well..."

"Do you remember how you got here?" Lloyd asked, leaning forward. "And what about the Desians coming after you?"

"One thing at a time," I said slowly, thinking my answers through. How was I going to explain this?

After a moment, I met his gaze. "I...I remembered how I arrived here when we were back at the Renegade base."

"And?"

"That day, I was just heading to the store to pick a few things up," I said vaguely. "I...ugh, how do I say this...I was using this vehicle called a car. It's a machine that takes us from place to place, instead of using a wagon or that sort of thing."

He nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but then shutting it again. I could tell the thought of cars excited him, but he realized that the actual story was more important. Typical Lloyd.

"Anyway, cars move pretty fast. I was driving at about the speed our Rheairds move," I explained with a shrug. "And then suddenly Yggdrasill appeared on the road."

Lloyd's eyes widened with shock. "Yggdrasill?!"

"I thought it was just some person," I said. "I swerved out of the way and hit the brakes really hard. The car stopped so suddenly that my head was slammed against the steering wheel. That's what gave me the concussion. And just before I lost consciousness, I saw Yggdrasill standing over me. That's all I can remember, besides waking up in that forest."

He stared at me, the gears obviously turning in his head as the pieces fell together. "So Yggdrasill brought you here, and then sent the Desians after you," he murmured. "But why?"

"When we were at the Renegade base, Yuan took me aside and told me all about it," I replied quietly.

There was that flash of anger again, frustration that I'd kept the entire thing from him. Then he seemed to fight it, calming himself down.

"Well?" He asked expectantly.

I found myself hesitating again. I had to explain this part to him, too...the details I'd been trying not to think about. The horrible truth about the whole ordeal. My body threatened to start shaking again, and I had to take a deep breath to soothe myself.

"The Angelus Project," I replied weakly. "It's a project designed to make Exspheres evolve into Cruxis Crystals through the use of a special Key Crest. Exspheres feed on the body's mana, and..."

"Exspheres, into-?" Lloyd paused, staring at his own Exsphere, his mother's memento. His hand closed into a fist, and then he looked up at me. "But does your body even have mana in it?"

"That's the point," I said. "Apparently my body adapts to this world, taking in mana and using it just like you guys. But the whole difference is, I don't need it to survive. In theory, I could nourish the Exsphere for way longer than any human from Sylvarant or Tethe'alla, and make a very powerful Cruxis Crystal."

"And so Yggdrasill's motive is revealed," I said bitterly, and couldn't stop myself from shaking anymore.

"That stuff he said to Kratos about you at the Tower..." Lloyd's eyes narrowed. "But why isn't Yuan after you, too, then?"

"That's the kicker," I said, laughing bitterly. "All the stuff that makes me great Crystal food? It's passed on through genetics. I'm disposable, Lloyd, get it?"

"...Disposable?" he asked, giving me a blank stare.

I stood up abruptly, fists clenched. "If I die-" I abruptly choked up, placing my hands to my head in despair. Lloyd stood, approaching me with alarm.

"Brittany, you're not going to-!" He hissed to me, but I just shook my head.

"My sister, Lloyd! If I die, he's gonna take my sister!"

"What?" His eyes were wide.

"My whole family," I murmured helplessly, fighting tears. I'd been avoiding these thoughts ever since they first entered my head. But the anguish, the horror of it all came back in full force now.

"He knows who my family is. If something happened to me, he could snatch my sister away and make her suffer through all of this, too," I said, looking up at him. "I'm so scared, Lloyd. I'm scared that when I finally go home, they'll all be dead."

"Shut up," he said quickly, shaking his head. "Don't say stuff like that! We'll take the Rheairds, we'll make sure they're all right-"

"No, not to Earth," I cut him off. "I told you. Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are connected by mana links as they vie for the remaining supply. Earth's not connected at all. We can't take the Rheairds there."

"But then how would Yggdrasill get there?" Lloyd asked.