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Lloyd took a deep breath in, shifting his feet. His grip on his swords shifted slightly as he got into the right position. Once he was satisfied, he began his drills.
Every morning of every day for years now, this had been his schedule. Wake up, get dressed, start practising. Mostly, it was just running through drills, familiar enough to come without thinking. But sometimes, and this is when it got good, his father would be there. He was the best at teaching, even if he was a bit strict with it all. Lloyd accepted that, though - after all, he had to become strong to help his friends!
At least, that was meant to be the case. It was just Lloyd’s luck that on the very day he had been promised a visit to Iselia, his father ran off. And just like usual, Yuan was telling him nothing. Lloyd gritted his teeth, putting a little too much power into a strike that sent him off balance. Stumbling, he paused to catch his breath. He was thankful for everything, he really was, but would it kill the man to keep Lloyd in the loop? Oh, and his dad was the worst. It was literally impossible to get an answer out of the man on a good day, and the past year it had been even worse. Something was very clearly up, and Lloyd wanted to help, but they kept going quiet whenever he entered the same room as them. Ah, well. Lloyd would just have to prove himself, that’s all. Then they’d have to accept that he could be trusted.
“Um, Mr Lloyd?”
A helmeted woman poked her head through the door, knocking slightly. Lloyd turned his head to look at her, waving. He recognised her voice, at least - one of the junior members who was often running around on errands. Just like him.
“Hey! What’s up?”
“The boss asked for you.”
“Oh, really? I’m on my way!”
He perked up, quickly sheathing his swords and running a hand through his hair. See? His hard work would totally pay off! Although… Yuan almost never asked for him. He couldn’t shake the nagging worry that something had happened to his dad.
The base Lloyd called home was a rabbit warren of rooms and passages. None of the passages led to where you would think they would, and the halls were patrolled by buzzing drones. That wasn’t even mentioning the fact there were puzzles! Seriously. Whoever designed this place was insane. It was supposedly to guard from attacks, but really. Lloyd had not seen a single attack, but he had seen plenty of dead ends after being lost, a fact that seemed to amuse his father to no end. Stupid Renegades and their stupid paranoia - nobody would dare attack a base meant to look like a Desian’s.
As Lloyd got nearer to Yuan’s room, he started to feel a little nervous. People were running around with weapons drawn, and it all felt hectic. He had seen drills, sure, but nothing like this. Whatever it was, it would be fine - he knew everyone would have it under control, and he could just help as needed!
He knocked loudly on the door. There wasn’t much of a response, but - was that yelling? He couldn’t make out anything, but there was definitely a raised voice. He didn’t think it was Yuan. Though to be fair, he had never heard Yuan raise his voice before. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he opened up the door and took a step in.
“Hey, Yuan? You wanted to see me?”
Yuan turned to look at Lloyd, then nodded once. Sitting on a chair with their back to Lloyd was a small figure with silverish hair, but he couldn’t make out much more. Whoever they were, they were flanked by two guards.
“Yes, there’s an issue I believe you can help with. We caught this… boy… wandering around, asking about Kratos and The Chosen.”
Yuan explained, sounding awfully tired. Lloyd may not have always got on well with him, but he couldn’t help but feel bad. He genuinely didn’t think he’d ever seen Yuan take a break.
At the explanation, the figure in the chair snapped his head around to face Lloyd. Although he looked pretty messed up, there was no mistaking that face! Lloyd broke out into a grin, unable to help himself.
“Genis, buddy!”
“Lloyd?”
Genis stared back, eyes wide with confusion.
“What the hell are you doing in a Desian base?”
Ah. So that was the mix-up.
“I can explain! This isn’t a Desian base! We just.. Pretend to be them, I think? I don’t really get it.”
Lloyd attempted to explain, striding over and ruffling Genis’ hair. The two guards glanced at each other, then at Yuan, who seemed amused by the whole situation.
“So this is a friend, then?”
“Yeah! Yuan, this is Genis - he’s from Iselia, and he’s my best friend! Genis, this is Yuan, he’s like… apparently, he’s old friends with my dad.”
“So this is where you’ve been this whole time!”
Genis batted Lloyd’s hand away, glancing quickly at Yuan before turning his attention back to his friend.
“We’ve missed you, you know. You haven’t visited in months!”
“I know, I know.” Lloyd grumbled, shaking his head. “Believe me, I really wanted to. But dad’s been really busy with-” Lloyd paused, feeling Yuan’s sharp glare on him. “-something.”
Come on, it’s not like he even knew enough to give anything away! He couldn’t help but pout.
“Oh well. You visited me this time! Although… If you’re here, where’s Colette? And Raine?”
Genis’ expression darkened at that, and Lloyd saw him writhe in his seat, tensing as if to occupy less space. That wasn’t a promising sign.
“Genis-”
“You were searching for them, correct?”
Yuan interjected. Genis nodded, looking pointedly at the floor.
“Yeah. I can’t believe you didn’t know, Lloyd! Colette left for her journey of regeneration without us! To make it worse, she took my sister and your dad!”
“She did what?”
Lloyd felt his mouth hang open in shock. His dad was off running around the world with one of his best friends? Oh, Lloyd was going to kill him.
“...Yuan. Did you know?”
“Yes. He thought it would be more prudent to not get you involved. I warned him you would be upset, but you know how he is.”
Yuan sighed, resting his head in his hand and seemingly pausing to think.
“So, Genis, was it? You were following them?”
“Well, one, I wasn’t going to be left alone!” Genis huffed, crossing his arms. “And, two, uh. I may not be welcomed back in Iselia.”
“Huh? Why? That seems weird?”
“...The village was attacked. Desians. And it- it was all my- all my fault.”
Genis’ words were shaky, and it sounded like he was about to break into tears any second. Lloyd placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was very easy to forget just how young he really was.
“I see.” Yuan nodded, his face impossible to read. “That’s exactly why it’s imperative that we succeed in our mission. I really am sorry you went through all that.”
“You guys are stopping the Desians-?”
Genis spluttered out, rubbing his eyes. Lloyd met his gaze, and saw his friend’s eyes filled with a new determination.
“Ultimately, yes. Our goal is directly opposed to the Desians’.”
“Then I’ll help!”
“But-”
“C’mon, Yuan. He’s my best friend, you can trust him, promise! I want to go find Colette, find dad, and do what I can to help!”
Lloyd and Genis both turned their hopeful gazes to Yuan. When they were children, this trick worked remarkably well on Raine. Hopefully, the principles remained the same.
“This could work out.” Yuan nodded, talking more to himself than either of them. “You two will go join the Chosen’s journey, and make sure… Yes.”
Lloyd held his palm out to Genis, who responded with a high-five. Yuan seemed to immediately regret his decision.
“Lloyd, I want to speak to you, first. Alone. Please take this boy to Lloyd’s room.” Yuan gestured to the guards. Genis looked worriedly at Lloyd, who offered him a thumbs up. Whatever Yuan wanted, it was probably a lecture to prepare him for fighting in the real world.
-
The sun beat down on the boys, making the trek seem even harsher than it was. Lloyd trudged through the sand, his boots barely finding grip. Poor Genis had already slipped a few times, but would definitely deny it if anyone asked. They had been walking for a good few hours now, and had filled it with small talk catching each other up.
There was a soft, rhythmic thudding as Genis played with his kendama, keeping himself busy. Lloyd couldn’t help but notice that his friend had grown very strong! Lloyd was so proud to see Genis catching up to him. Oh, but he was still in first place, of course. He also couldn’t help but notice the gem embedded into his friend’s hand that definitely was not always there.
“Hey, Genis?”
“What’s up, Lloyd?” Genis asked, still focused on his tapping.
“Where did you get an exsphere?”
“Oh.” Genis fumbled, breaking the combo that had been going for a while. “Of course you would notice, Lloyd. It was… A friend of mine’s. She… Didn’t make it. Your dad - Dirk - he helped me with the Key Crest.”
Lloyd listened to Genis, furrowing his brow. What happened to everyone when he wasn’t there for them? He should have fought harder to go to Iselia.
“I get you. It’s like mom, then. Your friend would be happy to see you so strong now, I’m sure.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Lloyd. You always know what to say.”
Genis gave Lloyd a small smile, then the older boy ruffled his hair again.
“Hey! But you can stop doing that!”
“Gotta make up for all the missed opportunities!” Lloyd laughed, stepping far enough away to avoid Genis’ swatting.
“Hey, is that-”
Genis paused, pointing off in the distance. Lloyd looked over to where he was pointing, shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare. In the distance, crumbling stone rose up from the sand, providing a welcome relief.
“Triet ruins! Come on, we’ve gotta catch up!”
Lloyd’s pace quickened, and he heard Genis sigh behind him. It took Lloyd a solid minute of feeling daggers glared into the back of his head before he remembered to slow down. Normally, he was the one running to catch up. It was a fun change of pace. Literally.
The ruins were what remained of a town that would have once been beautiful, bustling full of life. Now, it was sand and crumbling stone. It didn’t serve to cheer Lloyd up, not with everything he had on his mind. Genis, on the other hand, seemed in his element.
“Okay, so, Raine… How would you think? C’mon Genis, if anyone knows what’s going on in her mind, it’s you!” Genis mumbled to himself, investigating an outcropping of stone that appeared to have weathered the ages. Lloyd was content to sit back and watch him work, having absolutely no clue what was going on himself.
“Any luck?” He called out, leaning against a particularly sturdy pillar.
“No- yes!”
Genis cheered, whooping and jumping up. Lloyd looked over, seeing Genis in front of a passage that led into the ground.
“This here is a passageway that can only be opened up by the Chosen. Meaning they should still be inside!”
“Woah, really? Nice work! Of course you know just what to look for.”
Lloyd wandered over, and the two boys stared into the passage. It was dark, and quiet, and rather foreboding. But Colette was up ahead! So nothing would stop Lloyd. He took the first step, then many more, heading into the core of the ruins. Genis took a deep breath, kendama still in hand, and followed behind.
It wasn’t hard to find what they were looking for. The trail of dead monsters was a pretty easy one to follow, even for Lloyd. Not to mention, the closer they got, the louder the sounds of commotion were. It sounded like pure chaos. Lloyd was jealous he was missing all the action.
“Colette, I still think you should be more careful.”
“What? No! I can’t let you do all the fighting on my behalf!”
“I think you should both be more careful. I can’t keep healing you forever.”
The sounds of battle had died down, and now all Lloyd could hear was an argument. Genis audibly sighed, rolling his eyes. Oh, how could they ever manage without the two of them?
“Colette!”
Lloyd called out, jogging forward. He saw a flash of blonde hair in the distance, and as he grew closer made out the other two as well.
“Raine! Dad!”
“Lloyd-”
Kratos started to say, but was cut off by Colette, who had a gleeful smile.
“Lloyd! Oh, I’ve missed you so much!”
“Hey!” Genis’ voice rang out, as he hurried to catch up. “I’m here too!”
“Genis? Hey!”
Lloyd glanced from Colette to Raine, who looked angry. Poor Genis. He glanced at his dad, for good measure. He also seemed quite angry. Uh-oh.
“I give you one instruction, to stay home, and you run across half the world, not to mention getting Lloyd involved,” Raine marched up to her brother, grabbing him by the ear, which was made a lot easier by its pointy nature.
“Lloyd.” His attention turned from the siblings to his father.
“Uh, hi, dad! Miss me?”
“I thought I told you this was dangerous. And to stay with Yuan.”
“Yuan said I could! I’m going to help Colette!”
“He..? Oh, I am going to kill him.” Kratos grimaced.
Standing off to the side, Colette began to laugh, drawing the attention of everyone else. Genis used the opportunity to sidestep away from his sister, tilting his head in confusion.
“Colette..?”
“Sorry, I just- I realised how much I missed everyone!” She smiled, and it was radiant enough to become a second sun. “Although, what are you two doing here?”
“Uh. Well.”
Lloyd paused to think, and Genis spoke to fill the space. He managed to give a relatively abridged version of events, with Lloyd adding just enough to be considered help.
“Oh…” Colette’s smile had become a frown as the two had spoken. “So you two don’t have anywhere else to go? You should come with us, then!”
“I don’t know…” Raine tapped her foot, the noise echoing in the chamber. “You two are just kids, after all.”
“Colette’s a kid too!” Genis huffed, glaring at Raine. “Just ‘cuz you’re worried, doesn’t mean you can kick us out!”
“I say you come with us.” Kratos finally spoke up.
Lloyd was shocked into speechlessness. His father was not one to agree to reckless decisions. As Lloyd turned to look at him, he saw that Kratos was staring right at him. Scary.
“Fine. We’ll take a break, then keep going.” Raine shook her head, then immediately started checking Genis over for injuries while Colette looked on, eyes sparkling. Some things never changed. Lloyd had almost forgotten how much he had missed those guys.
“Lloyd.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced to see Kratos standing there. Either Lloyd was very distracted, or he was very good at being quiet.
“Dad? What’s up?”
“I know Yuan wouldn’t have let you come along if he didn’t think you were up to it, but still. Promise me you’ll be careful, alright?”
“Of course.” Lloyd leaned in, giving Kratos an awkward half-hug. “I don’t plan on being hurt! You’ll be stuck with me for ages, yet.”
“Good.” Kratos returned the hug, his arm around Lloyd’s shoulder. They stood there for a moment. Lloyd had always wanted to travel with his father, and he promised Colette he’d always be by her side, too - so this was perfect.
“Right! Let’s go save our world, everyone!”