lobsterbox | time stop

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time stop

Mithos kept his eyes forward as the Rheaird sped over Gaoracchia Forest. He was situated behind Genis, who was piloting the single craft, and somewhere behind them...was Lloyd, who had trailed them on their entire trip to the Fooji Mountains. Naturally, Mithos had sensed him. He wasn't certain if Genis had figured it out, but he supposed it had worked out in a way—he hadn't needed to use any of his own powers to help them ascend the mountain, and so they had obtained the Fandalia flowers without arousing any suspicion.

And Genis had agreed to stand by him, anyway. It was only natural. Lloyd may have accepted him for now, but he was still only human. He was still different.

Well, once his Age of Lifeless Beings was realized, they would all be the same. But for now...Mithos was already the same as Genis, and half-elves could only exist amongst each other.

"There's the house," he piped up over Genis' shoulder, his gentle voice betraying none of his sinister thoughts. Sure enough, they were almost directly upon the rock face where Altessa lived, and Genis brought the Rheaird into a quick descent, so that they soon landed in front of the dwarf's home. Surprisingly, all but Lloyd's Rheaird were now there—meaning the others had returned earlier than he expected. Mithos' angelic senses easily picked up words from inside the house, but...they caused him to narrow his eyes.

"Lloyd was supposed to be-"

"I can't believe this..."

"What are we going to tell the kid?"

Mithos held tight to the flowers they had gathered as they hopped off of the craft, and he gave Genis an encouraging smile tinged with worry. "Let's hurry in. Even if they found a doctor, they should still be able to use these flowers..."

He said that, but he was beginning to suspect that the doctor plan hadn't worked out in the least. Most likely, any high-profile doctor that the group thought of wouldn't waste their time treating a half-elf.

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And Genis finally relaxed a little, returning the smile just barely. Yeah. All that mattered was Raine. That was what they were doing all this for. That was what he was abandoning Lloyd and Colette for. It was all for her. His hand tightened around Mithos's.

"Yeah. Thanks."

He was glad Mithos wasn't set on revenge, or this would be so much harder.

"Do you think I should call out to him?"

"Don't worry." Mithos held Genis' hand in a firm, close grip. They both knew what the most important things were, and they wouldn't let anything else distract them from their goals.

They would get their sisters back.

Nobody else deserved or needed their attention.

"I'll leave that up to you," he conceded, closing his eyes a moment before nodding to Genis. "He's not that far... He should be able to hear you from here."

And at the moment, Genis agreed. He had to. If he started doubting himself, he would b even more lost than he already was. Besides, Mithos was the only one he really felt close to anymore. Everyone else felt insignificant in comparison. And he felt like Mithos needed him, too. They needed each other. And he would stay beside him, always.

Genis took a step closer to his side as he looked around them, wondering if Lloyd was close enough to see, but there was nothing. Not a single hint of red between the trees.

...he wondered if he would even be able to get the Exsphere back without confronting Lloyd on why he needed it. What would he even say to him? He was still angry that Zelos had been betraying Lloyd this entire time, but he was doing the same thing now. And the two of them were always best friends. He was worse than Zelos.

His heart hurt thinking about it. Would Raine be proud of him for this? Betraying their friends so she could come back?

After a few moments of silence, Genis turned to Mithos again.

"Say...do you think maybe...Lloyd would help us if we asked him?"

So much had happened in a short period of time--Raine growing sick, finding the cure, but arriving after she'd already died... Mithos understood that Genis has a lot to process, so he felt he was sympathetic to his struggles. That was why they would just focus on Raine and Martel. Anything else could come in time.

Even so...a dark look crossed his face at Genis' question, and he very nearly gave a scathing reply. How Genis could still have hope for that failure, Mithos couldn't even fathom.

Instead of rebuking him, though, Mithos muttered, "If you really want to know, then ask him. See for yourself just how deep your so-called friendship runs with humans."

Genis blinked, eyes flickering away from Mithos for a moment. That really would be the test wouldn't it? When Mithos seemed so cynical, it was hard to believe that Lloyd would agree to help him - to give up on everything he had been working towards. Most likely, he wouldn't...

But if Lloyd said yes, if he agreed, then maybe that would show Mithos that humans weren't all bad and that Lloyd really did love Raine. A new determination came to him. Yes, asking was the best thing he could do. He had to know Lloyd's feelings, too.

Maybe he could keep both of his best friends, and they could all work together.

Genis nodded. "I will. Then we'll know."

He took a few steps back from Mithos to try to be at least a little mindful of his hearing before he called out.

"Lloyd! Lloyd, where are you?!"

He remained silent, leaving it up to Genis for now. It would be a tough lesson for him, Mithos thought, but better to learn it sooner rather than later. Better for the humans to stop poisoning his mind now so he could focus on what was truly important to him.

"Genis?!"

And there was Lloyd's voice almost immediately, loudly answering in worry. He wasn't that far--a couple minutes' walk at best.

But they knew Lloyd wouldn't just walk.

"I'm there! Just a sec!"

Mithos would just wait for the inevitable.

A few moments went by before they heard the sound of Lloyd crashing through the brush and a red blur exploded from some bushes nearby. "Genis!" Seeing that his friend was at least there, Lloyd stopped short. "I..." Sadness and guilt clouded his expression; he wasn't as ignorant of the situation as before. "About the professor... I'm sorry, Genis..."

Lloyd...

Genis looked up at him. When he was so quick to rush to his side, when he looked so hurt and guilty, he couldn't believe that Lloyd wasn't his best friend. Mithos was wrong about him. Lloyd was different. He'd always been different.

But mentioning Raine... He hung his head, gently shaking it. His hand never left Mithos's, though he wanted to reach out to Lloyd. Lloyd had been with him through everything, and he made a promise to be there for Lloyd, too. They would never need to say goodbye.

"It's okay, Lloyd," he started softly, fingers curling tightly around Mithos's hand. "I don't blame you for what happened." At least, not anymore. "She's your friend too, right?"

"Genis..." Lloyd hung his head a moment, then lifted it up to meet Genis' gaze and nodded. "Yeah...I'll never forget her, as long as I live." He brought his hand to his chest, his fist closed as if tightly gripping something.

Mithos watched it like a hawk but continued to remain silent, simply nudging Genis' arm to prompt him to go ahead. To ask his question, and face reality.

"Lloyd..."

Lloyd isn't going to live that long. Not as long as Raine would have. Not as long as he and Mithos would even naturally.

But it was the thought that counted. A wry smile came to his face, and he reached out his free hand to Lloyd. Mithos wanted to know - and Genis could tell he was impatient about this. And he knew it was because Mithos didn't really believe in Lloyd. He didn't know him like Genis did. But he was sure... He knew Lloyd wouldn't abandon him and Raine. Not again.

"But what if we could see her again, though? What if she doesn't need to disappear at all?" he asked, a tinge of something that wasn't quite excitement or anxiety creeping into his voice. "That's what you'd want too, right?"

Mithos' gaze flickered over to Genis, but he said nothing. It was vague--he was still getting around to the point--but, well, Mithos wasn't one to talk there. He had been vague in asking Genis for his loyalty before, too.

He could see that Lloyd didn't yet really understand where Genis was going, though. "Huh?" was all he could manage at first, giving him a look that was equal parts concern and confusion. "Of course I wouldn't want any of my friends to disappear, but..." He looked at Genis' outstretched hand and took it, looking his friend directly in the eyes. "I wish it had gone differently, too. But, Genis...we can't change the past."

"I'm not talking about the past, Lloyd," Genis continued, gripping onto his hand. He was going to stay beside him, forever. Genis was sure. He was being vague, sure, but he was getting to the point. For once he didn't blame Lloyd for not understanding what he was asking. That was why he needed to be explicit.

"Mithos has a way to bring her back. All we need is her Exsphere, and she can be with us again." His voice was full of hope. This was all he wanted now. Raine, Mithos, Lloyd, Martel...the five of them could all be together again. "Will you help us?"

"What...?" Lloyd questioned him quietly. There was no hope in his voice or in his expression, only mounting worry. "What are you talking about, Genis?"

Mithos finally spoke up in a low voice. "What he's saying is that he will return his sister to life from her Exsphere. Will you continue to stand by his side?" The latter part he added only for Genis' sake. He didn't trust Lloyd--he didn't trust anyone but Genis.

And rightfully so.

Lloyd fixed a wide-eyed stare on Genis. "You can't be serious, Genis!" Vehemently, he shook his head. "You know that the professor wouldn't--she wouldn't want that!"

Genis tugged on his hand, trying to pull him closer. He was going to stand by his side! They were best friends—his first friend. He was just a little confused right now. If he knew, he'd understand. He'd stay beside him, always,

"You don't know that! Raine— Raine wouldn't leave me. She wouldn't want to die!"

He was shivering, and he didn't really know why. This was just...really important. Lloyd was important, too. "I'll be with her the whole time. It'll be okay," he whispered.

Yeah, being trapped in an Exsphere was painful. That was what Lloyd was trying to get at. But Genis would be with her, and he would make sure she wouldn't feel lonely. She'd be whole again soon enough anyway... And she'd be happy. Raine would never want to die. She wouldn't leave him.

"Lloyd, please. You'd do anything for Colette... Isn't Raine at least that important, too?"

"My friends are all important to me!" An edge of desperation was entering Lloyd's voice as well as he tried to convince Genis. He kept hold of his hand, but stayed where he was, shaking his head. "But I know that's not okay! It's not really living, Genis, it's only making her suffer more! That's why I..."

He opened his other hand. The shards of the Exsphere were there, in his palm, glimmering weakly.

"So you did break it," Mithos stated with a glare.

Seeing the shards in his hand, shining blue against the red material of his glove, tears welled in Genis's eyes once again. It really was shattered... Broken apart.

He felt his heart stop for a second there before he released both of their hands to grab the shards.

"That's not true! We can bring her back! Then she'll really be alive again! You're an idiot, Lloyd!"

His hands were shaking, and at the moment, he didn't care that Lloyd was right. That was his sister. That was all that was left of his sister.

And he loved her more than any of their friends. She was the most important one in the world to him. Even if she wasn't for Lloyd.

"Genis!" Lloyd started in surprise but didn't stop him from taking the pieces--likely intended to be given to Genis anyway. "Are you listening to yourself?! Do you remember what Cruxis was trying to do to Colette? Would you do the same thing as Cruxis?" Lloyd was growing almost angry in his pleas, his voice nearly a shout.

"Genis knows what's important to him," Mithos responded quietly. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Genis' shoulder in comfort, even as his glare towards Lloyd sharpened. "You call yourself his friend, but you would really do anything to keep him from bringing back the person who matters most to him, wouldn't you? There would be no other reason to break the Exsphere," he added for Genis' benefit. It was hard for him, but now he would see just how much the humans were holding him back--how they were trying to take his dreams away from him.

"It's not going to be the same thing!" he shouted back. He never held back with Lloyd and he wasn't going to start now. "I'm not like that! You just— You don't understand!"

Genis cradled the shards in his hands, not minding where the edges dug into his skin. This had Raine's soul. What was left of it, anyway.

Lloyd's shouts were what really stung, like knives digging into him. Everything he was saying was true. This was crazy. This went against everything they were working for before. Saving Colette, destroying the human ranches, uniting the worlds... It was all so people would stop suffering. It was to go against Cruxis and Yggdrasill — Mithos.

But when he thought about how tired he was, how lonely he felt, how there was dull ache never left his chest, he could only imagine the pain was immeasurably worse for Mithos. Thousands of years, alone... He could understand why he wanted to do it. Colette, Lloyd, Presea...none of them would live nearly as long as the two of them and their sisters would have anyway.

It would be a lonely life.

Not everything Mithos did was okay, and Genis couldn't pretend that Lloyd's words meant nothing, but he had to make a choice that he wouldn't regret. For Raine. He took a few steps back until he was close to Mithos's side. "You don't need to say all that..."

He didn't believe Mithos when he said he destroyed the Exsphere to stop Raine's resurrection; he didn't think Lloyd was doing this to work against him in particular. He understood what Lloyd was trying to do. But at the same time, he knew Lloyd didn't - and couldn't - understand his feelings. And he knew that Lloyd didn't trust him to his judgement.

"...Let's just go, Mithos. You were right," he added miserably.

"How is it any different?!" Lloyd argued back. "You know better than this, Genis! And Mithos!"

Mithos didn't deign to respond to him, turning his attention to Genis. "I'm sorry," he said, and part of him actually meant it. It wasn't easy to be betrayed.

But it was necessary for Genis to see the truth.

"It's all right. I'm here for you. You don't ever need to have anything to do with humans again." Just them and their sisters, in a world that only existed for their sakes.

"I understand you, whereas they never will." He finally shot a glance to Lloyd, giving him a dark smirk that only deepened at the mix of anger, sorrow, and desperation written all over the human's face. He didn't understand; even if he had the capacity, he refused to understand. Humans were wretched like that.

Before Lloyd could waste their time any further, Mithos wrapped his arm around Genis' shoulders and enveloped the two of them--along with the Exsphere Genis held--in a bright light that would carry them far, far away, where they could work and live in peace.

"Don't talk like you're my sister!" he called back, shoulders tensing beneath Mithos's hold. He knew better than this... He knew better than Lloyd. He would go his own way. He would save Raine, and he would convince Mithos to set things right. Once he was with Martel again, he was sure Mithos would feel better. What Mithos needed was someone who would always be beside him, and he would be one of those people.

He wished Mithos could see that not all humans were the same, but...maybe he was right. Maybe Lloyd wasn't that different in the end.

His eyes stayed on the ground as the light enveloped them, leaning into Mithos as he spoke. Yeah, it was going to be all right. He couldn't stand listening to Lloyd, much less look him in the eye now. They were going to go far away, and he'd never see Lloyd or any of his human friends ever again. Though, when he thought about it, could he even call someone a friend if they couldn't understand something that was so important to him?

In the end, Mithos was the one - the only one - who he could call his true friend. He didn't need shallow friendships with people who wouldn't understand him or stand beside him. If Lloyd couldn't do that, there was no way any other human could.

...

"I thought we were best friends..." he whispered to neither of them in particular.

The light pulsed as Mithos warped them across the land, to the tower, and finally to home. It faded then, revealing a small room with brown stone walls and sparsh furnishings. All was silent.

"I know," Mithos answered him in a bright voice to cheer him up. "But that's only because you hadn't been friends with other half-elves before. You couldn't know the difference until now."

He released Genis' shoulders now; they had work to do right away. "I know a lot has happened, but we should check on your sister right away."

When the light faded and Genis finally lifted his head again...he had no idea where he was. He could only guess from the mana that it was far away. He hoped this wasn't where Mithos typically lived.

"Yeah, you're right," he answered to his friend's assessment. Mithos was his first and only half-elven friend...something Mithos said was true for him, too. Though, now that he knew who Mithos really was, he wondered if that was true or not. And how much Mithos might have lied to him to hide the truth.

He could question that later, though. There were much more important things they needed to do. The distant, depressed look left Genis's eyes, replaced by a desperate kind of determination. He stepped back from Mithos, ready to go anywhere. "Ah, right! We can't waste any time! What should we do?"

The room served as a convenient point of entry to Mithos' world, but he could show Genis around in detail later. They had little time to waste, after all.

"We'll start by stabilizing the Exsphere like we originally planned," he replied confidently. That part of the plan hadn't changed; the soul would be lost without stabilization--and fragmented like this, it was liable to happen much more quickly.

"This way."

He led Genis to a metal door through a wooden door, which opened to a short corridor. At the other end was another door, though this one was cold metal that didn't match the rest of the architecture on this side. On the other side was a whole city of metal buildings and magitechnology, all for them to use as they would.

All Genis could do was nod. Mithos had explained this to him before, but he was still unsure on how the process would work. In any case, he trusted Mithos completely. He hadn't let him down yet, and he had no doubts that he would see this through now.

They'd bring her back.

He kept his eyes on the glowing fragments in his hands until the scenery suddenly shifted, the dull earth tones of the corridor giving way to a cold, steely white, and they were in a place Genis never really imagined existed.

His footsteps unconsciously slowed as he took in the tall, metal buildings, the black sky, and angels drifting around them unflinchingly. They were the only two walking on foot. They were the only two whose eyes seemed to have any focus.

"What is this?"

"Welgaia, the city of angels," Mithos answered with a small, casual smile. "The angels here were all once half-elves and have since become lifeless beings... They no longer suffer or feel pain. They exist here in peace." His casual tone lowered to a soothing lull as he looked over at Genis.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Genis could become a lifeless being, too. He would almost certainly retain more will than most of the angels, since he couldn't revive his sister otherwise.

And they would revive her. For all the lies Mithos had spun, he had been much more truthful with Genis, and he meant his promise.

...

The more Genis looked, the more uncertain he was. He wondered if they were actually happy. Their expressions were blank. The air was still. There was no laughter or sudden movements. It was like watching fish swim around in a bowl.

...Mithos wouldn't make them suffer, though. This was a city Mithos built. Lifeless beings... They weren't half-elves anymore. This was the kind of world Mithos wanted. A peaceful one with no fighting...but was this okay?

He had turned a question onto him, but Genis didn't know what to think, and there were too many questions to ask all at once.

"It's...different. I never saw a place like it before," he finally answered, meeting his friend's gaze. "Is everyone like this?"

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