time stop

[normalization]

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.

Comments

[normalization]

Mithos let out a small sigh. "Even after this, you're still going to delude yourself?"

There was anger this time, no hate. Instead, his voice was soft, and if Genis were to look up, he'd see pity on his face.

"He abandoned your sister not for your sake, but for nothing more than his own selfishness." He shook his head with contempt, and that menace started to creep back into his voice. "They're all the same--all those humans you called your 'friends'. They did nothing more than just enough to satisfy their own self-righteousness and didn't lift a finger to do anything beyond that."

[twohares]

Tears began to sting at his eyes again. It was still his fault, but when Mithos put it like that, it made it sound like the two of them were the only ones who really cared about Raine. They were the only ones who wouldn't accept that she died.

Lloyd was willing to change the entire world just so Colette could live, but he wondered if he'd do the same for Raine.

Maybe Mithos really was right. Even in the time that passed since he ran out, no-one came to find him again. If the two of them disappeared now, they might not even try to search for them. In the end, they were just half-elves. Even if they said they were friends, even if they said his race didn't matter, there would always be an impassable rift between them. They would always be human.

He shook his head, bringing his free hand up to rub the tears from his eyes. "Let's just find Raine and go," he finally answered in a small voice.

[normalization]

With his heightened hearing, Mithos was aware that the others had convinced Lloyd to give Genis a bit of space--barely. It wasn't likely to last long; in fact, he could already hear voices raising again in the distance.

His focus remained on Genis, though. None of the others mattered, and he no longer held any curiosity about Lloyd. And now that Genis had given his answer, Mithos nodded and gently tugged his hand to get them started in the direction of Altessa's house.

"Of course. That's all that matters now," he encouraged. "Besides, I'm here with you...so you don't have to worry about anything."

His voice turned quieter again, though it didn't lose any conviction as he promised, "Nothing will have to bother you ever again."

[twohares]

Nothing would have to bother him? Genis didn't understand. Not really. Maybe that was just Mithos's way of promising to protect him, promising he wouldn't need to lose anyone else precious to him.

Which didn't really make sense when Mithos was the only other person that was going to be in his life from now on. They would be alone together...at least until their sisters were revived. Mithos was the one who said that his human friends weren't true friends after all, right? It would just be the two of them. The two of them who truly understood each other.

He followed behind Mithos mechanically as they neared the small house again. He wondered what he was going to do when he got there. If Mithos wasn't with him now, he wasn't sure if he could do this. But Mithos was here, like he said. He never let go of his hand this entire time.

"Thank you... I...I know I seem really weak now, but I'm here with you, too. I'll always be with you."

[normalization]

"Thank you, Genis. I'm glad you understand..." He glanced back briefly to give him a small smile, tempered by the intensity of his stare before he faced forward again. "I'll help you become stronger, too. Strong enough so nobody can take anything away from you again."

Strong enough that most wouldn't dare try to take anything from them. Strong enough to punish those that would.

They could start to see the cliff face through the trees when Lloyd's voice began to ring out--somewhere to their left. "Genis!" He was moving away from the house to search. The voices of the others followed soon after, some callng for Lloyd and some likewise shouting for Genis.

But as for Mithos, he barely paused. "Good, they've left the house. That'll make it easier for us."

[twohares]

Mithos's gaze was piercing even when he didn't look back at him for long. There was something unnerving about it...but if he wanted to place it, he didn't bother to. Mithos could walk them off the cliff and into the sea for how much Genis wanted to question him at the moment. He wanted to be stronger. Then he really could protect Raine and Mithos. Then no-one would think he was just a pathetic little kid anymore.

Then, Lloyd called out to him, and he lifted his head to try to spot him through the trees. He blinked, his pace slowing down even further. Maybe he didn't know exactly how he felt about the others, but he couldn't hate them.

His heart twisted painfully as he stood there, staring off into the trees. Mithos was talking to him, and he knew that he couldn't call back to them. He...probably wouldn't see any of them again.

"...yeah," he mumbled, finally looking back at his friend. In the back of his mind, it occurred to him that it really was better if they never saw each other again. He didn't want to see his friends fighting—and he didn't want to fight them, either. "We should hurry."

[normalization]

Mithos was silent for a moment--silent with approval. In the back of his mind, he was pleased that Genis didn't answer Lloyd. He knew that humans couldn't really be his friends. After that moment, he answered and moved forward with a little more vigour. "Right, let's go."

Within a few minutes, they left the trees and approached the rocky base of Altessa's house. The area was silent save for the sounds of the humans still calling for Genis--just Genis now--in the distance. Mithos could tell that only Altessa and Tabatha remained inside, so it didn't seem that they would have any trouble getting the Exsphere.

He tugged Genis straight ahead, right up to the door, and opened it without hesitation. He brushed right past Tabatha without so much as looking at her (he couldn't stand her, less so right now), even as she tried to greet them. He simply pulled Genis faster towards the room where Raine had been.

--And the body was still there. She was covered in a blanket, but there was no mistaking the form that still remained on one of the beds. Only once they saw it did Mithos finally stop. "I can get it for you," he stated as he looked back towards Genis, though the statement was without finality--in case he wanted to get it himself.

What neither of them knew was that there was no Exsphere to be found.

[twohares]

Genis stumbled after him, pulled along by their linked hands as they walked into the quiet house. He noticed Altessa and Tabatha looking at them as they entered, but all he could give them was an apologetic look as he passed. They had something they needed to do. They couldn't stop even for a moment. The more they delayed, the more likely everyone else would return, and they'd need to answer to them.

When they reached the room, Genis froze in the doorway. The room felt so oppresively cold. That was why the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, right? Seeing her outline beneath the sheet, it became harder and harder to pretend things were okay. His eyes stared ahead long after Mithos made his offer.

They had to hurry, he reminded himself, but it was hard to even think of moving.

"No," he shook his head quickly, trying to get a grip on himself. "No, I- I don't want to leave her without..." Without saying goodbye. Which was ridiculous when he knew her soul would always be in her Exsphere. They didn't need to say goodbye. Ever.

But it was still so hard seeing her like this. He could only imagine how she must look beneath that shroud, and each image his mind made was worse than the last. She was tiny and frail. A corpse. A decaying body. Completely lifeless.

"...Will you come with me?" he asked meekly, eyes still staring forward.

[normalization]

He squeezed the hand he held. "Of course. I'm here for you, Genis," he encouraged softly. He would give Genis a few moments; if he didn't move, then Mithos would lead them over. They couldn't spare too much time, after all.

And it was...only a body. It wasn't really Raine--not anymore. It was just an empty shell that looked like her, just like that Tabatha. There was no soul in that shell. No, the corpse wasn't important; all that mattered was the Exsphere that held the soul.

...If only Martel's soul had been as lucky, instead of being absorbed into the great seed. They could've still spoken...

But what were a few millenia to a lifeless being?

"We'll revive her soon enough," he murmured, partly to Genis and partly to himself. "Then that time spent apart would just be nothing more than a useless memory."

[twohares]

Hearing Mithos speak, he felt some of his fear dissipate. He was right. This wasn't going to be forever, and when they were reunited again, this moment would feel so insignificant. And until she was back, Mithos would be right here, at his side.

He didn't need to feel scared or lonely. He squeezed Mithos's hand back. They would both have their sisters with them again soon. He wouldn't let Mithos suffer alone, either. Not anymore.

After a few moments, he cautiously approached her bedside, eyes fixed on her form beneath the sheet. There wasn't any smell or anything like he imagined there would be. His free hand gentle brushed against the sheet as he knelt at her side. He could do this. Mithos was with him. And he had to do this to bring her back.

Carefully, he folded up the sheet, nervous about what he might find underneath—but it was just her hand, the same as it always was. Not gnarled or skeletal or bloody. Just pale and smooth, resting at her side. He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding in. He could do this. For the first time in a long time, he finally released Mithos's hand to gently cradle hers. It was cold, and as limp as it looked, it didn't fold in his hands. She was still dead. No matter how she looked, he was still dead. For now, he reminded himself.

Now that he was here at her side, there was so much he wanted to say, but all the apologies and promises swimming in his head went unspoken. When they were alone, when he had her Exsphere, he would tell her everything. Just like he should have when she was still alive. Until then, until it was just the two of them, he waited. They would have forever to talk, and even more time after that. Mithos had promised him.

Lightly squeezing her hand, he made one more silent promise not to fail her this time. His hand shifted up to roll up her sleeve, his fingers brushing against the curved metal of her Keycrest-

-though as he turned it in his hand, there was nothing there but a void where her Exsphere should be.

Which was impossible. He blinked, and he felt his heart shoot in his throat. This wasn't right. Her Exsphere had to be there. It couldn't just disappear. His hands shook, looking over her wrist again and again like he just happened to overlook it and it was still right there.

But it wasn't. "Mithos, what is this?"

[normalization]

Yes, Mithos would be there to help Genis--to help him when nobody else would, when the world would turn its back on him--because Genis was just like him. Even he could admit to himself, somewhere deep down, that it wasn't really about logic; it was simply something he wanted to do...needed to do.

He remained a silent presence while Genis did what he had to do, even if he was delaying the important part. There was no need for goodbyes. It wasn't the end. It would never be the end. They would all be together, forever.

Soon...

It took him a moment to register Genis' sudden question. Mithos quickly snapped out of his thoughts and blinked. It was...a Key Crest, but-

"The Exsphere is...missing?" Even he was perplexed, his eyebrows furrowing. He hadn't expected this, but they needed that Exsphere...

Abruptly, he whirled around--Altessa and Tabatha were there in the doorway--and demanded in a furious shout, "Where is it? Where?!"

The concern on Altessa's face melted into alarm and, confused, he shook his head. "I--I don't know. But why?"

[twohares]

Mithos's sudden outburst pulled Genis from his own internal panic, dropping Raine's wrist to take Mithos's hand again. His heart was still pounding, his body was still shaking, but now it wasn't just because the Exsphere - his sister's soul - was missing. Mithos's anger was horrifying even when it wasn't directed at him. He had to calm him down.

"It...it's really important! We need it!" Genis tried, looking from Altessa, to Tabatha, and to Mithos again. Altessa didn't know, but he wasn't in here with her at any point. That meant...

"Did Lloyd take it? Or- Presea? Or Sheen? Did you see anything like that?"

It had to still be somewhere. If it wasn't, if they broke it... No, it couldn't be gone. It just couldn't be. They weren't supposed to ever say goodbye to each other forever.

[normalization]

Mithos didn't react to Genis taking his hand, still glaring daggers at the dwarf, who only shook his head in response to the questions. Altessa was starting to look slightly suspicious of their intentions, but Mithos had no time to waste on a traitor like him, anyway.

"Then get out of our way," he hissed in warning. One of those humans must have taken the Exsphere--stolen it--and the audacity made him nearly ready to raze anything in their path.

[twohares]

"Mithos, wait!" he pleaded, holding Mithos's hand that much tighter. He doesn't think he's ever seen him so angry before. Genis is worried about the Exsphere, too, but Mithos is the one who has all his attention now. "We'll find it! Maybe they just took it off for her burial. I'm sure they kept it safe somewhere."

So her soul wasn't lost, and his hope wasn't lost.

But if Mithos was like this, then they probably won't give it to him. And then there'll be a fight. Even Altessa can tell there's something wrong about this. So...

"Let's go look. Please."

Please calm down.

[normalization]

A tense moment passed; Mithos remained poised to take action and although he paused, he didn't look back at Genis.

Finally, he exhaled sharply and collected himself. "Yes...we're just wasting our time here," he stated coldly, casting a withering glare towards Altessa and Tabatha.

The look he sent to Genis as he finally turned his head was far less threatening--almost sympathetic again. "Let's go search for it. It shouldn't be far."

It. They were searching for the Exsphere, not for the humans, even though one of them was likely to have it. They would be sorry that they did--Mithos would make certain of that.

[twohares]

He wondered what Mithos was going to do. This was scary... His mind ran through the possible scenarios that could play out, and he couldn't imagine his friends just giving them her Exsphere. There would probably be a fight, and they would all be hurt...and it would be his fault.

Genis didn't want to lose anyone else, and Mithos promised he wouldn't, but he knew that his friends didn't really mean much to him.

A small sigh escaped him as he tried to calm himself down. He had to believe in Mithos. "Right... Everyone might come back here soon, anyway. We'll find it," he added at least partially to reassure himself.

He turned another apologetic look to Altessa and Tabatha before he began walking towards the door again. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to find his friends, but it was too late to turn back now.

[normalization]

Mithos completely ignored Altessa and Tabatha once more as they left the house, and simply nodded in response to Genis. "Of course. I'm here with you, after all." And he would find it.

Once they were outside, he came to a stop and tilted his head for a moment as if listening, then chose a seemingly random direction to start tugging Genis again. "This way--we'll get some answers soon."

He gave no explanation, but if they continued to follow his directions, they would find Zelos in the forest idly kicking a few rocks--probably pretending to search but really just wasting time until someone else found Genis.

Mithos had no reason to continue his facade, least of all with Zelos, and skipped any greetings to simply demand, "Where is Raine's Exsphere now?"

Zelos looked over at Genis with mild surprise, a humorless smile creeping across his face as he deduced what was going on. "Another mad scientist experiment? Oh, scary..."

[twohares]

Genis understood the situation and Mithos's abilities well enough to know he was going to follow the sound of someone to track down the others and retrieve the Exsphere. He expected him to find someone who might actually have it, like Lloyd. Zelos seemed like a pretty random choice when he sounded so certain about getting answers.

He stuck close beside Mithos, and in the back of his mind, he was a little grateful Mithos chose someone he didn't like to interrogate.

That was where is gratitude ended, though, and a new sinking feeling set in.

"What are you talking about?" he asked uncertainly, looking up at Zelos and then to Mithos again. They knew something he didn't, but he was starting to guess. The fact Zelos was just standing around, the way Mithos knew Zelos would have answers. He felt his stomach twist. Zelos was betraying them this entire time! And after Lloyd put some much trust in him! It was just like with Kratos. Lloyd didn't deserve this...

But he couldn't say anything now. Lloyd was far away, and he...

No. He shook his head, hiis uncertainty turned to anger as he snapped, "Do you know where it is or not?!"

[normalization]

Mithos' gaze flickered briefly over to Genis; he would explain later, he promised silently, but now wasn't the time.

For his part, Zelos put his hands on his hips, his expression a mix of dark and smug--and the mirthless smirk on his face only deepened as Genis grew angry. "Sure, sure... Lloyd has it."

Mithos sighed. Of course. Well, it still wouldn't be that hard to retrieve...

But then Zelos continued talking, and his smirk faded this time. "Or should I say he has the pieces?"

[twohares]

"Huh?"

Genis blinked. Once. Twice. Lloyd had it. Genis thought he would have it. Colette and Lloyd were the ones closest to Raine - other than himself.. Of course he would have her Exsphere of neither of them did. He would keep it safe.

That was all he wanted to think about what Zelos had said. His chest ached just thinking over that stupid, little quip. He stared at him tensely. Pieces. No. If that was true, then...

No, that couldn't be true. Zelos was a liar and a traitor and an idiot, and he was lying.

He stepped forward, free hand balling into a tight fist ready to strike.

"Stop joking around!" he shrieked. "That's not funny! She's my sister! That's bad even for you!"

[normalization]

Mithos' mind blanked almost as much.

Pieces.

Broken.

Useless.

Even as he remained silent, letting Genis speak for both of them, white-hot fury boiled in his chest. He gripped Genis' hand as tight as a vice and grit his teeth.

Either out of sympathy for Genis or for the sake of his own life in the face of Mithos' anger, Zelos remained serious for a change. "As you said...even I have standards. It's no joke."

"Who-" Mithos spat out then stopped short. No. If Lloyd had it, they had to see for themselves. "I'll hear your story later," he snapped instead, and then none-too-gently pulled Genis away. "We're going to look for Lloyd. And if it's true..." He would pay. He would pay dearly. He was sure Genis agreed--after all, that was their only chance to revive Raine.

[twohares]

The grip Mithos had on his hand, the pain of his bones being squeezed together, just about distracted Genis from his own panic. His breathing grew shallow as his heart pounded in his ears. He wasn't sure if he was even looking at Zelos as he stared up at him.

Her Exsphere was really gone? There was no way to put it back together? Raine was really...really gone. He left Raine without even saying goodbye to her. He'd never get to see her again.

He didn't have the tears left to cry. If Mithos didn't start pulling him along, he might have just crumbled right there. He stumbled along unsteadily, his hand barely holding Mithos's back. They were going to find Lloyd now, and...

...and it wouldn't mean anything.

He couldn't save Raine. He had no right to tell him about Zelos when he was turning his back on him, too. And even without any way to see Raine again, he made a promise to Mithos already. He wasn't going to turn his back on him, too. There was still a chance he could see his sister.

And then Colette would die, and he'd have lost two important people. But Lloyd didn't need to be one of them. Lloyd could keep living. After a while, Genis tugged Mithos's hand back to stop.

"Mithos, wait. I... I-it doesn't matter. Let's just...just forget about it."

[normalization]

Mithos stopped for Genis' sake, but looked back at him in disbelief. "What are you saying, Genis?" His voice was soft, sympathetic again. He understood Genis' pain...especially if they had lost Raine for good.

If.

At some point he had stopped squeezing Genis' hand so painfully. Now he gripped it gently in both of his hands. "Are you really okay with not checking for yourself? Do you really want to just give up on her?"

[twohares]

It hurt when he said it like that. It sounded like he was abandoning her, just like his friends had earlier. He wasn't doing everything he could to save her.

But it was too late. And chasing this dream around just to have it crushed hurt. Too much had happened, too much had changed. Even Mithos wasn't the same person. He wasn't the same person. It was too much.

Slowly, he nodded his head. "I'm tired. I just..." His voice broke, and his fingers tightened around Mithos's hand. "I just...really miss her. I don't want to lose anyone else."

[normalization]

"I know," he answered gently. "You just want to see her again, and talk to her again like you used to. You don't want to be alone."

He remained standing up straight, confident. This wouldn't stop them... One of his hands released Genis' hand and moved to take his shoulder instead. "You're not alone, Genis. I'm still here. And...it's not the end yet. We'll still find a way no matter what, right?" His voice was gentle but encouraging in a way that was still almost second-nature to him, even after so many centuries spent no longer caring about the rest of the world.