Okay, this is my first fanfiction ever, so bear with me on this. I've enjoyed writing over the years, but I've never written a fully fledged story before. I really hope I don't mess this up...'
Anyway, I do not own Baten Kaitos or it's characters.
On with the story!

xxx

"Thank you…"

His voice was soft, and barely audible. His slender frame softly rocked back and forth from the tiring exhaustion he and his companions had experienced.

A carcass lay cold on the ground as the rooms around them began to tremble and disperse.

He hardly even recognized the events that followed. Most of it was just shouting and running. His companions began to retreat, dragging him along. He reluctantly followed, forcing his aching muscles to move to the pace of the others. He was so tired.

"You're too slow." A gruff voice addressed him.

"…I know." His knees buckled as strong, burly arms lifted him off the ground.

The floor beneath them was almost transparent and looked as if it was going to disappear entirely. Colors of the sky reflected off of the crumbling walls as a large creature beat her wings in impatience.

A dragon. The last of her kind. Her white scales mimicked the clouds around her and danced with the light as she moved her strong body towards the retreating party. Everyone gladly accepted her offer of transport, and mounted her back.

Still in the strong arms of another, the boy, still weary, looked back at the dissipating vessel. His lonely eyes watched solemnly as the Goldoba, the greatest ship in existence, faded into the darkness it had created, never to be seen again.

xxx

Kalas was the first to get off of the dragon after it had landed at the dock in Balancoire, Mira. He always hated being put in one spot for too long. He stretched out his strong legs and arms, sighing as he did so.

"Damn," he tilted his nose up to the sky, gazing at the soft veil of mist that enveloped the city. "That was quite the adventure…"

Xhela made her way up to Kalas and took in a couple of deep, reassuring breaths. "I'm just happy we made it in one piece. I thought that the Goldoba was going to swallow us up with it." She turned her head back towards the dragon and her fellow comrades. Everyone looked exhausted. Even Mizuti, the endless fountain of energy, had begun to show signs of fatigue.

"The Great Mizuti be invincible to all known things." The girl lifted a white-gloved hand to her breast as she spoke confidently, "Mizuti is incredible, stupendous, fantastic…but the Great Mizuti lacks these attributes when tired. Xhela, it be alright to stay here for a while?"

Xhela smiled warmly and glanced at Kalas who simply nodded.

"That sounds like a wise idea." Savyna replied, gracefully sliding down the left wing of the dragon. "The last battle was tiring. If we want to keep up our stamina, rest is a must." Savyna was always calm and collected even in the face of danger. However, the last battle was more than she had anticipated. She had a terrible headache.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" A rough voice announced from the top of the dragon, he then proceeded by leaping effortlessly to the ground. Kalas swore that the man's heavy frame split the earth in two; the rest tried their best to regain their footing. The heavy man crossed his arms and smirked happily. Savyna held her pounding head in her hand and cursed under her breath.

Kalas sighed. "Gibari, next time, use the wing to get down like everyone else does. It's quiet, efficient, and doesn't cause local buildings to crumble…"

Gibari shook off Kalas' words and looked up at the dragon.

"C'mon Lyude! You're holding us up!" Xhela glared at him. Gibari didn't have the slightest idea as to why though. He was tired, hungry, and he wanted to get to the nearest inn ASAP.

"Sorry…" replied a meek voice. Lyude wasn't completely aware of what was going on just yet. He was still in a culture shock as to what had just occurred a few hours ago on the trail of souls. He didn't even want to think about it. He didn't want to remember the horrors or relive them. He rubbed his tired eyes with his hand and positioned himself on the dragon's wing. He slid down and landed softly to the ground, his gold boots clinking as he stood. Xhela gave him a soft smile and turned to Kalas.

"Kalas, you know this area well don't you? Could you direct us to the closest inn?"

"Sure," he said, turning his gaze back to the sky. The sun had already begun to set. "Follow me."

The inn was small, but it held a comforting, warm atmosphere. Guests softly chatted under a soft candle-lit flame. The party felt a sense of peace, and were finally able to relax. Kalas spoke with the innkeeper, and was quickly presented with two separate rooms. The men and women split up from the party and quickly retired to their rooms.

Gibari didn't even hesitate to change into something more appropriate for sleeping. He plopped his large body on the bed and quickly fell asleep. Lyude sat down on one of the beds. His crimson eyes stared off into space and his head softly sunk down into his chest.

"Hey…" Lyude looked up, it was Kalas who had spoken. He straightened his back and raised his eyes to face his friend. His expression remained blank and solemn.

Kalas furrowed his brow. "I know it's a dumb question, but…are you okay?"

"Yes…I'm okay. Just tired. No need to worry." He gave Kalas a small smile. But anyone could see that it was forced. Kalas had seen Lyude's smile before, and it didn't look like it was etched into a cold, stone face. However, knowing who Lyude was, Kalas simply patted him on the back and turned toward his bed. Lyude was never the kind of person who liked to speak freely about his personal life. He always liked to keep it to himself and not worry those around him. Even if those feelings, emotions, and memories were slowly tearing him up from the inside out.

"Try to get some sleep, 'kay?" Kalas turned to the bedpost and blew out the wax candle, enveloping the small room in darkness.

Lyude still sat in the same place, staring into the vast emptiness of the dark room. It was deathly silent, with the exception of Gibari's random fits of nasal congestion. He sat there for a good twenty minutes before he got up and carefully walked out of the inn and into the misty streets of Balancoire. His feet trudged along on the cobblestone pathways as they lurched and twisted into unfamiliar territories. The night was quiet, and he was certain that he was the only one restless this evening. His head hung low, watching the movement of his feet guide him into the bowels of the city.

"Where am I going…"

He shook his head. "Like it even matters…"

His feet kept on. Dragging his tired body with them until the ground became soft and the sweet smell of foliage cascaded his senses. He looked up. It was the gates to Nekton, Shrine of Spirits. He stopped to think about this. While Nekton and Balancoire aren't extremely far apart, they do happen to be at least an hour walk away.

"How long was I walking?" His eyes surveyed the dark forest in front of him. Fireflies danced among the treetops and crickets serenaded the night. It was quite peaceful. He stepped through Nekton's gates, and found himself staring at his feet again, feeling lost and empty.

He continued on through the quiet forest, gentle breezes lightly kissing his cheeks as he went. He looked towards the direction of the flowing air. His eyes met up with two trees standing tall, side-by-side. It was almost funny how incredibly different they were. The one to the left was fat around the middle and covered in gnarled, pealing bark. It was a very large and old tree. It's tall branches spread far out to the sky while its roots hugged the dirt beneath it. The tree to the right, however, was graceful and slender. Its skin was smooth and pale in the moonlight and was much shorter than its neighbor. It almost looked like a cherry blossom tree. It certainly did look very out of place growing near the larger, older one.

Lyude placed his gloved hand on the young tree's trunk and whispered to it in a sad tone.

"I envy you. All day long you are at peace, knowing not of war nor hatred."

His memories began to fade back to the events on the Goldoba. His eyes grew hot and began to sting. "She was my mother…all along. She always hid it from me. I was the only one who didn't know…"

"You maggot! You haven't changed a bit! It must be the 'stone-carver's blood in your veins!"

"So that's what you meant, brother." He let out a hollow, empty laugh. "Almarde…she was Azhan…which makes me…" He looked up at the tree. Light leaked through its leaves and shined patterns on his glazed eyes. "…A mud-blood. A mutt." He choked on the last words. His knees gave way and he softly fell onto the ground. Hot tears were pouring out of his eyes uncontrollably. His sorrows flowing with them.

"Damn it!" He slammed his hands on the cold earth. His knuckles turned a pale white as he squeezed his hands into fists. He felt his stomach tangle up inside of his gut and cold beads of sweat gathered at his forehead.

"You knew! You knew all along! Why didn't you tell me?" His screams echoed in the empty forest. He cried out again.

"All those times! All those times together with you! I couldn't be myself! I couldn't be your son!" His cries then turned into loud, and uncontrolled sobs. It wouldn't even be exaggerating to classify them more as screams of agony. His whole body shook with each cry as his face grew hot and red. The tears had long since dried up, but the pain was endless. Again, he lifted his face to the sky.

"If any god, goddess, or anything can hear me, please, help me! Just send me something! Anything! Show me how it feels to be loved!"

His breath became shallow and his heartbeat began to slow. His eyes grew heavy and he knew that the price of wondering at the later hours had taken its toll. He slumped down onto the ground, using the cherry tree's root as a pillow.

"Please…help me…" He closed his tired eyes. And just before falling into the endless depths of sleep, he could have sworn, that someone had wrapped their arms around him. Comforting him, like a small child.