Back to the short chapters we come.

Apparently consistency fell into the same black hole as any writing skills I had.

Sorry.

Chapter V: Captured

Yuan stared above him at the purple 'sky', his arms folded. To his left, Yggdrasill sat in his throne, looking rather bored.

"Lord Yuan. Lord Yggdrasill."

The two seraphim looked over at a lesser angel floating over to them. The angel approached the throne and bowed deeply to the two seraphim. The angel knew its place.

"Lord Lloyd has captured the Chosen and the other intruders," the angel informed them, straightening up, its glassy eyes staring straight ahead into nothing.

Yggdrasill smirked. "Our new pawn does his job well, it seems."

The lifeless angel continued with its report, without apparently noticing that Yggdrasill had spoken. "The angels who assisted Lord Lloyd are escorting the prisoners to the cells. Lord Lloyd is bringing the Chosen here directly."

Yggdrasill frowned. "He did not capture them on his own?"

"No, my lord."

"How... disappointing."

"You are dismissed," Yuan told the lifeless angel, who floated away, leaving the seraphim.

Yggdrasill leaned back in his throne. "Lloyd should have been able to deal with them on his own."

Yuan said nothing for a moment. After a silence he found uncomfortable, he finally spoke.

"I'll take my leave."

"So soon?" Yggdrasill asked. Yuan frowned.

"Yes, I'm leaving," Yuan said, walking away from the throne without a backward glance.

"Where are you going?" Yggdrasill demanded.

Yuan stopped, but did not look at his old companion. "I do not need your permission to - "

"Tell me where you are going," Yggdrasill snarled.

Yuan turned around, crossing his arms. "If you absolutely must know... I was going to visit Kratos."

Yggdrasill's mood shifted from angry to merely annoyed.

"Fine. Then just go..." Yggdrasill said in a rather childish manner, crossing his arms.

Yuan vanished, warping away in a flash of light.

Yggdrasill glowered at the space where Yuan had once been.

"It's pointless... Why do you insist on doing something so utterly pointless?"

Yggdrasill did not have to wait for too long before the silence was broken. There was a brief flash of light, and two people, Lloyd with a weeping Chosen at his wide, appeared. Yggdrasill's fingers twitched a little as he remembered trying to help Lloyd learn how to warp. How could one person be so dense?

Lloyd led Colette in by the arm, quiet tears rolling down the girl's face. Lloyd looked almost as miserable, doubts beginning to swirl in his mind.

They approached the throne, Lloyd bowing his head stiffly, disliking the formality - it felt unnatural and forced to him. "I brought the Chosen... Lord... Yggdrasill..."

Yggdrasill glowered at Lloyd, making the boy feel even more uncomfortable. Why was Yggdrasill so angry? Didn't Lloyd do what Yggdrasill wanted him to do?

"I understand you had some... difficulty capturing these people." Yggdrasill stated, his disappointment clear.

Lloyd seemed embarrassed. "Y...yeah..."

"I should hope you will not always require assistance," Yggdrasill's voice was low and deadly. "Otherwise you may cease to be useful, and if you are not useful then you shall be disposed of. Understand?"

Lloyd started. Why was Yggdrasill talking like that? Weren't they friends? "But..."

Yggdrasill ignored him, and turned his attention to Colette, who was faint with fright.

"Now, Chosen, you shall finally fulfill your purpose. I will finally have a vessel for Martel..."

Colette couldn't say anything.

Yggdrasill's gaze snapped back to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, go to the storage warehouse in Welgaia and retrieve a mana fragment. We will need one to cure the Chosen. Then take her to one of the dwarves so she can be cured. We cannot give my sister a crystallized body."

"Um..." Lloyd hesitated. "Where is that? The storage - ?"

"Just go and get it!" Yggdrasill shouted, making Lloyd cringe.

Lloyd opened his mouth to speak, but instead just hung his head. "...Yes, Lord Yggdrasill." Lloyd turned to Colette and tugged on her arm, which he not once let go of. "Come with me," he ordered.

Colette looked from Yggdrasill, to Lloyd, and back.

"But..." Colette began.

"Just - " Lloyd stopped himself, realizing he had snapped at her. He didn't like this. He trusted Yggdrasill, but this didn't feel right. "Just... come with me." Lloyd began again this time in a gentler, though nervous tone. "Okay?"

Colette hung her head. "Okay..."

She didn't know what else she could do.

Yuan ignored the lesser angels as he flew past them; he held little interest in them. They had been lost long ago, and as they did not take notice of him, he did the same in return.

He landed when he found his destination - the prison. He dissolved his wings, thoughts wandering. He knew Lloyd's friends were nearby. He wanted to avoid them, and any questions they may have for him if they were to find him here.

Almost without conscious thought, he began to walk down the halls, navigating his way through the prison with ease. He knew where he had to go. Yuan had a knife hidden under his cape, and briefly touched the handle, as if reassuring himself. Its purpose was clear in the seraph's mind. He knew what he would do. He would do what must be done to save the world. He would do the kind thing, the merciful thing, the right thing.

Soon he came to a solid metal door, and stopped in front of it. There was a small pad on the side of the door, on which he placed his right had. There was a small beep, and then he heard the lock on the door slide back. Only the seraphim of Cruxis were permitted to go past this door. He stared at the door a moment before moving his hand to the door, and then paused again. He knew what to expect. He knew what was on the other side. He knew what had happened.

Yuan gently pulled the door open, and slowly stepped inside. There were no windows inside this too small room. No furniture, no clutter, nothing. It wasn't so much a prison cell as it was an empty room.

He stood in the doorway and looked at the prisoner who was sitting in a corner, leaning against a wall, his head bowed. The prisoner did not appear to notice Yuan.

The half-elf hesitated.

"...Kratos?"

A pair of pale red eyes looked up.