Hello~ New story. I've been pondering a bit if... well... what would happen if Lloyd had access to the menu screen and game mechanics stuff? The first chapter is a bit serious but I have stuff planned out for the future (ish). Enjoy!

UPDATE: 12/28/2013 – I've gone through and edited some grammar mistakes (hopefully making the sentences flow better) and stuff. Cheers!

When in Doubt, Save.

Chapter One: Death by Cliff

A boy with messy, spiky brown hair yawns as he sits up in his bed that is a bit of a mess, most likely from rolling about. Rubbing his eyes, he yawns once more before plopping back down. As his eyes drooped down, he was suddenly jolted awake by unsuspected coldness.

"AAAAAAGH!" The teen shouts, leaping out of bed. Water drips off of him and onto the various things he left on the floor, including the homework he copied from Genis yesterday afternoon. Shoot, the professor wouldn't be too happy about that now would she? He glances at the culprit of his awakening to see a short man with a gruff appearance. The said man shook his head sadly, before giving the teen a stern look.

"Lloyd, yur going ta' be late. Again." The dwarf said before heading back downstairs. "I already cooked ya' some breakfast. Better be quick."

"A-a-alright d-dad, t-thanks!" The boy responded, shivering. Why did his dad have to use FREEZING COLD water? He recalled feeling pieces of ice smack into his face as he rolled in his soft, warm, cozy bed, which was now a soaking mess. He could only hope that it wouldn't smell when he came back after school. He quickly pulled of his black tank top (which was soaking wet) and replaced it with a fresh one. Afterwards, he pulled on his trademark red jacket and gloves, followed by the overalls. His hair was plaster to his head, which he then noticed that it was getting a bit long. He needed to ask Dirk to cut his hair later this week. As he pulled up his bag, he quickly stuffed a few supplies in it (AKA a pencil and a single sheet of paper). Seeing that class today was probably going to be as boring as yesterday, he considered bringing his pillow, though the professor would immediately chuck chalk at his forehead like last time. Sighing, he lackadaisically went down stairs to pick up his breakfast, which were toast and some eggs. Giving his dad a simple 'thanks,' he goes outside the house and calls out,"Noishe!"

A large dog-like creature barks and comes out from its little stable. Giving the dog a grin, he climbs up. "Let's go!" With that, the creature howls, soon breaking into a dash. Although the ride was a little bumpy (mainly due to Noishe's occasional fright by monsters in the forest), it wasn't extreme. Lloyd chewed on his toast, which was cold now, and thought about school. Colette and Genis were most likely there inside the building chatting. They've known each other for a long time. Thinking back to the last few days, Lloyd noticed that they were actually quite fun, excluding the professor's boring lectures about Mithos the Hero and the Goddess Martel. The three of them spent time at his place, chatting about Colette's journey and things of the such. He was relatively excited about it. The same could be said as his elf friend Genis. Talk about the oracle increased, now that the day was coming closer.

Upon feeling a blast of air in his face, the red clad boy saw that they were out of Iselia Forest and at the outskirts of Iselia. Noishe trotted towards the gate, which came into sight. Knowing that his dog wasn't allowed into the village, he dismounted and gave Noishe a light pat. The dog whined before dashing off to who-knows-where. Turning away, he enters the village and beelines for the school, walking past the Sage's house and the Mayor's house. It was when he was at the door of the building that he realized he forgot his homework at home. He inwardly groaned. Glancing at the clock, he panicked; he only had 15 minutes to copy Genis' homework (again)! Zooming into the classroom, he immediately focuses on a certain silver haired boy.

"Genis!" The red clad swordsman calls, going around the other clusters of students around the class. His friend gives him a quizzical look.

"Hey Lloyd. You actually came to class on time. That's a first."

"S-shut up!" Lloyd frowns, before giving the elf a pleading look. "Can I copy your homework?"

"Huh? Why?" Once again, the younger elf had a quizzical look on his face.

"I can explain later! Hurry before the professor comes and-" Lloyd stammers, glancing around the classroom before looking back at his friend.

"Before I what?" The teen stiffens and turns around to see a rather irritated woman, silver bangs brushed to the side allowing him to see her blue eyes glinting with fury.

"Uhhh... PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" Lloyd cringes as he receives Raine's icy glare that could freeze hell over. Taking a chance, he sneaks a look at his teacher, who had an eerie aura around her.

"Lloyd Irving! How much times must I reprimand you for cheating!" Raine berated, shaking her head angrily. "Honestly, you should at least try to do the homework on your own before even asking for 'help'." The teen bowed his head, before looking back at the professor who continued, "Stand at the back of the room and hold those bucket filled with water." Not wanting to resurrect his teacher's wrath, he drags his feet over to the location indicated, picking up the pails of water. He takes a quick glance at the Genis, who gives him a sympathetic glance back. Today was definitely going to be a long day.

Class started shortly afterwards, which the students sat back in their seats and promptly waited to be given a lecture. Which didn't come. They gawked as the professor pulled out a stack of paper and announced that they had a pop quiz on the material about the summon spirits, item recognition, and some other stuff they learned.

"Don't worry. It isn't a huge part of your grade. I'm only checking to see if you studied. You have 20 minutes to complete it." Raine says as she handed out the quiz. As soon as the quizzes were out, Raine sat in her chair at the front, pulling out a book, and begins to read.

Lloyd wanted to cry now. Summon spirits? Really? They learned that ages ago! Although a bit panicked, he reassured himself that he'd at least be able to guess the answers if they were multiple choice. Which they obviously were not. He was allowed to go back to his seat to take the quiz. Suppressing a groan, he pulls out his pencil and glances down at the questions. There were a total of 10. Not bad. If he got a few right, he'd get a passable grade. Time to check out question number one...

1. How many summon spirits are there?

He stared a bit, racking his brain for the answer. He was pretty sure it was 5. Or was it 4? He can't really remember what the professor said that day at all... probably five right? Right. Okay... next...

2. What are their names and elements?

Damn it. Think... think... whoa... feeling a bit sleepy now... NO - don't fall asleep yet! Need... to... concentrate... Okay... thinking back to that lecture, the swordsman pondered a bit... There were... four... no… five summon spirits. Wait... must write the elements down...

Fire, wind, water, light.

Wait... that's only four. He said there were five. Frowning, he scribbles out his previous answer (since his eraser was chewed off by Noishe weeks prior) and wrote down a messy '4'.

Fire was... something to do with fire... Efreet! Lloyd quickly wrote the other names down before he'd forget them, With a satisfied grin, he moves on.

3. Write a paragraph about what you know about their nature, mainly their strengths and weaknesses.

He frets a bit. Their strengths were kinda obvious. Like Efreet. He'd be strong against flame type attacks and weak against... what was it... Earth! Yeah. That was it wasn't it? If someone covered a fire with dirt, it'd be put out right? Right. Just as quickly as he wrote the other answers, he put down his thoughts and some made up answers he felt 'made sense'.

Not wanting to take too long, he scanned the rest of the quiz's questions.

4. Which item can you use to identify an enemy or monster? How may this information be useful? Explain in a short paragraph. 5. List five recovery items and their uses. (Note: Do not use apple gel, orange gel or life bottle) 6. ((32*7) + 6(452 - -34))(32*0) + 83*4 = ? 7. Provide at least 2 properties of a triangle. Sketch a diagram to provide support for your answer. 8. Write a brief summary about the chosen's journey of regeneration. 9. What is the force of an object falling10 meters with a weight of 45 kilograms? Draw a diagram. 10. Draw the map of the continents and write the names of the cities. Include other landmarks and attractions.

Okay. He definitely was going to ignore math-based problems. Bye bye to number 6 and 9. Glancing at his other options, he sighed. He could answer parts of the questions or guess the answers... 10 and 4 were kinda easy...

After scribbling for the next many minutes, Lloyd finally gives up. With a soft groan, he rests his head on his desk, head aching from thinking about the 'possibly correct' answers he came up with. Hopefully the professor would have mercy on him. When the twenty minutes were up, Raine went around the class and retrieved the quizzes, telling Lloyd to go back to carrying the pails of water. The boy stood up and ambled to his spot. As the professor returned to the front of the classroom to begin the lecture, Lloyd gazed out the window at the sky. Oddly enough, it was clear and beautiful. Almost as if something incredible were suppose to happen.

He tuned out the professor's voice and closed his eyes...

"-Lloyd Irving, wake up! Lloyd!" The teen gasped as he felt something dusty smack into his face. Eyes fluttering open, he sees his teacher, sighing with exasperation. "Honestly Lloyd, how do you manage to sleep standing?" The teen gives her a sheepish grin as she promptly picks Genis to answer her question. As they continued on, Raine sighing when Lloyd interrupts, she goes to ask the next question but is cut off by a sudden glint from outside.

"W-what was that?" The students began to murmur with excitement and anxiety.

"I assume it is the oracle. Stay here while I go to check it out." Raine says as she rushes towards the exit. Colette requests to go as well but is denied. She walks over to Lloyd and Genis, who are standing by the door arguing about Raine's directions.

"-go Genis! She won't notice if we get back before she does!" The red clad swordsman argued, but only got a more skeptical gaze from the elf.

"Really Lloyd? How would we even manage to do that?" Shaking his head, the elf sighs.

"Awww, fine then." Lloyd turns to go back to his seat, but the room is filled with gasps as a priest stumbles in, covered in blood. They are all shocked. Rushing over, the three teens learn that the desians were attacking. Specifically at Martel Temple. Upon hearing those words, Colette instantly became anxious; her grandmother was at Martel Temple! Genis too looked worried since his sister went to 'check things out'. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the brunette beckoned his friends to go with him to save them.

Outside, no one could be seen. Breaking the eerie silence was Frank, Colette's father. He warned them about the desians before returning to his house. Nodding towards the others, Lloyd darts towards the northern gate, only to be stopped by a pair of monsters. He got a quick lesson from his friends about physical and elemental damage, which wasn't too hard to remember. Moving on, they dashed through the plains towards the temple, though it felt like eternity.

The three teens were panting when they got to the bottom of the stairs that led up to the entrance of the temple. Shouts could be heard, albeit they were muffled. Taking the lead, the blond girl climbs the stairs with apprehension. As the entrance comes into sight, they see three desians harassing Pheidra.

"Where is the chosen?" A man with a different outfit demands. 'He must be the leader' Lloyd concludes. Noticing that her granddaughter was here, the old woman cries,"Run, Colette!" That certainly gained the attention of the three desians, who notice the three teens standing behind them.

"Chosen one... Your life is mine!" The leader shouts.

"I won't let you desians get away with this!" The red clad swordsman hisses, indignantly drawing his wooden swords in a defensive manner.

"Desians?" One of the lackeys says, before laughing in a crazed way. "Hahahaha! Then die by the hands of the desians you so hate!"

The two groups collided, slicing away at each other. Lloyd, who took immediate offense, swerved away from the blades of the two desians who rounded on him. Though they nicked him a few times, he managed to land a few hard hits back. Ducking as a chakram whirled past his head, he leaps over one of the lackeys to defend the silver haired mage who was casting fireball. As he blocked the sword that swung down on him, he was kicked in the gut followed by a roundhouse kick to his shoulder. He shouts in surprise, stumbling back against the fence by the temple wall. Picking himself up, Lloyd sees that Colette pow hammered one of the desians unconscious. Genis on the other hand just casted fire ball, which scorched his soon to be attacker. Lloyd sent a demon fang to distract the lead desian, who was charging straight for Colette.

"I won't let you!" He growls, blocking a heavy hit from the man's crimson blade. The attack was really powerful, sending the dual swordsman to his knees, though he still held his stance. It was then he saw the leader motion to the others, who called out a towering desian with a ball and chain. Things weren't looking too well for the teens. Taking advantage of the brown haired teen's distraction, the lead desian broke his defense and sent him flying near the edge. Lloyd had to thrust his swords into the ground to keep himself from tumbling down the cliff, merely a meter away. Blinking away his pain, he gazed back to his blond friend...

"NO! COLETTE!" His voice screeches in the air, eyes widening with horror. The lead desian pierced the girl, staining her once white outfit bloody red. Lloyd struggles to his feet, promptly charging to the bastard. Colette is gasping on the ground and gives Lloyd a pleading glance to get away, though he doesn't see it in his blind rage.

With messy attacks on the bearded desian, he takes more damage than he deals. He curses.

"A-AHHHHH!" His eyes shoot over to his elf friend, who barely dodges the huge steel ball the desian called 'Vidaar' flings at him.

"Genis!" Lloyd chucks an apple gel at the elf, who gratefully accepts it. He rushed over to the elf but didn't reach him. The leader slashed at his blind spot, causing the teen to cry out in pain. Though it hurt to continue, he went anyway. He stumbled up only to be forcibly kicked in his gut again. As he was thrown back, he felt the fence he crashes into break. Gravity took place and Lloyd fell back, no solid ground behind him.

As his vision became narrow with the angle he was falling at, his last glimpses of his friends were terrifying. Colette... Genis... The chestnut haired boy shuts his eyes as he falls hopelessly down the cliff. Upon impact, he feels his consciousness shut down, his final thoughts straying to his friends whom he couldn't save...

...

Lloyd twitched before allowing his eyes to flutter open.

The light that struck them was blinding. Sitting up, the boy sees that he's in a clearing, sitting on moist, lush grass. It was rather calming for the boy until he realized that he was dead. Of course he was! He just fell off a FREAKING CLIFF. Huffing out with some melancholy, the boy took the chance to look at 'heaven' or what he thought to be 'heaven'. It was quite different than what people would've portrayed it as. Especially the gigantic tree that was in the middle of the clearing. It was just as beautiful as the scenery around it. It felt so... alive. Standing up, the boy noticed a glimmer in front of the tree. Maybe it would explain why he was here?

Meandering around the various brambles, he approaches the spot where he saw the glimmer and stared blankly at what was in front of him.

In a translucent golden font, it reads...

New game.

- Chapter One END -

Please review. I'll try to make the chapters longer.