The first trial the Chosen must undergo―receiving the oracle―went as well as expected. It was the first time Kratos had witnessed it himself, but it went exactly as it had been described to him. The angel bearing the oracle descends and bestows a Cruxis Crystal upon the Chosen. A Cruxis Crystal is the same thing as a hi-Exsphere. Wearing this, the Chosen is ready to undergo the process of becoming an angel. From there, the Tower of Salvation―the symbol of regeneration―appears, and the Chosen is dispatched towards her next location. This was how the trial of the oracle always went. Remiel had been the previous oracle-bearing angel as well, and he seemed competent at the job. It seems he’d been informed that Kratos would be tagging along, which is why he wasn’t surprised to see him. Kratos wondered why he was acting as if Colette was his daughter, but he soon learned why. Apparently a rumor had spread in Iselia that the Chosen’s real father was actually an angel, and Remiel used that to his advantage.

“I suppose the place to start would be Triet. This was where my sister first embarked during her journey,” Phaidra, the old woman, stated as she gave the map a sharp look.

Phaidra is the previous Chosen’s younger sister. The air of refinement Kratos sensed when he met her in front of the temple wasn’t unfounded. She was a lot like her sister, Aithra. Kratos had been in charge during Aithra’s journey too. She left home on her Journey of Regeneration, carrying the hopes and dreams of humanity on her back―and perished. That was 70 years ago.

The Chosen’s lineage all grow up hearing various secrets of World Regeneration. Those secrets are not shared with the outside world, but are instead passed from parent to child, and child to grandchild. Many of those secrets involve the mortality of the Chosen, and due to this, those in the family tend to be clad in a different air than the rest of the world.

“Indeed. Triet is a city in the desert. We’ll need to prepare carefully in order to reach it.”

Kratos pointed out the route from Iselia to Triet on the map.

“This route is the best, as it gets us there the fastest while also avoiding as much trouble as possible. If you took the more direct path, you’d run into the sandworm’s nest.”

“You certainly know your stuff,” Frank said as he looked at Kratos with a hint of praise.

“I’m a mercenary. I need to know these things to get by.”

Kratos darted his eyes away from Frank and folded his arms. He stroked the muscle of his arm with his fingertip, and discovered that he was more tense than he realized. Explaining the route from Iselia to Triet has dredged up memories of that abhorrent journey. Even though he was an angel who wasn’t able to feel physical fatigue, the strain on him mentally made him feel weary. He felt an intense exhaustion wash over him, and before he knew it was forcing himself to blink back tears.

He knew the route between Triet and Iselia so well it hurt. That was the path he had taken when going to Iselia with his family of three; the village with a non-aggression treaty and ties to the human ranch.

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?” Colette asked. Her hi-Exsphere―the Cruxis Crystal―glistened on her chest.

“Yes. It’d be best to leave as soon as possible. I’d like to set out before sunrise.”

“You’ll be leaving that early?”

Frank looked at Colette, worried. He was sending his daughter on a journey to her death, after all. He likely wanted to drag out their parting for as long as possible. But with the Renegades on the move, they didn’t have that luxury. Cruxis isn’t aware of this, but the one leading the Renegades is Yuan Ka-Fai, one of Cruxis’ top men. Kratos kept that a secret from everyone. It’s not like Yggdrasill had any interest in the Renegades, anyway.

Yuan probably wants to kill Colette as soon as possible. The Renegades operate to stop Martel’s revival, making Colette a big threat to them since she’s such a close match. Luckily, Yuan is currently overseeing Tethe’alla’s preparations for the World Regeneration, so he shouldn’t be able to do anything until he’s done with his briefing session with Pronyma, the leader of the Desian’s Five Grand Cardinals. Kratos wanted to pass through Triet before this happened. According to his research, the Renegade’s base was somewhere in Triet’s desert. Before Yuan returned to his post as one of the Renegades, Kratos wanted to cross through the desert.

The room had a heavy, gloomy atmosphere. As Kratos stood up to excuse himself as the only non-family member, the doorbell rang.

“Oh, that must be Raine.”

Phaidra got up to open the front door, and on the other side stood a beautiful silver-haired woman.

“I’m terribly sorry for running late.”

“We’ve been waiting for you. Come on in.”

Phaidra beckoned her inside, and Raine sat in a chair at the end of the table. Her eyes scanned the faces of those present, stopping at Kratos.

“Is this the mercenary who helped my students?”

Kratos nodded, and Raine flashed an obligatory smile at him in return.

“I’m Raine Sage, a teacher for this village’s school. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

It was a fair introduction, but Kratos could tell that she was being cautious. She seemed to be quite the wise woman.

“Kratos Aurion, a mercenary. I’m traveling around looking for work.”

“Work? In this area?”

“I’d heard rumors that the Chosen would soon be embarking on her Journey of Regeneration. I figured I’d swing by and see if any job opportunities popped up.”

“Then it sounds like you got exactly what you were looking for.”

Raine stared Kratos down. Kratos met her gaze, and Raine seemed content at that. She turned to look at Phaidra.

“I heard you wanted to speak with me?”

“Yes. Allow me to ask you once again: Would you be willing to accompany Colette on her journey? Your wisdom, calm decision making skills and healing artes would certainly come in handy.”

“I would love to, but I can’t just leave my brother Genis behind...”

“That child is your brother?”

Kratos thought back to the silver-haired boy from earlier that day. He used magic, and the only ones who are able to do that are those with elven blood. There are those out there who can get an injection that allows them to use magic, like Kratos himself did, but that’s limited to those within Cruxis’ ranks. Knowing that elves are almost extinct in Sylvarant narrowed down what these two might actually be.

“Yes.”

Raine looked at Kratos, cautious.

“We’ll look after Genis for you.”

Raine seemed shocked at Frank’s suggestion.

“Well... But why do you want me to go with her so badly? I’m aware the priests were killed, but surely there’s―”

“I wanted to have you accompany her from the get go,” Phaidra interjected quietly. “The Chosen of Regeneration will be on the path to her end, so I want a woman to accompany her, of whom she can confide in.”

“Her... end?” Raine muttered, and Colette flashed her a smile.

Seeing that smile made Kratos realize Colette truly had understood her fate as a Chosen. That’s likely why she was always so polite and warm.

“The Chosen undergoes a series of trials, and in doing so becomes an angel. After becoming an angel, she’s taken in by Cruxis, and there loses her life.”

Raine’s entire face stiffened. On the contrary, Colette kept a gentle smile on her face and nodded.

“By sacrificing the Chosen’s life, the world will be regenerated.”

“I... I can’t believe this...”

Kratos closed his eyes hearing them talk.

This conversation likely happened among the Chosen’s lineage each time the World Regeneration began. Though this wasn’t the full truth.

The Chosen doesn’t exactly “die.” She becomes a vacant, living corpse, and Martel takes over her body. From there, the Chosen herself ceases to exist and Martel takes her place. If this doesn’t happen, the Chosen is simply killed. Either way, the Chosen is doomed to a horrible fate. Kratos’ job was to lead her to that doom.

A demon. That’s what he was―a demon. He was neither angel nor human, just a horrible, terrible brute. Despite this, he knew that if the Chosen―if Colette succeeded and let Martel take over her body, the world would be saved.

“Professor Sage, please. I’d like you to come with me, and then return home to tell Lloyd and everyone else about my journey. You can tell them that I became an angel, and I’m living happily by the Goddess Martel’s side. I think that’d be better than them knowing I’m dead.”

“Colette...”

Raine desperately tried to hold back her tears at Colette’s words.

“I’m so sorry to ask something so hard of you, Professor...”

How would that boy react if this strong, kind Chosen were to disappear? The boy who had the same name as his son popped into Kratos’ head.

Chapter 1: Part 5 of 6

Botta’s report was incredibly irritating to Yuan. How embarrassing it was to have to send out a whole squad just to kill a 16 year old girl, and still manage to shamefully come back having failed to do that. He could maybe understand if they had just felt remorse for having to kill an innocent girl, but it wasn’t that. They had simply failed to do their job at all. How pathetic was that?

Though in a way, he couldn’t blame them given the circumstances.

Kratos Aurion had appeared. He was Yuan’s friend, as well as his biggest foe. It’s true that Botta likely wouldn’t hold a candle to him.

Yuan lost count of how many times he’d let out a deep sigh, and tossed the documents he was holding onto the desk.

It was frustrating to be stuck in Welgaia at a time like this. Though it was thanks to his position that he was able to swiftly get so many leads on what the Chosen of Regeneration was doing. He was stuck getting insider leads, but for someone who doesn’t like meticulous planning ahead, this was incredibly suffocating to Yuan.

There you are, getting mad again. There’s no need to stress so much. Just take a deep breath.

He felt as if he heard the voice of a woman he once knew.

Yuan gave a bitter smile. It was exactly times like this that required a clear and steady head.

Anyway, typically speaking, it would be unfathomable that Kratos would be at Iselia. Yuan was pretty sure Kratos wasn’t there by choice. That was a cursed, horrid land where Kratos lost his family. Even should he descend down to earth, that one area was the last place he would want to go.

There was only one person who would be able to order Kratos to do something against his will.

Mithos Yggdrasill. This was all likely part of his ruse. Yuan felt ashamed at his own inability to foresee this. He knew that this Chosen had a high chance of succeeding and that Yggdrasill would likely take whatever measures needed to ensure her success, but he never expected that he’d dispatch Kratos in order to do so. To Yggdrasill, Kratos was both the human who had betrayed him, as well as the very seal that holds back his biggest trump card. If by some chance Kratos were to die, Yggdrasill himself would fall.

Perhaps Yggdrasill doesn’t believe that “some chance” will come to pass. If so, the faith he places in Kratos is almost akin to a religious devotion, in a similar vein to the love he holds for his older sister, Martel.

The ringtone to his office’s communicator rang. Yuan hit the switch on the speaker system, as if it was the most irritating thing he’d ever do in his life.

“What do you want?”

“Lord Yuan. It is I, Pronyma of the Desian’s Five Grand Cardinals.”

“So you wish to speak about the World Regeneration. Very well then.”

Shortly after, Pronyma appeared in Yuan’s office. She bowed, and Yuan started to speak.

“So the time has finally arrived.”

“Indeed it has. The Tower of Salvation has appeared in Sylvarant, as I have seen with my own eyes.”

“Is that so. Then the Chosen is likely to embark on her journey soon enough. Speaking of,” Yuan continued on while keeping himself composed, so as to not raise suspicion, “have you finished your meeting with Kratos?”

Despite being one of Cruxis’ top men, Yuan hadn’t been informed that Kratos was down helping the Journey of Regeneration. Kratos is Sylvarant’s overseer. If he was down on earth, that would mean someone else is controlling the Desians. Depending on who was in charge, that would change how Yuan would have the Renegades operate. He needed to pry this information out of Pronyma.

“Did you not hear of what Lord Kratos is doing? It seems Lord Yggdrasill sent him down to earth on a mission.”

There was bewilderment in Pronyma’s words.

“...No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Yuan responded to her, feigning ignorance, which prompted her to tilt her head in confusion.

“Perhaps news is simply coming slowly to you because you are the overseer for Tethe’alla instead. I heard Lord Yggdrasill sent him as a bodyguard for the Chosen.”

Yggdrasill has no doubt about this Chosen becoming Martel’s vessel. He’s probably just keeping information tight in order to make sure absolutely nothing can go wrong. There’d be no other reason why Yuan would be kept this in the dark.

“...Lord Yuan, do you truly see no issue in Lord Kratos being a bodyguard?”

“What are you implying?”

“Nothing really. It’s just that when I heard that Lord Kratos had descended onto Sylvarant, that past incident sprung to mind...”

“I see.

Yuan glanced down at the map of Sylvarant and rested his elbows on his desk, exhausted.

It’s been 70 years since Kratos defected from Cruxis. The event had been a complete and utter surprise to both Yuan and Yggdrasill. Despite a number of quarrels, they had been under the impression that Kratos was going to support Yggdrasill in working towards his Age of Lifeless Beings. But unbeknownst to anyone, Kratos’ heart had made a quiet shift away from following Yggdrasill. He descended onto Sylvarant and seemingly disappeared. It was decades until Cruxis was able to find him again. When they finally did, Kratos had a woman by his side―his wife, Anna.

Anna was held in a human ranch as an Exsphere host body―a test subject who would grow an Exsphere in her body to produce a Cruxis Crystal, as part of the Angelus Project. However, she escaped from the ranch with the Cruxis Crystal still growing within her. Kratos had assisted her in doing so. The two of them wandered about Sylvarant aimlessly, as if looking for something, and Cruxis pursued them relentlessly.

It was during this time that Yuan, as the leader of the Renegades, secretly got in contact with Kratos. The two of them―rather, their family was staying in a small abandoned fishing hut by the seaside. When Yuan visited, Anna wasn’t found within the building that was falling apart.

---

“So this is where you’ve been living,” Yuan asked. Kratos―who was on night watch―lifted his head. His Cruxis Crystal had been removed from his hand. The light from the fire flickered against the battered boards of the hut’s wall. Strung up by pillars with rope was a cloth that Yuan didn’t recognize the purpose of.

“Yuan. Have you come to kill me?”

“...No. I came here as your old friend.”

“...Is that so.”

Kratos lifted up the pot and poured its contents into a cup. It was a very pleasant-smelling coffee. Yuan removed his cape and sat across from Kratos.

“Where’s Anna? It’s not safe for a woman to be wandering about at this hour.”

“She’s on the beach. Noishe is with her. Our son wouldn’t stop crying, so she brought him out so the sounds of the waves would calm him.”

“Son? You have a son?!”

Kratos nodded and handed Yuan a cup of coffee.

“He’s three months old.”

Yuan was dumbfounded and looked up at the ceiling of the hut. That weird looking cloth he saw hung up was a diaper. The is the man who was once a world-famous captain of the knights. For some reason, thinking about this made Yuan sad.

“I can’t believe this. Do you even understand what kind of position you’re in?”

“I’d like to believe I do.”

“What were you thinking? Having an infant around will only hinder you when you’re constantly on the run.”

“...You’re not wrong about that.”

A smile crawled on Kratos’ face and Yuan let out a sigh.

“What is your aim right now, anyway?”

“The same thing you’re trying to do. I want to stop Mithos and his Age of Lifeless Beings.”

It’s true that Yuan was operating as the Renegades in secret. Such a thing only made him more acutely aware of how hard it was to go against Yggdrasill’s operations.

“What exactly do you think you can accomplish all on your own?”

“I am alone, you’re right, but I have a trick up my sleeve that you don’t.”

This was true. Kratos possessed the one and only thing that Yggdrasill feared. Kratos was capable of disabling the Eternal Sword―the very thing that had allowed Yggdrasill to seize control over the entire world.

Long ago, Mithos Yggdrasill had won over the trust of the Summon Spirits and been adored by them. The Eternal Sword was granted to him by Origin as a sign of said trust. However, surely the King of the Summon Spirits wouldn’t approve of how the world had been split in two, as it still currently is. Therefore, Yggdrasill sealed Origin away. He used Kratos’ mana in order to do so, and Kratos would need to die in order for the seal to be undone.

“Your trump card costs you your very life. How do you plan to work around that?”

“That’s where you come in. I have an idea.”

Kratos stared at Yuan with determination in his eyes. Yuan stared back at him.

“My plan is to kill you and get Origin to recognize me as the Eternal Sword’s master. Are you saying you’ll give me your life?”

“Yes, after I land a lethal blow on Cruxis.”

“A lethal blow? Such as?”

“...I’m going to kill Mithos.” Kratos gulped down his coffee. “Once things are settled, you can have your way with undoing the seal on Origin.”

Yuan was speechless.

Killing Mithos―the weight of those words was not lost on Yuan.

He was a friend of theirs who they had spent months―years together with. He was the disciple to Kratos’ teacher, and at the same time, he was like family; they had such a warm bond between one another. Yggdrasill’s older sister―Martel―had entrusted Yggdrasill to Kratos. And even if Kratos did defeat Yggdrasill as he claims, he will perish along with him.

“Kratos... We have spent far too long simply twiddling our thumbs. We had simply tried to overlook the fact that Yggdrasill―no, that Mithos’ light no longer flickered as it once did. I know you feel the same way I do.”

Kratos gave no response. The hut fell silent, making the sound of the flames flickering feel even more prevalent. From a distance, the sound of a lullaby could be heard. It was Anna.

“Was having a family what finally turned you to determination?”

Kratos set his cup down and stood up. He was likely going to see Anna.

“...When the time comes, I’m going to have my family escape to Iselia. That village has the non-aggression treaty in place, after all.”

“Does she know about your plans?”

“...No. Not a thing.”

“And you’re just fine with keeping her in the dark?”

Yuan stood up as he asked this. He wasn’t actually looking for an answer. Words weren’t needed for Kratos to express affirmation. That’s just the kind of man he was.

---

“...I doubt we have anything to worry about.” Yuan spun around to face Pronyma and crossed his legs. “What matters is that he did come back. He even pledged his allegiance to Lord Yggdrasill.”

“Do you truly believe so?”

“Hmph. I see women are doubtful no matter the race. Kratos... has changed. Losing his family caused him to cast off his shell, becoming a mere husk of what he once was. What exactly do you think a husk is capable of doing?”

“...You are correct. I was too abrasive in my words, wasn’t I? I do ask for your forgiveness.”

“It’s no matter. Traitors are to be doubted. I do have to ask though, if Kratos is down on the Journey of Regeneration, who is it that’s controlling the Desians?”

“That would be me. I am to control them and report everything to Lord Yggdrasill.”

Pronyma had confirmed what was the worst possible scenario.

“...I see. Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Yuan tried his best to hide his internal conflict from Pronyma and gave her a nod. “Then let us discuss what is to become of Tethe’alla post-World Regeneration.”

Yuan slipped Pronyma the documents he had gathered. As she was distracted examining them, Yuan started to plot a way to bring about Yggdrasill’s demise.

Chapter 1: Part 6 of 6

Walking through the forest at night overwhelmed Kratos with a sense of deja vu. This was the first time Kratos had ever walked down this road, that was for sure. And yet the scenery itself was familiar.

That was 15 years ago. Dashing earnestly through the forest at night, chasing after his wife Anna and his son Lloyd. No matter how many he took down, enemies just kept popping up. It felt as if an entire lifetime passed before he finally caught up to Anna and Lloyd.

“Genis, why are you coming along?”

Walking in the front was Raine, who was speaking to her younger brother Genis who was trailing behind her. Hearing this snapped Kratos back to reality.

This wasn’t the same forest as back then. It was close, but it wasn’t the same place. What he’d seen was a mere illusion, prompted by some small obscurities lining up.

Deep within this forest lies the house of a dwarf. Raine claimed the dwarf was Lloyd Irving’s adoptive father. Colette wanted to say goodbye to Lloyd tonight, since they’d be setting off so early in the morning. Knowing the fate of the Chosen, it was only right they let her. This was her final farewell, after all.

Kratos surveyed the forest with a complicated feeling in his chest. Iselia Forest was familiar to him, and there was a boy here named Lloyd, who even had the same last name as his wife Anna―Irving. Things lined up too perfectly for him to simply dismiss it as all just being a coincidence. It’s not like Kratos had seen his son’s corpse with his own eyes. He wanted to hope that such a miracle had actually occurred. Simultaneously, a part of him begged that such a miracle didn’t occur. Either way, he was terrified of whatever the truth was.

“R-Raine, you’re scaring me.”

Genis shivered and hid behind Colette, who was walking beside him. Kratos couldn’t help but snicker at how he and Genis got scared at the same time.

“Wh-What’s so funny, mister?”

“...Nothing, ignore me. However, I think fear is something you feel from deep within your own heart. Perhaps you feel guilty about something, and that’s why Raine’s voice scared you?”

As if hitting a bulls-eye, Genis gulped.

“Genis. Did something happen? Your clothes do seem awfully dirty. Don’t tell me you got up to some sort of mischief?”

“N-No way! I was just, um, doing something with Lloyd, and...”

“Don’t tell me you got him involved too.”

“I-I said, I didn’t do anything bad! Geez! Can’t I just do stuff without you having to know everything? It’s none of your business!”

“...Fine. This forest is dangerous though, you know. I didn’t want you coming along.”

“It’ll be fine, Professor. Kratos is with us!”

Colette said this so innocently that all Raine could do was shrug her shoulders.

“You’re not wrong about that. Having a mercenary with us is reassuring, but...”

Raine stared at Kratos. At this, Genis also looked up at him.

“Mister, are you going with Colette tomorrow too?”

“I am.”

“Wow. Hey, how long do you think it’ll be until the world is regenerated?”

“Who can say?”

“I’ll do my best to come home as quickly as I can!”

Colette made a pose triumphantly. Genis grabbed at the end of Colette’s skirt and furrowed his eyebrows sadly.

“...Okay. We’ll all be waiting for you.”

They continued up a small hill, and the sound of a small stream came into earshot. In between the trees, a light could be seen. The dwarf’s house was close.

With his heightened hearing, Kratos could hear the sound of Lloyd and a man who sounded like a dwarf arguing.

“You didn’t let the Desians see your Exsphere, did you?”

Kratos felt as if a stake had been driven into his heart. He stopped in his tracks and shut off his hearing.

He’d seen that Lloyd had an Exsphere during the quarrel in front of the temple. But what did he mean by it being an Exsphere he had to hide from the Desians?

He wanted to know, and he also really didn’t want to know. He felt completely torn between the two options and bit his lip. While Kratos stood there completely spaced out, the rest of the group had already approached Lloyd’s house. It seems they’d finally also heard the argument from inside the house. They were standing in front of the door, looking at one another. Kratos approached while suppressing his hearing to the normal human-level. Even then, he could clearly hear Lloyd and the dwarf arguing. A shiver ran down his spine.

“...That Exsphere is your mother’s keepsake. The Desians killed your mother in order to take it from her.”

“...They did?”

“I told you about how I found you at the cliff near the ranch, right? Your mother was still conscious at that time, so she explained everything. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?!”

That was his limit. Standing behind the others, who were bewildered, Kratos shut his eyes and turned off his hearing entirely. He couldn’t bear to hear another word.

There was no doubt about it. He was... Kratos’ lost hope.

He sensed a person approaching. Kratos opened his eyes to see Lloyd standing there, looking at them all rather awkwardly. Kratos adjusted his hearing to be the normal level once again, and the boy’s voice filled his ears.

“Oh...let me guess...you heard that just now?”

“I’m sorry, because of me, you...”

For some reason, Genis was apologizing to Lloyd over what happened. Kratos wondered why, but that was the last of his worries right now. Kratos studied Lloyd’s house while taking shallow breaths so that nobody would notice. It was a wonderfully built two-story house. Dwarf’s typically live in caverns, so this was likely built for Lloyd’s sake. There was a bench, a flower bed, a clothesline...

As Kratos’ eyes scanned the surroundings, he spotted a stone monument in the garden. His eyes immediately went to study the stone’s engraved words.

Here lies Anna Irving.

Kratos’ face stiffened.

“Lloyd, let’s go up to the terrace.”

“Sure.”

Lloyd went to follow Colette inside the house, and Kratos uttered without thinking.

“This gravestone...”

“Huh?”

Lloyd stopped and turned around.

“Whose gravestone is this?”

“Ah, you heard, right? It’s my mom’s.”

“Anna...hmm... Is your father alive?”

Kratos wondered if his voice was quivering as he asked this. He swallowed. If Lloyd remembered anything from when he was an infant, then maybe...

“...I don’t know. But Dirk is my dad.”

It felt like all of the energy drained from Kratos’ body. He couldn’t tell whether it was from disappointment or relief.

“...Yes. That was a careless thing to ask. I’m sorry.”

One thing was clear.

Lloyd―his son that he failed to protect was alive and well.