Tales of Symphonia Story, Tethe'alla Chronicles (3)

QUIZ START: After a short run from the dock, you make it to the city of Ozette. However as soon as you arrived in the main part of the town...There are Papal Knights waiting for you; they were speaking to a man,
"That's them!" the man exclaimed, pointing back at all of you, "The wanted criminals!" they were quick to turn around and see you,
"Ah crap, not the Papal Knights again!!" Zelos groaned,
"Why do they always show up where we're going?!" demanded Sheena.
"Well, well, if it isnt Master Zelos." said a Knight, "I trust you are well." suddenly you were surrounded by more knights,
"Dammit!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"Remember. Capture Colette and Aura alive!" said the knight in gold, the leader.

Despite their numbers you beat them, though it was a tough battle. The citizens of the city, gratefully, had already fled to their homes.
"We managed to win..." Lloyd sighed,
"It's my fault again. I'm so sorry, everyone." Colette apologized,
"Come on, Colette, it's my fault to." you tell her,
"Don't be silly." Zelos told you both "They're after my life, too. The Professor and Genis are wanted because they're half-elves. Sheena is from Mizuho, now considered a village of traitors. And Regal is considered a traitor as well."
"Thanks..." Colette said with a smile.
"Yeah, thanks." you agree.
"Stop thinking everything's your fault." Lloyd ordered, "Both of you."
"I'm sorry, Lloyd." the blonde apologized.
"Yeah." you agree, "What she said."
"You don't need to apologize for it." Lloyd said with an eye-roll. Suddenly Colette sank to her knees, face instantly paling,
"Ow!..." she groaned, clutching her stomach, "Ugh...Ow! Ow!!"
"Colette?!" the brunette exclaimed, "Professor! Colette's!..." the woman pressed her hand against Colette's forehead,
"She's running a fever. But what could be causing this much pain?" the Professor asked.

A funny feeling tingled through you. It started around the area of your lungs, then moved to both your head and stomach. You rested a hand over your stomach, confused. Suddenly a wave of pain shot through you, making your body shake violently. You stomach hurt, though not like you were sick; it hurt like you had been stabbed. Your legs felt like the bones in them vanished as they shook under you, and pain was jarring through your whole body. Nausea piled on top of the pain in your stomach, making you feel like you would vomit. You sink to your knees, one hand over your mouth the other on the ground,
"!?" Regal quickly turned to you,
"Aura-?! You too?!" Sheena exclaimed,
"I-I don't know what's going on Professor..." you gasp, your hand still lightly over your mouth, "B-b-but I don't think it's natural..." you firmly plant your hand over your mouth again, resisting the urge to throw up. Another violent shake racked trough your body; you felt ice cold... Raine put a hand on your forehead as well,
"Aura...! Your tempurature is off the scale as well...!" she whispered,
"Why isn't it affecting us?!" asked Lloyd,
"It must only affect angelic beings..." Raine responded, "But this is no normal flu..." Your eyes begin to close; the pain was fading, yet, but you were left exhausted. Almost like when Yggdrasill burned your scars in the Tower, however the pain wasn't as severe.
"What's wrong?" Regal asked,
"T...tired..." you murmur. You slip from consciousness falling to the ground. Regal kneeled next to you, resting a hand on your shoulder.
"Aura...!"
"Move...please leave this...to me." Presea asked.
"Presea?" asked Raine, "A...alright." She walked forward, and looked like she was going to check on Colette. But then she spun around, and swung her axe at both Raine and Regal, making them jump away. Regal gave her both a shocked and hurt look,

After knocking out Colette and Aura, Presea turned to the man with purple hair they'd seen before; he'd come out from where he had been hiding amongst a few buildings,
"Good work, Presea." he complemented. After waving a hand in the air, two large Dragons swoop from the sky and land in the village. The man walked up the slope to the dragons, Presea followed him silently.
"Damn! Corrine!" Sheena exclaimed. Corrine appeared in a cloud of smoke obediently; the black-haired girl pointed towards Presea, thus indicating who the fox should go after. The small fox-spirit dashed after the pink haired girl and tripped her. The purple-haired man climbed onto the back of one of the dragons, after which both dragons flapped their wings and hovered off the ground, then they both flew forward.

A large swipe of one of the dragons tails kept the group from approaching their friends. The rider-less dragon lowered itself down slightly, and picked up Aura in its claws; the dragon the man was riding picked up Colette.
"I am Rodyle!!" he announced proudly, "The most cunning of the Desian Grand Cardinals. I hope you dont mind me taking the Chosen One, and Lady Aura! Hehehehe! With Lady Aura in my possession, Yggdrasill wouldn't dare try to stop me! The perfect leverage!"
"Desian?!" exclaimed Lloyd, "Why are the Desian's in Tethe'alla?!" Rodyle flew away, taking Colette and Aura with him "Colette! Aura!"

Yuan floated well out of the Ozette airspace. It was just one of his spies had informed him...
"Lord Yuan! Rodyle is kidnapping Lady Aura!" a Renegade exclaimed, flying back up to his lord on a Rheaird. Yuan was using his wings to hover in place, while Botta and two other Renegades were waiting with him on Rheairds.
"Which dragon?" he asked calmly,
"The one with no one on its back. That's the one, sir." he explained.
"Shoot it down." Yuan ordered, eyes cold and hard, "Just aim at its head. I'll catch Aura; after which we return to the base. Wait for my signal, then kill it."
"Get in position!" Botta ordered as Yuan flew towards the dragon, and then waved an arm, in the air, "Now!" The three Renegades and Botta opened fire on the Dragon, dealing multiple blows to its head. The dragon let out an ear-piercing screech, then fell silent when it died. Yuan safely caught Aura when the dragon dropped her.
"Aura...Aura, are you alright?" he asked softly,
"..." she didn't respond or anything. Yuan didn't even have to put a hand on her forehead to know that she was running a fever, she was extremely sick. *Dammit Rodyle...* the Grand Cardinal hadn't stopped when the Dragon was shot down; he was out of site by now. Yuan flew back to his Renegades,
"Aura is very ill." Yuan explained, gravely, "We must get her to the Tethe'alla Renegade Base. Quickly."
"Yes, sir!" then they flew away together, in the direction of an arctic island. Taking Aura farther away from her friends.

But, where Yuan and the others had once been... was where an angel with Blue wings and Auburn hair paused. *...Am I too late...?* thought the Seraphim, looking back at the retreating Renegades. *...Yuan taking her is better than Rodyle or Lord Yggdrasill...* Then he turned, and flew towards Ozette.

"...Lloyd. Will you help Presea?" asked Regal quietly, after Rodyle was no longer in site. He turned back
"...Yeah." he walked to Presea, and put the Key Crest on her Cruxis Crystal, "I've carved the charm. With this, she should return to her real self."
The minute he'd set the rest on her it was like she woke from a trance. She shook her head, and looked at all of you confused,
"?..."
"Presea," asked Genis, "Are you okay?"
"...What? What am I doing?" she asked. Her voice had emotion now; it was filled with worry. She stiffened when she noticed someone wasn't there, "Where's my daddy?" Almost reluctantly, they lead her back to her home and into the room where a dead man was lying in the bed. Presea walked to the bed, staring at the body in horror. Regal walked with her, and stood behind her,
"I...What have I been doing?" she asked. She clutched her head and screamed.

Once Presea had calmed down Zelos and Lloyd dug the hole for the grave in her front yard. Raine and Sheena carried the body out, using the mattress like a stretcher so they wouldn't have to touch it, and tipped it into the grave. Genis worked with Presea to make a gravestone while Zelos and Lloyd filled the hole in again. They then jammed the stone into the ground, making a somewhat sloppy but recognizable grave.
"...Thank you for assisting me with my daddy's burial." Presea thanked softly,
"Have you calmed down a little?" asked Raine gently. She nodded once.
"I've...been a great burden on you all." she apologized,
"You remember?" asked Lloyd.
"Yes...mostly..." she responded,
"Why did you have an Exsphere like that on you?" asked Genis,
"I received it from a person named Vharley." Presea explained,
"I knew it... Vharley!" Regal cursed softly,
"I wanted to save my sick daddy." Presea went on, "I wanted to learn how to wield an ax. So that I could work in my daddy's place. So Vharley introduced me to Rodyle. And I was taken to the Research Academy in Sybak."
"The experiments on you were carried out by order of the Pope, right?" asked Zelos,
"Which means that Desian is in league with the Pope!" Lloyd concluded, referring to Rodyle as 'that Desian',
"Presea. Do you have an older sister?" asked Regal calmly. She shook her head, somewhat confused,
"No."
"Do you have any other family?" asked Raine,
"I have a younger sister. She left to go into service of a noble and that was the last I saw of her." Presea explained, "And my mommy died when I was a child."
"When you were a child?" asked Zelos with a light laugh, "Heh. You're still a child now."
"Oh...yes of course. That's right." she agreed,
"At any rate we can't just leave you here in this village by yourself if you have no one to turn to." Sheena told her,
"Yes. The people of this village seem to avoid her." Raine agreed sadly.
"I...uh...I'd like to go with all of you if that would be all right." Presea asked hopefully,
"Huh? Why?" questioned Lloyd,
"...It's my fault that Colette and Aura were taken away." she said, "So please let me help rescue them."
"Please allow me to come along as well." added Regal, "It seems that my fate is linked to your enemy. And...I have a debt to repay to Aura."
"Of course you're welcome to join us. Help us save Colette and Aura!" Lloyd smiled,
"I will!" Presea nodded,
"Thank you, I'm in your debt. I shall not betray your trust."
"Now, let's hurry and find Colette and Aura." Raine urged.
"All right. They headed east." Lloyd agreed, but then...