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

QUIZ START: "Kate!" you sigh gratefully. After filing out of the Coliseum, you found Lloyd waiting outside with Kate who was unharmed.
"Thank you..." she mumbled to Lloyd, then gave you a reassuring smile.
"Now that we've rescued her, what is she going to do?" Regal questioned,
"Do you have any family?" Lloyd asked.
"My mother passed away. My father is..." she paused, "No."
"No? What do you mean?" Genis questioned,
"I have a favor to ask you. Please take me to Ozette." Kate seemed to ignore Genis' question. The little half elf looked to you, and you shrugged slightly,
"Ozette?" Lloyd questioned, "It's in ruins now. Are you sure?"
"Yes...please." she mumbled, "That's where I was born."
"Alright," you tell her, "If... if that's where you really want to go, we'll take you back."
"Thank you..."

After a long flight, you touched down in the ruins of Ozette. Kate sighed somewhat regretfully; her expression a mix of sorrow and mourning. She turned back towards you all,
"Thank you for saving me even though I was the one that experimented on Presea..."
"We're here because you helped us escape and you were about to be executed because of that," Lloyd said, "So we had to save you."
"Even if you know who I really am?" this question caused some confusion amongst you all,
"Who you really are?" the blonde chosen questioned,
"My mother was an elf. My father is human, and..." she paused and sighed quietly before she admitted, "Is currently the Pope of the Church of Martel." a silence of almost epic proportions gripped everyone for a moment.
"Your father is...the Pope?" Sheena asked,
"You're lucky you took after your mother." Zelos commented. The thought of a Human father and Elvin mother made you think of Yuan.... Your hand moved to your chest to hold your locket; you found yourself doing this whenever you felt nervous; the feeling of the smooth silver against your hand soothed you.
"I...is that all you can say?!" Genis demanded angrily, "He tried to have his own daughter executed! That's awful!"
"But it was the Pope who ruled that all half-elves who commit crimes are to be punished by death." Zelos informed him simply,
"What?!" Genis practically yelled, "Why did he do something like that when his own daughter is a half-elf?!"
"Hey, hey, don't get angry with me." Zelos ordered,
"I swear he'll pay for this." Genis swore under his breath.
"W...wait..." Kate argued. "Don't do anything bad to my father."
"Why?!" he demanded, "He's done bad things to you!"
"But...he's still my father..." Kate responded softly, "When my father ordered me to perform experiments to turn Exspheres into Cruxis Crystals. I was very happy. My father finally needed me..."
"You're selling yourself short saying it like that, Kate..." you mumble, pulling your hand from your locket slowly,
"I don't understand!" Genis exclaimed, "I can't understand that!" Raine laid a hand on his shoulder,
"Genis, calm down." she told him,
"But...!" he began,
"I think I understand a little." Colette voiced,
"Colette..." Lloyd turned towards her,
"When I thought that Remial might be my father, I was happy that my father had finally come to see me, even though I knew that the journey would end in death." she explained,
"I'm going to think by myself for a while about my father and half-elves..." Kate explained, "Thank you so much for saving me. And..." as she looked towards you her eyes fell on your locket. "Oh...?" Kate looked at your locket with interest, "That's...?"
"What?" you ask, "What's wrong?"
"Your locket...may I ask what it's made of?"
"S-...silver?" she asked.
"That's...May I see it, please?"
"So, you suspect it too?" Raine asked. You undid the clasp of your locket so she could take a closer look,
"Suspect?" Lloyd asked. You handed your locket to Kate, and she examined the charm with interest.
"!" she gasped softly, "It...it is!"
"Is what?" you asked,
"Flroenzite, yes?" Raine interrupted, "That's what you suspect it may be made from."
"I-it does have similarities but....th-that's impossible!!" she argued, "The last sources of Flroenzite were mined until there was nothing left....o...over..."
"The only way your locket could be made out of Flroenzite," Raine interrupted as you took your locket back from Kate, "Is if it what an Heirloom. Is it?"
"I...I don't remember." you responded, knowing that it wasn't an heirloom at all, "I'll ask my brother, but..."
"How can it be an heirloom?" Colette asked, "It's got Aura's name carved into it."
"....." Raine didn't respond to this,
"If you'll excuse me," Kate asked, "I need to go think for a little while. "But... Presea..." she looked towards the girl,
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry." she then turned and left, heading into the destroyed village.

"This is...sad." Colette mumbled, "Why do things wind up like this?"
"Two forces will always oppose each other." Regal agreed, "Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, elves and humans, heaven and earth"
"And those in the middle are sacrificed." Raine filled in, "Half-elves, the Great Seed, and the Chosen as well."
"It's wrong to say that someone can be sacrificed." Lloyd argued,
"You're treating someone like they're not a person at all." you agree, "Like they're... something disposable... It's terrible."
"But any time there are two people one will be sacrificed by the establishment of superiority. It's the same way with countries and worlds." Zelos commented, "Equality... is an illusion."
"Birth, status, appearance, race..." Sheena mumbled, "You're engulfed by these things."
"But...everyone has the same heart." Lloyd argued, "Everyone hurts when they're rejected."
"But people forget that." you tell him sadly. The look on his face was one of grudging agreement.
"The same...heart." Genis mumbled.
"Yes." Colette agreed with a small smile, "If only everyone could live thinking about each other like that..."
"Little by little...people can change." Presea mumbled.
"The only thing we can do is to believe in that and start doing what we can." the brunette boy finished.
"Yes." Raine finished with a nod, "What we can do right now is to release the Summon Spirits mana links."
"Yeah." Lloyd nodded in a determined manner. He sent a glance towards the waning sunlight on the horizon, "Let's stay at Altessa's tonight...And tomorrow, we'll get the blue candle from the Elemental Research Laboratory so we can form a pact with Shadow." everyone nodded in agreement.
Altessa was glad to see all of you, and was more than happy to allow you to stay for the night.