Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Is that the same as hello, or does it have a different meaning?" Caedus replied a few seconds later. He had been nearby, sitting on the ground and resting against a sizeable boulder that had done well to conceal his form.

He stood, one hand resting strongly on the boulder to support himself as he rose. He had grown more confident with visitors; he shied away only sometimes now, but he found himself generally ready and willing to greet those who approached. Very few, if any, had left him feeling uncomfortable or wary—and though this Knight looked paranoid, he did not look frightening.

But Caedus was more wary with him than he was with most, and he did not approach. He kept the boulder between them, resting his hand atop it for a bit of added support.

Caedus watched for a moment, cleared his throat, and then said, "I did not mean to startle you. I am sorry. You all have accents to me, so I cannot tell them apart. Thank you for the clarification."

He seemed concerned that the knight before him was still uncomfortable, so he took careful effort to keep his distance so as not to distress him further. People were unpredictable when they were too emotional. When they were afraid.

He did not want to instigate anything.

"I will tell you of the Rift. It is…vile. You will not like what I have to tell you of it, but before I do know only that the Castle is not located in the Rift, exactly. It is…in a protective bubble. In a way. I feel it important to clarify that they might as well be two locations. Even if both are in a strange, pocket space of Chaos."

Slowly, Caedus' head tilted.

"I would not take you to the Rift. I would take you to the Castle. There would be agents there, I think. But I do not think Metallia would have body guards. She is overconfident. She thinks she is safe there. You would stand a chance there. Especially in numbers." He tried to sound reassuring.

"I would not risk you wandering into the Rift. I would not condemn you to that. I would put you in front of the door to the Castle. So you could strike hard, and fast. Unless…" he paused, still watching the page. "…If you are frightened, you do not have to go…"

"…That is a weapon?" Caedus asked after a few seconds of analyzing the skull. He kept an intent gaze, as if trying to decipher some puzzle. Finally, he seemed to give up. "…I am afraid you were cheated. Perhaps you will find a use for it, yet. Do not give up. Perhaps…"

Even Caedus faltered. "…Perhaps, in time, it will surprise you. But—I would not condemn you to the wrath of the Negaverse, should your attack fail. With enough energy, a door in and out can be maintained. For a short while, but it should be enough. I have faith."

Hesitantly, Caedus reached out to hold the skull. He held it gently, between both hands as though he were afraid to drop it. His eyes glanced from it to Paris' pink cheeks, and then back to the weapon.

"Do you like skulls? It seems to bother you," he mused, gently stroking what might have been a thumb over the smooth surface.

"…Good people rarely see the point to fighting. They would resolve things with words and diplomacy. But it is evil that forces their hand. It would be better if no one fought, but there is always someone, somewhere, willing to throw their weight around to get what they want. Desperation, or greed, can drive people to do terrible things. The Earth is thankful to have protectors. Do you know why you have this skull?"

Caedus was rolling it over in his hands, still inspecting it.

"…In older times, I knew a Knight who had a feather. It was large, perhaps the size of your arm, but it was fragile. He could not fight with it. The tip was not even sharp. I asked him of it, and he told me that it was not the weapon that mattered, but how you used it. I saw him fight, only once. But I knew what he meant. He was, perhaps, among the most skilled warriors I have ever seen. Perhaps you have inherited a power like that."

He moved to hand the skull back. "I would not worry yourself with it. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Caedus grumbled for a second, searching for the name in his mind. Finally, he managed a thoughtful, "Argolith, I think. It is foggy in my mind. He was a good man. But I think it is important that you do not compare yourselves to others. I am sorry to hear you have such a morbid weapon. I hope it serves some greater purpose than just to worry you. There is still time for you to learn. To fight with your fists, or any other method you need. There is no limit to what you can learn. Do not be so hard on yourself. Is there anything you enjoy about being a Knight? Certainly, skull or not, it cannot be so awful. What is your favorite part about it?"

"It is not a dumb question," Caedus assured, almost gently. "No question is dumb. The pursuit of knowledge is respectable." He smoothed the front of his badly worn, tattered robes with a tired gesture as he pondered a fuller answer for the Page. Caedus seemed almost discouraged by the worn fabric and rubbed a bandaged finger of an old stain. "They were protectors, that I know of. Entrusted to guard an old power. Some of them had more than one job. Some were pillars in their community. I knew Kings who served the Code, and I knew peasants. I know, with certainty, that they were tasked to guard a sacred location, and a power within it. The Code…or, whatever power it holds, is one of the great powers of the universe. It flows through the universe, like blood through a body. I always thought of it like that, at least." He shrugged. "And, like the body, if you lost too much of it, the body failed. Protecting the Code was protecting the universe. Ensuring that the 'Balance'—that was very big, they spoke of it often—was met. I wish I had met more Knights. I wish I had a better answer for you."

He seemed apologetic, but was focused on a split thread. He tugged at it and then seemed to give up on improving his appearance. "I miss my bed," he affirmed. "I miss being groomed. I miss feeling presentable, and proud. I look forward to those things. I look forward to seeing how we have advanced, and I look forward to seeing my people. But I look forward to feeling like me again." He sighed. "…If that is not too terrible a dream. I wish to be the man I was again. I hate to be so weak."