Lloyd's face blanked as Kratos started to talk. The familiar way he referred to Lloyd's father made it sound like... he knew him? Not just in passing, either. Not if he was talking about Lloyd's father's loyalty, his students, his battles with-

When did I-?

Months. Kratos had known his father for months, and he hadn't said anything-

I.

Not unless I want-

Something inside Lloyd seized. "What... What're you saying?" His heart was pounding, almost deafeningly loud, and the world rocked unsteadily beneath his feet. It sounded like Kratos was saying he... was referring to himself as... But he couldn't be. Lloyd had to be hearing something wrong. Why would Kratos claim he was...? "You're...?" He couldn't even form the words in his mind, let alone say them out loud. If he said them, he didn't know what would happen to his world. Besides, it couldn't be true. The doctor had told him they'd taken his father's Exsphere, and Kratos still had-

-a bandaged hand.

Lloyd inhaled sharply, his world graying a bit at the edges. He hadn't actually seen. Kratos had just said he'd been attacked. 'Attacked' would be a good word if-

Stop it! Stop jumping to conclusions! You don't know!

His voice shook when he tried to speak. "Sh-show me your hand!"