And here it was, the so-called moment of truth. Kratos bowed his head briefly and then turned on the spot to face Lloyd. His lips thinned to a line - a near-grimace - as he slowly unwrapped the bandage on his left hand, shook it out, and then neatly folded the cloth up so he could drape it over his arm. He brushed his fingers lightly across the top of the Exsphere and the skin around it, as if to make sure it looked presentable, before wordlessly raising his flashlight and extending his hand, palm down, toward Lloyd for his inspection.

The crystal was blue, the same as the one now in Lloyd's possession, but did not shine nearly as brilliantly; in fact, most of the light was reflected off of the thin, glassy ring of aqua green surrounding it, a thin ring that soon gave way to an intricate network of precise, straight cuts on Kratos's skin that stood out more starkly under the light without a Key Crest to hide them. They had mostly closed up by now, but here and there, the scabs were cracked from when he'd clenched his fist too tightly, exposing the angry red underneath.

He waited in silence, jaw taut and back ramrod straight, knowing what would come, and braced himself for the blow.