Tales of Legendia

Chapter 1

The Reunion

Another day, another hunt.

Man, it's hard to believe that time has flown by so quickly. I can't even imagine what it must feel like for the others. After we defeated Schwartz, the Goddess of Time, I, Senel Coolidge, and all of my friends had returned to our every day lives, as mundane as it may seem.

But to be honest, I like it here. And I never really thought I would.

I've grown rather fond of the rustle and bustle-but also the sudden bursts of quiet and calm-that cycle through the beautiful town of Werites Beacon, here on the massive Legacy. Needless to say, all of my friends remained here, too.

That is, except for one.

Norma went off on a trip around the world, hoping to scurry the depths of all the dungeons to seek out more treasure (even though, let's be honest; we all blew through practically every corner of every dungeon on our first trip around the Legacy). Will is still the sheriff of Werites Beacon, but recently, he's been requesting more and more time off, so he can spend some quality time with his only daughter, Harriet. Moses, Csaba and the gang are still stationed at the entrance to the Lighthouse, but they never steal anything from the city. If they did, I'd have to hurt them. Badly.

Jay went back to the Oresoren Village, living with Quppo and the gang. I figured that'd make him the happiest, really. After all, he's been around them since he was young. Shirley has taken the unquestioned role as the ambassador between the Orerines and the Ferines, doing what she can to sever the ties of hatred between the two races by uniting the people all around the world in terms of acceptance. Honestly, I envy her. I knew she had it in her all along, too, but all this time, she was just too shy and too scared to face the pressure. But now, she's grown up so much, and I think I have all of the others to thank. And Chloe...

Chloe...

"Are you all right?"

"...Please. Just...let me stay like this...for a while."

Chloe...I don't know why, but every time I think of Chloe now, those memories flash back into my head. That moment we shared in the Forest of No Return after she almost killed Alcott, and we saved her from the darkness that shrouded her heart. We released her from her quest for vengeance; she realized that it wouldn't have brought her happiness. Only more hatred for herself. And I wasn't about to let my friend suffer through that kind of pain, seeing as she was still deeply pained by the murder of her parents, even then. She went back home, back to Gadoria, to do exactly what she said she would do someday.

She went to restore the House of Valens.

I know I should be happy for her, and I am...but why do I feel like I need to see her so badly? Why am I convinced that I need her around, so I can see her face every day? I mean, it's not that I wouldn't mind the company, but...I've never really felt this way before. Except for...

Stella...

It's been almost two years since we all went our separate ways. But even to this day, it still bothers me. Her absence bothers me. I don't know why, but I really want to know. Lately, when I sleep, I have...dreams about her. I start to think about her a lot, too. Even while I'm hard at work, she's in my head. Circling through like a vicious hurricane that fails to cease. My heart endures pain every time I think of her, too, but again, I'm not sure why. I don't understand these feelings, seeing as it's been so long since I've had them for anybody. Stella was my one love, I know...but she wouldn't want me to stay like that forever, would she? She would want me to move on and find happiness.

...Right?

"Senel?"

I flinched slightly at the sudden calling of my name. I turned in the direction of the voice, only to see my good friend, Jay.

"Jay? What're you doing here?"

He puffed playfully. "Well, it's good to see you, too. It's been almost two years since we've seen one another, and all you can say is 'what're you doing here?'"

Though his words seemed agitated, he kept a smile the whole time. I was relieved he wasn't mad. I have a bad habit of just blurting out words when something startles me.

"It's good to see you again, Jay. What brings you to Werites Beacon?"

"Actually," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a blue envelope with a gold-stamp seal, "I brought this for you."

"What is it?" I asked, taking the envelope from his hand.

"It's a letter from an old friend of ours. A Ms. Chloe Valens."

My eyes shot up at his face the moment he said it was from Chloe, and I think my heart skipped a beat or two. I was excited to hear from her again. Actually, I don't think excited would be the right word to use. I was more overjoyed.

"I'm on my way to deliver the same letter to everyone else," Jay continued, "so I should probably get going. I'll see you in a few days."

I blinked in confusion, looking at him with confused eyes. "Why a few days?"

"You'll know when you read the letter. 'Til then, Senel."

He dashed off in the opposite direction of Fallingwater, where I was currently standing by the spring. I flipped open the envelope and pulled out the letter. My eyes skimmed through the words on the page in front of me:

"Coolidge,

I have written this letter to formerly invite you as an honorable guest of the House of Valens. With the two years that have passed, I have done absolutely everything I could by myself to restore my family's house to its former glory. And now, the maids, butlers, and guards of the house have insisted that I, as the new leader of the Valens' household, should hold a celebration in honor of our accomplishments. Therefore, I wanted to invite you-along with all of our other friends-to celebrate the restoration of the House of Valens. I sincerely hope to see you there."

-Chloe Valens

Typical Chloe. She couldn't just write me a letter saying, "Hey, come to Gadoria and show up at my party!" She had to write a long, detailed report to go with the point. I laughed slightly after reading the entire letter.

I was excited to go. Not just because I had never been to Gadoria, or because I was getting to see all of my friends again, but because I was going to be able to see her again. Chloe. My old friend. My trusted companion.

And for some odd reason or another, the woman I have been dreaming of relentlessly.