SPOILERS
Expiry Dates
Before I leave this world I, want to see it spin from out there,
Watch the colours swirl before we blow it into shades of black and gray
No wings and no gates, just skill testing questions and expiry dates
.:Prologue:.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
It had only been a week since one of Gaia's three moons had suddenly and unexpectedly broke apart from its parents, and it still hadn't shown much sign of direction. Of course the coming of the great separation was to be expected by the great Leads, only… not so soon.
The moons stability in clinging to each other continuously wavered through out the course of one of Gaia's years. The phenomenon had even spawned it's own occupation on the planet.
Known as Occulants. The people who studied the moons continuously updated the unfortunate habitants of the planet to there monthly changing's. For if one or all of them were to break apart and loose there orbital paths, then they would inevitably come crashing into Gaia, creating a break in the glass and destroying the planet, which would untimely result in the destruction of every planet and moon in the galaxy.
Gaia, also the word for Natural Mother in the Hethian speech, was the galaxy's heart and soul, or more importantly, it's life source. With Gaia unavoidably being placed in the center of the galaxy brought life to the worlds and moons surrounding it. Gaia was reason to believe on other planets and moons to be called, the sun. Gaia was made up of three layers. It's outer, interior and core. Its outer layer was a clear mirror, which amplified and conducted the far off stars light source, creating a blinding light and a source of heat to the galaxy's inhabitants.
The interior was where the life resigned. Life, known as the Brine, consisted of beings formerly known as humans. They lived on the soft interior in darkness, below the protecting boundary of the mirror. The mirror may have conducted light, but all it did was reflect it and its interior layer never received a drop of it.
To combat this darkness, Brine's brought forth the elements that Gaia bestowed upon them, and succeeded in creating a force known as technology. With their protection and light clearly secured, Brine's lived in peace on the desolate barren world of black and gray. With only there hopes and dreams to cling to as they looked on to there colorful partners in the sky, the three worlds that lived on as Gaia's moons, Derris-Kharlan, Tethe'alla, and Sylvarant. Together they made up the chain of Symphonia.
These three moons along with all other planets in there tiny galaxy found themselves wrapped in an endless struggle of tug o' war. Thus, Gaia's core came into play. In the very center of Gaia rested a massive sphere which held the invisible strands tied to each and every moon and planet which continuously tugged and loosened as the planets and moons rotated around the giant central planet.
The only problem that faced the world was the chain of moons that orbited around itself. These moons were strange somehow and held their own source of life and willpower. Over years of study, the Occulants and the Leads worked together in hopes of learning what it was that Symphonia had that kept the cores lines slack. Of course travel through the great mirror had been conducted many times, only to continuously come to the solid mass with strained hearts as the glass remained solid and unbreakable. All hopes of ever being close enough to the chain to try and tell whether there own world would ever be in danger by them had vanished, just like the simple lives the Brine's use to lead. Now, the majority of the brine population resigned away from the unnatural light the Leads had created for them. Instead they hid in their holes like rats trying to escape society and indulge themselves in drinking and partying. Allowing for the Leads to loose their sovereignty over them all and eclipsing into a state of drones.
The Occulants on the other hand, continued to study the chains progressions through out the years, continuing there monotonous inquiries to the uncaring public about what the moons were doing. It was up to them to keep the knowledge that there planet wouldn't be around forever especially if any of those moons were to strike the mirror and leak in the light of the stars which would slowly and completely consume the soft interior resulting in the destruction of Gaia and the destruction of every planet and moon in the galaxy.
Thoughts of this ever happening became a fairy tale as the centuries grew on and nothing ever happened. The practice of evacuation was doused, as the only vehicles capable of reaching the gap between Gaia and the moons could never be completed. As well as the lack of knowledge of just how strong the light the mirror consumed from the stars would be. Whether it could destroy their ships, or let them leave could never be found out until that fateful time, and even then it would be to late.
But in all hopes that this problem never succeeded in becoming a reality a lone group continued to upgrade there own ship in the latest technology that continued to come out of the Leads and Occulants in hopes of stopping the inevitable.
The girl had only but mounted her motorbike when a dark stranger rode up along side her.
"It has finally happened." The stranger began. "Derris-Kharlan has broken the chain and is heading straight for us."
It had been four years since Derris-Kharlan had broken away from the two worlds. A floating prison housing but one lonely soul who choose a selfless punishment for his self.
His world was made up of purples and grays now. With no immediate light or immediate darkness to fall into and escape. His thoughts rested on what he left behind, and the choices he made throughout his life. What had made him fall into this endless spiral of colourless emotions?
The man in question rested upon a large metallic dais. Starring out into what would most likely be oblivion, an endless stretch of stars with nothing but a lone sun to try and brighten his life.
Day after day now, the sun seemed to have gotten closer to his tiny planet. Not taking to much care into it he had fallen into more lapses of self-punishment. More thoughts of what life could have been like had his friend, Mithos, chose another road. He may have lived his life out with his wife Anna, and his only son, Lloyd.
But something was strange…
The suns light slowly peaked over the edges of the stained glass which kept him isolated inside the city and quickly forced the man to squint as the sun reached his cold eyes. Getting to his feet, and allowing the see through blue wings to appear from his shoulder blades he leapt to the air and floated over to the glass.
Derris-Kharlan had grown terribly close to the sun now. The heat from it could be seen eating away at what remained of the planet's barren surface.
"Heh, well it looks like my end is near." He turned his back on the raging inferno in front of him as the planet neared even closer.
"I'm sorry, Lloyd, for having brought you into a world such as this." Kratos Aurion said sadly as the suns light and heat engulfed the darkness, as sun and moon collided.
"Whoa! What the hell was that?" Lloyd Irving, now a twenty year old man exasperated as he pulled on the great dogs fur to stop the beast.
"Whine!"
"Oh, sorry, Noishe." Lloyd patted the harmed spot on the dog's neck as it cried in forgiveness to his friend.
"But what's going on. It's to early for an eclipse." The sun's light had completely gone out sending the afternoon sky of Sylvarant to go black. A sudden quake soon followed as if a sonic blast had gone off somewhere on the small planet.
Almost as soon as the planet was sent into darkness light from the sun flew back on, almost like someone had simply blown out a candle and then re-lit it.
"What is going on around here?" Kicking his mount into forward motion he then headed on towards the city of Palmacosta, to where the brand new observatory had been resurrected in hopes of studying more of the worlds around them. "Maybe Zed picked up some information."
Two worlds rested in confusion, one in ruin, and another in panic, the rest in total annihilation. Thus the beginning of the Apocalypse had begun.
Author's Note:
First the disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from the game Tales of Symphonia or any of the worlds created in that amazing game. I do own however the people and places unknown to the game. All else resides to the company of Namco.
Expiry Dates is a fabulous song by JoyDrop. Song title and lyrics are directly quoted from that song.
Now, notes on the story:
I just recently beat Tales of Symphonia, 43 hours was my playtime before I completed it. It was a fantastic game and I encourage many people to play it, although I certainly hope that if you're reading this than you have played the game to completion otherwise you're going to be quite upset with me as there are spoilers in this story, as indicated at the top.
If I receive any flames pointing out that I spoiled something, I will completely ignore you and simply point at the SPOILERS sign at the top of each chapter and simply say, "You are a dumbass." So please don't waste my time or your time in doing this. Finish the game than come and read the story. That's what I did before I came to want to read any fanfics for the game. Heh. Anyways, please RxR. Any comments or questions I'll gladly answer. Enjoy the rest of Expiry Dates!!