Bijin: Shameless advertising, I believe Ryou-Bakura called it? XD Yes indeed. Here it is, the sequal to Focus of a Soul, Focus of a Mind. I've been working on this for some time now, and I really hope it lives up to expectations. To be honest, this story is something of a completely separate story. However, it does build a little bit off of facts established at the end of Focus of a Soul. Plus, the story pulls from a history developed as a result of the first one. Other than that, it's a completely separate story.

I hope you guys enjoy it. There are a lot of parts, so it may take me longer to get through this one than it did before. Bear with me on that. XD Alright! Here we go!

A bird, wreathed in flame, wings unparalleled in stature rising from a powerful body...

"Two worlds were as one, though ravaged by war."

A large seven-limbed dragon lay low to the ground, talons shimmering and flames licking its lips...

"Separated to prevent their destrustion, though were brought together again."

A cat crouched and prepared to pounce, its eyes glimmering in the dim light...

"T'was a single sword, wielded by one and held up by three which saved this world not once, but twice, creating our world, Symphonia, and birthed the giant tree, Yggdrasil."

A dog howled at the moon, maw open and teeth glittering...

She shut her book and a finger pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "And thus was created the Four Immortals."

The lone listener glanced to the book, then gave a half-cocked smile at the reader. "It's a nice story, Maeve, but that's just a legend. There's no such thing as the Immortals. It's just a story made up by some priests to give Sylvarant hope. Why should we care about it?"

Maeve sighed. "You shouldn't be so quick to doubt, Rela!" She thumped the book with her hand. "There is real evidence that the Immortals existed! And if they truly are immortal, then they should still exist today!"

Rela fixated her with a stern look. "Any evidence that might've proven their existance is nearly three thousand years old. Not like we can depend on that."

Maeve sighed and leaned her chin on her hand. "I still say they're real."

"You would. Besides... even if they do exist- or did- they were supposed to be hope for Sylvarant. What reason would you have to care about Sylvarant? Something like the Four Immortals would mean serious problems for Tethe'alla."

Maeve shook her head. "You aren't getting it. In ancient times Tethe'alla and Sylvarant were in a war similar to the one we're in now. It was the sword... some kind of special sword that ended the war. And the Immortals are currently in posession of that sword. If they do exist, they have the potential to end the war a second time."

"Considering you're a Rations Coordinator, I'd think you would be one of the last people to wish for the end of the war. People like you and I benefit most from wars like this. At least in view of our livelihood."

"Rela... stop that. You know you wish for the war to end as much as I do." Maeve grumbled.

Rela shrugged and spun in her chair, intertwining fingers behind her head. "Yeah, well... I'd wish for a more rational and logical ending... not all this Immortal mumbo-jumbo."

"It's not mumbo-jumbo! They are a proven fact in the history books, and it is possible they still exist!"

"If they've supposedly been alive since the start of the war, why wait nearly three thousand years to act?" Rela inquired quietly. "If they are so great, why let the war drag on for so long, letting so many people die?"

Maeve looked down. "I... I don't know. They may have their reasons."

"Yeah? And they may not be as great as you think they are." Rela muttered, standing and heading to the kitchen. Maeve waited a few moments before she followed. "And this plan of yours is ludicrous." She retorted, pulling a bottle of water from the cabinet. "Going to Sylvarant to search for the Immortals? You're going to get yourself killed. Not to mention there are next to no ways to get to Sylvarant at this point. You know trades between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla stopped a thousand years ago. How do you expect to get over there?"

Maeve paused for a moment before she smirked. "Operation Dusk."

Rela spun on her heel to give her a wide-eyed look. "Are you crazy? You'll get yourself killed!"

Maeve sighed, looking down. "Rela... I'm not doing this to search for the Immortals. I don't plan on finding them. If people all over Symphonia couldn't find them in nearly 3000 years, I certainly have no chance to find them on my own. But something about Operation Dusk doesn't sit right with me. I don't trust the integrity of this entire issue, and it's time I found out more about what's going on."

Rela grabbed her roommate's hand. "Maeve... this war has lasted for nearly 3000 years as you said. This obviously is bigger and has more going on than you or I could ever know. What makes you think you have a chance of putting an end to it?"

"I..." Maeve ran her hand across the old text she had previously read. "I may not be able to do something on my own. My life is just one of the many millions of them who have come and gone. But... if I can help in any way, I have to. Everything like this has to start with someone, and if it's alright with you, I don't want to be one of the millions of gravestones which are perched around battlfields. I want to be someone who tried to end this rediculous war. If I find the Immortals, great. If I don't... I'll find another way. But I won't just sit around when I have the conviction and motivation to do something about this!"

"There's nothing here." He growled as he stared at the ruins. "Hima is gone. And it looks like it's been gone for some time. There aren't any bodies here."

"Couldn't they have been buried? You think too little of the human race."

"And you think too much. Your life with those two really did soften you up."

"How would you know? You didn't know me before then." The man chuckled, flicking silver hair from his eyes and curling a few locks behind long pointed ears. The young man was tall and thin, dressed in a way people would recognize as a rogue. Large folded over boots had large baggy pants tucked into them, shirt tight around the chest, though loose around the arms. A cape was hung from his back as a method of warmth, as were large gloves on his hands. Long silver locks hung from a well-rounded cranium, and stark blue eyes stared from beneath his bangs.

"Whatever." The other man grumbled. "This is all very suspicious. It is highly unlikely that King Tethea'lla would make this a target if there wasn't anything here. It would just waste manpower." The second of the duo's form was largely covered by a long dark blue cape, beneath it wearing protective leather, in a rather ornate fashion. Though it was indeed decorated with flair, the colors were faded through age, so all in all it was no longer overtly impressive. His head was decorated with long blue hair, pulled into a low ponytail around the area of his shoulderblades, deep green eyes perusing the area constantly. Upon the small of his back was mounted a weapon, somewhat large in size. Two blades sat on either end of a thick rod of steel, the decoration on the blades faded like his leather armor.

"True. It does seem a bit odd." Silver-haired one knelt, placing a few fingers to the ground. "If Hima has been reduced to rubble for so long... why would he include it in Operation Dusk?"

"I would assume it is some form of deception." The second muttered, crossing his arms and looking down in thought. "Though... I wonder... who is deceiving whom?"

"Don't you sound prophetic... um..." He paused. "What were we calling you again? Torone?"

"Yeah, and it would be good to remember the name, Kedamo. If anyone found out, war would possibly fall a few rungs on the priorities list."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Whatever. We already went through this." Kedamo waved a hand around.

"Indeed. Your ignorance of its importance shows that this is still a bad idea."

Kedamo's blase expression wilted to a more serious look as he spoke. "Listen... your reluctance to act is one of the reasons that he is so conflicted right now. You've caused a lot of suffering for him, and you should've known he'd blame himself for the situation." Kedamo stood and gave him a glare. "Try thinking about others a little more, Torone." He grumbled, using the assumed name as if to prove he understood what they had gotten themselves into.

"If you're trying to pin this on me, you've got another thing coming. I did the reasonable thing."

"Things have left the realm of reason, Torone. You should know that. We need to react to things as they come. I may not have been born with the ability to speak, but I assure you I understand the ways of this world no less than you do." He crossed his arms.

"Look... we're getting nowhere with this. We need to figure out what to do next." Torone growled. He grunted as a heavy arm was slung over his shoulders, and his body hugged by Kedamo.

"That's the spirit! Reacting to things as they come!" He cheered happily.

Torone forcefully shrugged his way out from under Kedamo's arm. "Knock it off. I think our best move would be to try and figure out why Hima is a target with its current state. It seems unlikely that King Tethe'alla would launch an attack without understanding the state of this place. So why would he order an attack on it?"

"Well, it seems to me that there has been some kind of miscommunication. King Tethe'alla thinks one thing and reacts to it."

"He wouldn't launch this kind of operation on a hunch." Torone put a finger to his chin.

Kedamo leaned his head on a fist. "I dunno... you know how rediculously clueless the Kings have been over the past several generations. In both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. All of them... complete dumbasses. You wouldn't think they'd have the brains to fuel a war."

"Either way... I think maybe we ought to try and dig up some information on the war's beginning. It seems that perhaps we'll learn more about the King's actions if we find out how the war started. The war has been a bit odd. Going on for so long and the lack of real gusto in both nations."

"Yeah. Plus there's the fact that the two nations started this war so soon after the Shadow's War. Something odd must've driven them to act as the two were recovering."

Torone sighed. "Asgard isn't too far away. Their archives should provide us with something."

"Cool! I haven't been to Asgard in years!"

"Secret resistance base, huh?"

His partner chuckled. "Yeah right. The only resistance this place ever had was resistance to a good cup of logic."

The first one raised his eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean? I grew up here, you know."

"Exactly my point."

The first one rolled his eyes. "You're a jerk, you know that?"

"You've been saying that for years." The second one shot back.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get going... Ryudo."

Ryudo fixed him with an odd look. "You're giving me orders now... Kaiji? Plus, if you put emphasis on my name like that, people here are gonna..."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Kaiji waved a hand at him. "Take your own advice why don't you?"

"That's enough of that. What are we, vultures? Let's go." Ryudo insisted, his feet cloding heavily on the rocks of the mountainside. He glanced off to the right, his eyes finding the brilliant clouds as they reflected the light of the rising sun, which still hid behind the horizon. The two of them found themselves a simple half-mile away from a rather large village. Few houses stood, from what they could see. War-torn and desolate, the area was spotted most frequently with tents, and large wooden make-shift pavillions. People bustled about as they made their way to salvage food or carry supplies. The village was nestled in the valleys which made up a small mountain range in the far western area of the Sylvarant nation, winding its way along with the valleys as it had expanded. The area they headed to was centered around a significant bonfire pit and a large pavillion, under which sat a group of people, though they could hardly get that far.

The clash of steel erupted before most could see what had happened, though they were far enough away from the entrance to avoid any real commotion being started. A young man had come at the front man of the twosome, Ryudo, sword blazing from his sheathe with a yell. Though it was simple enough for Ryudo to whip out his own weapon and parry. "You're an energetic one, aren't you?"

The young man said nothing, merely glaring at him through a small forrest of thick snowy hair. Eyes were an intense golden and a blue band had been tied around his head. Clothes looked old and ragged, shirt left open in the front though the opening had not originally intended to be there. It seemed as though his shirt had been ripped in half, leaving it a jacket of sorts. Pants were long and baggy, feet bare. "What business have you here?" He demanded deeply, his voice harsh.

Ryudo glanced back to Kaiji for a moment before pushing the young stranger away. "We've come as... refugees. My name is Ryudo and this is my younger brother, Kaiji." The younger of the two gave him a look, but Rudo ignored it. "We're here to help."

The young man lowered his sword, sheathing it and giving him a growl. "We don't need any strays. What village are you from?"

Kaiji stepped foreward. "We're drifters. We don't really have a village."

He scoffed. "Like I said, we don't need any strays. This is a village for those who have lost their homes. We don't have any extra provisions nor beds, so I suggest you get lost."

Kaiji growled. "Ryudo said we were here to help, damnit. We're not here to mooch off of you."

"Could've fooled me." He snapped. "I told you to get lost. Go!"

"Excuse me... I think that's enough of that behavior." A young woman's voice interrupted the rather unwelcome greeting, causing the group to look to a second white-haired youth.

"Lael!" The young man insisted. "They're drifters! We're a shelter for the homeless, not a camp for hitchikers."

Lael glared at him. "I believe Ethan is calling for your assistance... go busy yourself."

He huffed before storming off, disappearing around the edge of a large tent. Lael turned back and gave a bow, her golden eyes shimmering. "I'm sorry... you'll have to forgive my cousin. He... I grew up with him and I still have trouble curbing his anxiety."

Ryudo waved his hand. "A child living in this kind of time... anyone with a restless spirit would have trouble staying calm."

Lael blushed slightly. "Well... that's the sad thing. He's... he's not really a child. He's actually over 400 years old."

"Ah... elves then." Ryudo shrugged. "Still... that's somewhat young for an elf. And even if it wasn't... some childish spirits don't give way to age." He cast a glance over his shoulder and Kaiji growled. "Anyway... my name is Ryudo, and this is Kaiji. We're drifters who heard about this refugee camp and we've come with news and some extra hands to help out."

"Oh... of course. Follow me." Before she lead them anywhere, she gave something of a bow. "My name is Lael. I'm the leader of our little camp." She waved at them to follow as she turned. She gave them a once-over as they began walking. Ryudo was tall and strong, his body thick, red hair hanging wildly about his face and intense brown eyes staring out from behind messy bangs. He was dressed in rather typical clothing, long legs wrapped in pants stuck out from beneath a large over-hanging cloth which wrapped around his shoulders and covered his torso. A sword was sheathed at his hip, and his muscled hands hung beside it.

Kaiji was leaner in body structure, his form lithe, though still seemed strong. Two swords were sheathed at his hip, both of them hanging from a diagonal belt that dipped with his right side due to their weight. He wore a similar outfit, a black top above long brown pants and a long black cape enveloped his frame, tied tightly round his neck. His hair seemed as wild as his companion, though was brown in color, hanging uncontrollably about. They followed her in an observant silence, glancing around at the village until they were ushered into a small building, one of the few still standing. Several cots had been laid out; both silent and groaning men were held in each, wounds beginning to heal, or waiting to be treated. Kaiji looked to Ryudo for a moment before he sighed, looking to the floor.

Ryudo didn't answer the look in the other's eyes. What answer could he give him? Was it not all of their fault that this had gone on as long as it had? It seemed logical to think so. Though wallowing in self-pity would get them nowhere. He turned foreward and looked to Lael as she lead them into a back room, something akin to the ruins of a lounge.

Lael took a seat on the floor and motioned for them to sit as well. "What can I do for you?"

Ryudo spoke up before Kaiji could take a breath. The latter couldn't help but feel he did that on purpose, as though he wanted him to keep his mouth shut. "My name is Ryudo, and this is my younger brother, Kaiji. We're drifters who heard that this was a large refugee camp, and we felt that we could do some good here. Both of us are very skilled fighters, and we think we could probably help you out in some way. We also have some news we wished to deliver to the leader of the camp in private."

Lael pondered for a moment before smiling. "I suppose we could always use a few extra hands." She glanced to the tents nearby through the dirt-encrusted window, then back to them. "So... what's this news you've brought?"

Kaiji leaned foreward and ignored the stern look he got from Ryudo. "Before that, we were hoping we could ask you a few questions. To be honest, all we know about this place is that it's the main refugee camp still in operation. Most of the people came here after Hima was bombed. Could you tell us a little more about it?"

Lael shrugged and nodded. "Sure... Well, the village was originally called Iselia, and some people still refer to it as such. But it was wiped out somewhere during the war's start. That's as near as we can figure it out. The village was a fair size, so we decided that since it was a good distance away from Tethe'alla shores, it would make a good base camp. We tried rebuilding some of the homes as you can see, but over the years only a few have survived. Weather it be because of riots or war, most of the houses just haven't stayed up."

"Riots?" Ryudo repeated, an odd edge to his voice.

"Well... refugees panic easily. Riots are a commonplace. Specifically when something unexpected happens in a war of this nature." She shrugged and the two drifters exchanged a glance.

"What about its defenses?" Kaiji pushed. Ryudo elbowed him, though the younger one ignored it. "How well can this place stand up to an attack?"

Lael regarded him suspiciously for a moment, but she seemed to deem them trustworthy and pointed off to the left. "You'll have to talk to Kadeem about that. He's head of security here." She gave them a firm look. "Now... I would really like to know of this... this news you say you have."

The drifters once again exchanged a glance, and Ryudo was the first to speak. "Well... we are not... your average drifters. We don't just wander. We also do reconaissance. Mainly we've been trying to figure out what is truly going on. We suspect that perhaps more is going on in the governments than is being let on. We have several contacts in Tethe'alla, actually." Lael raised an eyebrow but he proceeded. "We've gotten wind of the sparse details on an operation Tethe'alla is about to put into motion. And it targets this village; Operation Dusk."

Lael sat up straight. "What? Targets this village?" She inquired, with an odd tone. She did not sound specifically angry... but faintly worried and concerned. "Why on earth would an operation target this place? We're just a refugee camp! What possible reason could they have?!"

Kaiji held up his hands. "We believe that the Tethe'alla government is under the impression that this village- along with Hima- is the base for a resistance against them. Where they could be getting this information, we have no idea. But we came here to warn you... we need to do something or once again, this village will be wiped out."

"Well, what can we do? We're a place where the homeless and injured take refuge. How could we possibly fend off the Tethe'alla military? All of Sylvarant doesn't have the power to force them back or the war would be over by now." Lael argued, resting her head in her hands. "What do we do?"

Ryudo sighed and stood. "The reason we are here is because we feel we have something rather important to offer in helping protect this place. Let us talk to the head of security and we'll figure something out from there."

Lael stood, keeping eyes to the ground and muttered simply, "He'll be in the small cluster of houses off to the left of this place. You can't really miss it."

Kaiji watched Ryudo head out before sighing and putting a hand to the elven girl's shoulder. "Hey... you shouldn't worry too much." Lael raised an eyebrow at him and he simply smiled. "Ryudo and I are much stronger than we look. Not only that, but we have a few other contacts." He looked down as well. "A long time ago... I lived in this place." His eyes were stern when he looked up again. "I won't let it go down so easily."

Lael watched them go, her golden eyes shimmering with tears. Though hope had indeed peeked into her mind at Kaiji's words, it was soon overwhelmed by the news. How heartless could that nation be? She stood and wandered into the medicinal tent, sitting in a chair, and placing her head in her hands. The next few days were sure to be long.

Kaiji cast a glance over his shoulder as they exited the building, and headed toward the indicated security area. "Are you sure it was a good idea to tell her? I mean... what if other people found out? She said these people are prone to riots."

"Listen. We can't very well stage a resistance if we don't have the support of the people who run this place. She was the only one we really could tell. Well... her and this Kadeem guy." He rolled his eyes. "Try and have a little confidence. If we don't appear as though we have things under control, how can we expect these people to keep it together?"

Kaiji was silent for a long time, Ryudo stopping to ask the occasional passer-by more detailed directions. Before long, they stood before the dilapidated door of a run-down house. The house itself could hardly be called as such, as the back half of it was missing. The front walls, windows, and a small bit of the side walls stood along the dirt road, forming something of a large gateway into an expanse of fence-enclosed grassy yard. As Ryudo was about to knock, Kaiji spoke up. "Are we doing the right thing, Dad? I mean... do we have enough power to give these people the protection we're promising?"

Ryudo sighed and turned, placing a hand on the young man's shoulders. "Since when did you start thinking about these things?" He joked quietly. His face went serious. "Look... we can only start by doing what we can. Didn't you say you didn't want to see any more suffering... Lloyd?"

"Yeah..." he looked down, then gave his father a stern look. "I suppose this is all we can do, eh?" Ryudo nodded before turning and knocking.

"You know... you'd think that these people would dust this stuff off once in a while." Kedamo coughed slightly as the text he flipped through let loose a small cloud of dust at the turn of one particular page. "I mean if this stuff is so important..."

"Shh!" Torone hissed, running his finger along a particular section of text."I found something. Copies of records from... well... back when we were part of general society."

"Torone... you were never a real part of society."

"Shut up." He growled, and began reading. "The start of the 2,500 year war."

Kedamo leaned over the table. "That's an old text. That thing must be around 500 years old."

"I suppose the people who wrote it, like everyone else in this world, thought that the war would've ended after 2,500 years." He shrugged and read on. "Though the reason has been lost, the current war was started shortly after the Shadow's War, in which Shadow Master Zelos and his Mistress Colette of Sylvarant created a violent clash over personal disputes." He stopped.

"Okay... I knew that Zelos was remembered as Shadow Master, but since when was Colette his mistress?"

"History has a strange way of twisting things." Kedamo retorted, leaning his chin on a hand. "And you might want to talk a little softer. The way you're talking, someone' going to figure out you knew these guys. Considering they've been dead for nearly 3000 years, that's a little odd."

Torone ignored him. "Well, according to this text, and every single other one we've read, the whole reason for this stupid war has been completely lost. And the Kings of the nations are too stupid to realize that there simply isn't a reason anymore."

Kedamo picked at his ear slightly. "I wouldn't simply chock it up to stupidity, Torone. After all, these people are humans. And although the Kings are rather deluded, I assume that they have some idea of what they are doing. There must be something more to it. Human stupidity certainly can cause something like this war, but it cannot maintain it as it has."

"Okay... let's get the facts straight, so we have something to report to the others." Torone laid his hands on the table. "Somewhere around three thousand years ago, 'Shadow Master Zelos' and Colette of Sylvarant caused a huge war. Though considering I knew them personally, there has to be even more than that to it. You and I both know that Zelos and Colette were smarter than to start a war on their own."

Kedamo rolled his eyes. "Colette, of course. But you have to remember that Zelos was an idiot."

"Not that kind of idiot." Torone argued. "Anyway... they erupted the two nations into a conflict which lasted several years and ended with their deaths. Only a few years later, it seems as though this war started, which seems odd to me. The two nations had just been in a violent war that no one saw as reasonable. Why would they go to war again so soon when it was obvious the two nations were only just beginning to recover?"

"Because... they're stupid?" Kedamo offered.

"Didn't you just say we couldn't chock it up entirely to stupidity?" Torone challenged. Silver-haired young man shrugged as he continued. "Anyway... the second war started and the two nations have been on a rollercoaster of going from bad politics to full-scale war for the past 3,000 years. For the past about... twenty years war has raged, though no one has won. Sylvarant has been completely devastated, but Tethe'alla hasn't struck a final blow. Even now they are targeting places where refugees hide. Nevermind attacking the weapons bases or barracks. Why go after civilians?"

"Both countries actions have been so odd..." Kedamo mused, a finger to his chin. "Either way..." He stood, stretching and placing his hands on the table before Torone. "We have about three days until Operation Dusk. And without flying, it's going to take us around that time to get to Iselia. Let's go, Yuan." He muttered quietly.

The one addressed paused for a long time. "We've got to do something about this, Noishe. There is so much more going on than meets the eye, and if we don't figure out what to do about it, this world..." He shook his head. "No... I can't think about that. Let's go."

Kedamo smiled and nodded, turning and running out the door, Torone in tow. It was going to be a long trip, and he had some time to think.

Alright! Chapter one done. I hope you guys liked it and look foreward to the next chapter! Woot. Review and tell me what you think!