A/N:

I normally wouldn't have bothered making a story out of it, but the images I got from this idea and the generall scenes that played out in my mind were that strong, that I had to write down a general outline of the story. Well and after that it just became too interesting to imagine all the scenes in more detail.

This is my very first fanfic. Especially the first fic I ever wrote in english. I don't know if it was a good idea to began my first fic with my biggest writing project yet, but screw that. I wanna do that, I'm gonna do that.

I encourage every single one of you to write a review. I welcome any kind of criticism that shows a few suggestions for improvement. But you're free to simply drop a comment if you did or did not like the story so far.

Also, I have no problem with another author writing a story somehow basing or relying on the same ideas and generall setting I use in this story. I'd just like to be informed - mainly to read the heck out of the story and see how someone else would pull of a story in that scenario ;-)

Warnings:

1) I found the names of the dragons to be slightly awkward to be used in conversation, so I went and named them after their Valkines. I hope it's not that much of an inconvenience to read.

2) No chapter I write is ever final until I have written the last chapter. And even then it's very likely I'll rewrite the first few chapters after I'm finished. I read over my chapters quite often at the beginning and always find one or two things I'm not 100% happy with. Most of the time it's simply a few words or a sentence that I rephrase to fit better.

Pairings:

Cheria + Asbel obviously and Hubert + Pascal. To prevent confusion, since I've seen a few authors that had to deal with some questionable assumptions: This is not intended and never will be intended to contain a Asbel+Richard pairing. They are very good friends on a deep level, but that's about it. If this doesn't float your boat, well there is quite a lot of that around on this site.

Summary:

Setting around a year after L&L, this is mostly kind of an adventure story. It centers around the three Valkines dragons and what would have happened, hadn't the group defeated those three in their weakened form (Remember, the Valkines didn't have any Eleth and I heavily rely on a connection between the amount of Eleth in a Valkines and the strength of its dragon) to prevent them from wreaking havoc on the world. It has a tad...screw that, it has an intense apocalyptic feeling and there is quite some destruction going on. Meaning I destroy quite a lot of the original world at some point. Though most of the damage is done (or explained) in the chapters 1 to 4.

Well, let's get on to the disclaimer.

Disclaimer:

I actually don't own shit...except this very story. Every original game-character and the world itself, as well as all the praises, offerings and other kind of worshipping belong to Namco and every other person/firm/creature that was somehow involved in the creation of this incredible game named Tales of Graces.

Chapter 1: The dragons uprising - The arrival of the apocalypse

~ Fendel ~

Fury.

That was the only word to describe the emotions that held residence in the heart of the entity that was housed inside the great Valkines Forbrannir.

Red scales covered his mighty body, with sharp edges that would cut everyone that was dumb enough to lay hands on this awe-inspiring creature. Four razor-sharp claws, each the size of a human, were attached to every single one of his four limbs, making a great pair with his equally sharp, but only half as big teeth.

Fury was what fueled the increased recharge speed of the Valkines, increasing the power of the dragon with the same name all the same. Two years he had waited, until he was sure that he had recovered enough to do what he had to do. Two years after those arrogant humans had dared to steal the Eleth that had been stored inside of Forbrannir over the course of hundreds of years. What had happened was a sin beyond words and needed retribution. Not only because it harmed the dragon, but also because Eleth was the very core of every living thing. Stealing it meant destroying infinite potential lives that yet had to form themselves. In a way, humanity had dared to attack a Valkines as well as its guardian and also had slaughtered countless lives without any purpose.

His blood boiled at the thought. They were going to pay for this with their lives. Ephinea would be a better place without them.

The light inside the Valkines, that seemed to come from every place inside it at once, flickered slightly as the mighty creature lifted its majestic, red wings. The time for waiting was over. The Valkines was recharged and its own power, though still much lower than before the drainage, was at least partially restored. Now he had to do what had to be done. A beastly scream left his mouth that would have terrified anyone who would have been able to hear it. Seconds passed in silence. Then, faintly, the dragon could hear other screams, as if in far distance, answering his own.

And Forbrannir grinned.

Outside of the Valkines, the Fendelian scientists were confused. They had been observing the Amarcian machinery that heated water for the population in Fendel when Forbrannir had started to emit an intense, crimson red light. While it was a beautiful sight to behold, its sudden appearance didn't make sense to any of the scientists. The light became brighter every second, alarming the scientists who registered the steadily increasing Eleth output of Forbrannir. The temperature in the room increased until it was nearly unbearable as the output reached dangerous heights. But before any of the people there had the chance to notice that this was the least of their problems, a sudden, fiery explosion burned them to ash.

~ Windor ~

"These storms are starting to become really dangerous," said Asbel Lhant, current lord of the Lhant region in Windor.

He was young and barely had passed 21 winters. Too young in the eyes of many, to reign a whole dukedom. But there was a wisdom in his eyes, one clear blue, one deep purple, that surpassed his own years by far and silenced most of the complaints. It was the wisdom of a man who had faced many battles, seen all the wonders of the world, faced betrayal and hurt in large amounts and survived against all odds, repeatedly. It were these eyes, that looked out of his study in lahnt manor with concern in them, as the morning wind blew through the city with strength that nearly pulled trees out of the earth. His body, still wearing his own unique knight academy uniform, turned to look at the second person in his chair in the dim-lit study. Most would have found the gesture of sitting in the chair of a lord in his own study quite outraging. But how could Asbel possibly turn down a wish from his own wife, Cheria Lhant.

"The storm will soon be over Asbel, don't worry," answered her soft voice.

She was dressed in the attire she had worn ever since she had met Asbel for the first time after seven years of separation. She always had to snicker when she remembered how she had no idea why she decided to wear these clothes back then and had been slightly self-conscious about them. Especially when a small breeze let her notice just how much shorter that skirt actually was than it looked. Afterwards, during their fights against Lambda she had just never seemed to have the time to really change her attire. Well and after that, all she wanted was simply to catch Asbel's eye, which her outfit seemed to do for her. A power she had observed a few times during their traveling together.

She noticed that her words didn't have the desired effect when he turned to watch the window again. Calmly she stood up, making her pink hair whip a little, walked in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, in a loving and intimate embrace. A small shiver rushed through his body as her soft brown eyes locked with his. This led a smile across her face while his muscles relaxed and returned her embrace. She loved the way she could affect this strong man, who had the confidence to confront worlds solely for what he believed in was right. Even after a year of marriage he still couldn't get rid of these small things, which maybe was a good sign.

"Still it is...strange. The spring storms have never been that strong before."

"It will be fine. We always had a few stronger storms in spring. It just appears that this year there will be more of them."

Asbel really hoped she was right. Still, he had this small feeling of foreboding, as if something just around the corner prepared to bring chaos in his finally peaceful live. He had no desire for that. In fact, he could do without a major adventure for a while, as his memories of his struggle against Fodra were still somewhat fresh, even after over a year. Not to mention the fight against Lambda. His life had just finally gotten settled. And with Cheria and Sophie around, time just flew by. Not that he didn't have other things to do. His job as a lord proved to be quite stressful, but it gave him some kind of fulfillment, like he had finally found the place he belonged.

"Have you heard of Hubert and Pascal lately?" he tried to change the topic of conversation to something more uplifting.

Talking about the crazy amarcian women and his little brother always lifted his spirits a bit. After the adventure on Fodra, the two had eventually become a couple and... oh boy, what a couple. How exactly Hubert managed to get it through Pascals incredibly dense head that he loved her was a miracle that none understood except the two of them. It didn't help that the pair refused to talk about it, though their reactions to the questions were quite different. They usually made Hubert wear his most intense form of crimson on his face as he became a stuttering mass of nervousness, while it placed a bigger than normal goofy smile on Pascal's face when she answered with a finger placed on her lips to signal silence with a knowing wink. The only thing Asbel could ever find out was that it somehow involved a few cherries and lots of bananas and that he wasn't really sure if he wanted to know how exactly they were involved.

Anyway, those two simply were made for each other, even if the political world in Strahta seemed to think otherwise. It had made for quite a scandal when Hubert downright refused the marriage proposal made by the president, with Pascal at his side.

"Well, nothing dramatic in the last few days. At least nothing too dramatic. I mean, it's Pascal were talking about. She does something crazy every couple of days. Yesterday she wrote that she blew a small hole in the ruins around Duplemar when she went there visiting with this robot-copy of yours. Guess the cooling system she added to him didn't really endure that much heat."

They both snickered at the image of a smiling Pascal explaining to the Strahtan military why exactly her robot just blew up. And the military personnel, as they couldn't make sense of a single word the Amarcian said. It really took some time to understand this woman.

Silence was their companion as they stood there embracing each other, both of them enjoying being near the other. It was all too soon interrupted as Bailey rushed through the door.

"My lord! It's urgent! A giant green dragon is attacking Barona!"

Half of the Lhant military was ready for departure within an hour after Asbel issued the command, while Asbel and Cheria equipped their old, but still useable battle gear. For Asbel that simply meant exchanging his normal sword for day-to-day use with the sword of his father - The eleth sword Excalibur. Having acquired it a few years ago during his fight against Lambda, it was still just as sharp as the day he had it repaired. It's sheath, still colorful as if to spite its incredible age, felt cool and smooth against his skin as he attached it to his belt.

Cheria simply got her dagger, which she used for her attacks, by making short-lived replicates of it with the eleth surrounding her and throwing them. She kept it hidden beneath her clothes, since skin contact to the replicated object was needed for the process. And it was always better to give enemies less information. It also had the perk of letting her husband imagine where she could hide such a dangerous weapon, something she kept very well hidden from him. A relationship needed some secrets after all.

After having equipped everything and a few small kisses, they turned and left the manor to stand in front of the already assembled troop of soldiers.

Most of them couldn't really believe the civil messenger, that had apparently set sail in the early afternoon to get to Lhant in spite of the storm around Barona. He had been well on his way when the creature had appeared and let him witness the attack from a far distance. But it was not this quite incredible amount of luck that the soldiers had trouble believing in. Rather, it was the content of the message. Sure, they did know wyrms existed despite not having ever seen one. But a wyrm that was around the size of four to five houses? There had to be some imagination in this message. However, none of them would refuse their lord, especially one they respected so much; even though most of that was due to Lord Aston's good leadership. Still, they placed great hopes in his son.

Asbel and Cheria, as well as half of the soldiers, would depart to Barona through the roads to Gralesyde and a messenger was sent forward to Duke Dalen to inform him of their intrusion and their reason. The storm around Lhant's coasts was too strong to risk traveling via boat. It might have saved them a few hours but would sooner lead to their own demise instead of saving them time. The intrusion via land however could be seen as an affront to the Duke, but Asbel was sure he would forgive that. Dalen might not be his friend, but both of the lords treated each other with great respect since the Fodra adventure. And they also trusted each other to a certain amount, which was a somewhat uncommon relationship between the local lords. However, inwardly Asbel dreaded if those few hours they lost by traveling through the Duke's lands could, in the end, decide the fate of the life of his best friend, Richard. He didn't like worrying for the life of his friend. However, it calmed his nerves to know that Sophie was there, having gone to visit Richard for a while just before the storm had started. Sophie, despite having merely the looks of a teenager, was one of the strongest fighters in the kingdom; maybe even the world. It added to his worries that she was in danger as well, but he was confident that the two of them would make it.

As they made their way through the streets to Gralesyde, with him and Cheria at the top of the military, questions about this threat to Barona came up in his mind. What was this wyrm? Where did it come from? And especially: Why did it attack Barona? Why now, after the kingdom finally had found peace?

His questions went on as they traveled further, the wind blowing directly in their face as if to stop them. Fortunately, all of his soldiers were quite strained by marching against this force of nature and warmed by the energy they used up. Otherwise most of them would've started to shiver within a few minutes as the wind stole their heat with each blow. They reached Gralesyde city after far too long for Asbel's taste, the sun already slightly after its peak, signaling that the mid of the day had just passed. However, they wouldn't rest here. He commanded his men to march through the city without rest. They could not make a stop here while their king's life was in danger. His plans were to march the whole way to the capital with a small stop in front of the capital itself. That would mean that he wouldn't give the Duke a small visit to explain the threat for Richard and his own behavior further, but time was running out, he just knew it. He could not dare to waste it. But his plans changed when he received a surprising message. Though it wasn't the message that surprised him, but rather the messenger.

"Asbel!" he had barely turned when a purple-headed mass threw itself at him. Purple eyes, Sophie's eyes, looked at him with a happy expression.

"Sophie!" he added, just as well happy to see his adoptive daughter and friend again.

She looked enchanting. Her purple hair flowed behind her like a waterfall, following her every movement gracefully. Fitting for her height, she wore a modified version of the white dress she had worn after they defeated Fodra. Chainmail cushioned with leather was hidden underneath the soft outer cotton layer. Despite weighing the same as a small adult, the heavyness of the dress-armor didn't show in her movement. They were as graceful as ever since the moment she had fused with the Little Queen. But besides the enchanting hair and her graceful movement the little queen had given her several other gifts. Sophie was now, as far as all the others were concerned, a complete human being. Despite that, several of her humanoid characteristics did remain, such as her physical and magical powers and her body being unaffected by the passage of time.

Her ways of expressing emotions had increased to an astonishing amount, and she herself had said, that everything now felt more intense to her. And ever since her fusion she also had a little glow around her that managed to draw other people in and raise their spirits.

This effect wasn't lost on Asbel. It relieved him to see her again and for a moment he wanted nothing more than to hug her longer and smile, all his worries about her gone. But after a small pause of relief, he started to add "what are you doing here? I thought..." He was quickly interrupted.

"Asbel, we have to go to Wallbridge! We ran from the capital but monsters attacked us. Richard is protecting the people who went with him. But he needs our help!"

Asbel needed a few seconds to react, but before he could utter a single word, Cheria, who was at his side, had already turned to the soldiers and raised her voice in a tone that allowed no disobedience.

"Soldiers, we need to move faster! We have to help the king!"

They agreed with a shout and increased their pace. Their surprise at the way the lords wife was able to be so commanding had long ago disappeared, though it never ceased to surprise Asbel. Before, everyone had been so used to her being rather kind and helping and always a bit uneasy from the years before the Lambda incident. During Cheria's relationship with her now-husband however, that had rapidly changed. And even if this confidence was rarely demonstrated via commands, it still showed just how much she had developed in those years from the nice girl next door to the proud woman at the lord's side. Or sometime it was the lord that was at her side, depending on the circumstances.

As they continued the now quickened march, Sophie told Asbel and Cheria what had happened in more detail. Apparently, Barona's Valkines Gloandi had started to emit a strange light the day before. Everyone in the city had wondered what that meant and if it stood in relation to the sudden increase of winds and storms all over Windor, but otherwise didn't pay any particular attention to it. Later on, several pressure waves, as if from an incredible explosion, had raged through the city, destroying most of it in an instant and hitting the citizens of Barona completely unprepared. Many people died in this moment, before they even had the chance to understand what hit them. But before the survivors could do what the dead could not, a giant green dragon had appeared above Gloandi, accompanied by groups of smaller dragons, or rather wyrms. It had watched the city for a moment and then started to attack, flying over the town and setting everything on fire with his breath, fueled by strong winds. These winds had followed the dragon everywhere and tossed and turned everything that got in its way, proving to be much more dangerous than the fire itself by smashing several people against the ruins of the city. And in the parts the green dragon didn't pay attention to, his smaller but still dangerous companions wreaked havoc.

Richard had very few moments to react and he had done the only thing that seemed reasonable in this state: Evacuate the city, rescuing as many people's live as possible and retreating via land to Gralesyde. With what was left of the guards and every other still existing and available fighting force he had, he protected his people as they made their way out of town, always fighting against wyrms that wanted to stop these humans from fleeing. Luckily, while they had made their way out of Barona, the green dragon didn't seem to follow them. Still, the soldiers had their hands full fighting the smaller wyrms on their way to Wallbridge, dead set to prevent these wyrms from exterminating every human in sight. Sophie ,who had initially helped the soldiers, had been sent to Gralesyde to ask for reinforcements the moment they reached Wallbridge, since she could move faster than anyone else. And in fact, it had only been a few minutes for her when she had reached Gralesyde and a surprised Asbel.

As if to back Sophie's words up when the bridge-fort came in sight, a stream of people started to pass them, all of them running as fast as their legs could carry them, while looking behind their backs every now and then as if there was an invisible threat out to kill them. None of them slowed down when they saw the small Lhant army approaching. Most of them were still too shocked to speak, and apparently, the danger was not too far behind them. However, the grief and the pain that was carved in their faces, with the occasionally pleading look in their eyes when they passed the Lhant army, told the Lord of Lhant more than any of their words could have.

He wanted nothing more now but to run at top speed to his kings and friends side, but he had to tell his army what they had to expect and how to approach the threat. Asbel had already fought a wyrm or two in his lifetime and maybe his words would save a few lives, even if he wasn't really good at speeches to raise the moral.

"Men!" Asbel began and then quickly corrected himself "And women. Ahead of us lies Wallbridge. King Richard is fighting in there against the monsters that attacked Barona. We have to protect his majesty at all costs. Drive away the wyrms. They are dangerous and strong, so do not take them lightly at any moment. Always approach one in a group of at least three. Keep them constantly under attack. Evade their attacks whenever possible. Pay attention if they want to breathe fire! Now, go!"

With these words he turned and sprinted to the fort, quickly followed by Sophie and Cheria, their troops not far behind them. He should be damned if Richard got killed now, just when he was nearly by his side.